Harry Potter A Matter of Force 44-45

[Contrabardus]

I'm back.

I had health issues and all, but I'm sort of fine now.

Anyway, I've been writing while I was away a bit. It's been a long time, but I managed to pump out around 36,000 words of this fanfic a little at a time. It's actually more than that, but the other stuff I've written won't actually come into play until after the Goblet of Fire events.

I've been really busy while I was ill, and this was just one huge chunk that I've broken up into two separate chapters, one of which is going up on FF.net as soon as I'm done posting it here. The other I'll release in a few days most likely.

Lots of stuff happens in these two chapters.

Anyway, on with it!

A Matter of force.

Part 44

The Dark Plot.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger stood in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk. Professor Trelawney stood behind them with a scowl on her face as she looked at the man behind the desk. She'd just finished explaining what had occurred, and about the book she'd found in the girl's possession. “I'm not sure how they managed to summon a demon on their first day. Needless to say, I think it may be best if they chose another elective. I cannot have such things summoned into my class, it will take days to clear the energies after that. It will make things difficult for the other students to be at peace and hone their energies.”

Dumbledore frowned at her. “I see.”

Hermione moved forward a bit. “We didn't summon it! It was already here!” She raised her voice and shook her head.

Harry nodded. “I've heard stories about that thing. I'm afraid I agree with her, and that book was already on the table when we got to class.”

The old man nodded. “I'm afraid I agree with them.”

“What?” muttered the woman.

Dumbledore gave a heavy and somber sigh. “We've recently discovered this...thing, has been trolling about the students. I am at a loss for what it is. I can find no...”

Hermione interrupted. “I found it in that book. It's called a Dream Master. It's a kind of demon...” She flushed as she realized what she'd done.

Dumbledore's eyes snapped up at her. There was no merriment or twinkle in them and he had a firm frown on his face.

Hermione backed away and hung her head. “I'm sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt.”

The Headmaster stood up with a grave looking expression on his face. “Where is this book now?”

Harry gave a sigh and put his hand on her shoulders. “It was destroyed. That thing possessed Professor Trelawney and she threw it into the fire.”

The woman seemed confused and stepped back from the children. “I certainly wouldn't leave such a book where students could just stumble across it.” She looked thoughtful as she said it.

Dumbledore nodded. “Tell me what book was this?”

Hermine seemed to realize the look on his face was not because he was cross with her for interrupting, and she became more forward again. “It was called 'Rare Demons and Imps' by someone named 'Dolr Tasta'.”

The old man narrowed his eyes at that. “Dolr Tasta you say?”

Harry frowned and nodded. “That's what it said. It's an anagram isn't it?”

The Headmaster gave him a weak smile. “Yes. Very clever, and likely not the true name of the author. Not unusual concerning demonology.”

Hermione looked confused. “Huh? An...anagram?” Her eyes went wide as she understood. “Lord Satan?”

Harry nodded. “I would guess.”

Trelawney scowled at that. “How did it get there?”

The pair shrugged. Hermione spoke up to her. “It was just sitting in those piles you put in the middle of the tables.”

Dumbledore leaned against his desk and scratched at his beard as he looked thoughtful. “Most unfortunate it was destroyed. What can you tell me of this 'Dream Master'? Anything you can remember. I have been unable to find any mention of such a creature.”

The brunette girl seemed to think for a moment. “Well, it said that sometimes, if someone is wicked enough, and killed for revenge rather than justice, the guardians of the entrance of hell will allow them to come back to exact their revenge. It enables the damned soul to become a demon of sorts. A Dream Master. Its weak at first and can only scare people..." She shivered as she looked up at him. “...but after a while it will become strong enough to start killing people. When that happens it consumes their souls and uses them to fuel it's own power.”

Dumbledore looked very grim. “I see. Anything else, anything at all? Any mention of how to defeat this creature?”

Hermione lowered her eyes. “That's the worst part. No one has ever beaten one. It uses the rumor of its existence to spread like a virus. It feeds on fear and uses whatever scares its victims most. The more people who know about it the stronger it becomes. The book said that every time one has appeared it killed its own rumor by eliminating everyone who was aware of it. Once that happens, the rumor stops and it can't get anymore victims. That does explain why it's not a well known being.” She shivered and clutched at her arms as she looked very worried.

Trelawney gasped. “What?”

The old man gave a nod. “I see.” He stood up. “It appears that Hogwarts is no longer safe. I shall have to send all the students home until a way to deal with this creature is discovered.”

Hermione shook her head. “It won't matter.”

Harry nodded. “It's not confined to Hogwarts. Once someone is afraid of it, this thing can follow them anywhere. If we send everyone home...the rumor will spread. We could infect the whole of Britain.” He looked unusually calm given the subject at hand. “It's better if we don't send people away from the school.”

Both teachers looked at him. Dumbledore became very pale. “I see.” He slumped down in his chair.

Hermione nodded. “He's right. We don't know who at Hogwarts knows, but the rumor has spread all over the school. I don't know anyone who hasn't at least heard about it from someone. Even if they haven't been attacked yet.”

Harry gave a heavy sigh. “We've got to figure out how to get rid of it before everyone goes home for the Holiday.”

Hermione gave a small nod. “That gives us until this summer to figure it out.”

The boy shook his head. “No, that gives us until Christmas. This needs to be contained, and we may be forced to create a quarantine within the school.”

Dumbledore frowned at that. “I am to understand that it has been here at least two years already. The rumor appears to have been contained at least that long.”

Hermione gasped. “Two years?”

Trelawney seemed relieved. “Well, that's something. Perhaps it's not as bad as we believe?”

Harry nodded. “Maybe. I only heard about it this year.”

“Me as well,” agreed Hermione. “Everyone knows about it this year as far as I know. I've heard people in other houses talking about it recently. Ever since I started looking for it in the Library I've been keeping my ears open. I've heard people from every house talking about it, even Slytherin.”

The young Jedi seemed thoughtful. “Yes. I heard mention of a few isolated cases of bad nightmares last year, but it has spread in scope. It may already be too late to stop the rumors from spreading outside of Hogwarts. I mean, there's no guarantee that someone hasn't mentioned it in letters home or spoken to friends or family about it over the summer. I never thought much about it before, but this seems to have been going on for a while. I just thought it was a ghost story or an urban legend, not something to take seriously.”

Dumbledore seemed to consider that. “It has only been recently brought to our attention. Percy Weasley spoke to Professor McGonagall and I did some investigation myself. This is...most distressing news.”

“I'll say,” agreed Harry. “Still, it does seem like it's hanging around Hogwarts for some reason though. As Hermione said, it doesn't appear to be confined here, but it's not showing up elsewhere either that I know of. That's odd don't you think? If it has the whole of Britain to play with, why stay here?”

Hermione frowned and put her finger on her bottom lip. “He's right. There must be some reason for it though. I don't know.”

“That's a good observation.” Dumbledore gave a nod. “I do believe you have a good point. It wants something in this school, though exactly what it is I'm unsure of. Is there anything else you can recall about this matter?”

Hermione nodded. “It's name is Freddy Kruger. Rumor is that he was some sort of rapist and murderer. A pedophile. That would explain why only the younger students are having dreams. I've not heard about any sixth or seventh year students having dreams. He was supposedly burned alive in his house by a bunch of angry parents. I heard about it from some of the girls in the dorms. He shows parts of it to some people. A lot of them talk about some sort of burned out house, and a boiler room of some sort. There's these...little girls, they jump rope and sing this horrible rhyme about him. It's hard to get anyone to talk about it. Those things seem to be pretty common in the dreams. A lot of people have seen them. I think what we know about him is things that have been pieced together from all sorts of different sources within the school.”

Harry hung his head. “That's awful.”

The Headmaster worked his tongue on the inside of his cheek as he thought about it. “I see. Very well. I shall ask that you return to class. Do not concern yourselves with it further. You should both focus on your studies. You especially Mrs. Granger.”

She gave a nod and started towards the hall. Harry looked back over his shoulder. “Well, if we find anything else we'll let you know.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I shall listen, but again I ask that you allow the faculty to deal with this. It is not a task for a Third Year. I assure you that we will take every possible measure we can.”

Both of them left. Trelawney gave a heavy sigh. “What do we do? I've not heard about any of this. Strange that I've had no visions of such doom.”

The Headmaster nodded. “I shall summon Professor Snape. It pains me to do so, but there may be a potion that will help with this matter. At least temporarily.”

The woman seemed confused. “Potion?”

“Dreamless Sleep. It is a temporary solution, but could curb these attacks for a short time.” He looked up at her and folded his hands.

“That's dangerous,” said the woman in a warning tone. “Dreams are important to the spiritual health of the students. Without them, they'll start...”

He nodded. “I know. I do not intend to implement such a measure without cause. Nor will I force it upon them. I have no intention of drugging the meals. It will be offered upon request if the situation becomes dire enough. I believe we should be prepared as it is a potion that takes some time to brew and we may need a healthy supply if the situation worsens.”

She nodded at that. “I see.” She narrowed her eyes. “It won't stop them from dreaming for more than a week or so of use. They'll just start dreaming while they're awake. That could cause problems.”

The old man nodded. “I know. Still, it could buy us the time we need if the situation becomes more dangerous. I suspect the affected students will start trying to stay awake themselves, which could cause even more problems.”

Trelawney nodded. “I see.” She turned and walked out of the room. “Be careful.”

He nodded and seemed lost in thought. He was very seriously considering using memory charms, but it would be complex and difficult to do. It might help but he wasn't sure. The creature was crawling about the dreams of the school, and it would be exceedingly difficult to do such a thing. It had gotten in somehow and without knowing where it started such a task would prove near impossible.

Still, if things became bad enough the students would likely be willing to allow it. He had no intention of forcing the matter, but if they were cooperative it would become at least possible. He rubbed at his temples and pulled a small bottle of white pills from his desk drawer. It was giving him a headache and he had much to do to prepare. It wasn't something he could do off the cuff. “I pray it does not come to such a measure.” Memory charms could be dangerous and more covered up the memory and replaced it with a false one than eliminated it. As far as he knew even a subconscious memory would be enough for this thing to get a foothold. It was not something to be taken lightly, and had to be done with the utmost care if it came down to it.

OooOOooOO

Harry walked with Hermione. They wouldn't make it back to Divination before the end of the period. “I guess we're not kicked out of Divination.”

She frowned a little at that. “I wouldn't have minded much. Still, I guess that's good.”

He glanced at her. “I'm going to try and fight it.”

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. “What? That's dangerous! Harry, if it hasn't bothered you yet...”

The boy shook his head. “I can't ignore it. It's attacking students. Colin is my friend and he was a real mess last night. I've got to try and do something before that happens to anyone else.”

“How?” she scowled at him. “You'll just have to wait for it to attack you then?”

Harry considered for a moment. “Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you.”

She blinked in surprise. He looked very serious. “All right, I promise.”

The boy gave a heavy sigh. “I have the power to enter other people's dreams. I can go looking for it. I'm going to hunt it down and try and stop it.”

The girl looked at him with wide eyes. “Wh...what?”

He shrugged. “Anna taught me. I'm going to speak with her about it as well. See if she knows anything about this.”

The girl looked completely shocked. “She taught you?”

The Boy Who Lived shrugged. “Yeah. It's part of the whole Jedi thing. Part of my training I do in my sleep. It's not all the time, but pretty regularly. It's...complicated.”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “That's...you should keep it secret. If anyone finds out, they might think...”

He nodded. “Yes. That's why I asked you not to say anything. Anna hasn't said anything about this. I want to talk to her and see if she knows anything about this demon.”

The girl nodded and seemed to consider that. “I guess. Still, enter people's dreams?” She didn't look comfortable with that. Neither did he, and it helped a bit to see it.

“It's not something I do to others. Anna and I use it for training and only training with each other. It's wrong to get into people's heads that way. Dreams are personal and private. I've got no place sticking my nose into the private business of others that way. She's pretty strict about that sort of thing. I think I should make an exception here though. I can go looking for it and try to stop it from attacking people. Maybe I can keep it busy and away from everyone else while we figure out what to do?”

The girl scowled at that, but gave a nod. “All right. I trust you. Still, that sounds kind of scary, Harry. A person able to do such a thing?”

He nodded. “That's why we don't use it that way. I know you don't think much of Anna, but discipline is an important part of our training, and having powers like that is part of the reason why.”

She hung her head. “Well, I hate to say it, but...can you get with me tonight in my sleep? Maybe I can help.”

The boy flushed at that. “Well, I guess. I should warn you that you'll remember everything. It's not like a normal dream. It's almost like you're awake. I'll talk with you about it and meet you, but I'm not taking you into other people's heads with me. It's bad enough I'm doing it myself and I'm not so sure I'll be able to protect you in that sort of environment.”

Hermione frowned at that. “That's what people say about the dreams that thing gives them. Why can't I go? You don't trust me?”

Harry narrowed his eyes a little. “That's one of the reasons I want to talk to Anna about it. See what she knows, and it's not a matter of trust. I have my doubts it's right for even me to invade people's private thoughts even with that thing sneaking around. I don't want to make it worse by bringing someone else into it if I don't have to. I should consult my sister about it though. She knows more about this sort of thing than I do.”

The brunette gasped and her eyes went wide. “You...you don't think?”

The boy gave her a wry grin. “That it's her doing this? I doubt it. Listen, she's really strict about abusing that sort of power. I know you don't know her that way, but she's worse than Snape about being strict as a teacher. She takes that sort of thing really seriously.”

The girl nodded and scowled. “All right, if it was anyone but you...”

He smiled at her warmly. “It's all right. I'll talk with her later. I'll probably pull her aside at dinner and have words with her about it. Shouldn't be much trouble.” Inwardly he wasn't so confident. Anna was acting weird lately, and he did have a small suspicion. It was deep in the back of his mind, but there. He couldn't deny it and he wanted to talk to her as much to put that to rest as anything else. He was hoping she might know more or be able to help him deal with it.

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter looked around the empty room. There were two arm chairs sitting around a medium sized round table. The table was black wood with a blood red table cloth covering it and in the center was a large crystal ball. There was a fireplace behind the chairs with a small fire going in it. It was the only light the room had. Shelves had rows of dusty books along the walls, and the stone floor had a large red and gold carpet draped across it.

“Welcome, Miss Potter,” said the older woman in the room as she stood up and gave her a firm but not unpleasant looking appraisal.

The girl was calm and emotionless as she looked back at her. “Professor Warwick,” she greeted the woman with a small polite curtsy.

The old woman seemed to approve. “Come, have a seat. I've made tea and we should discuss what you can expect in the coming year. We have a lot to do and I do not expect this class will be easy for you. It will always be the last period of your day as it will be quite taxing on your mind.”

The girl walked over and sat down as the woman set out tea before them. “Professor Trelawney mentioned that you taught her when she attended.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, that's correct. She was not a terrible student. Though, I'm sure you're aware of her tendency to overcompensate. Her gifts are limited, but also very real. I suspect you are aware of that as well.”

“Yes. She's the one who spoke the prophecy concerning my brother and Lord Voldemort,” replied the redhead in an emotionless tone.

The older woman glanced at her as she set out tea. “Yes. I'm pleased you have that much understanding of your gifts at least. You do not create prophecy. You merely channel it. The future you see in visions is not something of your own making.”

Anna got a faint hint of a smile on her face. “Isn't it? I sometimes wonder. How much of it is destiny, and how much is our own workings? It is an odd balance.”

The old woman seemed to consider that. “You do not believe in destiny?”

Anna cocked her head and got a smile that was not entirely pleasant. “Yes. Destiny is unavoidable, but I also believe in free will,and a person's ability to guide their own destiny. It is limited, but it is possible to alter the course of your own future. Some things simply cannot be changed. Others are workings of our own hands. Half of divination is reading people. Perhaps more than seeing the future directly. If you understand the person, their motivations, and their feelings, it is often a simple matter to predict what they will do and even what they might become. It is like sailing a ship through a storm. There are choices you can make, and you have some control over your direction, but in the end you are at the mercy of the winds and waves around you.”

Mrs. Warwick narrowed her eyes at the girl. “I see. I suspect you did not learn that from Trelawney. She is my student and I am not ashamed of her, but that's considerably more advanced in this matter than she is capable of comprehending.”

“This is not the first life I have been gifted with sight, though it is more powerful now than it was then.” Anna nodded and sipped at her tea.

“You drink your tea straight?” the woman seemed surprised. Most children liked a bit of milk or cream and at least a few lumps of sugar. She squeezed a lemon wedge into her own and stirred it. “I usually take my own straight as well, but with black tea I like a bit of lemon.”

The girl's false but polite smile was subdued as she set her cup down. “Assam Tea. You spent time in India?” Mrs. Warwick was a little surprised at her refined manners. She acted as a girl who was well trained in etiquette. Her posture was very good and she sipped at her tea properly and spoke in a calm and dignified tone. At the moment she was a model example of how a young British lady should behave.

The woman smirked. “Yes. When I was a girl I lived there for a few years. My father was studying with the Sadhus. You noticed by induction?”

Anna nodded and replied. “Yes, that pin on your blouse is of Indian origin. It's Brahma, the Deva of Creation. You've got a few baubles in this room that are of Indian origin as well. Such as that statue of Shiva over the fireplace.”

The old woman seemed satisfied with her answer. “You're quite talented. I can see that you've come a long way in the art of divination. A great deal of what the greatest of us have done was more deduction and induction than power. It is perhaps our greatest secret, one that I was sadly never able to get your former teacher to grasp.”

Anna kept her polite smile. “Thank you, Professor.”

The woman set her cup down. “Now to business. There will be no looking at tea scrapings or peering into crystal balls here. I have no intention of honing your skills with your cards. You will keep them in your pocket here. My goal is to teach you one thing, and that is control.”

Anna looked up at her and her smile fell away. She did not look disappointed, but rather serious and thoughtful. “I see.”

Mrs. Warwick narrowed her eyes a little. “I can see that you know you have difficulty with that. That is good, I think you will be motivated by your weakness in this area. I expect you to do your best, and there will be no slouching or playing around here. I am not unkind, but I am firm and strict. I cannot go easy on you. Your gift is far too powerful to go unchecked. You must take the reigns and become the master of this power or it will land you in trouble.”

Anna gave a firm looking nod. “I know. If I cannot control it I am a valuable target. The Ministry has enough interest in me as it is. I have no intention of giving them any reason or motivation to take advantage of me. I'm aware that some there would like very much to see me locked up in a cell, and as I am now there is even more motivation to do so.”

The old woman didn't reply to that but went quiet and narrowed her eyes a little. “Huh. She's a sharp one. Noticed that did she?” she thought to herself. She reached down beside her chair and put a briefcase onto her lap. She flipped it open and took out a folder. Anna looked at it as she replaced the briefcase at her side and then moved to straighten it out in front of herself.

The girl looked interested and attentive as she sat facing her on the opposite side of the table. It was obvious she didn't know what the folder was for, and she seemed cautious.

Professor Warwick opened the folder and laid out six photos in two neat rows. They were evenly spaced apart and straight. “Now. I think you should grasp this easily. These are six people, that much is obvious. None of them attend here, and I doubt you've met any of them.” She cleared her throat and tapped the corner of the photo in the middle row nearest to herself. “I have given them all readings in the past. Much of what I have foretold has come to pass already, but some of it has not yet occurred. I am not perfect, so some of it may never come to pass at all. You know the nature of such things I'm sure.”

The girl nodded. “I see.”

