The Potter Conspiracy

A/N: I’m back!  Sorry about the brief hiatus.  If I had expected it, I would have warned you.  Real life got busy there for awhile, and I needed to take a breather from the story and finalize my plans for the remaining chapters.

Everything has been outlined, and I’m estimating that there will be another 12 chapters after this one.  Things will really be heating up soon, so hopefully you’ll find it exciting.

Disclaimer: None of it belongs to me.

Chapter Twenty-Four – War Wounds

October 25, 1995 – Bones Manor, Harry’s Bedroom

Hedwig leaned her head into Harry’s hand as he gently stroked her feathers.  She always seemed to know when her human needed her, and it was clear to her that she was needed badly at the moment.

Harry clenched and unclenched his jaw as he petted Hedwig, trying to wrap his mind around the events of last night’s raid.  His throat was thick with emotion, and he had a difficult time swallowing.  Benny Blankenship was dead, and he was alive.  For Harry, the math was as simple as that.  The man had sacrificed himself, fully knowing that he was about to die.

On one level Harry was profoundly grateful for Blankenship’s sacrifice.  On another he was profoundly ashamed.  Why was his life more valuable than everyone else’s?  Prophecy had set before him an arduous task, it was true, but didn’t that mean he couldn’t be killed before he faced Voldemort?  Neither Croaker nor Bones knew for certain, but there was no mistaking the shame that was eating him alive.

Madam Bones, and then Tonks, once she heard the details, had assured him that he had done nothing wrong, but their consolations had fallen on deaf ears.

The only emotion that battled with his shame was his rage at Bellatrix Lestrange.  He replayed his fight with her over and over in his mind, each time wishing his spells had been just slightly more accurate.  Her baby talk infuriated him beyond measure, and his conflict with her had just become very personal.  If he had the opportunity, Harry didn’t think he would be able to resist flaying the awful woman alive.

He had a powerful urge to visit the dungeons and take out his frustrations on Pettigrew, but Croaker had warded the entire level against him to prevent exactly that.

He closed his eyes in aggravation as he heard someone knock on the bedroom door.

“What?” he barked at the door.

A second later Hermione entered the room hesitantly.

“Professor Dumbledore released me from my oaths,” she began nervously.  “I just wanted to say that—.”

“Get out.”

“I’m sorry, Harry.  I suppose it’s a bad time.  I just thought I could explain better now why…”

“Get the fuck out of my room, Hermione!” he shouted angrily, leaping to his feet and drawing his wand.

Hermione’s eyes widened as she took in the expression on his face, and backed hurriedly out of the room, slamming the door as she left.

Harry barely resisted the urge to blast the door to smithereens.  His own guilt was consuming him, and he had no patience left over to deal with someone who needed to assuage theirs.

He returned to Hedwig, petting her gently to calm his racing heart.

Twenty minutes later found him in the same position, when there was another knock at the door.

Harry closed his eyes and hissed loudly.  “Go the fuck away, whoever you are.”

He heard the door open, followed by Parvati’s uncertain voice.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Go away.  I just want to be alone.”

When he heard no movement, Harry turned and looked at her.  She was leaning against the open doorway, eyeing him with concern.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, you know,” she said softly.  “No one is blaming you for…for that man’s death.”

Harry’s face flushed at her words.  “Parvati, I told you I wanted to be alone, and I don’t care what everyone else is saying.  Now get out.”

A flash of hurt crossed her face, then her eyes narrowed.  “Fine.  I’ll leave you to sulk in peace.  Here’s a bloody letter for you,” she said tersely, throwing an envelope to the floor before she stomped out of the room and slammed the door.

Harry winced as the slam echoed through the house.  He eyed the letter for a few moments before finally picking it up off the floor.

Opening it carefully, he saw that it had been signed by the Weasley twins.

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Malfoy Manor, The Dungeons

“It appears as though Azkaban took a heavy toll on your skills, my dear sister-in-law, or perhaps you’re simply not powerful enough to kill a teenager,” Lucius Malfoy said silkily.

