DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.

A/N: IMPORTANT!!! Is it alright to leave individual responses to readers at the end of each chapter, or does that go against this website's Terms of Service? IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER THAT FOR ME, I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE IT AND FIND SOME WAY TO THANK THEM!

Also, I would like to thank Lady of Masbolle on being such a darn loyal reader and reviewer!

CHAPTER 26: THE FINAL PROPHECY

Quis fluere occultis rerum neget omina causis? Who would deny that omens originate from the hidden causes of things? -Statius, Thebaid (6.934)

Later that night, after Harry gave answers to all of Luna's questions for the Quibbler, Harry found Ginny and persuaded her to take a nighttime stroll with him. Both tiger and lion had spent most of the night running around the Hogwarts grounds, playing tag, running through Hogsmeade and exploring parts of the forest that technically weren't part of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Most of the battlefield from earlier had been cleaned up, so they had no worries about stepping in something gross.

Ginny made for a very beautiful tiger, and she was very strong and fast, if not a little frivolous in her fun with Harry. Both felines tried pouncing and tackling, and often ended up on the ground, all winded. Both of them were equally matched when it came to hiding in the shadows, between Ginny's red and black stripes and Harry's black mane with gold fur. If Harry thought he had problems dealing with his hormones as a human, he was trying very hard to resist temptation as a cat. In the end, Harry led her to the cave where Sirius hid out, and both of them spent the night snuggling next to each other, and sleeping peacefully.

As the sun's first rays crept into the cave the next morning, Harry woke up with a monstrous leonine yawn. He saw Ginny next to him, snoring as a tiger. She looked so cute... Harry nuzzled her, and she woke up, yawned, and purred next to him. Harry transformed back, rubbed his eyes, and said, "So, had fun last night?"

She smiled after getting up and transforming back. "You bet."

"Er, we didn't... you know... did we?"

She laughed. "No, of course not. Imagine my mother's surprise when I bear her first grandchildren, and they have fur, whiskers, and tails." (1)

Harry laughed along with her. "She'd undoubtedly skin me alive, but not before screaming at me until I go deaf. Here, let's get back." He transformed into a phoenix, and as she took his tail, they vanished in a burst of flames.

~*~*~*~

They reappeared on the seventh floor down from the Fat Lady. They strolled up, and ignoring her scolding, gave her the password to enter Gryffindor Tower.

"Ladies first," Harry said, letting her enter before him.

"Ah, Harry, you're such a gentlemen," she laughed, but looking into the portrait hole, her face then blanched. Harry took a look, and he quickly understood why.

Ron and Hermione were giving them stern looks. Hermione had her arms crossed while Ron was curling fists. "So, Harry," Ron said in a dangerous voice, "Where were you and Ginny last night?"

Harry felt as though he were a teenager coming back from a date early in the morning, only to be caught by the parents. (2) "Well, I asked her to take a stroll with me, OK, we really became lion and tiger, we went through Hogsmeade, etc., spent the night in a cave... and, well, we came back just now. I'm sorry, was I supposed to ask for your brotherly consent first?" he added with a touch of humor. "You know what, you're absolutely right, I should have at least told you first."

Ron glowered. "How am I supposed to know you didn't... well..."

Ginny sighed. "No, Ron, we did not do anything that would have or could have resulted in your first nieces or nephews, don't worry." Harry blushed a little at the absurdity she said it with.

Ron seemed to relax a little, but not entirely. Harry added, "You could question both of us under Veritaserum and get the same results."

Ron took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "I'm sorry. I don't like the idea of anything happening to her."

"I'm a strong girl, you know, Ron," Ginny said pointedly.

"Well, don't either of you try to scare us like that again!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we won't," Harry reassured them.

As Harry and Ginny went back up to their own dormitories to get their things, Ron and Hermione followed them respectively.

~*~*~*~

"So, how are things with you and Harry?" Hermione asked her best friend.

She giggled and blushed. "I love it!"

"Ron really has to stop it with thinking that every time his back is turned, you and Harry will-" she broke off and blushed a little, but Ginny knew what she was implying.

"Oh, I could really see that happening, where I try to ask Ron for his brotherly consent. 'Oh Ron, I was thinking about making love to Harry, and we really don't care about personal protection. If he does happen to get me pregnant, would you like it to be a niece or a nephew?' And then he would say, 'Well, as long as Harry's the father and the child becomes a good Quidditch player, you have my blessings, and have fun.'"

Hermione laughed. "Very funny, Ginny. Also, is it true you're a tiger Animagus now?"

"Of course it is!" She transformed in front of her friend, and Hermione took in how strong and beautiful she was. "How long did it take?" the brunette asked.

Ginny resumed her normal form and said, "About three times longer than Harry."

Hermione was shocked. "In six or seven months?"

"Yup," Ginny grinned.

"But-how...?" Hermione spluttered.

"Well, I guess the more powerful a wizard or witch is, the less time it can take for them to become an Animagus."

"But it took the Marauders three years to become Animagi!"

"Actually, from what Professors McGonagall and Lupin told me, it took Sirius and Harry's dad a year to complete it, and another two for Wormtail."

"It seems Harry had quite the potential, since it took him three minutes to become a phoenix Animagus, that after two months to become a lion Animagus."

"Yes, so, if it took me about half a year to become a tiger Animagus, I must have some pretty good powers myself. So, since we have an hour or so to kill before breakfast, anything else you want to chat about?"

~*~*~*~

Harry and Ron went up their own staircase. "You know, Ron, if it's any consolation, your own mother said the odds of me harming Ginny were 'as unlikely as Hagrid kicking a puppy.'"

Ron sniggered. "And since you were able to go a single night without shagging her, I suppose you can be trusted."

Harry blushed. "We were both wild cats! And we were in a cave! Did you really think-?"

