After the Storm.

'Harry Potter.'

Someone wanted to speak to him . . . and something rather strange was going on. Harry opened his eyes.

'Misster Potter.' An enormous snake was inches from his face. Harry leapt back in his bed colliding with the wall. The Guardian he realised. As he reached for his glasses he discovered that he was already wearing them. But there they were on the bedside table. And there he was in the bed, apparently sleeping. Astral Projection thought Harry, alarmed. Both selves looked real to him although he could see through the snake. That didn't make it any less terrifying.

'Er . . . hello.'

'Harry Potter your chesss sset iss "tidying" in the kitchen. They claim to have permisssion.'

'Right. Well they offered. What are they doing exactly?'

'Cleaning.'

'Ok.' Harry glanced down at his body on the bed. It was disturbing.

'I wissh you to confirm that Nymphadora Black doess not object.'

'Tonks.' The snake regarded Harry without comment. 'Well, Nymphadora didn't object, but I can check with her if you like.'

'Pleasse do. Goodnight Harry Potter.'

'Goodnight.' Harry took a deep if entirely unnecessary breath. 'Do you have a name?'

'I am Nero.'

'Goodnight Nero.'

As the enormous reptile slid under Harry's bed, as though through the entrance to a tunnel, Harry lay down in his body. As everything became dark and blurry he realised that things were back to normal. He put on his glasses and peered under the bed to find only his shoes and dust bunnies.

Harry went back to sleep.

In the morning the kitchen was immaculate. The light that came in from the sparkling windows was reflected from shining pans onto the startlingly white walls and ceiling.

'Good morning Tonks,' said Harry. He gestured at the brightness. 'The Guardian wanted me to check that you didn't mind the chess set cleaning up.'

'Absolutely not. If you don't feel too tired that is.' Harry must have looked puzzled. 'Chess sets have a small amount of their own magic but get the rest from the players. It's not usually noticeable but this must have taken rather more. How do you feel?'

'I'm fine. I didn't notice.'

Tonks looked him carefully up and down and then grinned. 'Better have breakfast then. We're going shopping.'

'We?'

'Fudge thinks it would be a good idea to have "The Prophet" print pictures of you lot buying your school stuff.'

' . . . Fudge!' Harry very obviously didn't say what he thought of that.

'Hey, it's a day out. Make the most of it. If he shows up I'll see I can accidentally drop something on him. Come on! Breakfast. I got in some cereals but the twins have had most of them.' She handed him a rather battered box of cornflakes. 'Guard that with your life.'

Harry hated portkeys and frequent usage wasn't changing his opinion of them. As he stood, rather queasily, in one of the rooms of the 'Leaky Cauldron' he decided to learn to apparate at the first opportunity. Checking that he still had his wand and invisibility cloak he followed the others down the stairs.

The first port of call was Gringotts Bank where Harry discovered that, while the Goblins did not usually issue cheque books to underage wizards, for Harry Potter they were prepared to make an exception. He was also warned against the consequences of attempting to write cheques for amounts higher than those contained in his vault. Magical cheques did not so much bounce as bite. He then used a cheque to withdraw three hundred Galleons. When, mindful of the Dursley's continual carping about the cost of keeping him, he had tried to find some way of paying Jane she had informed him that Miranda had been very well insured. She had suggested that he could instead buy her something from Diagon Ally. While he wouldn't need anything like that amount, Harry had decided that he disliked being without money.

Outside Gringotts they were ambushed by the Press. Mrs. Weasley put her arm around Harry. 'Best get this over with,' she said. 'Oh dear. I was supposed to give you this earlier. She handed him a letter with the Hogwarts Crest on it. 'Recommendations regarding choice of subjects for NEWTS.' As Harry was jostled down Diagon Ally he considered his options.

Recommended: Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration. Optional: . . . He could do the subjects that Professor McGonagall had recommended to pursue his ambition of becoming and Auror.

'What are you doing?' he asked Ron.

Ron looked panicked. 'I don't know. What are you doing Harry?'

Harry handed over the letter. 'McGonagall recommended those for becoming an Auror, and I thought "Care of Magical Creatures" for a fifth.'

Ron scanned the letter. 'Yeah, right, I'll do that then. Except Potions.

'Snape's not teaching Potions.'

'How d'you know? Oh, right. Too much to hope the bastard's been sacked?'

'He hasn't been sacked.'

'Dark Arts?'

Harry nodded and Ron began to mutter something that, could he have heard it, would probably have been extremely rude.