Bellatrix glared fiercely at Malfoy, but did not move a muscle.  She was lying in a bed in their makeshift infirmary, unable to move because of the painful wound that Harry Potter had inflicted on her abdomen.  If it had been two millimeters deeper, it would have disemboweled her.

“When I get up from here, I will happily demonstrate my skills to you, you pretentious prick.”

“Hmph,” Malfoy smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Should I be worried?  Draco has always told me that Potter is little better than average.  And if he can nearly kill you, I can only conclude that your skills are lacking.”

“That little bastard is fast and powerful, Lucius,” Bellatrix hissed.  “Draco is badly mistaken.  But he still got lucky.  If Dumbledore hadn’t shown up when he did, I would have turned him into a corpse.”

“Aye, and then all ten of you would have been killed, instead of…what was it again, four dead and three badly wounded?  I suppose we should be grateful that the old man showed up.”

Malfoy knew that it was unwise to provoke Bellatrix, but he was infuriated with the setbacks of the past few days and wanted someone to blame.  Her fast-response team had enjoyed the element of surprise, and should have been able to overwhelm the group that had invaded the wireless.  Now both the Death Eaters and his new Aurors had taken costly losses, and there were so few of them that his future plans were placed in jeopardy.  It was not a problem he could solve easily.

“Keep talking, Lucius,” Bellatrix growled, then winced when she tried to sit up.  “I know a spell for gelding hippogriffs that I wouldn’t mind practicing.”

Malfoy snorted at her and turned to leave.  “You would do better to practice your dueling skills against the dummies.  Just remember to place them on their easiest settings.”

He slammed the door behind him as he left, cutting off Bellatrix’ retort.

Alone in the cramped hallway, he took a deep breath and then exhaled in exasperation.  There was little point in badgering Bellatrix further, as the Dark Lord had already expressed his displeasure with her.  But he felt the need to relieve some stress before he reported to his Master.  He was certain that he would be blamed for this failure, even if he had not been part of it.

The raids on Gringotts, St. Mungo’s, and the wizarding wireless had not crippled the Death Eaters or his new Aurors, but they had sustained unacceptable losses in each of the encounters.  It stunned and worried him that so many had fallen so fast, and he was uncertain how many casualties had been inflicted on their enemies.

On the surface, of course, everything was going swimmingly.  They had seized control of the Ministry, the Wizengamot was neutralized and would soon cease to exist, and their enemies were on the run.  But with Bones making her announcement over the wireless, Malfoy knew that things were about to turn ugly.  It was now imperative that they neutralize the potential opposition as soon as possible.  If they were unable to secure oaths of allegiance from the populace soon enough…well, he didn’t want to dwell on that thought.

He walked slowly in the direction of his Master’s throne room, dreading the encounter that would soon take place.  He had been summoned to discuss upcoming plans, and he knew the Dark Lord would not like what he had to say.

The Dark Lord wanted to seize control of Britain and crush his opposition immediately, and Malfoy desperately hoped he would be able to talk him out of it.  He simply needed more time and manpower.  They had never planned for the ruse of Ministry control to last forever, but they needed to make more progress in subduing potential threats before they could take Hogsmeade and isolate Hogwarts.  An assault on Hogsmeade, with the intent of holding it, would likely be devastating for both sides.

Malfoy stood outside the throne room and hesitantly knocked on it.  The door cracked open of its own accord, and he took a deep breath before placing his hand on the door.

He pushed open the door gently, and flinched just a little as the screams of a muggleborn witch fled through the door and down the hallway.  His Master was slowly torturing her to death, experimenting with a variety of curses.  This was his only form of amusement since the disappearance of Pettigrew.

“My Lord,” Malfoy spoke lowly, hoping he would not be cursed for this interruption.  “You wished to see me.”

Voldemort ceased a skin-flaying curse that he had been employing on the bleeding and agonized girl, and abruptly stunned her to stop her screams.

“Lucius,” he hissed.  “You know why you are here.  Tell me how our plans proceed.”

