The next day, Harry and Daphne were walking hand in hand in
Hogsmeade, enjoying the crisp October morning in Scotland. They
were idly talking as they made their way around the streets. It was
surprisingly not crowded and Harry wondered why that was.
"No one can stop talking about your classes," Daphne smiled
proudly. "I already knew that you were an excellent teacher, Harry,
but the way you handled that Potions class was amazing!"
Harry smiled slightly but didn't say anything. "Now, where are we all
supposed to meet?" he asked her.
"Near the large Beech tree facing the valley, away from Hogsmeade
and prying eyes. A few dozen people are to meet us there."
Harry hummed. When they neared the Beech tree, Harry's eyes
widened. He rounded on Daphne and demanded, "You call this a few
dozen people? There are probably two hundred students here; onequarter
of the school!"
Daphne wasn't fazed by his anger. "And that is a problem because?"
she asked calmly. Better to nip things in a bud before we start
fighting again. "Look, you're going to teach them anyway, so what's
the difference in having a hundred students instead of ten? Wouldn't
having more students help in the long run as your father said?"
"And what if their friends want to join too?" hissed Harry. "Pretty
soon, the entire school would want me to teach them. I don't know if
you know this Daphne, but I'm not paid to teach. I do so in classes
because it is part of my apprenticeship. This is –"
"If you don't want to teach them, just say so," said Daphne coolly.
"Don't pick a fight in public. I'm already done arguing with you after
last night and I'm not in the mood for yet another argument. You
want more Aurors and this is the best possible method of getting
them. For your information, many of them here are sixth and
seventh-year students. They could easily join the Auror Corps right
after graduation, especially with the new incentives being offered by
the D.M.L.E. Don't think I'm ignorant of your long-term plans, Harry. I
know that you consider the Muggles a threat and I also know that
you believe we need more Aurors for protection in case of danger,
and even with you teaching them all, it won't happen overnight; it'll
take three to five years but the numbers will eventually rise. I'm
giving you the perfect opportunity to gain their loyalty which would
reap benefits in the future. Take it or leave it, I don't particularly
care."
Daphne turned and walked towards the large group with Harry slowly
walking behind her. While she knew that she had her faults, Harry
was no different. Sometimes she felt like pulling her hair out in
frustration at the way he behaved and how closed off he was with his
emotions. She knew that Harry wouldn't be who he is if he weren't so
emotionally detached most of the time, but that didn't mean she
should like it all the time. He was also a very proud boy and it was
difficult to get him to back down, even for the simplest of matters.
She understood that he was under tremendous pressure lately and
she did her utmost best to help and support him, but that was not to
say she would be fine with constantly being his punching bag. There
were days when she was stressed and irritable too.
Who knew living with another person was so difficult?
Both Harry and Daphne were true alpha personalities and as they
grew up, they were scraping shields more than usual. That was not
to say that they didn't love each other unconditionally, but with both
of them being dominant and assertive, it was difficult to end an
argument when both of them weren't willing to back down.
According to her mother, both of them were acting like teenagers.
Daphne didn't understand that at all! That was what her mother said
to everything. Didn't older couples fight too? Oh yes, according to
her mother, they did fight, but they also tended to compromise .
That word did not exist in either Harry or Daphne's vocabulary.
"Are you okay?" asked Dylan worriedly.
"Fine," said Harry quietly as he began casting privacy and noticeme-
not charms around the entire group; no need for others to
overhear.
"Hello everyone," said Daphne loudly. "Thank you all for coming
here. We have gathered here because a few of us were discussing
the curriculum of Defence Against the Dark Arts and how it is being
taught, or more specifically, how it is not being taught by Professor
Snape."
"Here, here," said Anthony Goldstein. "He's worse than how he was
in Potions."
"Yeah, he doesn't show the wand movements, doesn't explain the
theory, doesn't demonstrate for us, and expects perfect results on
the first try!" said a seventh year Gryffindor heatedly, several others
nodding grimly.
