Harry lay awake and tried not to think about tomorrow. The past two weeks since the trial had been a blur, as he and Gawain had prepared for their mock battle with the Aurors, and his own little students had begun to shine. Harry had been so busy, that he not been able to spend nearly as much time as he would have liked with Ginny.
While he and Ginny had practiced for the upcoming battle together, and it had been exciting, it wasn't really the sort of time Harry truly treasured with Ginny. But at least it had cured Ginny of her worry about Harry being fragile.
Harry sighed as his mind disobeyed him and returned to thinking about tomorrow. He was nervous for his team, not sure how they would respond to performing under pressure. He knew they could, they had all proved that at the Battle of Hogwarts, but then it had all been instinct and reaction. This time it would have to be a well executed plan carried out against an opposition that knew they were coming.
Harry rolled over and smiled as he looked into Ginny's open eyes.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" asked Harry.
Ginny smiled at him. "I know it's just a test, but I really want to do well tomorrow," said Ginny. "Then maybe Mum will finally relax about this whole Auror issue."
Harry knew what Ginny meant. While Molly had not objected to Ginny's decision openly, her regular letters were becoming very pointed as they suggested that Ginny should not abandon her desire to be a Healer yet. Harry could understand Molly's concern, but he would not tell Ginny what to do; the risks to his own wellbeing were too great.
"Don't worry, Gin, you'll be great."
"Thanks," said Ginny as her eyes started to smoulder. "Seeing as we're both awake anyway..."
*
Gawain Robards regarded the students before him with a mixture of pride and dread. He knew they were very good, but what he was about to have them undertake could see a number of them left embarrassed, and he didn't want to drive potential recruits away.
"Okay, team," he said, as he stood up and started focussing on each student in turn, "you have trained hard for this, and your skills are exceptional. But I need to warn you all, the people you will be going up against are professional Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement agents."
"They are very experienced and adaptable. They may not respond to your movements as you would expect, so you will need to be ready to improvise at any moment. Do you all understand?"
He received a collection of nods from the very serious faces before him.
"Remember," continued Gawain, "the result of this little test will not be held against you in any way. This is merely going to give us an idea of where we need to focus our training for the next few months."
Again he was met with hard eyes and curt nods.
"Right, I'll see you out in the grounds in ten minutes," said Gawain, as he headed out the door and made his way to a room a little farther down the corridor.
"Okay, team," he said, as he stepped into the room and addressed his Aurors, "you have trained hard for this..."
*
Harry and Ron surveyed the scene before them. The Quidditch pitch had been temporarily transformed just for this occasion, and they both thought the result was very impressive.
Before them was a collection of small two story houses and shopfronts lined down both sides of a narrow lane that stretched fifty metres ahead until it reached a t-intersection. Pale light and a dusting of snow on the ground was certainly adding to the realism for Harry. From the maps they had studied prior to this test, they also knew that the lane stretched for thirty metres in both directions from the intersection, but they were unable to see the lanes as they were obscured by more buildings and hedgerows.
"So, what do you think?" asked Harry, as he slid back down behind the shrubs they were using as cover while they considered their options.
Ron shrugged and grinned. "The way the buildings are placed, with only narrow gaps between them and several balconies looking over the laneway; I don't think we have to worry about running into any traps."
Harry grinned until Ron continued.
"I suspect the whole place is one big trap."
Harry shook his head. Their objective for this exercise was a simple one. Locate and rescue the single hostage from within the building which was located on the left hand corner of the intersection. Then evacuate the hostage to the edge of the Quidditch pitch. Gawain had only imposed one condition; the hostage could not apparate, or be side-along apparated.
Ron smiled. "There is plenty of cover for the defenders to use. The narrow gaps between the buildings mean we can't leap frog from cover to cover. They would be able to pick us off one by one as we moved single file. The laneway is not exactly going to be a picnic either. It's very narrow, and those balconies above it would be a perfect place to ambush us from."
Ron rubbed his chin. "If I was defending this place, I would let my enemy come to me, and then strike from behind at ground level. Once their backs were turned I would have people on the balconies start stunning anything that moved below," explained Ron with a wry smile, clearly enjoying himself. "And I would make sure I could do this from all three directions."
"Wonderful," sighed Harry.
The two young men crawled back to the rest of their team. Harry looked at the group and felt a sense of pride in them all. While he knew they may not succeed in their attempt today, Gawain had already informed him that this opportunity had never been afforded to another group before. Only Dumbledore's Army had been deemed even worthy of the honour of practicing against genuine Aurors.
For the purposes of this test, Harry's team were all wearing boots, jeans, and jumpers. Harry knew that while robes looked great billowing behind you as you moved, they were inherently impractical in a real world environment. They tended to snag on pretty much anything, and could often entangle your own hands, leaving you open to all manner of attack.
"Alright everyone, two by two, I want you to go up and have a look at the layout we have to negotiate. Ginny, Seamus, you two go first."