“My Lord,” he began, “we are consolidating our control of the Ministry and its departments, and our search for the potential threats on the list is proceeding apace.  However…”

“Yes?”

“With that bitch Bones’ announcement on the wireless, my Lord, it is imperative that we neutralize the populace before they can become a true threat…Bellatrix’ failure comes at a terrible time.”

Voldemort eyed him balefully for almost half a minute, and Lucius felt beads of sweat drip down his sides.  “Do not speak to me of Bellatrix.  The full moon is in three days, and that mongrel’s wolves are ready to serve me.  I will use them to help destroy our opposition in Hogsmeade.  We must control it before we can isolate Hogwarts.”

“My Lord,” Malfoy spoke hesitantly, “I humbly submit that we need more time.  The new Aurors have taken hard hits at Gringotts, St. Mungo’s, and the wireless, and we have lost Snape, Pettigrew, Jugson, and Rabastan.  Another loss could prove disastrous.”

Another uncomfortable silence followed his words, and Voldemort finally waved Malfoy’s concerns away.

“I shall participate personally, and leave devastation in my wake.”

“My Lord…” Malfoy began, but could not find the right words.  His hesitation was quickly rewarded.

“Crucio!”

Malfoy fell to the floor and twitched uncontrollably as his Master’s cruciatus curse tore through him.  It continued for almost twenty seconds, and the pureblood aristocrat had nearly soiled himself by the time the curse was lifted.

“Do you doubt my power, Lucius?” Voldemort hissed menacingly.

“N-no, my Lord,” he stuttered quickly, desperate to avoid another round of torture.  “Only th-the skills of our newest recruits.  They had p-poor training at Hogwarts, and are not skilled yet in fighting.”

Voldemort eyed the downed man suspiciously as he contemplated his words.  “And what do you suggest we do about that problem?  They have already received training.”

“I…I’m afraid we must pay for more mercenaries from Europe, my Lord.  But it will take some time to build up our forces.”

Malfoy held his breath as the Dark Lord turned this information over in his mind.  It was true that their newest Death Eater recruits, drawn mostly from thugs and pureblood bigots related to current members, left much to be desired.

“Avada Kedavra!” Voldemort hissed angrily, and Malfoy flinched as the curse sailed over him to strike the unconscious muggleborn witch.  She twitched once, then stilled.

“You have failed me, Lucius.  If we do not attack Hogsmeade on the full moon, we cannot use the werewolves.  We need the animals to wreak havoc while we secure the village.”

“If…if I may, my Lord, we shall be ready to take Hogsmeade in time for the next full moon.  In the meantime, we can focus on subduing Bones and Dumbledore and acquiring oaths of allegiance from the people.  The mudblood problem will be all but eliminated by then.”

Another tense silence followed, and Malfoy could not help but wonder what the Dark Lord was thinking, if his thought processes were even human anymore.

“You have one month to have my forces ready, Lucius,” Voldemort said slowly.  “If they are not, your life is forfeit, and I will toss your wife and son to the werewolves.  Do you understand me?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Malfoy spoke quickly from the ground, his head bowed.  “I live only to serve.”

“Get out of my sight, and take this muggle filth with you.”

Malfoy hastened to obey, bowing his way out of the room as he levitated the dead witch before him.

When he finally exited the room, he quickly dropped the witch and collapsed into a heap on the hallway floor.  Despite the relief that he had escaped further torture, his mind was now racing in panic at the tasks before him.  

A glimmer of an idea presented itself to him, but he shouted it down ruthlessly.  There was no choice but to move forward, despite the lack of able wizards on their side.

He needed to see Travers right away.  With Bones’ announcement on the wireless, it was imperative that they crush potential opposition as soon as possible.  He was going to have start dragging people off the streets and forcing them to take oaths of loyalty.  If they didn’t comply, they would be subject to arrest.

Their recruitment in Britain would have to step up, and there was now no choice but to send Dolohov to Eastern Europe to gather more mercenaries there.  The brutal man led one of the search teams for ‘undesirables,’ and truly could not be spared, but there was no help for it.

