Thicker Than Water: Year Six

Chapter 17 - Of Blood Protection

After the previous night's Death Eater attack - and of course, the underage drinking - all the occupants of the Burrow had a long lie-in the next morning. Kenslie, who had become somewhat hysterical about the attacks, insisted on contacting her parents. When she reached them on the floo, they were quite upset to hear that she had been at the receiving end of one of the offences. They asked her to come home and, within fifteen minutes, Kenslie was packed and out through the fireplace.

When they all finally assembled for a late breakfast, Harry found a letter waiting at the table for Leo Evangy. Recognising the Ministry of Magic envelope, he opened it with trepidation, Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Ginny looking on in concern. It read:

Dear Mr. Evangy,

We have received intelligence that you made a Portkey at twenty-three minutes past twelve this morning, at a private residence near Ottery St. Catchpole. As you know, under-age wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school.

It has come to our attention that the Portkey you created has led to the capture of a Death Eater in the foyer of the Ministry of Magic at twenty-six minutes past twelve this morning. Owing to the exceptional circumstances of widespread attacks by Death Eaters at precisely these times, this offence will not be recorded in your file (Reasonable Restriction of Under-Age Sorcery, Clause Seven). Please note that future spellwork outside of school may lead to your expulsion.

Happy New Year!

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic

Harry stared, stunned, at the letter. "I see they've become more understanding about 'exceptional circumstances' than they were last year, when I fought those Dementors!" he fumed, crumpling the letter and pushing it across the table for his friends to read.

Harry suddenly looked up at Ron and asked, "Hey, why didn't you get one of these? You were also doing magic during - er, I mean, when you aimed at the Death Eater!"

Ron glanced apprehensively towards him mother and said, "I - well, I was using Fred's wand!"

"Ronald!" admonished Mrs. Weasley. Ron turned to her placatingly. "...Against a Death Eater, Mum!"

Ginny, who still hadn't met Harry's eye that morning, raised an eyebrow and snickered at her brother.

Mr. Weasley, who had returned home very late from the Ministry, finally came downstairs stretching sleepily. He reported that no other incidents had occurred throughout the night. Bill and Fleur also came by before lunch. Bill went to have a private talk with his father, while Fleur came over to Mrs. Weasley, assuring her that nothing much had occurred in Diagon Alley and that both she and Mrs. Weasley's grandson-to-be had slumbered soundly throughout the whole thing.

When they had all congregated in the kitchen to prepare lunch, Bill pulled Harry aside and asked to speak with him in the living room.

"Dad asked me to notify Professor Dumbledore and Remus about the portkey you made yesterday. I contacted them when I got home last night. Remus wasn't too pleased. Dad also said you got a warning from the Ministry, but nothing that they'll put on your record," Bill said, looking over at Harry. "By the way, that was a good job you did, the Ministry security guard caught that Death Eater; man by the name of Crowley, who used to work at the Ministry a number of years ago."

Harry picked at the cuticles of his wide fingernails, and looked up hesitantly at the redhead. "Bill, I've been meaning to ask you: how did Fleur's grandmother know about my blood? And what did the Sphinx's riddle mean, on my last day of classes? She recognised me then, did you know?"

Bill seemed surprised and asked, "What do you mean, the Sphinx recognised you?"

"I saw her in the maze, during the Triwizard Tournament. At the start of Hagrid's lesson, when she asked me that riddle, it was the same one she had asked in the maze. She knew it was me, she was testing me for the answer."

"I spoke to Dumbledore about that. He seemed to think it might have something to do with restoring blood protection. For you, obviously, but I had no idea the Sphinx recognised you as well!" Bill shook his head in wonder, and continued solemnly, "What Fleur's grandmother said... well, the transfusion I gave you in the summer means that you have some of my blood in you, just like the baby. And with the Sphinx's riddle, it's like a hint in the same direction. I don't fully understand this; blood protection is old magic, and I'll have to tell Dumbledore about Grandmaman Yvellan's words."

"I'm in your debt, aren't I, after the blood transfusion?" Harry asked quietly.

