DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.

A/N: Well, not much else to say here...

CHAPTER 18: THE ORDER OF THE STAG

Spem metus expulerat. Fear had driven out hope. –Ovid, Fasti (6.245)

About half an hour before the sun came up, Harry and Lupin crept back into their office to transform back and retrieve the cloak. As the sun crept over the horizon, it was safe for wolf and lion to transform back into professor and student respectively. "Nice night," Harry said shakily (his voice still hurt after being a lion for several hours).

"Indeed. Well, you might want to get some rest, Harry, because I know I'm tired," Lupin responded. With that, Harry bade Lupin good-bye, donned his cloak, and snuck back up to the tower. After tossing his cloak on the side, he sank right into bed with his glasses still on.

A few hours later, Ron gently nudged him awake. "C'mon, Harry, breakfast is half-over already." Harry got up, previously dreaming about lions and rats.

Harry walked downstairs with towards the Great Hall when a dozen reporters came running up to him. 'Oh no,' Harry thought to himself, 'what now?'

About a dozen reporters were stampeding towards him. Harry could immediately guess why: the whole 'Assistant Professor' thing. Thankfully, Dumbledore came by at that moment and negotiated with the reporters to come back at 1:00 that afternoon, which was a much more reasonable hour than a Sunday morning. The reporters all agreed and left. After thanking Dumbledore, the two friends resumed going down to the Great Hall.

At breakfast, he saw Cho again. "Hello, Harry," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Hello, Cho," he said, very happy to see her. "So, how was your first couple of weeks?"

"Oh, fine," she said. "In general, the younger Ravenclaws are happy with your classes."

"Well, that's great to hear," Harry said.

"Anyway, Harry, I'd like to talk to you more after breakfast. I'll meet you outside the Hall, then?"

"Of course, Cho."

"Well, 'bye then," she said, giggling a little and walking back to the Ravenclaw table.

"So, Harry," Ron joked, "The Boy-Who-Lived and one of the most popular girls in the school; what a match made in heaven, huh?"

Harry turned to Ron. "She likes me for reasons other than fame, Ron, and no, we are not boyfriend and girlfriend."

Ron laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just messin' around with you, mate."

They continued talking as Hermione, Ginny, and Neville eventually joined them, discussing what plans they would have this year for their study group. After breakfast, Harry kept his word to Cho and met her outside the hall. She was looking extremely beautiful today.

"So, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked her.

"Oh, anything, really, just as long as I get to be with you," she said dreamily, holding his hand.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potty and Chang," Malfoy sneered, coming out of the hall and up to them. "You know, Chang, I really don't see why you would hang out with an insane, attention-seeking psychopath like Potter. Or are you so desperate for any boyfriend these days, now that Diggory is six feet under?"

Ten minutes later, Malfoy was still trying to breathe properly and walk straight after Cho had kicked him in the groin.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was still trying to help Cho calm down after she kicked Malfoy.

"I owed him that for trying to strangle me last summer," she muttered as they wandered down towards the lake.

"You know, I think you should at least get an Order of Merlin, Third Class, for that," Harry ventured.

She looked slightly confused. "For what?" she asked.

"For trying to prevent him from ever reproducing," he joked.

They both laughed as they settled down on the edge of the lake, talking to each other. In the distance, they could both see the Slytherin Quidditch team over the pitch, trying to practice without their Seeker and one of their Chasers.

"So, is it safe to talk here?" Harry asked.

"Yes it is, where we're sitting so no one will see or hear us at this time of day," Cho said.

Harry had the impression that there was something Cho really wanted to discuss with him. "What is it you want to talk about?"

She playfully wrapped her arms around him, leaned against him, and asked, "I was wondering about something, Harry. What is it about me that attracts you?"

Harry was caught off guard by this question. "Why do you ask such a thing?"

She sighed for effect, looked him straight in the eye, and explained, "I was only curious about what you think of me."

Harry's doubt seemed to melt as he gazed into her eyes. Something was burning inside of him. Pulling her closer to him so that their faces were less than a foot apart, he somehow found the courage to say something, which he had wanted to say for a while now. They were mainly thoughts that he had been toying with for a while now. "Cho..."

