Rating:
PG
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Ginny Weasley Hermione Granger Ron Weasley Severus Snape
Genres:
Action
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 11/19/2004
Updated: 12/24/2004
Words: 447,573
Chapters: 24
Hits: 89,177

Harry Potter and the Ring of Reduction

semprini

Story Summary:
As Harry starts his seventh year at Hogwarts, he becomes more directly involved in the fight against Voldemort than ever before. Seeing death far more often than any seventeen-year-old should have to, Harry struggles with the costs of leading the fight: seeing those closest to him suffer for following where he leads, the necessity of making moral compromises, the burden of knowing that a lapse in judgment could have devastating consequences... and the fact that his pursuit of the "nice, boring life" he so desperately wants but has never had must always be secondary to his pursuit of Voldemort. Blaming himself after a mistake lets Voldemort slip through his fingers, will Harry take one step too far in his attempt to fulfill the prophecy?

Chapter 15

Chapter Summary:
Harry gives his History of Magic class a talk on Dumbledore and his formative experiences; the Slytherin seventh-year boys' dormitory once again becomes a source of trouble.
Posted:
12/10/2004
Hits:
3,291
Author's Note:
In the first story, I made Dumbledore's age 84 in Harry's sixth year, not knowing that JKR had stated in interviews that he was 150. For those of you who strongly feel that interviews are no less canon than the books, I ask your indulgence, as this chapter requires that Dumbledore be considered the age I stated he was. This chapter covers events in Dumbledore's life at around the time of Grindelwald's defeat, and as you will see, it doesn't really work if Dumbledore was in his nineties at the time.


Chapter 15

Grindelwald


Snape resumed the sessions four days later, and did not comment on what had happened that Sunday, though Harry found him even less chatty than usual. To Harry's great surprise, when Snape discovered the Memory Charm, he made no comment at all. Harry almost wished Snape had, so he would have a better idea of where things stood with him. Still, considering what had happened, a lack of open hostility was probably as much as Harry could hope for. There appeared to be no consequences to Blaise either, at least that Harry could see.


Over the next four weeks, all was normal at Hogwarts, but Voldemort and the Death Eaters were stepping up their activities. Not only was there an increase in killings, both of wizards and especially Muggles, but also Voldemort led jailbreaks at Australia's only wizard prison, and both American ones. Over two hundred wizards escaped in all, and it was assumed that at least some would be induced to join Voldemort. On the first Saturday of December, at lunch with Neville and some of the Aurors, Harry was surprised to discover that not all of the Aurors had a gloomy view of the jailbreaks.


"It's going to make our lives a bit more difficult, no question," acknowledged Kingsley after swallowing the last of his food. "But from reading the Prophet, it seems a lot of people don't realize that these are not exactly ready-to-go Death Eaters that he's recruiting. Some are petty criminals, and a lot of the more serious criminals aren't the type that are going to be eager to become Death Eaters; Voldemort demands a certain discipline that most criminals who've always operated independently are going to have a hard time adapting to."


Harry almost commented, 'Not to mention that they're not going to agree to the Cleansing,' before he remembered that he was the only one there with knowledge of it. Before he thought of something else to say, Neville spoke. "But we should assume he put them under the Imperius Curse, right?"


"At first, yes," agreed Kingsley, "but it would be a lot of work to keep two hundred people under the Imperius Curse for any length of time. What he needs are willing helpers, and that's going to be tougher for him now. We're pretty sure Harry's put a damper on his recruiting pitch. He can't exactly say, 'come join the strongest wizard in the world' and have it be credible. So, even though some of the new ones may have to be coerced into joining him, they may be his best bet. He can reasonably hope that they're not aware of what you can do to him, and he can always do a Memory Charm on anyone who seems like they might be a good recruit but hesitates to join him because of Harry, make them forget they ever heard of Harry."


"Well, if they have to go that far, then that's really a good sign," said Neville, prompting nods of agreement around the table. Harry wondered what Snape would have to say about it, but Snape was away for the weekend; he wondered whether Snape was helping train or otherwise deal with those who had been broken out of prison.


Kingsley looked at Harry. "By the way, I wanted to mention at some point that a few days ago, Dawlish and I met with our American counterparts to talk about the prison escapes and compare notes. They asked about you, and about the energy of love. I told them about it, and that you were working with some Aurors."


"I hadn't thought about that," said Harry. "Am I well-known in America?"


"You're not a household word like you are here, but people who read the newspapers will have heard of you, and definitely the American Aurors know about you now, since like us they keep abreast of Dark wizarding developments internationally. They know that you've faced him a few times, and the Cruciatus and Killing Curse shields were big news at the time in international wizarding circles, not only here. Anyway, the Americans were interested in meeting you, but I put them off, told them how busy you were. I had a feeling it wasn't the kind of thing you'd be keen on doing."


"Kingsley has amazing observational skills," remarked Tonks.


Harry nodded. "Not that I'd mind meeting them especially, but yes, I can think of a lot of things I'd rather be doing with the time. Do you think they might help us out?"


"We mentioned the idea to them. They were... noncommittal, which I expected. They have their own problems too, though not nearly so many as we do; they say they're stretched a bit thin. Like us, they don't have as many Aurors in their ranks as they'd like. I think they'd help out in emergencies, but not on a day-to-day basis."


Harry and Neville asked a few more questions about the international wizarding situation, then got up and followed Kingsley to the training area. Alone with him and Neville, Harry asked a question he'd wanted to ask at the table but hadn't for security reasons. "How are the relays coming along?"


"We're starting to deploy them," said Kingsley. "Our projections are that we can have England completely covered in four months, with another month for Scotland and Northern Ireland. After that, hopefully, we'll be able to know where Voldemort is if he's anywhere in Britain. Sooner, if we get lucky and drop a relay in the right place."


"What do you mean, 'hopefully?'" asked Neville before Harry could.


"We can't know for sure that he won't come up with some sort of countermeasure," pointed out Kingsley. "We think he doesn't know about this, but it's not impossible that he could've got to one of the researchers that Hermione was working with. If so, it's possible that he could find a way to avoid being tracked, like imbue some clothing with a spell that blocks the signal. I'm not saying I think it's likely, just that it could happen."


"I hadn't thought of that," admitted Harry.


Kingsley shrugged lightly. "Just one of those little things you learn from being around a while. Things often don't go as planned, including things a lot more certain than this. This is totally new, so things could go wrong even if Voldemort doesn't know. Of course, it's also possible that Voldemort could find out, and be unable to do anything about it. We'll just have to see what happens."


"Assuming everything goes right, I guess eventually he'd have to go to another country, right?" wondered Neville. "What would we do then?"


Kingsley chuckled wryly. "To quote the Minister, 'then, he becomes someone else's problem.'"


Harry's mouth dropped open in astonishment; he was amazed that Bright would be so cavalier. "He said that? What the... what kind of attitude is that?"


"A very political one," said Kingsley. "But I should add, it was made at least partly in jest. It's not as though he doesn't care personally about the people in other countries who Voldemort could kill. It was more of a recognition of the political reality that most British wizards would say 'thank goodness he's gone,' and not clamor to put resources into tracking him down if he's not bothering us anymore. I'm sure we would help whoever ends up with him; I hope we would give them the intelligence on the relays, and give them the means to make their own if they wanted. Of course, there would be some who wouldn't want to do that; they'd fear, reasonably, that the intelligence could be compromised, and Voldemort could use it to find a defense against the detection, in which case our advantage would be lost. In politics, Harry, acts of altruism are very rare. People look out for their own first."


Harry's mind flashed back to McGonagall telling him to finish evacuating the Hogwarts wounded after the fire, while wounded attackers lay dying. He knew it wasn't the same as all of what Kingsley was saying, just the last sentence. "I assume that Bright knows that I'm not going to just shrug if that happens."


"I think that's safe to say," said Kingsley. "Look, Harry, I don't want you to judge him based on that. When you repeat a remark like that, you lose tone of voice, facial expressions, and context. I know you wouldn't be happy with what he said no matter how he said it, but I do think it came across differently when he said it."


"If you say so," said Harry doubtfully, as Dawlish entered the room.


"Ah, thanks for coming," said Kingsley to Dawlish. "Harry, Neville, what we're going to start on now is one of the more important aspects of being an Auror: the ability to detect Dark magic. The fact is, not every Auror can do this. You can still be an Auror even if you can't, it's just very helpful. Some can't at first, then gradually develop the ability. It's very tricky, very sensitive.


"Dark magic is very powerful, and therefore the easiest kind of magic to sense in ways other than the standard five senses. The way to start trying to do it is to clear your mind, to turn off the other five senses as much as you can. If you're sensitive to it at all, you may feel something, even if you don't know what it is."


"But Harry can do this already, can't he?" asked Neville. "I mean, the department store attack... he sensed it just before it happened."


"Yes, I was going to mention that," agreed Kingsley. "Clearly, Harry has the potential to do this. The question is whether it'll only manifest itself in life-threatening situations, or if it's dependable and can be refined. So, Harry, let's give it a try." He handed Harry a thick blindfold. "Put this on, and I'll enchant Dawlish so that he makes no noise whatsoever. He'll do a test Dark spell on me; what we want you to do is see if you can tell when it's happening, and see if you can come close to identifying where he's standing, where the spell originated."


Harry nodded as he put the blindfold on. He immediately cleared his mind, something which came easily to him after so much practice. He focused on remembering what it had felt like on the occasions when he had sensed Dark magic being done nearby, and when he had worked on this with Dumbledore. He was surprised that Dumbledore apparently hadn't mentioned to the Aurors that they'd worked on refining his skill; his next thought was that he shouldn't be thinking, and refocused on emptying his mind.


After a minute, he felt something. He knew it was what he'd felt before, and he even knew where it was coming from, though he didn't think about how he knew. He pointed his wand to his right and fired the Blue spell. A second later he heard Kingsley say, "Um, okay, I think you can take the blindfold off."


Harry did, and looked to his right to see a blue Dawlish looking at him in surprise. "I hadn't even done the damn spell yet, though I was just about to. I would ask you how you did that, but I never get a very good answer when I do, so I think I won't bother."


"Yes, I'm afraid I really couldn't tell you," agreed Harry. "This was the first time I ever tried to get the location, so I'm glad that worked. I can see where this would be really useful."


"That's putting it mildly," said Kingsley. "This is a big part of being an Auror, and not many of us could do what you just did. Hell, you might be able to track a Dark wizard even if he wasn't using magic at the moment. Dumbledore could do that, and a few of us can; it's just a question of how close you'd have to be."


