Phoenix Intuition

Chapter Nine

Thirty minutes later, ten people were gathered in the living room of Harry's home. Ginny hadn't let go of James for most of that time, except to have Pansy triple-check him for any injuries or problems. Each time, Pansy reported that he was fine. Ginny had spent much of the time crying, partly for Dobby, and partly in happiness that James was still alive.

She held him up in front of her, kissed him, and held him close again. Showing no emotional difficulties after his harrowing experience, he allowed himself to be held, not squirming or fidgeting. Ginny looked into his eyes, and knew that her faith in her love for him had returned. She'd known it the instant Lucius Malfoy had pointed his wand at James, and her terror in the moment was in part because she feared she had come to this realization too late. This was not Draco Malfoy, this was James. Now, she kicked herself for having taken so long to work it out.

Kingsley had joined them. Dudley had stayed, but Colin had left. Luna had started to leave, but Arthur asked her to stay, so she could write the inevitable article for the Prophet. She reluctantly agreed; she knew Arthur couldn't know what grief would be involved for her to relive the experience while writing about it.

"So," said a still awed Kingsley, "Harry bonded with James so he could teach him to use the Killing Curse shield?"

Hermione, communicating with Harry through Flora, nodded. "Harry didn't exactly 'teach' him; it was more that he transmitted the state of mind he feels when he does that spell. He had James imagine the shield, he sent James the image and the idea that nothing was more important than making that shield. But yes, that was why Harry bonded with him. He didn't know why at first, of course. It was just the phoenix intuition. He was sleeping when James was taken, and as soon as he knew what had happened, he knew that this was the reason he had done it. It was Dobby who rescued him, but if Harry hadn't done that, James wouldn't have been around long enough to be rescued. So both what he did and what Dobby did were necessary, since Dobby didn't know what was happening at first. He only came out because he heard Ginny scream."

"That reminds me, how did Dobby do that?" asked Dudley. "I thought you had to know where someone was before you Apparated, or teleported, or whatever."

Hermione answered again. "This is something I've heard of, but it didn't occur to me at the time. One aspect of house-elves' magic is that they can teleport to their master anytime they want; they don't have to know exactly where their master is. It's maybe a little like how phoenixes can know where their companion is. Anyway, Lucius Malfoy used to be Dobby's master, so there was still that connection."

"You mean," asked a surprised Ron, "that Dobby could have led us to Lucius Malfoy anytime, and we didn't know?"

She nodded. "I'm not sure he even knew Malfoy was out there killing people. House-elves don't follow outside events much, they just pay attention to their home."

"I didn't know they could do what he did to Malfoy," said an impressed Dudley. "That was one nasty spell."

"House-elves have a lot of powerful magic," said Kingsley, "that they don't use most of the time. But yes, I didn't know about that particular spell. I imagine it's for use against anyone threatening their master."

"I wish that meant this whole thing was done," said Neville. "But I think it's not. This wasn't only Malfoy. Malfoy wasn't a Legilimens, and someone on their side obviously was."

"Yes," agreed Kingsley. "But Malfoy was pretty powerful, as we saw more than once. "They wouldn't have used him like that if he weren't. I'd have to think that someone will replace him, they just won't be as powerful. What we need to do is get at the brains behind this. It's too bad Dobby couldn't have taken him alive. Not that I'm complaining," he added hastily.

"I wouldn't," said Ginny happily. "One thing's for sure, I'm not letting him out of my sight for a while, and he's not touching anything that I didn't personally put there. He's going to have to deal with an overprotective mother for a while, at least until his father comes back. By the way, Hermione, is this bonding going to be a problem for Harry? I mean, phoenixes usually only bond with a certain type of person, because they feel what the person feels, pretty strongly. Harry had been the youngest person ever bonded, at age sixteen. James is two, his emotions may be turbulent. He's not going to know to try to moderate his emotions for the sake of his phoenix."

Hermione nodded. "It's a good question. Harry says, just now, that the other phoenixes warned him about that. He knows the risk, but he knew it had to be done, so he did it. He'll just deal with it as best he can."

Dudley was the only person present who hadn't considered the possibility that Harry could bond with Ginny. "So, this bonding with James... it means that James is Harry's companion when Harry's a phoenix, that's permanent?"

Ginny nodded, running a hand through James's hair. "I think most of you know, I wanted Harry to bond with me. Now, I'm so thankful that he didn't. You'd think I'd learn to trust phoenix intuition at some point. I guess it's just hard when it conflicts with what you want." She reached up to Harry, who was perched on the back of the sofa, and petted his wing. "Thank you, Harry. I love you."

Harry's response was to sing for a few seconds. "I think that means, 'I love you, too,'" said Pansy humorously.

"I think you're right," said Ginny. She still wished for her husband back, but one thing at a time. Her son was safe.

* * * * *

Drake spent some time thinking things through. This was a serious setback, he knew. He had invested a lot of time and effort in Malfoy, who had been not easily replaceable for that reason. A house-elf, he thought in wonder. Incredible, the things that'll trip you up.

He considered how to proceed; he needed someone for killing. Hugo was out of the question; he probably didn't know the Killing Curse anyway, but given the wand and the means, he would just as likely take his own life if he got the chance. Brenda was possible; he might be able to teach her, but he feared a diminishment of her capabilities in other regards. She was for infiltration, Legilimency, and intelligence. Whoever did the killing had to use the ring--in her case, because she wouldn't be powerful enough without it--and becoming addicted to the ring was a danger. She could kill, but not with the Killing Curse, and not with the ring. She would do it stealthily. He had a man who did the cooking, cleaning, potion-making, and other basic tasks for the hideaway, but he had no utility in any other respect, and would be an even less suitable choice. Besides, someone had to do those jobs.

That left two choices. He could do it himself, or recruit someone else to do it. Each had its good and bad points. Doing it himself gave him more control, but exposed him to the risk of becoming addicted. He was sure he could regulate himself enough to control it, but it was better not to if possible. Having someone else do it provided less risk, but less control. There was no time to condition someone to the degree of control he'd had over Malfoy.

After thinking it over further, he decided that he would take Hugo on a recruiting trip. He would try Africa; he'd heard there were some good prospects in Nairobi.

* * * * *

As soon as she returned home, Luna spent an hour telling her father about everything that had happened, including her talk with the First. Concerned, he mainly just listened.

"So, I realized he was right. I mean, I'm not totally sure he was right about the people Harry saved, not all of them. Certainly that doesn't mean we should never save anyone in danger, and not all of those people Harry saved went and found another way to get themselves killed. But does this mean I can't, or shouldn't, save anyone anymore? Or only save someone I could have saved with my ordinary abilities? Or not even then, because I don't have to take risks to do it? I shouldn't feel guilty, but I know I would have felt horrible if James had died. I really thought he was going to. Now I even feel bad that Dobby died, because he died saving James, which I could have done. It's very difficult."

Her father nodded. "It sounds difficult. But I can see the First's point, of course. It almost sounds as though the abilities you have, that Harry and the First have, weren't intended for humans."

"I thought about that. But another way to think of it, I think, is that it's another challenge for us, one of the steps on our road to... whatever learning we're doing. It's like, 'here's this power, but don't use it! See if you can manage.'"

"It's as though you have to fight against your impulses," agreed her father. "Your impulse is to save people that you can save. Suddenly, there seems to be a reason not to, but not saving someone you could feels very wrong. It's as though I were watching someone die on the street, and all I had to do was go to St. Mungo's and get someone, but I didn't, I just stood there and watched them die. It would seem unconscionable. I would feel bad about it afterwards, for sure."