She had that smile on her face again, and he almost saw a sort of sparkle in her eyes. "Yes?"

A lump caught in his throat, yet he plunged on. In a gentle voice, Harry said, "I'm sorry, but I just really appreciate everything you've been doing for me."

Cho smiled her beautiful smile. "Anything to help out a friend," she whispered.

He laughed nervously. "Thanks again," he said, scratching his head, which only messed up his untamed hair even more. Cho had to stifle a laugh; at least once a week, she heard some girl talking about how she wanted to run her fingers through his hair.

"What's so funny?" he asked, catching onto her wry grin.

Giggling a little, Cho asked, "Do you even realize how many young ladies whose eyes you catch?"

Harry didn't like talking about that. Maybe it was because he didn't exactly consider himself handsome (according to society's standards), or maybe it was because his experiences with the Dursleys didn't give him much self-esteem, but either way, the thought of girls tripping over themselves for him (for whatever reason) unnerved him somewhat.

Cho pressed on, "Believe me, Harry, at least half the girls in this school think you're handsome, wonderful... a few even use the word sexy..."

The last one nearly made Harry jump out of his skin. Cho laughed out loud this time. "Don't worry; at least I'm not taking advantage of you because of the situation you're in."

Harry was able to laugh at this, although a little weakly. "Believe me, Cho, I am very grateful for that." (1)

~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, after lunch, Harry returned to his office to find the same reporters waiting for him. He resolved to get it over and done with. He sat down at his desk as the journalists whipped out their quills.

"I know I can't hold off the press forever, so let's get this done. Before you ask me anything, though, I want to make it clear that I'll only answer questions regarding my position, nothing regarding the past summer or Voldemort's return- oh, get a grip on yourselves," he added as they all flinched. "Okay, go on, ask."

As the cameras flashed, a young man asked him, "Did you know about the 'Assistant Professor' position prior to the beginning of the term?"

"No, I didn't, I was surprised like everyone else at the Welcoming Feast."

A balding older man then asked him, "What do you teach the students?"

"I teach them how to defend themselves against Dark creatures. I have specimens of creatures that I use for my classes for first and second years, and for the third years I teach defense against creatures that Professor Dumbledore won't allow anywhere near his students. Professor Lupin handles all the curses and Dark objects for older students like myself."

A woman asked, "Do you enjoy teaching the students?"

Harry shrugged a little. "Most of the time, yes. Occasionally, one of the students might act out of line, but that's the way it is."

The same woman then asked, "Do you have a crush on any particular girl at the moment?"

"No comment, and that's irrelevant."

"Damn."

About a dozen or so questions later, the reporters seemed satisfied, and they all got up and left. Harry leaned back in his chair and thought to himself, 'Well, that was easier than I thought.' Then, seized by a sudden suspicion, he got up and sought out Dumbledore.

He found the Headmaster a floor up and asked him, "Sir, I just thought about something. Do you think the reporters left any sort of eavesdropping devices in the office?"

Dumbledore suddenly looked very grave and headed straight for the office, with Harry trailing right behind him. When they got there, Dumbledore performed some charms that Harry had never seen before, presumably to scan the office for signs of anything left there. A few minutes later, he turned to his student and said, "No, Harry, no one left anything in the office. Excellent insight, though."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry said while turning to leave.

"Oh, and Harry," Dumbledore added, "Initial meeting for the Order of the Stag tonight at 8:00. Meet me down by the kitchens at 7:45."

"Yes, sir, of course." Harry was walking back up to Gryffindor Tower when a sudden idea struck him; then he quickened his pace.

~*~*~*~

"Dean," Harry said when he found him. "Can you do something for me?"

"Sure," the black boy responded. "What is it?"

Harry grinned. "I need you to draw up certain targets for practice. . ."

~*~*~*~

Later that night, Harry found Dumbledore waiting for him in front of the portrait leading to the kitchens. "Nice timing, Harry," his mentor said before leading Harry to another picture. It was a still life of flasks, jars and medicines. Dumbledore ran his long finger along the label of a jar from left to right as though he were reading it and the painting swung open to reveal a cavernous room able to hold several hundred people. (2)

"I figured this room out during the summer," he explained to Harry. "Given the subject matter of the painting, this place may have been intended for a shelter in times of danger, like if the castle were attacked."

