DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.

A/N: IMPORTANT!!! Originally, the trunk in this resembled too much the trunk from another story, whose author shall remain nameless out of respect for him, and also because he asked me not to mention him. (However, chances are you know who he is anyway.) Technically, in this, Harry doesn't need a home stuffed into a trunk here (the reason why being in chapter 45 when we get to that), but he still needs the multi-roomed trunk, at least designed for storage purposes, like Moody's trunk from GoF, and also because of something important he'll find in it... (If anyone wants to debate with me over it, they can email me.) Speaking of which, MAJOR thanks as usual to Bianca (SnowyBlackOwl) for not only beta-reading this chapter, but also for making sure the similarities between this story and that other one were as minimal legitimately as possible.

ALSO IMPORTANT!!! The scene in the locker rooms was just something I wrote up as I went along for the sake of comedic value, so, I dunno. It's definitely PG-13 rated, so if you don't want to read it, then just skip over it. This is something I meant for "awkward adolescent situations;" besides, what's being a teenager without dealing with teenage issues? (On the other hand, it has been SIGNIFICANTLY watered down as well.)

Whew, sorry about all that, but all that needed to be said. Anyway, onwards!

CHAPTER 23: SHIFTING RELATIONSHIPS

Fortes fortuna juvat. Fortune helps the brave. –Terence

The next morning, Harry woke up early for some reason, at about a quarter to six. He was groggy until he remembered what had happened the previous night. Quickly getting dressed, he got out his Invisibility Cloak and swept out of Gryffindor Tower, in the hopes that he might be able to find Draco or Snape.

He was in the Great Hall when he heard the same to voices as last night: they were just returning, and both of them looked shot and very tired. He swiftly ran over to them; he was about halfway to them when Snape stopped and muttered, "Potter."

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked from under his cloak, though a little ruffled.

"I have very good hearing," Snape said cryptically.

"So, how did it go last night?"

"All things considered, it was as fine as it could get, and we were able to convince them that someone was impersonating me," Draco said smugly.

"How'd you manage to do that?"

"That, Potter, is my little secret," Snape smirked.

"Oh, I see. There's one thing I'm curious about; will you be checking to see if any of the students are Marked?"

"What concern is it of yours, Potter?" Snape sneered.

"Dumbledore told me I have a major role to play in this war, and I'm trying to learn what to do and what not to do," Harry responded.

"He's got a point, Sev- I mean, sir," Draco quickly corrected himself.

Harry felt his jaw drop. "When are you of first name terms with- ?"

"In case you didn't know, Potter, I happen to be his godfather," Snape said icily, "Although that's really nobody's business, but that was to explain the slip of his tongue."

Harry felt his jaw drop even wider as Draco looked a little ashamed.

"Anyway," the Potions Master went on, "The Dark Lord has changed it so students loyal to him will be Marked when they have officially graduated from school, so we have to find ways to make sure no students, and I mean from any house, are conspiring against us."

"Sir? I know that all Slytherins are not evil, but it's hard to imagine a Ravenclaw, even a Hufflepuff, going Dark."

"Just because it's hard to imagine, Harry," Draco drawled, "That doesn't mean it's impossible. Most Death Eaters are Slytherins, but a few have been Ravenclaws, since the two Houses aren't that much different. Besides, Wormtail and Percy Weasley are both working for him, and they were in Gryffindor. The only reason there are Houses are to honor the Founders, and probably to make the student body easier to manage by splitting it up into fourths, not to split up the good ones from the bad ones."

"I know all that," Harry responded. Then his thoughts backtracked. "Wait a minute, Percy Weasley a Death Eater, are you sure? He's not a spy or anything?"

Snape looked very grave. "We even saw the Dark Mark on his arm."

Harry felt his as though his stomach had vanished.

"He seems to blame you for his personal problems," Draco added.

"I'm sure they all do, so I wouldn't give it too much thought," Harry responded. Snape smirked a little. "Do his parents know?"

Snape looked grave again. "Alas, I have the unfortunate job of informing them."

"Well, if Mrs. Weasley throws a fit at the messenger, you have my undying sympathy, and may you recuperate quickly."

"Thank you, Potter."

Draco muttered under his breath, "I know I just said all that stuff about the different Houses, but he really does seem to be a shoe-in for Slytherin; he had all the attributes for our House, and that's the reason why almost all the Death Eaters are Slytherins, apart from the fact that the Dark Lord claims to do it in Slytherin's name."

"People change with time," Harry pointed out, "And you showed that too me, Draco."

"Thanks. Besides, I think it would raise howls if Dumbledore made to resort everyone every year just because people change with time."

"Anyway, it's been a long night, so if the two of you are done with your philosophy conversation, some of us could use a lie-in," Snape interrupted.

"Of course. Good night, Professor Snape- or should I say good morning?"

"Either way, see you on Monday, Potter." With that, Snape and Draco left.

~*~*~*~

Harry returned to his dormitories and finished reading "The Two Towers." He then started reading "Return of the King." He had just taken it out when the noticed a slip of paper underneath the book. It read "4637427-465569 GRIFFIN." Harry suddenly remembered the old letter from his mother, which case with the other books in the box he received on his birthday. He retrieved his old letter from within the depths of one of his trunk's compartments and read it over. He would have to ask Dumbledore about this later. In the meantime, he had gotten started on the book.

~*~*~*~

Dumbledore woke up with a start; he had dreamed that giant lemon drops had been trying to capture him and use him as a sacrifice to their lemon drop gods. As he got up out of bed, he swore to himself never to eat more than five of them again before going to sleep. (1)

He got dressed, and as he was looking for his favorite hat, he noticed the book lying on his desk, "The Legacy of the Founders." He quickly flipped to the part about the Heir of Gryffindor, prophesized by a Seer who lived during the Founders' time and was the first Divination professor.

Shortly before the start of one of the school terms, Godric Gryffindor visited the woman who had been appointed as the first Divination professor. Her true name is lost to us, but she was known as "The Seer of Tea," since she drank a lot of it. The exact wording of the prophecy is also lost to us, but the details are as follows.

The Heir of Gryffindor would one day rise to defeat a Dark Lord, who would be one of Slytherin's descendants, who would plunge the entire country, and eventually all of Europe, into darkness, hoping to "purify the wizarding race" in Slytherin's name. Gryffindor's Heir would share the same zodiac sign as the House, which would use the animal as its mascot. The birthstone would also be inlaid into "the snake-slaying sword," and share the same color as the House. The Heir would also be a natural fire elementalist, and experience a sudden surge of power in the year before his coming of age, during which period the aforementioned sword would also start glowing from time to time. The wands of both enemies would share cores, but the woods they were made of would come from different trees with opposite symbolism, fitting for each user, and these trees would be planted where their respective fathers dwelled. Also noted was the prediction that Slytherin's descendant also was responsible for the fates of the parents of Gryffindor's descendant. The two would be undying enemies, always trying to vanquish the other.

Dumbledore copied all this information onto a separate piece of paper to observe later, and went to finally return the book to the library after several months.

After he returned the book (and got a serious reprimand from Madame Pince that even made him shudder), he left, pondering this information. Something told him it would be Harry Potter, but another name also rose to mind, like it so often did these days whenever Dumbledore thought about his bespectacled protégé...

Neville Longbottom. Both boys were born at the end of July (even if Neville was a day older than Harry), but that made their zodiac sigh Leo and their birthstone the ruby. Both of them had progressed rapidly as well. Neville's parents had suffered, although in a different way than Harry's parents, but could the Lestranges- the Longbottoms' tormentors- have been Slytherin's descendants as well?

Dumbledore told Harry at the end of his second year that Voldemort was Slytherin's last remaining descendant. That was true- or according to historical records, at least. Any other Slytherin family members may have wanted to keep their heritage a secret, for fear of what others might do to them. Even Voldemort might not have been pleased either, for that matter, especially since he was so touchy about his halfblood heritage.

It also seemed strange that this prophecy would be so much like the one that was destroyed nearly a year ago in the Department of Mysteires. Maybe Trelawny was adding on to this prophecy from nearly millennia ago? In addition to that, how could Alice Longbottom have possibly known this information?

Then there was the issue of wand cores. Dumbledore knew full well about Harry and Voldemort's wands, but didn't Ollivander send a message to Dumbledore the same day that Neville bought his new wand? "Curious," Ollivander said, "Neville Longbottom bought a wand that also happens to have a brother..."