The teacher closed the folder and put it near the edge of the table out of the way. “Now. I am going to ask you a series of questions about them, and you are not going to answer. If you feel compelled to answer, you will lie.”

The redhead seemed to understand. “I am to intentionally give a false reading.” She said it more to make clear that she understood than anything else.

Her tutor nodded at that. “That is correct. If possible, give no reading at all. I suspect you will not have that much difficulty with it at first, but sooner or later...”

“It will try to take over if you ask the right question,” said the redhead once again more to convey that she understood what was going on. “I must then try to resist.” That would be difficult, she suspected that she would black out more than once in this new class. “I understand Professor. I am eager to begin, and I shall do my best.” Her face and eyes grew hard as she leaned forward. She looked as if she had accepted a challenge.

The old woman put her nose up a little and seemed pleased with her attitude. “Very good. Now, we shall begin.”

OooOOooOO

Hagrid grinned as he stood before his class in front of the Forbidden Forest. “All right then, ever one 'ere then? Gather round the fence, and get out yer books. All right then, first ye should open em...”

About half the students did so, but the rest of the class looked confused and bewildered. Many of them had the books bound tightly and tied up to subdue them. Quite a few of them were blushing and looking interested in what their classmates were doing. Lavender Brown spoke up. “Um...how do we open them?”

One of her classmates she didn't know well put her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Oh. You must have gotten yours early. The shopkeeper at Flourish and Blotts told me that someone told him about the trick behind it. You stroke the spine like this.” She demonstrated and her book opened easily and relaxed.

Within a moment the rest of the class caught on and everyone had theirs open.

“How were we supposed to figure that out?” grumbled Crabbe in irritation.

“Stupid thing tried to bite my arm,” muttered Goyle.

Malfoy looked lazy eyed and disinterested in either of them. He didn't know about it either, but was able to force the book to calm down on his own. “I just tamed mine. Wasn't difficult.”

Harry looked back at him and smiled. “Well, at least most of us knew about it.”

“I'm glad you told me, or I wouldn't have gotten any studying done,” said Hermione. She frowned a bit at the way he was looking friendly with Draco but didn't say anything.

Hagrid looked pleased. “All right then. Now we'll be needin the magical creatures. Hang on a bit and I'll be back.”

The class stood about with many of them flipping through the books they hadn't been able to read at all up to that point with mild interest.

Anna was standing nearby with Pansy beside her. Margaret was taking another class and wasn't there, and neither was Ron. Melvin was standing next to Harry and looked about ready to fall asleep on his feet. Her brother moved a bit closer and leaned towards her. “Any idea what he's going to bring out?”

She gave a small sigh and cocked her head. “It's pretty dangerous. Hippogriffs. Careful, they can have a bit of a temper if you're not polite.” She glanced back and noticed Crabbe and Goyle goofing off. Malfoy was still hanging around them but didn't talk to them much anymore. He didn't appear to ignore them and pretty much just let them run their mouths as they pleased while giving a rather lazy looking attention. “Hmm. It may not be wise for him to be so cocky.”

Harry looked confused at that but Hagrid's return distracted him. He was pulling several very large creatures behind him. They looked to be part horse, part eagle creatures. They had dangerous looking eyes that gleamed with intelligence. “Oh. They can understand human speech can they?” The boy had the book in his hand and had gleaned a few facts about them from it. It made him a little nervous that Hagrid had chosen such creatures for the first lesson. “They must be very clever then.”

The instructor looked a bit surprised. “Thas right, Harry. Yer a sharp one to catch tha already. Hippogriffs are very smart and very proud. Yev got ter be careful nah. Don't insult em, er it might be the las thing yer do. Come on up and ave a look then.” He motioned for the class to draw near.

Anna, Harry, Hermione, Parvati, and Malfoy all moved forward immediately. Crabbe, Goyle, Lavender, Pansy, and Padme all moved in behind them looking a bit nervous.

Melvin seemed to shake out of his lazy state and hung back a little as well. “Huh. Didn't expect something so big on the first day.”

The half giant seemed cheerful and paused as Anna slapped Crabbe and Goyle on the back of their heads lightly. She hissed at them both and her glare cut off any protests. “Pay attention idiots, your lives depend on it. Those talons and beaks are not just for show.”

The pair looked annoyed and glanced at Draco. He shrugged at them. “What? Don't look at me like that. She's right.”

Hagrid almost said something to scold her, but the oafish pair seemed to settle down and looked at him. “All right then. Now, always let them make the firs move. It's polite ye see.” He tugged on the chains a little and the animals calmed a bit more and moved a little closer. “Bow, and then wait for em to make the first move. If they don't, back away and let em be cause those talons hurt.”

“Wait, those things are dangerous?” muttered Lavender as she went a little pale. Parvati seemed to be of a similar mindset.

“You don't say,” Melvin was less than surprised considering what he knew of Hagrid.

“Not at all,” replied Hagrid.

“Actually they are, but only if you act a fool and disregard what he told you,” commented Anna as she crossed her arms and looked at the things. They peered back at her and squawked a bit. None of them seemed alarmed though.

“All right. Who wants ter go first?” asked the teacher.

Harry smiled. “I'll go. Seems interesting.” He smiled and approached, bowing deeply towards the one closest to him. “It's a pleasure. I've never seen a Hippogriff before. You're quite impressive.” The creature reared back and made a sharp sounding call as it blinked at him. The class gasped but Harry stood without fear before it. He scratched the back of his head. “I apologize. I didn't mean to sound so foreword. I hope I didn't embarrass you.”

Anna rolled her eyes a little. He was overdoing it but it wasn't hurting him either. The animal seemed flustered by his over polite manners. He'd impressed it. The creature gave a bow and Harry approached and stroked at the feathers on it's neck.

“Tha's great Harry. I think e'll let ye ride em.” The teacher looked impressed that the creature had taken to him so quickly.

“Oh, if it's no trouble I think I'd like that,” he replied looking sappy and cheerful.

Hermione blushed a little. “Don't lay it on so thick, Harry. They're impressive, but you're going to make the rest of us look bad.”

The boy was already on the creature's back. The animal shifted as it beat its wings and took off. A moment later the boy was flying around over the forest. He was obviously having a good time of it, and the beast landed back in the paddock. Harry slid off and smiled at his ride. “That was great. I hope we can do it again some time.”

The creature reared back and called again.

Anna smirked at that. “Seems you've made a new friend.”

The other students were all bolstered by his success and climbed into the paddock. Hagrid released them one by one. Neville was backing away from his, and the other students seemed to be in no danger despite varying levels of success at interacting with the creatures. Anna hung back and didn't seem interested in having a ride or being sociable. She stood near to Malfoy and his group. The bad tempered trio had taken over the one Harry had ridden.

Hagrid smiled at the boy as he moved off so the other students could interact with them. “Buckbeak seems really impressed, Harry.” He looked around. “I don't see Ron with ye? Is he sick?”

The boy looked up at him and his smile faded a little. “Well, he wanted to come, but he's not able to take this class.”

“Huh? Why not?” the large man seemed confused.

Harry shrugged at him. “It seems he's decided to become an Archaeologist. He had to give up this class to take the required courses. He was a bit disappointed about it to be honest. He said he hoped you wouldn't be upset about it. He wanted to come but he couldn't do both.”

The half giant did look a bit down about that, but nodded. “Ah. I see. I understand. Tell em good luck with that then. Make sure he comes and visits with ye sometimes.”

“I'm sure he will. He kind of surprised me to be honest. He's not very good at studying, and he's having to take some difficult courses because of it.” Harry was relieved. He felt a bit silly, but thought there was a chance Hagrid's feelings might have been hurt a bit. He seemed to understand though and while he was a little disappointed, he didn't seem upset with Ron about it. The boy froze and turned his head towards the Hippogriff he'd ridden. “Uh oh.”

Malfoy was stroking it and looked smug. Crabbe and Goyle were behind him looking pensive. “This is easy. I knew it must have been if Potter could do it. You're not dangerous at all are you, stupid ugly brute.”

The creature reacted in an instant by slashing out with its talons as it gave an angry cry. The students gave a collective screech and backed away from the animals.

Anna was standing in front of Malfoy with her hand extended towards the animal with the other back behind her. Malfoy tumbled back and ended up falling to the ground. The Hippogriff was on the ground with tendrils of electric energy crackling across its fur and feathers. “Idiot,” she growled. “You couldn't tell could you?”

He was glaring at her on his back and she thrust her hand forward again as the animal tried to stand and snapped at her. More energy erupted from her fingertips and sent it back down again. The class backed away and looked nervous. Those there all knew that she could do such things, but actually seeing it happen in front of them was another matter. “Stay down. If you hurt him the humans will kill you for it.”

“Whas the meaning of this? Stop it!” roared Hagrid.

Anna looked up at him and frowned as she lowered her hand. “Hagrid, take control of this thing. Malfoy insulted it and I had to save his worthless hide from getting injured.” Buckbeak was pretty upset, but unable to move enough to retaliate. It wasn't injured seriously. She had used just enough to keep it stunned and away from them.

“Eh?” the teacher muttered in confusion.

Anna glared back at him. “Fool, these beasts are resistant. You cannot control their minds as you do these two morons.” She jabbed her finger at Crabbe and Goyle. “If it wouldn't have gotten Hagrid in trouble I would have let it maul you. Dumbass.”

He staggered to his feet. “I didn't need your help.” His wand was in his hand.

She ignored his posturing and looked over at where Hagrid was lifting the animal over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. “I didn't do it to help you. I was more concerned with Buckbeak. You would have cut off his head and caused even more trouble if I hadn't stepped in.”

Harry put his own weapon back on his belt. He was right next to the scene. “No, he wouldn't have.” He nodded at her. “Thanks, but you could have been a bit more gentle about it.”

“Why should I have been? This one could use a lesson in humility,” she glared over her shoulder at Malfoy.

Draco scowled at her as his cheeks burned. He was clearly upset. Harry looked annoyed at her. “Actually, I meant being a little gentler with Buckbeak.

“Thas enough,” snapped Hagrid. “All right now. No harm done. Ye should be more careful. I warned ye about that.” He gave the redhead an annoyed glare but didn't say anything to her. He considered scolding her, but wasn't pleased with Draco and his friends, and they seemed to be reacting more to her chiding than he'd ever seen them regard a teacher that wasn't their house head.

“Don't be so careless,” commented Anna at Draco. “There are beings in this world that are resistant to such power, and you're lucky I was here to stop you this time.”

“No one would have cared if I had killed that beast,” said the blond as he spit on the ground at her feet. “It's nothing but a game animal. My father has a few Hippogriff heads on the wall of his study. I would have added one of my own before it touched me.”

Anna narrowed her eyes at him and he stepped back a little. “Careful Malfoy. Don't confuse me with my brother. I'm not so forgiving.”

“Anna, calm down. It's over and no one was hurt,” replied Harry as he stepped between them.

“You as well. You should be more careful about who you show our back to, Harry. Malfoy is looking for an opportunity to stick a knife into it and you know it.” She turned away and took a few steps away purposely brushing the situation off.

“What was that about?” muttered Pansy in confusion. “Really, Malfoy. I know you don't care for Hagrid but try not to cause too much trouble. I want to pass this class and if we just behave ourselves that shouldn't be hard with Hagrid teaching.”

The boy's angry frowned lessened a little. “Humph. I suppose I can't argue with that. That brainless oaf is a bit of a pushover isn't he?” Crabbe and Goyle both chuckled at that.

“Don't be such a prat, Draco,” grumbled Melvin. “Hagrid is decent and we should have an easy time of this class if he's teaching.”

Parvati scowled at Malfoy but didn't speak. Hermione crossed her arms and growled under her breath. “Horrible boy.”

Harry gave a sigh and hung his head a little. “Well, that could have come out worse than it did.”

Anna got a wry and somewhat dark grin on her face. “You have no idea.”

Melvin glanced at her. “I bet she does though. I get the feeling she was expecting that to happen. I thought it was weird she was standing so near to them.”

Her brother looked confused for a moment but seemed to give up. “Well, it's over now. We've only got a few minutes left anyway.”

Hagrid had corralled the Hippogriffs over to one side of the pen and the students started milling about. The animals had gotten nervous from the exchange and moved away from the students. The children seemed aware enough to just let them be and back away.

OooOOooOO

Anna looked up at Harry. She scowled a bit as she realized she had too. “Hmmm. You've gotten taller.” The pair were standing in the back of the dining hall near the entrance door. She came up to his shoulder and hadn't grown more than an inch or two in height since her first year. It wasn't exactly easy to mistake her for a first year as she had grown in other ways.

He blinked at that. “Um. I guess. This is kind of important though.”

“What is it?” she had a piece of buttered bread and was chewing on it as she spoke. She wiped a bit of butter off the corner of her mouth and sucked on her finger in an absent manner.

“What do you know about this 'Freddy Kruger'?” he said as he crossed his arms and scowled at her.

“Huh? That thing? I've bumped into him before. Gave me a jolt once or twice. No worse than any other nightmare.” The redhead didn't seem concerned. “A bit unusual, but hardly stranger than any other haunting in this place. Perhaps a bit more disturbing. He's unpleasant.”

The boy seemed surprised. “Huh? No worse? He's hurting people. That thing is some sort of demon. If this keeps up he'll get stronger and he can kill people.”

She arched her eyebrow. “Huh? Where did you hear that? Just seemed like a restless spirit to me. Nasty, but I haven't seen any more damage than a bit of lost sleep.”

“Hermione found out a bit about him in a demonology book we found in Divination. He's some sort of demon thing. A Dream Master, and it's not just annoying. According to what we found he'll start killing people if he gets strong enough.” Harry looked very serious.

Anna seemed to consider that and looked a bit suspicious. “Are you sure?”

He seemed to think about that. “It's the only reference we could find about it. No one else seems to know anything about it. Dumbledore knows, and I think most of the teachers do as well, but they didn't seem to have ever heard of such a thing. It's seems like it's a rare sort of monster.”

The girl's expression was maddeningly calm. “I see. I suspect you have some sort of plan?”

“I hate to say it, but I don't think I've got any other choice. I'm going to start looking for it at night while I'm sleeping.” He adjusted his glasses in what she knew was a nervous habit. “Are you going to help out? We need to do something about it.”

“No. I don't think that's a good idea,” she replied simply.

“Huh?” he looked confused. “We can't just...”

“I wasn't talking about just me. Your plan is crappy. You shouldn't be going into other people's minds without permission. Besides, if people start noticing you lurking about in their heads what will they think about it? How long do you think it will take them to connect you to that thing? I'm not about to stick my neck out and broadcast that I have that sort of power. Especially with something like that sneaking around.” She poked him in his chest and narrowed her eyes.

“What should I do then? I've not run into it before. I don't think we should wait until someone dies.” He looked firm.

She cocked her head and smirked. “What makes you so sure anyone will? You only found one reference right? Are you sure it was trustworthy?”

He worked his mouth and scowled. “It fits what's been going on. It might not be much to go on, but it's a little too...”

“Convenient?” she responded simply. “Yes. That's what I'm thinking. Tell me, where is this reference now? I'd like to have a look myself.”

The boy froze in place again and struggled to respond. He knew his answer wouldn't satisfy her already. “It...was...destroyed. Trelawney threw it into a fire after something possessed her.”

“Well, isn't that even more convenient?” she wasn't really asking anything and seemed a little more thoughtful.

He scowled and crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression. “What do you mean?”

“Well, someone has tried to kill you every year up till now. It's been quiet this year, don't you think? It's still a bit early to call that I suppose, but still. How do you know this thing wasn't here before we came to Hogwarts? I heard rumors about it when I was a first year. It's never been a problem before. Exactly why is it so urgent now?”

He seemed to consider that. “It's getting worse. There are a lot more attacks.”

“Really? Attacks? I'll admit it's unpleasant, but up till now it's been about as harmless as a prank. A nasty one to be sure, but no more dangerous than that.” She shoved the rest of her bread into her mouth and waited patiently for him to respond as she chewed on it.

“Dumbledore seemed to think it might be a serious problem when we spoke to him,” he replied. “I...”

“Why? Is it because he was concerned already, or did it have more to do with what you told him?” She seemed patient and cool.

He frowned at that and balled up his fist. “You're right, but still. We should do something.”

She closed her eyes. “What if it's a trap?”

“Huh?” he replied. “Well, it's not killed anyone...” He sounded a little reluctant to admit it.

“Exactly,” she gave a nod. “Not every trap has the goal of killing the one it's set for. I suggest you consider what might happen if anyone discovers what you can do. Who would become the number one suspect here? I'm not about to risk my own neck here.”

He thought very hard about that. “Huh. So, this whole thing might be a set up? Who though? How and why?”

She nodded. “Well, consider this. If it is a trap, where do you think the one who set it is at? Hiding in people's dreams? A figment of imagination?”

“No, it would be someone real, in this world.” He slapped his fist into his palm. “Someone...but who? Malfoy? That Rage girl? Vol...You know who?”

“There's also our mysterious 'unknown' Sith as well,” she nodded at that and crossed her arms. “It might not be a Force user. There's always the possibility that this thing is magical in nature. We don't know the motivation behind it. It could be someone looking for revenge for something, or just some sadistic prankster.”

Harry nodded as he considered that. “You're right. As far as we know it's staying within Hogwarts. Why though? What's here?”

She poked her finger in his chest. “We are for starters. It may be after something else. I've seen him before, but you've not encountered it yet. That's odd, don't you think?”

“Huh? How so?” he asked her.

“You've never been attacked. That won't look good if you're caught running around in other people's dreams, will it? I on the other hand, have my dorm mates who can corroborate that I've had a run in with it in the past. He's given me a few nasty starts and woke me up in the middle of the night a few times before.” She leaned against the wall. “That suggests that out of the two of us, you're the most likely suspect if our power is discovered.”

He nodded at that. “You're right. If something like this is pinned on me somehow I could be expelled.”

“Which would mean you would be out of Hogwarts and away from myself and Dumbledore.” she chuckled and pinched his nose. “I doubt you'd die, but...”

He looked frustrated. ”I can't just ignore it though. I've got to do something.”

“Why?” she replied simply.

“What do you mean?” he snapped. “I...”

“No one has been injured. It smells like a trap. You have no leads and nothing but suspicion to go on.” She ignored his small flare up and looked at her nails. “There's no reason to think it's anything but a bluff and a trap at this point.”

He hung his head. “But...I should do nothing?”

She slapped his shoulder. “It's what Buddha would do.”

He gave her a small glare. “I'm not Buddha.”

“Well, sometimes he's right anyway.” She turned away. “You asked for my advice and I gave it. If there's nothing else I want to eat before classes start. Later.”

He balled up his fist and worked it back and forth for a moment. “Damn. I hate to say it but she's right.”

He walked back to his table and sat down next to Ron and across from Hermione and Parvati. “Hey.”

“Did you talk with your sister?” asked Hermione, she looked quite anxious to hear it.

“Yeah. You probably won't like it though.” He responded with a small sigh. “I'm backing off for now.”

“Huh?” she looked confused and gripped his arm. “But...you said...and that book...”

“I didn't think about it that much when I said those things earlier. I'll talk with you about it later all right?” He slouched a little and poked at his food. He ate a bit slower than usual and pushed things around on his plate.

Ron scratched his head and looked tired. “My brain hurts.”

Hermione looked over at him. She was distracted by Harry, but seemed to accept his answer. “I told you that course was difficult.”