Harry and Ron started making their plans as the others started taking turns to go and have a look at the little laneway they would soon have to assault. Ron used his wand as he drew a fairly accurate map of the laneways into the dirt. He gathered a few rocks and began making his plan.
Meanwhile, Harry scanned the sight again. He looked up to the sky and shivered. It was unnerving being watched by the students from the stands that lined the Quidditch pitch. The crowd was silent as they watched, but Harry knew that the school Professors had charmed each stand to prevent any noise reaching the field. He wondered if the students were bored yet, as Harry and his team had already been here for over an hour, trying to ascertain the number of opponents they potentially faced.
After spotting movement a number of times, Ron had determined that they faced at least five opponents. He had immediately doubled that number, and then doubled it again for safety. The prospect of facing twenty opponents was a little daunting, even for Harry.
Finally, Ron raised his head. He looked around and saw that everyone had returned from having a look at the pitch. "Okay, we need to carry this out as a two stage operation, and we need to wait for the sky to darken a little."
Ron saw nods from everyone. He outlined his plan for the group quickly, and then waited for Harry to allocate the roles for each team member. They broke into four groups of two, with Harry left to move around and direct as needed. Harry imagined the crowd was getting quite excited above them, as they finally saw some movement on the ground.
*
Gawain was seated on the upper floor of the target building at the corner of the intersection. The four Aurors around him seemed calm but alert, not showing any sign of the nerves he was feeling himself.
Gawain knew just how good Harry and team could be, and he also knew they had a few tricks up their sleeves which the Aurors had not seen before. It is certainly going to be interesting, he thought as he grinned at his hostage.
His hostage gave him a small smile in return.
"What will you do if they win, Gawain?"
Gawain laughed quietly. "That's the beauty of the whole thing," he said, with a sly grin. "I have trained both sides, so I'll win no matter what happens."
*
In the stands above the Quidditch pitch, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minerva McGonagall stood side by side as they peered at the ground below them. Kingsley grunted as he saw Harry and his team begin to move into position.
"Good dispersal of the team," he commented to Minerva, as he watched the little groups circle the Quidditch pitch and take up positions at the end of each laneway, "but nothing unusual."
Minerva merely smiled politely as Kingsley let his Auror experience come to the fore as he commentated for her.
"The Aurors will be expecting this," said Kingsley, as he watched two of Harry's team reach the edge of the long laneway.
The figures disappeared behind the first house, and as Kingsley scanned the ground, he suddenly realised Harry's entire team had disappeared.
"Oh..."
*
Harry walked slowly down the middle of the laneway. His disillusionment charms were holding so far, and Harry fought the urge to run for cover; even disillusioned, he knew another person could spot quick movements as the image they created distorted for a second.
At the far end of the laneway, back where they had first observed the little buildings from, Michael Corner grinned as he tried to make out Harry in the distance. He was waiting for the signal to move from Harry, but it might take a while yet so he forced himself to slow his breathing and relax. He looked at Lavender beside him, and thought he recognised the same excitement and anxiety in her eyes that he now felt.
Ginny and Cho were now picking their way across the rooftops, moving very slowly and deliberately, trying not to make a sound. Their own disillusionment charms were working well, and they hoped they could make it into position without being detected. Ginny silently cursed her brother as she thought through the plan again in her head. It certainly called for a lot of stealth, and Ginny was still worried that they might be doing this all backwards, but Harry trusted the plan, so she would too.
Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein shared a nod as they stood behind a low house at the end of the laneway which ran to the right of the target house. Terry rested his hand against a metal trash bin that was lying against the rear of the house. Now they just had to wait for their part of the operation to begin.
Seamus and Ron were at the end of the laneway which led left from the intersection. They were now concealed under Harry's invisibility cloak as they inched toward the target house. Ron hoped his plan would work, but he knew he wasn't playing a game here, and failure was a real possibility.
*
Gawain rubbed his eyes. Another half hour had passed by without any sign of Harry's team. He wasn't sure if he should be nervous or comforted by that, but he knew his hostage was certainly having a much better time than he was.
"Worried yet?" asked the hostage.
Gawain shrugged. "Not yet, they've still got ten wizards to get passed out there. That's before they even get into this house."
The hostage nodded his head in acknowledgement of what Gawain was saying, but he still thought a rescue was a genuine possibility as he peered out the window and into the fading light.
*
Kingsley was getting frustrated now. He couldn't see any movement, but he knew people must be moving down below. Adding to his frustration was the fact he also felt torn between the two opposing teams. He had initially hoped that Harry would succeed, but now he felt the pull of nostalgia for his old office, and was silently urging the Aurors on to victory.
Minerva pointed down to the structures below.
"There, on the rooftops."
Kingsley peered down at the structures below, until he saw what Minerva had seen.
"Bloody hell."
Minerva was smiling again as she tried to follow the two sets of footprints that she had spotted, visible as they revealed the dark wooden rooves beneath the light snow covering.