The old schoolteacher wracked his brain for that information, but he forgot the name of the brother wand's owner. Well, it wasn't a problem; he would see the elderly wand maker today anyway in order to collect Harry's new secret second wand. Come to think of it, Harry should come along as well, right? Yes, he would.

As the elderly wizard reentered his office, he started humming "The Firebird," by Stravinsky (one of Fawkes' favorites), and got started on whatever work he needed to do.

~*~*~*~

Harry returned to his dormitory late that morning after breakfast (he had work to do in his office) to find Ron carrying a small bag with swimming trunks, a bathrobe and a towel in it. "Hi Harry," he said, "I'm going to the prefect's bathroom. Want to come?"

"Sure," Harry said, while getting dressed in normal Muggle day clothes and packing a small bag for himself. (2) "I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind. He never did mention whether or not I could, since I was an assistant professor."

"We can ask him on the way down," Ron said casually, "His office is on the way anyway."

"Yeah, you're right. OK, that's everything, let's go."

They swung by Dumbledore's office, and he confirmed that indeed Harry was allowed, and apologized for not thinking about it in the beginning of the year. After thanking the headmaster and saying it was no problem, the two boys were about to leave when Dumbledore suddenly asked, "Oh, Harry, if I have to go to Diagon Alley later in order to get some things you might find useful; would you like to come along?"

"Of course, sir," he said. With that, he and Ron finally left.

"Soap suds," Ron said as they reached the entrance. It opened up to reveal the pool, which looked pretty much the same as it did last time. Ernie MacMillan, Anthony Goldstein, Blaise Zabini and a couple of fifth year prefects Harry didn't recognize were already there. Anthony was just doing a jump off the diving board while the others were laughing.

"Hi, Harry," Blaise said as the Gryffindors headed for the changing rooms, "What are you doing here?"

"Ron invited me and Dumbledore forgot to tell me I could use this place."

"C'mon, Harry, it's this way!" Ron pulled him.

Harry got changed into his swimming trunks in his own compartment and took his towel, but then Ron stopped him on the way out. Ron sized him up and down, and said, "Congratulations, Harry! You're finally out of your midget stage! You're almost as tall as me now!"

Harry looked in the nearest mirror; he definitely had several muscles that weren't there before, and he was nearly as tall as Ron. He grinned too, and said, "Watch your back, Weasley, or I might just tower over you one day!"

Ron laughed. "That'll never happen, Potter! What will happen now is you all wet!"

Before Harry could respond, Ron was pushing him backwards out of the changing rooms and into the pool. Everyone laughed as Harry fell in backwards, but they were laughing even more as Harry grabbed Ron and pulled him in as well.

As Harry got back out to put his glasses on the side, Blaise piped up, "So, Harry, what's it like to be in here for the first time?"

"Not my first time actually," Harry admitted as he wiped off his glasses and put them neatly on the side.

"Well, you couldn't have gotten in without the password, so how-?" Ernie started, but Harry immediately explained, "During the Tournament, Cedric Diggory returned a favor to me. I couldn't work out the hint with that golden egg, so he cryptically said, 'take a bath,' and told me to use this bathroom and gave me the password. The song was in Mermish, so it made sense underwater. At least the bath was nice; it nearly ended in disaster on the way back to Gryffindor Tower."

"What do you mean, nearly ended in disaster?" Anthony inquired.

Walking to the diving board, he said, "I nearly got caught by Snape, Filch, and the fake Moody all at once."

They all goggled at him while one of the younger prefects whistled. "Must be a school record," he said, and another voice, this one feminine, chimed in, "You had my help too, remember?"

Harry made the connection immediately. "Myrtle!" he yelled, "Spying on the prefects again?"

As Myrtle slithered out of a faucet, she said, "You caught me."

Ron looked outraged. "You!" he shouted.

She frowned. "Sorry," she said, "I should have said hello first, shouldn't I?"

Ernie looked like a younger Percy about to assign detentions. "You shouldn't be doing this!"

Myrtle sighed. "It got boring in my bathroom." Before she could say anything else, Ron swam over to her, pulled a tap, and sent her flushing back down it with a hideous scream.

Harry grinned. "Nice one, Ron. Now she'll be swimming in the lake." With that, he jumped back in.

They swam around and toyed with the different taps when they suddenly heard some laughing through the wall. Harry climbed out and pressed his ear against it. "It's just the girls," he said, clearly not interested.

Ron, on the other hand, was interested. He climbed out and pressed his ear against the wall, and after a moment, he said, "You're right. I had no idea you could hear through this wall; there are plenty of Silencing Charms on both locker rooms, though, or so Hermione told me. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm listening to Hermione and Ginny. I also hear Parvati, but Hermione's back as a prefect. I guess Parvati's just enjoying it until the passwords change again."

Harry shrugged. He went back to the pool, took another quick swim, got out, took his towel, dried himself off, put his glasses back on, and went into the lockers as Ron said, "Oh, they're not there now."

"Sneak," Harry called at him.

Ron whipped his wand out of his bathing suit and aimed a spell at Harry, but was grinning. "Think it's funny, huh? Rictesumpra!"

Laughing, Harry ducked that one too and ran into the locker rooms, with Ron right on his trail. He passed each column of lockers as Ron shot harmless spells at him. As Harry was backed into a corner, still grinning idiotically, Ron was about to say something when he slipped, causing him to mess up the spell he was saying.

He fell backwards as Harry ducked, blasting a door-sized hole through the wall. "RON!" he shouted. "YOU NEARLY BLEW MY HEAD OFF WHILE TRYING TO USE THAT SPELL!"

As Harry tried to get up, he slipped on the floor and fell backwards through it ("OUCH!"). Several screams quickly took Harry's attention away from his bruised arms, which he tried to use to break his fall. He quickly flipped himself over onto his stomach and looked up, just as quickly regretting doing so. For the next twenty seconds or so, he felt as though his nervous system would burn out on him from all the excitement.

He briefly saw Hannah Abbott in a two-piece canary yellow swimsuit before she ducked behind a set of lockers. Luna Lovegood was standing against another set of lockers, dressed in her rather loose bathrobes, and with no reason to hide herself, she simply gazed at Harry as though this wasn't out of the ordinary. Nora Moon, dressed in a silky green nightgown, landed herself behind a bench with a thud. Padma Patil, likewise dressed in turquoise, evidently tried to do the same thing, which caused Nora to emit a squeal of pain. Parvati, who had a towel wrapped around her, clutched it to her body as it tried to come undone after she jumped in surprise. After seeing the remaining two girls, however, Harry nearly felt as though he was going to have a heart attack.

He felt as though buckets of ice had been dumped on him when he saw Hermione. She was dressed in shimmering sky blue two-piece bathing suit, which went well with her complexion; her eyes widened enough to do credit to Luna, obviously embarrassed at being caught by one of her male friends in such a state. She backed against the wall in a corner, giving a terrified squeak that would have scared a house elf.

When Harry's eyes fell upon the last girl, he felt as though his brain had simply shut down. In the middle of the scene, wearing a "deer caught in headlights" expression, her arms hanging limply by her side as she stared in shock, was Ginny Weasley, with the infamous Weasley blush slowly creeping to her face. It wasn't as though she wasn't wearing anything; it was more of a matter what she was wearing.

'OK, I think I'm going to have a heart attack,' Harry thought as his eyes traveled down her body.

Her skin was actually quite fair. She wore a two-piece bathing suit, like Hermione's, except this was made of a sleek black material, which hugged her lithe body like a second skin. His eyes wandered over her shoulders, to her upper chest (and from the view on the floor where Harry was, he saw just how much curvaceous she had become), to her flat stomach, down her legs, and to her lovely feet, whose toes were twitching with nervousness.

Once, back at Privet drive, Harry was walking through the house one day when he had seen an adolescent Dudley sitting at the kitchen table, innocently looking at lingerie catalogues left there; Ginny looked as though she belonged in it.

Blushing furiously enough to glow in the dark, she quickly spun around to get her bathrobes, and the view from behind in itself was nearly enough to make Harry's heart stop. While Ginny was an extremely beautiful adolescent girl (from a male standpoint, anyway), he felt as though he wanted to throw up.

"Erm," he croaked out, trying to suppress whatever he may have been feeling at the moment, and all the girls nervously looked at him from behind their hiding places, "Er, Ron... he accidentally... well, blew a hole... through the wall... messed up some spell... after he slipped... sorry about that..."