The Daily Prophet would have to become an even more effective mouthpiece for them, as the wireless was no longer functioning.  He might even have to consider using the students in Hogwarts somehow when the time was right.

Feeling pulled in ten different directions, Malfoy picked himself off the floor and tried to think through the problems of the day.  With a sense of impending doom growing in his chest, he levitated the dead witch before him and set off toward the upper floors of his home.

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Outside Bones Manor; Temporary Barracks

Harry knocked hesitantly, then entered the temporary Auror barracks that had been erected on the lawn of Bones Manor.  The barracks was actually quite spacious and comfortable on the inside, and usually housed more than a dozen people.  At the moment he was looking for Tonks or Proudfoot.  It was time for his afternoon training, and he was eager to let loose with his anger.

He found both of them talking quietly at the other end of the barracks.  They were within feet of Blankenship’s bunk, and Harry could see a box of the man’s personal effects lying on his bed.

A picture of a smiling woman and a little girl peeked out at him, and he swallowed heavily.

“Er, Tonks,” he began as he approached them, “it’s time for my training.”

Tonks and Proudfoot turned to look at him appraisingly, then she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Not today, Harry.  I’m still recovering from St. Mungo’s, and you need a day off after yesterday’s fight.  You’d be better served to find your girlfriend and apologize for being an arsehole.”

Harry bristled at her tone.  “How am I supposed to get stronger if I don’t train?  Don’t you people expect me to kill Voldemort?”

Proudfoot snorted and looked at Tonks.  “I think I’ll leave this one to you, Tonks.  You need to get a grip, Potter,” he said, then stalked away.

“Get a grip, huh?” Harry growled at Tonks, and pointed to Blankenship’s bunk.  “That man is dead because I wasn’t ready.  Maybe it’ll be you tomorrow, Nymphadora.  Do you want that?”

Tonks’ hair turned a furious red and she glared at Harry.  “Say my name in that tone again, Harry, and I’ll shove your broomstick up your arse and break it off.  Sit the fuck down, and let me explain something to you.”

When Harry refused to budge, she walked up to him and shoved him with all her might.  Surprised at her audacity, he fell awkwardly to the floor and stared up at her incredulously.

“Now that you’re more comfortable,” she said, crossing her arms, “I’ll continue.  You’re not training today because you’re so fucked up in the head right now that you’d likely kill someone.”

Harry returned her glare and resisted the urge to draw his wand on her.

“Fucked up in the head, huh?  Why am I the only one who seems to care that someone is dead?”

Tonks sighed in exasperation.  “Harry, Benny was my friend.  He was a great guy, and everyone is sorry that he’s dead.  But there isn’t time to cry.  He was an Auror, and he died doing what he was supposed to be doing.  He didn’t die because you weren’t ready.  It was a fight, and sometimes people die in fights.”

Harry flushed at her condescending tone, and his voice was thick with emotion when he spoke.  “He bloody well didn’t do what he was supposed to do!  He wasn’t supposed to die for me!”

Tonks looked at him silently for a few seconds, her anger slowly replaced with pity.  “Harry, he did do what he was supposed to do.  He saved your life, because he knew you were more important than he was.  That may not be fair, but it’s the truth.  I would have done the same thing he did.”

Harry stared at her, his jaw clenching with frustration, then tears started to well in his eyes.  He looked down to conceal them from her.  “I can’t do this,” he whispered softly.  “I can’t do this anymore.”

Tonks bent down and ran her hand affectionately through his hair.  “You can, Harry,” she said gently, “you just need some time.  If Benny were here, he’d shrug and tell you to get off your arse and make sure he didn’t die in vain.  You didn’t do anything wrong, and even if you did, everyone’s going to cock it up sometime or other…it’s okay that it hurts; it means that you’re one of the good guys.”

He continued to sniffle lightly at her feet, pondering her words.  “He had a family, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” she answered, after a pause.  “A wife and a daughter.”

“Can I do something to help them?”