"How could you track them if they weren't using magic?" asked Neville.


"Dark wizards have a particular frame of mind," explained Kingsley, "and even if they're not using magic at that moment, it's as though there's a constant, low-level use of magic at all times. We all have that, actually, it's just much more noticeable with Dark wizards. When we have some more time, maybe over New Year's holiday, we should see if we can test that. Someone could walk around our facility, and we'd see if you could track them, with them sometimes doing magic and sometimes not doing it. Dawlish could do it, but Snape would be better, if he'd be willing."


"I'll talk to him about it," agreed Harry. He was interested to find out whether he could; he knew it could be very important to be able to see a Dark wizard coming even if they weren't using magic.


The next day was the day Harry was supposed to pick out the Slytherin Quidditch team; the new stadium was not completed, but the hoops were up, meaning teams could now practice. He met Thomas after lunch to make sure they both knew how the situation was to be presented: Harry and Thomas would be together as those trying out were put through their paces, but everyone would be told that Thomas would decide the team, and that Harry was simply there to tell the aspirants what they should do. Snape had agreed to Harry's request not to be known as the one picking the team; Harry felt that the second years, especially after taking flying lessons from Ron, were more likely to win positions, and he didn't want the second years or anyone else to think that favoritism had influenced his decision. Snape had rolled his eyes at Harry's request, but could find no reason to object. Thomas found it slightly mystifying, but didn't object either.


To Harry's surprise, not that many Slytherins tried out for the team; he wondered if their poor Quidditch performance during the Malfoy era had caused a decrease in enthusiasm for Quidditch in Slytherin. There were thirteen aspirants for six positions, six of whom were second years. Harry noted with amusement that the six second years were trying out for different positions, so none would be in competition with another; he assumed they had worked it out among the ten of them before the tryouts.


Speaking alone again after the tryouts, Harry asked Thomas his opinion, mainly to see if it differed from his. "Well, I don't have that much experience, which is why you're choosing the team and not me, but I thought the second years were really good. A few positions were tossups, though." Harry agreed, and explained the desirability of choosing younger players. He was uncomfortable choosing six second years, because of his relationship with them, but he knew it was what he would do if it were his team, or even if he had no relationship with them.


Harry spent most of his free time the following week working on his Ring of Reduction, which was due for presentation the last Monday before Christmas vacation. He found that he was beginning to regret having chosen a four-room ring, as his mother had; it was a lot of work, and Hermione was the only one of his friends who had done so. He was both amused and amazed to hear her complain at one point that there couldn't be a nine-room Ring, and wondered whether she would really take on the task if she could. He decided she probably would.


On Friday afternoon, the first twenty minutes of Harry's seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class was spent on the energy of love, after which everyone went outside for combat flying instruction. Harry had a good idea of how to teach it, from having talked to Kingsley and Ron, and from reading parts of a few books. It was their third lesson on the topic; the first two had been spent mostly on formation flying, and this one was the first in which they attempted spells while flying and maneuvering. Not surprisingly, those with Quidditch experience did far better than those without it.


In addition to formation flying, he spent some time on one-on-one airborne duels, which Harry and Ron had also practiced over the past few Sundays. Harry illustrated the difference with normal dueling by asking Ron and Neville to have a few duels. To Neville's annoyance, Ron won all three duels due to his greater adeptness on a broom. Harry explained to the class that on the ground, Neville would beat Ron ninety-five times out of a hundred, but in the air, Ron had a strong natural advantage. Not only was he more maneuverable, but his greater flying experience allowed him to predict his opponent's movements more easily. Harry explained that he didn't expect everyone to become expert fliers by the end of the class, but that he wanted them to understand their strengths and weaknesses in any given situation.


As had become usual when they had class outside, Harry called a halt five minutes early to give the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors time to get to History of Magic. As was also usual, Harry fell in with his friends heading back to the castle. Walking next to Hermione, he remarked, "You're getting pretty good at flying."


Before she could answer, Ron said, "Of course she is, you made it part of the school curriculum. Did you expect her to do anything else?"


"It's not only because of that," responded Hermione casually. "The castle really could come under attack, and I want to be able to fly well. One reason I never bothered with flying was that there was never such a practical use for it; now there is. Anyway, I'm glad you think I'm doing well," she added, to Harry.


"I'm not going to ask you to comment on how I'm doing," said Neville. "I think we all just saw that for ourselves."


Harry couldn't tell if Neville was dispirited, or just poking fun at himself. "C'mon, Neville, Ron's been flying all his life. You can't expect to pick it up quite that fast."


Neville shrugged. "I know, I just expected to do better than I did. I thought I would win at least one." To Ron, he added, "You were moving around so much, I don't think anything I did ever touched you."


"Well, that was the idea," said Ron, sounding almost apologetic. "I had some practice with Harry, that'll get you good pretty fast. I mean, you're really good at dueling, and I'm good on a broom; Harry's both. Hard to imagine who could take him in a flying duel, come to think of it."


"Does Voldemort fly?" asked Pansy. "I mean, if he does, is he any good?"


"I think we don't know that," said Harry. "He probably hasn't flown for a while, hasn't needed to. But he got good at everything important for a wizard, so it'd be hard to imagine that he didn't get good at flying."


"But is he even going to show up if there's an attack on Hogwarts?" wondered Pansy. "He'll know you'll be there, and he'll know he's in trouble if you get near him."


"Yes, but he does have that device," pointed out Harry, "so the worst that'll happen to him is that he goes unconscious and gets sent back to wherever his headquarters is; he can always come back when he wakes up. Which is why I've got to find the damn thing. Hermione, I don't suppose there's any spell that gets people's clothes off?"


She raised an eyebrow for a second. "In any other situation I'd assume you were joking, but I can see why you're asking. No, there isn't, not that I know of."


"Yes, but you wouldn't know, would you?" said Ron. "I mean, I know there are... adult spells, but I kind of doubt the library has books on that." Hermione glanced at Ron, then looked ahead again; Ron's eyebrows shot up. "It does? There are? You did?"


Harry could see Hermione trying not to look embarrassed, as she glanced around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "There are a couple, and yes, I looked through them a bit last year. I was just curious," she added defensively, giving Ron a look that warned him not to make fun of her. "They're in the Restricted section, of course. There's a section on Vanishing clothing and taking it off with magic, but nothing that gets it off all at once." As they walked, Ron gave her a look that suggested that he was interested in hearing more about what she'd read about. Rolling her eyes, she continued, "There's really nothing that interesting... well, okay, some of it is interesting, but not very useful; a lot of it was kind of strange stuff, that most people would never do. There was a section on Engorgement Charms, which shouldn't be a surprise, and a section on, um, creative uses of Polyjuice Potion."


Harry frowned, puzzled. "What would people do with... oh, you mean, they'd become someone else, so they could..."


She nodded, keeping her voice down as they approached the castle entrance. "Apparently there's quite a black market for hair from especially famous and attractive witches and wizards. I try not to judge, but some of those uses... one thing it said some couples do is make Polyjuice Potion, using a hair from each so they can essentially become each other, and then..."


Harry cringed, and saw that he wasn't the only one to have a strong reaction. "Ewww," said Ron fervently. "Boy, I have no trouble judging that, that's just sick. And the scary thing is, I bet there was stuff even weirder than that."


"I got that impression, but I didn't read much further than that," said Hermione. "I decided I didn't need to know everything after all."


"Your quest for knowledge ran up against the limits of good taste," joked Pansy.


"Pretty much," agreed Hermione.


"I can understand that. Well, here's where I separate from you guys; the second years will want my account of the class, then we'll have our session. See you later."


As Pansy walked away, Neville called after her, "Tell them I put up a good fight."


"I will," she shouted over her shoulder. As the rest continued on in the direction of the History of Magic classroom, Harry wondered again whether Neville was actually upset.


Ron looked over at Hermione in puzzlement. "How can you say you don't judge that, anyway? It's so disgusting. And since when did you become Miss-I-Don't-Judge-Things?"


She didn't quite meet his eyes. "Since this summer," she said, sounding as though she was trying to keep emotion out of her voice. Ron looked abashed, clearly thinking he should have been able to predict her answer. "I remembered a phrase I'd heard a long time ago: 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.' It seemed to have a certain... relevance to my situation." As they walked on in silence, Harry realized that while he hadn't thought about what Hermione had suffered over the summer for quite a while, she clearly had.


They arrived to History of Magic five minutes early; Harry noticed that there were six more people there than usual, all Ravenclaws. A few minutes later, Dentus walked in and greeted them. "Good afternoon, all. A reminder before we start: next Friday will be the last class before winter holiday, so your end-of-term essays will be due at the beginning of that class." Harry again felt grateful that Dentus had not required him to do homework for the class; he couldn't imagine where he would have found the time to write an essay, never mind research it.


"You recall, I hope," continued Dentus humorously, "that for the last fifteen minutes of the last class, I gave you some background on the war which the Muggles refer to as World War II. As you know, certain wizarding historical events occur very independently of the situation in the Muggle world, while others are inextricably linked to it. What we will discuss today falls into the latter category.


"You may also recall that in the first lesson, Harry briefly mentioned that Professor Dumbledore had talked to him about the events of that period, events in which Professor Dumbledore was heavily involved. In that class, Harry said that he would speak to the class about those events at some point in the future; today will be that day. But before I turn the floor over to Harry... you may have noticed that we have a few extra people here today. I told the other seventh year class that Harry would be talking about this today, and some of them asked to sit in on this class. I agreed, as did Harry." Dentus gestured for Harry to come forward.


Harry got up and walked to near where Dentus was standing, a few feet to his left. "Harry, I have a question before you start. You said before that you were sure he wouldn't mind you talking about this. How are you so sure of that?"


Dentus had told Harry before the class that he would be asking that, so that the students could be sure that Harry wasn't violating Dumbledore's privacy. Harry had had enough time to prepare his answer. "I talked to him about this a lot, and I asked him if it was all right to talk to other people about it. He said yes, he didn't mind." Harry didn't add the detail that all of those conversations had occurred after Dumbledore died.


Harry turned to the class. "From what Albus told me... okay, wait. I should say before I continue that for some time before he died, he wanted me to call him 'Albus,' and I kind of got into the habit of doing it. So, I'm just going to use his name that way here, which I'm also sure he wouldn't mind."