"Ugh," came a groan from behind Harry; Ron had apparently been knocked unconscious when he slipped. "Damn, this floor's slippery... Harry, what...?"

Harry turned his head around to see Ron standing up and gaping at the scene in front of him and his face turning red enough to match Ginny's blush as he saw his sister and girlfriend. Wordlessly, his eyes rolled back up into his head, and he collapsed to the floor, having fainted.

As Harry got up, he saw Ginny (now appropriately dressed) looking him straight in the eye, with something like sympathy and understanding. He uneasily got up, with his knobby knees threatening to give out. He crossed back over the blown barrier, and nervously said, "Um, please don't mention this to anyone, it was an accident, and Ron wouldn't do this on purpose. Reparo."

The wall managed to fix itself. Harry, in the meantime, tried to revive Ron.

~*~*~*~

There was much talk about the unexpected surprise in the girls' locker rooms. As Hermione walked away from the wall she flattened herself against, she shakily said, "I can't believe that just happened! I thought I was going to die from shock. And I can't believe Ron saw us too!" She actually blushed at this.

Ginny wailed, "Did you see the look on Harry's face? The poor boy looked about ready to faint!"

Luna said dreamily, "Ronald actually did faint. Guess he didn't count on seeing his girlfriend, sister, and the other female prefects half- dressed."

"You sure you don't mean half-naked?" Padma said sarcastically.

Luna shrugged. "I was just being optimistic."

"Don't be so upset, Ginny!" Parvati piped up. "I'm sure he wasn't that traumatized on seeing you wearing that! He probably wanted to get up, sweep you off your feet, find a nice quiet broom closet, lock the door, and ravage you!"

"Speaking from personal experience, are we, Parvati?" Nora joked as Ginny buried her face in her hands.

Parvati blushed as she opened her locker to get her stuff out. "Shut up, Nora! Besides," she gushed, "He's so handsome and studly now! He always looked so small and scrawny before! I'm certainly not that upset, since I got to see him in his swimming trunks! And Ron is certainly very handsome too! He almost looks as handsome as his brother Bill! Except for the part where he fainted, of course..."

Ginny suddenly started to innocently hum "Ride of the Valkyries," which caused the older girl to look around in fear, cutting off the older girl's talk about her older brothers, as well as Harry. (Lavender and Parvati had come to an unspoken agreement with Ginny not to talk about her friends like that ever again.) Parvati eventually said, "I thought we were past that, Ginny. I can't wait to tell Lavender about this!"

"Don't," Hannah warned her, speaking up for the first time. "Rumors will go flying around. Besides, it was an accident, and I don't think that Cho would appreciate hearing about her boyfriend seeing Ginny in her bathing suit."

Ginny, now back in her school robes, looked very determined and said, "I'm going to need to talk to Harry. I'll even Obliviate him if I have to; he can't let this get to him!"

Hermione was about to warn her about that when there was sudden yelling through the wall that had been previously blown away. "I guess the Silencing Charms need to be renewed, since the wall got temporarily destroyed," she mused. "What's going on?"

As if to answer her question, Ron's voice came to them: "YOU SAW MY SISTER IN HER BATHING SUIT!?"

Ginny swore vehemently; Ron was probably trying to strangle Harry. In the meantime, the other girls (now all fully dressed) rushed to the wall and pressed their ears against it, anxious to hear what was going on.

~*~*~*~

"Ron! Ron, wake up!"

After the wall had been repaired, Harry was trying to revive Ron without physically harming him. The other boys were rushing up in their bathrobes, trying to help their fellow prefect.

"What happened?" Blaise asked.

"Ron slipped, accidentally blew a whole through the wall, into the girls' locker room, I fell through it, and I-" he broke off, feeling the blush rising to his face as the other boys deduced what happened.

"Well, Luna was fully dressed, so she just stood there," he continued, "Hannah was behind the lockers, Padma and Nora were behind a bench, Parvati was wrapped in a towel, so no problem with those five, but with Hermione and Ginny, well... Hermione was in a corner, and Ginny was wearing... I'm not even going to say it."

Ernie's jaw dropped as Anthony stepped forward and said, "I understand, Harry." Pointing his wand to Ron, he said, "Ennervate."

Ron's eyes snapped open. "What... how...?"

"You saw through the whole you blasted," Harry told him.

"Are you OK, Ron?" Ernie asked.

"I remember seeing Hermione and Ginny..." he blushed and shook his head. "I can't believe I saw Hermione like that, and I can't believe Mum would allow Ginny to even think about wearing that..."

"She was actually quite beautiful," Harry blurted out, instantly regretting it. Ron's face switched from the "embarrassed" red to the "furious" red.

"Now Ron," he started, getting back up and against the wall, "It was only an accident... you blasted the hole in the wall... I didn't mean to see Ginny... but she was..."

Ron got up, emitting a savage war cry that made the other boys jump back. Lunging for his best friend, he shouted, "YOU SAW MY SISTER IN HER BATHING SUIT!?"

"Ron-" but he was cut off as Ron's hands snaked around his neck, choking him and bouncing his head off the wall.

"Don't- you- ever- dare-" Ron spluttered.

"You- are- killing- me-" Harry choked.

The other boys grabbed Ron by his arms and pulled him off of Harry as Blaise used a few Calming Charms on him as Anthony used a Full Body Bind. Massaging his neck, Harry said, "Ron, it was only an accident. It's not as though I'll be chasing after her or anything. You might want to protect Ginny, and I think it's wonderful of you to do that, but you baby her way too much, and she's not a little girl anymore, obviously. Do you really think I would harm Ginny and incite your entire family's wrath?

"What's more, I don't even know if I'll be able to look any of them in the face ever again after this. Besides, you were the one who fainted goggling at Hermione. You may be overprotective about Ginny, but I'm also concerned about Hermione in more of a brotherly way. How about that, huh? You harm her, and I'll have to deal with you."

Ron looked up at him as all the spells were taken off of him. He got up and said, "You're right, Harry. I'm absolutely sorry. I shouldn't have even gotten that angry. Normally, I get tense about any bloke other than you getting within kissing distance of her. Alas, you're with Cho and Ginny might be dating Malfoy, so that means I can't trust any male creature near her."

"Good. I'm glad we resolved this with a minimal amount of collateral damage. Besides, that wasn't the mental illness taking control, was it?"

Ron shook his head. "No, definitely not; thanks to certain medicines Madam Pomfrey gave me, I would know or not whether it was the illness."

"That's good too. C'mon, let's get lunch."

~*~*~*~

On the other side of the wall, the girls were all buzzing excitedly after they gave a collective "Awww." Hermione blushed again when he heard about how much Harry cared for her. Ginny was grinning for the first time since the incident.

"Well," Hermione said, "We'd better go get lunch too. I'll know if any of you spread this around. Also, I'll tell Professor McGonagall about what happened in a way that won't make her angry, so the wall can be fixed."

As the other girls left, Luna came up to her Gryffindor friends. "Poor Ronard," she said dreamily.

The brunette blinked. "'Ronard?'" she asked incredulously.

Luna shrugged. "During Christmas break, I heard Fleur talking to Bill about him, and when she heard about the fox incident over the summer, she called him 'Ronard.' 'Renard' is the French word for fox, so I got the joke."

Hermione giggled while Ginny laughed outright. Luna smiled and left, humming what sounded like "Le renard est notre roi" (3) to the tune of "Weasley Is Our King."

"'The fox is our king,'" Hermione translated for Ginny, causing her to laugh even more.

The pair of best friends left, bumping into Cho in the hallway moments later. She looked haggard and slightly sleep-deprived as she wore a pensive look on her face.

"I heard Luna say something about the wall between the two different prefects' locker rooms being blown away. What was all that about?"

The girls exchanged looks, and directing Harry's girlfriend to an empty classroom, they carefully recounted the event. At the end of it, Cho looked shocked.

"You're telling me that Harry saw both of you in whatever undergarments you were wearing?" she asked quietly, in case there was anyone outside.

Hermione nodded and quickly added, "He only saw me for a moment, but he looked at Ginny the longest."

"Hermione!" the redhead hissed. "You make it sound as though I was trying to seduce him! Now Cho probably thinks we were trying to steal him away from her!"