Bill looked at him thoughtfully. "Actually, the transfusion binds us both. You owe me blood allegiance, but I also made a pact to give you my continued protection, when I gave you my blood. That's why Dumbledore has had me so involved in your training this year."

Harry stared at him in surprise, then asked in a quavering voice, "So that's kind of like the protection I had when I was living at my aunt's home?"

"No, I'm afraid it's nowhere near as strong as that," said Bill.

They were interrupted by a burst of warm, green flames in the fireplace, hearkening the arrival of the twins. Fred was proudly holding out the dragon-hide boot that Harry had used the previous night to make a portkey. "I just got this back from the Ministry: it was found at the side of the lobby this morning, and returned to the lost and found at the security desk. What I don't understand is where this stain came from. I mean, if it was blood... but the strange thing is, it looks an awful lot like lipstick!" Fred began to rub irritably at a reddish streak near the toe of the boot.

The rest of the family came into the room to welcome Fred and George, and Mrs. Weasley was soon calling them to the kitchen for lunch. Harry didn't get another chance to talk to Bill alone before he and Fleur left in mid-afternoon. He continued thinking about their conversation, and decided that Dumbledore was probably the only one who could answer some of the questions he had.

*

Tonks met Harry at the Weasleys on the afternoon before his return to Hogwarts. Harry insisted he'd be fine going to Kings Cross Station with Ron's family, but Tonks and Mr. Weasley didn't agree.

"Ron's been with you too often leading up to your meetings with You-Know-Who," explained Mr. Weasley. "It doesn't take much insider intelligence to figure out that you were his best friend. For the sake of your cover, we'd all rather see you arrive for the train with your mother! We really do need to maintain constant vigilance, especially after the trouble on New Year's Eve."

"Besides, Remus mentioned that you need a few things before heading back to school," Tonks said. "If we head off now, we can get in a quick shopping trip at Diagon Alley."

Harry rolled his eyes, and turned to Mr. Weasley. "I've been out shopping with Tonks before... there's nothing quick about it!"

Tonks tripped out of the room to go change, while Mr. Weasley shrugged and smiled sympathetically. When the young auror was once again attired in a conservative navy suit, her skin dark and black hair in a tight bun, she returned to the kitchen and suggested that Harry make his goodbyes. He thanked the Weasleys profusely for their hospitality.

Mrs. Weasley teared up and pulled Harry into a brief hug, saying, "Don't go getting into any trouble at school this term!"

Harry assured her he wouldn't, and said goodbye to his friends. Ginny - who, to Harry's relief, put their near-encounter at New Year's behind her - ruffled his hair affectionately, laughing at how Leo never seemed to have a hair out of place. Ron hung back; he was still acting awkward, and Harry sensed it would take a while for Ron to get over his mistake of the first term.

Tonks and Harry arrived by floo at the Leaky Cauldron, looking the part of mother and son in for a day of shopping before his return to Hogwarts. Tonks went to get their room keys while Harry lounged on a bar stool, surreptitiously checking out the bar's unusual patrons.

Before Tonks had returned, the back alley door flew open and the massive form of Hagrid lumbered in through it. Harry stayed his first instinct to leap off the stool and run up to greet his old friend.

Hagrid strode up to the bar, and gave Harry a nod of recognition. "Bin havin' a nice Christmas, Leo?" the big man asked dispassionately.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied in the same tone. "Are you returning Christmas gifts?"

In reply, Hagrid held up a small bag and said, "Got me some pest spray, for them Christmas trees at Hogwarts. A couple of Nargles got into 'em at the beginnin' o' the holidays, and now we've got a regular infestation."

Harry started in surprise, as Tonks approached them. When she prodded him in the back, Harry said, "Oh! This is my mother. Mom, this is Rubeus Hagrid, my Magical Creatures professor."

"Nice to meet you," said Tonks pleasantly, as Hagrid's handshake nearly lifted her off the ground. Turning to Harry, she continued, "Perhaps we should put our things in the room, and get out to Diagon Alley before the stores close."

As Harry began to follow Tonks up the stairs, he threw a glance over his shoulder to look at Hagrid. The big man was sitting at the bar, chatting loudly with Tom, the innkeeper. As Tonks opened the door to his room, she said quietly, "He's been a good friend of yours, hasn't he?"