He paused to remember what he was going to say, then continued. "Apparently Grindelwald started becoming well-known among the wizarding population around 1943, though he was well-known to the Aurors before then. I should say that Albus wasn't an Auror, but he had connections to them, and was friends with some of them. He didn't have a job; he had enough money, and he spent his time after Hogwarts traveling around the world, exposing himself to different cultures, different types of magic. Sometimes he would just travel through a country; sometimes he'd stay and help them find Dark wizards for a while, or if he found a wizard he could learn something from, stay and ask to be taught. The longest he stayed in any one place was one year, in Tibet. He studied more mysticism than magic there; he said it was the most important year of his life. He-yes, Hermione?"


"Did he say exactly why it was so important?" she asked.


"Kind of," replied Harry, "but not exactly in those words. They taught him about meditation, which was a big influence on him. He was already a fairly calm and peaceful person; what they taught him helped him strengthen that. It helped him with mental discipline, it helped him become the person he ended up being. Mandy?"


"You've said that he used the energy of love, he just didn't realize that was what it was. In the energy-of-love sections of our class, you've had us doing stuff that's a lot like meditation. Was there any connection between the time he spent there, and his using the energy of love?"


Good question, he thought. "I don't know; I'm not even sure that he would. It wouldn't be surprising, but he was already pretty powerful before he started traveling. I don't recall him saying that there was an increase in his power at any particular point.


"Anyway, he had planned on staying longer, but as the war continued, he felt that he should go back to England and help out. Not with the war itself, of course; as Professor Dentus has already explained, all countries' wizards stayed out of it. But the war created a really good environment for Dark wizards. You see, Dark wizards get off on killing people. It gives them a feeling of power, it sort of feeds their... negative energy, you could say. Normally, the number of people-right now, I mean Muggles-they kill isn't that high, because killing all the people they wanted would get them noticed, even by Muggles, and increase their chances of being captured. But in that war, people were constantly dying, and not just on the battlefield-lots of bombs were being dropped on cities, and lots of people were dying from that, too. In that kind of environment, it was a lot easier for Dark wizards to do what they wanted to do. They could just go to the site of a bombing, kill one, or five, or ten people, and if they wanted to not attract attention, disfigure the bodies so it looked like bomb damage. The Muggles never knew. Albus understood that was what was going on, and that the wizarding community had to be more aggressive in hunting down Dark wizards who did that. The fact is, a lot of wizards didn't really care about it. As long as the Dark wizards were killing Muggles and not wizards, they figured, Muggles are dying by the thousands anyway because of their stupid war, why should we risk ourselves trying to protect them?"


Susan raised her hand. "Are you sure that most wizards were really like that? It seems really cold, a really awful attitude."


Harry looked at Dentus with an unspoken question. "I was a child, only seven years old at the time that Harry's talking about," said Dentus, "so I can't speak from personal experience, and I have no specific historical knowledge of that one way or the other. But from my experience as a Ministry undersecretary, I find it utterly believable. Much of the wizarding community, frankly, looks down on Muggles, considers them barely worthy of our notice. Also, in every kind of community, both wizard and Muggle, there is a strong tendency to 'look after one's own.' At such a time as Harry is talking about, there would have been great strains on the wizarding community, from living in a wartime environment. Food was relatively scarce, wizards were sometimes injured or killed by bombs, and so forth. I have no doubt that many wizards would have said, we'll look after our own first, and if we have any resources after that, maybe we'll help the Muggles." Dentus waited for follow-up questions, and seeing none, turned the floor back over to Harry.


"Albus, of course, didn't have that attitude," continued Harry, "and he went to work trying to catch Dark wizards who were feeding off the Muggles' misfortune. He found allies: some other wizards who felt like he did, and a few Muggles who knew about the wizarding world and kept their eyes open for deaths that looked suspicious. It wasn't easy to catch Dark wizards, of course, because they could just Apparate at will, and most were careful enough not to kill where there were too many witnesses."


Neville raised a hand. "What were the Aurors doing at the time?"


"Albus told me that their orders from the Ministry were to focus their attention on where wizards lived, especially places like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Some Aurors helped him and the others, in their free time.


"Hmmm, where was I... oh, yes, I was getting to Grindelwald. A lot of people assume that he was that generation's Voldemort, but Albus said that except for the fact that they both used Dark magic and liked killing people, they had almost nothing in common. Voldemort has an organization, and demands loyalty; Grindelwald worked alone. Voldemort craves power; Grindelwald didn't bother with power, at least not the kind that Voldemort wants. Voldemort likes to inspire fear and terror; Grindelwald found that irrelevant. He never would have done anything like the Dark Mark.


"What made Grindelwald the most feared Dark wizard of the time was his body count. He's thought to have killed hundreds of wizards, and thousands of Muggles, far more than Voldemort ever has. Now, I should say, another difference between him and Voldemort is that Voldemort is quite powerful, definitely the most powerful Dark wizard around, and nearly the most powerful wizard anywhere." Harry tried not to smile as he saw his friends looking at him, greatly amused at what they knew he was thinking. "Grindelwald wasn't an especially powerful wizard, he was above average at best. What made him dangerous was an artifact he had, one that wasn't known until shortly before he was defeated. It was a one-of-a-kind Dark artifact, a ring. If a wizard killed while wearing it, he got... a power boost, you could say. He absorbed some of the life energy of the person he killed. It made him more powerful, but for a limited time. Albus wasn't sure, but he thought it was about forty-eight hours. That was the reason he killed so much, besides the fact that he liked it: it kept him more powerful than he otherwise would have been."


The students looked spellbound, and Dentus raised both eyebrows. "Fascinating," he commented. "I'm quite familiar with this period, and I didn't know this. The information must have been very closely held."


Harry nodded. "Albus said that no more than a half dozen people knew it, and they all agreed that it was best kept a secret. They were afraid that if it became known, other Dark wizards might try to get the ring for themselves."


Ernie raised a hand. "So, what happened to the ring?"


Before Harry could answer, a smiling Justin said, "Getting ideas, are you?"


The class laughed, including Harry. Ernie rolled his eyes and looked over at Justin. "Yes, Justin, you know how I've always wanted to be a powerful Dark wizard. But now my secret is out, and it's all your fault."


Harry was surprised; he wasn't sure he'd ever heard Ernie make a joke like that, or any joke, for that matter. Looking a bit surprised as well, Justin responded, "See, I knew the whole Head Boy thing was just an act."


"Well, to answer Ernie's question," said Harry, "or, I guess I should say, to not answer it... obviously I wouldn't tell you even if I knew, but I don't know, and Albus didn't know. It was given to one person at the Ministry, someone who all those who knew trusted; that person was to dispose of it. With the others' agreement, he gave them Memory Charms so they would forget about the existence of the ring in the first place."


Harry paused to take a breath, but Ernie's hand shot up. "Um, Harry... the obvious question here is, if Dumbledore was given a Memory Charm to cover this up, then how did he know enough to tell you this?"


Harry paused, kicking himself mentally for not having seen the question coming; it was, in fact, obvious. He wondered whether telling twenty people would be enough for the secret to get out, then made an impulsive decision. "The answer to that is something I'd really rather wasn't commonly known. Do you all think you can keep it to yourselves if I tell you?"


Most students looked eager to know, and Harry saw surprised looks on Neville, Ron, and Hermione's faces. "As long as we don't have to sign a piece of parchment saying we will," muttered a dark-haired Ravenclaw named Lisa Turpin, sitting at the back of the room.


A hush fell. Harry looked over at Hermione, who looked down, obviously embarrassed. Harry took a step forward. "Lisa, if you'd rather not be here, you're welcome to leave," he said coldly.


She glared at him in response. "Marietta's my friend. Besides, you're not the teacher of this class."


Without missing a beat, Dentus replied, "Quite right; I am. Please leave, Miss Turpin." Looking slightly surprised, Turpin looked at Dentus, who stared back, expressionless. She picked up her bag and left the room. Harry was surprised as well; he assumed Dentus had dismissed her for her disrespect to Harry, who was a Hogwarts teacher, even if not the teacher of that class. Harry wasn't sure whether Dentus knew about the incident with Marietta, or that it involved Hermione.


Harry was about to speak again, but Hermione did first. Turning to the remaining five Ravenclaws, she said quietly, "Look, not that it's any of Lisa's business, or yours, but I sent Marietta an owl in August, apologizing for what I did. A lot of people in this class signed that, and I should have told you what you were signing."


Padma shook her head. "Don't worry, Hermione. This is a Lisa thing, not a Ravenclaw thing. Remember, I was one of the ones Marietta almost got in serious trouble, if not for what Dumbledore did. You were trying to protect us, and I don't blame you for a minute for what happened." Hermione nodded gratefully, but didn't look as though she felt much better about what had happened.


Harry decided he should resume his story, though he knew now he wouldn't tell them what he'd intended to; he was no longer in a frame of mind where he felt comfortable trusting twenty people to keep a potentially embarrassing secret. "Okay, getting back to the story. Until Grindelwald was caught, nobody knew about the ring, so everyone assumed he was just a very powerful wizard who really liked to kill lots of people. He killed more Muggles than wizards; he would rather have killed wizards, but killing wizards was much riskier, because the Aurors were spending all their time making sure wizards were safe, and because wizards could possibly fight back in a way Muggles couldn't. Grindelwald preferred to kill wizards because they gave him more power; killing wizards gave him three or four times as much power as killing Muggles did. He still did it, just very carefully.


"They had a very hard time with Grindelwald, because he didn't care about anything but killing. With Voldemort... well, look at what happened with me. All I did was say his name, and encourage others to do it. He could have just ignored me, and he'd be much farther along in his plans by now. But he keeps trying to kill me, and he keeps putting more and more effort into-" He stopped talking as he saw a hand go up. "Dean?"


"Yes, but he thought he'd be able to kill you easily," pointed out Dean. "He didn't know it would be this hard; this wasn't part of his plan."


"Yes, but that's part of my point exactly," said Harry. "He failed, and was unhappy that he failed, because whenever he tried to kill someone before, they ended up dead. The fact that I'm still alive really annoys him, and not just because I'm now a threat to him, but because it's a blow to his ego, power, and status-it makes him look bad that he can't kill me, and so he keeps trying. He has a need to be seen a certain way. Grindelwald, on the other hand, wouldn't have let himself get sidetracked like that. Albus could have called him every name in the book in the Prophet, and Grindelwald would have just ignored it, and kept on killing. It's harder to beat an opponent who's distracted by fewer things.


"Albus spent most of 1944 trying to protect Muggles and hunt down Dark wizards, not just Grindelwald. He tried to help Muggles where he could, but he knew there was only so much he could do, and it pained him not to be able to do more for them, when there was so much suffering all around him." Dean raised his hand again, and Harry called on him.