"No, you're right, Harry, I'm sorry. I'm just glad your 'one night stand' didn't result in anything I wouldn't like. I'm sorry, but the protectiveness is just a reflex."

"Anyway, different subject. What's new in your life apart from Quidditch?"

"Oh, well, I got in the paper for my flying and fighting!"

"Congratulations, Ron!"

"Also, there's news about designing a new broomstick meant for war, kind of like Muggle jet fighters which Dad has books about. They saw how well I did, and they want my help!"

"Excellent! I hope you do well."

"Actually, you should come too."

Harry feared that Ron would feel like second fiddle to him again, so he carefully asked, "No, Ron, they asked you, so you help them."

Ron rolled his eyes. "No, Harry, I want you to come."

"Really?"

"Of course! You probably know more on the subject then me."

"You mean, what sort of things jet fighters have and how to convert it into a military-style broomstick?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh. I thought you'd want to do it on your own and not fall back on me for help"

"Harry, mate, I'm beyond that now."

"So how do you deal with the desire to do something you'll be known for?"

"Simple. I pretend I don't have five older brothers unless I want them to exist, and that they haven't done anything special."

Harry thought about this, and laughed along with his friend.

~*~*~*~

At breakfast, Harry was walking into the hall when he heard booing and jeering, mainly from the Slytherin table, directed at him. Or rather, at someone behind him. Harry turned around and felt his good mood evaporate.

It was Draco. He was disheveled, and very, very angry. "Potter..." he growled.

"Draco, listen to me, please," Harry said patiently.

"NO!" he shouted, and everyone fell silent. "I trusted you, despite my intentions not to get caught up in your warped conflict with the Dark Lord, I sided with you anyway, hoping that by being your ally, I could be protected, and what happens!? My mother is now lying in St. Mungo's poisoned, in a coma, and could die any day! And here I thought that being one of your allies might have given me some protection! You're a walking disaster waiting to happen, and you keep screwing things up!"

"You sound like Filch now, you know," Harry said calmly, looking unfazed by the rant, although he did feel some sympathy for him. "What happened to your mother was terrible, I agree, I hope she gets better soon, but blaming all this on me will not help in the slightest. Did I poison her? No. Am I her enemy? No. Am I working with anyone who might have done so? Hell no. It's not worth wasting your energy to yell at me, so just stop it now."

The entire hall was stunned between Draco's outburst and Harry's smooth response. Normally, it was the other way around, with Harry yelling at Draco.

Draco, on the other hand, looked about ready to explode. He took out his wand, but Harry used a magical restraint to chain Draco's wrist to the floor, so it didn't move anywhere from its original position before the magic was performed. "The same goes for using magic on me," he added, undoing the restraint a moment later.

Draco was far from finished. "Curse you, Potter!" he yelled. "I hope the Dark Lord blasts you into a bunch of slimy bits! I hope I get to see it happen!"

Gasps filled the hall, but Harry looked unperturbed. "Now, I hope you didn't mean that, Draco. It would be horrible for you to let Voldemort control you just to see him kill me, because, if that happens, you'll be his lapdog for a very, very long time. You still have a choice. You want to remain neutral? Leave the country. Go into hiding. Do something productive, other than sitting around waiting for him to come after you. Just earlier this week, you told me something that you don't want him finding out about. I think staying out of Voldemort's path would be a very smart idea, don't you?"

Draco was gaping at how calm Harry was; the Harry Potter he had known for the past five years would have simply said and done some things that would have escalated the conflict, with the typical Gryffindor temper.

The blond Slytherin now gritted his teeth at Harry instead. "If anything," he said in a deadly voice, "And I mean anything ever happens to me or my family ever again, I will make sure you suffer for it."

"I'm sure you'd want to do that, although I doubt threatening me would be in your best interests," Harry pointed out.

Draco looked Harry straight in the eye, hoping to stare him down, but it didn't work. However, using his Legilimency, Harry could see the images going through Draco's head: His mother collapsing to the floor in pure agony... his mother being rushed through St. Mungo's... Draco sitting next to her, crying and sobbing...

The last image actually disturbed Harry. He had learned how public appearance was a Slytherin forte, but even he couldn't imagine Draco Malfoy like that.

Draco, in the meantime, had walked back to the doors to the hall, and after glaring at Harry one last time, slammed it behind him.

Harry didn't know it at the time, but he would be one of the last wizards in England to see Draco Malfoy for months.

~*~*~*~

Harry had skipped breakfast after that, or rather, he ate in the kitchens instead of in the Great Hall. He couldn't get Draco's memories out of his thoughts.

Thinking fast, Harry became a phoenix and went to his office. After he resumed his normal form, he wrote out a letter to Draco.

Draco,

If you've started reading thus far, please don't stop. You have my sympathy, because of what's been happening to you. I've been through a lot of horrible things in my own life, most of which I'm sure are as bad as what you're going through.

I hope things work out for you, and if you ever need my help, I will gladly assist.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

Harry wanted to give it to Hedwig, but he had a feeling that Draco would blast her away if it was sent it with her. In the end, Harry sent it with Ardeavis, reasoning that Draco wouldn't be able to do much damage to him, if any.

Just after Ardeavis left, Hedwig sailed in. After delivering the letter and nibbling on Harry's finger, he thanked her, patted her on the head, and gave her an Owl Treat. It had an official Ministry seal on it.

Mr. H. Potter,

Due to the request of Mr. Ronald Weasley, you are scheduled to come with him to the Auror Headquarters of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, this afternoon at 1:00, to help create the prototype for a broomstick designed for combat. You are not to talk about this to anybody outside of the project. Please save this letter as proof that you are permitted to come.