Tonks shrugged.  “I don’t know; Director Bones might be able to tell you something…it’s going to be alright, Harry.”

Harry nodded and wiped his eyes, rising awkwardly from the floor.  “Do you know if she still has my mirror?  I need to contact someone at Hogwarts.”

“Probably.  Just tell her what you need it for.”

Harry sighed and turned to go, then looked back at Tonks over his shoulder.  “Sorry I called you ‘Nymphadora’ earlier,” he smiled weakly.

“Hmph.  You just did it again, you little prick,” she smiled.  “Now go find your girlfriend, apologize, and think about something else besides the war for a little while.”

Harry snorted softly and shook his head.  “Do you really think she’s my girlfriend, or are you just teasing me?”

Tonks rolled her eyes and shooed him away.  “You’re hopeless, Harry-kins; now get out of here.”

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Hogwarts, Gryffindor Boys’ Dorm

“Hello, Harry,” said one red-headed twin.

“Smashing to see you again, old bean,” added the other.

“Hi Fred, George; good to see you too,” Harry smiled.

“Say hello, girls,” he heard one twin say, and the mirror moved to envelope the faces of Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood.

“Hi Harry,” Ginny whispered, blushing furiously, while Luna looked at him blankly.

“Hello, Harry Potter,” she said dreamily, as if she were speaking to a long-dead painting.

“Hi Ginny; Luna,” he grinned.  “How goes the search for the crumple-horned snorkack?”

“Oh,” Luna said disappointedly, “I haven’t been able to search with the castle in lockdown, but daddy hopes that we can search this summer after you kill Voldemort.”

Harry smiled at the loopy witch as the others on her end exclaimed loudly at her utterance of the Dark Lord’s name.

“I’ll do my best, Luna,” he said, “now do you mind if I speak to the twins?”

Harry’s smile faltered a little as Luna passed the mirror back to them and he saw their serious expressions.

“Dobby got the mirror to you, I see,” he began.

“He did,” Fred replied.  “Right helpful little chap he is.”

An awkward silence followed, and George cleared his throat and broke it.  “I take it you got our letter?”

“Yeah…I just—,” Harry began, but George cut him off.

“We really are sorry for what our mum and dear Ronald did to you.  We had no idea what was happening, and we’ll swear an oath if you want one.”

“No, that’s okay guys,” Harry reassured them.  “I’m sorry I didn’t seek your help, but I couldn’t trust anyone when I found out.”

“No hard feelings, Harry.  Rest assured that ickle Ronnie will be regretting his decision for the rest of his life.  We’ll see to it.  Now, we’ve already told Dumbledore’s Order to get stuffed; what can we do to help you?”

Harry pondered the question for a moment.  “I’m not really sure at the moment.  I don’t think Madam Bones would want to pull you out of Hogwarts to fight.  Maybe you could just keep me up to date with what’s happening at Hogwarts; maybe keep an eye on Malfoy for me.”

“We can do that, Harry.  Check this out,” said Fred, and Harry saw him raise what looked to be a small ear on a string into his view.

“Er, what’s that?”

“We call it an ‘extendable ear,’” smiled Fred.  “It slips under doors and around walls, and you can listen in on conversations from up to fifty meters away.”

“Whoa, that’s brilliant,” Harry grinned.  “That might help you keep track of Malfoy; I bet we could convince Dobby to hide some in the Slytherin dorms and listen in on what’s happening.  Have you made anything else like that?”

“It’s all just prank stuff at the moment,” George shrugged, “but we’ll try to think of ways to make something useful.  Just let us know if you have a request.”

“I’ll do that,” Harry replied.  “I’ll talk to Dobby and make sure he can find places to hide those ears around Malfoy.  Maybe we could disillusion them first or something.”

“That would be brilliant,” George mused.  “That little guy is dead useful.  You know, Fred, maybe we should head to the kitchens and try to convince some of the elves here to spy all over the castle.  They would be perfect for it.”

“An excellent idea, George,” Fred agreed.

“Yeah, that…that’s a great idea,” Harry echoed, then paused in thought.