Parvati giggled. “I'm impressed though. I've never seen you stay awake through a History of Magic class before. You were paying attention the whole time.”

The redhead yawned. “It's not so boring if you actually think about what we're studying. I never realized it before, but it's just how Professor Binns puts it that makes it sound so dull.” He stretched his shoulders a little. “Still left me feeling stiff.” He glanced at Hermione. “I'm glad you're with me in Runes though. I'd have gotten lost for sure if you weren't there to help me out.”

The Indian girl narrowed her eyes a little at that. “Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Hermione rolled her eyes at the scene. “He means he's horrible at studying. If I wasn't there to help him out, he would have gotten so confused he wouldn't know which end of his quill to use.”

“We've got Language studies later.” Harry seemed to think about that. “Hey. When did you take Runes anyway? You've been...”

She slapped her hand over his mouth and leaned in to whisper into his ear. “Look, I'll...explain later when we talk about that other stuff. I think I can trust you, but I'm not supposed to say anything to anyone.”

He looked as if he realized something and shrugged. “Don't worry about it then. This is Hogwarts after all, and I can venture a guess about it. I've had experience with that sort of thing if you recall.”

She blinked and blushed a little.

Parvati was looking on with rapt attention along with Lavender Brown. “What are they talking about?” asked the ditsy girl.

“I'll tell you later, it's so cute,” replied Parvati.

Harry ignored it. Hermione looked annoyed. “It's not that all right?”

“What is it then?” asked Parvati.

“Yeah?” agreed Neville.

“It's nothing, just forget about it,” growled the brunette girl as she blushed and looked away.

Ron didn't want to know and continued to pick at his food. “Well, the three of us have Language Studies next, then Transfiguration. I hear we start off with Gobbledegook for the first year. I'm guessing your sister will be there? She said she was taking it as well.”

Harry shook his head. “No. She has a different period. She's in a second year class. It turns out Kreacher knows Gobbledegook and has been working with her. She also talks to the Goblins at Gringotts pretty regularly.” Harry didn't think he'd have much trouble with the first year class from the sound of it. He'd spoken to enough Goblins to pick up a bit here and there himself. “From what I've heard, second year Language Studies is mostly Mermish.”

The red haired boy looked a bit aghast at that. “How does she have time for all that stuff?”

Harry smiled at him. “I don't think she's capable of just sitting around. It drives her crazy when she's got nothing to do. If she's awake she's doing something or has her nose in a book. It sounds worse than it is.”

Parvati smiled at her boyfriend. “Hey. I'll teach you Hindi then. I can work with you over the Summer a bit if you'd like. It'll be fun and it's a good excuse to visit you over the holiday.”

He cringed a little. “Well, all right. Just go easy on me. My head hurts as it is just with what I've got to learn in class.” He relented after seeing her expression.

OooOOooOO

“Destiny is a strange thing,” commented the young redheaded girl as she smirked. She was standing in a dark and dank boiler room and turned her head a little. “Don't you think?”

The tall figure in the shadows chuckled. “Yeah. Whatever. You've got no problem with this, Potter?”

“That name no longer has any meaning to me,” she replied in a cool tone.

He pushed off the side of the furnace and it left his shoulder smoking a little. “I worry that you might be stalling.” He smirked as she glared at him. “Don't look at me like that. I've got plenty of reason to worry a little. He is your brother after all.”

She nodded. “I cannot have such pitiful attachments. I learned that lesson well. It was what destroyed me in the end. I suggest you take care with your tone. Don't forget which of us is the master here. I will strike when it is most advantageous to do so. Patience is one of the most powerful tools of the Sith. My former master taught me that lesson well.”

Freddy nodded and turned away. “Sounds like quite a guy. Almost wish I could have met him.”

“No, you don't,” she replied simply.

He chuckled at that. “I said 'almost'.” He waved over his shoulder with his gloved hand. “Well, I've got places to be, people to torture, and all that sort of thing.”

She nodded and moved in the other direction. “Yes. You do that.”

OooOOooOO

cont...

 

[Contrabardus]

RE: A Matter of Force 44-47

cont...

“A Firebolt?” whispered Malcom Preece as he leaned across his house table over his plate.

Cedric Diggory gave a short nod. He looked a bit dazed. “Yeah. Brand new.”

“I hate you,” replied Anthony Rickett as he narrowed his eyes at him.

“I can't accept it. I've...” Cedric looked worried and a little confused.

Malcom rolled his eyes. “Your girlfriend is a rockstar, you idiot. To her, it's probably like buying you a box of chocolates.”

Anthony gave a small sigh. “He's right you know. You're such a lucky bastard. You know that, right?”

Cedric sat back and put his arms behind his head. “I guess I am pretty sexy and all.”

Both his friends gave him a light rap in the gut over it. He lowered his arms and flinched a little in pain, but laughed at it. “I guess. It is my birthday present. I suppose I've got no choice but to accept it considering.”

Anthony narrowed his eyes and pointed a butter knife at him. “As if it's such a chore. It's a Firebolt for Merlin's sake! The newest model! I hate you forever!”

“You'll let me have a spin on it, right?” asked Malcom as he leaned towards him.

“Not a chance,” replied Cedric.

“Did you thank her at least?” asked one of the nearby girls who had overheard. She seemed mildly amused, but mostly uninterested.

“Of course,” he gave a small shrug. She'd handed it to him wrapped in the hall and pulled him aside into a nice quiet corner. “She seemed a little off somehow. I think she was mad at someone about something, but I'm sure it wasn't me.” He scratched at his cheek and shrugged.

“How do you know?” asked Anthony before anyone else tried.

“Huh? I can just tell.” He looked a bit shifty eyed. He wasn't lying, having her tongue in his mouth was probably a good indication she wasn't upset with him. He wasn't about to say that either, she was a little scary sometimes. He'd asked, but she'd brushed it off and muttered something about her brother under her breath he didn't catch. He was guessing Harry had rubbed her the wrong way recently somehow, and didn't inquire further. She seemed happy enough to see him.

Malcom nodded towards the girl's house table. “Look at that. If they were alone in the hall you could hear a pin drop in here.”

Cedric and Anthony looked towards the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables. Both tables were silent and aware of each other.

“That's right. First match of the year is at the end of the week. Slytherin and Gryffindor,” Cedric smiled. “I'm looking forward to it.”

“Yeah, a lot more than our matches against them, that's for sure,” grumbled Anthony.

“Hey. Watch it,” said Cedric as he looked at him out of the corner of his eyes.

Malcom chuckled. “Denial isn't healthy. Even with that broom you've got no shot. The both of them will clobber you and you know it. Either one of them could do it on a school broom.”

Cedric hung his head. “Yeah. That was something to see wasn't it?” He gave a sigh and poked at his meal. “We'll lose for sure if you're thinking that way. At least a fool's chance is still a chance.”

Anthony nodded. “Yeah. Come to think of it, that's worked out pretty well for you before hasn't it? Lucky bastard.”

“Just let it go,” muttered Cedric. “Otherwise I might decide to start rubbing it in.”

Malcom got a wry grin on his face. “You don't have to, she does that for you too.”

“Tell me about it,” commented Anthony as he rolled his eyes.

Cedric hung his head. “Just shut up, really. It's a nice birthday present...”

Anthony looked aghast. “Nice? Nice he says? Are you hearing this?”

Malcom nodded. “I'd call it a bit more than nice.” He leaned in. “How far have you really gotten with her anyway? Something like that for your birthday? What exactly did you do to get her to do that for you anyway?”

His other friend paused and got a blank expression on his face. “He's right. You must have done something.”

Cedric frowned at Malcom. “This from the chap who compared it to 'a box of chocolates'?”

“He's right though. It's a Firebolt. That's not just any gift. You dog, you're holding out on us.” Malcom turned his nose up as he pretended to be more upset than he was.

“Okay. Look at it this way, she can shoot electricity, fire, and ice out of her hands with no wand, she can toss rocks the size of the Knight Bus just by waving her hand, and I have every reason to believe she has psychic powers. Now, which part of that sounds to you like saying anything about anything like that happening ever to the likes of you two is a good idea?”

Malcom worked his mouth. Anthony cocked his head and looked across Cedric to his friend. “By jove, I'm afraid he's got us.”

“Yes, unfortunately so. I suppose I really can't argue with that.” Anthony crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes as he nodded.

At that, the two of them made whip cracking motions with their empty hands.

“You're both jerks,” grumbled Cedric with an amused chuckle.

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter was standing in front of Snape's desk and looked rather passive. “You wanted to see me, Professor?”

He nodded and set a bottle down on the table. “Yes, when you handed in your personal projects for the week I took particular note of this potion.”

“Yes. I made up a batch of Analia Verigas. It's useful for quite a few things as it allows the user complete control of the weather in the immediate vicinity for a day.” She cocked her head. “Is there a problem with it?”

The man nodded. “Yes, there is no mention of your assistants. This potion requires at least four witches or wizards to brew.”

She smirked at that. “Does it now? I was able to manage.”

“Yes. Odd considering that there hasn't been an electrical storm at Hogwarts for three months.” He narrowed his eyes. “If you want me to accept this you'll have to either provide a list of assistants, or show me exactly how you managed to do this by yourself. No one under their sixth year would be able to assist in creating this. It's complex and dangerous, and forbidden for underclassmen.”

The girl turned away from his desk and shifted her hips as a cauldron floated over from the wall and over to her. The students for the next period started filing in. It was a collection of third year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students.

“What are you doing?” growled Snape as he stood up and put his hands on the tabletop.

“Providing a demonstration as you requested, Professor.” She curled her fingers and ingredients started floating off the shelves and prepping themselves on the tabletop next to her. The students were taking their seats in silence and quickly as they all just stared at what was happening in front of them with wide eyes. A few students rubbed at their eyes a bit.

Anna moved her hand and the cauldron hooked itself over a fire. She gave the room a warm grin and wagged her finger at the students in an almost too cheerful manner. “None of you should attempt what you are about to see yourselves. I'm what you'd call a professional.”

Snape sat back and narrowed his eyes a bit. He considered stopping her but was too interested in what was going on. Thus far he couldn't see how she managed it. The next stage required powdered ingredients funneled into the core of the potion with a vortex of wind magic. He sat back a bit as the girl held her hands up above the mouth of the cauldron as if she was touching a wall. She began to walk around it slowly with her eyes closed and a look of total concentration on her face. After a moment a vortex of air formed and swirled down into the potion. Rather than splatter the contents it bored into the concoction like a drill. Several strips of paper floated into the swirling wind. The paper spun off and burned into nothing in the air, but the ingredients moved into the core as they should.

Her former teacher had gone a little pale. That sort of precision magic should have taken two wizards who were very good with wind magic. One to create the vortex, and another to keep it under control and at the right size and depth.

Anna was almost done. She stepped back and pointed her finger at the cauldron as the vortex stopped and shot a single and very powerful bolt into the center that sent a resounding crack through the room and caused the gathered students to jump a little. It left a distinct smell in the air in its wake and the redhead shook her hand a little. “Stings a bit...” muttered the girl in an absent manner. A third wizard was usually involved to direct a bolt from the required storm into the potion. There were few who could conjure up enough electricity to match the required amount, Dumbledore was one such man. It didn't have to match a full force bolt from the sky, but was a bit more than most Wizards could conjure with a wand or wards. She stood up and wiped her forehead as she looked at her teacher. The potion unhooked itself from the fire and a black energy formed under the bottom as it floated over to settle on his desk. “Did you have any other questions about that potion, Professor?”

He rolled his eyes and grunted. “I suppose not. Very well, Potter. Get to your next class.” He looked at it and swirled his finger around in the room temperature concoction. It was exactly the same thing as what was in the jar she'd turned in.

She almost skipped over his desk. “I'll be needing a pass explaining my tardiness.”

He narrowed his eyes and scrawled out a note. “Very well.”

The girl took it and walked out of the room. The students probably would have been cheering by that point if they weren't in Snape's classroom. They all settled in a little as she passed and watched her go by. She was a bit surprised that Snape wasn't in a worse mood after that.

Snape stood up and put his hands on his desk. “As she told you. None of you is to attempt to create this potion. It has several dangerous ingredients and requires complex enchantments. It takes three fully trained wizards with at least five years of experience to assist in its creation. Consider what you just saw a goal to attain in the distant future. As impressive as that was, she's the top person in this field. You'd find the result of trying that on your own, or with your friends quite unpleasant. I won't be kind to those involved after I clean up the mess, and I assure you that recovery is quite painful.”

The students all sat back and looked a bit deer eyed. There was a collective nod and the man started his class. “Open your text to page five hundred and sixty three. Binding charges, you've just seen two very advanced variations of this technique. What a coincidence.” He was very dry in his delivery.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter smiled as he sat in Defense Against Dark Arts. The other students were around him pulling out their supplies and the teacher hadn't arrived yet. He left his things in his bag and relaxed in his seat.

Hermione scowled at him a bit as she set up her desk for class. “You should get your things out.” There wasn't too much heat in it as he'd helped her with her books on the way there so she could see to patching up her book bag when one of the seams split in the hall. “Why do you carry around a roll of duct tape with you anyway? It's a bit strange.”

Harry shrugged. “You'd be surprised how much you can fix with duct tape. It's useful stuff.” Harry's belt had several small compartments on it, and he'd pulled the tape from one of the larger ones over his rear after one of the seams in her bag had spit. The section his wand hung from looked a bit like a modified gun holster. It wasn't a huge roll of the stuff, but a bit more than she expected anyone who wasn't doing home repair work to be carrying around with them.

Ron arched his eyebrow at this. “I've got some as well. Harry just spoke up first. It's almost as useful as a towel, but not quite. He told me about it earlier this year when one of the first years cracked the handle of their wand and he helped him fix it.” He was digging through his own bag. “There's no hurry to get our things out anyway. Professor Lupin isn't even here yet.”

Harry shook his head. “We don't need them today.”

Parvati was halfway through pulling her own books out and stopped to regard him for a moment. She smiled and started putting her things away without another word.

Remus Lupin walked into the room carrying a briefcase. He was wearing a new suit, but it was more business attire than formal. “Hello. You can put your books and supplies away. Today we're having a practical lesson and you'll only be needing your wands.”

Hermione blinked and glanced over at the boy in glasses. She worked her mouth for a moment before shaking her head and putting her things away.

A moment later the class was lead down a hallway by their rather cheerful teacher.

A short distance into the hall and around a corner. The first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist. The sort of ghost was floating upside down in midair and stuffing a keyhole with chewing gum. He looked up once Remus drew near and grinned as he started singing a little rhyme. “Loony, loopy, Lupin! Loony, loopy, Lupin!”

The students were a bit surprised. The poltergeist usually behaved better for the teachers. The man grinned at the thing and shook his finger at it. “I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves. Mr. Filch won't be able to get into his brooms.”

Peeves ignored him and gave him a wet looking raspberry. Unfortunately for the spirit, he hadn't noticed Ron Weasley was standing right next to him. The thing got a little wide eyed as the boy reached out, grabbed his tongue in mid-raspberry and pulled it back stretching it to almost four feet long. He let it go and it snapped back slapping the poltergeist dead in the center of his forehead sending him spinning head over heels and launched him through the opposite wall.

“Honestly, Peeves is a pain, but he's usually not that rude,” grumbled the boy as he shook his hand off. It wasn't wet, but felt as if he'd recently dried his hands off with a towel.

The man arched his eyebrow at that. “Yes. Thank you, Weasley.” He slapped the boy on his shoulder. He tapped the doorknob with the tip of his wand and the gum seemed to liquefy and oozed out of the keyhole. It left a bit of a mess on the floor in front of the door, but it was something that Filtch could easily clean up later.

They entered a room where Professor Snape was sitting in an armchair. He scowled at the group and stood up before Remus closed the door to the room. “Leave it open, I've no desire to witness this.” He pushed past the man and spoke as he left. “Perhaps no one has warned you yet, Lupin. Neville Longbottom is in this class. I wouldn't give him anything difficult if you wish to leave the room intact.”

Remus arched his eyebrow and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. “I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation, and I'm sure he will perform it admirably.”

Harry had a serious frown on his face and looked at the wardrobe in the corner of the room. It was full of mismatched chairs otherwise.

Hermione leaned in. “Harry, you should get your wand out.”

“He won't be picking me for this assignment,” replied the boy simply. “He's a bit worried about what might come out of there if he does.”

The werewolf scowled at that a little. He wasn't going to say anything, but Harry was right. The teacher smiled as he turned towards the students. “All right, gather round.” The wardrobe gave a wobble as the man stood next to it. “Nothing to worry about, there's a boggart in there.”

Some of the students seemed to think that this was something to worry about.

Neville looked very worried, but noticed Harry smile at him and nod. “We'll be all right. There are too many of us in here and it will get confused. It's not so dangerous right now.”

“That's right,” Hermione was pleased. Ron was terrible at studying, but Harry knew most of what was in the coursebooks for the year already. He didn't memorize them over the summers as she did, but was quick to pick up once they started classes and didn't completely waste his summers like the redheaded boy had for the last few years. Being free of the Dursleys meant that he didn't have to hide his studying at home and could keep up much better over the holidays.

Remus gave a nod and noted that the boy was speaking to Neville and that it had calmed the boy's nerves a bit. “That's right, Harry. It's always best to bring friends when confronting a boggart. They like dark enclosed spaces, wardrobes, under beds, closets. This one moved in yesterday afternoon and I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.” He slapped his hand on the door as the wardrobe shook and it became still. “So, the first thing we must ask is what is a boggart?”

Hermione put up her hand and he gave her a nod with a smile on his face. “It's a shape shifter. It will take up the form of whatever frightens us most.”

Remus gave an approving nod. “That's correct.” He ignored Neville becoming nervous again. “The charm that repels a boggart is simple. Yet it requires force of will. The thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. You need to force it into a shape that you find amusing.” He looked out over the class. “We will practice the charm without our wands first. After me, please. Reddikulus!” He waved his hand in the correct motion to show them.

The class did the same and spoke the incantation.

“Good. Very good.” He looked down at Longbottom. “What frightens you most?”

The boy flustered and looked towards the floor as he muttered something.

“I didn't catch that?” replied the teacher.

“I said Professor Snape,” grumbled the boy as he became even more embarrassed.

Most of the room laughed at that. The pudgy boy noticed Harry give the rest of the room a small frown and shrug his shoulders at him a little apologetically. Remus reacted much the same way.

The teacher leaned down to him a little. “You live with your grandmother?”

The boy got wide eyed. “I don't want it to turn into her either.”

The man chuckled at that. “No, don't misunderstand me. Imagine what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears. Can you see them if you close your eyes?”

“Yes,” said the boy as he seemed to regain some of his nerve again.

“All right then. When the boggart burts out it will assume the form of Professor Snape,” said the man. “You will raise your wand and cry Riddikulus and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes.”

The boy gave an uncertain nod and looked at his wand. He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered the word over and over to make sure he had it right.

“If Neville is successful the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn. I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most and imagine how you might force it to look comical.” He looked about the room and most of the students except Harry looked thoughtful. He looked a bit lazy in fact.

“You don't think I'd make you do this?” asked the man.

“It's not a good idea,” replied the boy with a shrug. He knew Voldemort wouldn't be coming out of that closet if he did, but didn't see the need to explain that.

Remus narrowed his eyes at the boy a little. He didn't seem afraid. “Potter, come on up here. You'll go first. Step aside Neville, I'll let you have a go next. Don't forget what I just told you.”