Sincerely,

Madame Amelia Bones Head of Magical Law Enforcement

Harry quickly pocketed the note and went back up to his dormitory to do some more studying.

~*~*~*~

Harry cooked himself some lunch in his new trunk while studying Transfiguration. He was quite good at conjuring almost any inanimate object now, and could even take so much as a splinter of wood and transfigure it into a beautifully crafted dining table. He had a shrewd feeling he could pass at least half the questions on the N.E.W.T.s next year, if what Professor McGonagall told him was true.

In fact, he was becoming quite the student at all his particular classes. Hagrid often asked him for help a little too often, compared to the other students; his essays were among the best in Potions; his work was top quality in DADA; and he even overheard Professor Flitwick the other day saying how he hadn't had such a talented Charms student since Lily Evans herself.

Charms was also something in itself. He had learned how to perform Memory Charms, and was no practicing the Fidelius Charm. He would make sure to ask Professor Flitwick for some additional practice during his next class.

At 12:30, Harry put all his stuff away and waited around to go with Ron. Eventually, he came bounding up to the room to find Harry; evidently, he was eager about this too.

"Hey Harry, come on, mate, we have a broom to create!" Both of them laughed at the unintentional rhyme as they walked. Hermione, Ginny and Cho were waiting there, along with Madame Hooch and professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Lupin. Using the Floo Network, they traveled to the Ministry of Magic, landing in its Atrium. After checking through with security, they made their way to the DMLE.

On their way down, they bumped into Cornelius Fudge. "Cornelius," Dumbledore greeted him cordially. "How are things?"

He smiled. "Oh, fine, I'm working for DMLE now, trying to organize information and such for the war effort."

"Sounds interesting," Harry commented. Fudge looked at him, and his smile faded a little, but was then smiling normally as he said, "Anyway, I have a report for Madam Bones. Have a nice day." And with that, he walked off.

'Weird,' Harry thought. Interpreting his thoughts, Dumbledore said, "It must be part of the recovery from St. Mungo's. Anyway, let's continue."

The Auror Headquarters looked pretty much the same as the first time Harry was there. Paper airplane squadrons flew overhead, pictures of wanted criminals were tacked up, and so were maps of the world of potential sightings. There was some muttering as Harry and his entourage entered, and one witch even called out, "I'll save this cubicle for you, Potter!" Harry blushed while the rest of them laughed.

Kingsley and Tonks were waiting for them. "Wotcher," Tonks said. "Come with us, there's a lab set up." After they all showed their letters to guards on either side of the door, they entered.

In Harry's opinion, it was like the magical equivalent Q's lab from those James Bond movies (he had seen some of the older movies like "Goldfinger" at Mrs. Figg's house), with wizards working on all sorts of gadgets, although these were more for outright combat rather than for spy missions.

Arthur Weasley was talking to Mad-Eye Moody, and they were standing on a circular platform with a white curtain floating around a concealed object; Harry could make out the shadows of a couple of wizards looking over what looked like a cross between a broomstick and a motorcycle.

"Hi Dad, sorry, Minister," Ginny said. Mr. Weasley laughed. "Hello, Ginny, thanks for coming. Because of a certain young man who devised a way to fight while flying on a broomstick-" both he and Ron made eye contact at this point, looking very proud "-we have decided to come up with a new line of defense. From some of my old books on Muggle vehicles, I have seen how airplanes work, especially for combat. Fighters, bombers, etc."

Hermione raised her hand. Mr. Weasley laughed, "This isn't school, Hermione, but go on, ask."

"Well, Minister, magic basically turns Muggle science, technology and engineering on its head, making them obsolete. You don't have to worry about things like Bernoulli's Principle or other concepts..."

"Actually, Hermione," Ron explained, "Wizards have gotten some ideas from Muggles. Practically every single broomstick these days is aerodynamically crafted, so it's not as though both kinds are nothing alike."

"Thank you, Ron," Mr. Weasley said, making Ron blush with pride. "I have seen some devices in Muggle jet fighters that would serve their purpose on this new device. While they use simple mechanical devices for things like showing the pilot altitude and speed, there are simple enchantments on this prototype that fulfill the same purpose. You'll see what I mean." He turned to the figures behind the curtain and said, "Ready yet?"

"Almost..." one wizard said. There was a small BOOM, a cloud of purple smoke, and the wizard then said, "OK, done now!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wright," Mr. Weasley said. "OK, unveil it!" The witch behind the curtain ripped it away, and Mr. Wright, a man in his fifties with graying hair and mustache, said, "Well, what do you think?" (3)

It was a broomstick a little longer than Sirius' motorbike. The middle of it was bent a little low, in order to make room for a high-backed seat. Much to Harry's amusement, it actually had a seat belt, with a band that went across the waist, at the bottom of two more which formed a V. At the top of the seat, connected by an easily bendable appendage, was what looked like a motorbike helmet, with the visor coming down in front of the face. There was a small stalk a foot away from the front end, with what looked like a wand holster. At the midpoint between the broom handle and the holster were a compass, and a few different buttons. Between the seat and the tail were two tall isosceles triangles, slightly taller than the seat by an inch or so, which Harry recognized as folded-up wings, with five rockets lined up along the undersides of them.

"Well," Harry said, "I haven't seen it in action yet, so I don't know. I suppose it's OK, as far as appearances go." This was pretty much the sentiment of everyone else.

"Then allow me to demonstrate," said a voice from behind them. It was Krum.

"Hi, Viktor," Hermione said, blushing a little while Ron tried to make sure there still wasn't anything going on between them.

"Hello, Hermy-onee," he replied. "This prototype, for which we have yet to give a name, well be tested in a special area adjacent to this laboratory. Mr. Wright, please show us there."

"Of course, Mr. Krum," he said enthusiastically. He and his assistant carried it over to a door, and after they carried it inside, everyone else followed them.