"His teaching method is just different, that's all," said a third year
Slytherin defensively. "He is a teacher and Dumbledore wouldn't
have hired him unless he knew that Professor Snape could teach."
Many growled at the girl when Daphne interrupted. "Not learning
how to defend ourselves given the current climate is exactly what will
lead us to our doom," she explained. "We are currently in a state of
war and unless we can fight back, there is no hope for us."
"What do you think we should do?" said Zacharias Smith snidely.
"Raise an army?"
"If you were at home during the holidays and your house was
attacked, what are you going to do, Smith? Sit on the couch and
brag to the Death Eaters about how well you did in Quidditch?"
asked Harry pointedly, making the boy flush. "The purpose of this
meeting is so that you can learn how to defend yourselves in case of
an attack. When Death Eaters choose to attack, they don't do so one
by one. A dozen will attack at the same time and take you out. Tell
me, can you all defend yourselves against a dozen Killing Curses
coming at you at the same time?"
There was absolute silence as nobody was willing to answer. "Or
how about the thousands of Dementors that are plaguing the country
right now?" asked Harry casually. "Do I need to remind you of the
attack that took place two years ago?"
"What about the Aurors?" asked a fourth-year girl. "Surely they would
protect us, right?"
"And how long do you think it would take for the Death Eaters to kill
you if you are standing right in front of them? It would all be over in a
matter of seconds, long before the Ministry could even detect it. The
Aurors cannot help you all the time and thanks to Bagnold and
Fudge ruining the Auror corps over the years, they are limited in
number. Unless you all learn to defend yourselves, you'll end up like
the couple of thousand witches and wizards who died in the last war.
This is not a game."
"What we are offering you is a chance to learn and train," Daphne
took over. "Harry is willing to teach you if you are willing to learn. You
all also want to pass your exams, right? With how Snape is currently
teaching, it's not going to happen."
When there was a general murmur of agreement, Daphne continued,
"Alright then, the next item of business is how often we do it. I was
thinking two or three times a week because there is no point in
meeting less frequently than that –"
"Hang on," Angelina piped in, "we need to make sure this doesn't
clash with our Quidditch practice."
"No," Cho agreed, who had become the new Ravenclaw Seeker
after Harry had left, "nor with ours."
"Nor ours," added Zacharias Smith and there was a murmur of
agreement amongst the Slytherins too.
"Do you think Quidditch is more important as of this date than your
lives?" asked Dylan irritably before Harry could answer. "The lives of
your parents, the lives of your siblings?"
"That's rich coming from the son of a Death Eater," Marietta
Edgecombe sneered. "Like you have anything to worry about,
Lestrange. When are you going to be joining daddy dearest to
murder innocent people?"
Everyone sucked in a breath as she said it, looking at Harry
expectantly. There was no doubt in everyone's mind that this was
going to end badly. Even Zacharias Smith, in all his arrogance, was
not stupid enough to say something like this. No one messed with
Dylan Lestrange and got away with it.
"Get out," said Daphne darkly. There was a strange white tint to her
blue eyes. She looked furious.
"Excuse me?" said Marietta sharply.
"She told you to get out," said Harry in a cold voice, his own eyes
glowing a shade of blackish-green. "We don't want you here. I have
tolerated enough from you when I was a student myself. You picked
on me but I didn't have a problem with that as you were not worth my
time. You said that fame had gone to my head when I got into the
accelerated program, spreading rumours about me in the process,
and I ignored you. I found you bullying Luna Lovegood, stealing her
clothes and books, and I had to step in to put a stop to it. I don't even
want to think about how much Luna would have suffered if I hadn't
found out a few months into her first year. You kept insulting and
harassing my brother constantly and I warned you to back off and I
have finally reached the end of my tether. Daphne and I aren't
obligated to put up with your shit anymore. You better walk out of
here right now, Edgecombe or you'll face our wrath."