Cho looked between the two of them for a moment, and then a smile formed on her face. She started sniggering, which led to chuckling, which grew to outright laughing that made her collapse into the nearest desk, sprawling all over it as she shook with mirth. Hermione and Ginny simply watched her, unable to believe what they were seeing.

'Crap, she's gone nuts,' Ginny thought as Hermione made to approach her. Cho looked up and said, "It's not as though you're alone, you know!"

Hermione looked confused. "What do you mean?" she inquired.

With a very sly grin, Cho said, "Well, the night after the Yule Ball at that mansion, I had some nightmare in the early morning, and I wandered into Harry's room, where he was sleeping so peacefully. I messed around with his hair a little and felt his scar, thinking about how handsome and strong he was. I just got onto the mattress next to him, and fell asleep hugging him! When Professor Lupin came in the next morning, probably to wake him up, I explained what happened, and fortunately, they believed me! I probably scared Harry badly!"

Hermione looked scandalized while Ginny fell over laughing. "Cho, you, you slept-?"

Cho looked up smiling and said, "No, not like that, Hermione. Although I was a little embarrassed when Lupin asked, 'Does this mean I won't be made an uncle in nine months?'"

"He said WHAT!?" Hermione shrieked while Ginny cried with mirth, still laughing herself sick. "I can't believe he said that!"

Cho grinned. "It was worth it though. Just please don't spread it around."

"Of course not," Hermione said promptly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ginny hiccupped.

As Hermione used a spell to cure Ginny, Cho sauntered out with a farewell. The remaining two girls looked at each other, and Hermione finally broke out laughing. "Come on," she said, "Let's get something to eat."

~*~*~*~

Out in the hallway, Cho was leaning against the wall, calming herself down. That was so funny.

And then she remembered. The dream she had just had the previous night. No, a nightmare. Regarding Harry...

Cho was so lucky to know him, and as a friend, not as the Boy Who Lived. But these nightmares... were they just outrageous fears or actual worries that her subconscious looked upon at night? Were they actual premonitions?

It was also nagging at her that she knew that any romantic relationship between them might not be possible. Cho could sense things in people the same way animals could sense slight changes in the weather, and something was telling her that she wasn't meant for Harry. However, Cho could tell that she still played a role in what was yet to come. It would all have to come together eventually.

In the meantime, all she could do was wait. Play Quidditch, study for the N.E.W.T.s, and wait.

~*~*~*~

As Hermione took a quick detour into McGonagall's office to explain the situation, Ginny thought about the incident. She had been thoroughly embarrassed before, but since she got a glimpse of Harry in his swim trunks, she couldn't claim it was all that bad...

As far back as she could remember, she had sort of a crush on Harry, which grew with time. During her fourth year (Harry's fifth), she was able to suppress it and move onto a different boy, but she still had some feelings left over for him.

But ever since she kissed him for his heroism, that infatuation for him seemed to flourish again. But Harry was with Cho! And even then, she noticed how the Ravenclaw had seemed to be losing interest in him, and often gave Ginny looks in the hall that she interpreted as, "He and I aren't working out anymore; the window of opportunity is still open, so go for it."

She didn't know what to do, other than talk to Harry (if he was willing to listen). She decided to send her mother a message about it later. With that, she put it behind her as Hermione came back out, anxious to get something to eat.

~*~*~*~

After lunch, Dumbledore came up to Harry. "Mr. Ollivander should have the other wand ready. Be at my office in fifteen minutes."

"Of course, sir." With that, he went up to his dormitory to get his stuff together. At this point, Hedwig soared in.

"Hello, girl," he said, handing her an owl treat. Hedwig accepted it, and after she ate it, she spotted Ardeavis on the other side of the room, now with all his plumage. "Oh, and Hedwig, this is Ardeavis, a phoenix. I found him when he was still an egg, and Dumbledore put me in charge of taking care of him."

Hedwig eyed Ardeavis, flew over to affectionately nip Harry's ear, and then flew over to join the phoenix. Evidently, she didn't mind company and wasn't afraid of being replaced. A thought suddenly occurred to him, based on what had happened earlier in the prefects' baths. He got to work on writing a letter.

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I don't know whether Ginny has already sent you a letter regarding what happened earlier this morning, but I think you should know my side of the story anyway, just in case.

I was in the prefects' bath (apparently, I have permission to use it, being an "Assistant Professor,") and in the lockers, Ron was trying to use some spell when he slipped on the floor as he was reciting the incantation, messing up the spell and blowing a hole in the wall behind me. DON'T WORRY, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, PLEASE DON'T SEND RON ANOTHER HOWLER!

Anyway, as I got up, I feel through it, and as I tried to get up again... I ACCIDENTALLY saw Ginny. It's not as though she wasn't wearing anything; it was more of a matter of what she WAS wearing (some sleek black bathing suit). Ron fainted when he saw Ginny, and he later said, "How can Mum let her wear such a thing?" Actually, I think he fainted when he saw Hermione, but that's irrelevant. (FOR GOD'S SAKE, DON'T ASK!!!)

My point of this is, PLEASE don't be angry with me for seeing Ginny like that, PLEASE don't send me a Howler, and PLEASE, PLEASE don't rally up your husband and sons to come after me.

On the other hand, if there's anything good to say about all this, it's the fact that Ginny is a beautiful young woman. (Please don't take that the wrong way.)

Anyway, now that I've gotten all that taken care of, I have errands to run.

Hoping you won't yell at me loudly enough to wake the dead,

Harry

After drying the letter and sealing it in an envelope, he gave it to Hedwig, who was glad to help her owner. With a hoot, and a nip on the ear, she flew out the window, soaring out of sight.

~*~*~*~

After lunch, Ginny was taking a brief walk outside on the cold grounds when she saw Hedwig flying out an open window. This puzzled her; what could Harry possibly be sending? Then Ginny thought about the incident earlier today; how would her own mother react to rumors about what happened? (Somehow, Ginny suspected this.)

Finishing her walk and going back inside, she went up to her dormitory and composed a letter to her mother.

Dear Mum,

I'm writing this letter for your advice and help. Earlier today in the locker rooms, there was an incident. Apparently, in the boys' lockers, Ron was trying to use some spell when he slipped and messed it up, accidentally blowing away the wall between their locker rooms and ours.

Anyway, Harry (I guess he can use the prefects' baths since he's an assistant professor) fell through backwards, and he saw me and Hermione as he tried to get up. Hermione was back against the wall, but Harry only briefly looked at her before he saw me wearing the black bathing suit set you bought me this summer. I could just see his shocked eyes dropping lower and lower, taking in what he saw (and I don't mean as a voyeur). Oh my God I was so embarrassed! I could even see Harry blushing a lot (between seeing me and the fact he was in his swim trunks).

Just to add the icing onto the cake, Ron was getting up, he saw me and Hermione, blushed, and fainted! (Poor Ron...)

What's more, after Harry returned to the boys' lockers and fixed the wall, we could hear what was going on (the Silencing Charms now need to be renewed). Ron was even getting angry with Harry. His words are still ringing in my ears: "YOU SAW MY SISTER IN HER BATHING SUIT!?"

I'm going to talk to Harry if it's the last thing I ever do! I can't have him avoiding me forever because of this! I just wanted to write to you before you heard any outrageous rumors. Do you have any other advice of what I should do?

One other thing: Is it me, or are things falling apart between Harry and Cho? I don't want to move in like a vulture if things don't work out between them.

Love,

Ginny

After sealing the letter and addressing it to her mother, Ginny hurried up the Owlry, she borrowed a school owl and sent it off. Actually, she was in such a rush to send it that she practically threw the owl out the window like the Quaffle through a hoop.

Now if only she could find Harry and talk to him...

~*~*~*~

Harry met Dumbledore in his office, and they took the Floo Network to Diagon Alley. His wish not to end up in Knockturn Alley again was granted, and he tumbled out of a Floo Station in the middle of the alley.

Dumbledore came out behind him, brushed both of them off, and beckoned for Harry to follow him. A few moments later, they ended up in Ollivander's wand shop.

"Good afternoon," Ollivander said dreamily after walking out from behind a shelf. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Potter. Eleven inches, holly and phoenix feather, and obviously very good for combat and dueling. I know because I read the articles in The Quibbler, and I even framed the pictures of Priori Incantatem taking place on both occasions. It's very rarely I make brother wands, and even rarer that the effect takes place."

"Er, thank you, Mr. Ollivander. So, how's the second wand?"

