(no subject)

[kanedax]

See previous chapters here

Title: Harry Potter & The Seven Soldiers, Chapters 5-7
Author: kanedax
Fandom: Harry Potterverse
Spoilers: Harry Potter 1-6
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Seven Soldiers emerge
Notes: Did you know that Writely doesn't have a font size adjustment any more?  grumble grumble grumble.  As usual, if anyone knows of a decent HP fic site that this story would work for, let me know.  Also as usual, I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling, or Ginny Weasley.  I don't have any redheads, actually, which is a shame that knows no bounds.

Chapter 5
The Survivor

December 30th rolled over into December 31st. There was a tension in air, as the assembled members of Dumbledore's Army realized that things were nearly coming to a head.

Harry looked at his watch. Eight A.M.. He turned to Hermione and the Weasleys.

"We can't wait any longer," he said. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to move without Bill and Fleur."

Ginny nodded. "I understand. I just hope they're safe."

Fred patted Ginny on the back. "Our sister-in-law's a Tri-Wizard Champion. Our brother might be a werewolf. I think they can take care of themselves."

"Game face time, Harry," George said.

Harry breathed in deep, and let out a loud sigh. Time to set the pieces, and hope that no one gets hurt. He stood up.

"Attention, everyone!" He yelled across the ballroom. Silence fell instantly as one hundred faces turned to him in anticipation.

"I'm sorry that I've kept a lot of you in the dark about why we called you all together."

"Well, we're obviously going to try to get back Hogwarts, aren't we?" Lavender Brown said.

"Yes, we are," Harry said. "But it goes beyond that.

"It deals with a prophecy. One that I heard from Voldemort himself."

A murmur traveled through the crowd. Some reacted with skepticism about coming together because of a prophecy. Most just reacted to hearing Voldemort's name out loud.

"I realize that a lot of you don't believe in prophecies. Hell, I'm not even completely sure I believe in this one. But I know that he does believe in them. So we'd better be prepared for dealing with it.

He recited the words that had been continuously ringing through his head.

In the Seventh Year at the Seventh School

Seven Soldiers will battle Seven Skulls

For the Seventh Soul

One shall fight Seven

And to the victor goes the New Year

Harry paused. He looked to Hermione and Ron, debating whether he should say what he felt he must say. Hermione nodded for him to go on.

He turned back to the group. "For the past few months, Hermione, Ron, and I have been fulfilling a mission that began with Professor Dumbledore. Voldemort discovered a way to create a powerful item called a Horcrux. With the Horcrux, he was able to keep a piece of his soul intact in an object, therefore fortifying his immortality.

"He created six of these Horcruxes and hid them in secret locations throughout the world. Professor Dumbledore discovered these Horcruxes, and set out to destroy them.

"Between his work and ours, we've destroyed five of the six Horcruxes. We believe that the sixth Horcrux is with him. He also retains a piece of his soul within himself: The Seventh Soul."

"Tonight, we're going to Hogwarts. We're going to get in, find the sixth Horcrux, and destroy it.

"Then we destroy Voldemort himself."

Dean Thomas raised his hand. "But what's all that about the Seven Soldiers?"

"The Seven Soldiers and the Seven Skulls," he said carefully, "probably refers to seven Death Eaters fighting seven of Dumbledore's Army or of The Order of the Phoenix. I believe that's why Voldemort staged all the attacks on Christmas Eve. To weed out the competition, and to make sure that he wasn't pitting himself against seven Aurors.

"Voldemort wants Seven Soldiers to fight his Seven Skulls. I intend to give him a hell of a lot more than seven. But there's no guarantee that he'll allow more than seven into Hogwarts. Probably using barrier spells of some sort."

He paused again, preparing himself for any backlash that his next words would cause.

"Therefore, seven of us will lead the charge on Hogwarts. If Voldemort intends to only allow seven to pass, then we'll give him the seven strongest wizards we can provide."

Here goes.