The special area was about the size of a Quidditch pitch. There were markings and such all over the floor and walls, along with targets floating in midair. After it was set down, Krum thanked the pair of technicians and mounted it. He fasted the seat belt, slid his wand into the holster, and put the helmet on. As he took off and flew around, Mr. Wright gave a running commentary.

"This broomstick, for the most part, was designed by Ronald Weasley, and we simply worked from his ideas to make a prototype." After Ron blushed, Mr. Wright continued, "As you can see, the seat is flexible so it can bend with the body in case the wizard needs to fly flat out. There is also the magical equivalent of a microphone in the helmet, which can give directions to the wand as though he were holding it." Here, Krum sent a couple of Stunners and Reductor Curses from the wand and destroyed a couple of different targets. "Also, using the buttons at the front, the wings fold down-" Whrrrr... "-and missiles can be fired, either straight out or to follow a designated target-" BOOM! BOOM! Whrrrr... "-and this I'm particularly proud of; the defense systems. The prototype has a maximum speed of 150 mph; at 100 or lower, this shield can be activated-" what looked like a transparent bubble surrounded Krum and the seat, shaped to follow the contours "-and over 100, especially for a quick getaway, is the smokescreen." The bubble shield disappeared as a lot of black smoke then came out of the tail twigs of the broomstick, which Mr. Wright's assistant then magically cleared up.

As Krum landed and all the damage was fixed, he waited for the missiles to be restocked before handing it over to Ron, who said, "I can't wait to try it out." As soon as he was ready, he immediately took off. Harry couldn't see Ron's face, but he was sure that his face was wearing an expression of ecstasy.

After Ron landed, Harry said, "Um, can I try?"

Mr. Wright and Ron exchanged glances, and they both agreed. As the missiles were once again restocked, Harry put on the gloves and such, and mounted it while putting his own wand in the holster.

As he put the helmet in place, he heard a feminine voice say, "Welcome to the prototype model. Please know now that when the actual models come out, your voice recognition will be required to match the model you will own." The visor, which was dark on the outside, was crystal clear on the inside. It automatically came to life as Harry took off. The green lettering on the glass formed numbers and such, while still allowing Harry enough room to see through. There were crosshairs in the middle, and along the edges were stats for the altitude, speed, what looked like radar, distance from target, etc.

In Harry's opinion, it was a lot like the video games that Dudley spent too much of his time playing, although he firmly reminded himself that this was real and actual people could be hurt if something went wrong.

In the end, Harry enjoyed himself immensely. In his opinion, it was like a magic jet fighter. Ginny and Cho also tried it, while the professors gave their professional opinions regarding the magic involved, from the enchantments to the Dark detection. In the end, Cho could handle it almost as good as Ron, and could come up with literally killer strategies.

More than an hour later, the group left, while the technicians got started on editing the few suggestions Ron had. In Harry's opinion, if Ron didn't have that much to criticize about, then it was obviously excellent to begin with.

~*~*~*~

"So, Ron," Harry said after they had returned to Hogwarts, "Think of a name yet?"

Ron grinned. "The SkyFox."

Harry shrugged. "Sounds cool."

"Oh, I can't wait to try it out in battle," Ron said cheerfully. "I bet Charlie and the twins would love it."

"No doubt the twins would want to customize their own for pranks and stuff."

"Not without the DMLE's permission, they can't."

"So, when will you give a press conference regarding your new broom?"

"Actually, that's a problem; we can't release it to the press JUST yet. Maybe after people see it in the first battle, maybe."

"Does that bother you?"

"A little, but at least my parents and most of my siblings know, and that's enough for me at the moment."

"Glad to hear it; I'm happy for you."

"You know, it's very rarely I get something."

"Ron, please, not the jealousy act."

"No, but, I mean, last year, for example, I never thought I would be a prefect. Then the badge came, and I was shocked, but proud. Then, at the end of last year, I found out how I was chosen because Dumbledore felt you were going through enough stress as it was."

"I could see where he was coming from, actually. In retrospect, I'm not upset over it; I doubt I'd be good at it anyway. It probably would have only provided Umbridge with one more thing to take away."

"Don't say that, mate! You're a leader, everyone looks up to you! We lived through the fiasco in the Department of Mysteries, thanks mainly to your strategy! We've done well in all those other battles so far! You're a natural!"

"I hardly feel like a leader."

"Maybe you're not in the right mindset. How am I supposed to be one of your generals or something if you're not a leader?"

"You've got a point there."

"Oh, and speaking of which, Moody agreed to meet with me some afternoons and discuss combat and strategy with me. This is going to be great!"

Harry stopped and looked Ron straight in the eye. "Ron, I may need to rely on you a lot. We're in a war, and I'm expected to help. I need help as well. You'll help me, right?"

Ron could see how mature Harry was being about this, and with a level of maturity that would make Hermione proud, he said, "Of course, Harry. I promise."

~*~*~*~

Dumbledore was taking a stroll through the castle and decided to visit Professor Trelawney in the North Tower. After he knocked on the trapdoor, he heard the witch say in her misty voice, "Come in."

Dumbledore climbed the silver ladder and entered the classroom of the dramatic Divination teacher. "Ah, Headmaster," she said mystically, "How nice to see you today."

"Good day, Sybil. I have something to ask you."

"Please, do not worry. Ask."

"Have you ever heard of a prophecy about the Heir of Gryffindor?"

"Yes, indeed I have."

Dumbledore showed her the notes he had copied from the book, and using a volume from a series of encyclopedias she had of every prophecy ever made, Trelawney confirmed that indeed that was the prophecy. (4) Dumbledore thanked Trelawney for her help, and was about to leave when suddenly there was a THUD as she collapsed on the floor and started to prophesize.