"Excellent!" Mr. Ollivander happily exclaimed. "I decided to make it holly, since that has obviously worked before. Just to differentiate, however, I will make this new wand twelve and a half inches long."

He took out a case, opened it to reveal the wand, and Harry picked it up. He could feel the warmth in under his fingers again, just like the time he first tried his normal wand. With a wave of his hand, a red and gold comet of sparks shot out of his wand, soared around the room, and crashed straight into the floor, causing the room to shake a little.

"Not to worry!" the elderly wand-maker shouted as Harry backed up against the wall. "It's a little more powerful, but it will obviously do the trick. The younger the phoenix was when the feather is donated, the more powerful it can be."

"Mr. Ollivander, I was wondering, do you sell wand holsters?"

"Yes, actually, I do." Walking over to a nearby cabinet, he took out a box with one inside and gave it to Harry. "The instruction manual is inside. Anyway, for the holster and second wand, 25 Galleons, please."

Harry gave him forty Galleons and said, "Keep the change. You're really helping us out in the war effort." Mr. Ollivander blushed a little as Harry put the wand back in its case, and then that in his robes.

"Speaking of which," Dumbledore stepped in, "I was hoping to talk to Mr. Ollivander about store security, which is an issue that all shopkeepers in Diagon Alley must deal with these days. Take about twenty minutes to browse around the alley, then come back. It should be about 1:30 by then."

"Yes, sir. Thanks. See you in twenty minutes."

"Good-bye, Mr. Potter," Mr. Ollivander chimed as he turned to Dumbledore. On the way out, he distinctly heard Mr. Ollivander say, "Ah, Albus. Oak, unciron hair, thirteen inches; my grandfather told me. Anyway, to discuss the other issues you had in mind..."

It was a brisk walk in the late January weather, but Harry wasn't too cold. About ten stores down, he accidentally tripped over something. Getting himself back up, he saw what it was; a medium-sized trunk.

"Oh, sorry about that, one of my models tried running away again," a man with wiry gray hair and brown eyes said, hurrying up to him. He seemed to be, or at least in Harry's opinion, anyway, in his late middle age. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Leonard Keyes. This is my luggage shop."

"Thanks, Mr. Keyes," Harry said. Mr. Keyes gasped; Harry could tell that the store manager saw the scar on his forehead. Mr. Keyes then said, "Please follow me inside, Mr. Potter."

Puzzled, Harry followed the man inside. The store was full of trunks, suitcases, handbags, and other similar items for carrying possessions. They made their way into a back room, where several boxes were wrapped in what looked like Muggle bubble wrap. Harry had an uneasy feeling that this man would do something, so he gripped his normal wand tightly inside his pocket.

Mr. Keyes suddenly spun around, and rested his hand on a wrapped trunk, then ripping off the wrapping. Harry held his breath; the way Mr. Keyes was talking about it, this sounded like a treasure waiting to be discovered.

However, to Harry's small disappointment, it didn't look all that special. While it was carved out of cherry wood, it looked almost like Moody's seven-roomed trunk, and not all that special. There was one small exception: It had a small rectangular panel on the top, made out of what looked like gold. But then again, as Harry knew full well, appearances could be deceiving, especially with magic.

"Mr. Potter," Mr. Keyes said at last, "These are trunks that haven't been used for years, decades at most. This has been one of the better ones that I've ever had in this store. I thinking about auctioning this one off a few months from now, but then I saw you..."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

Holding up a tag attached to the trunk, he read, "'Sold to Mr. Leonard Keyes, on February 2, 1978, from Mr. Harold Potter and Mrs. Carolyn Potter,'" the salesman read off the tag. "I only saw your grandfather once, and after You-Know-Who's first downfall, it didn't take a genius to realize that he was your grandfather, especially since I remember he mentioned his son once, James."

Harry's mouth went dry. This belonged to his father and grandparents. Composing himself, he responded, "Well, then I guess it's a good thing I came before you auctioned it off. I came to Diagon Alley today with Professor Dumbledore to get some things. So, what can you tell me about this trunk?"

"Well, I read about that thing with Mad-Eye Moody being locked into his own trunk. Basically, this is the same kind of trunk. Seven compartments, purely for storage. Books, writing material, potions, food, clothes, you name it! In fact, you could even set up paddocks for animals, among other things! It's also highly convenient, because those seven compartments are all like seven rooms in a building, and therefore, they're all interconnected in a row. In fact, Moody's trunk has the same exact thing."

Looking on the side, Harry saw there weren't seven keyholes, like on Moody's trunk. Now Harry's attention was drawn back to that curious golden panel on the top. Noticing him see this, Mr. Keyes explained, "Ah, I see you've noticed there are no conventional locks that keys can fit into. That's what the golden panel is for." Here Harry saw the copper square. "This trunk, while it has the same basic principle as Moody's trunk (and I should know, too, since he bought it here a long time ago), with all the multiple rooms, is a different model. In this case, the difference is in the security system itself." Pointing to the golden square, Mr. Keyes explained to Harry, "This is the most complex security system I've ever seen, magical or Muggle..."

It quickly became obvious to Harry that Mr. Keyes knew a fair deal about Muggle technology, and then wondered if this trunk was somehow a composite of both magic and Muggle technology. "Go on," he asked Mr. Keyes. "How is it complex?"

"You see the golden panel, right?" Mr. Keyes asked. Harry nodded. "Good. Basically... you ever see those Muggle computer screens that work and respond when you touch them? You know, like at Muggle supermarkets or banks?"

Harry knew how those worked, so he nodded again, silently asking the shopkeeper to go on. "Well, you simply write in the password." Mr. Keyes scribbled something in too fast for Harry to see, and a moment later, the lid popped open like a hatch, revealing what looked like an underground room, much like the one Moody spent a whole school year in. Closing the lid again, Mr. Keyes said, "What's complex is the different components involved with the password itself.

"First of all, it recognizes people by their fingerprints (and it needs to know all ten of a person's fingerprints, just in case). Secondly, it recognizes people by their magical signatures, and just like with fingerprints, no two peoples' magical auras are exactly the same. Thirdly, it can recognize the person's handwriting (thanks to a sort of 'forensics' enchantment put on it). Fourthly and finally, it needs the password itself, of course."

Harry was amazed. "Why all four?"

"As the old saying goes, 'better safe than sorry.' Also, if someone were to pose as you with Polyjuice Potion, the only things of yours they have are your fingerprints; that leaves three other things they can't get! And with mind-controlling Dark spells and curses, especially the Imperius Curse, for example... they have a tendency to slighty mess up a person's magical signature, which happens to be just enough for the trunk not to work! My father thought of everything when he came up with this trunk!" he declared proudly, patting it on the lid.

"I have a handbook that goes with this particular model, which you can get free of charge," Mr. Keyes continued. But just having access to the contents of the trunk itself is hardly the tip of the iceberg. Especially with the other defensive security systems..."

"What about defensive security systems?"

"Most simple spells won't work. Tons of different charms and enchantments, some of which are kept secret from public knowledge, prevent most spells from even making so much as a scratch. As for Unforgivables... I have no idea what would happen, but I wouldn't try it. Also, if you're inside the trunk and someone keeps demanding to get in and you don't want them, they will get a spell shock that will stun them."

"That's defensive security against magic. How about Muggle devices?"

"Because of the differences in magical and Muggle methods, there's an entirely different branch of security just for that. Sharp objects like knifes will undoubtedly shatter. I've had other people test it with Muggle weapons, and from what I've heard, they nearly got themselves killed when all the ammo bounced back at them! However, it doesn't mean this trunk is impervious to just about everything. It's just powerful enough to resist up to 5000 pounds per square inch of pressure. Come to think of it, it's also resilient against the elements themselves. Heck, it could last for Merlin-how-knows-long in places as hot as the Sahara desert or as cold as Antarctica!"

"This trunk sounds like a strange mix of magic and Muggle technology."

"It actually is."

"Oh." Harry wanted it badly; he was probably drooling by now. "So," he croaked out at least, "How much?"

"It costs a small fortune, but I guess you have a right to it. This has been in my care for twenty years. Three thousand Galleons, I'd say."

"Two thousand," Harry haggled.

"Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty."

"Two thousand and five hundred."

"Deal!" Mr. Keyes said joyfully.

"I may have to get the gold from Gringotts, though. I'll be right back; I just want to find Dumbledore and tell him; he's at Mr. Ollivander's."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes, then," Mr. Keyes called after Harry as he hurried out.