"That's a good analogy," she said. "It feels exactly like that. And how do I stay... human, doing that? I can watch someone die, like James almost did, and have my heart break. Or worse, watch someone die, and not be affected. I'd rather suffer than not care."

"I don't think you have to not care," her father suggested. "I thought the whole point of this is that you can do this partly because you know the spiritual realm, you understand how the whole thing works. You talked to your mother, you know she's content. You've said that death is far from the worst thing that can happen to a person, that they're in very happy and comfortable surroundings when they die. Maybe it's the case that if you have this power, you're supposed to understand that so well that you're not affected when someone dies--not because you don't care, but because you know they're really not gone. They're just taking a break. Does that sound right?"

She smiled sadly. "Yes, it does. You're very clever, Daddy."

He shrugged a little. "You have the hard part, you have to actually do it. I think this is much easier to say than to do. And I do know that you feel bad for the people left behind, that they don't know that. They'll suffer, like you and I did when your mother died. I don't think you can be ambivalent about that."

"That's true," she agreed. "What affected me most about the idea of James dying is how it would have affected Ginny. I just hated to think of it. It's very hard to get used to the idea that it just has to happen that things that make us suffer will happen. I think the Tibetan mystics are more comfortable with that than I am, even if I can reach the spiritual realm more easily than they can. I feel like this should have happened to them, not me."

"From what you said, it sounds like they led a pretty secluded life. It's probably easier to be philosophical about that when you're not always interacting with people."

She nodded. "It makes sense. Oh, Daddy, there's so many things about this that are hard to adjust to. One of them, and this sounds selfish compared to the question of saving lives or not, but... I feel like this is going to change me, and I don't want it to. I like being who I am, even when it means people think I'm a complete goofball. Sometimes I think I like that people think that, then I can surprise them. I don't know if I can be like that anymore."

He affectionately moved her hair from her forehead. "I think you can. Of course this will change you; it'd be impossible for it not to. But I think there's no reason why you can't be who you want to be. I think it's just something you fear."

"I hope you're right." She moved over on the sofa, snuggling against him. "Thank goodness I have you to talk to."

"You always will. Especially now," he added humorously, "since you're not going to let me die."

She chuckled. "You better believe it. Sorry, Daddy, but you're not going anywhere. I need you."

He squeezed her shoulder, holding her closer to him. "I'm sorry, sweetie. This is such a burden, and I know you did it for me."

She shook her head. "Kind of, but almost more for me than for you. Like I said, I need you. But I think it was going to happen anyway. I think the First saw it, even before September the eleventh, when he talked to me for the first time. There was a phoenix that hung around the mystics sometimes, which I now realize was him. He probably saw it then, and when he got the sense that the thing with Harry was going to happen, called me up there so I could understand what Harry had to go through. He wanted me to be more prepared for what I would face. But I just denied it, unconsciously of course. I didn't want to suffer what Harry had. My dreams started telling me, and I didn't listen to them. But I think fate wanted me to know, so it sent you and me to Diagon Alley that day when the dragon would be there; that was the only way I would have enough incentive to overcome my fear. It's funny, the First more or less said that most of the time, we shouldn't save people. I'm sure I was supposed to save you and those other people, since the point of this was that I found out what I could do. So it seems that we should save people, at least sometimes. If we're supposed to." She sighed. "And it'll be fun working out when those times are, since I'll want to save everyone anyway."

"I have a feeling you'll know," he said confidently.

"I hope so," she said, wishing she were as sure.

* * * * *

Ron, Pansy, Hermione, and Neville stayed at Harry's home for the rest of the day, Hermione taking a few hours at one point to check on Hogwarts. It was Pansy's first day off since the dragon attack; many of the wounded had recovered enough to go home, and it was now busier than usual, as opposed to being completely hectic. Harry stayed too, and at his suggestion, in the late afternoon he, Ginny, and Ron went for a fly. He was still bonding with James, but he could afford to take a break now and then, as the danger was past.

"Could you ask Harry how the bonding with James is going?" Ginny asked Hermione. It was getting late, but Ginny wasn't ready for bed yet, and the others didn't want to leave until she was.

The response came after a short pause. "Fine, apparently. Flora tells me the other phoenixes are very interested to see what happens, since it's unprecedented for any phoenix to bond with a two-year-old. Harry's sending out regular status reports. They were concerned that the emotional turbulence of a two-year-old would be hard on Harry, and it still may, but James has been pretty placid so far, which they think is due to Harry's influence. Which is the other thing they're concerned about : that since James is so young, being bonded might affect his character as he grows up, that he won't become the person he would otherwise have become."

"Wouldn't it be helpful?" asked Neville. "He'd be calmer, more peaceful, you know... more phoenix-ish."

"Yes, but the idea is that he should grow up the way he was meant to," said Hermione. "Assuming Harry can get back to human form, though, it should be all right. He won't be a phoenix as much, so James wouldn't be as affected as he would if he were the companion of a regular phoenix. If Harry can't get back, then it could be an issue. It's better than James being dead, though, which he would be if Harry hadn't bonded with him."

"That's putting it mildly," agreed Ginny. "Speaking of that, how's it going on the whole Harry-being-a-human-again thing?" She shifted in her spot on the sofa and humorously added, "I mean, a woman has needs..."

The others laughed. Hermione started to answer, but instead turned to Harry. "Harry!" she said sharply, in an admonishing tone. To the others' curious glances, she explained, rolling her eyes. "He--he's joking, I should emphasize--he said that if it's all right with me, Ginny could borrow Neville for a while."

All four others burst out laughing. Neville recovered sooner than the others, adopted a solemn expression, and said, "Wow, only twenty-two and already being put out to stud. It's a hard life, but..."

"Very understanding of you, Harry," said Ron to the phoenix. "I'm impressed."

"I guess phoenixes don't get jealous," added Pansy.

"Well, I do," said Hermione, feigning annoyance.

Innocently, Neville asked, "Would it help if I found one of Harry's hairs, made some Polyjuice Potion, and--"

"No," said Hermione. "Anyway, Ginny, you were asking about getting Harry back as a human. I'm afraid the Magical Research Institute hasn't come up with anything. Snape's been working on it too, but he hasn't found anything that he'd be willing to test, and he's not optimistic that he will. It's starting to look more and more like we'll end up having to go with the option we'd prefer not to. It all depends on how Ginny and Harry feel about waiting indefinitely."

"What option is that?" asked Ron.

Hermione looked troubled. "As I've said, we don't know if Harry will have a Burning day or not. Left to nature, he wouldn't have one for twenty years. It could be as long as fifty years if he lives as long as a phoenix as he would as a human. But the key question is, will he have a Burning day and then be reborn, as phoenixes are? Or will he just die, and not be reborn, because he's a phoenix Animagus? This would be a lot easier if we knew that."

"The phoenixes don't know?" wondered Neville.

"They won't say whether they know or not," said Hermione. "I'm kind of annoyed about it, to tell you the truth. They just say that it's something Harry has to find out for himself. The gist of it is that they'd be interfering with Harry's life journey if they told him. I think the idea is that he has to decide how much it means to him to become human again, whether he's willing to take the risk. If he decides to artificially induce a Burning day, he could just die then and there. It's really no different than if he tried a potion Snape wasn't sure of. Unless we come up with something really good, either he lives his life out as a phoenix, or he takes a leap of faith, and tries it soon."

"How would you artificially induce a Burning day?" asked Ron.

"By doing what Fawkes did in Hogsmeade," answered Hermione solemnly.

"Swallow a Killing Curse?" asked Ron, eyes wide. "I can't say I like the sound of that." He looked at his sister.