*
Harry now stood at the intersection. He could feel his pulse racing as he made his way to the corner of the house on the right side of the intersection. Once there, he turned and looked at the target house across the lane. The bottom floor was completely dark and the curtains closed. The second floor was also dark, but Harry could see that the window facing out over the balcony and the intersection was open. Harry now knew where the Aurors would be waiting. They had opened the second floor window so they would be able to hear anybody apparating onto the balcony outside.
Harry grinned. Despite his team's skill in apparating, they had decided not to use those skills for the first half of their plan. It was highly effective, but it gave away your position far too easily as the 'popping' sound announced your movement.
As Harry adjusted his jumper slightly, he felt a hand touch his arm and he froze.
"Ron?" he whispered as quietly as possible.
He received two taps on his arm. It was Ron and Seamus as planned. This aspect of the plan had proven to be the most troublesome to arrange. How do you notify everybody that you are in place and ready, when everybody is invisible and unable to make a sound?
"Wait," whispered Harry. He knew Ron and Seamus knew what it meant. They had arrived first, so now they would wait for the signal from Ginny and Cho.
It didn't take long. Ten minutes later a small snow ball landed with a soft wet smack in the middle of the intersection. Harry grinned up at the target house rooftop, imagining Ginny was grinning down at him.
He turned and grabbed Ron's arm, drawing his wand as he did so. "Are you two ready?" he whispered.
He received two low grunts in reply.
"I'll go in first and fire the signal. You know what to do."
Using his wand, Harry concentrated and levitated Ron and Seamus up to the balcony using Wingardium Leviosa. He hoped this worked, because he had never levitated something so big before, let alone something he couldn't see. Once Harry had finished, he waited a minute for a sign that anything had gone wrong. Nothing was forthcoming, so he assumed Ron and Seamus were now in place.
He made his way slowly across the street until he reached the door of the target house. Harry didn't touch the door, fearing a sensor may have been placed on it. Instead, he peered through the curtains, trying to make out the furniture in the room. He could identify the shape of a sofa against the far wall of the small room within. That would do just fine, thought Harry. He pulled a stick out of his back pocket, held it to his lips, and whispered "Portus".
The stick glowed blue for a second and then Harry was transported onto the sofa in the sitting room. He scanned the room quickly, and finding no threat, he made his way to the stairs. He inched up the stairs, making sure he kept to one side to prevent any creaks. Once he was half way up the stairs and the sitting room was almost out of sight, he paused. Harry took a deep breath as he pointed his wand downwards and fired the signal into the sitting room.
*
"Here we go," said Kingsley excitedly, as a blue flash shone out through the windows of the target house. "I think they went straight for the hostage."
Minerva almost laughed as she watched the scene unfold below her.
*
Ginny was lying face down, hanging precariously over the edge of the roof of the target house. When she saw the flash of light coming from the ground floor, she lifted her disillusionment charm and waved to the still invisible Cho standing somewhere behind her. Cho then stamped loudly on the roof.
On the balcony, Ron and Seamus heard the thumping from the roof and raised their wands, ready to fire through the window.
On the stairs, Harry also heard the sound and made his way quickly to the door at the top of the staircase. Knowing those inside the room would be looking up, his silently used Alohomora to unlock the door. However, he didn't enter yet. He now waited for the next thumps to tell him Ron and Seamus had completed their task.
Ron and Seamus braced themselves. As arranged, Ron selected the person farthest on the left, while Seamus aimed at the person on the right. Ron whispered as he grasped the cloth of the cloak and prepared to lift it.
"One...two...three."
Ron yanked the cloak up. He and Seamus fired a stunning spell each, before dropping to the balcony floor and pulling the cloak back over themselves.
*
Gawain flinched as he heard the stunning spells shouted out, and two Aurors crumpled, one on either side of him. He had been waiting to hear a commotion in the street for two hours now, not to have the first spells fired into this room.
His two remaining companions now crouched and faced the door to the balcony. They had been distracted by a sound on the ceiling, but they knew now it was a decoy. The two Aurors stepped to the door and Gawain watched as he stood up beside the hostage. His men could also play the decoy game.
One of the Aurors threw the door open as a distraction, before ducking back behind cover. The other thrust his arm and head out the open window and scanned the balcony.
Gawain's eyes widened as he saw a jet of red light from above shoot into the head of the Auror hanging out the window. That was no decoy on the roof. The Auror's body slumped in the window frame. The second Auror turned back towards Gawain, opening his mouth to speak.
He never got the chance as another jet of red light flew over Gawain's shoulder and struck the Auror in the chest, sending him crumpling to the ground. Gawain spun to face the threat from behind and felt his wand jerk from his hand. No, not again.
His heart sank as he saw Harry appear before him, his disillusionment charm lifted. Gawain looked back over his shoulder as he heard footsteps coming into the room. A second later, and Ron and Seamus stood before him, a silvery cloak held in their hands. He turned back to Harry.
"Gawain, if you promise to take no further part in this, I will leave you conscious so you can observe our progress," said Harry, his face deadly serious.