"Harry, Daphne, it's fine," said Dylan quietly. "If I wanted to murder
people, Edgecombe, I would have done it already. The fact that you
are still alive proves that I didn't go down the same route as my
father. Now, can we carry on with the meeting?"
Marietta paled slightly, but when she saw the heated glares being
sent her way, she huffed and walked back towards the village,
trembling slightly. Harry Potter was terrifying when he was angry and
she made a mental note to stay the hell away from him for the next
few weeks. Maybe it was a good idea to stay away from Greengrass
too. She had not forgotten what had happened the last time Daphne
Greengrass had gotten angry during the Triwizard Tournament; the
scars still remained.
"You also have to realise that these group sessions will be kept a
secret," Daphne added. "You can't tell anyone because Voldemort
doesn't want the younger generation trained and if the staff were to
know what we're doing, word would soon reach the ears of the
Death Eaters"
"You mean we don't have permission from the teachers?" asked
Hermione, aghast. "What we're doing is illegal?"
"There no rule in the Hogwarts Charter that states that a club
shouldn't be formed by the students, but all student organisations
have traditionally been approved by the staff in the past. However,
you are forgetting my unique position. I do wield power at Hogwarts;
the only reason my father has stayed away is due to the war. As
Smith so eloquently put in a few years ago, the Smith and Potter
families ensure that we are well aware of the Hogwarts Charter and
By-Laws from a young age. I'm sure he can confirm what I've just
told you, not to mention you can borrow a copy of the Charter from
the library. In response to your question, no, we're not doing anything
illegal, but secrecy is necessary considering that we are at war."
"All those who are interested, please write your names in this book,"
said Daphne, after a pause. "We'll let you know when the next
meeting will be and where."
People were quite nervous about writing their names but after
several of them did so without complaint, they grumbled and
complied. While the others may not have noticed it, Dylan and
Astoria did seem troubled by the frosty atmosphere between Harry
and Daphne; the older couple seemed to be fighting constantly over
the last few weeks. Giving them one last worried look, the younger
couple walked away, hand in hand, wanting to explore more of the
village.
Daphne quietly packed everything and carefully tucked the book with
the names into a deep, secure pocket in her robes. Just as she was
about to leave, she felt someone grab her wrist. She didn't pull away.
Harry slowly walked towards her, squeezing her hand as he did so.
"I'm sorry, Daphne," he said softly. "I know that you were only doing
what was best, trying to help me achieve my goals. I didn't even
think about the time and effort you must have spent to get so many
people here. I really do appreciate it, and I'm sorry for getting short
with you. I'm just frustrated with everything that's going on and –"
"I know," said Daphne quickly as she turned around to face him as
her features softened. "I also understand that you needed to vent,
and I don't mind that. But Harry, you can't dump your frustrations out
on me day after day."
"I know," muttered Harry as he pulled her close, nuzzling her face
against his. "I'm really sorry. I don't appreciate and cherish you as
much as I should. I promise you that I will from today."
Daphne frowned. She never expected him to treat her like that. She
didn't mind him showing his frustration out on her; just not every day
. She was his fiancée. Who else could he do that with?
"Harry, I don't – no, listen to me!" she said sharply when she saw
that Harry was about to interrupt her. Intertwining her fingers with his,
squeezing his hand slightly, she continued in a soft tone. "I
understand that you're frustrated with everything that's going on.
Working on so many Master's degrees is very hard work and I don't
mind you taking your anger out on me. I'm your fiancée, Harry, and
that is not just a title. I'm your life partner and it is my duty to take
care of you. I have never expected you to treat me like a queen. Your
love for me is more than enough and I would gladly make sacrifices
to keep you happy, just as you have always done for me. But you
have to understand that there are days when I'm tired and frustrated
too and your irritation combined with mine becomes a trigger for us
to fight. I've come to realise that living together is really not as easy
as I once thought."
"Are you going to move out of my quarters?" asked Harry, sounding
worried, but very touched by her words as well.