She closed her eyes momentarily. "I know what you mean, believe me. I just don't know what to think. I'm hoping it won't be necessary, but in the end, it'll be him that makes the decision."

"Harry says," said Hermione, "that he's just going to go by whatever he gets from phoenix intuition. He isn't going to analyze it and come to a decision in the way that a human would."

"Considering that phoenix intuition saved our son's life, I'm happy to go along with that," said Ginny. Now she wished she hadn't brought up the topic of Harry's return, as it just depressed her. She held James close again, and shuddered to think of how close it had been.

Ginny's four friends stayed another hour, then finally went to their homes. She had already mourned Dobby's loss with the others, but she gave him an extra thought before falling asleep. She thanked him, and hoped he was at peace. She suddenly realized that she knew he was, since house-elves would go to the spiritual realm when they died, just like everyone else.

* * * * *

It was a hot, dry day in Nairobi. Drake and Hugo walked along the newly paved streets on Susumbe, Kenya's main wizarding city and one of Africa's two largest. The city struck Hugo as very odd, as it seemed a mishmash. Residences stood alongside shops; there was no shopping district as such. Architectural styles were widely divergent; traditional African influences could be seen in a few buildings, but the main influences were European and Asian. Muggle-repelling charms protected the entire city from Muggle observation.

They found what they were looking for: a narrow, covered street which was the local equivalent of Knockturn Alley; wizards who couldn't take care of themselves didn't venture there. Hugo, again under the Imperius Curse, held the steel bar that would Portkey them away in an instant should something go wrong. Part of Hugo's job, of course, would be to give warning of something about to go wrong. Hugo and Drake had both taken Polyjuice Potion; great care had to be taken when dealing with someone over whom Drake did not and would not have full control.

They went into a place that looked like a tavern and did serve drinks, but its main purpose was to serve as a meeting place; its owner had connections to local Dark wizards, and set them up with those who did free-lance work. Usually murder-for-hire or prostitution, but any services one wanted, one could usually find. The owner took a commission, and a staff Legilimens gave warning of law enforcement and other undesirables.

Hugo and Drake took a seat, and were soon joined by the man they were there to meet. He didn't look particularly intimidating. His height was slightly below average, and he was on the thin side. He had a weak chin and large eyes. His head was shaved; Hugo felt that it didn't suit him. Hugo's unusual senses revealed a dangerous man, however; he had clearly killed many times before, without remorse. Oddly, he was not totally evil; Hugo discerned that there was someone this man loved, and that he had a sense of honor, flawed though it obviously was. Drake accessed Hugo's recent memories to get the information.

The man looked back and forth, trying to figure out which was the one he should be talking to. Seeing the look in Hugo's Imperius Curse-affected eyes, he settled on Drake. "What you want?"

No names were to be exchanged, not even false ones. "One-month contract," said Drake simply. "Mostly killing. Maybe a few other things."

"What few other things?"

Drake shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe kidnapping. You do the Cruciatus?"

The man chuckled scornfully. "'Course. Want me to show you?"

"Not now, thanks. Is there anything you don't do?"

"Don't rape. Don't kill children."

"This may involve teenagers," said Drake. "Do you have a cutoff age?"

A shrug. "Know it when I see it."

Hugo sensed that Drake was annoyed by the vagueness, but could accept it. "Do you have any other conditions?"

"You don't say it now, I don't promise to do it. You don't do any spells on me unless I agree. I don't eat with you, I get my own food. I don't take any potions I don't see being made. How about you?"

"You would be at my disposal, working only for me. You would take no public action not approved by me. I would know your location at all times via a tracking spell. You would take no potions or other substances of which I didn't approve. I would periodically do Legilimens on you to view--"

"No Legilimency."

"To view events only," finished Drake. "Only after an operation; nothing else would be viewed."

The man pursed his lips. "Don't like it, but okay. How much you pay?"

"Two thousand Galleons, for the month.

The man rolled his eyes. "Don't be wasting my time."

Drake shrugged. "All right, it was an opening offer. I expected you to come back with ten, and we'd settle at five. So to save time, here's my bottom line. Five thousand, plus another optional month at five thousand. One thousand for the option."

"Seven thousand," replied the man. Hugo's scan told him that the man found five thousand acceptable, but figured there was no harm in trying for more.

Drake again accessed Hugo's memory. "I said it was my bottom line. Five thousand." More than a normal year's salary, it was above average for this sort of work, and Drake knew it.

"Deal," agreed the man. "Oh, one thing. I'm a werewolf. That a problem?"

Drake almost smiled. "No, not a problem."

* * * * *

Ginny was having a strange dream. It was dark, and she seemed to be floating. She could feel a presence around her; someone was there, but she didn't know who. She felt as though she should focus on a place, just choose a place. She chose the front yard of the Burrow, where James had been kidnapped.

Suddenly she was there, and Harry was there with her--as a human. She smiled and hugged him, then kissed him. It had been too long. "You've become human again!" she said happily.

He shook his head. "Sorry, I haven't. Albus helped me set up a link to your dream, so I can talk to you this way. It's not perfect, but it's the best I can do."

"Do you mean, this is like how you talked to Albus just after he died?"

"Not quite. Albus had a specific link with me, with Legilimency, so we could create an environment. It wasn't a dream. This is a dream; I'm just kind of... joining it, you could say. You won't remember it as well as I remembered my talks with Albus. You may not remember it at all."

"I'll try," she said. "You can do this because of the connection phoenixes have with the spiritual realm?"

"Something like that. I don't totally understand it myself, it's mostly Albus who knows what he's doing. I'm just happy to talk to you."

"Me, too," she enthused. Suddenly sad, she said, "Harry, I'm so sorry for being angry after you got trapped as a phoenix. I blamed you as if you had decided it, even though I knew you didn't. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"I understand why you did," he said reassuringly. "It was extremely stressful for you, and I hadn't been very understanding of your problems. After I first became a phoenix, I did it too much, and it made you feel as if you weren't important. Then the thing happened with James, and because it didn't bother me, you felt as though I wasn't really with you. Then all this happened. You had pent-up frustration with me, and it came out as feeling like I had abandoned you."

"You're not usually so perceptive," she joked. "Is this from being a phoenix, you can understand it better?"

"I don't think so. If that were the case, I'd have understood it when I was a phoenix soon after I discovered I could transform. Some of it I've just worked out since then. I guess you could say it's from being a phoenix in one way; in the way that phoenixes can see people's personality, I've seen you a lot lately from being around the house. That helped me work some things out. I was very glad that what happened today helped you understand how you really felt about James. That was the reason it happened."

She frowned. "What do you mean? I thought the reason it happened was that Lucius Malfoy wanted to take revenge on you, on us."

"Well, yes," he agreed, "I meant it was the reason in a larger sense. There are some impressions, you could call them intuitions, spiritual intuitions, that I'm getting from the spiritual realm about this. The larger reason was for our experience, for our understanding. You see, the likeliest outcome of what happened today was that James died. I assume you remember from what Albus said before that there are lots, nearly an infinity, of parallel realities in which different things happened. In most of those realities, James did die. This was to be one of the great tests of your life. In this particular reality, Dobby made it his instead. But try to imagine what would have happened, how you would have reacted, if James had died."

"It's scary," she said, shuddering. "It's hard to imagine. I would have felt horribly guilty, I would have felt that he died because I'd lost faith in the idea that he was really my son. I think I never would have forgiven myself."