"Yes, a question for Professor Dentus... you said last week that tens of millions were killed around that time; that Russia killed millions of its own people, and Germany killed millions of Jewish people. I assume the reason that wizards didn't try to stop that is that we're not supposed to get involved in Muggle affairs, and Harry, is that what you meant when you said 'there was only so much he could do?'"


Dentus responded first. "Yes, though it was talked about. Hitler's plans for the Jews were known to Ministry wizards, and high-ranking wizards in America and some European countries, well before most Muggles were aware of it. Doing something to intervene was discussed, but the only real way to do anything would have been to remove or manipulate Hitler, and no one was willing to interfere in Muggle affairs so directly, for reasons you already know. Even hardheaded wizards hated to see so much death, but it was decided at an international wizarding conference that even at such a cost, staying out of Muggle affairs was more important then than ever. If we intervened, we would essentially be taking over, and no one wanted that. Harry?"


Looking at Dean, Harry said, "Yes, that was what he meant. He agreed with the decision; he knew it would be bad for wizards to take over. It was just very hard for him. He saw so much death, and if I know one thing from knowing him, it's that it pained him greatly to see people suffer, to know what the families of the dead went through. He did sometimes intervene in small ways, saving Muggle lives when he could and when it wouldn't be noticed by too many people, giving those he saved Memory Charms if he had to use magic to do it, which he usually did. He was reprimanded once by the Ministry after a wizard happened to see him doing that, but he continued anyway. But yes, he knew there was only so much he could do.


"In 1944, he came close to catching Grindelwald a few times. By late 1944, the Allies were winning the war, and most of the action was in continental Europe. Grindelwald went there, and so did many Dark wizards, so they would have more opportunities to kill. Albus went there as well, along with the people he had been working with in England. Obviously, he didn't care about the nationality of the people he saved. Twice in late 1944 he got very close to Grindelwald, but Grindelwald Disapparated before Albus could get close enough to do anything to him. Yes, Mandy?"


"How did Professor Dumbledore find him? I mean, was it luck, or eyewitnesses, or what?"


"It was partly luck, and partly his ability to sense Dark wizards. Some wizards-and Aurors are trained in this-have the ability to sense Dark magic being used somewhere near them. That was how he captured a lot of the Dark wizards he did-he would go to where there was a bombing, some place likely for Dark wizards to go, and if there was one close enough, he could sense them. He'd usually capture them if he could get close enough to them so he could put down an anti-Disapparation field before they were aware of him. The times he missed Grindelwald it was because Grindelwald happened to Disapparate before Albus could get close enough to him to put down the field, not because he saw Albus coming."


Justin raised a hand. "Can you sense Dark wizards?"


Harry paused for a few seconds, trying to figure out whether that was a security matter or not; he wasn't sure how aware Voldemort was of his ability. "Well, yes, I'm getting a very strong sense from Ernie right here," he joked, gesturing to Ernie. The class laughed heartily as Ernie rolled his eyes.


After the laughter died down, Harry looked at Hermione, asking a silent question. She said nothing, but he quickly got an emotional impression from her via Fawkes, one of holding back, not communicating. Understanding, but wondering why she didn't say it verbally, he spoke to the class again. "Seriously, though, I'm going to not answer that question. If I do have that ability, I'd rather he found out the hard way. And if I don't, I'd rather he worried that I did.


"To continue... in early 1945, Albus got close enough to put down an anti-Disapparation field onto him, but as soon as he saw Albus, Grindelwald Disapparated, defeating Albus's field. Albus was discouraged, since this was to him proof that Grindelwald was a stronger wizard than he was, and Albus was one of the strongest wizards of his generation.


"Even though Albus kept getting closer to him, Grindelwald kept doing what he'd been doing, he didn't change his habits. He assumed that no one wizard was a threat to him, and he knew that Albus wasn't looking for him specifically, just for Dark wizards killing Muggles unobtrusively. Yes, Anthony?"


"How do you know what Grindelwald thought?"


Harry nodded. "Good question; it'll be answered naturally in the course of the story. So... about a month later, in March 1945, as the war was starting to wind down, Albus got as close to Grindelwald as he ever had. He was able to sneak up on him and Stun him, then he did the spell that wraps the person in ropes after taking his wand. Right at this point, Muggles started showing up. Normally, Albus would have Apparated them both directly to Auror headquarters in England, but he knew it would be a major violation of wizarding secrecy to do that right then. He quickly Disillusioned Grindelwald, so the Muggles couldn't see him, and he levitated him away, at his side.


"While he took Grindelwald to a place where they couldn't be seen, he did Legilimens on him. He started calling up memories, which answers your question, Anthony. He got a lot of information in a few minutes, including about the ring. As they approached a place where Albus could Apparate him away, Grindelwald woke up. Albus didn't notice for a few seconds, and that was all Grindelwald needed. Albus still doesn't know how, but Grindelwald broke out of the ropes; Albus assumed afterwards that he had a second wand somewhere that he was able to reach somehow, or even just touch. Before Albus had a chance to do anything, Grindelwald Disapparated.


"Albus felt horrible, of course. He blamed himself, figured he'd been careless. All he could think about for the next few weeks, the next month, was how many people would be killed because of his mistake. Ernie?"


"Why didn't he just kill Grindelwald when he had the chance?"


Harry nodded grimly. "Albus said that everyone he talked to who knew what happened asked him that question. Killing Dark wizards wasn't uncommon at that time, I should point out. These days, Aurors need special permission to do it, permission that was last given about seventeen years ago, when Voldemort was strong before. But then, an Auror could do it and not be questioned. Albus wasn't an Auror, but he had friends who were, and he knew full well that if he carried Grindelwald's dead body into the Ministry, no one would do anything but applaud.


"But the answer to your question, Ernie, is very simple: he thought killing was wrong, and he wouldn't do it. People argued with him about it later; they said, 'how can it be wrong to kill someone who's killed hundreds, maybe thousands?' Albus's answer was that if something was wrong, it was wrong in all situations, especially killing. He said that he should have been more careful, that he should have triple-checked that Grindelwald was unconscious at all times. What happened didn't become public knowledge, fortunately for him, but the Aurors and those who knew him fairly well knew about it. He spent a lot of his time over the next few months thinking about it, trying to decide whether he'd done the right thing.


"What didn't help was another bit of information he'd gotten from Grindelwald when he did Legilimens on him. It wasn't only finding out about the ring, about how he got power from it. Albus discovered that the power Grindelwald got from the ring was addictive. It had an effect on Grindelwald's power, but also his mood. He felt really good right after he killed someone, and if he went a few days without killing anyone, he felt worse than he normally did before he started using the ring. As the war went on, and he killed more and more, he became more and more addicted; he needed to kill more often to get the same feeling. So, after Albus captured Grindelwald and Grindelwald escaped, Albus knew he would continue killing, and do it more and more frequently. It was a huge burden on his conscience; he estimated that Grindelwald killed as much as two or three times a day, and at the end of every day, he would wonder who those people were, imagine their faces..." Harry paused as he felt emotion well up, and waited for it to pass.


"It was an enormous weight on him; he felt worse than he had in his life. He went from focusing on helping Muggles to focusing on catching Grindelwald, and he thought about what he would do differently the next time. He still helped Muggles, of course, it's just that catching Grindelwald was now his main intention. He told himself it was to help the people that Grindelwald would surely kill, but it wasn't until much later that he realized it was more to help his own conscience deal with what had happened. He replayed Grindelwald getting away a hundred times in his head, and started to rethink his refusal to kill. He wondered if it was just an indulgence, so he wouldn't have to feel bad at having killed, while because of him, he felt, more people were being killed every day. Did it matter that he wasn't the one doing the actual killing, he wondered, so long as people were being killed, and he could have prevented it?" As he spoke, Harry flashed back to Snape saying roughly the same words to him the day after Skeeter was killed.


"The war ended in May, at least, the war in Europe. Albus wondered if Grindelwald would go to Japan, where many people were dying in bombings, but he didn't. Albus guessed that Grindelwald would have felt too conspicuous, a white person in a country filled with Asians. There was a sighting of Grindelwald in England in early June, then Albus came back as well. As the summer passed, it was clear that Grindelwald was still killing. His killing of Muggles was now very conspicuous, and he also killed wizards, about once a week. He was very careful about how he did it, but Albus was sure he would be caught eventually; the question was, how many people would die before he was.


"Albus still couldn't decide what he would do the next time he faced Grindelwald. He talked to people, all of whom urged him to kill Grindelwald if he had a chance. He visited the wizards in Tibet for a few days, and asked them for their advice. They refused to give him specific advice; they just told him to do what he thought was the right thing to do. It didn't help him much, since he felt in a way that both of his choices were wrong, and it was a matter of choosing what he felt was least wrong. He returned to England, not feeling any better about the choice he had to make. In the meantime, people kept dying, including two acquaintances and a friend. That made him angry, and in August, he decided that he would kill Grindelwald if he could. Not out of revenge for his friend's death, but just because it brought home to him all the more how much suffering Grindelwald was causing; it made him feel other people's pain even more than he had before.


"Finally, in September, he got his chance. Grindelwald, in his addiction, his need to kill, was becoming less careful. Albus found him in Diagon Alley, in a shop that had closed. Grindelwald had just killed the shopkeeper. Albus got to a line of sight, hoping he'd get there before Grindelwald Disapparated. He did, and summoning up as much hate as he could, did the Killing Curse. Grindelwald was dead; Albus took off the ring, and took the body to Auror headquarters.


"Well, as you can probably imagine, it made him a hero. Grindelwald's killing of so many wizards was a big issue in the wizarding world, and people were really relieved that he was gone. Albus was on the cover of the Prophet for the next week, lots of articles were written about his life. He was given the Order of Merlin, First Class, and treated with great respect by, ironically, the same high Ministry officials who had reprimanded him for using magic to try to save Muggles. He was offered a high position in the Ministry; the Aurors, who had wanted him to join them before, tried harder than ever to get him to join. He couldn't go anywhere without people stopping and talking to him, thanking him, praising him. It was almost impossible for him to pay for a meal for quite a while.


"You would think that he would be really happy, and he would have thought so too. But he wasn't. He was pleased that Grindelwald was no longer a threat, but other than that, he felt depressed. He put on a smile in public, accepting people's praise and thanks with as much grace as he could, but he was very unhappy. He knew that the reason was that he had killed, and he spent a long time trying to justify it to himself. He told a few close friends how he felt, and they told him the same things he was telling himself; it still didn't do any good.