"Of course not!"
"Good! But Daph, I promise you that in the future I won't –"
He was cut off when Daphne wrapped her arms around his neck and
pulled him into a loving kiss. Harry smiled into the kiss and gently
stroked her wavy dark blonde hair with his fingers as he tightened
his grip around her slim waist. A minute later, they parted, breathing
heavily, their foreheads touching each other. The green and blue
orbs locked gazes as love and pure adoration mirrored each other.
Yes, both Harry and Daphne were not perfect and each had plenty of
faults, but they were perfect for each other. As an ideal couple, they
tended to balance each other's strengths and weaknesses and were
only complete as a whole. Their relationship had its ups and downs,
but they were confident that their undying love would never fade,
their inner fire for each other only growing stronger with time.
In the end, that was all that mattered.
Harry dipped his head as he kissed her neck, pushing her against
the large Beech tree, making her squeak in surprise.
"Harry, what are you doing?"
Harry's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Well," he said slowly. "I found
one of your romance novels tucked away under the bed."
Daphne's face burned in embarrassment. "You found that?" she
asked, horrified.
"Yup," he smirked at her. "Nice glamour charm, but it wasn't strong
enough to fool me. I didn't know that you liked porn!"
"It's not porn!" she hissed at him. "What you and Dylan have in the
bathroom is porn, not the books I read!"
"How did you find those?" asked Harry, looking surprised. "I thought
we'd hidden them well!"
"Last week, I caught Dylan masturbating in our common room,
staring at those women who were featured in your blasted Playwitch
magazines. In exchange for not telling either Blaise or Theo about
the incident so that they wouldn't tease him about it, Dylan told me
all about your secret stash."
"Well, at least we have no secrets from each other," Harry grinned at
her. "I did find one particular scene interesting in that book of porn,
though."
"It's not porn!"
"Whatever you say," he said, enjoying the indignant look on her face.
"Anyway, there is this particular scene where the female protagonist
and her boyfriend make love outside, right after they had reconciled
after a fight. Daphne, who knew notice-me-not charms were so
useful?"
"That's fiction!" A soft moan escaped her lips when Harry's fingers
explored her bare stomach, his hand already under her shirt.
When did that happen?
"Please, Daphne? I promise not to tell anyone about your porn
collection."
"Harry, are you pouting?"
"No!"
Daphne smirked slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Well," she said softly, their faces impossibly close. "If you pout for
me again, I promise to make love to you right here, right now, just
like in the romance novel. And for the last time, it's not porn!"
Harry's eyes lit up in surprised happiness. No one other than
Daphne had seen this side of him, ever. He flashed a lopsided grin at
her, full of happiness and mirth, an expression that was reserved for
her eyes only.
"Really?" he asked excitedly. He pouted as requested and joked,
"You're not taking advantage of poor, innocent little Harry, are you?"
"Oh, Harry," cooed Daphne, cupping his cheek. "You lost your
innocence a few months ago – and I was the one to take it from
you!"
Harry smiled as he captured her lips, his fingers slowly sliding down
her face to her neck, down her collarbone and finally to the locket
that was hanging from around her neck; the same locket bearing the
Potter crest he had gifted her on her twelfth birthday. With a
squeeze, he activated a strong notice-me-not charm.
Daphne grinned as she flicked her wand, vanishing their trousers,
leaving them both nude from the waist down. With another wave,
she cast warming charms on them.
"Weren't we supposed to meet our friends for lunch?" panted Harry
sometime later, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his hips
moving in a steady rhythm against hers, pumping his cock in and out
of her vagina.
"Dylan and Astoria will cover for us," Daphne moaned as she arched
her back in pleasure. They didn't speak a word as they were soon
lost in ecstasy.
"Gummy Bears," said Harry as he neared the gargoyle which
guarded the headmaster's office. The gargoyle stepped aside and
Harry walked up the spiral staircase and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Harry entered the office, face impassive as usual as he walked
forward. "Hello, sir," he said politely. "You called for me?"