"How fitting for times like these," Harry commented, venturing further. There were brilliant torches lining the stone walls, and a dais with steps off to one side. There were even entrances to lavatories in a distant corner of the room.

Five minutes later, the first people began to show up. Cho was among them, and she was about as impressed as when she first saw the Room of Requirement. "Hello, Harry!" she said brightly. "Did you find this place too?"

"No, actually, Professor Dumbledore found it over the summer," he explained, causing his mentor to blush only a little.

People continued to come into the room over the next ten minutes, and Seamus was helping Dean carry some objects covered and wrapped with a giant cloth. Dumbledore opened his mouth to ask, but Harry said, "You'll see."

By 8:00, the whole room had filled with about a hundred students. The House with the fewest participants was the Slytherin House, but they didn't seem to be too worried about this. Finally, Lupin came it, and he shut and locked the door behind him. Everyone stopped talking immediately.

"Welcome, everybody, to what Harry has wisely renamed 'Order of the Stag,'" Dumbledore announced. "This grew out of last year's D.A., which some of you may have been a part of. Over the summer, people were carefully chosen on whether or not they could be trusted. Obviously, all of you accepted the opportunity to be a part of this.

"On a final note, we purposely didn't select anyone from Umbridge's-" there was much booing and hissing at her name "-so-called 'Inquisitorial Squad.' However, and Harry understands this too, that not all Slytherins are evil by default, and there have been traitors from other Houses in the past. Even now, there are members from the other three Houses, fourth year and above, who weren't even invited to begin with. In other words, I don't want any of the House rivalry in here. When you come into this room, please leave the House rivalry outside."

Everybody nodded solemnly, and the Headmaster continued, "I'm also having Lupin instruct this, since I would feel better knowing that a teacher could supervise this club. Otherwise, Harry is still the leader of this group."

Taking out a long roll of parchment, he said, "I decided to take a leaf out of Miss Granger's book, using the enchanted parchment. However, this won't have any effects like what happened to a certain student last year who shall remain nameless. Instead, anyone who reveals any information about this club or this secret room that we're using to a non- member will have an instant Memory Charm placed on them, and since I'll be keeping this list, I'll know if and when anybody has done so. In fact, if a feel they can be trusted again, I will have the Memory Charm removed." Harry noticed that Hermione blushed as she was mentioned. "Oh, and the four Heads of Houses know about this club, too, and they can all be trusted, of course."

He unrolled the parchment, took out an Ink-Loaded Quill (with enough ink to last for a hundred feet of writing), and signed his name at the top of the list. Harry and Lupin did the same, and as the roll and quill were passed around, a thought occurred to Harry. "Professor," he asked Dumbledore quietly, "Is Lupin here to help to make sure I don't overcharge my spells and accidentally hurt someone?"

"Very perceptive, Harry. That's also why I left the Dark creatures to you," he answered. "Don't worry, I still trust you. You'll be demonstrating with Lupin, so he can resist your attacks. Also, what was it that Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnigan bought in earlier?"

Harry grinned cryptically and said, "Target practice. You'll see. I'll have them leave it in a corner of the room for the meantime."

When the roll of parchment was passed back to Dumbledore, he placed it in his robes, and took out a box, enlarged it, and opened it. Inside it were necklaces; each had a medallion the size of a Galleon with a stag engraved on one side, and each was tied with a thin silver chain. "These necklaces have Protean Charms on them, much like the fake Galleons the D.A. used last year. Along the rim of each, there will be the date for the next meeting. I'll have one of my own, and when I change the date, it will change on all of them, so you'll feel them grow hot." With a wave of his wand, the medallions flew out of the box and each one landed in somebody's hand. As they all put their necklaces on, Dumbledore added, "Also, between the fact that you're all studying for your O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, and that we have the practices of the four House Qudditch teams to accommodate, we'll try to make this meeting one night each week, from 8:00 to 9:00." There was some cheering at this.

"One other thing: Just to make sure that everyone here is on the same track, we will be reviewing Stunning and Disarming tonight. Have fun." And with that, Dumbledore left for his office.