Rushing back to the wand shop, Harry regained his breath and addressed the headmaster; out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mr. Ollivander going into the back of the shop to get something. "Professor," he said at last, "Luggage store... Mr. Keyes... grandparents' trunk..."

"Sorry?"

"This man, Mr. Keyes, he owns a luggage store. He has this trunk which belonged to my dad's parents. I talked him down to 2500 Galleons. I'm going to have to run to Gringotts real quick. I can withdraw that much, right?"

"Actually, Harry, the vault you've been using for the past five years is actually your own personal vault, just a fraction of what's been left to you for educational and other purposes. Your godfather left you twenty-five percent of his gold, which I believe was approximately 5.5 million Galleons."

Harry's eyes popped. He hadn't been so concerned about exactly how much it was, since he was too busy grieving over Sirius.

"Yes, well," Dumbledore continued, smiling at his student's expression, "Your vault can easily contain it, so do not worry. You might need the extra space anyway; I was actually thinking of getting you more books on the subjects you were taking, since your studies have progressed at an alarming rate. New change of plans, Harry; get the gold from Gringotts, purchase the trunk for Mr. Keyes, and wait at the Weasley twins' joke shop for when I'm done. I'm sure you won't be bored."

"Yes sir, oh Sultan of the Warm Socks, sir," Harry said in a very Peeves-like manner, running down towards Gringotts.

The cart ride was brief but fun, as the goblin with him (one Harry never recognized), also helped him load the Galleons into his money bag (which had an Engorgement Charm on it in order to maximize its capacity). Harry took at least 4000 Galleons with him just in case, due to all the shopping that Dumbledore promised him.

Rushing back to Mr. Keyes' store, he handed over the money and purchased the trunk. He put a Shrinking Charm on it, placed it in his pocket, thanked Mr. Keyes very much, and wandered over to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Hello, Harry!" Lee Jordan said from a corner as he walked into the shop. "What are you doing in Diagon Alley today?"

"Professor Dumbledore and I needed to get some things," Harry explained to him. "I'm just waiting here until he finishes something he's doing with Mr. Ollivander. You know where the twins are?"

"Oi! We're over here! C'mon, George, let's go meet him!" a voice from behind him said (presumably Fred). Fred and George were walking up to them, wearing T-shirts. One of them, which was colored with green and purple stripes, said, "Fab Fred" in gold lettering. The other, which had splashes of orange and blue, said "Great George," in silver writing.

"So, now that we're here, what do you need?" asked George.

"Actually, can we take this into a back room, preferably one with Silencing and Imperturbable Charms on it?"

"That would be our office," stated Fred.

"So come with us, old chap!" George declared, dragging Harry along.

The four of them went to the back office where Harry kissed Cho during the summer. "So, what's up?"

"You said something about making versions of your items for the war effort, right?" They nodded.

"I saw your improved Wildfire Whiz-bangs and Portable Swamp. I don't know how you're going to feed any trick sweets to the enemy, but I guess you could work on the Extendable Ears."

"Each member of Dumbledore's bird-watching club already has one," Fred explained.

"But if we were to make edibles to help out the public, like bite- sized cures or something, especially with things like dementors loose..." Harry mused.

"You know," Lee spoke up, "I found out that chocolate actually helps boost certain emotions associated with happiness, which is why it helps against dementor after-effects. If dementors cause misery..."

"Hey! I know! Put Cheering Charms on chocolates, and sell them to the public in case of dementors!" George exclaimed.

Harry grinned. "Nice one. I suppose you'll want an alliterated name like 'Cheerful Chocolates' or something?"

"Perfect!" Fred declared.

"Works for us," George added.

"What else should we make?" Harry asked. "Then again, we should try and make things that should counter against whatever creatures he has. What's going on with the giants and vampires?"

They looked very grave all of a sudden. "They've joined You-Know- Who," George said, all humor gone from his face. "Or at least the giants; the vampires are still not taking sides yet."

"We're trying to figure out what to do to defend everyone," Fred added.

"Well, giants are big and slow, so if you make something to make people move fast to avoid being crushed, that might work," Harry hypothesized.

"We thought the same thing, and we're working on it right now," answered Fred.

"As for the vampires, well, I know they hate sunlight or any bright light in general, they don't like fire either, and they detest garlic, and I would know, since I'm about to teach about them to the third years. Maybe create foods that can cause a person to emit light, spit fire or maybe even spit garlic?"

"I know!" Lee shouted. "Lightbeam Lemon Drops, Dragonbreath Delights, and Garlic Globs!" (4)

"Well, we could create something that would make a person shoot light through their eyes, and I suppose we could use some dragon body parts to temporarily give a person the ability to breath fire, but we might want to be careful with the garlic, since that isn't exactly light on a person's breath," George mused.

"OK, how about pieces of garlic that explode when they hit someone they get thrown at?" Harry proposed. "Like, I don't know, a Garlic Grenade or something?"

"Excellent, old boy!" Fred shouted while putting his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Now, if only we could find a way to give a person dragon breath..." George pondered, pacing around Lee.

"CHARLIE!" both twins exclaimed while rushing over to the fireplace, apparently to use the Floo Network. Fred threw some of the green powder into the fireplace and shouted, "Number 12,Grimmauld Place!"

Charlie's head appeared in the fireplace. "Oy, what is it? Oh, hey Harry!"

"Hey, Charile," the raven-haired boy said. "We just have some ideas for defensive products which Fred, George and Lee can sell... and being the dragon expert, we thought we could use your help..."

They continued to discuss the issue until Dumbledore came in; apparently, he had a spare key for their office, just in case. "Hello, everyone."

"Hello, professor," Harry said, "We were just discussing other potential weapons the twins could make."

"Yeah, and they should get some samples done for the meeting tonight," Charlie added.

"Which reminds me, Harry, you should come too. It is crucial to discuss some things."

"Yes, sir." With that, he bade everyone farewell and left with Dumbledore for Flourish and Blotts.

"Sir, why should I be with the Order tonight?"

"Well, Harry, it has to do with Voldemort's actions, or the lack thereof."

"Sorry?"

"Have you noticed that apart from your skirmishes with Voldemort and the attack on the International Confederation last Halloween, he has been suspiciously quiet? No attacks on towns or anything of the sort?"

He was right; Harry was so absorbed into what he was doing at Hogwarts that he hadn't picked up on that.

"No, sir."

"Harry, you're currently undergoing trials by fire; you also need friends to help you, which is why I also made it so your friends went with you on certain missions as well."

"In other words, you want me to form my own group the same way you have yours?"

"Precisely, Harry!"

As they entered Flourish and Blotts, Dumbledore told Harry to get the Standard Book of Spells for grades 7, and The Standard Book of Spells, After Hogwarts. (Being a sixth year, he already had one for the year he was currently in.)

"Why do you want me to get all these books?" Harry asked.

"Because you're getting through your studies at such an alarming rate that your parents would have been ecstatically proud," Dumbledore said with that twinkle in his eye. "That and the fact there might not be such an opportunity to get them in the future."

"Oh, I see now," Harry concluded. Then he remembered the names of one of the books. "After Hogwarts?" he asked, confused.

"The author put in what spells would be considered beyond the levels of Hogwarts education."

"Oh, I get it now."

"Also, you have been getting rather powerful over the course of this year, and part of it makes you able to take in knowledge better. You could even study things like Arithmancy or Ancient Runes in your spare time, if you put your mind to it!"

"Better at taking in knowledge?"

"Well, it's one those quirks that wizards have while growing up. You might want to find other books in all the different courses that you're currently taking."

"Yes, sir." And with that, Harry was off. Just like Sir Francis Bacon once said, "Knowledge is power."

First, Harry went to look for a shopping basket, but to his strange surprise, there weren't any. According to one assistant who was walking by at the time, all of the baskets had gone missing somehow. So, Harry now had to stagger with the books in his bare hands. (5)

He got the three aforementioned books, and proceeded to find other books that he might have needed. Actually, he found he didn't need all that many, since a lot of topics were covered in his Auror training books he got from his birthday.

Eventually, he decided that Divination, History of Magic, and Astronomy would be no use whatsoever to him. He doubted that Herbology would help him out, as gardeners didn't exactly scare Dark wizards, but should the need ever arise, he got a book entitled, "Potentially Power Plants that could Potentially Protect your Life." He got copies of books that Hermione already had, like "Numerology and Gramatica," and "Ancient Runes Made Easy," so that way, he could give Arithmancy and Ancient Runes a try.