Despite the attention of photographers they managed to find and pay for books and other equipment and arrange for their purchases to be delivered to the "Leaky Cauldron". Harry had withstood this with as much grace as he could muster but was rapidly coming to the end of his temper. 'Ron,' he murmured, showing him his cloak, 'I'm just going to slip out of here. With any luck they'll sod off and I'll meet you in Fortescues.' Ron nodded and Harry slipped behind some shelves to emerge invisibly from the other end.

Back in the Ally Harry leaned against the warm brick of a sunlit wall and drew breath. Then he simply stood and watched the people in the Ally. They all seemed unusually watchful and quiet. Worried. Voldemort, thought Harry. Strange that one obsessed wizard could cast such a long dark shadow. In the shadows at the corner of Knockturn Ally Harry suddenly recognised someone he knew. His face was partly turned away and his blond hair hidden by the hood of his cloak but it was definitely Malfoy who was standing considering the broom in his hand. Finally he seemed to reach a decision and made off down Knockturn Ally. Harry followed him.

Malfoy didn't have to go far into the ally. The shop he entered had three brass balls over the door and the door itself was propped open. Silently Harry followed Malfoy in.

'How much?' said Malfoy putting the broom on the counter.

'Hundred,' said the shopkeeper not glancing at it.

'What? It worth far more . . .'

'It's worth a hundred to me. Take it or leave it.'

Malfoy picked up the broom and strode out of the shop only to stop in the middle of Knockturn Ally and stand plainly lost in indecision. Slowly, reluctantly he turned. Ron had talked about the confiscation of the Malfoy estate but Harry had not thought that the Ministry would go this far. Was it possible that Malfoy needed the money badly enough to sell his Firebolt? Without thinking about it Harry slipped off his invisibility cloak. 'Malfoy.'

Malfoy spun round wand at the ready. Harry simply stood and looked at him. 'What's this about?' he asked quietly.

'As if you don't know? Where's the Weasel? He'd enjoy this.' Malfoy's face was ugly with anger.

'Yes. He probably would,' agreed Harry. How much do you need?'

'What?'

'Is a hundred enough?'

'Why would you give me a hundred Galleons?' demanded Malfoy.

'Not give,' said Harry, lend. I'll lend you a hundred Galleons if you'll listen to me.'

'Two hundred.'

'Ok.'

'Paid back when?'

'When you can.'

'Right.' Malfoy swung the broom over his shoulder. 'I'm listening.'

'Not here. Florean Fortescues. Come on. I'll buy you an ice cream.'

Harry turned to walk away and then Malfoy's hand was on his arm. 'Give me the money now.'

Harry reached into his cloak and pulled out two bags of gold. 'How do I know you'll . . .?'

'Of course I'll come with you. I want to know what could be worth two hundred Galleons to you.' He took the bags and checked the contents and then regarded Harry suspiciously.

'You can have a cheque if you prefer,' said Harry.

Malfoy stowed the gold inside his cloak. Feeling extremely visible, Harry walked with his enemy to ice cream parlour.

They found Ron and Hermione deep in conversation on the semicircular seat of a corner booth. Seeing Malfoy, Ron got up with an unpleasant expression on his face. 'Sit down,' said Harry. 'I asked him to come here.'

A week ago there would have been an argument but after Harry's near death Ron, however reluctantly, sat down. 'Who's having what?' asked Harry evenly.

'Lime and Pistachio,' sneered Malfoy.

'Cherry and Orange,' snapped Ron.

Hermione shook her head at them. 'Vanilla please, Harry.'

'And Chocolate and Peppermint please,' said Harry. He paid for the ice-cream and went to sit next to Hermione. This left him opposite Malfoy who stared at him challengingly until the ice cream was brought to the table.

'And a jug of water please,' said Malfoy. The water arrived and, still watching Harry, Malfoy poured himself a glass and drank it. Then he started to eat his ice cream. 'Well?'

Harry had been wondering what he could say.

What he needed was to do was persuade Malfoy to stay out of it. Not to oppose him. Not to join Voldemort. Harry took a spoonful of his ice cream. Finally he lifted his fringe away from the lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

'This connects me to the person I got it from,' he said. 'Mentally. Sometimes I'm in his head. I see what he's seeing. Hear what he hears.'