Before they all started, Neville raised his hand. Harry saw this and asked, "Yes, Neville?"

"Why call it the Order of the Stag?"

In order to answer Neville's question, Harry raised his wand and said, "Expecto Patronum!" The familiar stag Patronus shot out of his wand and galloped around the room as people got out of the way to make room for it. When it disappeared, Harry added, "That's why. Somehow, it just seemed fitting."

Harry and Lupin demonstrated on each other first before they let the other students do it on their own. In order to give everyone enough room, half the students took turns doing the practicing. As Harry and Lupin went around, making suggestions and correcting mistakes. An hour later, everyone finished up and was leaving.

On his way out, Harry was pulled aside by Blaise, Nora, and some other sixth and seventh year Slytherins. They all congratulated him on the first lesson, and were glad that they had gotten some actual training since Umbridge. Even some people Harry wouldn't trust at first, like Miles Bletchley, Keeper for the Slytherin team, had complimented Harry on being such a great teacher. Harry wasn't entirely sure about this; the reason he didn't trust him was because Miles had hexed one of the Gryffindor Chasers the previous year before the match. The Slytherin seemed to realize this and explained that Montague had told him to hex her, or he was off the team. More of Harry's trust was gained when he was told that Miles himself told Umbridge that the ban was unfair, given Crabbe's illegal Bludger at the end of that same match. To cap it all, Harry even laughed when he heard Montague described as about as obsessive as Oliver Wood, Harry's first Quidditch captain. (3)

Miles even went further. "My younger brother also thinks you're an excellent teacher when it comes to Dark creatures. He says that your class is the only decent thing in his Monday schedule."

Harry decided to bury the hatchet, so he replied, "Thanks. Tell him I'll see him tomorrow and that he'd better not forget his books and everything."

Miles laughed. At this point, they all felt their medallions grow hot. Harry pulled his out of the neck of his robes and saw the date of the Thursday that week. He looked at the Slytherins he was standing with, and they nodded to acknowledge that their medallions had worked too. "See you guys then," Harry said before he departed.

~*~*~*~

Harry was walking down the corridor when he saw Lupin waiting by the Fat Lady. "Ah, Harry," he said, walking over to his best friend's son. He whispered in Harry's ear, "I have the perfect Marauder-type nickname for you: Griffinclaw." (4)

"Sounds like a combination of two Houses," Harry commented while smiling, "but I like it."

"Also sounds like the nickname you would give to your kid after you get married to Cho," Lupin teased, "Gryffindor father and Ravenclaw mother."

"Hey!" Harry said indignantly, blushing a little. With that, he went to the common room, with Lupin laughing heartily behind him.

~*~*~*~

That Thursday night, all of the students gathered again for the Order of the Stag. Dumbledore came back only to see what it was that Dean had created at Harry's request. On the stage, Harry took off the coverings and said to the crowd, "I thought it would be more amusing if you guys had target practice."

He pointed wave his wand at one target and it popped up. It was a cardboard replica of Dolores Umbridge with a Ministry decree in one hand. Dean even drew on a speech bubble with the words, "Hem hem." There were snickers and laughs from the crowd. Harry proceeded to activate the next targets, which were a masked Death Eater, a dementor, and something that actually made some people scream and jump with fright: an unmasked Voldemort, his wand building up a green light, with the word bubble saying "Avada Kedavra!" (5)

"Well, Dean," Harry complimented his artistic roommate, "You certainly made it scary enough."

"Er, thanks, Harry," Dean replied, unsure whether or not to be proud of creating such a monstrous target.

"So, does anyone want to try out the Reductor Curse? Or any other curse, jinx, or hex that will leave a mark?" he asked the crowd at large. Hardly anybody responded; they were all too busy staring at the Voldemort-dummy. Harry snorted. "You guys are pathetic," he muttered, waving his wand so the target was deactivated again and a cloth floated over it to hide its face.

"Yes, now, does anyone want to try these out?" Hands instantly went up. The whole time, people took turns practicing. Harry noticed that they loved ganging up on Umbridge; they must have really wanted to vent some steam on her while she was still here.