"I want Charlie Weasley, Viktor Krum, and Kingsley Shacklebolt flying in behind me. Hagrid can follow, dish out as much muscle as you can. I wanted Bill and Fleur Weasley to fill out the ranks, but they're currently missing. So I want Amos Diggory along in front, and Grawp can provide Hagrid with some extra strength."

"The rest of you can follow behind in the event--"

The rest of his words were drowned out in the ensuing uproar.

"You're not going in without me!" Cho Chang yelled.

"What the hell do you mean, 'just seven?" George Weasley cursed.

"I want a piece of You-Know-Who!"

"After what he did to Cedric--"

"They killed my aunt!" Susan Bones cried. "I just can't sit by and let someone else..."

"For Dumbledore!"

Harry heard all of their anger. But the worst of all came from his side. Ron was pale as a ghost. Hermione stared at him quietly, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"After everything we've done together," she whispered, "You want to push us aside..."

"It's not like that," Harry said quickly. "If we're wrong, and he doesn't have the sixth Horcrux, you and Ron have to find it if I don't make it out of there alive."

Ginny suddenly stood up and walked up, face-to-face with Harry. Her face was as red as her hair.

"They... killed... our parents..." she growled, grabbing his collar and pulling him down to her height. "How dare you not include us?"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Ginny!" Harry yelled back.

"Oh, come off it, you--"

"QUIET!!!"

Harry looked around to find the sound of the voice. After a few seconds, he along with the others realized it wasn't coming from a person, but from Ron's hip.

"I think you're going at this all wrong, Harry Potter," the Sorting Hat mumbled, muffled slightly by the belt across his front. "Unhook me, will you, Weasley?"

Too much in shock to protest, Ron unfastened his belt and set the Hat up on a nearby table.

"First off," the Hat said, "There's better ways to go about this. Ways that I've used for centuries, and ways that I learned all that time in Dumbledore's office. Having conversations with the Goblet of Fire, and whatnot."

He turned to the door, the hole of a mouth smirking slightly. "Second, you're going to have a little company."

At that moment, the door flew open. In walked Bill and Fleur Weasley. Hedwig was perched on Fleur's shoulder. Between them they carried a mouse-haired woman, who appeared to have not eaten a meal in days.

She looked up, her pale face slightly sagged.

"Wotcher, Harry..."

"Tonks!" Ginny yelled, as she and many others ran towards the trio. Hagrid beat them all, picking up Nymphadora and carrying her to a couch. The Patil twins both came up quickly with some food and water.

"What happened?" Harry asked urgently, not believing his eyes. "I saw you, you were..."

Tonks chuckled weakly. "Amazing what a Metamorphmagus can do if she puts her mind to it." She took a sip of water. "One of the tricks they taught me in Auror training was how to play dead. Just a little tweaking of the skin around my wrists and neck and I can hide a pulse. Focus your mind on your chest, maybe make some extra air holes away from the mouth and nose, and you can breathe normally without showing any signs."

She sat up slowly, a look of sadness appearing in her eyes. "When I saw Remus go down, I was furious. I started hurling spells left and right, like a madwoman. But then a part of me realized that I had to calm down, that there were more important things than fighting to the death over losing someone. There were more people to consider.

"So, when the next spell flew past me, I took a dive. Pretended I was hit."

Another sip. "I stayed that way for hours. One of the Death Eaters, I couldn't tell who, came up to me and checked my vitals, to make sure I was dead. They stuck around, made sure no one else was coming, then left the next day.

"I ran off, thinking of a place to go that would be safe. But I couldn't. So I hid in the woods around the Burrow, hoping someone would come back, but too afraid to go back inside or to send off any distress calls. I couldn't even go back for food."

"We got your owl about two days ago," Bill said, his mouth continuing to have difficulty moving through the tissue damage caused by Fenrir Greyback.

"We would have been here sooner," Fleur said. "But Bill had to go back to ze Burrow to see for himself."