Harry pulled his wand off of his belt and gave a small sigh. “As you wish, Professor.” He strolled forward with his usual confidence.

“I'm not sure why, but I'm pretty sure it won't be You Know Who coming out of there. I was a bit worried about that at first, but you've gone and changed my mind.” The man leaned back against one of the chairs in the room and waved his hand to motion the students back. “Give it some room and get along the walls. I'll call you up individually.”

Longbottom looked very relieved. “Sorry, Harry.”

The boy smiled at him. “Don't worry. It's not that difficult.”

“Well, we'll see.” Lupin was pleased with his attitude.

The teacher didn't bother with his wand to open the door. Harry simply waved his hand and the man put his hand up under his chin.

There was a sound from within the wardrobe that made everyone's blood run cold. They were all wondering what it was that frightened Harry Potter. The boy who had run along the roof of a train and fought vampires at close range without a hint of fear.

A black boot stepped out of the closet and a cold and rythmic breathing noise filled the air.

The students were confused, shocked, and uncertain about what they were seeing.

“What is that? Who? That's not Voldemort I take it?” muttered Hermione from Ron's side.

“No, definitely not,” said the boy with a small frown on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked confused but not worried.

Harry set himself and furrowed his brow as the tall being in a dark helmet and frightening mask glared down at him. Its breath was steady and uninterrupted as it took a step towards him and raised its hand holding a wand just like his. A blade of red light slid into existence and it set itself in a combat stance.

Harry had his weapon drawn as well. His lips were closed shut and he couldn't open them. He could feel the pressure of the Force holding them together. He couldn't speak the charm.

Remus seemed to notice something was wrong and stepped forward while drawing his wand.

The black clad figure raised its hand without looking at him and the man staggered to a stop while clutching at his throat with wide eyes.

The intimidating black clad figure took a step towards Harry and he stood his ground. He closed his eyes and focused. The being was using his own power against him. It could not use the force on its own and was tricking his mind into doing it for him. “There is only peace.” His lips loosened and he said it out loud. “Riddikulus!” He waved his weapon and pointed it at the thing. There was a ripping sound and its armor suddenly became hot pink.

The thing didn't seem to care and took another threatening step forward. Remus gasped as whatever was choking him stopped as the boy regained control. He narrowed his eyes at the thing and reared his hand back.

Harry got a smirk on his face. “I told you this was a bad idea.” He repeated the spell. This time the dark clad figure appeared to be dressed in a sun dress with a very large bow on the back and a wide brimmed straw summer hat. It was the same outfit his sister had ended up in when his mother had taken them shopping.

The rest of the room seemed to snap out of its silence and a few chuckles started. No one was sure what to make of what had just happened.

It turned its attention away and appeared as Professor Snape as it focused on Neville. The boy repeated the curse and the man appeared in his grandmother's clothes. The class gave a collective laugh at that.

The students took turns altering the teacher and seemed to forget about what had initially stepped out. Parvati ended up with a Mummy, Seamus ended up with a Banshee, then it was a rat, then a rattlesnake, and a bloody eyeball after that, then a severed hand.”

“Weasley!” called Remus.

“Huh?” The boy seemed to be shaken out of thought. “I haven't thought of anything yet.”

“Pardon?” Remus looked confused as the redhead stepped forward anyway. “Well, I'm...”

Ron just looked at it with a rather dead eyed stare. He didn't look particularly worried and his wand was hanging from his rather relaxed grip. “Um...”

The thing peered at him in the form of a severed hand caught in a mousetrap. It had grown a pair of black and blank looking eyes and simply stared at him.

The teacher looked surprised. “I think it's confused.”

“Hmm. What am I afraid of anyway?” muttered Ron as he pondered it right in front of the thing.

The boggart gave a sharp sounding shriek as it jumped up into a human form that appeared to be engulfed in flames. The thing could hear horrified wailing and tortured screams fill its mind. It screamed in horror and rushed away, jumping out of a nearby window and into the sunlight. It seemed to explode into wisps of smoke and embers that floated into the field below in the wind.

“What in Merlin's name?” muttered Remus in confusion.

“Hmm. What am I afraid of anyway?” Ron was still thinking about it.

Harry gave a small sigh and shook his head. He slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Don't worry about it, Ron. It's probably a good thing that you're having so much trouble thinking of something.”

The redhead nodded. “Yeah. I guess. Still, now it's going to bug me for a bit. Oh well.”

Remus shook his head and sighed. “Well, I suppose that is the end of the lesson.” He was a bit confused and wishing he'd listened to Harry. He'd never seen a boggart do anything like what that one had done when confronted by the Boy Who Lived. “Excellent, well done. Five points for everyone who tackled the boggart. Plus five each for Harry and Hermione for answering the questions correctly.”

The girl was a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten to have a go at it. “That was a good class I suppose. I would have liked to have gotten a chance.” She slapped Ron on the arm.

He smiled at her. “I'm not sure if it could have turned into a bad test score anyway.”

She gave him a scowl with no real heat in it. “I thought it would have turned into a spider or something with you.”

He scrunched up his nose. “I'm not really scared of them anymore. I just think they're really gross.”

The girl cocked her head. “I suppose what with everything that's happened over the last few years...”

Remus walked over to the pair and moved with them as the group went back into the hall and to the classroom. “Harry, Ron. The rest of the students went as expected, but the two of you...” He glanced at Harry with his smile fading a bit.

“I dunno. I think I just confused it because I couldn't think of anything scary.” The redhead shrugged.

The man gave a small sigh. “I doubt that. It wouldn't have burst into flames that way and would have just retreated back into the wardrobe if that were the case.”

The boy shrugged at him. “I've been to Hell. It's hard to top that.”

The teacher seemed to get that. “Ah, I see. Now it makes more sense.” He put his hand on Harry's shoulder. “Um...”

“It's called Darth Vader. He's...hard to explain.” The boy scratched his head and looked a bit flushed.

Hermione gasped. “That story you told us about? That was what...”

The boy who lived nodded. “Yeah. He wasn't very nice.”

“Harry, he blew up a planet!” the girl gasped.

“What?” Remus was even more confused.

Harry gave a small sigh and shrugged up at him. “Ask me about it when we can talk for a while. It's a really long story. I've found it just confuses people if I only try to explain parts of it.”

“I liked it. It's about spaceships, and there's this artificial moon with a giant laser, and planets full of aliens,” Ron looked pleased. “So that's what that guy looked like? I dunno, I just couldn't picture it from how you described it. It was too much muggle stuff what with electrodics and machines.”

The man gave a small nod as he realized he wasn't going to get much of an answer right then. “All right, I'll ask you about it some other time. I've never seen anything like that. Is he some sort of dark wizard?”

The Potter boy shook his head. “No, he's much worse. It's a good story, and I don't mind telling it. It's going to take a while though and it won't make much sense if I don't just tell you the whole thing. It's got to do with how my sister and I use...magic.”

He seemed thoughtful as they filed into the room and leaned against the door outside of the class for a moment. “I see. Interesting.”

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter smiled down at the pair standing together in wizarding robes looking about in wonder. He was looking down at them from behind their backs on top of a small hill. They were on a very colorful planet covered in giant neon colored mushrooms. The soil was black and a multitude of rainbow colored ferns covered most of the ground with a few rocky paths to navigate through the landscape around them. “Hey. Welcome.”

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger gasped as they turned around at the sound of the new voice behind them.

It was a young girl with red skin and a black and white growth on her head that was not quite hair. She had white markings on her face and looked quite thin and agile. She looked very pleased to see them both.

“Um...who? Who are you?” muttered Hermione as her hair stood up a little. “Is this the sort of girl that...”

“Hey. We're supposed to be meeting someone here,” Ron smiled at her and nodded. He wasn't extremely attracted to her, but did think she was pretty.

The girl seemed to think on that and looked down at herself. “Oh. Right. I forgot.” She gave a small sigh. “Just come with me. I'm supposed to meet you.”

“Is Harry here somewhere? You're taking us to him?” the girl was a little confused.

“No. I'm Harry. My sister did this to me. It's kind of annoying, but now I get stuck this way when I use this power sometimes.” He shifted forms and appeared as they knew him for a moment. “It takes a little effort to look this way. Her idea of a joke I think.”

Both of them looked rather surprised at that. Hermione's eye twitched a bit. “Huh?”

Ron burst into laughter. “Really? Wow! That's like something my brothers would do!”

Harry didn't look bothered and seemed to take it cheerfully. “Yes, well. You know they hang about together.” She waved her arm for them to follow. “Come on.”

“Where are we?” Hermione looked around.

“Tel Volnir. It's an alien world on a trade route that runs around the center of the galaxy.” He smiled at her. “I've done some training here before. Negotiated with the locals and all. It's a friendly place.”

“That girl is from this place?” Hermione seemed a bit more relaxed.

The girl smiled and shook her head. “No, she's from a planet called Shili. It's on the other side of this galaxy. This is a place in that Galaxy I told you about in that story. We're roughly in the middle of the Clone Wars time wise.”

“So we won't see that thing that came out of the wardrobe?” Ron looked over at him.

“No,” replied Harry with a smile. “He hasn't come around yet. I did get to meet his son though. He was a nice guy and helped me with my training a little. Mostly it's master Obiwan, Master Yoda, and Master Anakin when my sister is here with me. There are others sometimes, but those are the ones I see the most.”

“This is a bit strange,” Hermione backed away as a large insect with ten legs that was about the size of a cat crawled across the path they were on.

“This is a safe place,” Harry smiled. “The natives are friendly and there isn't much in the way of dangerous life here.”

The human girl gave a small sigh. “Natives? What are they like?”

The red skinned girl blinked. “Well, you just saw one walk by a moment ago.”

The girl looked a bit disgusted. “That big bug?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. They are very friendly. This planet produces a spice that is commonly used in food on human settled systems. They don't have much use for it themselves as it's toxic to them. Having the offworlders here to help remove it from their planet is looked on favorably by them. They're quite talkative.”

The girl was wide eyed. “You..brought us to a planet full of talking bugs?”

“Neat!” said Ron as he beamed at the red skinned girl.

Harry nodded. “Yeah. Well, it's kind of strange, but people will notice that something is off if you call me Harry here. I look like someone named Ahsoka, so you should call me that. It's hard to explain, but this isn't exactly like a normal dream. Not everything here is my doing if you catch my meaning.”

“What is it then?” Hermione was confused.

“Think of it as an interactive history lesson. It's true it's being channeled by me, but I'm not the one thinking all this stuff up.” The red girl seemed to think on it.

“So, it's kind of like having a psychic vision?” Hermione nodded. “I thought you said...”

“It's not exactly the same,” she remembered that Hermione was a muggle born. “It's kind of like a virtual reality video game.” She nodded and seemed to understand that.

It confused Ron though. “Huh? A what?”

“It's a muggle thing,” replied Hermione. “Don't worry about it. I think I understand better now.”

Ron seemed satisfied with that and looked at the red girl walking with them.

Ahsoka shrugged. “Come on. We're leaving anyway. This area is away from the busy parts of the war. It's why I wanted to meet you here. It's a supply run actually. We're here to pick up a load of spices for use in cooking for the troops. There are other supplies being gathered in this system as well. We wouldn't have come for what would have amounted to a little table salt on it's own. It's pretty a pretty safe and relaxing area.” She looked wistful.

“You look like you're remembering this place as if you've been here before.” Hermione looked confused.

“Nah. It's this girl's memory. She's what's called a Togruta, and she's one of my sister's former students. The person Anna used to be is elsewhere getting into trouble with Master Obiwan as I recall. The girl I'm stuck as right now was sent off to take some leave and get a break from the war. Most of the people involved with this operation were.” She grinned at them both. “She was kind of annoyed by it and pretty upset when she finally got back and found out how much she missed. Though, I don't think she ever regretted getting a break, though she wouldn't admit it.”

Hermione glanced at him as they walked down the path together. She had started noticing small mounds with large holes facing the paths hidden in the ferns. Some of them had the shine of many eyes and a few legs poking out of them. It was making her a bit nervous. “You seem to know her pretty well.”

Harry actually got a small frown on his face. “Yeah. I've been reliving a lot of this girl's life in my dreams since we started training. What she did during the war, training with Anakin, that sort of thing.”

“How do you know you weren't her in a past life?” asked Hermione.

Harry cocked his head. “Well, I'm pretty sure, but it's hard to explain why. You'll just have to take my word that I wasn't I'm afraid.”

“Must be interesting,” commented Ron as he looked about with his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, I'll say...” Hermione looked a bit shocked. They had just cleared the top of a hill and saw a ship with three wings sitting on the ground ahead in an open clearing. It had three wings, two of which were folded up to the sides of it. It was as large as a small house. “Whoa! That's your spaceship?”

Ahsoka blinked. “Huh? No. That's just a shuttle.” She pointed up and smiled.

Hermione and Ron both looked up and got even more wide eyed. There was a small wedge in the sky. It was obviously very high up and outside the atmosphere. “That's...” muttered the girl.

“Yeah. Come on. We're about to take off.” Harry waved them forward and they moved up the ramp into the shuttle.

Hermione and Ron both took seats next to Harry. They were surrounded by men in white armor that was painted various colors on small portions of them. Mostly red, blue, and yellow. The men were quiet and seemed relaxed. They all had firearms that they loaded onto racks next to the entrance to the ship upon entering.

“Hey. Neat,” Ron took notice of them. He had experience with firearms and found them interesting. “They don't look like they shoot bullets.”

“Huh?” Harry smiled. “Projectile weapons are kind of rare here. It's an energy bolt.”

Hermione looked at the only other girl in the seats. “Um, that doesn't bother you? You don't seem embarrassed or anything.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, it's not that sort of dream. It doesn't really feel any different. I only noticed because you said something. When I said I lived this life again, I didn't mean quite on that level. It's just the memories where it doesn't matter either way whether I'm a boy or a girl.” He leaned in and spoke quietly. “It has given me a few odd moments, but it's nothing major.”

Hermione noticed his caution and looked at the armored men around them. “Are they dangerous?”

He shook his head. “No, but they'll notice if we act off. I'm helping them not notice you right now. It can be a little annoying to deal with it if they get suspicious because we're acting strange. Nothing here can really hurt you.” He smiled at them. “They all think you're smugglers that we hired to help out with hauling the cargo.”

She nodded and relaxed.

“I'll show you around a bit when we get to the ship. It's pretty neat.” Harry looked pleased. “I've got my own fighter too. It's a single seat ship and one of the engines is acting up, but we can have a look.”

“Fighter?” muttered Ron. It was obvious he had no idea what that meant.

“This isn't what I expected when I said we should meet in your dreams, H...Ahsoka.” She didn't look upset and was obviously very interested in her surroundings.

He nodded. “I know. I figured you might like to see some of what I've been telling you about though. We'll have a talk later. There's not much we can do. Like I said, I'm not going to try to fight that thing right now. It's too risky and we need to find out more before we do anything rash and end up in worse trouble.”

Ron nodded. “At least no one has tried to kill you yet this year.” He looked pleased.

“Yes. Well, I can't say it's not interesting,” muttered Hermione.

OooOOooOO

Rubeus Hagrid had a huge grin on his face. “'Arry! C'm in, c'm in!” He waved the boy over.

It was the night after their first shared dream. The group hadn't discussed much, and it was a pretty relaxed affair. Harry had shown them around the big spaceship mostly. Then they ended up having a meal of very odd food that they could all actually taste. Some of it was good, but it wasn't on the level of Hogwarts. None of it was horrible. They mostly ended up talking about school and complaining about Slytherin and Snape while standing around on an observation deck that overlooked the planet below.

“Hagrid. How have you been?” Harry was glad to visit and he seemed to be in a particularly good mood that day.

“Harry, yer not gn believe this!” The half giant was wide eyed and excited. “Mah Pokemon Evolved!”

Hermione cocked her head. “Oh. Those things? I've seen some of the other students with them, but...”

“Ginny has a couple,” commented Ron. “She caught them over the summer. One is this weird plant thing that looks like it's made of grass, and the other is this mean looking bug thing that kind of looks like a Praying Mantis. She said she got them from the garden using those things your sister and that Lovegood girl have been selling.”

Parvati smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. My sister has one as well. I'm not sure what it is, but it's pink and round and great for helping you get to sleep. I'm thinking of trying to catch one over the summer myself. They're allowed at Hogwarts, but I'd rather not deal with learning about a new pet while I'm here.”

Harry shrugged. “As far as I know Anna doesn't even have one. She just manufactures the stuff for them in some sort of partnership with Luna. Seems a bit odd as she seems to avoid her. They get along all right though.”

Parvati nodded. “That explains why the Quibbler looks so much better recently. It used to be a cheap rag, but now it's almost like a magazine. It's not gotten any less crazy though.”

Hagrid nodded. “I've heard it's big business. I've got a few m'self.” He looked quite proud. “Only twelve so far though. I'm still lernin about cetchin the critters. Still getting the hang of them little balls.”

“Twelve?!” Hermione's eyes went wide. Most people only had a couple.

“Yep. Luna has about fifty of em.” Hagrid smiled at the group. “I don't kep em in them little balls though. No need fer that what with the woods and all. They don't seem to mind much either way though.”

Hermione nodded and seemed to remember who she was talking about. “I suppose you'll catch quite a few then.” Luna was researching them and actually doing a passable job of it. Despite the paper her family owned, once she had a funding source she was able to actually do proper research and was making a name for herself amongst magical biologists for her work on the new creature type. She'd seen some of her work on the subject and was impressed by what she had seen more than she thought she would be.

Hagrid was beaming. “I hope so.”

The frazzle haired girl seemed to think of something. “Wait? Did you say 'evolved'? That takes millions of years...”

Harry looked at her. “Not with those things. They actually revert to a new form after a while. Can happen three or four times with some of them. Most only do it once though. They're not like normal animals.”

“I'll show yeh!” Hagrid opened the door and waved for them to follow.

They went around back and saw something rather large and orange inside one of one of the pens. A jet of flame shot out of the area they couldn't see and all the students jumped a bit.

“Wait,” Ron muttered as he got a little wide eyed. “I've seen something like that before...”

Harry cocked his eyebrow. “Yeah. We all have.”

“Is that...a dragon?” Parvati had her jaw hanging down a bit.

“Turns out there's dragon type Pokemon,” Hagrid gave a nod as he crossed his arms and looked like his dream had come true. It had actually.

“Chaaaaarrrr,” bellowed the orange head that lifted up over the pen's wall. Two large wings spread and flapped as it noticed its master was present. It was five feet tall and lumbered out of the pen to the giant looking pleased.

“What the?” muttered Hermione in shock. “Isn't that illegal?”

Hagrid shook his head. “Naw. It's a pokemon. Completely legal!” The giant orange lizard was licking his face and acting like an excited dog. Fang was sitting back a little ways wagging his tail. “He gets along with Fang an everything.” The dog looked pretty passive, but was keeping his distance.

Harry could tell how pleased he was about it. “That's great, Hagrid.”

Ron looked confused. “Where did it come from? I've never seen one that big before.”

“My little Charmander evolved! This says it's called a Charizard.” Hagrid pulled a pokedex from his pocket as he scratched the giant reptile between it's horns.

“Well, it's certainly got a better temperament than Petunia,” commented Harry.

Hermione's jaw dropped. “That little salamander looking thing?” The creature she remembered was a bit fat and less than two feet long. It had a small fire burning on the end of its tail all the time and was quite lazy when she'd seen it.