While looking through the sections of Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA, Harry found lots of things on advanced magic and/or Dark magic, but after flipping through all those books, he realized that most of these were covered in the Defense books he'd accumulated as birthdays and Christmas gifts over the past couple of years. Besides, when in doubt, he could always ask Hermione or go to the library.

At the counter, as the witch rang up his purchases, Harry realized he had no way to carry them all. For an extra few Galleons, he hired owls to mail them over to Hogwarts, where he would take care of them when he returned.

Dumbledore met him outside. "So, how many books, Harry? You were in there for a while."

"Twenty or so."

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, Miss Granger shall be jealous yet. Come, let us move on."

Yet another stop at Dumbledore's suggestion was one that was an eyeglasses shop that also made some devices which Aurors sometimes used. Here, they would get special lenses and enhancements that became a part of Harry's normal glasses. The lenses were pretty simple, once Harry understood them; the witch explained about the lenses fusing onto Harry's normal glasses, which could allow him to see through walls, doors, and other surfaces when he focused on them. Apparently, they could also see through clothing, but Censoring Charms were put in place so that could only happen in the case where the person being viewed had concealed weapons and such.

"Do you really think I'd go looking at people's underwear!?" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "On the other hand, I'll agree it is a nifty feature."

The witch also explained that his lenses now also had what Muggles would describe as "shades," "heat seeking" or "telescopic," when Harry pressed the part between the lenses on the bridge of his nose, which would cycle through normal, X-ray, sunglass lenses, heat seeking, and telescopic in that order.

"Well, Harry, you must be tired from all the shopping by now, yet we have one more stop to go!"

"Where's that?"

"Knockturn Alley!"

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Did Dumbledore just say that?

"Something the matter, Harry?"

"Er, yes. That's all Dark and illegal stuff. We can't go down there! I'm not really concerned about my public image, yet if we're seen down there..."

Dumbledore laughed. "Oh Harry, please stop looking at me like that; that's the look people give me when they're deciding whether or not to commit me," he said, chuckling. "It's mainly for Dark Magic, but it's not as though every store is Dark. There's one store that I know, it's managed by one of my friends, and it's the only one that gives advice on defense against it, not books on how to actually perform it. Alas, he's a sheep among wolves, so he's wise to keep his head down. Trust me, we won't be in trouble by going in there."

"What are we getting down there, anyway?"

"What we need to buy is a special book about the Dark Arts, to help you understand how to identify Dark from non-Dark, how to fight against it, as well as to understand the consequences of using that Dark Magic."

Within a few minutes, they had reached a bookshop on Dark Arts. Five minutes later, Harry purchased a book entitled "The Basic Encyclopedia of Dark Magic." On their way out, Dumbledore told Harry that a special form would be signed, allowing him to own it at Hogwarts.

"By the way, Headmaster, how's it going so far with finding a new Minister of Magic?"

"Well, Harry, Fudge hung in there as long as he could, trying to follow my advice, but currently, people are feeling sympathetic to both Amos Diggory and Arthur Weasley, so if we play our political cards right, one of them can become Minister."

Feeling that this day had gone relatively well, Harry and Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts.

~*~*~*~

Going back up to his dormitory, Harry found that all the owls had left their books and packages, which he quickly unwrapped and organized. He then moved all the items from his old trunk to his new trunk; he wondered what he'd do with the old one.

He went in and looked around, deciding what each compartment should be used for. Just as he moved on to the final compartment, he heard voices from overhead

"Harry? What's going on, mate?"

Harry looked up through the opening (he was near the ladder), and he saw all four of his roommates looking in. He called, "Hey guys! Dumbledore and I had stuff to do in Diagon Alley, and I found this trunk in a luggage shop! It belonged to my dad and his parents! Come on in!"

The four boys climbed down the ladder, and they looked around. Harry led them on a small tour of all the different rooms. Harry had to admit, even though it was just a barren, currently unused trunk, it was still pretty interesting.

"Yeah," Dean joked, "'Hi, I'm Harry Potter and I live in a trunk!'" This bought laughter from all the other boys.

Since Harry had opened the trunk onto the first compartment, they had to go back through that way. He was about to leave when he noticed something in a corner. Carefully pushing it aside, he pulled out a large double portrait and gasped when he saw who it was.

It was his parents. They were hand in hand, his father in deep blue robes, and his mother in emerald green, which matched her eyes. Whoever painted this caught their gentle and friendly expressions, although something seemed to give James Potter a sense of mischief and Lily Potter a trace of happiness. It was an oil painting, which was obviously done in a Muggle way, since they weren't moving. They were smiling as they gazed at Harry, shocked at having found this.

"Harry, mate!" Ron called from the other side of the room where the boys were gathered around the ladder, ready to ascend. "What is it?" He dashed over and gasped when he saw it. "Are those your parents?"

Harry's voice was caught in his throat, so he nodded. The other three boys came over and looked at it.

"I wonder what it was doing in the corner?" Harry wondered out loud at last.

"Maybe it was put in here for safekeeping," Seamus suggested, not taking his eyes off of it.

"Hey, there's something on the back," Neville pointed out. Harry turned it around and saw unfamiliar handwriting: "To Lily, May you and James be together forever. Best wishes, Perseus Evans."

"I guess whoever Perseus Evans was painted this picture," Dean concluded.

Something clicked in Harry's memory. "Evans..." he muttered. "Wait a minute... that was my mum's maiden name... but I've never heard of anybody with this name 'Perseus Evans'... maybe I'll write to my relatives later and ask them..."

He turned it back around and kept gazing at it. His parents... his heart ached from never having the chance to know them... just like in the Mirror of Erised those years ago...

"Harry?" Ron's voice bought him back to Earth.

"Sorry," he mumbled, carefully placing the painting back where he found it and going over to the ladder. "It's like a cruel joke; I always wanted to know more about my parents and their ancestors, and yet I'm back where I started again, with the image of my parents. Let's go."

~*~*~*~

On his way to his office, Ginny caught him and dragged him inside. Harry didn't want this; he knew what was going on. Before he could say anything else, however, Mrs. Weasley came in and locked the door behind them.

Mrs. Weasley then strode right up to Harry and looked him straight in the eye, and Harry knew that this was about; the incident earlier in the girls' locker rooms. Suddenly, the matriarch's face split into a grin and she laughed. "Harry," she chortled, wrapping him into a hug, "Do you really think I'd suspect you of doing anything to harm my Ginny? That would be about as unlikely as Hagrid kicking a puppy! I know you would never do anything to harm or endanger her!"

Harry was relieved. Ginny smiled behind her mother. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," he said. "So, you came all the way to Hogwarts just to tell me that?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Weasley said. "I couldn't just let you avoid Ginny because of that little incident!"

Ginny strode over and said, "Really, Harry, it's OK. It was an accident, and since I saw you in your swim trunks, I guess it was an even trade-off."

Harry blushed and stammered, "That's not the way I would have thought of it."

Mrs. Weasley winked and said, "See you tonight, Harry. We'll have dinner at headquarters before the meeting."

"Oh, OK. See you then."

~*~*~*~

Harry and his nine friends took a Portkey to Grimmauld Place later that evening. Mrs. Weasley cooked up a storm, and they ate merrily, trying to build up for what would be discussed at the meeting. It was fun, actually, seeing how a single meal could cause everyone to come together. Even Draco and Tonks, who were cousins but were raised completely differently, actually got along very well.

On the way to the kitchen, Harry met a limping figure. "Professor Lupin?" he asked incredulously.

He grinned weakly. "Yes, Harry, they actually let me out for a few hours so I could attend this meeting. Come, let us dine upon Mrs. Weasley's exquisite food."

Eventually, Ron and Neville bought up the topic of Harry's new trunk. In a wealth of detail, Harry described the new trunk, and how it belonged to his dad's parents.

After dinner, Harry went up to the bathroom to wash off. After drying his face with the towel, he saw something still above his mouth, yet it wouldn't come off. Then it struck him, and he accidentally knocked over the porcelain soap tray in surprise. It wasn't food; it was-

"Er, Remus?" he called down the stairs, sounding somewhat worried. "Could you please come up here for one moment?"

~*~*~*~

"Er, Remus?" Harry called down the stairs, sounding somewhat worried. "Could you please come up here for one moment?"