"One thing that was happening at the same time was that his magical ability suddenly dropped quite a bit. He suddenly couldn't do some difficult spells he had done before, and the effectiveness of all his spells went down very noticeably. Combined with his mood, it put him in a very bad state, and he spent weeks not doing much, wondering what was happening. He had lots of ideas about why it was, but no way to know for sure. The one that he kept coming back to was that this was a message from whatever higher power existed that what he had done was wrong, that what he thought in the first place had been right-killing was wrong, no matter what."


Lavender raised her hand. "He believed in a higher power?"


"I'm not sure exactly what he believed at that time, but I think he did then, and I know he did when he died," answered Harry. "Anyway,-yes, Mandy?"


"You've said he was using the energy of love, and he just didn't realize it. What you described happening to his magic after he killed Grindelwald sounds like a change from energy-of-love magic to average magic, and you've told us in classes that it's important not to have negative, hateful thoughts. Did using the Killing Curse cause him to lose the ability to use the energy of love?"


Harry nodded, impressed. "I guess this is why the Sorting Hat is always saying that the Ravenclaws are smart. We can't know it, of course, but yes, he thinks that's exactly what happened, and it makes perfect sense. Intuitively, I think it must be the case."


"I have another question about that, but a short one first," continued Mandy. "That's the second time you've referred to Professor Dumbledore in the present tense, and I was just wondering why, if there was any reason."


Harry's eyebrows went up; he hadn't noticed. He was thinking of a way to answer when Dentus spoke. "It's not uncommon for people who have lost a loved one to do that. Those of you who read the Prophet regularly know that my wife passed away four months ago, and I find myself referring to her that way. I think it's partly that they were so close to us that we feel as though they're around even if they're not, and partly that my wife and I both believe that we continue to exist in some way after we pass on, in which case she isn't truly gone, just in a different place. I believe that Harry feels that way about Professor Dumbledore."


Harry nodded, grateful for Dentus's intervention and surprised at his having said something as personal as that. "I hadn't even realized I was doing it," he said to Mandy truthfully. "But yes, I'm confident that he's around somewhere. What was your other question?"


Harry guessed that she was surprised by his and Dentus's comments, as she took a few seconds to recall what she had been about to ask. "Does what happened to him mean that you can't kill Voldemort?"


That's the question, isn't it, thought Harry. "No, it just means that if I did, what happened to him would very likely happen to me; I would lose the ability to use the energy of love. Not permanently, though, since it wasn't that way for him."


"Yes," she said, "but suppose you tried to kill him, and failed; you would lose the ability to use the energy of love. That spell you now have, the one that can make him unconscious... you haven't given any details about it, but it has to be an energy-of-love spell. Can you really afford to take that chance? If you have the chance, will you try to kill him?"


The class was rapt, hanging on his next words; Harry thought for a few seconds before answering. "I'd be lying, Mandy, if I said I hadn't thought about that... a few dozen times. Normally, I wouldn't answer this question, since I don't want any information about my intentions to get back to him. But the truthful answer is also one that's not going to help him if it gets back to him: When the situation happens, I'll know what to do. I absolutely believe that. Albus told me many times to trust my intuition, and I'm comfortable doing that by now.


"Okay, getting back to Albus... he didn't feel any better after a couple of months, and he decided to go to Tibet again and talk to the wizards he'd come to trust. At first, they didn't seem to be of much help; they just told him that this was something he had to go through. He stayed for a week, meditated, had conversations with the wizards there, and he started to understand some things. One was that there are costs to taking a human life, no matter for what reason. He asked them if they thought what he did was wrong; they told him that that was something he had to decide for himself. At one point, he said to one of them that he did what he thought was right. The wizard shook his head and said, 'You did what you thought was best, not what you thought was right.' That particular comment had a strong influence on Albus; he hadn't thought of what happened in quite that way, but he knew it was true. Nothing he was able to do, or say to himself, or have someone say to him was enough to make him comfortable with what he'd done. He went back to England, and mostly stayed out of sight; he was having a hard time dealing with people congratulating him for doing what he had done. He knew that most people in his position would accept what they'd done as necessary, and not think too much about it. He wished he could, but he couldn't.


"After thinking and agonizing for a few more months, he reached some conclusions. One of the things that the Tibetan wizards had told him was that 'feelings are the language of the soul,' and he decided that it was very true for him. His feelings were shouting at him, and he decided to listen to them. He decided never to take another life, no matter what the circumstances, even if doing so could save a hundred people. He visualized what he wanted the world to be like, and decided to act in the way that he felt the world would be a better place if everyone acted that way. He knew that the world was not that way then, nor would it be anytime in his lifetime, but the only way it ever could be was if people started acting as though it was. He decided never to lie, never to do anything by which he gained at someone else's expense. He also felt during this time that he truly understood for the first time why he'd been Sorted into Hufflepuff. He had qualities that could have put him into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but he came to feel that the values that Hufflepuff represented were exactly those that he was starting to embrace very strongly: treating people fairly, doing one's best. Hufflepuff wasn't seen as an attractive House to be put into; everyone can see the appeal of being smart, or brave, or ambitious. But he felt that Hufflepuff values were the ones that, if everyone followed them, the world would be a much better place. Of course," added Harry with a small smile, "he couldn't really say that as headmaster, he had to be fair to all the Houses. But it was what he thought." Harry looked around to see the Hufflepuffs exchange glances; he thought Ernie looked particularly proud.


Susan raised a hand. "How did he justify to himself the idea that he wouldn't kill even to save a hundred lives? I mean, what made him decide to kill in the first place was that he had to stop people from dying. Did he decide he'd been wrong about that?"


Harry thought for a few seconds. "I think you could say he decided that it was wrong for him. He was still pained at the idea that people could die as a result of his failing to kill someone, but he just decided that he always had to do what he thought was the right thing, the thing that would create the world he wanted if everyone did it. He felt that the more people did that, the faster the world would become that place."


"But, really, he knew it wouldn't work that way, didn't he?" asked Mandy. "I mean, he was only one person, though a very important one. He couldn't change the world, he had to know that."


"No, he personally couldn't," agreed Harry. "But he felt that we all play a part, we all contribute to making the world what it is; he wanted to do his part to make the world how he wanted it, even though it was only a tiny nudge in that direction. He felt that it would be worth it even if he'd influenced no one else, though of course he did. Last year, I was lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time with him, and just the way he was... I always felt like, I'd really like to be like he is. I didn't think I ever could, but it felt like it was a good goal to have. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who felt that way, and I really believe that the reason he inspired that kind of feeling was that he always did what he thought was right, that he put himself so strongly on that kind of path. And it wasn't easy; it takes a lot of strength of character to live the way he did, in the position that he was in."


"How do you mean?" asked Susan.


"Well, for example, how he dealt with Malfoy last year. Especially after Goyle's attempt on my life in January, Albus knew that Malfoy would at some point try to kill me. Albus... loved me, he cared about me a great deal. He could have expelled Malfoy without cause, to protect me, and those of my friends who got in Malfoy's way. But he didn't, because his principles told him that it was wrong to expel any student without a proper and defensible justification. If it was done to Malfoy, it could be done to someone else in the future, for less valid reasons. Upholding the principle meant letting Malfoy stay, and risking the life of someone he loved. It pained him to do it, but he did it. As you all know, Malfoy ended up trying to kill me, and tortured Ginny, and Pansy really badly. Albus suffered for all that, felt responsible. If he was callous and indifferent, it would've been easy for him to do what he did. But he wasn't, and it wasn't. Most people wouldn't have done what he did. The more you love and care, the harder it is, and he loved and cared a lot. You all remember the speech he gave when Cedric was killed, about doing the easy and wrong thing versus the difficult and right thing; he lived that. Sometimes it was really hard, but what he went through with Grindelwald convinced him that it was the way he had to be."


"You've said that he was a big influence on you," said Hannah. "Are you... I'm sorry, this is kind of personal, I'll understand if you don't want to answer it, but are you going to try to be like he was about this?"


Harry shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't think I could. If I think about whether I could accept risk to Ginny, or Pansy, or... any of them, and the answer is, no way, I couldn't; I would do whatever I had to, to protect them. I mean, I have enough..." He paused and chuckled inwardly, thinking of what an understatement it was. "...enough trouble dealing with the danger that they're in, that anyone's in, just from being around me." He glanced at Dentus involuntarily as he spoke. "I should say, though, that he never told me that I should be like that. He said several times that I had to make my own decisions, do what I was comfortable with. He supported decisions I made, like supporting the ARA, even when it wasn't what he would have done. He said that we learn by making our own decisions, like he did. If somebody makes your decisions for you all your life, then you never learn or grow. So, I may end up like he was; I don't know. I just don't think I can ever do what he did, and he says... sorry, he would say that that was fine, that I have to be who I am, that we all do. If we do the best we can, then that's all we can do."


Dentus took a few steps toward Harry and addressed the class. "From your expressions, I can see that you feel as I do, that what we heard was... quite riveting. I should say that I was fortunate to consider Professor Dumbledore a friend, but I did not know most of what Harry just told us. Does anyone have any comment on its relevance from a historical point of view?"


Hermione raised her hand, despite Dentus's earlier suggestion that she not; Harry assumed that it was because Dentus had asked for commentary, rather than a correct answer to a question. No other hands went up, and Dentus gestured to her. "It tells us what he was thinking, why he did what he did, and the extent to which what he did reflected the values of the society of the time," she said. "In this case, I would say he was quite far ahead of his time, and because he was a prominent person, he had a strong influence. Key people move their societies in their direction, some a little, some a lot. Some people are a reflection of their society, serving as a focal point for all the influences of their society. Some stand outside it, either pushing for change, or quietly leading and inviting others to join them, which Professor Dumbledore did."


"Yes, that's a very good point, Hermione," agreed Dentus. "Having worked for the Ministry-an organization which one could say can be 'ethically challenged'-I can say that Albus was greatly respected there, and that many of those who joined Minister Fudge's crusade against him and Harry two years ago at least were somewhat ashamed of it, which is uncommon for politicians. Yes, Mandy?"


"It occurred to me that he had another kind of influence, a more indirect one. He understood, somehow, that love was Voldemort's weakness, and he told Harry how to fight him. Harry would never have come up with the energy of love if not for Dumbledore, and Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to work that out if he hadn't been the kind of person he was. So, it was very interesting to find out what made him become who he was, and see what kind of decisions he made along the way. Especially because the decisions were so... wrenching."