Malfoy had stopped eating his ice cream and was staring at him in horror. 'The thing is,' Harry continued, 'I'm not him. And I will never be as dangerous to you as he is. I've seen him punish his followers for failure. I've seen Bellatrix on the ground begging, grovelling for mercy. Malfoy, you're a Slytherin. I am sure that you understand the difference between actual power and the appearance of power. The Death Eaters are no more than tools. They're marked like animals. If you want to be your own master you'll stay away from him.'

There was a long silence while Malfoy stared. 'And when the Dark Lord has won?'

'If he did win I don't think it would make any difference what you'd done for him. He may promise rewards but what has he delivered so far? Support him and it's the same whatever happens. If he wins, you lose. If he loses, you lose.'

'And I should support you?'

'You should stay out of it. That's all I ask.' Harry met Malfoy's grey eyes. 'When this is over I want to be able to sleep. I don't want to have to kill you.'

Malfoy had gone white, as had Ron. Harry could feel the tension in Hermione beside him. 'There's something else. What happened on the train. We went too far. I apologise.'

'Is that all?' asked Malfoy very quietly.

'Please think about it.'

Malfoy got up, picked up his broom and was walking toward the door when two men in the robes of Magical Law Enforcement Officers came in. Malfoy moved aside as they sauntered over to Harry's table. 'Mr. Potter, you are to come with us.'

'Why?' asked Harry.

'The Minister wants to see you.' The man sounded bored.

'I don't want to see him,' said Harry.

Immediately both Officers drew their wands. As he was dragged to his feet by the nearer Officer, Harry seized the water jug and swung it into the man's crotch causing him to collapse. Harry then grabbed the other Officer's wand at the same time kicking his shin as hard as he could with the industrial boots that Jane had bought. As the kicked Officer hopped backwards Hermione bent down and picked up the first officer's dropped wand. It was all over in seconds. Then they left the ice cream parlour, closely followed by Malfoy.

'Potter, what was that about?'

Harry stopped and turned to face Malfoy. 'That was about me getting fed up with people pushing me around and trying to kill me.'

'But they were . . .'

'Were they? What right had they to demand that I went with them? And then to try to drag me out? Stuff 'em.'

'Right,' said Malfoy. 'I think I'll just be on my way. He took three steps down the Ally and then turned and came back. 'Potter, should Nymphadora Black die, I inherit. You might want to warn her to watch out.' He strode away down the Ally.

'Well that was weird,' said Hermione.

'Do we have everything we need?' asked Harry.

'I need . . . Not important,' said Ron. 'Let's get back to the "Cauldron".

Back in the room at the "Leaky Cauldron" Ron closed the door behind him and leant on it. 'Are you going to tell us what this is about?'

'Not here,' said Harry.

There was a light tapping at the door. Ron opened it and Tonks came in wearing her "Old Lady" disguise. 'Nicely done, Harry, she breathed. 'Nothing like beating up the "Guardians of Law and Order".'

Harry handed her the wand he had taken from the MLE Officer as did Hermione.

'Should I have gone with them?' asked Harry.

'Probably not.' She shook her head in exasperation. 'I'll go and give those idiots their wands back and suggest that too much of a fuss would make them look foolish. Don't leave this room.'

They waited until Mrs. Weasley and Ginny arrived back from buying new robes for Ginny at Madame Malkin's and then portkeyed to Grimmauld place. Once there Harry, Ron and Hermione headed upstairs to Harry's room.

As Harry was about to shut the door Ginny pushed past him and sat down on Ron's bed. She stared up at him defiantly. Harry had felt bad enough about deceiving them about where he had spent most of the summer and the Prophecy felt like just one more thing for him to hide. One thing too many. As he sank down onto his bed, Harry decided that he would risk telling them.

'The Prophecy,' he said tiredly. 'I've got to kill Voldemort or die trying.' The silence was deafening. Harry looked up to see only concern in his friends' eyes, although Ginny had gone white.

'Oh Harry,' murmured Hermione.

'That's why you were talking to Malfoy?' Ron was thinking it through. 'Exactly what did the Prophecy say?'

'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . .' The words were engraved in Harry's memory. 'It could have been Neville but I'm the one who was marked.' He rubbed at the scar. 'This doesn't go beyond the three of you. Ok?'

They murmured their agreement.

'What sort of power the Dark Lord knows not?' asked Hermione.

Harry shrugged. 'I don't know. I don't even know if it's true. Trouble is, Voldemort knows the first bit and he believes it. He's not going to give up.' He lay down and closed his eyes.

'Bloody hell,' said Ron.