"THE HEIR OF GRYFFINDOR GROWS STRONG... IN THE MARCH TOWARDS WAR, HE WILL BE GUIDED BY THE TIGER AND THE SWAN... IN THE TIDES OF CHAOS, THE RAVEN AND THE SERPENT WILL HELP HIM... THE NEXT HEIR OF SLYTHERIN WILL CONSPIRE WITH HIM FROM THE SHADOWS... THE DARK LORD WILL STEAL HIM AWAY, AND INTO DARKNESS HE WILL FALL... HE WILL RETURN TO THE HOMEPLACE AND DISCOVER HIS BIRTHRIGHT... ONCE BURNT LIKE THE PHOENIX, HE WILL RISE AGAIN AND FREE THE WORLD FROM THE CAGE OF EVIL, WITH THE AID OF THE WEAPON THAT RESTS BEYOND THE GRIFFIN'S DOOR... THE HEIR OF GRYFFINDOR... GROWS STRONG..."

Dumbledore watched the whole time, taking it in, word for word, and when Trelawney snapped out of her trance, he said, "Thank you so very much for your help, Sybil. A pay raise is in order, I think. Good day."

"Good day," she said faintly as he left. 'Why did he thank me a second time, then offer me a raise?' the Seer mused to herself. 'Oh well. That's Dumbledore for you, I suppose.' With that, she made some tea and found a good book to read.

She never noticed the scorpion under her chair. The scorpion would relay the information to the others, but in the meantime, he had some business to do. Seeing her heel, the arachnid took aim...

~*~*~*~

Harry spent the rest of the day working in his trunk, practicing dueling and Transfiguration. Since conjuring objects required mass amounts of concentration and concentration had come easier to him using Occlumency and meditation.

He never learned about the attack on Trelawney or the rumors flying around about her poisoning until after the fact.

~*~*~*~

As Dumbledore watched Professor Trelawney being taken away by Aurors and Healers, his mind wandered back to the new prophecy. The Heir of Slytherin was also mentioned... unless it was not Voldemort, the same Heir who was prophesized to open the Chamber of Secrets, but another one of Voldemort's descendants? The parts about conspiracy from the shadows, stealing away, and falling into darkness certainly worried Albus greatly.

When compared to Trelawney's first prophecy, it seemed to point to Harry, but it didn't necessarily mean that the world would be free from evil the moment Voldemort was vanquished. Others could rise in his place. This prophecy said nothing about the Heir of Gryffindor vanquishing Voldemort; merely saving the world.

Dumbledore also decided to take it not too literally; prophecies often had multiple meanings.

With that, Dumbledore went down to dinner to make an announcement regarding this terrible event. As he was leaving the floor, an Auror came up to him and said, "You wouldn't believe what we just found, sir, and I don't think you're going to like it."

~*~*~*~

"So anyway, Harry, this is the point in sixth year where the staff chooses the potential Head Boy and Girl for the next year. It would be awesome if you were Head Boy!"

"Nah, not likely, Ron, I have enough to worry about as it is. I don't know if I would be so great at Head Boy, between the responsibility and being good at the job."

"Somehow, it only seemed right, since both your parents were Head Boy and Girl."

"How would you know that?"

Ron shrugged. "Hermione and I were looking up records when we came across your parents' names. Interestingly, neither of them were prefects."

"Well, my dad was too much of a diabolical prankster to be a role model. Who was the female prefect in their year?"

"Alice Taylor. She’s Neville's mum." (5)

"That would probably make Neville proud."

As they walked into the Great Hall, there was much muttering, some of which rose even more as Harry and Ron entered the hall.

"Students, staff, Aurors," Dumbledore spoke up as everybody went silent, "There was an attempt on Professor Trelawney's life earlier today. Someone set a scorpion loose into her classroom, which stung her in the heel. It will take a few weeks for her to recover entirely. Firenze, the centaur, will substitute for her in the meantime. As with the attempts on Professors Lupin and la Fontaine, if anyone has any information that might help, I beg them to come forward."

As everyone muttered more, Dumbledore walked from the High Table towards Harry. "Please come with me to my office, Harry," he whispered in his student's ear. Harry nodded and followed him.

After they had reached Dumbledore's office and settled themselves down, Dumbledore told Harry, "I'm afraid there is some rather alarming evidence that was found in Professor Trelawney's room."

Harry had a feeling this couldn't be good. "Please, go on."

"Well, she was muttering your name- don't worry, it might be poison-induced insanity," he quickly added as Harry made to protest. "Also, one of your hairs was found next to the crime scene."

Dead silence. Dumbledore spoke up again, "I certainly don't believe you attacked Professor Trelawney, Harry; I can already tell using Legilimency. Can you help me come up with any ideas to help me disprove the notion that you attacked her?"

"Well, let's see, I was in that class for three years, it could have been from before, or maybe someone just planted it there."

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent Auror-type thinking, Harry. But how would they have gotten you hair?"

Harry thought carefully... "Maybe somewhere in the halls... or someone in Gryffindor Tower..." Now Harry felt about ready to panic.

"Exactly, Harry," Dumbledore said. "We will plant new security measures."

"Er, no offense, sir, but during the first four years of my time here, a lot of things ran around causing trouble. I don't want to go through anymore events where I discover things that could have been prevented months before."

"New security measures have been added. All seven ways out of the castle have been sealed. There are alarms in case any silver-pawed rats try to get in. Every single ward that was already in place at Hogwarts has been renewed. Practically nothing out of the ordinary will go unnoticed."

"By the way, no everyone seems to think I did that to Professor Trelawny. What will I do now?"

"Tell the truth, Harry. I will support you."

"Thank you." As Harry got up to leave, he asked, "By the way, why did you compare me to Voldemort about a month ago?"