"That would have been your challenge," he agreed. "You might have spent the rest of your life bitter, self-loathing, never confident of your ability to love, even me. But there would have been an opportunity to understand that love transcends everything, and to allow love to overcome your bitterness at what happened. If James had died, he would be here, as well as me. He would have told you not to be angry, with yourself or anyone, even Lucius Malfoy. You may have accepted it; you may not have. It would have been a huge challenge."

"But I already understand that love transcends everything," she pointed out.

"There's a difference between understanding something in an abstract way, and learning it through incredible hardship. For example, Bellatrix Lestrange killed Neville's grandmother, and Neville tried to torture her into insanity. That experience taught Neville not to do anything deliberately harmful in a way much stronger and more permanent than just knowing something. Lessons like that are learned at a soul level, in a way, carried from life to life. You can still learn the same lesson, just with not quite the same emphasis."

"That's all right with me," she said firmly. "As long as James is all right. Do you think I've already learned the lesson you were talking about? Or is there something more I need to understand, or to do?"

"There is one thing, one person it might help you to talk to," said Harry. "Don't be alarmed." Just as she was wondering what to not be alarmed by, another person suddenly appeared, sitting on the grass near Harry. It was Draco Malfoy.

Ginny stiffened, and fought the urge to bolt. "What's he doing here?" she asked Harry fearfully.

"I'm here," said Malfoy, "so you can confront your fear. I'm what you feared was in your son."

"Are you the same Malfoy you were when you died?"

He shook his head. "Not really, since you aren't going to be the same, from here. Maybe you could say, I'm him, just now with spiritual awareness. It's a little hard to avoid that after you die. I'm mainly here to tell you that you have nothing to fear from your son. I came back as him as sort of an illustration that the soul isn't evil, that it's the choices we make that cause us to go bad. As Draco Malfoy, I was steered in a certain direction, steered towards evil. But I still chose it. I didn't have to. You would never have known it from what you knew of me, but I did have a conscience. There were times--I admit, not very often--when I felt bad about what I did, didn't hurt someone as much as I could have because I felt bad. I had it in me to change; everyone does. I just chose not to, because being evil was easier and more satisfying. Also because I was raised that way, that had a lot to do with it. But it had nothing to do with my soul.

"You found your faith that you loved your son, when you thought he was going to die. You would love him even if he were tainted. I'm here to tell you that he's not tainted. He has my experiences, his soul--my soul--learned from my experiences. He's going to have an extremely different life from the one I had. As you know, that's why we keep getting born again. But when you look at your son, you should look at him with no more fear than Harry would feel looking at you because you were once taken over by Voldemort. You weren't tainted by that."

"I felt tainted," she said uncomfortably. "For a long time..."

'You still feel that way," said Malfoy, "very deep down. You did well fighting it off, but there's still psychic damage there. It showed up recently in how you felt. Do you understand what I'm talking about?"

It dawned on her, and suddenly made sense. "It's why I was so disturbed by James's past life being yours," she said with amazement at the realization. "I'd never really accepted that I hadn't been tainted by being used by Voldemort. I sort of... put it aside when Harry fell in love with me, but I suppose I never really confronted it. I still have nightmares about it, but not that often. I guess I just thought I was stuck with them for as long as I lived."

"They were reminders," said Malfoy, "that you hadn't totally dealt with it yet. But yes, that was why you couldn't simply accept what Healer Vasquez and others were telling you. You felt tainted, so you felt James must be tainted. You couldn't look at it as logically as Harry and the others because of your experience. Something dramatic was necessary for you to understand this."

"Did it have to be this bad?" asked Ginny plaintively. "James almost died, and Dobby did die."

"Yes, it did have to be this bad," said Harry. "Life just works this way sometimes. We were targeted, in the physical realm, by evil because we fought it in the past. We may be again. This is also why, again from a spiritual viewpoint, I was stuck as a phoenix. As my human self, I could have stopped all this before it started, and you couldn't have had this experience. Tragedies always have reasons, even if they don't seem apparent at first. As it was, we were lucky that he did survive."

Malfoy spoke again; it was strange to see him look peaceful, as he did now. "Are you still afraid of me?"

"I don't think so. It's easier not to be, seeing you like this. You have Draco Malfoy's appearance, but not his personality, at least not the one I associate with him."

"That sort of personality is only possible on the physical plane," agreed Malfoy, "so I couldn't speak to you with that personality even if I wanted to, from here. Not that you would want me to. But I get the feeling that talking to me has helped you understand. James having my spirit is irrelevant in terms of how good a person he is. I chose him as my next incarnation, and you--your spiritual selves--accepted me, so that we could all learn this. From James's death if necessary, but fate spared us that."

"I can't believe I almost stopped loving him," said Ginny sadly. "My own son..."

"That's your next challenge," said Malfoy. "To forgive yourself for that. The first step to that is understanding the reasons that happened, which you now do. The rest is up to you."

'The rest is up to you...'

Those were the only words from the dream that Ginny remembered when she woke up. She knew she'd had an important dream, she knew that Harry was in it, and that very important things were talked about and had been revealed. But she couldn't remember it. She didn't know of any ways to recall dreams, but she did remember that Legilimency could help.

She thought of Hermione, but hesitated at the idea of sharing something that intimate with Hermione, who was already more involved in her and Harry's lives than Ginny would prefer. Besides, Hermione wasn't quite such an experienced Legilimens. Deciding who she wanted, she dropped James off at the Burrow, then Apparated to the front gate of Hogwarts.

* * * * *

"You want me to help you retrieve a dream," repeated Snape, with mild incredulity.

"Yes, that's right," said Ginny. "I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important."

He motioned her to the sofa in his quarters, and sat next to her. "Very well," he conceded. "Clear your mind, do not actively attempt to recall the dream."

He cast Legilimens, and began searching. After a minute, he found it, and focused on the beginning, as an anchor. His eyebrows rose as he saw Harry explain to Ginny what was happening. Instead of letting the memory come all at once as he usually did, he viewed it in real time so Ginny would as well, and so remember better.
When it was finished, neither said anything for a moment. Then, to Snape's surprise, Ginny put her head down and started to sob. Very uncomfortable and not knowing what to do, he did nothing. After a minute, she looked up at him reproachfully through her tears. "When you're with a woman and she starts crying, you're supposed to do this," she said, moving closer to him and lifting his arm, which she placed around her shoulders. She felt him resist at first, then allow her to move his arm. "Then you apply pressure," she added, as if speaking to one who was simpleminded. It reminded Snape of how he had spoken to Harry many times before, on different subjects.

Snape held her as she asked; she continued to sob, the side of her head against his chest. "I... simply would not wish Professor Potter to think I was behaving inappropriately," he said uncomfortably.

She chuckled as she sobbed. "Liar. You just don't want to do it. You're in there somewhere, I know that. You just don't want to come out."

"What do you mean?" He looked genuinely confused.

She wiped her eyes. "I mean, the part of you that can be kind, that can have real emotions, that can be vulnerable." Finished crying, she sat up straight as Snape removed his arm from her shoulders. "Listen, Severus--" He gave a start, but she only paused for a second. "Yes, that's your name, and I'm going to call you that. The fact that you don't want people calling you that is part of how you distance yourself from people who care about you. I care about you, so does Harry. You know that. And I know you care about both of us, too. Remember when Harry was going to go into the Ring? You felt bad for me, and you were glad that things you said made me feel better. I'm not stupid, I can tell.