After an hour, they cleaned up and everyone thanked Harry for the wonderful practice. On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry whispered into Dean's ear, "Next time we're in Honeydukes, I'll buy whatever you want. Thanks, mate."

Dean grinned. "Glad to help, Harry."

~*~*~*~

The rest of September and most of October seemed to pass in a haze of teaching, learning, training, and Quidditch. A week before Halloween was the first Hogsmeade weekend; Harry had already sent a note with Hedwig asking Cho if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade on that day, and he included a note saying, 'Meet me in Honeydukes;' that way, he could buy the sweets for Dean and get that out of the way. Barely a few hours later, Cho was flying down the stairs that led to the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower and hugged Harry in the middle of the hallway. "See you in Hogsmeade," she muttered, winking and sauntering off, leaving many students muttering and Harry turning red in the face.

On the Saturday before Halloween, Harry awoke feeling wonderful. After lunch, Harry checked out of Hogwarts with Filch leering at him over the parchment of names, and strolled into Hogsmeade. He found Dean waiting outside, who greeted him as they went into the candy shop adored by all the Hogwarts students. Dean seemed to have a liking for Sugar Quills, Harry noticed as he paid for Dean's payload of candy. He turned to the exit when he saw Cho coming in.

"Hi, Harry," she chimed as she came up to him. "Doing something just now?"

"Yeah, I bought some stuff for Dean to return the favor for him drawing up those targets for the O.S.," Harry told her.

"Yes, he's a very good artist," she commented as they set off for the Three Broomsticks.

This date with Cho went much better than their date on Valentine's Day. There were no problems, no unwanted stares, and no events that would make Harry want to disappear out of embarrassment. Harry laughed at Cho's jokes and was glad to be with her.

They were walking back up to the castle when they noticed people on brooms flying towards Hogwarts. There was something disturbing about that. Looking at each other, they quickened their pace.

The Great Hall was a pandemonium when they got back. Dumbledore was trying to talk to Ministry wizards at the High Table but couldn't hear them too well over all the commotion. "SILENCE!" he shouted. Then he turned back to the Ministry wizards. "Now, what is it you were trying to tell me?"

One Ministry official explained, "There was a break-out at Azkaban merely half an hour ago. All the Death Eaters that were captured at the Ministry of Magic last summer got away. At least a dozen Aurors died in the fighting. One of the guards identified the person breaching the defenses as You-Know-Who himself." Everyone in the hall collectively gasped. "But that's not all. Umbridge escaped too."

Gasps, boos, and hisses resonated throughout the hall. "There's something wrong with that," another Auror said after that, "However insane she may be-" the students in the Great Hall muttered in agreement "-she's always been very outspoken against Death Eaters."

"Since when would Death Eaters shrink back from using the Imperius Curse?" Dumbledore pointed out. "That way, they could also extract information from her regarding the Ministry. Besides, Voldemort doesn't just walk up to people and offer them things outright. Maybe someone else bribed Umbridge on his behalf, tried to tempt her with something she really wanted."

A terrible silence settled over the hall. Dumbledore looked very grave, and said, "Very well, gentlemen, come with me to my office, and we can discuss what to do. Mr. Potter, you should come too." People turned to look at Harry, who was dumb struck himself. Silently, he followed Dumbledore and the Aurors to the Headmaster's office.

Once inside, they got down to business. "Harry, I'm sure you can think of why Umbridge would be in Voldemort's grasp, voluntarily or against her own free will."

Then it struck him. "Me," Harry said at last. "They both hate me, and they both want me dead."

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Would you be willing to take the risks and fight them? To do anything to hold them off?"

"Of course, sir," Harry answered respectfully.

Another Auror spoke up. "Dumbledore, I know he's Harry Potter, I've heard you say yourself he's defeated or gotten away from You-Know-Who at least four separate times, but should he really be involved in all this?" he protested, sounding a little hurt.

Dumbledore glared at the Auror. "Harry has as much right to be involved in this. If I could help it, he would be safe and distant from this whole conflict. Unfortunately, however, we need his help." The Aurors all looked at him, and Harry nodded.