Bill shrugged. "It was difficult to accept what we read. It could have been a trap, for all we knew."

"When we landed, Tonks jumped out of ze woods, looking just like zis. So we brought her with us, after making sure she was who she was."

"Tough for Polyjuice Potion to mimic Metamorphs," Hermione said, nodding.

Bill stood up and looked around at all the faces, many of them still wearing the anger of earlier.

"So," he said, "What did we miss?"

Chapter 6
The Sorting

"Magic," the Sorting Hat said, after everyone had settled down again, "Is everywhere. It's a fabric, if you will.

"Within this fabric, every wizard, every Muggle, every animal, has its own thread. Even time and space themselves have their own place. Every thread stretches back and forth into infinity. It's timeless, and it has an effect on every other thread within the fabric. Many magical items created over time tap into this fabric, reading it for its own purpose.

"The Ministry uses several of these items in their work. One determines whenever a magical spell has been cast somewhere within Muggle territory. Another controls the Floo Network.

"Weasleys," he said, turning to the family, "The clock your family owns takes advantage of the fabric. It reads the specific threads of every member of your family, and is able to determine whether someone is traveling, in Hogwarts, or in Mortal Peril.

"Some can read patterns, not only in the present, but also the future. I am one of these objects. When I'm placed on the head of every Hogwarts student, I read their thread and determine how it fits best into the future fabric. I determine whether a student has a smoother effect as a Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw.

"Harry Potter, despite what I said to you on the day you came to Hogwarts, you were never to have gone into Slytherin. Your place was with Gryffindor, because if you weren't there you would have never become friends with so many that have come to influence your life or the lives of those around you.

"Another, like the Goblet of Fire, takes it one step further, and can read patterns based simply on reading a person's symbol: his or her name. It chose Harry Potter to become the fourth Tri-Wizard Champion not because Barty Crouch tricked it. It chose Harry Potter because, without him there, Voldemort never would have become resuscitated. Or vulnerable. It chose Cedric Diggory because, without his sacrifice, others would not come to accept the return of the Dark Lord."

"You bastard," Amos Diggory growled, "How can you be so callous speaking about my own son?"

"I never said the choices are pleasant in and of themselves," the Hat calmly replied. "But they all serve a purpose: The well-being of history. Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were chosen because they would also become integral in the future, by befriending members of the Order and of Dumbledore’s Army.

“I don’t know who the Seven Skulls are. But I can read the patterns emanating from them, and I can choose the best seven candidates to face them. I learned a thing or two from the Goblet that year. Anyone who chooses to become a candidate for the first attack, put your name in my hat, and I can decide who is qualified. As an unbiased opinion, judging without emotion.”

A few people nodded agreement, but most turned to Harry for affirmation.

I don’t like this, he thought. It’s risky. But if I don’t have their trust, then we’re finished. I’ll lose them, and that’ll be the end.

“Fine,” he sighed, “Let’s do it. Grab some paper.”

“Before any of you enter your name,” the Hat said, “remember that, like the Goblet of Fire, this is a binding contract. If you are chosen, you’re in unless you cease to be. Mr. Potter, I’d suggest finding a few alternates after the Sorting is complete, in case someone doesn’t make it inside.”

Harry was amazed to see that not one person stepped away from the challenge. One by one, they filed by the table, placing their name into the Sorting Hat, who looked more than a little uncomfortable.

“Are you alright?” Dean Thomas asked as he walked by.

“I’m standing on my head and stuffed full of paper,” the Hat replied stiffly. “How do you think I feel?”

Five minutes later, the line ended.

“Everyone in?” The Hat said. “Mr. Potter? Aren’t you going to put your name in?”

“Well, I…”

“No one is assumed, Mr. Potter,” the Hat said smugly. “If you don’t put your name in, then you’re not interested.”

Harry quickly scribbled his name down and tossed it in.

“Thank you,” the Hat muttered. “This is the first time I’ve done this, it should get interesting.”