Gawain wondered for a second what Harry would do if he said no, but quickly cast the idea aside. He wanted to see how this ended. He raised his hand and nodded.
Harry lowered his wand. "Ron, Seamus, check the hostage."
Ron stepped to the figure who had been sitting beside Gawain. He stopped in his tracks as he recognised the man.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" asked a startled Ron, as Arthur Weasley grinned at his son.
"I wanted to see you lot in action, and I did lend Gawain some agents for this little party, so he decided to repay me by taking me hostage," explained Arthur. "Now, would you be so good as to untie me and return me to your mother?"
Ron knelt down and set to work on Arthur's restraints.
"Dad, these aren't even tied properly, why didn't you just run?"
Arthur chuckled as he watched his son roll his eyes.
*
Kingsley and Minerva had watched the jets of red light firing into the house, followed by the glow of another red light from within.
"Good lord," gasped Minerva. "You were right, Kingsley, they went straight for the hostage."
Kingsley grinned. "They still have to get out yet."
*
Harry and Ron led Arthur to the front door of the house, with Seamus bringing up the rear. Harry paused at the door, bracing himself. He knew whoever else was out there would have heard his teams raid on the house, and would now be moving towards him or laying in wait. Whatever the situation, it was time to go, and stealth and subtlety was no longer going to help.
"Ready?" asked Harry as he threw the invisibility cloak over Arthur and Ron.
A muffled "Yep" from Ron made Harry smile.
"Here goes," said Harry, hoping nobody was behind the door. Expulso.
The door exploded out into the laneway, smoke and debris going in all directions.
"Go," shouted Harry.
Harry felt the invisibility cloak brush against his arm as Arthur and Ron exited the house. Seamus joined Harry in the door way.
"Let's do this, Harry," said Seamus eagerly.
Harry nodded. "Go now."
At the end of the right side lane, Terry Boot heard the sound of the explosion. That was his signal. He lifted the metal bin and spun with it, throwing it high into the air over the laneway. Anthony fired the Reducto spell at the bin, causing it to explode into hundreds of pieces.
The sound of the explosion from Terry and Anthony was drawing attention. Harry and Seamus ran out into the lane and could see heads appearing in windows as they tried to see what was happening. They both started to fire stunning spells at the figures in the houses.
Behind them, Ron and Arthur were walking slowly and calmly down the main laneway, keeping to the far left, making their way towards the point where Michael and Lavender were located. Ron looked up and saw Ginny and Cho stalking across the rooftops above him, covering their very quiet escape while all manner of commotion took place in two other directions. He scuffed the ground every so often so Ginny would know where he was.
"Ron," whispered Arthur, having followed his sons gaze upwards, "is that your sister above us?"
"Yes," hissed Ron. "Now shut it until we get you out of here."
Arthur beamed as he kept inching down the laneway with Ron. Now that he saw his two youngest children in action, he was almost bursting with pride.
Harry and Seamus began apparating one at a time, appearing on balconies, rooftops, and in the laneway around the intersection. Spells were now being fired at them, but their random pattern was causing massive confusion, which only got worse as Terry and Anthony started doing the same thing, heading towards the intersection from the right side laneway.
Michael and Lavender now stood up and stepped into clear view at the end of the main laneway. Lavender cast a powerful shield charm as she saw movement from the second floor of a window half way up the lane. The figure fired a stunning spell at her, which rebounded harmlessly onto the ground. Meanwhile, the figure who had revealed their position received a barrage of spells from Ginny and Cho. No further movement came from the second floor window, so Lavender and Michael began making their way up the lane by apparating randomly, keeping to the far left so they wouldn't bump into Ron as they went passed.
Harry and Seamus paused as they took in the scene from the rooftops. Enough other distractions for the Aurors meant Harry and Seamus could now stand still without being engaged, although Harry kept his shield up; there was no point in being reckless after all. They watched the buildings carefully as Terry and Anthony kept creating a ruckus in the right side laneway, moving so quickly now that they could almost match Harry for speed, as sparks and spells shot in all directions from the pair. Harry glanced down the main laneway to their original starting point, and saw Lavender and Michael beginning their run to the intersection.
As Harry scanned the laneways he pointed out movement in a window to Seamus, coming from the one lane that didn't have a pair of apparating team members in it. Seamus grinned and apparated. Harry saw him reappear right behind the figure that had moved in the window. A flash of red light followed before Seamus rejoined him.
*
Kingsley shook his head in disbelief. This can't be happening. The Aurors were too good to get caught out like this.
He watched as two figures stood on a roof top, occasionally one would disappear, a random flash would follow, and then suddenly the figure would reappear on the rooftop again. The two sets of two people moving towards the intersection were apparating in a way he had never seen done before, sparks and noise bursting from them as they created a massive series of distractions.
Usually it was considered far too dangerous to apparate during a duel or a battle. Besides the disorientation you could suffer, there was also the prospect of your enemy having wards in place preventing apparation. Kingsley guessed that was why Harry and his team had not apparated until after they had stunned everyone inside the target house.