"Yes, Harry, take a seat," said Dumbledore, looking tired and wornout.
"First, I must say that I am very impressed with your teaching
skills. You truly have a gift, my boy. If you ever were to choose this
field, the doors of Hogwarts are always open to you."
"That's kind of you, sir, but while I do enjoy teaching, it's not
something I would want to do all the time. I have bigger plans for the
future and teaching isn't on my list."
"And what might those plans be?" asked Dumbledore kindly.
"You'll find out eventually," said Harry casually. But considering the
fact that you are going to die soon, I don't see that happening.
"Hmm," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard. "Anyway, the reason I
have called you here, Harry, is because I think it is time we have a
few lessons of our own."
Harry sat straighter. "Alchemy?" he asked, his eyes glinting with
interest and hope.
Dumbledore chuckled. "I can see why the Sorting Hat placed you in
Ravenclaw, Harry," he replied good-naturedly. "No, I'm afraid not.
No, what we'll be discussing is something far more important. I'm
sure you'll find the information that I'm about to divulge intriguing."
Harry simply raised an eyebrow at that. What was the old coot up to
this time?
A few minutes later, Harry understood what was going on. He could
immediately recognise the Gaunt shack and Morfin Gaunt from
Voldemort's memories and from his own – he had been to the place
before, after all. He knew that Tom had murdered his uncle when he
was sixteen and the very same day, had murdered his father and
grandparents. He watched the confrontation dispassionately,
wondering how such an old and powerful family had been reduced to
blatant poverty and lack of brains.
"Salazar would have been horrified that his descendants, even if it
was from his blood-adopted son, were living like that," said Harry as
they came out of the Pensieve. "Snakes are considered sacred by
the Slytherin family and to think Morfin was willing to kill them so
mercilessly proves why they were not worthy of the Slytherin family
title and fortune in the first place."
"I assume you have recognised them?" asked Dumbledore lightly.
"Of course, the Gaunts were well-known for their level of insanity
amongst the nobility as well as the common folk. They were the
laughing stock of Magical Britain for a long time. I assume Merope
Gaunt was Voldemort's mother while the Muggle was his father.
Marvolo, his grandfather and Morfin his uncle, am I correct?"
"Sharp as always, Harry, yes," said Dumbledore, nodding in
approval. Harry mentally rolled his eyes as Dumbledore spouted
drivel about love potions and running away and he wondered just
what the point of it all was. Surely the old man could just come to the
point, right? But Dumbledore never worked that way and Harry never
expected him to reveal any secrets this soon. Harry himself never
did, so why should he expect the same from Dumbledore?
Either way, his parents would most definitely be interested in
knowing what the old man was up to.
"Is this where we're going to meet?" whispered Zacharias Smith,
sounding annoyed. "In an abandoned classroom? It is hardly big
enough to fit two hundred people, let alone practice magic."
"Relax," said Ernie. "I doubt Potter is that stupid. He's probably found
a place. It's only been three days since we decided to form a
Defence club. I'm actually surprised that he called us this soon."
Dylan was acting as though he wasn't paying attention, but that was
an interesting quirk of his which he used to spy on people. Using the
notice-me-not charm on his locket to great effect, he wandered
around the large, abandoned classroom, listening to everyone talk.
After twenty minutes, he realised that it was okay to proceed. There
was no one here that would prove to be potentially dangerous.
Giving the signal to his brother, he waited as he sat next to Astoria.
"Welcome, everyone, to our first Defence class," said Harry
confidently. He was dressed in form-fitting clothes, his hair tied in a
short ponytail. "Everyone follow me."
People were wondering where they were headed as they walked
towards a dark corridor away from the classroom. They were on the
fourth floor and the people in the front saw Harry tap a blank stretch
of wall and hiss in Parseltongue. The Slytherin ring glowed for a
moment and the wall opened with a hiss, showing them a wide
passage to slip into.