“What is it?” the twins asked in unison, looking at him curiously.

“Oh…nothing.  I just had an idea.  I need to think about it some more though.  What else is happening at Hogwarts?”

“Not much.  Just everybody acting bloody tense,” Fred responded.  “Everyone heard Director Bones on the wireless last night, and this morning people started to trickle in.  I think they’ll be coming in droves soon.”

“Tell him about Neville,” Harry heard Ginny whisper over Fred’s shoulder.

“Oh, right.  Well, Neville was pretty depressed when he got back from his grandmother’s funeral, but he seems much better now that his parents are here in the hospital wing.  We heard his dad was injured, but I don’t think it was all that serious.”

“Good,” Harry nodded.  “Tell him I said ‘hello,’ and that I’m sorry about his grandmother…oh, and that he has my eternal thanks for beating the shit out of Malfoy.”

“Ha!” George interjected, pulling the mirror out of Fred’s grasp.  “He’ll be chuffed to hear you say that.  The ferret has been lying really low since that day.”

“Just tell him to be careful,” Harry warned.  “Malfoy will want revenge at some point, and who knows what he and his goons will do if there’s an attack on Hogwarts.  I can’t think of any other reason for them to be there.”

“Will do,” the twins nodded.

“Alright, guys, I need to take off.  I’m…I’m really glad we could clear the air.  Thank you for helping me; really.”

“We wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise, Harry, my boy,” Fred smiled.  “Don’t worry; we’ll be your trusted spies in Hogwarts.  Just send the little green man when you want to give us a message.”

“Alright,” Harry laughed.  “Bye everybody.”

“Bye, Harry,” they chorused, and Harry turned off the mirror and sighed.  Now it was time for a conversation he had been dreading since this morning.

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Bones Manor, Parvati’s Bedroom

Harry took a deep breath as he stood before the closed door of Parvati’s bedroom.  It was time to apologize for his rude dismissal of her earlier that morning, and he wasn’t relishing the coming conversation.

He finally girded himself and knocked on the door.

At the sound of a soft voice from within, he gingerly opened the door and looked in.  It was a large bedroom that obviously belonged to Susan, but now it had three small beds and quite a lot of clutter.  Susan was sharing her room with Parvati and Hermione, as they wanted to preserve as much space in the house as possible.  Parvati was sitting on her bed and reading what looked to be a magazine.

“Er, can I come in?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“Depends,” Parvati answered without looking up.  “Do you plan to yell at me some more?”

Harry grimaced at the coldness of her tone, but entered the room and closed the door behind him.

“No.  I came to apologize.  I know I was an arse this morning, and I’m sorry.  I was just…I took out my anger on you, and I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.

Parvati observed him over her magazine for a few seconds, then tossed it to the floor.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she smiled.  “Apology accepted.  Are you feeling better now?”

Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair.  “I don’t know.  I guess.  I just feel like destroying something.  Preferably Bellatrix Lestrange,” he murmured.

Parvati looked at him in concern and scooted over on her bed.  She patted the space next to her.  Harry obliged her and sat down next to her, both of them leaning against the headboard.

“I’m sorry that man died,” she began softly, “but I’m glad you’re still here.  From what I heard, you didn’t do anything wrong.  He died a hero and you guys really tore the Death Eaters apart.”

Harry swallowed thickly at her words, but nodded.  “We beat them, but…it all just happened so fast…there’s so much chance involved.  I don’t know if I can stand it if everyone keeps dying.”

Parvati leaned into him and ran her hand through his unruly hair.  He closed his eyes at the sensation.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know you’re going to win, Harry.  I can feel it.  And the stars say so too.”

She smacked him on the back of the head when he looked at her and rolled his eyes.  “I’m serious.  You just do what you have to do, and I’ll help you deal with the consequences, even if you’re an arse sometimes.  Deal?”

Harry regarded her for a second, then grinned.  “Deal.”

He leaned back against the headboard and sighed as she continued to run her hand through his hair.