"I've wanted to say this for a while, and for some reason, I don't care right now. You were Cleansed for seventeen years; you couldn't feel any positive emotions even if you wanted to. Before that, you just didn't feel them naturally. But now you can. Harry gave you back the possibility of friendship, happiness, even love." She spoke and looked at him earnestly; he looked away, glancing at her sometimes. "But you've been like a turtle, staying under your shell, just peeking your head out once in a while. You can do what you want; I'm not going to try to tell you that it's wrong to hide. But I will tell you that I think it's a waste. You could have so much more. I think you've just been comfortable in your shell. I can understand that. I'm just saying, don't spend the rest of your life in there. You took huge risks to get rid of Voldemort. Take some risks for yourself."

He felt like snapping at her, or making a sarcastic comment, or telling her it was none of her business. But he realized, to his distress, that she was right. After his Cleansing was reversed and his full range of emotions restored, he kept to himself, telling himself that he wanted to get used to his new state before becoming any more adventurous emotionally. But four years had passed, and he had changed nothing. Repressing the urge to retreat yet again, he decided to stick a foot out of the shell.

"You're right," he said, looking ahead, meeting her eyes occasionally. "It's very easy to do. I think... on some level I told myself that I'd had enough challenge and difficulty for several lifetimes, and I deserved to relax, not to do anything challenging. Taking any sort of emotional risk seems very challenging; it always has. But I suppose the time is well past that I have any excuse for avoiding it. Harry allowed Tom Riddle to walk through the Veil of Mystery because, as Harry put it, Riddle was existing, not living. In a different way, I have been doing the same thing. I am not sure how to go about changing, however."

With her eyes, she let him know that she understood that it had been difficult for him to say that. "I can help you with that. I'll drop in sometimes and bother you, talk to you, ask you questions. After you start to get comfortable being like that with me, you can start thinking about doing it in the real world. But one thing at a time."

"You will just visit, for no reason?" asked Snape, surprised.

"No, there'll be a reason," she replied. "There's something I want you to do for me, too. It's important, and only you can do it. I want you to teach me Legilimency."

His eyebrows rose high; without words, he asked why. "What happened made me feel like... Harry's weak link," she explained unhappily. "This wouldn't have happened if Harry were around. I can't do the things he does, and I'll probably never be able to. I don't think Legilimency was used to get to James, but it could have been. Someone could come at me under false pretenses, or with Polyjuice Potion, and I wouldn't know. But with Legilimency, I would. Right now... I'm afraid, Severus. I don't know how long Harry's going to stay a phoenix. It could be a long time, and I don't want to be vulnerable, me or James. I don't want to feel weak. I need your help."

He slowly nodded, thinking it over. "Why not Professor Granger?"

"You should be able to guess the answer to that," she said. "I love Hermione, but she's already involved in our life, Harry and I, more than I'd like her to be. More than she'd like to be, I suspect. Also, you're better at it."

"I know you know this, but I should emphasize," he said, with an appraising look, "that you would have virtually no privacy in your memories whatsoever--"

"Like I said, this is important to me," she said emphatically. "I don't care if you see every time I thought about Harry and touched myself."

He blanched slightly. "Let us hope it does not come to that."

She smiled at having made him nervous. "It probably won't, and I'll admit I was lying a little. But I was making a point. Will you do it?"

He knew he would, and suspected she knew as well. "I will."

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Why were you crying before?" he asked. "I did not see anything in particular in the memory to prompt it."

"It was just the whole thing," she said. "Especially the idea that I could stop loving James, I felt really bad about that. I think I was just getting that out of my system. So, do you mind if we start on the Legilimency now?"

He gave her a wry smile. "It will not surprise you to learn that I have no plans."

Two hours later, Ginny left his quarters. Snape sat for ten minutes, lost in thought. He picked up his wand and twirled it. "Harry."

The gold and orange phoenix appeared on the sofa where Ginny had sat. "Harry, did you arrange, or have any connection to, a dream that Ginny had last night?"

Harry slowly shook his head.

Snape nodded. "I didn't think so."

* * * * *

Before Drake finalized his deal with the African man, he explained the ring he wanted the man to wear. The man--Drake had decided to call him 'Joe' to have a way of referring to him when talking to Hugo--refused to commit to it until he could try it once. Drake decided to kill two birds with one stone, and took him to Hogsmeade. They went to the park, under an Invisibility Cloak, and snuck up on a couple talking a walk, more than a hundred meters from anyone else. Drake cast a Full-Body Bind on the woman as Joe hit the man with a Killing Curse. He shuddered with pleasure as he absorbed some of the man's life energy. He gestured to the woman; Drake motioned him to go ahead. He killed her as well. "I will use it," he said with a smile.

Drake nodded; he hadn't told Joe that the ring was addictive. Joe didn't ask about any other properties it might have, and Drake saw no need to tell him. He intended to keep Joe killing at a rate at which withdrawal would not become a problem. He pointed his wand in the air. "Morsmordre," he said, and the Dark Mark appeared. He heard a few screams in the distance. More psychological warfare.

* * * * *

Roger Trent stood in front of six reporters in the Ministry Atrium. "Good morning. I'm here to take your questions, but first I'd like to make a statement. As soon as I heard of this morning's terrible events in Hogsmeade, I called an emergency meeting of the undersecretaries in an attempt to clear the logjam preventing a new Minister from being chosen. We need strong leadership to fight this continuing threat. However, my efforts were thwarted at every turn by Undersecretary Arthur Weasley. Only his vote stands in the way of a new Minister being chosen swiftly. I call on him to cease his obstruction, and I call on what supporters he has to ask him to do the same. Of equal importance, I wish to extend my sympathies to the families of those killed in this morning's attack. I will continue my utmost efforts to see to it that those responsible are caught. I will now take your questions."

A reporter raised his hand. "Are we to understand that you hold Undersecretary Weasley responsible for preventing your prompt selection as the next Minister of Magic?"

Trent nodded. "We must be realistic. I have the support of most of the undersecretaries, and I am told, a substantial majority of the population. No other candidates have declared their intention to compete for the position. There is nothing to be gained by delay."

"A week has not passed since Minister Bright's... incapacitation," pointed out another reporter. "The law states that one week is the deadline--"

"I know that," interrupted Trent. "But this is a crisis, and we need leadership. We all know there will be no other candidates. As a practical matter, there is simply no reason to wait. A unanimous vote among the undersecretaries could set aside that regulation, but Undersecretary Weasley will not agree."

"Why won't he agree?"

"I can't say," said Trent, an air of sadness in his tone. "I suspect that he relishes the fact that for now, he can obstruct the wishes of the rest of the undersecretaries with his single vote, and wishes to be able to do so for as long as possible. For some people, the ability to obstruct is better than no power at all."

"You know better than that, Roger," said Arthur, walking into the Atrium from where he'd been listening nearby. Trying to control his temper, he added, "If power was what I wanted, I'd have made a deal with you by now. Sorry, I don't mean to step onto your stage, but if you're going to ascribe motives to me, I'm going to respond." He addressed the reporters. "The only thing I am 'obstructing' is Undersecretary Trent's power grab. The one-week waiting period is the law, and it's a reasonable law. I'm going to see that it's protected. His claim that it's necessary for security purposes is ludicrous. The Aurors are responsible for security, and any other measures that would increase security can be accomplished by the unanimous consent of the undersecretaries. If he or anyone has an idea that would truly increase security, they should propose it. He has not done so. The fact is that there is little a Minister can do about this sort of thing except support the Aurors, which Undersecretary Trent has not done."

"That's a lie, I have consistently supported the Aurors," shot back Trent.

"You've repeatedly criticized Minister Bright's 'handling' of them, which amounts to the same thing," responded Arthur. "He left them alone to do their jobs. Apparently you don't intend to do the same when you become Minister."