“Thas right,” nodded the half giant.

Ron cocked his eyebrow. “Well, he has gotten big, hasn't he?”

Parvati looked a bit taken by that. She'd seen the charmander before as well. “Maybe I should think about getting one a bit more?” She wasn't so sure she wanted an animal that size. It looked friendly enough, but it hadn't escaped her notice that many types of Pokemon had dangerous appendages and elemental powers.

Hagrid's boyhood dream had come to life at last. He was as happy as the boy had ever seen him. “Well, I'm sure you'll take good care of him.”

The Care of Magical Creatures instructor was near to tears. “That I will, 'arry. That I will.”

cont...
[hr]
OooOOooOO

Ron Weasley frowned as he glanced over his shoulder at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. “I hope Professor Lupin gets better soon. That was awful.”

Harry knew why Lupin was missing. He didn't say anything and nodded. “He's fine, don't worry about it.”

“How do you know?” asked Hermione. She'd managed to lose ten points in the class. No one was angry about it as they had managed to lose twenty five over the period in total.

He looked at her. “He's a friend of the family. It's nothing to worry about. He just gets a little off sometimes.”

Snape had taken over and had terrorized the entire class for the whole period. They all had a paper to write about werewolves that was due the next Monday morning.

Harry had managed to answer correctly when Snape pressed the class about the ways to recognize werewolves. He knew why the man was doing it. He didn't know how, but Snape knew that Remus was a werewolf somehow. He supposed he understood the man's reasoning for pressing the students on the subject. He wasn't about to defend what he'd done in the class though. It had been worse than any Potions class they had yet taken.

Snape had pressed him about how he knew so much about werewolves and he'd lost five points for 'cheek' when he'd replied “I think you know, Professor.”

Ron had remained silent and didn't look any more pleased than his two friends. “I hope we won't have to deal with that again.” He blinked as he saw a familiar figure walking towards them at a brisk pace. “Huh? Hey.”

Afina looked over her shoulder and scowled. Her face softened as she recognized the trio. “Ah, Ron, Harry, Miss Granger, how are you?”

“Are you all right?” asked Ron.

She gave a small sigh and nodded. “Yes. I'm just visiting one of the teachers. She looked back in the direction they had just come from. “Awful man. I've half a mind to go in there and give him a good...” She shook her head. “Nevermind.”

“You saw the class then?” she looked a bit annoyed in the same direction.

“Quite. Don't worry about it.” She smiled at them. “I don't care much for him and I'd just as soon not speak with him.”

“Me either,” agreed Ron. “You're visiting someone?”

“Yes. Mr. Lupin is a...friend,” she considered what to say for a moment. “I'm just here to check up on him. I'm sure you've heard he's a bit under the weather.”

Harry nodded. “Anna is helping him out with that potion I think.”

“What? She couldn't, she's just a student!” Hermione looked confused. “It wouldn't be allowed...”

Afina smirked. “She's more qualified than Severus Snape is actually. I think I trust her more with it anyway.” She shook her head. “Don't worry about it. He'll be right as rain by the next time you have that class.”

“That's a relief,” said Ron as he tipped his hat back. “Nice to see you again.”

Hermione gave a nod. “Yes. I'm afraid we've got to get to our next class though.” She looked towards her companions. “Come on or we'll be late.”

Harry gave a small wave and followed after her with Ron.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

 

[Contrabardus]

RE: A Matter of Force 44-47

And on to the next chapter!

A Matter of Force

Part 45

The End of Anna Potter.

OooOOooOO

“Weather's horrible,” grumbled Oliver Wood as he looked outside.

“Won't matter,” replied Harry. The team was all sitting together for breakfast.

“He's right Oliver,” replied Alicia.

Wood wasn't eating and looked sullen and worried.

“I can do it,” said Harry with a firmness in his tone. He knew it was Oliver's last year, and his last chance at the cup. He also knew that his captain would feel a lot better about the season once they got past Slytherin and his sister.

The team went out to the pitch and were all soaked by the time they made it to the locker room. None of them seemed to mind much as they all knew they'd be out in the thick of it for the match. It was a nasty thunderstorm, and the crack and boom of the storm shook the stands.

Despite it, pretty much the whole school had shown up for the match. It wasn't something to be missed considering the two best broom riders in the whole school would be out on the field competing for the Snitch. Everyone was tense and the weather was not enough to keep them away. The stands were dry thanks to an enchantment, but everyone was soaking wet by the time they made it out there. The wind was strong enough that umbrellas did little good even if they weren't blown away by the gusts.

Wood tried to give his speech before the match, but came up blank. He swallowed a couple of times and looked at them all with wide eyes. The whole team was struggling against the wind as they strolled out onto the field. Slytherin looked no better off and Marcus Flint glared at the opposing captain. Neither one offered the other a hand and Madam Hooch ignored it and blew on her whistle.

Harry and Anna both rose into the air opposite each other. Each had a hard and serious look in their eyes and neither spoke. They wouldn't have heard each other in the torrent anyway. Both stayed above the match as it began and looked down at the buzzing about below. The Snitch was released and they both moved immediately.

Lightning crashed as the pair shot through the match. There was no flitting about between them. They were going at it as if they were racing around the pitch at top speed. The Bludgers swerved away from them despite Slytherin aiming them right at them at every opportunity as they blasted through the match.

They twisted over and under each other as they passed through the match and their teammates. Both teams were playing a rough game. There were a few uncalled fouls on both sides. Even Madam Hooch's eyes had difficulty seeing through the torrent and flashes of lightning.

Anna and Harry ignored all of this though. They followed the tiny ball despite the fact that neither could see it with their eyes. It was fast and agile, but the two teens stayed on it and were no more than a foot apart at any point. Neither encroached on the other and they shot beneath the stands as the ball ducked under the seats and into the supports. The twins weaved through the large wooden beams that held the frame of the seats together with ease, but the golden ball kept them at bay by curving through the heavy wood to keep just out of reach. It was as if it knew that they could sense them and was using it's environment to keep them off.

“Isn't it cheating to manipulate the ball that way?” asked Harry as he realized that was what was going on.

“It would be if I was making it easier for me to catch. What are you complaining about?” replied his sister. They were shielded from the torrent and able to speak as they tore after the Snitch under the cover of the bleachers.

“I'm not,” he smirked and narrowed his eyes as he focused on it and dodged around another of the heavy oak beams. “Still, I hope you don't think I'm seriously going to let you keep doing this until Draco puts enough points up that I won't be able to catch it.” He waved his hand at her.

Anna was a little surprised as the front end of her broom was jolted a bit. She was aiming right at one of the support beams and forced to correct herself. “What? N...no.” Her eyes went wide as she realized what had happened. He had spoken to her and broken her concentration enough to allow the ball to break free of her control.

Harry pulled up and kicked off the top end of the bleachers and over onto the field. The Snitch had passed between the opening between the seats and the footwells. He dove down only a few inches over the heads of the spectators and snatched it out of the air.

Anna came over the top of the bleachers just in time to witness this. She had a rather slack jawed expression as she sat there in the rain and looked on as he held it up to show it to her with a grin on his face. “Sorry, not this year, Anna.”

She got a rather unusual look in here eyes and cracked a rather unpleasant looking grin. “No, I suppose not.”

Her brother went down to where his own team was cheering and landed amongst them.

Anna growled and balled up her fist as she looked over at where her own team was gathering. They were all scowling at her. Snape was with them and didn't look any happier.

She landed next to the teacher and he opened his mouth.

“If know anyone else who has any hope of beating my brother, feel free to replace me,” she hissed at him as she scowled at him.

“Watch your tone, Potter,” he growled. He kept it at that and the team started slogging off towards the locker room in the torrential downpour.

Gryffindor was doing the same, but looked much more cheerful.

Draco Malfoy hung back and narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't look angry, but no one noticed. “Oh, shit,” he muttered to himself under his breath.

OooOOooOO

Snape scowled as he stood in the doorway to the locker rooms. He had his arms crossed, and his team was looking tired and displeased as they moved by him into the room. She was silent and had a firm scowl on her face. “You failed.”

“I noticed,” she hissed in reply. The girl didn't look at him and pushed the door open to the locker room as she brushed past. He followed her inside looking very displeased. There was a separate room for the female team members to change and shower, but there was always a team meeting after the matches that was held in the boys side. Draco gave a snort as he walked in after her. He was hanging back and didn't look like he wanted to speak.

Snape narrowed his eyes at that. He knew the boy didn't like her and it seemed unusual that he wouldn't say anything.

“Nice job, Potter,” grumbled one of his fellow chasers.

Draco sucked in a quick breath and looked at the boy with his lips growing tight.

The redhead stood in the middle of the locker room. Most of the team was looking at her with frowns and it was obvious she would be taking the blame. She didn't look sad or sorry. Her fists were balled up and they stood around her in a group. Snape was by the doorway looking on, and none of them would dare try anything while he was there. The teacher spoke up and looked at her. “Anything to say, Potter?”

She had her eyes turned down and her fists became white knuckled as she clenched them even harder. “Heh. He beat me. I didn't think he had become so strong.” He beat her in training sometimes, but she never lost when it counted. Not once had she allowed it. “I never expected...” Her voice wavered a little. “I will make him pay!” she snarled as she glared up at her teammates. She raised her hands and screamed in anger. “That weak little jerk actually beat me! I don't fucking believe it!”

The team and the teacher jumped as every locker in the room burst open. The contents of each metal bin shooting out as if fired from an air cannon. The metal twisted and crushed as the huge metal lockers bent and twisted creating jagged looking hunks of metal not dissimilar from a wrecked car. Energy crackled across the surfaces as the boys all moved towards the showers and away from the groaning and shrieking remains of the storage bins that had once housed their belongings.

Anna gasped and relaxed. Draco and Snape were the only ones who didn't back away. The teacher was far enough away that he wasn't affected, and Draco simply stood with his arms crossed and ignored it.

“Potter!” Snarled the teacher as he took a step forward. “You've damaged Hogwarts property! This won't be tolerated! I...”

“Don't touch her,” Draco put his arm on the teacher's shoulder. The man looked annoyed, but the boy didn't let him go and held him back gently. Malfoy looked at the redhead. “I suggest you stop this little tantrum. You're just going to make it worse.”

Anna nodded and took controlled breaths for a moment. The lockers bent back into shape, and the team's belongings all flew back into their proper storage bin inside. She relaxed and her shoulders slumped. “Yes. You're right of course.” She looked at him with a smirk on her face. Her eyes had changed. He'd seen it in fleeting glimpses before, but the yellow and orange irises had a dark rage burning in them despite the rest of her face seeming cheerful.

The boy got wide eyed and took a step back as he released the teacher. “Y-yeah.” Snape narrowed his eyes at it but remained silent and looked towards the girl again. The man noticed that Malfoy had gone a little pale. The other students were all calm and looking on from just outside the showers in a huddled group. None of them looked particularly afraid, but they weren't getting any closer to the redhead than they had to be.

Michale Cretus narrowed his eyes and whispered under his breath. “Did you fucking see that? What in Merlin's name was that?”

“Shut up,” growled Flint. He looked towards Snape, and was as eager as the rest of the team for the meeting to be over. She would go to her own side of the locker rooms and they could change in peace when it was.

“I've seen enough.” Snape looked around and inspected the lockers. Despite the shape they'd been put in by her little outburst they seemed no worse than before. “Get changed and go about your business. I'm sure you all know I'm not pleased. You should all know what to expect.” The team would be running itself into the ground during practice, and taking extra time on the field until he was satisfied. That would take quite a while, especially with a loss to Gryffindore. The man turned and left the room.

Anna frowned at him and followed after sending a wave of relief through the team.

“What the hell was that?” growled one of the chasers. “Did you see that? She destroyed these things, and they look...” He knocked the door to his locker as if to be sure it was really intact.

Draco frowned at him. The feeling of hostility towards the girl wasn't gone, but there was no way anyone in the room was going to fuck with her over the loss after that. “I don't like it. I've never seen her do anything like that before.”

Flint gave a snort. “Aren't you the same? What with that wand and all?”

The blond boy glanced over at him. “I don't think you realize just how much danger we were just in. She blew her top.”

Michale narrowed his eyes and shoved Draco's shoulder. “Come off it. That brat was just showing off.”

The youngest chaser pushed his hand off. “If you say so. I don't recommend bothering her for a while.” He'd seen those eyes before, and it gave him a chill. “I'm not going anywhere near her if I can help it until she gets that look out of her eyes.”

Cretus shook his head. “I suppose I can't argue. I'll be glad when the Dark Lord gets rid of them for us. I doubt anyone else will manage to get rid of that little tart.”

Flint chuckled at that. “Finally figured that out did you? I certainly won't be bothered with it. I owe her enough to leave her alone, but I don't like her any more than you do either. I'm also not dumb enough to try anything. You're lucky she's been so easy on you. I think it's only because you're on the team.”

Michale scowled at that, but simply tossed a towel over his shoulder and moved towards the showers.

OooOOooOO

Draco Malfoy froze after he walked out of the locker room. He was usually the last to leave as he took a bit of time to meditate after matches on one of the benches in the locker area. As soon as he took three steps out of the door he went rigid. His head cocked back a little. “Potter. Wasn't expecting to find you here.” He turned his gaze forward again. He hadn't seen her but he knew she was right behind him leaning against the wall. “You should be more careful. Professor Snape wasn't pleased, and I don't mean losing tha...”

“The time for caution is over.” The girl was right behind him and he could no longer speak. He was gasping but not choking. “Don't call me 'Potter' again.” She grabbed him by his throat and pushed him against the wall. Her orange and yellow eyes had not faded away as they usually did. She lifted him up by his neck against the bricks and looked into his eyes. Her expression was calm and her tone even. “My name, is Darth Vader. Annabelle Potter, does not exist anymore. She has been destroyed just as I told you she would be.” She gave him a most unpleasant looking grin. “Everything is going as I have foreseen it.”

He could speak and wasn't choking. He was far from comfortable, but most of his weight was being put on his collar bone and shoulders rather than his neck. “Whatever you say, Master.”

“I wasn't expecting him to be so strong this soon. Our plans are moving forward ahead of schedule.” She let him slide down the wall and turned away from him.

The boy nodded once. His lips were pressed together and he was starting to form a cold sweat. His hands were shaking and he put them behind his back and clenched them together to steady them. “What do you need me to do?”

She seemed to regard him for a moment and cocked her head. Her hand came up and brushed off his shoulder. “I'll inform you when the time comes. Be ready. We cannot delay any longer. Harry Potter must be destroyed before he can become any more powerful. Our time has come, my young apprentice.”

He hung his head. He should have been happy to hear that. “Yes, Master.” His terror was overshadowing any pleasure he might have taken from that news.

She turned away and walked off leaving him leaning against the wall. “You'd better be prepared. Don't expect to remain here when this is finished.” A cruel smirk formed on her face. It would be interesting to train him and pit him against Rage and see which one would end up her apprentice. She was hoping that it would remain a mystery which one would actually end up at her side in the end.

Draco looked on as she left. After she was out of sight, he slumped down on his rear, clutched his shoulders, and sobbed as he rubbed at his arms and shivered.

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter stood in the shadows outside of Gryffindor's painting. It was a long break between classes, and he was standing in front of the common area talking to his friends. Hermione looked skeptical, and Ron was grinning and talking as much with his body as his mouth. Harry was clearly amused and enjoying himself.

She simply glared at him with a scowl on her face from the shadows. He had no idea she was nearby. “There you are. It's a shame I can't keep you. My new toy will just have to do.” She cocked her head. “Malfoy.”

He stepped out of the shadows behind her and moved up to behind her on her right side. “Yes, Master?”

“Harry Potter must not survive the year. It is almost complete, only one piece remains. Unfortunate he wasn't viable, pathetic creature.”

“I always knew he was soft,” muttered the blond boy.

“Don't be stupid. Harry turned out superbly. I was talking about that idiot Voldemort. He's already undone himself though he does not know it. There is a powerful rival for me now.” She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned a bit. “I cannot reach her now, but I must destroy her. She is truly dangerous.”

Malfoy looked confused. “What?”

“I trained him when I trained my brother. The connection he has with my brother through the scar gave him an understanding of the Force. Though, he is pitiful at wielding it. It gave him the ability to become a powerful Sith, but not enough of the knowledge he needed. It came to him in spurts and flashes, Harry was trained properly. The one I speak of endures. She is becoming very strong. She has an unusually potent natural ability, or something else that made her connection to the Force grow very quickly.”

“Rage,” growled Malfoy under his breath.

Anna smirked at that. “Don't be silly. She is a rival for you. She couldn't touch me as I am now. I would destroy her with impunity. I might, but it may be best to let you have her. It will be dangerous enough to be useful in honing your skills.”

“Why train him? It would be much easier to destroy him now if you had not.” The boy frowned. “You told me you've always known he had to be killed.”

The look she was giving him faded as he added the last part. “To give him a fighting chance. He is my brother after all. It must be done, but...even I had a heart once.”

Malfoy nodded and still didn't seem to understand. He realized it was probably a bad idea to run his mouth. She was like she was in the dreams now. Her voice was cold and hard, but barely a whisper. Her eyes a reddish orange in color, and a small frown on her face. Her gaze was a steady and maddening glare.

“It's time to go. Soon it will begin.” The girl turned away and started walking towards the Slytherin dorms.

“I could...” started Malfoy.

“Don't even suggest it. I warn you. You are nothing to Harry Potter. He would destroy you, and you would be nothing to me but wasted effort and disappointment. Stay away from him.” She started walking again. “I trained him for several years. Don't take my command lightly, or I won't have to bother with punishing you myself at the least.”

Draco hung his head and glanced back at the Potter boy. “Yes, Master.”

“Come on, there is nothing more of interest here.” Anna cocked her head. “Don't mess with the Granger girl. She's probably going to be with my brother in the evenings. The Weasley boy as well. They'll likely use their dreams as a meeting ground. She's also observant enough to be dangerous. She's likely to remember things others might not even under duress.”

“I'm to hunt in Gryffindor tonight?” he asked as he nodded. “I'm not afraid of them.”

She paused in her stroll and hissed at him. “I'm not going to have you taking needless risks. My brother may not be fooled by Freddy. I've been avoiding him and his friends deliberately. He's too connected with him, and it's best if he doesn't know what is going on yet. It will make him easier to trap if he's not expecting it.”

Malfoy nodded. “I think that he is but he just doesn't want to say it.”

The girl glared at the floor. “You may be right about that. He's getting suspicious of me. I must act soon but we are not ready yet. It will be done before the holiday. In order to end this he has to die. I'm of no mind to drag it out any further than I have too.”

Draco scowled at that. “Forgive me, Master, but...”

“No. I will do what I must.” She put up her hand and glared at him. He sputtered for a moment and fell to his knees with his face becoming red as his breathing stopped as her patience with him finally wore out. “I do not enjoy the thought of killing my own brother. I have no illusions that it must not be done. If I do not destroy him, he will destroy me.” The Slytherin boy coughed and gasped as she released him. “Get to class. I don't want to be seen around you yet.”

He nodded and staggered away. She was more patient with him than she was in the dreams, but probably only because of the proximity to her brother. He shivered and a look of horror crossed his features. The horrible nightmares had come to life. That thing was really there in Hogwarts now. Anna as he had known her was gone, nothing but a mask for it to hide behind. He was it's right hand and that terrified him. He hated that thing, beyond anything else in the world he hated it. He wanted to destroy it, end it for good. Unfortunately, he was also aware that was exactly what it wanted from him. “Someday, Potter. I will destroy you.”