"Who, Hagrid?" asked Harry. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders, tossing his bag onto his bed. Tonks took her bag to the adjoining room then they went back down to the dustbins behind the Leaky Cauldron.

As usual when the archway opened up in the brick wall, Harry felt a jolt of excitement at seeing the bustling alley with all its wonderful, magical shops. It was the same rush of awed wonder he had felt five and a half years ago, when he first awakened to the existence of the wizarding world. Tonks pulled Harry briskly into Diagon Alley, eager to finish their errands before the stores started to close up.

Harry unconsciously turned his head as a pretty, tall brunette with short robes walked past. To his great discomfort, Tonks turned her head as well, and murmured, "Nice butt on that one!"

Still snickering at the look on Harry's face, she asked, "Is there anything you're low on, anything you need for your next term at school?"

Along with some stationary and ink, Harry purchased extra underwear, toiletries, a reference-guide to plant-based potion derivatives for Herbology, and a short tract on regional transportation in Britain.

"I didn't get to Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes when I was here with Remus. Do we have time to stop?" Harry inquired.

Tonks checked her wristwatch and said, "Perhaps, if we hurry."

They had hardly taken two-dozen steps from Flourish and Blotts when a familiar low and languid voice came from behind. "Why, Mrs. Evangy, Leo, what a nice surprise! I haven't seen you for a while."

They turned abruptly to face Kingsley Shacklebolt. The tall auror began to ask them about their holidays. Tonks wore a look of vague apprehension as he spoke; Harry noted the minutes ebbing away, as Fred and George were undoubtedly closing up the joke shop for the evening.

"Perhaps you'd honour me with your company at dinner? There's a superb bistro tucked away behind Eeylops Owl Emporium I think you'd enjoy," Kingsley was saying.

Tonks politely resisted, and said, "We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron and were just going to pick up a small meal when we return."

But Kingsley was insistent and Harry - whose stomach had begun to rumble loudly - was not one to argue. In the end, they found themselves seated at a corner table in a small, darkened restaurant, Kingsley recommending specific items off the menu with the familiar air of a repeat client. As the food was served, he tried to engage Tonks in a conversation on the state of the Dark Lord's war within the wizarding community. Tonks threw Harry several glances appealing for his intervention, but he was otherwise engaged satisfying his hunger.

When Harry had eaten his fill, he listened with interest to Kingsley's description of the changing policies at the Ministry of Magic. The tall auror told them about Amos Diggory, whose son had been the first casualty of Voldemort's return. Diggory was intent on taking a harsher, more aggressive stand against the machinations of the Dark Lord. "You can be sure that we aurors are no longer on passive duty as security guards, not under Diggory's mandate! We finally have Ministry-organized intervention forces, and the chances of making a real impact against this blight."

Tonks - who obviously knew as much about the Ministry initiatives as Kingsley - gave Harry a few amused glances. When the meal ended, Kingsley gallantly tried to take the bill, but Tonks refused to let him, and quickly paid for their share of the dinner. They had made it back to the Leaky Cauldron and were ready to ascend to their rooms, before Kingsley finally left them.

As they mounted the second flight of stairs, Tonks muttered, "On our way back, he asked me if I would like to meet him for dinner again sometime. Imagine it! How am I going to shake this man, Leo?"

"He's only ever likely to see you as Mrs. Evangy if we're out in public together. On the other hand, why don't you go out with him?" Harry suggested.

Tonks threw him an irrate look, so Harry quickly explained, "I mean, you could go on a date and make sure he has a miserable time. Act shallow, that way he won't bother you again."

Thinking back to his failed date with Cho, Harry continued. "You could pull some tears, cry about your wonderful deceased husband for a bit, and be thoroughly annoying. He'll give up on you in a moment, and you won't have to dodge his advances next time we go out."

Tonks snorted, considered the idea and shrugged noncommittally, mumbling, "That sounds almost crazy enough to try... Maybe Mrs. Evangy could show up for a date with pink hair - that'd be sure to scare him away!"

"At least you can change back anytime you like!" Harry said sadly, looking down at his dark chocolate-coloured hands. "I'm living as a stranger. At the risk of sounding vain, I really do miss myself."