A reporter quickly interjected. "Undersecretary Weasley, do you believe that Undersecretary Trent will be the next Minister?"

Arthur nodded. "It very much appears that way, yes."

"Then why do you continue to futilely oppose him?"

"I've said this dozens of times, and I'll keep saying it," said Arthur. "Minister Bright appointed me to this position because he knew I would do the right thing--"

"You mean, because he wanted Harry Potter's implicit support," interjected Trent dryly.

Arthur ignored the interruption. "And I'm going to continue to do what I think is right. I don't think Roger Trent will be a good Minister of Magic, so I will not support him. It's really that simple."

"Who would you like to see as Minister of Magic?" asked a reporter.

"I think Amelia Bones would make an excellent Minister," responded Arthur. "Unfortunately, she has no plans to be a candidate, and I respect her decision. If no one has declared an intention to be a candidate by Friday, Roger Trent will be Minister. Until then, by law, the Undersecretaries possess the power of the Minister. His undue haste to assume the position before then is improper, and I will continue to oppose it."

He glanced at Trent, who was clearly angry but trying to keep his face neutral. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to intrude. I have no more comment for now. But I will remain, so that I can respond to any further comments that the Undersecretary may make regarding me."

The reporters turned their attention back to Trent. "Undersecretary Trent, who do you think cast the Dark Mark this morning? Do you think it was Voldemort?"

"According to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Voldemort is dead. I am inclined to accept their word on that unless evidence to the contrary presents itself." Leaving himself wiggle room in case he wants to use the specter of Voldemort to create fear once he becomes Minister, thought Arthur.

"Clearly there is someone alive who can cast the Dark Mark," asked Rostoy. "Are you aware of anyone who can?"

"The only one who comes to my mind is Hogwarts Professor Severus Snape," said Trent.

"Do you consider him a suspect? Will you ask him about his whereabouts this morning?"

"I am confident that if he has nothing to hide, he will volunteer such information," replied Trent. "Perhaps he could give us more insight into what is happening."

Arthur sighed. 'If he has nothing to hide, he will volunteer...' He'd heard politicians say such words before, and the outcome was never good.

* * * * *

As soon as the press conference was over, Arthur headed straight for Hogwarts to tell Hermione what had happened. She went to the front gate and cast a charm on it that prevented anyone from entering without her specific permission, and a motion-detection charm to let her know if anyone came close. Then she went to Snape's quarters.

Snape laughed derisively. "It is none of their business what I was doing at nine-thirty this morning," he said emphatically. He had been teaching Ginny Legilimency, of course, which he intended to tell no one, even Hermione. If Ginny wanted to tell her, she could do so, but he suspected she wouldn't. "I will not even speak to them, much less tell Trent what he wants to know."

"I agree, of course," Hermione assured him. "But I wanted to warn you. Once he becomes Minister, he has the power to compel you to give--"

"I am perfectly aware of that," Snape cut in, annoyed. "Just because I disdain politics does not mean that I do not understand the way things work."

"I wasn't trying to offend you," she said defensively. "I was leading up to asking you what you planned to do when that happens."

"I will decide that when the time comes. Of course, in the meantime, it will be revealed that I killed Fudge, and if I continue to resist, you will be pressured to dismiss me. If you do not, the governors may dismiss you. Then again, they may do that anyway."

She nodded, and stood. "I'd better talk to the rest of the teachers, see where they stand. I'll talk to them before the memorial service." She had decided to, after dinner, have a brief memorial for Dobby, since he had at one time been employed at Hogwarts. She wanted the students, as well as the house-elves (who would not leave the kitchens; she would arrange a Looking Glass so they could see from there), to see Dobby's bravery honored and to understand that house-elves were no less important than wizards.

* * * * *

In the early afternoon, Dolores Umbridge appeared at the Hogwarts gate. Hermione sent Hedrick, who had just returned to Hogwarts that morning, and Helen to meet her and inform her that Professor Snape declined to meet her or anyone from the Ministry, and that she was not to be allowed to enter the Hogwarts grounds. Hermione knew that refusing Umbridge entry would have a political price, but she feared that Umbridge, once there, would refuse to leave. Hedrick and Helen reported back to Hermione that they would rather help drain clogged toilets than meet with Umbridge again. "Just think of what it was like for us when she was headmistress," Hermione said. They agreed that Fred and George's fireworks and swamp suddenly took on a whole new meaning for them.

To Arthur's utter lack of surprise, in mid-afternoon he got a fireplace call from Trent, requesting his agreement to a directive to compel Severus Snape to account for his whereabouts at nine-thirty that morning. He refused, and immediately drafted a statement for the Prophet to the effect that he would oppose any effort to compel the testimony of anyone not under suspicion supported by evidence, and that Malfoy could have taught anyone the spell that caused the Dark Mark to appear. "Questioning Professor Snape with no evidence to suggest his involvement is nothing more than an attempt to be seen as doing something," his statement concluded. "Professor Snape served our society with tremendous bravery five years ago as a spy against Voldemort, and deserves our respect and gratitude, not the lack of regard displayed by Undersecretary Trent. I grow more and more concerned about what unjust and improper steps Undersecretary Trent might take if he becomes Minister." Arthur knew that would probably get a blistering response, but he had to stand up for what was right.

* * * * *

Hermione decided to make attendance at the ceremony honoring Dobby mandatory; the students would be there anyway after dinner, and she was concerned that many wouldn't care, and leave. It would be Hedrick and Helen's responsibility, of course, to take note of any who were absent. Sometimes the map showing where everyone was at Hogwarts came in quite handy. It didn't occur to her to check during dinner, however.

At five minutes to six, Snape walked through the Hogwarts gate from Hogsmeade. To his right, about twenty meters away, he saw Gryffindor seventh year Andrea Creevey sitting under the tree near the lake. He didn't care whether she came to dinner or not, but rounding up stray students was one of the many unglamorous jobs of a Hogwarts professor.

He walked towards her. "Miss Creevey! Please head into the castle, dinner is starting."

She appeared to have been crying. "I don't want to. The others are being awful to me, I don't want to be around them."

He'd heard such complaints from first and second years, but rarely from seventh years, from whom he expected a little more maturity. "Be that as it may, your presence is required at dinner. You are a prefect, after all."

Sullenly, she got up. "I'm not sitting anywhere near them."

Grow up, you little brat, he thought; he knew it was what he would have said before his Cleansing had been reversed. "That is your choice. Come along."

Less than a minute later, as they neared the castle entrance, he was surprised to see eight of the ten Slytherin seventh years; all but the Head Boy and Girl, who Snape had observed were currently not in favor with the other eight. "Inside the castle, dinner is starting," he said.

"We're not going," said Derek simply.

"You are incorrect," responded Snape, surprised at the disrespect. "There will be detention for anyone who does not immediately report to the Great Hall." He took a step, and realized that none were moving. He almost started to assign detentions, but he noticed a peculiar expression on all their faces, very different from their usual attitudes. As casually as he could, he reached for his wand, touched it, and cast Legilimens on Matthew, the one he considered the weakest.

He tried not to let his surprise show as he saw the memories play through Matthew's mind: finding the pyramids four years ago, their activation, their search for the one with the ninth, their certainty that whatever happened would be great. Snape's adrenaline surged, but he kept it completely off his face. Dealing with Voldemort for so long left him well able to control his reactions. He had heard of the artifact and knew what it did, but he hadn't known they'd been distributed at Hogwarts. This was an emergency, but he couldn't take all eight of them; he had to get help.