Minerva pointed again and Kingsley followed her outstretched arm. He could see two small figures on the rooftops, calmly walking back towards the edge of the Quidditch pitch, their wands covering a seemingly empty lane below them. You clever buggers, thought Kingsley, willing to bet Arthur Weasley was laughing himself silly as he walked away unseen in the main laneway below.
Kingsley now saw what had happened. Harry's team had let Arthur walk out under cover, while they created distractions in two of the directions leading from the target house. Gawain's team had instinctively begun focussing on the vacant lane, looking for signs of the hostage.
Meanwhile, the hostage was walking away down a lane that held a distraction. A courageous move in Kingsley's opinion, but maybe one you wouldn't try in the real world. The risk of the hostage being struck by a random spell was fairly high.
Kingsley looked around at the students who now cheered wildly at the display below them. They knew who was winning, and Kingsley was afraid he might never hear the end of this from Arthur Weasley.
*
After a dizzying few minutes, Harry and Seamus finally looked down into the intersection and grinned at Terry and Anthony. A few moments later Lavender and Michael arrived, breathless but exhilarated. Harry and Seamus beckoned them to the rooftop.
As they appeared beside him, Harry glanced towards the far end of the Quidditch pitch and saw Ginny and Cho had reached the end of the houses. Arthur was away and no opposition remained. Harry was gobsmacked. He thought they had a chance at succeeding, but not without suffering a few loses.
Ron and Arthur appeared beyond the farthest house as they took the invisibility cloak off. Ron fired red sparks into the air to indicate the hostage was secure. Harry waved to him, and jumped back when Ron apparated directly in front of him. Cho and Ginny quickly rejoined the group on the roof. Harry raised his wand and fired sparks high into the air. His team quickly followed his lead, and soon the air above them was a sea of colourful sparks.
Harry flinched as a wall of sound suddenly hit him. It took him a moment to realise the Professor's must have lifted the silencing charms from the stands around the pitch. He grinned at his team as the cheering rolled over them. Ron couldn't help himself, as he roared back to the crowd. Harry shrugged and decided to accompany Ron as he let his exhilaration flow out of him and lift into the darkening sky.
*
"So, what happened?" asked Kingsley, his voice sympathetic as he sat across from Gawain and Minerva in the Headmistresses Office.
He glanced at Minerva and noticed ruefully that she had no compunction to be sympathetic at this point. Her delight at the performance of her students was clearly etched on her face, and Kingsley couldn't blame her. It had been an astonishing display.
"We got blindsided," said Gawain. "Harry and his team had been working so intensively on their apparation techniques, that I was positive they would use them to conduct a frontal assault. I miscalculated."
Gawain shook his head as he continued. "Ron put their plan together in a far different manner than I predicted. I made the same mistake everybody seems to make with this lot; I underestimated their creativity and ability. The subtlety of the first half of the operation was masterful, and they had no hesitation in using whatever they could to help them. The invisibility cloak never occurred to me, but they used it to get in and out, not risking exposure with disillusionments any more than they had to."
"And walking Arthur right out under their own decoys will be a bitter pill for my Aurors to swallow. You're just not supposed to do that. The apparation technique they have developed also worked far more effectively than I had imagined. You saw it for yourself; it was nothing short of brilliant. I'm not happy to be telling you this, Kingsley, but you could probably replace the Auror Office with that lot right now."
Kingsley shook his head. "I don't believe that for a second, Gawain. This was only a mock situation, and those kids knew that nobody would really get hurt today. Your team has done extraordinary work over the last few months, and I expect them to act as mentors for this next group of Aurors."
Gawain gave Kingsley a grateful smile. It was hard to see your own skills bested so easily by a self trained kid and his friends.
"How are the Aurors taking it?" asked Kingsley, rather cautiously.
Gawain grunted. "They're with Harry's team right now, trying to figure out how a group of teenagers got the better of them." Gawain shrugged. "I think they'll be fine. They're viewing it as an opportunity to learn from the kids who defeated Voldemort."
Kingsley smiled at that. He was glad that the Aurors weren't bitter about the experience. That would have been just one more problem added to the still very large pile he was dealing with. Harry and his team had performed so well, and the professionals weren't about to let pride get in the way of finding out how they got beaten. Kingsley turned his attention to Minerva.
"What about you, Minerva? Do you have any thoughts on why they performed so well?"
Minerva raised an eyebrow towards Kingsley, as she considered her response.
"One or two," she replied.
"Would you care to share your theories?" asked Kingsley, far more interested in the answer than he was letting on.
Minerva nodded. "I think we need to remember how this group first formed. It was not a classroom full of children forced to pair up and practice; it was a rebel group formed in secret, with the very real intention of defeating Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They all volunteered to stand together and fight, not for money or power, or even victory, but for each other. Because they believed it was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing to do."