"Keep up and follow me," said Harry. The first group followed him,
with Daphne leading the ones in the middle and Dylan bringing up
the rear. The students were lead through another passageway, down
several flights of stairs, until another wall opened again and they
stepped into an enormous chamber. The green light and snake
statues made it easy to recognise.
"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets," announced Harry. He waited
for everyone to come through as he sealed the passageway again.
Just as he turned, he heard someone scream in alarm.
"What?"
"T-That skeleton!" shrieked Hannah Abbott in fright. "That's the
Basilisk, isn't it?"
"That must be like seventy feet long!" exclaimed Lavender Brown,
backing away.
"Oh come on, it's just a skeleton," Harry exhaled as he led them to
the middle of the chamber. "The real one was a lot scarier. Anyway,
this is the best place for us to hold our classes. No one other than
me can give you access so we don't have to worry about teachers
finding us to hand out detention. Now, I – yes, Granger?"
Hermione had raised a hand like how she did in class. "I think we
should elect a leader," she said briskly.
"Harry's the leader," said Colin Creevey quickly.
"This isn't a hierarchy," explained Daphne in a calm voice. "This is
not an organisation either. We are trying to learn how to defend
ourselves and we have a teacher. That's it. Everything else is
superfluous."
"I still think we should have a name," said Hermione, sounding
slightly annoyed that her idea was shot down. "It would promote a
feeling of team spirit and unity."
Harry mentally sighed, praying to Mother Magic for patience. Was it
really worth it? They hadn't even started and they were already
getting on his nerves. "Fine, what name do you want for the group?"
There was a discussion for about two minutes until Cedric Diggory
asked, "How about the 'Defence Association'?"
"That's a good idea," replied Cho, agreeing with her boyfriend. "We
can call it D.A. for short. It would be easier to communicate."
"Or maybe we can call it Dumbledore's Army," Hermione said. "After
all, everyone knows that Dumbledore is the only one You-Know-Who
ever feared."
"Absolutely not," said Harry firmly. "This is not an army and I don't
want people to think this is one and I'm most certainly not going to
be involved in a group that has Dumbledore's name in it. He and I
don't see eye to eye and I don't want his name representing a group
that I'm going to teach. The Defence Association is a good idea. Is
everyone fine with that so we may move on?"
When they all nodded, he clapped his hands once. "Great," he said.
"Now, let's begin. I want all of you to pair up and give yourselves
room. This place is massive so don't worry about any space
requirements. Quickly, now!"
There was shuffling seen as everyone moved to find a partner and
stood in front of Harry. Even though he said that it was not an army, it
certainly looked like one from his perspective.
"Now, the first thing we're going to be learning is how to dodge
spells."
"That's it?" said Zacharias Smith loudly. "You're not going to teach us
magic? If I had known then I wouldn't have come."
"Really?" said Dylan, throwing the obnoxious Hufflepuff a dark look.
"You think dodging spells is irrelevant?"
"Well, I don't see how it can help," said Smith with an arrogant shrug.
"Alright, Smith," said Harry, looking at the boy critically. "Say I fire a
spell at you, right now, which is red in colour. What are you going to
do to defend yourself?"
"Shield, of course," said Smith, as though it was the most obvious
thing in the world.
"Very good," said Harry sarcastically. "That would work against a low
powered stunner. What if I'm using the Cruciatus Curse on you? Or a
Blood-Boiling Curse? Can you tell the difference in the different
shades of red in a moment's notice?"
"But the Cruciatus Curse is illegal!"
"Just because the spell is illegal doesn't mean people won't use it!
The elementary mistake everyone makes is that you all shield and
not dodge. A witch or wizard who is stronger than you could easily
shatter your shield with a powerful spell. There are a variety of
curses that would make your shield useless. The Unforgivable
Curses would also pass through the shield as though it weren't
there. Let me demonstrate."