"I will deal with your disobedience later," he said disdainfully. He took a step toward the castle, then heard Matthew's voice. "He knows. He looked in my mind." Snape broke into a run as he cast a Protection charm on himself. But their eight Stunners were too much for him, and he collapsed.

"What did you do?" shrieked Andrea.

"You have the other one, don't you?" asked Vivian. "We can sense it. The pyramid."

Andrea reached into her pocket, and pulled it out. "I was wondering what it was for. Is this why the others have been so nasty to me?"

"Yes, exactly," agreed Derek. "The same thing happened with us. Don't worry, you're with friends now. We can finally use them, do what we need to do. Come on, out to the Quidditch pitch."

"What about him?" asked David.

"Take him with us, hide him under the stands, Full-Body Bind and ropes should hold him. We can let him go after we're finished, or someone will find him. Let's go." Augustina levitated Snape, and they walked briskly away from the castle.

Hermione noticed that Snape was absent, but she assumed that he had important business, and didn't worry about it. She stood and spoke into the magical microphone. "Your attention, please. We are here this evening for a memorial to honor the memory of a true hero, someone who called Hogwarts home for five years. His name was Dobby, and he was a house-elf. Many in wizarding society think of house-elves as nothing but servants, or slaves. But Dobby showed yesterday that house-elves are as good, noble, and worthy as humans, or any other creature.

"Most of you have already heard about what happened, but I want you to see it, because seeing is different than hearing. I warn you that the images are somewhat shocking and graphic, but life is like that sometimes, and you should not be shielded from it.

"Lucius Malfoy, a former Death Eater and servant of Voldemort, managed to abduct James Potter, the headmaster's son. Malfoy then communicated with Harry's wife and friends by means of a Looking Glass, which also recorded the images from both sides. I will now let you see and hear what happened."

There was near-total silence in the Hall as the images and sounds played. There were gasps when Malfoy used the Killing Curse, even though the students already knew what happened, and again when Dobby returned to the Burrow, mortally wounded. Watching it again, Hermione felt her chest tighten with emotion. She spoke again.

"Those metal bars were there to prevent anyone from Apparating in to stop him," explained Hermione, not quite able to keep her voice steady. "Apparating into objects is extremely difficult, and usually deadly. But Dobby did it because he knew that James would have died if he hadn't. By bonding with James, Harry had helped him focus enough to show him how to bring up a Killing Curse shield, even without a wand. But Harry didn't have time to try to teach him another spell; James was about to die."

Hedrick had noted the absence of the other eight Slytherin seventh years, but hadn't wanted to spend time confronting them. He and Helen had managed to avoid having to give them orders or detentions, but he feared it would soon come to that. He had decided that after the memorial, he would contact Pansy via Red, and ask her to talk to the others.

As Hermione spoke, he decided to check the map to see where they were. He stepped outside the Hall, still able to hear Hermione, and opened it. It showed that the others, and Andrea Creevey, were on the Quidditch pitch; he couldn't tell from the map if they were in the air or not. He also saw that Professor Snape was behind the pitch, in a place where it was pointless for anyone to be. He had the map play back their movements for the past hour; it looked very strange indeed. He debated quickly, then peeked into the Hall and gestured for Helen to join him.

He played back the past hour again for her. "Look at the beginning here, where he takes a few steps into the castle, then stops, then goes with them. That could make sense--maybe they wanted to show him something--but this was a mandatory activity. I think they might have stopped him from coming into the castle. And where he is now makes no sense. I think they might have attacked him."

"They wouldn't!" she exclaimed.

"I hope not. But this doesn't make any sense. Let's go out and check with him, see what he says."

"Shouldn't we wait until this is over?"

"If I'm right--"

"Okay, let's go."

They walked briskly, then ran, out of the castle. When they got close enough to see Snape on the ground, they broke into a sprint. They quickly got rid of the ropes; the Full-Body Bind had already worn off. "Professor! What happened?" asked Helen anxiously.

"The school is in great danger," he replied quickly. "Where are they?"

"On the pitch," said Hedrick.

Snape grabbed his wand and whirled it in the air. "Harry!"

Just as Harry appeared in the air above them, they saw a column of brilliant light rise from the center of the Quidditch pitch. It reached a point a hundred feet from the ground, then spread out in all directions, seeming to form a dome of light; Snape knew that it was following the outlines of the boundaries of the school's magical defenses. It crackled like lightning, and descended on the castle.

"What happened?" asked an awed Hedrick.

"The school is vulnerable," replied Snape. "Harry, take us to the pitch." Helen and Hedrick held onto Snape as Snape grabbed Harry's tail. He took flight, and in a second they were a few feet away from the others.

Eight of them, seven Slytherins and Andrea, were sprawled unconscious. In the center, the charred corpse and ashes were unidentifiable. It took an aghast Hedrick a few seconds to decide, by the process of elimination, who had been in the center. "Derek," he said quietly. He looked at Helen; tears had already come to her eyes.

Snape was not wasting any time. "Harry, have Red get Pansy--"

Harry had clearly not waited for Snape's request, as Pansy appeared and released Red's tail feathers; Harry disappeared. Shock came to Pansy's features as she saw the corpse and the unconscious figures. "Healer Parkinson," said Snape sharply, getting her attention. "Alert St. Mungo's. Have them evacuate these eight. They will be able to Apparate here and get them."

"What?" asked Pansy, stunned. Harry came back with Kingsley in tow.

To demonstrate, Snape touched his wand and Apparated a few feet to his left. "Hogwarts' magical defenses are down," he said, now addressing Pansy and Kingsley. "Magic is still possible, however." Pansy Disapparated; within seconds, Healers and assistants started Apparating in.

"Do you think there'll be an attack?" Kingsley asked Snape.

"No. Come with me to the Great Hall. You two as well," he added to Helen and Hedrick, both of whom were very shaken.

A minute earlier, Hermione had been wrapping up her speech when suddenly the Hall, and the castle, shook. The Hall lit up with unnatural light, and the light--provided by the magical torches at the sides of the Hall--went out; the Hall was completely dark.

There were dozens of gasps, and a few people screamed. "Everyone, remain calm!" shouted Hermione; the magical microphone was no longer working. She took out her wand and used it as a flashlight, scanning the tables. "Use your wands as flashlights," she shouted. The Hall suddenly lit up as all but the youngest students pointed flashlights in every direction; clearly, magic could still be done. But then, what had just happened?

To her great surprise, Snape and Kingsley Apparated in near the teachers' table. Snape quickly re-lit the torches, which stayed lit, and the Hall soon resumed its normal illumination. Snape reactivated the magical microphone. "The situation is under control," he announced. "Please remain where you are and await further instructions. Prefects, please see to it that no one leaves." Snape turned to Hedrick and Helen, who had just Apparated in. "Join us." To the other teachers, he gestured them to make a circle behind the table; they were joined by Kingsley.

"Hogwarts' magical defenses have been eliminated," he announced briskly. "Magic still functions within the school. A dangerous Dark artifact, composed of nine pyramid-shaped pieces, was deposited on the grounds on the morning of the broom battle nearly five years ago. The artifact was dormant until a week ago, when it was activated from the outside, no doubt by the forces otherwise disrupting our society. The artifact affects the minds of its possessors, causing paranoia of anyone not in possession of the artifact, and trust in those who do. When the nine pieces are brought together, they influence the minds of their possessors to deploy them in a certain fashion. When activated, it drains the life energy from eight of the nine and channels it through one; it then seeks magical sources and destroys them, or one could say, drains the magic from them. The magic that has protected Hogwarts for centuries is gone." He explained that he had been overpowered by the eight seventh-years, and that he was familiar with the artifact but had not known that Voldemort had possessed it.