"When Harry trained Dumbledore's Army, he taught them things they had never thought they could ever learn, and it inspired them in a way few teachers can ever hope to achieve. It built trust between Harry and his army, and belief. They could see he was powerful, and they knew he would fight for them, so they chose to fight with him, believing he would never let them down. And he never did."
Minerva paused for a moment to take a breath.
"On the day of the N.E.W.T. exams, he stood and told them all they would pass Defence Against the Dark Arts. Nobody objected, they just believed in themselves and went and did it. So now we see how much the trust and belief has aided this group. Whatever plan was put together by Ron, they all had faith that it could work, and so they carried it out without any hesitation."
"Tell me, Gawain, how was your team operating?" asked Minerva as she looked down at Gawain. "As a group, or as individuals?"
Gawain looked stunned by the question. "As individuals. That is how Aurors are taught to operate, so that if another Auror falls they don't panic and lose focus. We may work in pairs, but only in the mentor and apprentice structure."
Minerva smiled. "Then that is the difference between the Aurors, and Dumbledore's Army. They operate as one entity, and while each of them is obviously gifted, if not downright formidable, they complement and lift each other to even greater heights than any of them could achieve alone."
Kingsley exhaled sharply as he sat back and considered this.
"Gawain," said Kingsley, "we may have to modify the Auror training program for this group."
Gawain gave Kingsley a lopsided grin. "That's the easy part, Kingsley. Here's the question that will keep me awake tonight. Who, exactly, is going to be able to train them?"
*
All the air seemed to have been sucked out of the Great Hall as the huge doors cracked open. Everybody held their breath and stared at the door, wondering if it would finally be them this time.
The hall exploded into a rapturous cheer as Harry made his way through the doors, his team striding behind him. The students could see their embarrassed grins as they made their way to a table together. Harry chose the Ravenclaw table as it had enough space at the end for everybody. He sat down and was joined by the others.
The crowds cheering died down to an excited bubbling noise as they whispered to each other that most of Harry's group were sitting at the wrong table. Harry and the others ignored it as they grabbed drinks and hoisted their glasses into the air.
Harry beamed at his team as a ringing noise from the staff table caused everyone to look in that direction. The crowd fell silent as Gawain stepped to the podium. Harry felt a twinge of sorrow for Gawain, knowing he could not be enjoying this moment very much.
Gawain didn't say a word. Instead, he walked down from the podium and made his way to Harry's group. Harry was startled as Gawain reached him and held out his hand. Harry stood and shook it. Gawain then made his way around the group, shaking everybody's hand.
As Gawain paid his silent tribute, the staff stood as one and began applauding. The sound soon swelled as the students joined in, and Harry felt his face turning red. He looked at his friends and saw they were all blushing furiously now. Harry caught Ron's eye and pointed over his shoulder. Ron turned just in time to catch Hermione arriving at a full run.
Harry laughed and clapped as Hermione kissed Ron all over his face. That was the invitation the other students needed to start making their way to Harry's group and begin congratulating them.
Later that evening, as Harry and Ginny still sat together with the team, Harry jumped when a hand appeared beside him and grabbed Ginny's shoulder. They both spun and looked up at the beaming face of Arthur Weasley. Ginny jumped up and hugged her father.
"I'm so proud of you, Ginny," said Arthur. He kissed Ginny's cheek before he released her and circled the table to embrace his son.
Harry watched on and felt great joy for Ginny and Ron. They may have only been pretending to save their father, but he was treating it as if a very real rescue had occurred. Arthur circled back to Harry and pulled him to his feet, wrapping his arms around Harry as he would any of his children. Harry felt a tear in his eye, but it didn't bother him at all right now.
*
Enjoy your victory for now, blood traitors. Pansy Parkinson was watching the cringe inducing display by the Weasleys and Harry Potter, and she felt a flash of anger surge through her. The temptation to lash out was getting very hard to ignore.
She drew deep breaths as she tried to calm herself, silently cursing the Aurors who she was sure had let Potter and his cronies win the test today. She had watched from the stands eagerly today, hoping to see Potter fail miserably. That he had gone on to win in such a spectacular fashion had been a galling moment for her.
Now she sat in the Great Hall, seething as Potter and his friends displayed an astonishing level of arrogance, disregarding the House structure and sitting where they pleased. She thought she may have actually tried to kill Harry if they had sat at the Slytherin table.
Pansy looked around the hall, spotting the house-elf as it peered around the corner of a table at her. Pansy glared at it before she stood and stalked out of the hall, the house-elf trailing in her wake. That was a little pest she would have to deal with soon.
*
Harry sat on the desk in front of his class. He grinned and waved the envelope he was holding. The envelope had been given to him by Arthur after the mock battle the previous evening. Half of its contents had been left in Harry and Ginny's room, while Harry had brought the rest of the items to give to his class. Harry opened the envelope and handed out one item to each student.
"Wow, thanks Harry," said Jack, as he looked at the photograph that had been taken of this class and its teachers at the Halloween Ball.