Dumbledore took out a small pointed crystal hanging on a chain and gave it to Harry. "This is a Communication Crystal," he explained, "Tap on it twice with your wand and say the name of the person you want to talk to. It will glow while in use to show that you are in contact with them. Then tap it twice when you're done to deactivate it. Don't tell anyone about it."

"Thank you, Professor. Of course I won't tell anyone."

"Good. Please return to your dormitory, Harry, there is official business that needs to be discussed here." He nodded and left.

Back at Gryffindor Tower, he was instantly mobbed about what had happened. All he told them was that he promised to help Dumbledore if he was called upon. Seeking some peace, he retreated to his dorm room.

'Voldemort is getting everything underway,' Harry thought to himself. 'This is only the beginning.' Dinner was rather subdued that night. Some people pointed at Harry and muttered, but he tried to shrug it all off. He went up to his room again to get some sleep.

The rest of the week was like a weird existence. Rumors spread throughout like the school like wildfire, and a distinct difference Harry noticed was that the Slytherin House was polarized into two factions: those privately supporting Voldemort, and those openly against him. Malfoy and Blaise respectively were examples of each. In fact, Blaise and his group of friendly Slytherins were among the most devout members of the O.S. Speaking of which, the meeting that week was brimming with action, each person working actively to defend himself or herself better. Harry even thanked Blaise and his group for being so loyal, while they shrugged it off as being "nothing, really."

On Friday afternoon, after all the classes were done, Harry was walking to his office when he found Cho there waiting for him. "Cho? What's wrong?" he asked her.

She flung her arms around him. "Harry, I'm sorry if I seem so uptight and upset, but I'm just so worried! I don't want to lose you either!"

Harry hugged her in return, and said, "It's understandable, Cho, and it's okay, I'm here. Trust me, Cho, in the end, Voldemort will be gone forever."

She gasped a little at the sound of the name, but she quickly regained control of herself. Harry raised her head, wiped the tears off her face, and looked her straight in the eye. Drawing himself closer to her so she was pressed up against him, he kissed her so he could try to make her worries melt away. What happened next, however, only made them intensify more.

Just as Harry let go of her, his scar exploded in pain. "Ouch!" he exclaimed as he clapped his hand to it. He heard Cho gasp, but was dimly aware of it. As he staggered backwards, the pain seemed to intensify exponentially, as though burning jagged blades were slicing through his forehead every which way. Even though he was blinded by the pain, he could see a vision in his head: People screaming as they ran away from Death Eaters; people collapsing with flashes of green light; the Dark Mark hovering near the ceiling; and screaming, confusion, and terror everywhere. He definitely felt dizzy now, and knew he was going to pass out within seconds; he screamed in pain as though the Cruciatus Curse had hit him. Before he backwards onto the ground, he muttered, "Cho... please... get... help..."

He was lying on his back, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho race from the room to get help. Before passing out, he felt something oozing out of his scar.

~*~*~*~

When he came to, he was lying in the Hospital Wing, with bandages on his forehead. "Glad to see that you're awake, Harry," Dumbledore said on Harry's side.

"Sir," he said groggily, "What happened...?"

"Voldemort seems to have broken through your mental defenses in a moment of triumph. Don't worry, though, this doesn't mean that your Occlumency skills got set back; it just means that you still have to work hard for a while."

"I know, sir. I saw visions of people screaming, dying, and the Dark Mark hovering near the ceiling inside of someplace, somewhere I've never been to or even seen before."

Dumbledore sighed, looking very old suddenly, even for his age, which was saying something. "You'll find out with the rest of the school at dinner, Harry. But first, we should take off those bandages."

Then he remembered. "Professor, what's with the bandages?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then explained, "Your scar actually opened up and bled. I think that maybe Voldemort was trying to send a message through to you, Harry. Anyway, Miss Chang would like to see you now. I will see you later, Harry."

As Dumbledore left, Cho rushed past him, and hugged Harry fiercely. He returned the feelings. "You're all right!" she said joyfully.

"Yeah, thanks to you, Cho," Harry said so gratefully that she blushed. He even caught a glimpse of Dumbledore at the doorway on his way out, a smile on his face, and that twinkle in his eyes.