The holes that made up the Sorting Hat’s eyes squinted in concentration. He shivered slightly. Suddenly, blue flames spurted from the bottom of the hat, which was pointing towards the ceiling. After about two minutes they turned bright red, and a slip of paper shot from the fire.

“Sorry about the wait there,” the Hat said. “A lot of names to go through. Go ahead and read it, Mr. Potter, I’ll be as much in suspense as you.”

Harry picked the slightly charred paper from the floor. He unfolded it and read the name. He looked nervously at the Hat. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, he thought.

“It’s binding,” the Hat said. “If the name went in, they’re bound to do it. But if the name comes out, you’re bound to accept my decision.”

Harry looked out into the crowd.

“Neville Longbottom.”

Neville looked as though he heard another name, and looked around to see someone standing up. He then realized that everyone was looking at him. “Me?”

Harry nodded.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been chosen for anything in my life.”

The flames burned red again. A second scrap flew out. Harry read it aloud.

“Bill Weasley.” Fleur turned to her husband, a look of concern on her face. Bill just nodded silently.

A third eruption, a third name.

“Harry Potter.”

“Well, that one was pretty much assumed,” George Weasley said aloud, to nervous laughter.

A fourth.

“Hermione Granger,” Harry said quietly. He looked at his friend, who only sat there staring back, not quite forgiving him for previously forgoing her.

Before he could say words of apology, a fifth name appeared. Once again, he wished he didn’t have to read this name.

“Nymphadora Tonks. But you’re in no condition to…”

“I think I can be the one to decide what kind of condition I am or am not in,” Tonks said resolutely. Her face was already starting to tighten back into normal; a good sign that her strength was returning and she could hold her form.

More red flames.

“Ronald Weasley.”

Ron wore a matching expression to his girlfriend.

After a slight pause, the seventh name flew from the Sorting Hat, whose red flame turned blue, then died.

Harry picked up the paper, unfolded it.

“No…” he said, shaking his head. “No, absolutely not…”

He crumpled the paper into a ball and walked out of the hall, slamming the door behind him. Nervous chatter started around the crowd. No one felt that they should touch the paper until Hagrid stepped forward. He smoothed it out as well as he could in his large hands, and read it to the hushed crowd.

“Ginny Weasley.”

Chapter 7
The Sister

“Harry?”

Ginny stepped out onto the Dursley’s back lawn. The sun stood high in the sky as morning turned slowly into afternoon. Hedwig and Pig sat in the large oak tree, which Harry sat beneath. As she approached, she saw his face, with the beard shaved off earlier in the week, was wet.

Harry looked up, saw her, looked back at the grass.

“Ever since I was born,” Harry said. “I’ve been alone. My parents died before I knew them. I was treated like linoleum tile by those three wandering around inside. It was my life, to have no one care about me, to have an aunt’s dog chase me up a tree while the rest of the family laughed their evil little laugh.

“When I first found out I was a wizard, and that I was going to leave the Dursleys, I didn’t even know how to react. Because I didn’t know what it was to be treated like a human being. I found friends there. And I found family.”

Ginny sat next to him on the lawn. He sniffed, but continued to stare at the ground.

“Then, one by one, things started happening to everyone around me. You were kidnapped, dragged into the Chamber of Secrets. Cedric was killed. Sirius was killed. Professor Dumbledore was killed. Bill was scarred beyond recognition. Hermione and Ron are both disabled for life because of me. And then The Burrow, Hogwarts, the Order… It was all done because of me…”

He looked up into her eyes, pain and fear swimming behind his glasses.

“I’ve caused all this pain, all this loss, but I can’t lose the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

Ginny blinked.

“You…”

Harry nodded. Ginny shook her head, a smirk appearing on her face despite itself.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that,” she said. “Not exactly the best time for me to react properly, but I’m glad you feel the same way that I’ve felt about you for years now.”