Harry smiled as his students started comparing their photos with each other. While the original image was identical, these kids were not used to the people in photographs moving yet, and it was still a source of fascination for them. They pointed and laughed as the people in the photo started pulling faces, or walking off, only to reappear briefly as they ran through the photograph.
As the same sense of wonder filled him as had filled the children, Harry laughed with them. He was so glad that magic could still amaze him with its beauty and fun, and not just its power.
"Okay, kids," said Harry, trying to settle his class back down. "The Christmas holidays are only two weeks away," Harry saw the children grin at each other, "which means your midyear exams are only one week away." Harry saw the little faces fall.
"Now, because you are all so brilliant and talented," said Harry encouragingly, "you will be sitting a different set of exams from the other students."
Vicky looked at him curiously. "What sort of exams?"
Harry hesitated for a moment, not wanting to frighten his class, but also not wanting them to get caught out next week because they hadn't known what was coming.
"Your First Year exams," said Harry, smiling as he did so.
He saw his class all exchange looks with each other again. A couple were biting their bottom lips, while others seemed incapable of movement.
"I don't want you to worry, kids. You know everything you need to know in order to pass these exams. Remember, we're already studying the second year text books."
A couple of faces lifted at that.
"Do you really think we can pass?" asked Alex.
Harry stood and looked at his students.
"I know you will pass. Just think of the tests like a really quiet lesson. Remembering your wand work and the spells will be easy, so when you have to answer the theory questions, just ask yourself why you were casting certain spells. That always helped me get through exams," Harry paused for a second. "You will all pass these exams. I believe it, now you have to as well."
They looked up at Harry now, their eyes wide as they saw his eyes start to glow. Harry received little nods from his student.
"Excellent, now it just so happens I have sat the exams before, so let's see if I can remember some of the questions for you."
*
Ginny glanced at Neville as they sat in the greenhouse that afternoon. She batted away a green tentacle that was trying to eat her watch, while she considered what she should say.
"Neville," she started, "maybe we should tell Harry what we're doing with all this stuff?" said Ginny, motioning to the books spread out on the table before them.
Neville drew in a sharp breath. His head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes as he regarded Ginny.
"Have you told him anything?"
"No, and he hasn't asked about it either," answered Ginny, concerned by Neville's sudden change in demeanour.
Neville held Ginny's gaze for a long moment. "Harry is not exactly an expert at Herbology, Ginny. I don't know that he could help anyway."
Ginny thought quickly. "He's very powerful, Neville. I mean very, very, powerful. And he's gotten really good at potions too. Maybe he can help make it stronger, if we taught him the spells."
Neville considered this for a moment. "What if he thinks I'm just being stupid?"
Ginny was shocked. "Is that what's been bothering you?" she asked incredulously.
Neville suddenly felt very embarrassed, but he nodded anyway. After their last school year together, they had no secrets from each other.
"Harry already knows about your parents, Neville. I think he would be honoured to try and help us create a remedy for them," said Ginny softly, making sure nobody else could overhear them.
Neville hung his head, and Ginny was worried he was getting upset.
"Just think about it, okay?"
Neville raised his head and looked at Ginny. "I will."
*
Draco Malfoy was straining to hear any of the conversation his father was having with the mysterious stranger at the door. He could make out the name 'Weasley' every so often, but he could hear nothing more.
Finally the stranger had departed and Lucius shut the door behind him. Lucius walked back across the warehouse floor and sat down next to his son, a malicious little smile playing on his lips as he stared into the fire that was burning in the middle of the warehouse floor, his followers seated around it in a circle as they tried to stay warm.
Draco had noticed a marked improvement in his father's mood since he had started meeting with this stranger shortly after his mother's trial. Whenever Draco enquired about the stranger, Lucius had simply waved the question away and said "When the time is right."
As Draco watched his father closely, he guessed it wasn't the right time yet, as Lucius gave no indication of wanting to discuss what had put the smile on his face. Draco looked up through the flames at Crabbe and Goyle. They had taken to showing open hostility towards Lucius now, demanding that they strike back against the Ministry and Harry Potter. Their impatience worried Draco, but his father seemed oblivious to the issue as he bided his time.
*
The week passed slowly as everyone started counting down to the Christmas break. Finally Saturday arrived, leaving just one more week of school to go, and Harry and Ginny found themselves at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, enjoying a quiet drink with Ron and Hermione.
Harry felt guilty once he realised how long it had been since he had really sat down and talked to his closest friends. The past few months had been so hectic, and they were all so wrapped up in their relationships, that they had forgotten to spend some time together as a group of friends.
"What are you two going to do for the holidays?" Harry asked Hermione and Ron.
Hermione grinned at Harry. "I'm going to be spending a week with my parents, staying with them while they holiday in Spain. I'll be leaving them after we have our family Christmas lunch, so I can return to the Burrow and my 'Won-Won', for the Weasley Christmas dinner."
Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione. "If you keep calling me that 'Mione, I'm going to start calling you the same name I used to call Lavender."
Harry smirked as he saw Hermione's grin fade from her lips.