Anna strolled down an empty hall with a cruel smirk on her face. “I hope you survive long enough to try at least once.” He couldn't hear her, but she knew a little chill had run down his spine as she said it.

OooOOooOO

In the evening a few nights later two cloaked figures stood in an empty hallway on the top floor of Hogwarts. One dropped a vial of thick green liquid onto the floor, a cloud of green gas began to flow from the puddle on the floor and spread across the ground low. The pair was above the vapors and kept their heads held low as they stood and watched it spread. “The house heads will be contained for about four hours. It will take at least that long for Professor Snape to brew up the counter for the barriers. I wouldn't count on it taking him very long in figuring out what it is. Dumbledore may be able to brew the counter as well, but he may have to wait for Snape. His talent is in charms, and there are no charms or incantations that will break the barrier. It's a trap with only one solution.”

The other figure snorted. “I see. So, the time has come.” Draco lifted his eyes to glare at her. “I know my role. It feels good to finally strike.”

“You will learn patience. When we are finished here we won't be remaining at Hogwarts. I'm hoping you're at least smart enough to realize that.” Anna scowled back at him. He was upset, and had wanted to kill Harry himself. It was something of a personal goal to prove he was better by doing it himself. “We will see about eliminating Voldemort. After my brother is dead we will leave immediately. Once the pathetic creature is destroyed we'll be disappearing for a time. You're not strong enough to be of much use yet, and it will take time for us to gain the strength to destroy the Ministry.”

Draco's face remained stern. “Yes, master.” He didn't dare voice his objection to that. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it had become abundantly obvious since the girl lost her match against her brother that he had no choice in the matter.

“Repeat your orders. I want to be sure you don't screw this up. We'll only have one shot at it. My brother won't be effected by this potion. I was able to use one of his hairs to make its effects ignore him.” Anna looked away from him and snarled with a barely held back rage. “It also won't work on anyone older than a fourth year. It took me a month to brew this up.”

“I'm to keep the students busy and make sure they are running about and in chaos. I am not to kill anyone at any time. Only your brother is to die.” He hung his head. “Master, I'm confused by this. We're both committing murder by doing this to begin with. What do we care if there are one or two more?” Draco stepped back as she turned her head to look at him.

Anna considered it for a moment. He didn't seem to be trying to get out of what he'd been told to do. “Yes. I have an excuse for Harry's death. One the Ministry will be unable to ignore. We'll be able to use that to defend ourselves in litigation. It won't get us off, but it will lighten our sentence considerably. A few years in Azkaban will be good for the two of us. We'll both be much stronger when we are released. The wizards will be crushed, and we will begin to show these pitiful fools what true power is. They will all kneel before us. We will evade the Ministry for a time, and turn ourselves over when I think we should. We have a few loose ends to tie up before we can allow that to happen. You wouldn't last long in that place as you are now, but you're not too far off.” She arched her eyebrow as she appraised him for a moment.

Malfoy looked even more confused and had lost a bit of color. “Excuse?”

“Don't expect me to explain much to you, Apprentice. Sith become strong by surviving their training. If you cannot adapt you will be destroyed. That is, if I don't tire of your questions first.” She scowled back at him and began to walk forward through the green mist.

The boy nodded and bent down on his knees. He breathed in deeply taking in the vapors from the concoction and slumped down on the floor. The young Malfoy had a cruel looking grin on his face as his eyes began to close. “Heh. I've been looking forward to this.”

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter sat up and gasped. There was an unusual haze in the room and an odd smell. He wasn't having any trouble breathing and rubbed at his eyes a bit. “Huh? I sense a disturbance...” He put his legs over the edge of the bed and frowned. He couldn't see his feet because some sort of thick green vapor was covering the floor. It didn't hurt his feet and swirled about. “What the?” He put on his glasses and looked around. The beds nearby were empty. “Something is going on?”

His frown deepened as he noticed Ron's bed was empty as well. “I don't sense they are in danger, but...” He was confused and stood up. His wand floated over to his hand and he walked down the stairs. Whatever the green gas was, it was magical in nature. It was flowing up the stairs and from the main common area.

“Potter!” called a familiar voice. Percy Weasley was flicking his wand and tossing a stunning spell into the chest of a second year girl. “Stupify!” She took a staggering step back but continued towards him. There were about eight older students there with him being herded against the wall by the younger students. They managed to shove them back a few inches and little more. Whatever it was that was done to them was also shielding them from charms.

“What is this? What's wrong with them?” grumbled Oliver Wood. There was a group of older students standing in the corner of the room. They were surrounded by younger students who were groaning and walking about with their arms up.

“It's like they're zombies,” growled a dark haired fifth year girl. “Oi! Harry! A little help here!”

“More like sleepwalking,” grumbled Fred.

“He's right, they aren't undead,” agreed George. “Hey, it is Harry!”

The Boy Who Lived strolled through a few younger students milling about the middle of the room and they ignored him. They were boxing in the older students, but weren't doing anymore than keeping them contained. “What's going on here? What's happened to them?”

“We're not sure. Most of the older students are stuck upstairs. They're blocking off the stairwell as well. We managed to get by before they blocked the way completely, but now we're stuck here. They won't let us by and we can't get around them. Nothing we've tried has worked.” Percy looked frustrated. “They've been shielded somehow against charms and incantations.”

“That's really odd,” commented Harry as he realized he wasn't being obstructed. He walked around a second year girl with blond hair and pigtails and looked her up and down. He almost jumped out of his skin and backed away as she screamed in what looked like complete terror and put her arms up as if to shield herself. She was thrown off her feet by seemingly nothing and ended up writhing about in the green mist.

Harry went over to her side and looked confused and horrified. She was in horrible pain and very frightened. “What is this?”

“Damn, another one,” growled Oliver.

“We've seen two others go down like that,” said George.

Fred gave a nod. “I think we've heard a few screams in the hallway as well, but we can't be sure. Not everyone is accounted for.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “Hey, anyone else notice they aren't bothering Harry?”

A fifth year girl with short cut blond hair gave a nod. “He's right.”

“I'm a bit confused,” muttered the youngest boy awake. The girl had calmed and was sleeping peacefully again. She stood up and resumed wandering about like a zombie. “Anyone have any idea what is going on here?”

“Afraid not,” said Percy. “It's disturbing, but I don't think anyone has been hurt.”

Oliver looked a bit panicked. “This is very weird, even for Hogwarts.”

Harry looked at his wand. “I think it's deliberate as well. Someone planned this.”

“Why isn't he like the rest of them though? These are all younger students. I've not seen anyone yet who isn't a fourth year or older who is still awake,” said sixth year boy Harry hadn't really met before. He had blue eyes, brown hair, and was a bit on the hefty side.

“I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do to get you out of there. If you haven't been able to stun them, I doubt I can do much.” Harry seemed to ignore him but took note of that. “This is probably another stupid trap for me.”

Percy frowned at him. “Great. Potter, stay put. This is bad enough.”

The boy shook his head. “I'm going to see if I can find Professor McGonagall, or Professor Dumbledore. They're ignoring me.”

“This is probably meant to get you on your own,” said Percy with a firm scowl.

“I know,” replied the boy simply. “Still, I'm not so sure we can just wait this out. We don't know what's going on.”

“I'll stun you,” growled Percy.

“He's right, Harry.” Oliver was worried as well, and not just because of his hopes for the Quidditch team that year either.

“Sorry, but I think it's best that I try and find a teacher since they seem to be ignoring me. If this is a trap, then I could be putting all of you in danger by staying here. Anyone strong enough to do something like this...” Harry started towards the exit.

“If you walk out that door it's twenty points, Potter!” warned the eldest Weasley.

“Hey, come on now,” cried Fred and George together.

Harry gave a small sigh. “I'm afraid I'm willing to accept that.”

“Don't you dare! Stupify!” cried Percy as he pointed his wand at the boy.

Harry's lightsaber came on and the boy took his own spell in the chest and stiffened up. “Sorry, Percy.”

“Harry! Harry get back here!” cried Oliver. The short haired blonde girl tapped Percy's forehead to release him from the spell.

OooOOooOO

Harry's breath was harsh as he walked into the Great Hall. He hadn't been able to reach any of the faculty. They were all just a stuck as the older students by the zombified sleepwalking students that filled the halls. He probably could have managed to get past them with a bit of effort, but they were obviously creating a clear path for him to follow. He jogged through the halls and scowled as he realized that they were directing him to the Great Hall.

The doors closed behind him but he paid it no attention. He walked between the house tables towards the front of the room where the faculty sat. “Anna.”

She was sitting on the far left side of the raised platform with her back to the wall and her leg hanging over the stage. She had her head hung low and her hair was hanging from a hood that covered all but her jaw. The girl had a mad grin on her face as she sang. “Sweet dreams are made of these. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody's looking for something.” She stood up and dusted herself off as she turned to face him. “Some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you.” Her lightsaber came to life in her grip. “Some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused.”

“Anna, what are you doing? What is this? What in Merlin's name is going on here?” said the boy with a frown on his face. “What happened to you?”

“The Force is with you, Harry Potter, but you are not a Jedi yet.” She looked up at him with her orange irises.

“Anna! Stop this! Do you have any idea...” started the boy as his temper rose.

“Of course I do, and stop calling me Anna. You know who I am.” The corners of her lips turned up as she kept her glare steady. “That name, no longer has any meaning to me.”

He ignited his blade and held it up in a defensive posture. “That's a lie and you know it.”

She spread her feet and took up an offensive stance. “You will be destroyed. There is no other option.”

“What are you talking about? What about that future we both wanted?” His fear surged up inside him.

The girl snorted. “There is no future where we both survive.” She jumped forward. “I will not be denied mine by such pitiful attachments. A lesson I have learned well.”

Harry raised his weapon and defended himself. She pushed against his weapon and snarled at him with a rage he'd never seen from her in her eyes. Hatred and anger were pouring off of her in waves. It was almost as much pressure as her weapon. He shoved back and she landed a short distance back. “Don't do this. Let's talk about this. What you're doing is crazy, Anna. There is no good end to this.”

“Yes. Trying to stall me by talking? Hoping someone else will arrive to provide help? Dumbledore perhaps?” She wagged her finger from side to side. “Really, Harry. Don't forget who taught you about negotiation. I'm afraid this conversation is moving up to aggressive negotiation.”

The boy narrowed his eyes. “This doesn't make sense, Anna. This is a bad position for you and you know it. Killing me at Hogwarts? Do you realize what will happen if you do something like that?”

She narrowed her eyes a little. “Oh. You mean the Ministry? I'm afraid I've got that end covered. You see, I've been planning this for a while now. You beating me at Quidditch just bumped my time table a little.”

“What do you mean?” he looked confused and upset. “You did this because you're mad you lost at Quidditch?”

She swung her hips and moved a little closer. “Well, I was a little upset about my loss. Anger is useful to me after all. I do know patience though, and I may have given you a bit too much. When I lost that match, I realized just how strong you have become. I cannot wait any longer. I must destroy you now, or I may never have another opportunity to do it.”

“Why would you want to?” he looked shocked. “Anna, you don't have to do this. Stop it.”

“Don't play stupid with me. Don't think I didn't realize you knew that it would end this way. I know what you've been feeling. I know why you've closed off and retreated to your dreams as of late. You knew this was coming. You saw all the signs, and ignored them. Now, you'll pay the price.” She twisted her weapon between her hands and it split into two light sabers. Both of them activated and she snarled at him. “No help is coming. The students are keeping the faculty distracted. The whole school is wandering about the school in a living dream, and keeping the adults contained. They won't hurt anyone, nor will they be harmed themselves. I do realize that the Ministry won't be so forgiving of that. Killing you? No, that they will forgive. You see, I know something you don't. I know how that sick leech Voldemort learned of the Force. He learned it from you.” She pointed one of her weapons at him.

“I can't let you do this, Anna. I have to stop you.” He pulled out his own lightsaber and held it upright in a defensive stance.

“I already know that, Padawan. It is already too late,” she replied simply. “If you don't destroy me, then you will be destroyed.” She charged him again without a hint of hesitation.

The boy hacked at her weapon and they slashed in close proximity for a short time, each blocking the other. He pushed off a forceful strike and landed on top of his own house table. He looked down at her and kept his eyes on her as she hopped up with him outside of his weapon range. “Learned your lesson about trying to take the high ground have you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You could say that.”

He nodded once and lifted his weapon upright. “I see. This is how it's going to be then.”

Anna's stare hardened and her mouth opened a little. Her lips turned up again into a cruel smile. “I didn't expect you to let go so easily. I commend you, but it will not change the outcome. I will destroy you just as I have foreseen.”

The boy had calmed himself and his breath became even. His eyes glazed over a bit and a tear fell down his cheek. “I don't intend to die. I will stop you.”

The redhead nodded. “Good. Come Padawan. It's time you learned the difference between a Jedi student and a Sith Lord.” She raised her hand and electric energy shot from her fingers.

Harry flipped out of the way and landed a few seats back. He parried the remains of her attack with his weapon and set himself again. The pair rushed towards each other and ended up colliding on the center of the table.

OooOOooOO

Freddy Kruger loomed over the students of Hogwarts. He stood on top of a pile of wrecked cars, a large junk yard with a red haze to the sky was the dreamscape before them. The group was wide eyed with terror. All of them fourth years or younger. He raised his claw and spread his fingers. “Heh. You think it matters that you've managed to find me? Think that working together will help you?” He glared at them and put his leg up on the roof of the car he was standing on, resting his forearm across it as he tipped back his hat. “You don't seem to understand. This isn't your dream anymore. It's my Nightmare. You can't hurt me, and you'll all die. I'll just keep picking you off one by one. We'll make a night of it, it'll be fun.”

There were about forty students gathered around, and more joined with each passing moment as he spoke out to the crowd.

He gave them a dark looking grin. “Well, that's everyone that's left anyway.” The student crowd backed away from his perch a little. There were soft muffled screams coming from inside most of the cars. Wide eyed expressions of shock and cries of shock and horror echoed through the group of students as they looked on. Inside the vehicles were other students of their age group. Each one was bleeding and in agony as they beat against the dirty cracked windows. All at once they seemed to jerk back into the darkness of the empty cars and vanish reaching towards their fellow students and pleading for help. Freddy reared his head back and laughed as waves of terror filled the air from the horrified students. Many of them were in tears.

“Hey, asshole,” said a lone voice from near the front of the crowd. “Why don't you come down here and say that to my face? It's easy to talk big from up there.”

The thing looked down and saw a hat just like his cocked up to peer at him. Ron Weasley had his eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face.

“Ron! No!” gasped Hermione as her eyes went wide. She gripped his arm. “He's a demon, remember?”

The boy cocked his eyebrow and looked at her. “So what?”

“Well, Weasley. Got something to say?” asked the intimidating figure that loomed over him. Freddy wasn't a huge grown up, but he was much bigger than Ron.

“Not really.” Ron lifted his arm and started firing into Freddy's chest with a pair of handguns with a scowl on his face.

The thing chuckled as it recovered from being backed into the wall of cars. The students had backed away from the scene and were giving it a lot of clearance. “Weren't you listening? You can't win. I'm a demon.”

The redhead nodded and pointed his weapons again. “Yes. I know.” He opened fire again and kept shooting. Freddy jerked and grunted in irritation, he lifted his hand and bullets bounced off his palm. Ron lowered his weapon and scowled. “I'm not afraid of you. You're not very impressive really. I've been to Hell and I've seen worse. I'm a bit of a demon hunter you see.” He cocked his arm back and slugged the thing right across his jaw.

Freddy snarled and slashed at him, but Ron grabbed his arm and twisted it into an arm lock. He grabbed the base of the glove and ripped it off before twisting it around and stabbing the thing in the belly. The monster vanished and left the group standing alone in the junkyard.

There was a silence to the crowd as everyone looked at Ron with wide eyes. All the students were a bit pale, and most of them were in a small state of shock. He tipped his hat back and looked around. “We might as well just stand here. Wandering about won't do any good. It's a dream, so walking is kind of a waste of time. I doubt that killed him, but he's not happy.”

“How did you do that?” mumbled Hermione as she backed away from him a little and put her finger up. She looked a bit numb.

Ron shrugged. “I've got him figured out. You can only hurt him if you're not afraid of him. Nasty bastard can still get you even then.” He noticed a nick on his hand he'd gotten from the glove. “It's not as easy for him to do if you're not afraid of him. I think it weakens his power. Your fear makes it stronger.” He looked over and frowned. “Isn't that right, Malfoy?”

Freddy was standing on top of another stack of cars with a scowl on his face. “You think it matters now? You're all going to stay right here for the rest of the night.”

Hermione gasped. “Draco? You...you prick! You'll be expelled for this.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. That's part of her plan.”

That got a confused reaction from most of the crowd.

Freddy stretched his arms and appeared to pop his back. “All you lot need to know is this. For tonight, you're all my personal toys. When you wake up tomorrow morning Harry Potter will be dead, and I'll be gone. Well out of your reach.”

Ron and Hermione were both in shock. Neither one understood what was going on completely. “Someone is trying to kill Harry...again?” Hermione looked a little weary. “I suppose he'll be all right, but still. This worries me.”

The redhead nodded. “Hey. I'll put up with this for the night if it means Draco will be gone forever starting tomorrow.” He looked thoughtful. “Wonder who it is? He said 'she'.”

“I'm not sure. I don't think any of the female teachers would kill Harry.” Hermione seemed confused as well. “Maybe that, 'Rage' character he told us about.”

Ron looked thoughtful. “He said she was pretty strong, and she hates him and his sister a whole lot.”

Draco looked a bit irate. “It's Anna you idiots.” Freddy had vanished. He was dressed in his school robes and had a slender metal object in his hand.

One of the Slytherin forth year boys got an angry look on his face. “Draco? You're doing this? You little bastard, when I wake up I'm going to...”

His head came off in a flash of red light and his body fell to the dirt. It was clawing at the ground without a head as it was dragged into one of the cars. “Every one of you I take makes me stronger.” The bulk of the students backed away. Ron pushed Hermione behind him and tipped his hat back as he regarded the boy with a stern frown. “You just don't get it do you? Harry Potter is no longer her student. I am his replacement. I am her apprentice. All of this is her design. Darth Vader will destroy Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, and bring order to this galaxy.”

Ron promptly shot him. Draco fell flat on his back and a cloud of dust was kicked up. The redhead just nodded. “I guess I'm just gonna have to kick your ass until you let us wake up then. He's the one keeping us here I'll bet. We make him uncomfortable enough and he'll let us go.”

Draco kicked himself up and his lightsaber came on. “That won't be as easy as you make it sound, Weasley.”

The boy cocked his eyebrow. “Not really. You see there are forty of us, and one of you. In case you haven't noticed yet, they aren't as nervous as they used to be.”

The blond snarled as he looked around. A lot of the students were looking more angry than afraid and several were cracking their knuckles. “I see.” His features calmed and he readied his weapon.

Ron shot him in the hand. The weapon clattered to the dust and the next thing the blond boy saw was a fist. “This is a dream. I've seen what Harry and Anna can do, but in this place I can do it too.” He slugged the boy in his gut and sent him staggering back.

“Get him!” cried one of the nearby students. There was a battle cry from the rest as they rushed around the unfortunate blond.