“Tonks thinks you’re my girlfriend, you know,” he said hesitantly, unsure how to broach the subject.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

“And?” Parvati prompted when he didn’t elaborate.

Harry cleared his throat.  “Well…er…are you?” he asked softly.

He held his breath in the silence that followed.

“I’d like to be.”

“Erm, okay then.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Parvati snorted, and smacked him on the arm playfully.

“Sorry; I’m not good at this.  I would, er, like that too.”

Parvati grinned at him and rested her head on his shoulder, chuckling softly.  “Oh, Harry; what are we going to do with you?”

Harry rested his cheek on her head and shrugged.  “I don’t know; hopefully not give me up as a hopeless case.”

Parvati shook her head and turned to gaze into his eyes.  Their noses were only inches apart, and Harry was fascinated by the darkness of her eyes.

“Now would be a good time to kiss me, you idiot,” she whispered.  “For real this time.”

Harry grinned weakly and tilted his head.  Parvati did likewise, and their lips met softly.  She leaned into him, seeking entrance to his mouth, and soon their tongues were gently wrestling together.

Harry’s heart raced at the softness of the sensation, and he hesitantly deepened the kiss, delighted at the intimacy that he was experiencing for the first time.

Growing bolder, he ran his hand through Parvati’s hair, which was down rather than in its usual plait, and she sighed into his mouth as he did so.

When he finally needed to breathe, Harry broke the kiss and leaned back to smile at her.

She had a goofy grin on her face that matched his.

“That was much better,” she sighed.

“Uh huh,” Harry replied dumbly, and Parvati giggled and nestled herself into his arms.

Neither spoke for awhile, and Harry simply enjoyed the feeling of her weight resting against him.

“Why did he do it?” he asked eventually, as if wondering aloud.

Despite the non-sequitur, Parvati knew exactly what he meant.  She chose her words carefully.

“I think…that he was doing what he thought he had to.  Just like you are.”

Harry closed his eyes and contemplated her words.  “I know I should feel relieved that I’m not hurt, and that Dumbledore is finally off my back for a little while.  But I can’t help seeing his face every time I close my eyes…he died right on top of me,” he whispered.

“It’ll be okay, Harry; you’ll see,” Parvati whispered in reply, not knowing what else to say.  She nestled herself more firmly into his embrace, and he held her tightly.

“Did you talk to Hermione yet?” she asked hesitantly.  “She was pretty broken up this morning.”

“Yeah,” Harry sighed.  “I apologized already, and she apologized for not giving me space.  She should have known better than to badger me when I was in such a state.  I just want her to leave me alone for a while.”

“I think she gets it now.  She wants so badly to be forgiven that she’s not thinking clearly.  I’ll try to run interference for you when you need it.”

“Mmmhmm,” Harry murmured, growing more relaxed as he held her.  “Thank you.”

He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes.  The smell of her shampoo seemed to be hypnotizing him, draining away the tensions that had been building in him all day.

The pair continued to hold each other silently, each becoming comfortable in the other’s arms.  There were no declarations of eternal love or devotion, but it was a moment of tenderness that Harry dearly needed.

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Bones Manor, The Library

Later that night, Harry knocked politely on the door to the Bones Library, behind which an informal meeting of the resistance to Voldemort was taking place.  Tonks opened the door a moment later, and smirked when she took in his appearance.

“I see you took my advice.”

“What?”

Tonks reached up and wiped something off the edge of Harry’s lips, then showed him a smear of red on her finger.

“She left you a little souvenir, lover boy.  You might want to ask her to change to a less obvious color of lipstick.”

“Oh,” Harry replied, trying to resist the urge to blush.  “Right.  I’ll, er, let her know.”

Tonks snickered and shook her head.  “Did you need something?”

“Yeah.  I just wanted to say I’m sorry about earlier, and I wanted to talk to Madam Bones for a minute.”

Tonks shrugged.  “No worries, Harry.  We’re good.  Everybody needs to let off some steam every once in a while, and everybody needs to get knocked on their arse sometimes too.”