Madam Pomfrey came bustling over to them, and turned to her patient. "Come with me, Mr. Potter," she said, leading him over to a sink. With a wave of her wand, the bandages unraveled and fell to the floor. There was still a lot of blood on Harry's forehead. Taking off his glasses, he washed it off with a special kind of soap that magically dissolved all the hardened blood. Before he left, the Hogwarts nurse made him take a special potion that helped him regain his usual strength and energy. Taking Cho's hand, they swept out of the ward.

Crossing the threshold to the Great Hall, Blaise came rushing up to them. "Harry, have you heard, or did you somehow see it? I heard you scream in your office-"

"Take a breath, Blaise. Now, what are you talking about?"

"At the International Confederation of Wizards, my parents work there as ambassadors to Spain. Do you know if they're okay?"

Cho gasped behind them, her hands over her mouth. "My parents work there as ambassadors to China," she said in a deadly whisper, tears forming in her eyes.

Before Harry could say anything else, Dumbledore could be heard from inside the hall. "Students, staff, everyone. Barely an hour ago, there was an attack on the Headquarters for the International Confederation of Wizards. The heads themselves from other countries were able to get away, but all the British ambassadors for other countries were kidnapped and it is believed that they are all being held as hostages somewhere. At least twenty workers at the building were killed."

Cho looked about ready to cry as Harry put his hand on her shoulder; Blaise just stared at the floor, looking thunderstruck. After allowing everyone to gasp and mutter, Dumbledore went on. "There was also an issue of security. The Death Eaters should not have been able to breach the defenses. There was obviously a spy working in the vicinity. We have yet to capture and identify him or her."

More gasps and muttering. Everyone was obviously thinking or asking the same question: How safe were they anymore?

At that point, an owl swooped in with a Howler. It dive-bombed straight at Harry, causing Blaise and Cho to run out of the way. Everyone turned to look at the commotion. Harry was about to pick it up when he noticed ominous black smoke steam rushing out of the corners. Grabbing his friends, he said, "Run!"

They were barely five feet into the hall away from it when it exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry, Cho, and Blaise were knocked to the floor. The Howler exploded, and a chilling voice like an arctic blast resonated through the hall.

"HELLO AGAIN, HARRY POTTER! AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAVEN'T BEEN SPENDING MY TIME SULKING AFTER WHAT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES! I'VE BEEN BIDING MY TIME, ORGANIZING MY PLANS! I WAS BUSY TRYING TO FREE MY DEATH EATERS WHO YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE FRIENDS WERE ABLE TO DEFEAT AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC, AND THEN SOME! AS YOU HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY HEARD BY NOW, I'M JUST STARTING MY QUEST FOR WHAT I SHOULD HAVE EARNED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO WHEN YOU WERE JUST AN INFANT! AND NOW, I'M BACK IN BUSINESS AGAIN, EXACTLY FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER I KILLED YOUR FOOLISH PARENTS, AND FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER YOU BLASTED ME OUT OF MY BODY, YOU WRETCHED BOY! YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK, POTTER, AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, BECAUSE THE NEXT TIME WE MEET, YOU WON'T SURVIVE AND THAT STUPID OLD FOOL, ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, WON'T BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! ADIEU, AND REMEMBER, POTTER, LORD VOLDEMORT ALWAYS KNOWS!" (6)

As the Howler crumbled into dust, a huge, hazy green Dark Mark hovered above where the letter's ashes remained. There were several gasps, then silence. Most people then looked at Harry, who was getting up, his mind racing. He had a new outlook on the battle against Voldemort, now that he knew that "one must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives." How would Dumbledore help him win now? With tremendous effort, he forced himself to listen to what the Headmaster was saying.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we must brace ourselves. The Second War has begun. Merlin help us all."

(End of Chapter 18.)

A/N: This is sort of chilling, right?

(1) The original version of this was HPCC romantic mush. Good thing I fixed that up!

(2) Remember this room for later, folks.

(3) I know I'm making this up, but hey, it's artistic license, right?

(4) I made up this name myself originally, so I will go with it... or at least for now, anyway.

(5) Heehee, are these things funny or what?

(6) I tried my best even the first time around to make Voldemort sound as in character as possible, but somehow, that just didn't work out and happen.

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