OooOOooOO

Anna and Harry Potter were standing on the Slytherin table and hacking at each other as they moved back and forth across the surface. The table was cleared and they both spun in a display of speed and power. Anna was pounding against her brother's weapon. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

Harry jumped back and gasped. “You've gotten stronger.” He was used to her using her speed and agility to keep him off balance. She'd never been able to overpower him before.

“Yes,” she replied simply as she jumped at him with both weapons coming down in a heavy blow. He dashed to the side and hacked at her side, but it was blocked. She hadn't landed and was tossed through the window and onto the grounds outside. The glass had broken before she impacted it.

She landed lightly on the grass and frowned at him with her weapons in a tight grip. The air was being sucked out of the Great Hall and her brother was thrown off the top of the table and rolled across the ground about ten feet away from her.

He staggered to his feet and gasped for breath while holding his weapon in a defensive posture. “Come and get me then.” He turned and ran into a side door of the school.”

Anna looked on and strolled after him in a casual walk. “Very well.”

OooOOooOO

“What happened? Where are we?” said Hermione as she clutched at her head.

Ron Weasley was standing next to her. They were standing in a hallway in the middle of the school. The redhead blinked as he looked at what was in his grip. He was holding Draco Malfoy by his shirt with his arm cocked back in a punch. “Huh?” He seemed to realize it all at once and gave the blond boy a sock across his jaw before dropping him. “I'm...I think we're near Professor Binns class.” There were no other students around them at the time and the green haze on the floor was starting to clear up.

“Awful boy!” snapped Hermione as she kicked Draco in the ribs. He hadn't woken up and looked to be a bit uncomfortable.

“Hey, you hear that?” asked Ron as he cocked his head. “That sounds...”

Hermione gasped and got wide eyed. “Harry!” His wand made a very distinctive sound, and there were angry sounding flashes and pops ahead of them.

“Come on!” cried Ron as he seemed to realize the same thing.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter frowned as he neared the top of a long stairwell. He needed to figure out what was wrong with his sister. He wasn't so sure he could take her alone if he couldn't either. He knew Dumbledore and the other House Heads were alive in the school somewhere, but they were stuck where they were for some reason. He needed to try and hold out until he had help to deal with her. She was much more powerful than she had ever been in the past. “Damn.”

She was standing at the top of the stairs and frowning at him. “Going somewhere?” she asked him as her weapons came to life.

Harry set himself and frowned. He put up his weapon in front of himself. “Just trying to clear my head for a moment. Shall we continue?”

“Yes, lets do that,” said his sister as she narrowed her eyes. She charged him and they clashed again on the stairs.

The boy was beaten relentlessly by her weapons as she spun and hacked at him with incredible force. She seemed immovable. He was able to defend himself, but his attack was limited.

The redhead backed off and gasped a little. “You've grown stronger than I imagined. A shame.”

“Yes, it is,” he replied as he realized she was getting a bit winded and he had at least a momentary advantage. He charged and attacked. Her weapons kept up with his and defended her from his strikes, but she was driven back.

After a moment they reached the top of the stairs and a long hallway. Anna jumped back into it and glared at him with a rage and anger in her eyes like he'd never seen. The boy felt a sadness on seeing it unlike any he'd ever felt. “Anna, please. Don't do this.”

“It's too late,” she replied simply.

“You know that's not true! Remember what happened before!” he cried at her with tears in his eyes.

“I cannot escape my destiny any more than you. You must be...destroyed.” Her face hardened after a moment of sadness crossed her features. She stepped back and lowered her weapons.

Harry was ready for it though. The busts, vases, tables, and a suit of armor flew off of the sides of the hall and tossed themselves at him. He dodged and hacked his way through them without taking a hit. “That's not going to work, Anna!”

The girl backed through a door that lead to the outside and stepped onto a long stone bridge. It had a few craters inside of it and bits of rubble still littered across it. One of the balconies was half destroyed. It was the same bridge where her battle with Dracula had taken place.

Harry followed after her. He knew he couldn't escape. The door closed behind him and he readied his weapon.

“Don't worry. I'll destroy Voldemort when I'm finished with you,” she said as she readied her weapons. “I'll let your friends live in peace as long as they don't try to avenge you.”

Harry looked at the weapon in his hand. “You know that they would.”

She gave a nod. “Unfortunately. I will give them the opportunity to let it go though.”

“I can't let you do that.” He glared at her and his grip loosened.

“Because you fear losing them?” she asked as she turned to face him with her side and held one of her weapons over her head and the other in front of her.

“No, because I know what you would do if I don't end this now,” he replied simply. “I do not fear returning to the Force. I know they would be strong and give you quite a bit of trouble before they joined me. Not so horrible a fate.”

Her stance relaxed a little. “I see. So be it, Jedi.” She charged him.

The pair met in the center of the bridge and the loose debris fell off the edges and into the courtyard below as they impacted. The pair pounded and beat on the beams of light that they used to defend and attack with. Neither gave any ground and both were relentless and moved at impossible speed.

“Harry!” cried a familiar voice from behind them. Hermione ran out onto the bridge a little ways and Ron grabbed her arm to hold her back and away.

The boy ignored them. Anna tried to take advantage of what she thought would be a momentary lapse of concentration by him.

He turned and sidestepped her hacking strike and put his shoulder into her chest.

They both went still. Anna's weapons shut down and she leaned into him, grabbing him in a hug. “You...”

“Anna, I'm sorry.” Her brother had his eyes closed and was in tears.

“Good job, Harry. I'm sorry. Forgive me,” she whispered.

“Harry! Nooo!!” screamed Ron as he released the girl's arm and stepped towards him.

Hermione staggered forward looking horrified at what was in front of her. “No! No! Harry!”

The boy realized he felt numb and slumped down to his knees as his sister fell onto her back from his arms and died before she hit the ground. Her eyes were open and a tear fell down her cheek. It took him a moment to realize she had two wounds in her chest.

He looked down at his shirt and saw the red wound in the middle of his chest. His sister had stabbed him through the back after she had grabbed onto him. “I...” He looked up at his friends and fell onto his side as the world faded out of existence.

He heard the cries of his friends and felt one of them touch his shoulder before it all just vanished.

cont...

 

[Contrabardus]

RE: A Matter of Force 44-47

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter was on his back on a wooden floor. The sky overhead was pitch black with not a single star. There was light from a nearby lamppost and it flickered with several others. He groaned and sat up. “Oh. Where am I?”

“The place between life and death,” commented a familiar voice.

The boy jumped to his feet and spun around.

Anakin Skywalker was standing behind him. He looked as he did during the Clone Wars and smiled at the boy. “You did well, my Padwan.”

“Anna?” he muttered in confusion. “Life and Death?” He looked confused and gasped. “You...you killed me? You brat!”

The man scowled at him. “Knock it off. It won't do any good to get upset about it now.” She looked over and frowned. Sitting on a nearby bench was a crying baby. It was dirty and sickly looking and was sniffling quietly.

“Huh?” Her brother took notice of it and felt a surge of emotion. Anger, hatred, rage, he was pretty upset about being dead. He pushed it back and shook his head. “What? We...killed each other.”

His sister turned to face him, looking as he knew her again. “Yes. You, were the last Horcrux. Your scar specifically. To destroy him you had to die.”

He gasped and looked at her with wide eyes. “What?” His eyes fell to the ground. “Then that prophecy was talking about you? You died too though...so...”

The redhead shook her head. “No, it speaks of you. I've become aware of something else. Something I must deal with. I shall not remain at your side long.”

He looked annoyed but seemed to calm himself. “How? We're dead. Neither of us is going anywhere anymore.”

She shook her head. “We have not yet returned to the Force.”

“How are we going to get back then?” Harry cocked his eyebrow. “Last time I heard about dying it was made pretty clear that there's not really a way out of this, Anna. We stabbed each other through the heart, that's not just going to get better!” He was obviously still upset with her over his recent death. “You could have just told me about the Horcrux you know. I'm sure we...”

“Killing you was the only way to be rid of it. I knew I couldn't keep you from the start. It was a shame really. I didn't expect both of us to end up here, but it's a blessing in disguise. A silver lining I suppose.” She glanced at him and gave a small sigh. She looked over at the child. “Unfortunate that I cannot leave him here as well.”

“Huh?” Harry was confused and it lessened the effects of his temper. He had his arms crossed and didn't look very pleased with her. “What do you mean? Silver lining? Why can't you leave 'him' here?” He knew exactly what she meant by 'him'.

“Unlike Voldemort 'he' is not a foreign entity. He will always be a part of me. I cannot be rid of him any more than you could be rid of your own shadow. It may be hidden but it is always there.” She sat down on the bench and flickered for a moment.

Harry gasped and looked on as a dark figure appeared seated where she was. He was clothed in black, electronics were present on his chest, and a dark helmet and mask covered his face. He looked cautious but the figure looked weary more than angry. “What difference does it make now? We're dead. How exactly do you plan on getting out of this anyway? There isn't really a way to fix it.” He looked over his shoulder and frowned at the girl.

The dark figure vanished, leaving his sister seated on the bench this time. She seemed to cheer up. “Didn't think that dream was so literal. You of all people should know that death is not all powerful. It can be undone, though it's not usually recommended.” She sighed and stood up dusting off her knees. “We've got no choice but to try. Voldemort isn't finished yet, and I cannot ignore what lies hidden in the darkness. There are dark times ahead for us both, but not so much that we should just give up on living now.” Anna lifted her nose up and called into the air with her fists balled up at her side. “We challenge Death to a Rock off!”

Harry's face fell. “What? Are you joking? A rock off? Really?” He seemed a bit miffed at the idea. He paused as he realized he felt cold, and a tall cloaked figure appeared before them.

The specter pulled back his hood and smiled at them, revealing a bald head and white skin. He spoke in a thick Norwegian accent. “Very well. I accept.”

The redhead glared at the being before them and Harry moved up to her side as she spoke to him. “If we win, you must take that pathetic piece of Voldemort to wherever it is he belongs, and you must also return us to life.”

“If I win...” started Death.

“Then your souls are mine!” A ball of flames appeared before them and a red skinned demon glared at them.

Harry gasped. “That's...”

“Yes, as in that dream,” replied his sister with a nod.

The boy looked confused and seemed to relax all at once. “This isn't going as I expected.”

Anna was very peaceful and had a serious expression on her face. She looked at the demon and death without fear and straightened her posture. “Fine. No rematches. One song each, the best one wins. You can go first.”

The Demon laughed and a guitar appeared in its claws. Several minor demons appeared around it and Death played bass on a large cello. The band belted out an uber hard metal song with amazing chord work. It was a supernatural force of music, extremely complex and difficult. It was masterfully played.

Anna and Harry stood and looked on. The boy looked at his sister. “That was something.”

The redhead smiled and nodded. “You already know what to play, don't you?”

He frowned at her. “We're not supposed to...”

“...play it in concert or make a recording. Do you really think they'll be mad at us for using it to save our souls and give ourselves the chance to finish our own destiny?” finished his sister as guitars appeared on their shoulders.

Harry cocked his head and nodded. “Ah. I suppose you have a point. It's fun to play We might not get the chance again for a while.”

“Isn't it though?” said the girl.

Anna and Harry Potter played the best song in the world. The demon snarled at them. “Be you angels?”

The twins smirked at him and continued to play. “Nay, we are but men, Rock!” Then went into their solo trance and Death hung his head. The demon and his band vanished in flames leaving them alone with the specter of death.

The tall pale hooded figure waved his hand and spoke with spite in his voice after they finished playing. “Come on then.”

Harry glanced over his shoulder and noticed the baby was now gone. Nothing but wisps of smoke and a few glowing embers remained where it had been. “I see.”

Anna looked over her shoulder and frowned at her brother. “Come on. Death is busy, and we don't want to be gone too long.”

He looked up at her and nodded. “Right.”

OooOOooOO

He saw white and his ears were ringing. A moment of fumbling and jerking about later, Harry Potter found himself looking on as Madam Pomphrey screamed bloody murder. McGonagal slumped to the floor in a dead faint, and Dumbledore stood looking on with his jaw hanging. “Merlin! It...cannot be!”

“Ouch,” grumbled Anna as she kicked her legs over the side of her bed and hung her head. “Coming back from the dead is a bit unpleasant.” She and her brother both looked a bit stiff.

Harry glanced back at her and frowned. “I hope you're over that.”

She looked weary and gave a nod. “You've won. I now know I cannot remain a Sith.” She lifted her eyes up to look at him. “Don't look at me that way. It was our destiny. You had to be destroyed. It was the only way.”

He frowned at her. “You planned this.”

“I knew I would face you one day, but what you faced was not an act,” her eyes grew firm but remained clear. “I fell, again. A fool who was blind to my own weakness. My fear...consumed me.” She shuddered and clutched at her arms. She sobbed. “All this, and I have learned nothing. Just as before, I walked into the darkness freely.”

The boy looked saddened. “Anna...you.”

Dumbledore cleared his throat. “I'm afraid...I'm going to need an explanation for all this.”

Anna nodded and hopped to her feet. She was looking better and seemed to loosen up a little. “Very well. Harry, come here.”

“Huh?” he looked confused and stood up. “What is it? Shouldn't we just tell them?”

She took her wand from her robes and looked at it with a frown on her face. It fell apart and the crystal inside shattered as it hit the floor with the various parts of the weapon. She put her hand on her brother's shoulder and looked at him with a most serious expression. “Give me your lightsaber.”

He looked reluctant, but something in her tone got to him. He took it from his side and handed it to her. “What are you doing? We've got to explain this.”

She nodded. “Yes. I know. Kneel.”

“Huh?” he cocked his head and glanced back at the confused teachers. Snape was standing behind it all, still not quite recovered from the shock of seeing the pair sit up. They both had holes burned into their chests and were quite dead. He had examined them both quite closely, and a bit of color was just starting to return to his face. The man had been silent, but had a lost look on his face up to that point.

“Just do it,” she replied as she smiled at him in a genuine way. It confused him even more he'd not seen such a look from her in a long time. There was no anger or fear in her, only pride and a somber sort of joy and relief. He didn't feel threatened at all but seemed a bit reluctant and confused.

“Anna, are you all right? That was something, maybe you should...” She pushed on his shoulder and he fell to one knee.

“Shush,” she replied as she stepped back and ignited the weapon in her hand. The blue blade hummed and she touched his shoulders with the tip. “Harry Potter, I confer unto you the rank of Jedi Knight. There is nothing more I can teach you. Your trials have been met, and your training under my guidance is now finished.” She shut the weapon down and turned the hilt towards him. “Rise now, Jedi.”

The boy took his weapon and scratched his head. “Um...what?”

“The time for us to part ways has come. I could not create a better trial for you than what has happened here. Goodbye, Harry.” She turned towards Dumbledore and walked up to him. “I suppose we must have a talk then. Where is Malfoy?”

The old man gave a serious looking nod. “Yes. He has been taken into custody. We found him in the hall surrounded by some rather irate students. He is fortunate that a few of the prefects kept the others at bay so that he could be brought to the faculty. Though he did not escape without a few minor injuries. It was discovered he was posing as that monster and invading people's dreams. I'm afraid there will be a price payed here. This is no small matter.”

The girl nodded as Snape walked up beside her. “Potter, you're in serious trouble.” There was surprisingly little heat to his tone as he said it. He looked very somber, but also calm to a point that was unusual for him.

She glanced at him and felt her gut twist a little. It wasn't fear, but she knew she'd betrayed him as well. “I know. Malfoy is not to blame for this. I was the one who taught him how to do that, and I obviously brewed that sleeping potion. I am the true monster here. This was all my design and he is nothing more than my apprentice.”

Dumbledore and Snape both paused and looked down at her.

“I'm very much aware of what this means for me.” She stopped and kept her head low.

“You can expect to be confined and isolated. You are no longer free here, Potter,” commented Snape with a snarl in his tone.

“Yes, I know,” she responded as she followed them.

OooOOooOO

“You know this cannot go unpunished,” Dumbledore had a grave frown on his face. It had been three days since she had woken from the dead.

“We've got no choice in the matter,” said Snape as he looked out the window with his arms crossed.

“Yes. I'm afraid once word of this spreads there is nothing we can do. It is already too late to bother with even an attempt to contain this matter,” agreed the Headmaster.

Malfoy was scowling with his arms crossed as he glared at the redhead beside him. “A fine mess you've gotten us into.”

“I am aware of that,” she responded simply. “We are to be expelled.”

The old man sat down and stroked his beard. “I'm afraid so.”

“And taken into custody,” responded a new voice. Rufus Scrigmour appeared in front of the fireplace and scowled at the girl. “Anna Potter, you are under arrest.” Three Aurors appeared at his side through the flue system.

“On what charge?” asked a quiet and hissing voice. A short creature with a long nose and a sharp toothed grin appeared at the man's side. He had a briefcase, a powdered wig, and business suit on and looked up at the intimidating man.

“She has broken several laws. Attacking the minds of her fellow students, disrupting the entire school, and she no longer has the right to carry a wand.” The man puffed out his chest.

“Since when is giving people nightmares a criminal offense? I'll wager you are guilty of that yourself, Auror. I've read the report. Disrupting classes is also not a criminal offense, and only the school has authority to punish that. She's committed no crimes, broken no wizarding law. You have nothing to charge her with. Whatever Hogwarts chooses to do will be enough, as she has only broken their rules and guidelines. The Ministry has no jurisdiction here. Touch her, and I'll rake you across the coals in litigation. I really hope you do.” The Goblin lawyer leered at the man and turned away. He glanced back at his redheaded client. “I'll be in touch, call me if the situation changes.”

She gave him a nod and looked at Scrimgour. The man was livid, but had lost a lot of his steam. Dumbledore sighed and nodded. “I'm afraid, Rufus, that he is correct. She has broken no wizarding laws here. It amounts to nothing more than a vicious prank, and Hogwarts alone has the authority to decide on her punishment. She will be expelled along with Mr. Malfoy.”

“What?” snapped the blond boy with wide eyes as he started to stand up.

Anna jerked him down to his seat again. “Sit down and shut up.”

He worked his jaw and looked at her in shock. “Expelled? Your plan failed. What do we do now?”

“That's right, and if you think I'm just letting you go you can forget it,” she replied simply. She had a strange calm to her tone now. It was a little unnerving. “You are still my student. Unless you think you can have a go of it alone? How long do you really think you'll last, Malfoy?”

“I...” He hung his head and growled. “What are you doing? Do something.”

Scrimgour grinned at him. “There's nothing she can do. Not going to be buying or talking her way out of it this time I'm afraid. Now, I'll be needing yer wand, miss. You aren't permitted to carry one as a minor unless you are attending wizarding school.” He leered at her. “You may submit the proper paperwork to retrieve it once you've enrolled in another Academy. I'd suggest just buying another anyway as it will likely take several months to process.”

“It was destroyed,” said Dumbledore simply. “I have several witnesses that will testify to this, including myself.”

Snape nodded. “Yes. She destroyed it for some reason when she woke up.”

Anna looked up at him. “Malfoy, hand over your weapon.”

“What?” gasped the boy. “I...”

She glared at him and frowned. “Do it. You do not need that weapon anymore.”

He looked reluctant and pulled out his wand. “Yes...master.” He was seething as he handed it over to the head Auror.

“If there is nothing else you have no business here. I gave people nightmares and you've got no case.” She looked up at him and smirked. “We'll be meeting again, don't worry.”

The overbearing man nodded. “Count on it.” He turned and left.