Tonks patted his arm sympathetically. "One day, I'll have the pleasure of giving you a good stiff drink of the Revellius potion, and you'll be back to yourself within fifteen minutes. It completely nullifies the cosmetics, Mr. Leo."

Harry looked up with interest, but Tonks said, "That day is not now, or anytime in the foreseeable future. And - terrific as I am at transformations - I don't think I could ever recreate you exactly as you are now! Imagine going through a whole afternoon of work again, only to return to school with the wrong nose or skin colour! I'm afraid, Leo, that you're going to have to learn to live with yourself for a while longer."

Tonks picked up a cosmetic case in her room then accompanied Harry to his. She sat beside him on the bed and administered the potion to keep his skin dark, touching up various features that had faded imperceptibly, noticeable only to Tonks' discriminating eyes. After agreeing on a time to meet for breakfast, Tonks left his room. Harry washed, changed, and went to tuck Leo into bed with a long goodnight story on advanced quidditch tactics, which he had borrowed from the Weasleys.

*

When they arrived at King's Cross station the next morning, it was without surprise that Harry noted the increased security. The attacks on New Year's Eve had served their purpose, reminding the wizarding community that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were active, and that nobody was ever really safe from their attentions. When Tonks had seen him onto the train and pinched his cheeks in mock maternal adoration, Harry went to find his friends.

Ron and Hermione were pulling their trunks along the corridor; Harry flagged them down, pointing out the car in which his possessions were stowed. Hermione talked animatedly about her trip to Greece with her parents. Ron was silent, staring at her yearningly. Harry had to admit that, with her hair pulled back and her skin bronzed from the sun, Hermione looked pretty hot.

While they talked about their respective Christmas vacations, Harry fidgeted and stared eagerly out the door every time another student walked past their car. Hermione finally asked, "Were you waiting on somebody?"

Harry said, "I was just thinking maybe I'll go look for Luna."

"Yeah, you two were spending a lot of time in the library together last term. You don't like her, do you?" asked Ron.

Harry flushed and answered defensively, "Luna's not that bad if you get to know her a bit! She's smart and funny; she plays the flute really well..."

Ron snorted, "Go figure! She would play a wind instrument!"

"Ron!" admonished Hermione loudly. "That wasn't necessary!"

"Better her music than your hot air!" snapped Harry, and he stomped out of the car to find his girlfriend, pulling the door heavily shut behind him.

The train was already moving when Harry found Luna, stowing her trunk into a rack in a car full of Ravenclaws.

"Er, hi Luna," said Harry from the doorway.

The other students turned to look at him and began to titter. Cho Chang - whom Harry had not noticed sitting near the window - said silkily, "Got yourself a boyfriend, have you, Loony?"

Harry noticed how Luna winced slightly at the name, and he quickly replied, "Yes, she has. And her name is Luna, not Loony!" He drew her out of the car, and they walked up a ways towards the front of the train, passing a few security wizards en route.

"Does it bother you, when they call me that?" asked Luna dreamily.

Harry huffed and said, "Yes, and I could see that it bothered you, too!"

"No, not so much," she sighed, "it's just a sign of immaturity, to use childish names just because you can't handle someone not being exactly the same as you. I'm comfortable with who I am, even if I am a bit... different. But thanks for saying something back there."

She traced Harry's jaw delicately with her index finger. Harry, suddenly shy, leaned over and kissed her lightly. She touched the neat curls on his forehead and he said, "I missed you, over Christmas. It was great to see you in Diagon Alley! How was your holiday?"

"Good," Luna said. "Very quiet, though; it's just me and Daddy. My cousins have moved to Greenland, and we don't have much family here..."

After the chaotic buzz of Christmas vacation with both Remus' family and the Weasleys, Harry was sympathetic with Luna's lonely holidays. He had, after all, spent years of holidays with the Dursleys where he was an unwanted appendage, selectively ignored and often neglected.