Motioning them to join him, Harry said, "Fred, George and Dylan are
going to fire spells at me at the same time, and I'm going to defend
myself without magic. Boys, give me the best you've got and don't go
easy on me."
"Step back," said Daphne as the boys got into position. "Begin!"
Everyone watched as Fred, George and Dylan began firing spells at
Harry from different directions. Harry, on the other hand, was
dancing around them all without a wand in hand as he avoided
getting hit. Using a somersault, he avoided a blasting curse courtesy
of Dylan as he moved to the other side and kicked Fred, disarming
him. He managed to dodge the rest of the spells until George was
out too. Many were surprised at how talented Dylan Lestrange truly
was as his spells got more powerful and deadlier.
"Level Three," shouted Harry. "Lethal spells."
"Aye," shouted Dylan.
"Diffindo!"
"Bombarda!"
"Reducto!"
Everyone gasped as cutting curses and exploding curses rocked the
chamber, but Harry dodged them, slowly moving closer to Dylan. A
bone shattering curse too was dodged until Harry punched Dylan in
the face and with a swift kick, disarmed the boy and made him fall on
his butt.
"This is the power of dodging spells," said Harry, breathing hard.
Holding out his hand, he pulled his brother up, muttering spells under
his breath as he healed the other boy's injuries. "None of you has the
skill to take on members of the inner circle Death Eaters. If you come
across any of them, none of you stands a chance. It is better to
dodge their spells because trust me, you do not want to get on the
bad side of Bellatrix or Rodolphus Lestrange. They like to play with
their food before they eat it. Does anyone else have any problems
with learning how to dodge spells?"
When no one protested, Harry smirked slightly. "Good, then let's get
started."
Harry dragged himself to his suite as he crashed on one of the
couches in the common room. The painting of the eagle opened
again and his two unofficial roommates entered as well.
"I think that was a pretty good first lesson, Harry," said Daphne
tiredly as she lay down next to him, leaning her head on his chest as
she stretched her legs.
"Understatement of the century," muttered Dylan. "That was probably
the best Defence class I've ever had."
"You already know how to dodge," pointed out Harry.
"That doesn't mean I can't improve! My record is fifteen minutes
against an enchanted dummy. I can't last a minute when you're firing
spells at me. It's a good thing you started on this instead of actually
teaching us defensive spells. By the way, I know this is supposed to
be a secret, but what is stopping them from revealing it to someone
else?"
"When I said that they can't , I meant it," said Daphne, smiling
wickedly. "I charmed the book in which they all wrote their names. It
ensures that they can't speak about what we're doing with anyone
whose name is not written in the book. If they do try, it's all gibberish.
With two hundred people, we're bound to have someone who'll turn
traitor, though I'm hoping that won't be the case."
"Beauty and brains," muttered Harry as he stroked her hair.
"I'm so exhausted that I can't even bring myself to walk to my room,"
Dylan yawned and stretched on the couch. "Wake me up tomorrow,
will you? Good night."
"I agree," said Daphne sleepily as her eyes drifted shut.
Harry sighed. Sleeping on the couch couldn't possibly be
comfortable, could it? Oh well ... if you can't beat them, join them!
Draco Malfoy was nervous as he walked into the throne room of the
Dark Lord's manor. The place was actually quite elegant once it was
cleaned up and was said to have the best wards and protective
enchantments available, with the Dark Lord himself putting up a
Fidelius Charm. It was the 31st of October, and the Dark Lord no
doubt wanted to know about his progress with the Vanishing
Cabinet. He idly looked around, wondering where his father was, as
he was lead into the throne room by his aunt.
"My Lord," said Draco, sinking to his knees in respect. He did not
notice his Aunt Bella slip out of the room nor his father who was tied
up in the corner, disillusioned.
"Draco," breathed Voldemort, his red eyes boring into the fifteenyear-
old boy. "Rise, my young friend and tell me how goes the
progress with the mission I assigned to you more than two months
ago ."