Harry grinned mischievously at her.  “Well, you can be certain I’ll return the favor sometime.  Can I come in?”

Tonks stood aside and Harry entered the library.  Gathered around a small table were Bones, Croaker, Mockridge, Proudfoot, Savage, and Bungard, Croaker’s assistant.

Bones looked over when she saw him enter.  “Come in, Mr. Potter.  We’re just finishing up.”

“Is something big happening?” he asked curiously.

“No, lad,” Croaker answered.  “We’re just trying to figure out what’s likely to happen next.  Difficult to put yourself inside the mind of a madman.  We’re afraid there may be carnage during the full moon in a few days.”

“Right,” Harry replied, mentally wincing at the thought of werewolves on the rampage.  “I just wanted to return the mirror to Madam Bones and apologize for being an arse to everyone this morning.”

Bones accepted the mirror from him and looked at him appraisingly through her monocle.  “That’s quite alright, Mr. Potter,” she said softly.  “It’s hard to deal with losing someone in battle, particularly when they did what Auror Blankenship did.  You’re handling it quite well, all things considered.”

Harry nodded, but did not meet the eyes of those in the room.  “Can I, er, do something for his family?  I know it won’t mean much, but I’ve got loads of galleons lying around if they need some help now.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Harry,” Bones replied.  “Give me some time to think about it.  I’m not entirely sure what their situation is like.”

Harry looked up, and noticed that Croaker was eyeing him intently.  “You never really tried anything in the occlumency book I gave you, did you Mr. Potter?”

Harry winced at the accusation.  “I tried some of the exercises, sir; I really did.  But I just couldn’t get the hang of them.”

Croaker nodded.  “Well, I’m less worried about you protecting your mind than about controlling your emotions.  If you lose control easily, that makes you a tempting target.  We’ll need to do something about that, lad.  Give the book a closer look, and we’ll talk about it soon.”

Harry nodded and sighed.  “I’ll do that…before I go, I wanted to mention something that occurred to me today.  Can’t we use the Hogwarts house elves to do reconnaissance and monitoring all over Britain?  That way we would know instantly when an attack takes place and could respond right away.”

Mockridge’s brow furrowed at the suggestion, and he looked at Croaker questioningly.  “Will that work?”

Croaker rubbed his goatee and looked at Harry thoughtfully.  “Hmmm.  It’s definitely worth looking into.  To my knowledge house elves have never been used for such a thing.  The Hogwarts elves are bonded to the castle, and they don’t traditionally serve beyond its walls.  But Dumbledore is their nominal master, and they may be obligated to obey him outside the castle too.  Let me think on it, Mr. Potter, and don’t hesitate to bring up anything else that occurs to you.”

“I will.  Thanks for hearing me out,” Harry replied, and turned to go.

“One last thing, Mr. Potter,” added Bones.  “We have no major operations planned for the near future—at least none that will involve you—so use this time to recuperate and train.  If you want to get stronger, now is the time to do so.”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied respectfully, then made eye contact with Tonks and Proudfoot.  Both nodded at him, and Harry left feeling better about himself than he had when he entered.

On the way back to his room, his mind unconsciously replayed the battle with Bellatrix over and over, as if he knew he were missing something important.

Despite her years in Azkaban, she was a much more experienced fighter, but Harry’s spell-chaining had very nearly killed her.  If only the technique did not leave him open to other attacks, he felt he could take all-comers.

A moment during his battle with Snape surfaced, and finally it clicked.  He came to a dead stop and stared into space for nearly a full minute, thinking furiously.

If he was right, this was something that could help him greatly in a fight.  But first he needed to explore just how much wandless magic he was capable of.

Newly motivated to win, Harry hurried to his room to begin experimenting.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!  Next chapter, Harry explores his new idea, he and Parvati grow closer, and the stakes of the war become clear to all of wizarding Britain as both sides prepare for massive conflict.

Special thanks to BennyS, Vikingfn0926, Voice of the Nephilim, Heather Sinclair, scaryisntit, and Nukular Winter for their valuable feedback on the chapter outline.