They ended up in front of the car that held Ron and Hermione, and Harry took Luna inside defiantly. Ron wore a contrite look as he looked over at them; he had obviously received a telling-off from Hermione for his earlier comments. For her part, Hermione made an effort to engage Luna in conversation, though Harry could see it was somewhat strained. Though the two girls both shared a love of books, Harry was sure Hermione would never be caught reading some of the texts that Luna began telling her about. At her discussion of newly discovered ruinous Babylonian runes, Hermione winced and wore an expression of great scepticism.

Neville and Eloise were walking past, and stopped in to say hello. They sat and talked for a while, and Ginny popped in for a few moments to beg a loan of pocket money from Ron, for when the snack-wagon went by. Harry caught Neville eyeing the assembled group and sighing quietly; he instinctively knew that the other boy was recalling that the same people had gone to the Ministry together the previous June, and that Neville was lamenting Harry's apparent absence. Harry was touched by that quiet sigh. At the same moment, Ron caught Harry eyeing Neville, and shrank slightly into himself in an unconscious rebuke.

The remainder of the trip back to Hogwarts went smoothly. Harry found out afterwards that Malfoy had stopped by with his usual nastiness to Ron and Hermione; however, he and Luna were not present for the spectacle, as they had left with Neville and Eloise to go visiting up and down the train. Despite the fact that many people raised eyebrows when they saw them hand-in-hand together, Harry felt remarkably secure walking around with her. Luna was generally unperturbed by their stares, and the interest they generated as a couple was generally less caustic than the attention Harry often received from the student body. After all, the comments hadn't been kind when Harry was chosen as a Triwizard champion; when he was assumed to be the Heir of Slytherin; when he had lost all those points for Gryffindor in his first year; and especially when he was considered an unbalanced, attention seeker for his declaration that Voldemort had returned, for having returned from the maze clutching a dead Cedric...

As Leo, Harry could briefly shed all of that, could become less of a topic for speculation and less of a target for Voldemort's hatred or for other people's vitriol. As Leo, he could walk freely about, holding hands with a girl who offered him the light of the moon to brighten the starless night of a cruel war. Occlumency had brought him a measure of relief from the brutal mind-connection with Voldemort that had taken such a toll on him last year. And, though Harry couldn't hide from the looming prophecy, for the time being, he could just be a normal sixteen year old.

*

At the end of his first week back at school, Harry received an owl at breakfast, with a note asking him to come to Dumbledore's office at four o'clock. When the hour approached, Harry trudged through the Entrance Hall dirty from his Herbology lesson, hoping to clean up a bit before his meeting with the Headmaster.

As he dashed towards Gryffindor Tower, Harry encountered Malfoy and Theodore Nott facing off in the Charms hallway. Neither boy had his wand drawn, but both were staring daggers at one another and he decided to stay out of their way, rushing past quickly. Malfoy had been uncharacteristically quiet as of late. Though he was quick to pick fights with Ron, he otherwise kept his scathing wit and sarcasm to himself. This didn't stop Harry from grinding his teeth with hatred every time the blond boy went by. Because he was no longer a visible adversary, Malfoy didn't know him and tended to ignore Leo.

This afforded Harry greater opportunity to observe Malfoy, and he didn't like what he saw. Though he kept his opinions to himself - at least in the presence of the school population - Malfoy could often be seen leering at students, particularly those from Muggle families. Earlier in the week, Harry caught him staring at Hermione's retreating figure as she walked down the hall; Malfoy's narrowed eyes and the evil expression on his face made Harry reach for his wand. At the sight of Leo and Luna, Malfoy quickly schooled his expression to a poker face. However, the look Malfoy had given Hermione stayed with Harry for a long time, making him suspicious of the foul thoughts that were running through the ferretty boy's head.

He was thinking about his Slytherin antagonist as he walked up to the Headmaster's office that afternoon. Luna slipped up to him and said, "You appear to be walking my way."

Harry brightened at the sight of her, wishing they could spend some time together. "I actually have to go see Dumbledore, maybe we could meet later on, before dinner?"

"Well, you are walking my way! Professor Dumbledore sent me a note to come see him at four o'clock," Luna chimed merrily. Harry glanced at her in surprise, wondering if she was pulling his leg, but Luna took his hand and began to hum contentedly.