Lucius winced and held back a sob as he realised what was going to
happen. His son was going to pay for his failures but coupled with
Draco's inability in repairing the cabinet and not getting Dumbledore
killed, it was going to be horrible to watch. Mentally, he braced
himself. There was a reason he was tied up, after all. Draco was
going to be tortured and he was being made to watch.
"Ah, Severus, come in," said Voldemort silkily and Draco's head
turned sharply when he saw his Defence teacher walk in. "We were
just discussing Draco's progress; or lack thereof."
Draco swallowed. "My Lord, I am making progress. I have figured out
the materials I need to fix the cabinet and also the rune cluster I
need to carve on it. However, it is difficult to bring them into the
castle."
"You promised me that Dumbledore would be dead by the end of
October, Draco," said Voldemort dangerously.
"Y-Yes, my Lord," he stammered. "I'm working on it and I promise
you that –"
"I don't have much use for incompetent servants."
Draco barely had time to register what was going on when he was
screaming in pain. It was more pain than he had ever imagined! His
body was on fire, he was being killed, his nerves were going to be
ripped apart! No, he couldn't take it anymore!
"Did that hurt, dear Draco?" cooed Voldemort, smirking at him. "Tsk,
tsk, look at that, Severus. Our little baby dragon has wet himself! He
couldn't even stand a few seconds under the Cruciatus Curse. Do
you think you have what to takes to be a Death Eater?"
Draco couldn't answer as he was twitching and moaning. Tears were
flowing down his pale face as he was tortured over and over again.
"I am losing patience, Draco," Voldemort sneered, pinning the boy
down with his foot. "When I said I want Dumbledore dead as quickly
as possible, I meant it. You better get it done soon, boy, or you will
suffer the consequences. Those consequences are definitely
something you would want to avoid – if you fail, Draco, I will torture
and kill you, your mother and your father. Let that thought be an
incentive for you to work harder and get the mission done. Macnair,
take our young guest and dump him outside Hogsmeade."
"Yes, Master," muttered Macnair as he exited the room, dragging the
twitching boy.
"That was a warning to you as well, Lucius," said Voldemort as he
cancelled the spells binding Malfoy Sr. "Another mistake on your part
and you will pay."
"Yes, my Lord," said Lucius quietly.
"Good," said Voldemort. "I need information from you both. Severus,
you told me that Harry Potter and Dylan Lestrange live together in
one of the Potter properties half the time and the rest with Sirius and
Amelia Black, correct?"
"Yes, my Lord," said Snape, his face blank. "They usually stay
together at Potter Castle, but as of late, they spend more time at
Black Manor. Dumbledore believes it is due to Potter now
acknowledging Sirius and Amelia Black as his parents. I have
observed Potter's movements over the years, and I believe that he
always spends the first day of the holidays at his family castle,
regardless of the circumstances. I have unfortunately not been able
to track his movements after he enters the castle during the holidays
as the wards and various protective enchantments are usually raised
to their maximum setting immediately upon his arrival."
"Ah, yes, I have heard about the impressive wards around this Potter
Castle," said Voldemort as he ran his fingers over Nagini's head. "I
believe Dumbledore sent you to look around the place to get more
information?"
"Yes, my Lord," said Snape after a moment's hesitation. Truthfully, he
had not been able to find out anything of value which he and
Dumbledore hadn't already known or suspected.
"Lucius, Harry invited you to Potter Castle for a ball a year ago, is
that right?"
"Yes, my Lord," said Lucius quickly. "I had a lot of time to search the
place for any weaknesses when Potter wasn't looking."
Voldemort leaned forward, a smirk forming on his lipless mouth. "Tell
me everything you know of the layout and wards of the castle and
also any other information you have about it; historical records of
fights, the Potter Massacre, anything."
Lucius swallowed. He was going to be tortured again. There was a
reason the Potter family was shrouded in mystery – they were
notoriously secretive. He only hoped that whatever information he
had would be sufficient.
Voldemort's red eyes glowed with triumph as he heard the report