Looking a little apprehensive and concerned, Lupin went up to see what Harry needed.

"I told them that ghoul was still in the toilet, but no one believed me!" Mundungus exclaimed. (6)

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody roared, banging his fist on the table.

"Must be a dust troll," Luna said simply.

"I don't want to know," Hermione snapped.

~*~*~*~

Harry was completely caught off guard, and almost worried. It was...

Facial hair.

Just then, Lupin walked in. "Remus-" the boy started, "Um, well, do you know- I mean, can you show how-"

"To shave?" Lupin supplied, grinning widely.

"Er, yes."

Lupin shouted down the stairs, "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong! Just give me a few minutes!"

Walking over to Harry and taking out his wand, he said, "OK, Harry, this is what you have to do..."

"Thanks, Remus," he said, after successfully using the Shaving Charm on himself, in case he wanted to get any work done).

"No problem, Harry. I'm pretty sure James reacted the same way when that happened to him."

Harry grinned, and Lupin added, "You really worried everyone, by the way. Molly was probably interrogating Albus again for letting something happen to you."

Harry blinked. "Again?"

Lupin frowned. "I shouldn't have said that. Here, come with me."

Harry followed his mentor to his (Lupin's) own room. Lupin took out what looked like his own Pensieve (it was somewhat smaller than Dumbledore's, though). Lupin deposited one of his own memories and said to Harry, "You should be done with it by the time we're done; this first part of the meeting is adults only. This was what happened at home after Umbridge's trial."

As the professor left, his student took a deep breath and plunged himself in.

~*~*~*~

Remus came back down a bit sooner than he had promised. Noticing the looks on everybody's face, he said, "Harry always wanted to go with some of the normal problems with growing up instead of fighting all these battles; he got his wish."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and said, "It was time for him to learn how to shave?"

Lupin grinned his Marauder-style grin. "Caught him off guard."

Mrs. Weasley grinned too ("Oooooooooh..."). Harry's friends simply exchanged confused looks while some of the adults chuckled. "What is it with parents and these things?" Ron muttered.

"Also, he's looking at something in my Pensieve at the moment; he should be done by the time he's to be involved."

"Thank you, Remus. Anyway, down to business. Order members stay, students leave until the second phase of our meeting," Dumbledore ordered. As the students made for the threshold, the door suddenly opened as a new adult walked in. Most people recognized her right away: Narcissa Malfoy.

Draco looked surprised. "Mother!" he said. "What's going on?"

She gave a very small smile that was very unnatural on her always scowling visage. "Draco, if we're to stop the Dark Lord, and maybe get your father back before it's too late, we'll have to work with them, won't we? Besides, I was never really the type to sit around at home and let the world take care of itself."

Draco flushed a little pink. "Er, right. I'll just wait outside with my friends then."

She raised an eyebrow and looked angry. "Draco, dear, I think you mean allies. I would never allow you to be in such company under normal circumstances."

As the eight other students and the entire Order gasped and scowled at Mrs. Malfoy, Draco looked truly angry now. In a quiet yet dangerous voice so reminiscent of Snape, he responded, "Oh, does this have to do with their heritage? Their purity of blood? Let's get one thing perfectly straight. I agree that the Dark Lord must be stopped, and that he's manipulating my father. For the first several years of my life, I believed all of your 'purity of blood' fanaticism, but Dumbledore, Potter and the others disproved it by succeeding, and the Dark Lord by failing. I may still be a little wary about mixed marriages, but I'm definitely not a follower of those cock and bull beliefs. I'm sorry to have to argue with you on this, Mother, but if you think I'm going to act as your duplicate or Father's, you're going to suffer a major disappointment. Have fun with the meeting; I'll see you outside." With that, he swept past his mother, ignoring her chilling glare and the stares from the others. Wordlessly, the eight other students followed him out of the room.

Outside in the hall, Draco rested his head against the wall. That was just wrong, what happened. He caught sight of his classmates looking at him funny. "What?" he snapped.

"Malfoy, I knew you had a sharp tongue, but that was..." Ron trailed off, shaking his head.

"It needed to be said."

"Anyway, I wonder what's going on in there? I'll get the Extendable Ears," Ginny said before rushing up to get them.

~*~*~*~

However, Grimmauld Place wasn't the only place where a major meeting was going on. A couple of hundred miles away, another meeting was taking place: in Riddle Manor.

All of the damage had been repaired. They had all learned a very important lesson from this: Never invite the enemy, even when you think the odds are in your favor. Voldemort sat in his chair, a very ugly (as in angry) look on his ugly face. "What news, Lucius?"

"My Lord, we have most of the ingredients, but a few are still needed, and we don't know where in the world, literally, to get-"

"Crucio." Malfoy screamed for a few moments before Voldemort cut it off. "Then we will put our secondary plan into order. Tonight."

There were gasps and murmurings. "But my Lord, can our overseas allies be contacted in time?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes, Dolores, they can and will be." Turning to another wizard, he asked, "I assume you have all the names and places, young Percival?"

"Of course, my Lord," Percy Weasley said from behind his mask. "They will all be ready within an hour. I used to work in the Department of International Cooperation, after all. I know about the wizards who work at their Ministries, but not exactly for them."

"Which is why I got you for the job," Voldemort smiled evilly. "Go, my minions. And do not fail. Wait, Percival."

As the other Death Eaters departed, Percy turned back to face Voldemort. "Yes, my Lord?"

"This will be like a trial for you, a rite of passage: Your first accomplished Death Eater mission. This will determine your skills and power. You may be best when it comes to handling information and helping organize the plans, but executing the plans is just as important. Do not fail."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Tell me, Percival, what do you think of your family?"

That one caught him off guard. Carefully, he worded his response. "They are in league with that lunatic Potter, and they refuse to listen to me. I hesitate to use any curses on them; there's an old saying that persuasion is better than force. Potter first stole my brother Ron away from me, and one by one, he has taken my siblings and parents. I hate him. I want to see him suffer."

"That's what the Cruciatus Curse is for, Percival."

"There are other curses, my Lord. Far more creative ones which I want to try. I never really got around to that kind of thing while serving Dumbledore in that idiotic madhouse he calls a school, so naturally, I have a lot of catching up to do."

Voldemort grinned wickedly. "Ah, Percival, the young scholar. You would have done well in Slytherin."

"Wormtail was in Gryffindor too, yet he seems to be doing fine, sir."

"Tell me, how does it feel to be working alongside your former pet rat?"

"Once I got over the initial shock, I realized it wasn't Wormtail's fault. It was Potter's. Potter and his mutt of a godfather, who brought shame to the Ministry. Potter and the werewolf, who constantly undermines everything. Potter, who destroyed everything with that night in the Shrieking Shack. Potter, who gets his tentacles over everything like some giant sea monster. Potter, the damn catalyst who keeps mucking up my life! In a perverse way, being with Wormtail, or Scabbers, or Peter, or whatever his name is, it's like being with an old friend again."

"I'm glad to see you've gotten into the fold so easily. Go with Dolores, my young follower. You have work to do. Remember: you carry out my plans, I'll spare your family. We'll be able to help them see the truth, one way or another."

"Yes, my Lord." Bowing, he swept out.

Oh, how Percy hated this job! The last thing he wanted to do was work with Dolores, who ordered the whipping of his twin brothers and threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on his youngest brother and only sister! If it wasn't for that, he'd Avada Kedavra her right here and now!

Percy would contact those in other countries. He would go with the plans. He would return to his family.

But not exactly in the way the Dark Lord intended. For if Voldemort thought he had all the cards, he had another thing coming. For Percy held a very valuable Ace up his sleeve.

And when the time was right, he would play it. (7)

(End of Chapter 23.)

A/N: So, was this chapter a BIG improvement over the original version of it?

(1) Heeheehee, is this funny or what?

(2) I'm assuming they wear bathing suits in there.

(3) I was studying French at the time I originally wrote this.

(4) The "Cheering Chocolates" were inspired by a concept I came across in Brent Braten's "Harry's-the-Heir-of-Gryffindor" story; HOWEVER, the ones involving creatures other than dementors (like for the vampires) were my own ideas.

(5) I purposely left out the enchanted shopping baskets for the sake of humor, with Harry having to carry a small teetering stack, heehee.

(6) Somehow, Mundungus Fletcher took a backseat in this story. Sorry to all those of you who liked him!

(7) So, what do you think Percy him now?

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