"You wouldn't dare," stammered Hermione, Ron grinning mischievously at her.
"Try me."
Hermione glared at Ron for a moment before she sat back and laughed. "Fair enough, Ron, no more 'Won-Won'."
Ron gave Hermione a smug look of triumph.
As Hermione and Ginny began talking about the upcoming Granger family trip to Spain, Harry leaned over and whispered to Ron.
"What did you used to call Lavender?"
Ron raised an eyebrow and made sure Hermione wasn't looking at him. "Lavender."
Harry snorted and laughed as he threw his head back, catching Ginny's attention.
"Something amuses you, Harry?" she asked, a twinkle of delight in her eyes at the sound of Harry's laughter.
Harry nodded. "I'll tell you later."
This earned Harry a pair of rolling eyes from Ron, but Harry pretended not to notice. He shared everything with Ginny, and Ron knew it.
"Are you all ready for your exams next week, Hermione?" asked Ginny.
Harry was again struck by a sense of guilt as he looked at Hermione. He forgot that she still had four subjects to pass this year, unlike the one or two subjects that he, Ron, and Ginny had remaining.
"Oh, yes," said Hermione, "I'm actually slightly ahead on my revision timetable, which means I can spend an extra hour in Hogsmeade today."
Harry grinned as he saw the happy expression on Hermione's face. She was normally so tense around exam time, but this year appeared to be different. She was taking four subjects, which was the lowest number she had ever taken, and her earlier success at the N.E.W.T. exams had given her much greater confidence in her own abilities. Hermione would still study fanatically, but that just made her Hermione.
To Harry's surprise, Ron was also looking forward to his exam in Transfiguration. Harry had expected Ron to struggle with the subject after he, Hermione, and Ginny had passed the exam earlier in the year.
"How's Transfiguration going?" asked Harry.
"Great," said Ron. "After you lot cleared out, I actually had to read the text book. It made so much more sense after I did that, plus Gawain and Alicia have been giving me a hand when I need it."
Hermione beamed at Ron as he talked about reading text books and enjoying lessons. Harry was glad for Ron. If anything was going to keep Ron out of the Auror program, it was going to be Transfiguration, and now that concern had been removed.
"What about you, Harry?" asked Ron. "Where are you going for the holidays?"
Harry looked at Ginny and smiled. "Ginny and I will be hanging around the Burrow actually. We've got a little project we need to get started," he said, giving Ginny a wink.
Ginny grinned and blew Harry a kiss across the table.
"What project?" asked a clearly confused Ron, looking from Harry to Ginny.
"Never you mind, big brother," replied Ginny. "You'll find out when it's done."
Ron looked at Harry, the question still in his eyes.
"Sorry, Ron, you and Hermione didn't tell us about the Head Boy and Girl thing, so it's only fair that we have our secrets too," said Harry, starting to laugh.
Ron looked at little disappointed by that, but he shrugged as he lifted his Butterbeer to his lips and took a mouthful.
A thought suddenly occurred to Harry. "Ron, where are you going to be while Hermione is in Spain?"
"At the Burrow probably. I also told George I would help out Percy at the Diagon Alley shop during the Christmas rush."
"Sounds like fun," said Harry sarcastically.
Harry looked around and noticed the tavern was starting to get very crowded. The crowds made him nervous, his paranoia kicking in as he imagined Pansy Parkinson watching him from a dark corner, just waiting to strike.
"Should we go?" he asked quickly, already getting up from the table.
Ginny nodded as she also rose from her seat, having seen the flash of panic in Harry's eyes. She knew he was nervous, and now she could feel the same worry creeping into her mind.
Ron and Hermione shared a look, knowing what was suddenly bothering their friends, but not wanting to say anything.
"You two go ahead, Harry," said Hermione with a smile. "Ron and I still have to visit George and Verity."
"Right. We'll see you for dinner tonight then," said Harry, as he took Ginny's hand and they headed out the door, grabbing their cloaks as they passed the coat rack on the way out.
Once outside, Harry immediately felt his tension ease. He took a deep breath as he started to make his way back towards Hogwarts with Ginny.
"Are you okay?" asked Ginny.
Harry stopped walking and turned to her, nodding. "Yeah, Gin. I'm just starting to get this feeling that something's not quite right." Harry shook his head in frustration. "I don't know what it is, it's just a weird sensation that I can't put my finger on."
Ginny wrapped herself tightly around Harry. "Everything will be okay, Harry. As soon as they catch Pansy doing something stupid, she'll be gone and we'll be safe."
Harry held Ginny for a few moments, wishing he had her strength right now.
"Come on, my sweet Harry," whispered Ginny. "Let's go home."
YOU ARE READING
Harry Potter and the Wrath of the Fallen
FanfictionThis story belongs to sjg74, not me. I give all credit to him, I just wanted to read his story through Wattpad. Harry Potter and the Wrath of the Fallen A Novel by J. G. Simon Word Count: 274,045 Rating: Mature Warnings: Mild Language, Strong Violen...