Dumbledore sighed, looking very sad and ashamed. "A grievous mistake on my part, Harry. I focused so much on the similarities between the two of you, I neglected to take the differences into account. I wasn't thinking straight."

"In other words, you let your experiences influence your judgment, sir?" Harry asked as respectfully as he could.

"Something like that."

Harry looked weary. "I accept your apology. Anyway, I have work to do."

"One other thing, Harry," Dumbledore said, "I will make an announcement after dinner. With the rising attacks on Hogwarts, I have decided to move up the Quidditch schedule. The Quidditch Final will be the last Saturday of the month. Gryffindor is already in one slot; the match before the final will determine your opponent, Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

"That reminds me, sir; what has happened with Draco Malfoy?"

Dumbledore's sadness seemed to increase to the point where it looked as though he had just aged by half a century. "He has transferred to Beauxbatons. His mother is also in the infirmary there; that way he can visit her more often."

"I sent him a message offering to help him," Harry said. "No response yet."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Harry," Dumbledore smiled.

"Thank you, sir. By the way, since my friends are going to help, I was wondering how they would help. Ron would be a great strategist, Hermione might be able to piece together different bits of information, Neville could help cultivate different plants for cures, Blaise could work with students from other Houses to help weed out any traitors, Cho could handle missions with the new brooms, etc."

"I was thinking along the same lines, Harry."

"If that's all... is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

Dumbledore paused; he thought about the new prophecy that Trelawney had made hours before.

'I shouldn't tell him just yet; there's still a lot to sort out,' he thought.

'Falling into old habits again, are we, Headmaster?' said a nasty voice in his head that sounded much like the younger Tom Riddle.

'This isn't as threatening and urgent as Trelawney's first prophecy; I can and will tell it to him when the time is truly right.'

"Professor Dumbledore?"

Harry's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Yes, actually. If you are willing to take on the responsibility again, we can make you an Assistant Professor again. We will have to cancel lessons with Fleur..."

"I'm not that distraught, don't worry. Besides, I can always owl her or pass on messages through Bill Weasley if I have any questions."

"Very reasonable, Harry. So, it's settled. Tomorrow, we will resume your normal teaching. By the way, I learned from last year how making you a prefect may have helped garner some more respect for you, so by putting you in a more respectable position, it might show my trust in you."

"Thank you. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Harry."

Both of them were smiling afterwards; some of last year's worse wounds were healing.

~*~*~*~

Naturally (or at least according to Hogwarts' laws of nature) rumors spread rampant about the attempt on Professor Trelawney's life. Once again, some people suspected Harry, and once again, his friends who were prefects threatened them with detention.

Dumbledore had announced the Quidditch Tournament schedule being stepped up, much to the interest of everybody else. While Ravenclaw and Slytherin scrambled to get their things together, Gryffindor (especially Ron) were looking forward to getting the Cup sooner.

When he announced that Harry would be returning to his Assistant Professor position, this bought lots of cheering from the younger students who were in his classes. Apparently, Mad-Eye Moody had been taking over for him, and he was "kind of scary" according to most of them. As Harry pointed out, they were being taught by the real Moody, and not the imposter, so they didn't have it all that bad.

In the meantime, chaos spread throughout England as Voldemort and his Death Eaters went on rampages, not to find ingredients for whatever they were planning, but simply for their own cruel, twisted pleasure. Muggles were starting to notice these things, but it never did reach the point were Muggles and wizards would have to unite, although a few had suggested it.

Obliviators were working overtime to keep things in order, and the rate of new Aurors had increased dramatically. Arthur Weasley was in his finest, and he had risen to meet the challenge quite well. Diplomats had been sent out to try to work with wizards from other countries, as well as other creatures entirely. House elves were being considered to help on spy missions, goblins agreed to forge weapons, and werewolves were being hired for jobs that most people wouldn't have considered them for in times of peace. However, dementors and giants had already defected to Voldemort. So far, the vampires remained neutral.

Dumbledore had sent owls to all the parents and guardians of Hogwarts students, especially to those of Muggle-born students, saying that in times of trouble, they were welcome as refugees at the castle. Muggle parents even received offers to allow wards to be put on their homes to protect them, to a certain extent.

In a strange sort of way, it brought some sort of peace to Harry; it invalidated his belief that anyone close to him was automatically at risk. All of these other people outside of Hogwarts were being harmed, and they had nothing to do with him whatsoever. What mattered was doing as much as he possibly could.

He even wrote a letter to Mrs. Weasley, saying how he was getting better.

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

You know how that day at your house (where I crashed, sorry again), where I felt everything was my fault? Somehow, I've come to the conclusion that it isn't, given recent events that don't involve me at all.

I wanted to thank you for your help, love and wisdom. In these days of darkness, hopefully I'll be able to help your family, and vice versa.

One other thing: Dumbledore apparently thought I might end up like Voldemort because he let his own personal memories affect his judgment. We're past that mistake now, so don't worry.

Sincerely,

Harry

P.S. You know, I completely forgot about my motorbike until just now. What happened with that?

After he sealed it, went up to the Owlrey, and sent it with Hedwig, he returned to Gryffindor Tower and spent the rest of the night reading up on Healing Charms.

~*~*~*~

On Monday morning, he received a large package from Mrs. Weasley with a reply.

Dear Harry,

First of all, I'm glad to hear you're doing better, and I hope we can all stick together through this. Next, my husband managed to restore your motorbike to its original condition, exactly as it was when you first got it. It's enclosed, as well as some homemade fudge.

More importantly, I'm glad that you and Professor Dumbledore have sorted it all out.

Finally, you can expect help from us in the days to come.

Love,

Mrs. Weasley

He quickly scribbled a thank you reply, finished his breakfast, and put his stuff away in his dorm before going down to Potions.