"Another good point," said Dentus. "It also ties in with Hermione's, in a way. His natural tendency was to do things outside of what his society approved of, such as his determination to help Muggles, even those not being threatened by Dark wizards. The action which secured his fame and influence, and of which his society heartily approved, ironically, was the thing he later decided was wrong. This is one of the lessons of history, of paying attention to more than the names and dates. People are normally rewarded by doing that which their society approves of, and thus gain fame and influence; politicians are the most common example of this. Most people who gain fame and influence like it sufficiently that they seek to gain more, and so make conscious efforts to do what others would want them to do, and gain more approval. In a sense, this is a waste of the influence a person has, since you don't really change a society by telling it the things it wants to hear. Professor Dumbledore simply did what he thought was right, and so while losing political influence, gained moral influence among those who admired him, such as myself and Harry, among many others."


Still standing in front of the class, Harry nodded. "It's funny, I never thought of his influence as having come from defeating Grindelwald, since it happened so many years ago. I was just very impressed by him personally, who he was, regardless of his being headmaster. Of course, I might not have known him if he hadn't been the headmaster, and he wouldn't have been the headmaster, maybe, if he hadn't killed Grindelwald. But..." He trailed off as he felt a vague feeling of unease, very faint and fleeting. After a few more seconds in which he felt nothing, he said, "Sorry. I was going to say, we all meet people who have an influence on us, and most of them aren't famous. For example, for me, Ron and Ginny's parents are..." He paused again as the feeling came back, more strongly this time; horror filled him as he realized what it was.


He stepped forward, to the area where Hermione, Ron, and Neville were sitting. "Someone's using powerful Dark magic," he said urgently. "Not close by, but somewhere in Hogwarts. Really strong."


His friends looked startled, as did the rest of the class. "Are you sure?" asked Ron.


"Oh, yeah, really sure," affirmed Harry. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was the Killing Curse. Hermione-" He cut himself off as someone started to open the classroom door. "No! Don't open the door! They'll be looking for me, they'll know where I am. The door will be our warning if they get close. Hermione, look at the map."


She quickly pulled out her map, activated it, and spread it on her desk as the other students watched in surprise. She scanned it, then said to Harry, "There's no one here who's not supposed to be." To the map, she said, "Changes, five minutes!" The map cleared itself, except for some blinking purple dots and names. She looked at Harry, fear in her eyes. "Almost a dozen Slytherins who were in their common room aren't on the map anymore. I think... they must be dead."


"Oh, God," muttered Harry, realizing that what he had sensed was multiple Killing Curses; he fought back emotion and tried to concentrate. Ron leaped out of his chair, standing next to Harry and looking down at Hermione's desk. Harry glanced at Ron and immediately knew what he was thinking. "Pansy?" he asked Hermione, as he grabbed his pendant. "Pink!" he shouted, as Ron did the same.


"Pansy!" shouted Ron. "Are you there?"


"She's there, she's alive," reported Hermione after she had the map resume its usual functioning. On his pendant and Ron's, Pansy didn't respond, but Harry could hear screams.


He and Ron exchanged a terrified glance. As Ron started to say, "We've got to-", Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder and Apparated them both to the Slytherin common room. To his shock, he was instantly standing in the middle of a roaring fire. He had barely registered this fact when he unconsciously activated his area-effect fire-suppression spell, and just as suddenly, the fire was out.


The screams stopped, and Harry looked around. A few dozen people were on the floor, coughing and gasping. Ron found Pansy and pulled her to her feet; Harry saw that all of the second years were there. Thank God none were killed, thought Harry quickly. "Are you all right?" asked Ron.


Pansy nodded. "Five of them, Harry, they must be here for you. They threw a fireball at us and left, but not before..." She gestured to the chairs and sofas in the middle of the room, where a number of students were slumped over, clearly dead.


Again, Harry tried to push it out of his mind. "They'll be heading for the History of Magic classroom, I have to go back there. Ron, use Fawkes and get Madam Pomfrey in here," he said as Fawkes appeared.


"I'm going with you," said Pansy, as Harry and Ron stared in surprise. "Really, I'm all right," she insisted, though the effect was diminished by a cough at the end of the sentence, and her severely singed blonde hair.


Harry would have preferred that she get medical care, but he saw her determination, and he knew he would do the same thing in her place. "All right." He put a hand on her shoulder and Disapparated.


They were back in the History of Magic classroom; there was a mild gasp at Pansy's sudden presence and appearance. "Still nothing on the maps?" Harry asked Hermione. She shook her head, clearly mystified that no attackers were showing up. "All right. Pansy-"


He was interrupted by his pendant vibrating in the way that indicated a call from Snape. "Yes, Professor?"


"Professor Potter," came Snape's voice, "you must report to Auror headquarters immediately and remain there until further notice."


"Just as soon as these attackers are dealt with, I promise," responded Harry with mild sarcasm. He knew that Snape was trying to protect him, and had hoped that Harry didn't yet know about the attack and would do as he was told.


Harry heard Snape sigh, and wondered whether he was imagining it. "The headmistress's instructions-"


"The headmistress knows I'm not going anywhere until these people are caught."


"The Dark Lord will expect that you will remain. His operatives will-"


"Be caught, one by one," interrupted Harry. "Now, please be quiet. Pansy, what happened?" Harry left the pendant channel open so Snape could listen if he wanted to.


"I was in the second year boys dormitory with all ten, we were having a session," she reported. "We heard screams from the common room, and we ran in. Five wizards were using Killing Curses, you saw the bodies. Helen, Sylvia, and I started putting up shields, and everyone else started throwing spells at them. I saw two of them heading for the portrait, and one of them threw the fireball at us. It exploded, and you got there a few seconds later, I think." Harry had heard of fireballs, but had never seen the effects of one so closely until then; he thought of them as the wizarding world's equivalent of hand grenades, though much worse.


"Okay, we have to start getting everyone out of here, hopefully before they get here," said Harry. "Hermione, if you could have Flora start-"


Flora suddenly appeared. "Where should she take them?" asked Hermione.


"If you say 'Auror headquarters,' I'm not going," said Justin. "It has to be somewhere in Hogwarts."


Harry hesitated, as Justin had correctly predicted what Harry would say. "Okay, their common rooms," he said to Hermione. "There should be at least one person in every common room who can do the spells. Hermione, work it out. Everyone, when you get to your common room, tell everyone what happened, make sure no one leaves. Watch the portrait holes, be ready. I don't think passwords are going to stop-"


Harry interrupted himself as he got the sense of Dark magic in the vicinity; nearby, but at a low level, so he assumed that the person wasn't using magic. As Flora took two Ravenclaws away, he tried to localize it, and found that it was almost right outside the door. "Neville," he whispered, "open the door when I do this." He made a gesture with his left hand; Neville nodded. Harry walked over to the door, stood against the wall, then made the gesture. The door flew open, and Harry immediately sent out intense feelings of love, hoping they would connect with their target. A man wearing short black robes and a black scarf around most of his face walked in, taking off his scarf as he did so. He appeared to be in his late twenties, shorter than average, with black hair and a thick half-day growth of beard. Harry infused him with the feeling that Harry's safety was of urgent importance. The man spoke, but Harry didn't understand any of it. "Damn," he muttered.


Dentus pointed a wand at the man. "Lexicus," he said. To Harry, he added, "Translation spell." Harry nodded his thanks.


The man spoke again; this time, Harry heard him in English. "There are four others," the man said quickly, handing Harry his wand. "I think they headed back to the Slytherin area as soon as you went there; I didn't look at my tracking device until just before you came back here. They will be heading here soon." As he spoke, he reached inside his robes and took out wands, eventually handing over three more. Flora took away two more Ravenclaws as Ron appeared with Fawkes; Harry silently asked Fawkes to take two Hufflepuffs back to their common room.


"Madam Pomfrey is with the Slytherins, they'll be okay," reported Ron, looking quizzically at the attacker but seeming to understand the situation.


Harry nodded, then turned back to the attacker. "You can track me? How?"


"Your blood is the Dark Lord's blood."


Harry rolled his eyes. "That's starting to get pretty inconvenient. I assume your instructions are to kill me? Anything else?"


"You are the first priority, then the other five, then the three newest." Harry raised his eyebrows and glanced at the others at the reference to Luna, Helen, and Sylvia. "We were also to dispatch anyone who got in our way, including the inhabitants of the Slytherin common room."


"Professor Snape, are you getting this?" asked Harry.


"Yes," came Snape's reply. "Aurors have begun to arrive; other professors and I are with them at the castle entrance."


"I'm sending Ron and Pansy to join you," he said, glancing up at Ron and Pansy, to whom he said, "I know you'd rather be with me, but I need to be mobile. I can only travel with one person, and that's going to be Neville." He knew the others would understand that he wanted Neville's dueling ability if for whatever reason the Imperius Charm wasn't effective.


"Acknowledged," said Snape. Fawkes returned from transporting the most recent pair of Hufflepuffs; Ron and Pansy took hold of his tail, and were gone. Harry turned his attention to the captured attacker.


"Voldemort must know about the Imperius Charm. Why did he send you anyway, knowing I could just do this?"


"The Dark Lord believes that there is no such thing as the Imperius Charm, and that you simply used the Imperius Curse and called it something else so you would not have to answer for having used one of the Unforgivable Curses."


"The Dark Lord is an unbelievable moron," muttered Harry, oblivious to the amazed looks that all the remaining students except for Hermione and Neville were wearing.


"We are all expert in resisting the Imperius Curse, which he thought would be more than sufficient," the man went on. "In addition, I am wearing an artifact, a ring which shields one from all spells affecting the brain except Legilimency."


"I don't see any ring," said Harry.


"It is invisible when worn," the man explained.


"Give it to me," instructed Harry. The man took something off a finger, and a simple gold band became visible. Harry took it and put it on, and it became invisible again. He sensed low-level Dark magic drawing nearer; he knew he might have to leave, but that his Imperius Charm hold on the man would disappear if he did. "If I wrap you up, will you be able to escape?"


"Now that I have given you my extra wands, no," said the man.


Harry nodded. "I'd like to talk more, but the others are coming," he said as he performed the spell that wrapped the man in ropes. He touched the man and Disapparated, appearing in the detection room at Auror headquarters. An Auror ran over to take the man from Harry. "Others will be on the way," said Harry, who then Disapparated, now finding himself back in the History of Magic classroom. The evacuation was almost finished; the only people remaining were Hermione, Neville, and Dentus. "All the common rooms covered?" Harry asked Hermione.