When they arrived at the Headmaster's office, he looked up and said pleasantly, "Ah, Miss Lovegood, Leo, come on in! Have a seat."

Dumbledore conjured up a tray of cookies and tea, and poured them each a cup before getting down to business. "You must be wondering why I asked you both to come here today. I was quite interested in the remarkable pendants you created, Miss Lovegood, and I had a few questions to ask you about them."

Luna beamed at him, but Harry felt himself flushing with embarrassment.

"I believe your pendants are able to indicate each other's emotional states, is that correct?" Dumbledore asked.

Luna nodded, and he continued, "May I please see them for a moment?"

Harry removed the chain from around his neck and placed it on the desk, while Luna held out her left hand for inspection. Dumbledore looked at the pendants, but the ones on the necklace had gone a lifeless off-white colour.

"Harry has to be wearing his in order for it to work, sir," Luna said, and the professor smiled at her, noting the use of Harry's name. He handed back the chain, and Harry fumbled with the clasp at the back of his neck. Luna reached over to give him a hand, and soon the cube was glowing a warm purple colour on his chest, the snowflake a dreamy, creamy yellow, flecked with orange veins.

"Very interesting. Very interesting indeed," murmured Dumbledore, looking from Harry's chest to Luna's wrist and finger.

"Er, professor... Aren't mood-indicators fairly common? I remember Parvati wearing a mood ring for a while last year," Harry said.

"Most of the mood rings you see are merely trinkets which change colour according to body temperature; if they're well programmed, they will actually respond to the wearer's true emotions. Do these randomly changed colour, or have you noticed specific colours matching to the way you're feeling?"

Thinking back to the red glow of the pendants when he and Luna were close together, Harry mumbled, "They seem to be pretty accurate, actually."

His cube adjusted itself to his embarrassment, and he hoped he wasn't being too transparent. Scrutinising the boy, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "The remarkable thing about these is how they are programmed to mirror one another, even at considerable distances. You undoubtedly know from your training, Harry, how challenging it is to discern people's thoughts; capturing emotions is all that much more difficult. And to transmit an emotion...!"

"Isn't that what helped me when I was possessed at the Ministry in June?" Harry asked quietly, looking downcast as he reflected sadly on that day's events.

Dumbledore surveyed him with concern, and then his eyes flickered to Luna. Harry caught the look and, taking her hand in his, said, "It's okay, Professor. We can talk candidly."

"As you wish. It seems, Harry, the connection you have with Lord Voldemort is truly a unique one. His possession of your body - and the way in which you were able to repel him - are both manifestations of that link. I have not heard of such a connection before, and it is directly related to the curse you survived as a baby. If that had rebounded on anybody else, they would have been killed by it. Other wizards cannot share emotional information the way you and Voldemort occasionally read one another's emotions, and also thoughts. As you well know, even using legilimency is complicated, and very few witches or wizards possess the ability.

"And that is why I am fascinated by these mood indicators of yours, Miss Lovegood. How exactly did you make them?" Dumbledore asked.

Luna answered, "I used a Fulcarum emotus charm to tap our emotions, and then an echo to transfer them to another object."

Dumbledore's fingers were steepled beneath his mouth, and he looked at her curiously over the rims of his half-moon glasses. "I have never heard of that particular charm - how did you learn to perform it?"

"When my mother died, my father gave me all of her notebooks. I began to flip through them after I started studying at Hogwarts. She used to do research at the Ministry, and she had lots of notes about the human spirit, and the potential for alterations, mood adjustments, induction of alternate realities, that sort of thing," Luna said.

Dumbledore nodded with a sudden understanding. "I believe after school that your mother was working with experimental charms?"

Luna confirmed this and said, "Some of her work was with the Department of Mysteries, I think."

"And you found the Fulcarum emotus charm in her notebooks?"

"No, actually, I made that one up, based on her writing about trapping a range of emotions. I think it helps that I use her wand; Daddy had it specially made for her with the tail hair of a Mooncalf he caught while he was still a field journalist," she explained.

The old Headmaster looked astounded; Harry, too, was impressed to find out that she had created that charm on her own. He looked over at Luna, who was gazing unconcernedly across the table as if there was nothing special about casually creating new magic at the age of fifteen, or using a Mooncalf-hair wand.