During Potions, work continued with the Polyjuice Potion. Harry had already agreed to try it out with Draco, but since he had transferred to Beauxbatons, Harry decided to try the potion with Neville.

After class, Snape had called Harry to his attention. Because of the planted hair in Trelawney's room, they decided to be very careful with how things progressed in Potions, especially given the subject they were currently studying.

Speaking of Draco, it seemed that without him around, Theodore Nott had officially replaced him as "the Slytherin git." Crabbe and Goyle acted as his bodyguards, Pansy was his girlfriend, etc. It would almost have been as though Draco Malfoy had never existed at all, if it weren't for the fact that Nott kept mentioning him as "getting his one day."

As for Harry's small circle of friends, Draco's absence had a strange effect on the other nine. He was often able to give insight into what happened in the unseen lives of Slytherins, both as students at school and as adults who happened to be Slytherin alumni. Without him, it was as though a void had been placed in the sphere of elite O.S. members (that being Harry and the remaining eight). Harry was bothered, although Ron hardly seemed bothered; he never liked Draco, and could only tolerate his presence, and it seemed as though Ron felt that Draco had gotten what he deserved, which Harry highly disagreed with.

Rumors had also run wild throughout the entire week about Harry trying to kill off Trelawney. No sooner than had Harry entered the halls to go to his DADA classroom then were people muttering and pointing at him, which he extremely disliked. Hermione, Ron and Ginny immediately tried to keep everyone away.

"This is enough!" Harry yelled. "I got reinstated as an Assistant Professor yesterday, I can assign detentions too. I had nothing to do with what happened to Professor Trelawney!"

"Yeah, right!" one student yelled. "Look at what you did to Quirrell!"

Harry gnashed his teeth. "Quirrell was working for Voldemort and trying to kill me! Those were entirely different circumstances, and I wasn't even in the same area of the castle as Trelawney when it happened!" he yelled at the student the same moment Ron gave him a detention.

"I can think of one reason you might want to do it," said a cool voice from the rear of the crowd. Everyone quieted down as an older girl from Gryffindor made her way through the crowd as Lavender and Parvati followed behind her.

Seeing that Harry didn't recognize this girl, Hermione whispered in his ear, "That's Judy Arnold, a seventh-year Gryffindor. She deeply reveres Trelawney and worships her even more than Lavender and Parvati, if that's even possible." (6)

"Oh, really?" Harry said to this girl in a very Snape-like manner. "And what would that be?"

"You hate Trelawney, and you can't stand her prophecies because they always come true," she said haughtily.

Raising a hand to tell Ron and Hermione to stand down, Harry said, "No, Judy, I do not hate her. She can be dramatic, she can be gloomy at times, but I've seen how some of her prophecies come true, if she makes them while she's in the right state of mind. Some of her predictions have come true, some haven't, but then again, no one's record is perfect. My feelings about her capabilities are mixed, and my opinion of her is neutral."

"Yeah right, Potter," Arnold shot at him. "You figured if she couldn't prophesize, her visions couldn't come true."

"Things can happen regardless of what might be known before they happen, Judy," Hermione spoke up. "And since I used a Time-Turner for an entire year, I should know."

Arnold turned to Lavender and Parvati and said, "Girls, you don't agree with this, this hypocrisy, do you?"

Parvati looked back and forth between the opposing sides, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry, Judy, but Harry's right. He was perfectly honest about what he said regarding Professor Trelawney. He wasn't trying to downplay her or belittle her, so I doubt he'd try to harm her."

Lavender nodded and added, "We know Harry would never do such a thing, no matter how much she kept predicting his death."

Arnold shot the two girls a betrayed glare. Harry said, "Thank you, Parvati, Lavender, for getting that point across." Turning back to Arnold, he said, "Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to murder a staff member under Dumbledore's nose? I would never try to assassinate another professor; I would just quit their classes."

Arnold just wouldn't give up. "Maybe not kill, but do other things! How about Lockhart?"

Harry and Ron snorted in perfect sync. Ron spoke up, "The man couldn't perform a single spell properly, not even the Memory Charms he used to take the credit for other people's work! Harry proved months ago how fraudulent he was! Or did he somehow manage to perform a Memory Charm on you so you wouldn't remember?"

Everyone else laughed while Hermione put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Nice one, Ron," she whispered in his ear.

"Thanks," he muttered back, smiling.

"What is the cause of all this commotion?" said a silky voice from the back of the crowd. It was Snape, curiously eyeing the scene in front of him.

Before Arnold could say anything, Harry told Snape, "Judy Arnold has been accusing me of attacking Professor Trelawney and now she's trying to get other students against me too. She seems to think I kill off any teachers I hate or even remotely dislike."

Snape smirked and raised an eyebrow. Looking at Arnold, he said, "Obviously your 'Potter killing the professors' theory is invalid, Miss Arnold; I'm still here, alive and perfectly healthy. Detention for the hold up in the halls." As the older girl glowered, Harry gave an appreciative nod to Snape and left.

~*~*~*~

A month off the job as being Assistant Professor hardly dented Harry's teaching skills. He was delighted to be back in the flow of things, and so were his students. Throughout the entire week, Harry was encouraging in his classes, and his students were glad to have him back. His week would have been as perfect as it could have been, if the occasional chaos hadn't still occurred. Yes, a few rumors had spread, but those had resulted in being the least of his problems.

Green snakes had appeared as graffiti overnight near the dormitories of all Houses but Slytherin, threatening mail had been sent to Muggle-borns, and some people actually wound up in the hospital wing after breakfast on Friday morning. Madam Pomfrey had determined the cause to be the purple end of Puking Pastilles, crushed up and put into the food. It seemed the house elves had no recollection of the event, and Dumbledore eventually determined that Memory Charms had been used on the elves.