"They had been acting really strangely," said Hedrick, very emotional. Helen was still struggling with her emotions.

"Derek Wilson is dead," reported Snape as Helen sniffled and held back more tears. "The other seven Slytherin seventh years, and Miss Creevey, are probably in critical condition."

Hermione fought a wave of regret; she remembered that Hedrick and Helen had asked her to have Harry take a phoenix-look at their friends, but in all the turmoil, she had forgotten. She wondered if it would have saved Derek's life. She struggled to focus on the here and now. "Hedrick, Helen, I'm very sorry. I know how close you all are. But this is a crisis, and we need a Head Boy and Girl right now. If you'd like to go to St. Mungo's and be with the others, that's fine. I just need to know now, I can find two other people."

They exchanged a look. "We'll stay," she said. Hedrick nodded.

"Is an attack likely?" asked Dentus.

Snape shook his head. "A head-on attack, such as we experienced five years ago, is highly unlikely. Magic still functions, and Hogwarts has the highest concentration of Killing Curse shield users in the wizarding world. Our enemy appears not to have large numbers, but works by stealth and subterfuge. We should perform frequent Polyjuice checks, be highly alert for any intruders, by ground, air, or Apparation. Mr. Shacklebolt, you should return to the Aurors immediately and have them closely monitor any Apparation that takes place in Hogwarts. No one here should Apparate without first clearing it with Mr. Shacklebolt. With your approval, Headmistress."

Hermione nodded. "Please do what he said, and talk to me again when it's finished." Kingsley nodded and Disapparated. To the others, she said, "Harry's flying around the outside of the castle, looking for anyone trying to get in. I think he'll see them if they do. I've asked Flora to join him, and she has."

"Good," said Snape. "That will be helpful. I suggest that it is imperative that from this point on, no one should be alone at any time, and teachers and students should stay in groups as large as possible. We must decide on sleeping arrangements; we may want to consider having everyone sleep in the Hall tonight. Dormitories would be highly vulnerable to Apparation and attack, even with Aurors monitoring Apparation."

"Okay," Hermione agreed. "I'll make a preliminary announcement in a minute, and we'll work out the details after that."

"Should we inform the Ministry?" asked Dentus.

"No," said Hermione. "There's nothing they can do anyway, and if they know, it'll be in tomorrow's Prophet. I do not want everyone in England knowing they can just Apparate in here, because I think a lot may do just that, saying they want to check on their children. We can't have intruders, and we can't have Aurors hauling people away all day. We say nothing to the Ministry until tomorrow morning."

"Parents will howl," said Dentus. "So will the Ministry."

"Safety comes first," replied Hermione. "Not to mention, I don't want to attract Dark wizards or criminals." She had a sudden thought, and 'tapped' Snape with Legilimens, inviting him to view a memory. He did, and saw a snippet of McGonagall explaining the vault in the headmaster's office. He nodded, and Harry appeared above them.

"There is something the headmistress and I must check," said Snape to the rest. "We will be back shortly, and she will make the announcement then."

Harry took them to Hermione's office, where to her distress, the portraits of the headmasters were empty. "I believe they had to flee to their other portraits; they could no longer inhabit these," said Snape.

"The vault could have been accessed already, for all we know," said a worried Hermione. "The last thing we want is for our adversary to get his hands on a fortune. He could buy an army." They both assumed their enemy could have found the information about the vault from a Legilimens scan of McGonagall before she died.

"If we do not know the exact location of the vault, it is unlikely that--"

"I'm getting an image from inside the vault!" exclaimed a surprised Hermione. "Fawkes is in there, he knows where it is. I don't know what it looked like before, but it seems undisturbed. I think we don't have to worry about anyone Apparating in; there's only about three feet of vertical space, and they don't know where it is anyway."

Snape turned to Harry. "Harry, would you mind checking on the vault once in a while?"

"He says he'll do it," reported Hermione. "Also, Kingsley will have the Aurors monitoring Apparation. The vault should be safe. It may not even be accessible, come to think of it. I wouldn't know how to open it. I assume only the portraits know that."

"Yes, it should be all right," agreed Snape. "We should return to the Hall, so you can address the students." Harry took them away again.

The students did end up sleeping in conjured sleeping bags in the Great Hall. Hermione reluctantly decided that Polyjuice checks had to be performed on everyone, and she and Snape checked all the students, the staff, and each other. She decided that everyone entering Hogwarts, even Aurors, had to be checked as well. Fortunately, the night was uneventful; four Aurors were in the Great Hall at all times, and there were no attacks or Apparations.

The next morning Hermione, operating on only four hours' sleep, traveled to the Ministry at eight-thirty to report to the undersecretaries on what had happened. As she expected, she had to deal with outrage and indignation from Trent and Umbridge at not being told promptly. Umbridge accused her of trying to 'hide the truth' from the Ministry; Hermione responded that if she were, she wouldn't be at the Ministry telling them what had happened. Unsurprisingly, this did little to mollify Trent or Umbridge. Arthur asked a few questions about the security situation and her plans for the next few days.

At Hogwarts, Hedrick and Helen were excused from their classes. It was partly because they wouldn't have been able to concentrate well anyway, and partly because with teachers busy teaching--except Hermione, whose normal classes became study periods--it was their responsibility to coordinate the movements of students throughout Hogwarts. Aurors had left for the time being; they would be back that night, but their constant presence was not a long-term solution to the problem. When she returned to Hogwarts, Hermione took aside some of the sixth- and seventh-year students who were better at Defense Against the Dark Arts and instructed them to spend mealtimes on watch against intruders in the Great Hall; they would eat after the others had finished.

Shortly after eleven o'clock, Hermione received an owl. She was with John, Hedrick, and Helen; even she could not be alone. She knew it would not be good news, and it wasn't. She planned to look for Snape, but fortunately, he wasn't teaching right then, and he walked up to her group. He had been with students, but had been alone for the last part of his walk to the Hall, where she was. She tapped him, then checked him with Legilimency; it was their version of a Polyjuice check, since Legilimency would detect someone disguised with Polyjuice Potion. With a slight raising of an eyebrow, he checked her as well. "Professor Snape and I need to talk privately," she informed the others. "We'll step over to the corner. Please don't go anywhere."

Once there, she told him about the owl. "It's from the governors, they want me to meet with them at noon. They usually use the word 'request', but this time they used the word 'require.' I think we both know what this means."

He nodded. "They will replace you with Umbridge, and this time they will not take no for an answer. Unfortunately, outright defiance is no longer an option."

Glumly, she agreed. "With Hogwarts' defenses gone, they could take Hogwarts by force. They'd order the Aurors to do it."

"They could not," pointed out Snape. "They would need the unanimous consent of all eleven undersecretaries to do that, and I believe Undersecretary Weasley can be counted on to oppose such a request. Trent could, however, send Ministry officials to do it, using the governors' authority as their pretext. We would be in the unenviable position of having to use force to remove them."

She shook her head. "We can't do that. It would totally alienate most parents, and they'd withdraw their children. There has to be another way."

Snape gave her a serious look. "This time, please allow me to go with you. I am more experienced in such matters; my presence may be helpful."

"I can't argue with that," she conceded. "All right, and thank you. But won't they just ask you where you were yesterday morning, about the Dark Mark?"

He smirked. "That is not their concern, and if they ask, I will tell them it is none of their business."

"Very diplomatic," she said wryly. "But you're right, of course. I do want to try something else, though. Maybe they'll be willing to negotiate."

"I would not wager on that," said Snape.

"Neither would I," she agreed. "But I should try, at least."