“Sorry I had to throw that at you out of left field,” Harry said. “But now you know why I can’t let you go with us. If I lose you, I’ll…”

Ginny sobered up quickly. “Harry,” she said, “I know you’re trying to protect me, and I love you more for trying. But the time for that has passed. You keep saying that it’s your fault that these things happened. You’re wrong.

“Did you listen to what the Sorting Hat said in there? Everyone is intertwined. I wouldn’t have gone into the Chamber of Secrets if Lucius Malfoy hadn’t set the diary in my pile of books to begin with. Cedric wouldn’t have been killed if Fleur or Viktor had been able to make it to the cup before you two, or if you had made it alone. Sirius wouldn’t have been sent to Azkaban if he hadn’t convinced your parents to make Wormtail the Secret Keeper.”

“Don’t you see?” she said, putting her hand on Harry’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault that anything has happened. It’s about the choices that people make in their lives, and how those choices affect the world. But you continue to lay all of the blame on yourself, and try to separate yourself from your friends because of it.

“Yet we continue to stand behind you. Ron and Hermione chose to follow you on your quest because they wanted to be there. Everyone inside that house chose to be here because they wanted to make a difference, just like you. They’ve all fought along with you on many occasions.

“A prophecy is only what you make it. Dumbledore told you that once, remember? It’s the difference between being thrown into the lion’s den or walking in with your head held high. You can succumb to being the Chosen One, or you can take advantage of it.”

She stood up, walked in front of him, and pulled him up. “Being the Chosen One doesn’t mean that you have to be alone. We’ve been behind you all these years. Let us be beside you for once.

“Let me be beside you.”

Harry sniffed again, and enclosed Ginny in a tight embrace.

“Remember,” she said. “I lost my parents, too.”

Harry pulled back and kissed her, the first one he had given her in ages. It was also, by far, the best one she’d ever received.

“Thank you,” he said. “I needed to hear that.”

She smiled. “I love you, too, by the way.”

Harry laughed.

“Now come on,” she said, walking to the door, “We have a war to win.”

She turned around to let him past, but saw he was still standing beneath the tree. He looked up at the bright blue sky with a smile on his face. He turned his head, and the wind blew his long hair back from his face.

It was the way she would always remember him.

“Ginny?”

“What is it, Harry?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about…”

The battle plans were all in place. Harry Potter, with Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger at his side, made sure everyone knew their role for the evening. Nymphadora Tonks, Bill Weasley, and Neville Longbottom stood nearby.

“Anyone who can Apparate can move to Hogsmeade,” Harry said. “We’ll go in shifts into Fred and George’s Zonko’s location, because that’s the only area that we know for sure will be secure. Anyone who doesn’t know how, or isn’t comfortable with it yet, can fly in by broom. We’ll be seen, but right now, I don’t care. One way or another the world’s going to know we exist by the end of the night, anyway.”

"I’m not sure how much area outside of Hogwarts Voldemort has covered, but we’ll figure that out when we get there.

“Everybody ready?”

“YES SIR!” Dumbledore’s Army yelled.

“Krum and Johnson, you get your squads in the air first. Hagrid and Wood, you’re handling the first Apparators. We’ll be right behind. Let’s move out!”

As the group started moving towards the door or disappearing into thin air, Harry turned to his friends. He saw Bill and Fleur give each other a long kiss and a deep hug as they parted, and saw Luna hand a small parcel to Neville before kissing him goodbye.

“What’s that, Neville?” Bill asked.

Neville smiled as Luna left with Aberforth’s Apparition group. “It’s a Remembrall,” he said, winking at Harry. “They tend to come in handy sometimes.”

Fate again, Harry thought. If it weren’t for Neville and the Remembrall, I would never have found out I was such a good Seeker, or such a good flyer. It all connects eventually.

Ron handed Neville a note, and after reading it he laughed out loud, looking to the spot where Luna just stood.

“No,” he said, “I don’t think I’m going to forget this time.”