Harry and his friends worked tirelessly with Dumbledore and the rest of the staff to figure out what to do. New security measures had been put up (such as tentacles coming out of the wall if someone was trying to vandalize it), mail would be checked, and security trolls would be hired to guard the kitchens. As an extra measure, Harry ordered Dobby to make sure nothing went wrong in the kitchens.

The Head Boy and girl, as well as all the prefects, were being asked to do late night shifts if they had to; if there were valid excuses for them not to, the ghosts would be used in their place. Since Harry was an Assistant Professor, he was also granted the privilege to patrol the halls at night, and being a lion-phoenix Polyanimagus, he would prove immensely helpful. Harry and Ginny even managed to persuade Peeves to help out, with the promise that the poltergeist could use unnecessary force on the culprits; Peeves hadn't looked this happy since his DUI days last year (which he claimed was an acronym for "Driving Umbridge Insane"). (7)

~*~*~*~

Saturday was the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match. Due to the fact that Lucius Malfoy's property had been seized and Draco Malfoy was no longer on the team, the match was practically one-sided. It still became much of a challenge for Cho, though: just after Ravenclaw had scored its fourteenth goal (making the score 140-30), the replacement Slytherin Seeker, a girl in Harry's year named Daphne Greengrass, almost caught the Snitch, which would have caused Slytherin to narrowly win the match, but Cho easily caught it in a deft move, making the final score 290-30.

After the match, Harry congratulated her on the excellent move. She had just smiled when Ron came charging up to them, telling Harry not to fraternize with the enemy. While Cho glared, Hermione hurried up to them and told Ron sternly it was only a game, not life and death, and that was no way to treat a friend. With the three combined glares he was receiving, Ron immediately came to his senses and wandered off.

After Hermione went after him, Cho said, "Next match, Harry, may the best player win."

He smiled. "May the best player win," he echoed.

~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, after the match, Harry and the other eight remaining students in his circle of friends (who now called themselves "the Elite Stags"), were summoned to Dumbledore's office. After giving the password (Dragonbreath Delights"), they went up to the Headmaster's office and entered it.

"You have seen the power of the new SkyFoxes," Dumbledore said, "And now it is time to put them to use."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What's going on and where?"

"Troops are advancing on Durmstrang in Eastern Europe; it seems Voldemort wants to take it over. The giants are also part of Voldemort's troops. Mr. Krum is already waiting there, ready to go." Looking around at Harry and his friends, Dumbledore continued, "Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Cho will be able to use our new brooms; the rest of you can help us with monitoring the battle."

Taking out a giant car tire as a Portkey and allowing the nine students to touch it, Dumbledore counted down, "3... 2... 1..."

The next moment, they were gone.

~*~*~*~

A bunch of wizarding tents had been set up across a field of light snow. A small castle, roughly half the size of Hogwarts, could be seen in the distance; Durmstrang. Dumbledore lead them to a makeshift building, about the size of a normal house. Inside the lobby, Krum was talking with Charlie, Fred, and George.

A three-dimensional real time model of Durmstrang and the surrounding area appeared in front of them. It appeared that mountains surrounded the school, and that giants were trying to make their way through the narrow passes in between each mountain. Dementors and even chimaeras were with them. According to the battle plans, they were to simply slow down and hinder the giants, but not kill them, since hopefully the giants could later see that peace between them and wizards could be reached. They were, however, allowed to kill Death Eaters, dementors, etc.

As Harry, Ron, Ginny, Cho, Fred, George, Charlie and Krum went to the tent holding the brooms, a Death Eater watched them from the shadows under his invisibility cloak. He quickly ran back from beyond the boundaries of Durmstrang's grounds and made his way back to home base.

In a corner of Voldemort's temporary base for the assault on Durmstrang Institute, the Death Eater took off the invisibility cloak, returned it to Lucius Malfoy, and went to a nearby bathroom. He ran his hands under warm water, cleaned his glasses, and straightened out his flaming red hair.

This would be the day. Where Percy would prove himself at last to show his true friends and allies where he truly belonged. (8)

(End of Chapter 26.)

A/N: So, how did this chapter go?

(1) Before you even think it, NO, they did not... well, you know.

(2) I have this theory about RWHG ships, which I support, because Ron and Hermione seem to be based in some ways off of Harry's parents. Here's my reasoning...

Ron seems to mirror James by being from a pureblooded family, Quidditch fanatic, anti-Slytherin, and practical joker. Hermione seems to mirror Lily as being Muggle-born, studious, wonderful student, absorbed in books, etc.

(3) Think John Cleese (who did Q in "007: Die Another Day"), and yes, I got "Wright" from the famous brothers who created the first airplane.

(4) You might be asking right now, why the Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries when there's this whole series of books? This is a Ministry-reviewed edition, where they censor it (we all know how many tabs the Ministry can keep on something, right?).

(5) Why do I think Lily Evans wasn't a prefect? Think back to the Pensieve incident in OotP. She doesn't have a prefect's badge, and wouldn't she have been likely to order James & Co. to leave Snape alone, as well as tell Lupin to back her up?

(6) In this rework, I decided to switch it from Lavender to an OC, since Lavender's too loyal to Harry. Besides, back then, I wasn't good at coming up with names for OC's. (Speaking of which, MAJOR thanks to Bianca (SnowyBlackOwl) for helping me come up with this girl's name.)

CHALLENGE!!! Can you find the symbolism in Judy Arnold's name? Spoilers for the first person who figures it out!

(7) Do you like the idea of "DUI" being an acronym for "Driving Umbridge Insane"? I came up with it myself.

(8) So, do you think Percy’s good or evil? I'm taking bets, LOL!

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