"So you've always used her wand?" asked Dumbledore with interest.

"Yes," said Luna, "when I first started school, Daddy and I spent some time at Ollivander's trying to fit me with a new wand, but none of them worked nearly as well as my mother's."

"Indeed! Mr. Ollivander must have been fascinated with that wand," Dumbledore said, smiling. "After all, Mooncalves are rare and very difficult to find; they lurk in rural fields at full moons, and are quite shy of people. Their magical powers in that wand must impart great strength, and a certain flexibility in spellwork."

"Mr. Ollivander was definitely excited when he saw the wand! He looked at it for a good long time. I quite like him, Mr. Ollivander! I go visit him sometimes when I'm home and Daddy's busy working. He's told me a lot about the creatures he tracks for making his own wands," Luna said as an aside, gazing thoughtfully into the air past Dumbledore's left shoulder.

Harry stared at her with eyebrows arched; he had always found the eccentric wand-maker to be rather creepy!

"He certainly is an interesting man, Mr. Ollivander," mused Dumbledore. "Well, blood will out, Miss Lovegood. It appears you have your mother's gift for manipulating the rules of magic."

After a prolonged pause, Dumbledore said, "I would very much like to see those notebooks of your mother's, Miss Lovegood. It sounds as though some of that information - and your emotus charm - could be of great help, especially in reinstating Harry's blood-protection."

Harry's head snapped up, and he looked sharply at the Headmaster. Dumbledore held his gaze steadily, while Luna inclined her head curiously towards them both.

The old man began to speak. "Bill spoke with me early in the new year, Harry. We had already talked about the Sphinx's riddle, but her message has gained in significance since I found out that she recognised you. I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information, but the old Veela's words over the holidays seem to have clinched it.

"The blood transfusion you received in July connects you to Bill. We may be able to use that connection to draw upon the Veela powers of Bill and Fleur's baby. I understand that the baby carries the bloodline of Veela royalty as well. We may be able to restore your blood protection. With the current level of protection you already have from Bill's donation of blood, it may even come close to the same strength that your mother's sacrifice - and your aunt's willing harbouring - had provided."

Harry sat rigidly fixated on Dumbledore's words, a wash of emotions overwhelming him. Luna took his hand once more, and began to massage it soothingly with surprisingly strong fingers. Harry finally noticed, and exhaled a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. He looked down at their entwined hands.

Dumbledore was watching him keenly, understanding and concern etched onto the old face. "Harry, if we can harvest the baby's immense powers at birth - the time of greatest innocence - it may be of enormous help to you, and to fulfilling the prophecy."

Throwing a horrified look at the old man, Harry felt a surreal sense of panic. Interpreting correctly, Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and quickly went on, "I promise the baby will come to no harm. I have an idea, but I will need to speak with Fleur's Veela grandmother. I would also need to see Miss Lovegood's notebooks. Miss Lovegood?"

"I'm afraid they're at home," Luna apologized, "but I could write to Daddy to send them right away."

Dumbledore coughed, cleared his throat again, and said, "That won't be necessary. It would be much safer if I retrieve them myself. I would also like to speak with your father about a few things, while I'm at it."

A sudden violent coughing fit took the old man, and he struggled for control. Harry jumped up and went over to him, while Luna hurried to pour the remaining tepid tea into his teacup. When Dumbledore had taken a few sips, his ragged breath was slowly restored to normal.

"Are you okay, sir? Perhaps we should get Madame Pomfrey?" asked Harry in alarm.

Dumbledore waved him away, and replied, "It's just a winter's cold, but thank you for your concern."

He looked directly at Harry, and said, "But I need to know - if Miss Lovegood's notebooks help me work something out - do I have your consent to try reinstating your blood protection?"

Harry looked into the worn out, lined face of the powerful wizard that he had so admired since he started his schooling at Hogwarts. There was a look of urgency, and the spark of anticipated hope, explicit in his request. Since when did he get so old? Harry thought with shocked awareness as a nearly imperceptible wheeze lingered in Dumbledore's breath.

But to the Headmaster, he merely replied, "Yes, of course you have my consent!"