As Hermione, Ron, and Harry all strapped on their gear from their quest for the Horcruxes, Hermione said to Ginny, “You nervous?”

Ginny laughed shakingly. “Just a bit, yeah,” she said. “I know I’ve been involved in stuff like this before, like at the Ministry. But, hey, it’s been a while.”

Hermione replied, “It’s kinda like falling off a bike. The more you do it the easier it gets.

“And if it helps? I’m nervous as hell, too.”

“We all are,” Tonks said. “Thank God we’re hot chicks with superpowers.”

Hermione nodded. “Takes the edge off.”

“Comforting,” Ginny said, smirking. Harry tapped her on the shoulder.

“Look,” he said nervously, “I know what we talked about, and everything. But could you do one thing for me to keep safe?”

Ginny looked dubious. “What’s that?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. “It’s my father’s Invisibility Cloak.”

“Harry, I can’t…”

Harry insisted, pushing it into her hands. “I’m the one Voldemort wants, so I’m relatively safe until I meet up with him. You’re not. If things get hairy in there, take it and get out. Or give it to someone else who needs it.”

She reluctantly accepted, tucking it into her pocket. She kissed him again. “Thank you, Harry.”

“I had to do something to make myself feel better about all this,” he shrugged, strapping the Sword of Gryffindor onto his belt.

Ron snapped his fingers, getting Hermione’s attention, and pointed to Tonks. Hermione nodded and took the broom off of her back.

“You’re riding this tonight,” she said, handing it to Tonks. “I was fine flying when there was no hurry, but I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to keep up with everyone else. Besides, I’m still bringing the book with in case we need it, so I can’t have too much stuff holding me down.”

“How are you getting in, then?” Tonks asked, taking the Firebolt and looking at it respectfully.

“I’m riding shotgun to Ron,” she replied, unfastening the broom’s holster from across her chest.

“And Neville,” Harry said, as the group walked towards the door, “You’re shotgun to me.”

“Sure thing, Harry.”

As they stepped outside, the sun was just beginning to set. Harry turned around and looked back at number four, Privet Drive.

“You all go ahead,” he said. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

He walked up to the front door and pulled out his wand, releasing the spell on the household. He knocked on the door, which flew open seconds later.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

“Hello, Uncle Dursley,” Harry said, stepping back inside. He looked around anxiously. “Are Aunt Petunia and Dudley around?”

“I thought you said you were gone?” Petunia said, mincing in from the kitchen. “You’re seventeen, I thought you were out of our lives forever!”

The ceiling shook as Dudley ran down the stairs and stopped inches from Harry’s face.

“What the bloody hell is this all about?” he yelled at his parents. “He’s not getting his room back, I know that!”

“All here?” Harry asked. “Good, then.”

He flicked his wand three times, once at each of the Dursleys. With each flick, he saw their eyes go momentarily blank.

Seconds later, Uncle Dursley shook his head, as if coming out of a mental fog.

“WHO ARE YOU?” He asked. “What are you doing in our house?”

“Oh,” Harry said, feigning surprise. “This isn’t number six?”

“No, you idiot,” Dudley said, “It’s number four! Number six is next door!”

“Oh!” Harry said, stepping back outside. “So sorry to bother you. Goodbye then.”

As the door closed behind him, he heard Uncle Dursley yell, “Get a haircut, you hippie!”

He walked down the street, with a smile on his face. Just as he was ready to spin into Apparition, Ginny appeared next to him, the Invisibility Cloak in her hand.

“What was that all about?” Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged. “Just giving them the one thing they always wanted.”

They walked down the street until they were out of sight of the house. Harry turned to Ginny.

“Have you Apparated before?”

She shook her head. In response, he pulled her to him, his arm around her waist. The flowery scent of her hair made him light-headed.

Concentrate, you idiot, he thought. Destination, Determination, Deliberation, Destination, Determination, Deliberation.

He spun her in a circle, and the two disappeared from Privet Drive forever.

Chapters 8 & 9