"All except Hufflepuff," she said. "I'll go there."


He nodded. "Take Archibald to the Slytherin common room. Ready, Neville?"


"Any time you are."


Harry sensed that two attackers were very near the door now. He wasn't sure exactly where the other two were, but he knew they were on a lower level of the castle. He touched Neville's shoulder, and they were outside, on the roof of the castle. "I came here because I need a minute to concentrate, to get a more accurate idea of where they are."


"I'll help out by not disturbing you," joked Neville.


Harry smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He closed his eyes and focused, and opened them a minute later. "The two that were almost outside the classroom are heading upwards, but they're nowhere near where I want to go, which is the important thing." He touched Neville, and they were outside the Room of Requirement. "Keep your eyes open, I'll do the wishing." He walked back and forth three times, concentrating, and the door opened. He walked in, Neville following.


Harry let out a low whistle; it had worked even better than he imagined. On a square portion of the floor about two yards long and two yards wide, there was a three-dimensional representation of the castle; the highest point of the castle was seven feet from the ground. Every aspect of the castle was clearly visible, yet transparent, so everything could be seen; the people, four inches tall, could be recognized by their features. Neville gaped. "Wow, you sure know how to wish," he marveled.


"Now, let's just make sure that... okay, there they are," said Harry, relieved that the attackers showed up on this map even though they didn't on the ones Hermione had made. Looking more closely, to his dread, he saw groups of people at both locations where there were two attackers nearby. Two attackers, on their way to Harry's current location, were about to pass the library; Harry felt he had to worry that they would decide to run in and kill the fifteen or so people the image told Harry were inside. The teachers and Aurors had split into two groups; one was not far from the library, but not close enough to get there in time.


The other two attackers were near a group of ten younger students, probably about ten seconds away from reaching them. Tentatively deciding that he and Neville should go there first, his heart sank as he realized that they were the Slytherin second years. What are they doing? he thought, but of course he knew; he also knew that every second he delayed put someone in danger. His heart heavy, he touched Neville and Apparated them to the library, behind the attackers.


The attackers turned as they clearly heard the popping sounds of an Apparation, but Harry used the Imperius Charm before they could do anything. "Drop all wands and artifacts, as quickly as possible," instructed Harry, and they busily started doing so.


"Everybody, get out here!" shouted Neville into the library. Surprised people started coming out as the attackers dropped the last of their wands.


"On the ground, face down, arms extended," said Harry, and the attackers again did so. Neville wrapped one, as Harry did the other. Harry was about to instruct the people leaving the library to watch over the wrapped attackers, but he saw Snape, Flitwick, Ron, and a few Aurors at the end of the hall, approaching. "Over here!" he shouted, then touched Neville's shoulder, and Disapparated.


They appeared in another hallway, behind the last two attackers, who had caught up to the second years. The second years were sprawled out on the ground as the result, Harry was sure, of an area-effect spell. He saw a Killing Curse shield disappearing around one of them, and a fireball sailing through the air towards them. Trusting Neville to deal with the fireball, Harry used the Imperius Charm on the attackers. As they turned to face him, Neville whisked the fireball away rapidly; it exploded near a staircase twenty feet away from the second years. Harry quickly put out the fire, then told the attackers to hand over their equipment. Neville collected it as Harry walked to the second years and started helping them up. Pulling Helen to her feet, he said, "You scared me. You were a few seconds away from getting killed."


Looking both guilty and defiant, she said, "We were only trying to help you."


"I know, and I appreciate it. But one of the first things I told you last year was never to walk into danger without knowing what you're facing. Even with the Killing Curse shield, you're a few years of my classes away from being able to deal with these kind of people. Even with ten of you and two of them, there are too many things they can do that you can't stop." Thinking there was something else they should know firsthand, Harry turned to one of the now-compliant attackers. "Who were your targets?" He got the same answer as from the other one, and the Slytherins exchanged amazed looks. Harry noticed that Helen and Sylvia looked more surprised than frightened.


"Why us?" asked Sylvia, puzzled. "Just because we can use the energy of love? Other people are going to learn it, too."


"That's the point," explained Harry. "Voldemort wants to scare other people into not learning it, because it's a threat to him."


Harry saw satisfied, determined looks on a few faces. "Well, then, we're just going to try twice as hard," said David firmly. "And you know, Professor, it wasn't only to help you that we did this. That was part of it, but... they killed a lot of Slytherins, and tried to kill us. We were angry, we wanted to find them."


Harry slowly nodded. "I can understand that... but still, you shouldn't have gone. Anyway, this was the last of them, and it's safe now, so you should go back to your common room."


"Um, we'd sort of rather not, Professor," said Hedrick. "There's all those bodies there..."


Harry hadn't thought of that. "Okay, just go there for a minute, tell Professor Dentus that we got them all; then you can go wherever you want." They thanked him and walked off.


He turned back to Neville and the attackers. "What they did was kind of stupid, wasn't it," commented Neville sympathetically.


"It really was," agreed Harry.


"So, do you think it was more, or less, stupid than trying to get past a huge, aggressive three-headed dog?" asked Neville, allowing himself a smile after he finished speaking.


"Yes, I see your point," said Harry reluctantly. "Let's go find the others. I'll call Ron and Pansy on the pendants, find out where they are." They started walking, the attackers falling in behind them. Because of Harry's spell, they were now harmless, but Harry didn't forget that they had helped kill a dozen people a very short time ago.


A little over an hour later, Harry walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where his friends were waiting for him. Ginny walked up to him and hugged him; it was his first time to see her since the attack. He conjured the carpet, and they sat.


"I guess you all know that I was just in a meeting with McGonagall, Snape, and Kingsley," began Harry. "First, the bad news. The total dead is fourteen. Twelve Slytherins were killed very quickly." Turning to Pansy, he added, "It would have been much more if not for you, Helen, and Sylvia; you saved a few dozen lives. The other two were Ravenclaws who were unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were a third year and a seventh year... the seventh year was Lisa Turpin."


Ron, Neville, and Hermione winced, as had Harry when he'd been told. They quickly explained to Ginny and Pansy what had happened in the class. "It's not your fault, Harry," said Hermione gently.


"I know... just a little reminder any little thing you do can have consequences," he said. "I know she was being rude, and deserved to be thrown out, and if I blame myself I have to blame Archibald more, which I won't. But still...


"We all assumed they got in through Slytherin somehow, but the strange thing is how," continued Harry. "Something was left behind in the seventh year Slytherin boys' dormitory by one of the ones who left last year. It must have been Crabbe or Goyle, since we would have found it hidden under a Memory Charm if it had been Malfoy or Nott. Hermione, remember that book you told us in the summer you'd read, when Ron made that joke about you going to Hogwarts in another dimension? You said that there was reputed to be a device called a Dimensional Door. Well, this was it."


The rest looked surprised, especially Hermione. "I wonder what else in that book was true..." she marveled. "Does it work the same way the book said?"


"They don't know, of course, but they think so. The attackers-it turns out they were assassins for hire-told us that part of the deal was that the time they would be sent couldn't be predicted, that they would have to be called on short notice. So, that fits in with what you said about the other end moving around all the time. It also means that the other end is somewhere out of the country, since the Aurors would have detected an Apparation from the assassins showing up suddenly, and they didn't."


"But they can find the other end now, right?" asked Hermione. "The assassins would tell you where it was."


"Voldemort thought of that," said Harry regretfully. "He escorted all of them, they had no idea where they were going, so they can't tell us where the fixed end is."


"Sounds like Voldemort didn't have a lot of confidence that they'd succeed," commented Ron.


"Just being careful, I guess," suggested Harry. "This also, of course, explains how the wasps got here, they just sent them through. It was just lucky for them that Blaise happened to not be in the dormitory at that time. And, it was very unlucky that Blaise happened to be in his dormitory this time. They killed him, of course, before he could yell or do anything."


The others looked sad or glanced down. "Poor guy," said Neville, with obvious sorrow. "Like I've said before, that was me if things didn't go my way. It's hard to imagine how things could have not gone his way more than they did. Then, after six years, things start to look up for him, and then..." He sighed heavily. "His life was so messed up, and it wasn't even his fault. He was starting to come out of his shell, too. I had my first actual conversation with him last week, it was good progress, for him. It's just so..." Neville shook his head, and Hermione took his hand.


"It really stinks," agreed Harry. "I mean, at least if something happened to me, or to any of us... we've all had pretty good lives, especially this past year. But the best part of his life was ahead of him, and then boom, it's gone. It's so unfair." They sat in silence for a minute, each lost in thought.


Finally, he spoke again. "They ran out into the common room, and just started shooting off Killing Curses. Even though you," he said to Pansy, "and the second years got out there as soon as you heard the screams, they managed to kill eleven in that short time. I assume you know who they were, by now."


She nodded grimly. "All four of the other seventh year girls, three sixth year boys, including Thomas, three fifth year boys, and one fifth year girl. They were all older ones because the older ones tended to take the best spots on the sofas and nice chairs, and that area happens to be near the entrance to the seventh year boys' dormitory."


"So, now, you're the only seventh year Slytherin," said Ron sadly.


She nodded. "I wasn't that close to the other girls, as you know, but it was better than it was last year. They didn't look down on me anymore, they liked me okay, it was just that they knew that you were my 'group,' and they were their own group. I lived with them, of course, and did talk to them a certain amount. I'll miss them. It'll be strange being the only one in a whole dormitory."


"I've always wished you could move to mine," said Hermione, "but especially now."


She nodded her thanks. "They'd never allow it, of course, but I'd like that too."


"So, are we stuck with that Dimensional Door thing now?" asked Ron. "I assume there's no way to get rid of it?"


"Not that they know of," said Harry. "McGonagall's going to have the Ministry research it, maybe they'll get lucky and find something. But for now, yeah, we can't do anything. They'll do what countermeasures they can, try to seal off the whole dormitory. By the way, one thing I found out at the meeting... they knew what happened almost immediately, but of course, couldn't react fast enough to save the Slytherins. You remember I told you that they were putting up a monitoring device in that dormitory because of what Blaise and that boy did. It was set with alarms to notify Snape and McGonagall if anyone else entered the dormitory or if magic was used. They were notified as soon as the assassins came in, but by the time they got to places where they could see the images, it was too late."


"So, that's how Snape knew so fast," said Hermione. "Did you get a lecture for not going to Auror headquarters like Snape told you to do?"


Harry shrugged a little. "Kind of, but her heart wasn't in it. I probably shouldn't have done this, but I told her she shouldn't give me orders she knows I can't accept. I kind of didn't want to say it, because it's like insubordination, but I said it because it was true. I said I knew more people would die if I left than if I stayed, and I couldn't live with sitting safe at Auror headquarters while other people were in the danger meant for me. I think she already knew that, though. I also pointed out that I had the Imperius Charm; she just gave me this look, and said, 'And of course, if you did not have it, you would have gone straight to Auror headquarters.' I didn't say anything, because obviously, she was right."


"Harry, Neville told us what happened after you and he went off alone," said Hermione. "And by the way, I want to see in the Pensieve that thing you had the Room of Requirement create, it sounded amazing. But I want to ask, why did you go to the library before helping the second years? They could have been killed, they almost were."


He nodded somberly. "I hated to do it, believe me. But I had to assume the assassins were going to go into the library, and... the people in the library were totally unaware, had no idea what was happening. The second years knew what they were doing, they did it deliberately. I felt like I had to save the people who didn't choose to be in danger sooner than the ones who did. I don't really know if that's right or not, but I had to make a decision immediately, and that was the one I made." He looked at Pansy, silently asking for her thoughts.


"I'm not going to second-guess you," she said. "If it had been me, I probably would have gone to the second years, just out of emotion, but you have a good point. It's very... principled, I guess. I know it wasn't easy."


"Seems like the kind of thing Dumbledore would have done, putting principle above his personal feelings," suggested Neville. "By the way, Pansy, and Ginny, you should really use the Pensieve to watch the lecture Harry gave on Dumbledore. It was really great, really interesting. I didn't know a lot of that stuff."


"It took him six or seven nights to tell me all of it," said Harry, "and a lot of it was also in the book he wrote me. Of course, there was a lot of stuff I left out. Mostly for the sake of time, but I left out one big detail on purpose. When it came to the part where he killed Grindelwald... he told me that just as the Killing Curse left his wand, he felt this blinding, awful pain in his head, worse than the worst pain he'd ever had. It lasted for just a second or two, then it was gone. He had no idea what caused it. At the time, he could only guess, but he changed his mind much later, after he realized that his magic was based on the energy of love. He thinks that anyone who uses the energy of love who tries to do a really Dark spell, like the Killing Curse or the Cruciatus Curse, will experience what he did."


"So, it was like his ability to use the energy of love was being ripped out, so to speak," said Hermione. "I think I know why you left that out."


Harry nodded. "It would have led to questions about me, whether that would happen to me if I ever tried to kill Voldemort. I'm willing to bet it would."


"Which means you can't even try to kill Voldemort," said Ron, concerned. "If you tried, and failed, you'd lose the ability to use the energy of love, and then you'd be in real trouble."


"I've said all along I don't think I'm going to beat him by killing him," agreed Harry. "I just feel that really strongly. I wonder if the energy of love is causing me to have that feeling, influencing me to feel that killing is just out of the question. I mean, look how reluctant Albus was, how much it took for him to change his mind. And even then, he really agonized over it. He just had such overwhelming guilt at having let Grindelwald escape. He said he only realized much later that your decisions are probably going to be bad ones if they're made out of guilt. His intuition was always that killing was wrong, no matter what. But, he said, that kind of thing is part of the lessons we all have to learn. That's one of the reasons he was patient and understanding of people's mistakes and bad choices; he said it's part of the process."


"He was always really wise," mused Hermione. "I guess we just didn't know exactly how... hard-earned his wisdom was."


"Harry," said Neville, "I'm sorry, it seems like I'm always the one asking you this, but..."


"How do I feel?" He paused, thinking. "Really sad, of course, but not like Hogsmeade, which I guess is why you asked. It seems like I should be."


"Not that you should feel guilty if you don't," put in Neville quickly.


"I know. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe... I think a lot of what I felt over Hogsmeade had to do with the fact that I was putting people in danger by what I did, danger they didn't choose. By now, though, everyone understands pretty well what's happening, that there's a risk just being around here, around where I am. And since everyone-that I know of, anyway-has supported what I've done, I feel as though we're together in it, not that it's just me and the rest of you. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I guess it's enough to take away enough of my feeling of personal responsibility so that I'm not crying my eyes out."


"I'm glad you're not," said Ginny, reaching over to take his hand. "This wasn't your fault, and Hogsmeade wasn't either."


"Do you think," asked Neville, "that part of it has to do with the fact that you know now that death isn't the last thing?"


"Good question, I don't know. Maybe a little, but I still feel really bad for the friends and relatives, and they don't get to know what I know. I wish they could, but I can't be taking the Pensieve to people I don't even know."


"I also think," suggested Hermione, "that people don't talk to you through Albus unless it was someone you knew well, or someone close to someone you knew well. When Skeeter died, I wondered if she would talk to me through you and Albus, but she didn't." Harry wondered whether Hermione had been hoping to be forgiven, or told something to relieve the huge burden she carried at the time.


"I'd like to be able to talk to Blaise," said Neville. "Just tell him..." Neville trailed off in astonishment as he looked straight ahead, over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and gaped as he saw Blaise walking toward them, apparently unmindful of the fact that he was walking through chairs. Harry could see through Blaise very easily. He turned to the others, exchanging looks of amazement.


"Hello," said Blaise shyly. "Hi, Neville. You wanted to talk to me?"


Very understandably, Harry thought, Neville stammered and stumbled for a few seconds before getting any words out. "Blaise? How... um,..." Neville glanced at Hermione, as if wanting her help, then back at Blaise, who looked surprised to see Neville so discomfited. "How are you doing?" said Neville lamely, obviously unable to think of anything else to say.


Blaise looked thoughtful. "I feel kind of strange, for some reason. I mean, I was taking a nap, and when I woke up, everything looked different somehow. It just feels strange. Did something happen around here, or is it just me?"


Again, Harry traded looks of shock with the others. Oh, my God, he doesn't realize he's dead, thought Harry. How are we going to tell him? How do you tell someone something like that? 'Oh, by the way, you're dead?' He felt very much at a loss.


Fortunately for him, Hermione spoke. "Blaise, what's, um, what's the last thing you remember before you walked in here?"


"That's the funny thing, I'm not sure," he said; Harry noticed that Blaise wasn't stammering like he usually did, and wondered whether it was because Blaise had been becoming more socially adept, or because he was dead. "I don't even remember waking up and getting out of bed. I felt like I was dreaming, and then Neville wanted to talk to me, and here I am. I'm not even sure how I got here. What's going on?"


The six looked at each other again; clearly, nobody wanted to be the one to tell him. Harry felt he should do it, since only he and Neville had really ever talked to Blaise. He decided to ease into it. "There was... an attack on the school. A group of five assassins, they were looking for me."


"Oh," said Blaise. "But you're okay, right?"


"Yeah, I'm okay," Harry replied, feeling that it was very strange that he should have to say that to a dead person. "But it was pretty bad. Fourteen people were killed."


"Oh, no," said Blaise. "Who?"


"Two Ravenclaws, the rest were older Slytherins. Four fifth years, three sixth years... and all the seventh years except Pansy."


"You mean, except me and Pansy."


Harry sighed, and stood to face Blaise. "I'm sorry, Blaise. You were sleeping, and it happened really fast. They got you with a Killing Curse before you could wake up." He found he felt sadder about Blaise's death than he had since he'd heard about it.


"But, I'm not... dead," protested Blaise. "I'm standing right here."


"Take my hand," said Harry solemnly, offering an outstretched hand. Looking at Harry quizzically, Blaise hesitantly did so, and his hand went through Harry's.


Looking shocked, Blaise took a step back. "Maybe you're the ones who are dead. Maybe the assassins got all of you, and you don't realize it."


"I'm sorry, Blaise, but I haven't been sleeping, none of us have. If I'd been killed, I would have remembered how it happened. You don't remember it because you were sleeping. Hermione, could you show us the map?"


She took out the map, activated it, and stood. Holding it up so Blaise could see it, she pointed at their current location. "It shows just the six of use here," she said sorrowfully. "Changes, students only, two hours," she said to the map. It became blank except for eleven dots and names in the Slytherin common room, the two Ravenclaws found dead in the halls, and Blaise in his dormitory. "This shows students who were here two hours ago but aren't anymore," she went on, to Blaise. "The map knows you're not here."


Blaise stared, uncomprehending, and said nothing for a minute. Finally, he said, "I don't feel dead. I mean, something feels off, but..." He walked over to a chair, tried to grab it, and his hand passed through it. After another pause, he said, "Wow, I guess I am. Strange, this isn't what I thought it would feel like. I mean, I feel almost like I usually do." Another pause, then, "So, does this mean I'm a ghost?"


Harry slowly nodded. "I think so."


"Why, though?" wondered Blaise. "Most people don't become ghosts, they just... go wherever people go. Why me?"


Harry tried not to let his sorrow show in his face or voice. "I'm not sure. Professor Dumbledore told me that ghosts usually stay because they feel they have something to do, something that isn't finished. You know, it might be a good idea for you to talk to him. He could probably help you understand what's going on."


"But he died a while ago... is he a ghost too?"


"No, he isn't, but he... didn't move on yet," Harry said, trying to keep the explanation as simple as possible. "You can talk to him. All you have to do is think about him, concentrate on wanting to talk to him and you'll be able to."


Blaise seemed surprised, and asked, "Can I talk to my grandmother that way?"


Harry felt even sadder, imagining that Blaise had been especially close to his grandmother, and she had perhaps died around when Blaise started at Hogwarts. "No, I'm afraid not. Just Professor Dumbledore, he's kind of a special case; the circumstances of his death were kind of... unusual. But you really should talk to him, I'm sure he could answer your questions and help you."


"Okay... well, I should go, think about this a little." He started to turn around, then turned back. "Oh, Neville, I remember, I came here because you wanted to talk to me. What did you want to say?"


Looking extremely uncomfortable, Neville looked down, then up again. "I, uh, just wanted to say that your magic was doing much better, and..." Neville shrugged helplessly, then continued, "And, I wished you hadn't died."


"Thanks," said Blaise, looking slightly confused. "I think I'll go back to my dormitory, see what's going on there. See you later." He turned and left, walking through a wall rather than the door. Harry felt his chest tighten as he sat back down on the carpet, and exchanged a look with Neville. Then he turned to Ginny; she saw the expression on his face, and reached over to hold him. He put his head on her shoulder and started sobbing.


Author notes: In Chapter 16: Snape is seething after Harry ignores a warning from Dumbledore and makes what Snape considers a critical mistake.