Dumbledore stood up with his hands behind his back. “You will be returning home, the both of you. Neither one of you may return to Hogwarts. You will never be students here again. Any requests for enrollment will be denied.”

Anna gave a simple nod. Draco looked mortified. “My father...” His face got dark. It wasn't like there was much the old man could do to him. Still, his family would be far from pleased, especially considering his company.

The redhead looked at him. “We'll be traveling to Wales. I've made arrangements there already. I expected to destroy him, and I had already made plans for after our expulsion. I failed, but my plans do not need to go to waste.”

The old man narrowed his eyes at her. “Tell me what went on here. You thought you could get away with murdering your own brother here at Hogwarts?”

The girl gave a sad and almost wistful smile. “Harry Potter was the final Horcrux. I knew I would kill him one day. I've always known. I've pushed it away, tried to deny it, but the fear finally took me. I fell to the dark side, gave into my rage, and tried to destroy him. It was our destiny to destroy each other.”

Dumbledore's frown deepened. “I see.”

Snape frowned at that. “He's not dead.”

“I noticed,” replied the girl simply.

“You do realize this is no small matter. If you're traveling to Wales, I expect you'll be looking into Magecraft. It's different than wizarding in many ways. It's a life of servitude and hardship. You will be expected to use your gifts for the benefit of all mankind, but cannot reveal magic to the Muggles. It is thankless and difficult work, and you'll be contracted to do it for quite some time I'm afraid. If you were to graduate, you would be a member of the Mage's Guild, and you will be expected to act as such at all times until you have completed your term of service.”

Anna gave him a genuine looking smile. “Yes. I'm very aware of that. It will be...surprisingly familiar to an old Jedi.”

That caught both Snape and Dumbledore off guard. Each of them gave her an odd stare and settled back a bit. “I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean,” commented Dumbledore after a long silence.

“Draco and I are going to pledge our service to the Mage's Guild. I have come to realize that my part in this fight is finished. I have done all I can to help my brother destroy him, and I cannot follow a personal vendetta, nor can I protect him. I must let him go. It is time.” She hung her head a little as she said this. “I cannot remain here. It is time for me to part ways with Hogwarts and my brother. Draco will become my new Padawan.” She glanced at him. “He doesn't have a choice in the matter. If I were to leave him on his own he'd either get himself killed, or become as dangerous as I was. I do hope you understand this at least. Once someone can take control of the Force it cannot be undone. Well, it can, but it takes a very long time, and several rather powerful Jedi. I'm afraid I have neither one on hand, yet.”

Draco snorted. “Are you joking? Do you really think that I...”

“I'm not asking you. I said you are my student, and I am not letting you go. If you do not come with me you will be on your own. The Sith would see you destroyed, and my Brother and I will always be beyond you.” The girl looked only half interested. “Your father won't be difficult to convince. He's aware of what his Master will do if you remain with your family. You've not been very secretive about what you really think of that pathetic meat puppet he's become. You're not safe there and you run your mouth too freely for him to think so.”

The blond boy glared at her and hung his head. “Yes...master.”

“Good,” she responded. “I'll be seeing you soon enough.”

Snape looked angry and had his arms crossed. “Potter, I don't think you understand the gravity of...”

“I am very well aware of what is happening. Must I really explain it? I have known I would not remain here for quite some time now. My leaving Hogwarts was inevitable, axiomatic. It is a facet of my destiny I could not change.” She glanced at him and smirked. “You're a good man, one who realizes that he once was not. You've taken steps to correct it, but you feel it is your duty to not show it. I've come to admire and respect you in some ways. He will return. There is no preventing it, and you will think you should return to his side and do your duty to those you have sworn loyalty to. Don't go to him or he will read you as easily as I just have, and you will be killed instantly. At a distance you have some protection. Draw near to him, and he will know the real you in an instant and strike you down. Do not take my warning lightly, Professor, I do wish to see you again someday. You are no longer useful as a spy. Find other ways to make yourself useful.”

The man's jaw was hanging and he had gone very pale. “Wh-what?”

Draco was looking up at him with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. “What are you babbling about? Professor Snape? Are you stupid?”

She glared at him. “You keep your mouth shut. Don't take me lightly on this.”

Both adults gave a bit of a start as the boy went still and silent as he settled in his seat. “It had better be bloody worth it, Potter.”

The girl smirked at him in a not so nice way. “Think you'll ever beat him without me? Come now Draco, it's not just fear that's keeping you in line. I'm not stupid.”

The boy flushed and closed up tightly with his arms crossed. “Shut it, Potter. We're in it enough already.”

Snape turned to the window to scowl at the grounds. “I'm not so sure I like the sound of this.”

The old man nodded. “Indeed. Potter, you seem to have had all this planned. I'm not sure how much of it, but you had a hand in guiding these events to a certain conclusion. I'd like to know what that is.”

Anna seemed to think on that and smiled at him with her eyes squinted a little. “Well, I am Salazar's Heir. I knew we'd never really see eye to eye. To put it simply, I'm going to change the world forever. The Force may be a mystical energy by nature, but it is not what you call magic. The Wizarding world has no claim to it, or the use of its power. I have no intention of handing it over, and intend to stake my claim to institutionalizing its use. I intend to start a new order, one that the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding world have no say in. We are not using the same power, and you have no claim in dictating how we use it. We can handle that for ourselves. We have no intention of hiding from the world as the Wizards do, nor do we intend to drag Wizarding into the world with us.”

Dumbledore stood up and narrowed his eyes at the scene. “I warn you. The Ministry will be keeping an eye on you. If what you say is true I'm afraid I cannot guarantee your safety. The Ministry will not take such a thing sitting down.”

The girl smiled at him. “I am grateful, and I understand this must be done. I'm also not stupid. I have no intention of breaking any rules and falling into the hands of the Minsitry before the time is right. I assure you that I'll be irritating Scrimgour for quite some time in the future.”

The old man leaned forward a little and seemed very serious. “You are treading a dangerous path. You speak of an offense that could well mean your execution.”

Anna nodded. “It is one I must walk. I cannot prepare for what I must face here. Harry will be fine and his training is complete. I, on the other hand, have only begun ours.” She glanced at Malfoy and gave him a smile unlike he'd seen directed at him from her before. “I have become aware of a threat beyond Voldemort. I must be ready for the next challenge, a darkness of his making that is beyond even him. She waits in the darkness, strong already, and growing more so with each passing day.”

“Quit looking at me that way! It's disgusting!” he snapped.

“She?” growled Snape as he looked interested.

“I see only a shadow,” responded the redhead. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “It cannot be ignored, and grows more clouded with time. The dark side is very strong with this one. I am not ready for it, but I must be when the time comes.”

“Heh. Maybe I should join her then?” commented Draco.

Anna smirked at him. “She has already chosen another. You would only be used and destroyed.”

He scowled at her and turned his head away.

“I see. Wales?” Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh.

“It suits its purpose,” she replied simply. “I have not wasted my time here, but it is not my destiny to remain.”

Snape snorted. “Destiny. A fine excuse.”

Mrs. Warwick had entered the room during the conversation and was standing silently in the corner up to that point. “Then, I shall see you there when you arrive. Tell me one thing. Why did you do this?”

“Fear, anger, jealousy, take your pick. I am guilty of them all,” she replied simply.

“Jealousy?” muttered Dumbledore.

“Of my brother of course, there are lots of reasons, but the big one is that I wanted to kill 'You Know Who' myself. It is ironic that my original motivation was to protect him from it. I see that is not my path now. It was never meant to be.” She frowned and looked up at her divination tutor. “It was my destiny, and I could not escape it no matter how hard I tried.” She hung her head. “I'll miss it here, but the Force has shown me the path I must walk.”

Malfoy was getting upset. “What? That's all you've got to say?”

Mrs. Warwick gave a firm nod. “It is enough I suppose. I shall see you in Wales. I'm aware of where you'll be attending, and you can expect to see me there. We will continue our work there.” She was very firm and wasn't really asking. She scowled at her student. “Expelled. Your parents will be beside themselves. I'm terribly disappointed, but your gift is too strong to go unchecked. I cannot abandon you. Though I would if the situation concerning your gifts was not so dour.” The woman was not happy, but seemed to understand what she was saying on some level as well. More than the others in the room, but not so much as to forgive what she'd done either.

“What am I supposed to tell my parents?” growled Malfoy.

Anna looked at him and shrugged. “I'm not sure. I'm kind of wondering that myself.” She looked at the adults. “It seems we'll have a bit of time to think about it. I imagine this involves a bit of paperwork.”

“Not as much as you think,” replied a familiar and stern voice from behind her.

Anna turned and cringed. “Oh. Hello, Mom.”

Lucius Malfoy was beside her with a scowl of his own directed at her. “What have you done to my son?”

“Father, let her be. This was my doing,” Malfoy didn't speak up for her sake, but rather his father's. He wanted the man to shut up and get him out of there. “I did it willingly.”

The man turned his eyes on him. “Don't think I don't know that you're terrified of that girl. She made you do this. I know it.”

Lily scowled at him for his remarks, but looked towards her daughter and didn't speak up. “Well, Anna. Care to explain this to us? I'm not so sure I should be angry with him for saying those things.”

The girl swallowed and worked her mouth. “Um. Well. I know I killed Harry, but it's not like he stayed dead...”

“Did you do something to this boy?” she repeated the question in a simpler format.

“Well, yes. He's sort of my apprentice. I've been teaching him how to use his power, but we sort of got off on a bad trend...” She was very nervous and didn't look the woman in the eyes.

“A bad trend you say?” growled the woman. “You've been expelled from Hogwarts. I'd say it's a bit more than that.”

The faculty were all keeping their distance and sitting around the edges of the room.

“Yes. Do tell,” growled Lucius.

The girl gave a heavy sigh. “We gave the school bad dreams...and um...I plotted to kill my brother. Malfoy hates him, and well...I sort of forced him to be my apprentice. We made the students sleep walk to distract the faculty and put them into a dream world...where we um...tortured them. I used that to get Harry on his own, and we killed each other. Then some other stuff happened and we're not dead anymore.”

“Why did you kill your brother? Wha? You and Harry get on famously! What were you thinking?” His mother was confused and on the edge of rage.

Anna looked at her. “Because, when he survived 'You Know Who's' curse, he became the final horcrux. Our enemy has no more left, and he has become vulnerable.” She smirked for a moment as her expression became rather dark. Her face calmed and she looked a little downcast. “He cannot create another without at least one in place. He's died once already, and there isn't really anything left he can use as an anchor. Though he may still return he is but an empty shell. Don't think that means he is not still both powerful and dangerous. Harry will destroy him, but do not think it will happen without hardship. The way has been opened, and dark times draw near before that moment happens.”

Lucius Malfoy went as white as a ghost. “What did you say?” He looked confused and surprised.

Dumbledore was wide eyed and standing at his desk. Snape had much the same reaction as Lucius. Mrs. Warwick let a small gasp escape her lips.

Lily looked around the room and seemed a bit confused. “What? What does that mean?”

“So, you destroyed your brother so that the prophecy could be completed. I cannot condone such an act, but I suppose that is as noble a reason as...” started Dumbledore.

Anna hung her head and balled up her fist. “No. I wanted to destroy him, and eliminate Voldemort myself. I had no such noble intentions. I was weak, and my fear took me as it did before. I became what I once was, and I cannot walk that path again. It is as dangerous for me to remain here as it would be for you to keep me. Leaving this place is not unexpected.”

“What do you mean?” said her mother in confusion.

Dumbledore stood up. “I see. You do not know then.”

“Know what?” said Lily as she glanced at him.

The girl looked up at her with a sad expression. “In my past life, I was not a very nice person. It was pretty bad.”

“How bad?” asked her mother as she narrowed her eyes.

“I'm so not going there,” replied her daughter with wide eyes.

Lily straightened up and brushed her hands off on her skirt. “I see.”

“What the hell is that brat anyway?” snarled Lucius as he pointed at her. “I for one would very much like to hear what sort of person she 'used' to be.”

Anna looked at Draco and frowned. The boy just nodded at her. Wherever it was she was going, he was tagging along for the ride. He had no illusions of trying to get out of it. It was too dangerous without her, but he wasn't so sure staying with her wasn't even more dangerous. He was going to have to calm his father down and talk him into it. He didn't think he'd have much trouble considering what he'd done to the man in the past. “Father, shut it. I hate to say this, but you're in over your head. She's not to be toyed with, and I'm not finished with her yet.”

Lily narrowed her eyes at the boy. “Is that some kind of threat?”

He smirked at her with a dark look in his eyes. “No. I'm still her apprentice.”

“Have you gone mad?” cried Lucius. “I won't stand for this! She's done enough damage! You are forbidden!”

Anna hung back and looked at the scene from her mother's grip. She'd moved a bit to close and the woman had the back of her neck in a somewhat uncomfortable grip. She said nothing and turned her eyes away.

Draco stood up. “I suppose this is goodbye to Hogwarts then. Just take me home. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. I'm not giving up this kind of power and I don't care how much you don't like it. I'm going to finish this no matter what you say.” He glanced at her. “Nothing to say, Master?”

“Like you have any choice in the matter,” she replied simply. Her neck pinched painfully.

“Anna! You stop that this instant! Leave that boy alone!” cried her mother as she pulled her up to her side by the back of her neck.

She looked up at her mother and frowned. “If I do that he will die. I have as little choice in the matter as he does. He must be trained. It's too late for him to turn back. His life depends on it.”

Lucius bowed his back. “So, it seems your daughter likes threats as well.”

Malfoy frowned at him. “Didn't I tell you to shut up? She's talking about the others. There are more like us and I'm not strong enough to fight them alone. I'd only be killed, and they will kill us both if they can. With her, I can learn to fight them. There's nothing you can do but get in the way and die. Though, I doubt you'd go that far considering.” He glared at the man. “You know what she's capable of. You've seen it yourself. Don't push this.”

Lily took note of that and frowned. “What do you mean?”

Lucius scowled at his son. “Watch yourself, boy.”

“Yes. I have met one such person. I'm afraid in that regard he speaks the truth. It was not a pleasant meeting,” said Dumbledore as walked around his desk and leaned against the edge. He looked at the children. “I do wish the both of you luck. Though I cannot change my decision, I cannot say that I do not have hope. Godspeed, the both of you.”

“It's time for us to go,” said Lily as she turned towards the fireplace. “You can expect your father to give you a good chewing out, and I'm far from finished with you myself young lady.”

Anna decided silence was best and was tugged by her mother into position as she gripped a portkey in her hand from her pocket.

The elder Malfoy took his son by his arm roughly. “We'll discuss this at home. I'd like to know what it is you plan to do after this. You seem to know quite a bit about that. That redheaded scab has been filling your head with ...”

Malfoy glared at his father from his grip with a smile on his face. It wasn't a pleasant look by any stretch. “Just take us home. I'll try to talk slow enough for you to understand what I told you earlier. I've got no choice but to follow her, and you can't do anything to stop it.”

The pair vanished from the office leaving the faculty standing around the room.

“That worries me,” commented Snape. “It seems unlike Lucius Malfoy to take such cheek from his son. I'm not entirely comfortable with what I just saw.”

Mrs. Warwick nodded at that. “I'll be keeping an eye on that situation myself. I'll be collecting my things now as I've no reason to remain at Hogwarts. I will meet her in Wales and continue what I have started here.”

Dumbledore was stroking his beard. “Severus, my old friend. I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree. However, there is little any of us can do. They are now beyond the scope of our influence.”

Snape nodded and crossed his arms. “That may have been her plan from the start. I've little doubt Draco will remain her student.”

The old man gave a sigh. “Perhaps it will do them both some good?”

“I worry more about what it could mean for the rest of us. You do realize just how powerful those two have become? The two of them managed to create a dreamworld and possess every student in the school at once. I'm sure there was a potion involved as well as this mysterious power, but that doesn't change what she and her rather surprising accomplice managed to pull off under our noses. I would also remind that barrier she managed to trap the House Heads in was no small matter. We would have been trapped for quite some time if I hadn't been able to brew up the counter. I doubt it was coincidental that the counter was a potion that took four hours to brew properly.” Snape turned away and his cloak fluttered as he exited the room. Mrs. Warwick followed just after him.

Dumbledore rubbed at his temples and folded his hands on his desk. His face went rather vacant and he spoke out loud to himself. “Nor do I think it was coincidence that all the ingredients and equipment needed were on hand. I have a feeling I know what she intends to do. I do wish her the best of luck in finding her way.” All he could do was hope and keep an eye on the situation. He was relieved that Mrs. Warwick would be following her. She was an old friend, and would gladly keep him informed about the pair. Anna in particular.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter frowned as he looked out the window of Gryfindor Tower. He was resting against the sill and had his arm draped across one knee. No one bothered him, but Ron gave him a reassuring shake on his shoulder as he passed by. Anna was gone and out of his reach. It was kind of annoying as it had just gotten to the point where it might have been a lot more fun to be around her. It was a little depressing having her gone.

The boy wasn't really as upset as everyone seemed to think he was. It had gone rather well in his opinion. A lot of the students were understandably angry at her, as well as most of the teaching staff. They viewed it as justice that had been served. There was a wave of relief over Slytherin, though none of them would likely admit it. Everybody seemed to think he was the hero, and that he was upset with what had happened between them. That wasn't the case.

It did bother him that she'd killed him of course. However, considering she had also gotten him out of it he could be forgiving. He furrowed his brow and scowled. “Hmm. I'm not her student anymore so she can't get back at me that way. She's sneaky enough to have timed it this way on purpose.” He had a feeling she knew she would eventually be leaving Hogwarts before she graduated. She'd hinted at it before but he didn't make the connection till after the fact.

The boy pushed off the window and headed towards the stairs to the dorms. “Well, that's just more time to plan then.”

Hermione walked up and her face fell a little. “Huh? Are you all right? You're plotting revenge aren't you? I mean, sure she killed you, but she is your sister. I'm not saying don't get back at her, just don't get arrested, all right?”

He got a little wide eyed and opened his mouth. After a moment he closed it and looked thoughtful. “Well, actually I am plotting revenge. She turned me into a Togruta girl. I'm grateful for it on some level, but my professional pride won't stand for me putting up with it without some sort of payback.” He narrowed his eyes.

The girl was thoroughly confused by this. She frowned at him as she realized he looked a little amused. “Nevermind, I don't want to know.”

He gave her a good natured grin. “That's a first.”

She swatted his arm and seemed to think he was using humor to hide his feelings. “Quit being a jerk. It must be awful. Your own sister tried to kill you.”

“I'm not really mad at her for killing me. It turns out that when 'You Know Who' failed to kill me he turned my scar into a Horcrux. It gave him some sort of psychic connection to me or something and made him stronger.” He sighed and looked annoyed. “Anyway, the only way to get rid of it was for me to die. In other words, I had to die at least once to destroy 'You Know Who'. Otherwise the Horcrux in my scar would keep him from dying.”

The girl worked her mouth open and closed. “Wait, what?” She scowled at him and shook her finger. “Don't you try and turn what that brat did into a good thing. She's perfectly awful. I don't like her.” She looked confused again. “What's a Horcrux anyway?”

Harry nodded and ignored her last question. “Yes. I can understand that. Look, she got better and saved me in the end. It was because of her that we came back to life. In an odd way, this almost seemed planned. I don't think Darth Vader was the only one thinking about the future.”

“You have completely lost me. I'm talking about your sister,” she hung her head and drooped her arms a bit.

“Oh. So am I.” He nodded and seemed cheerful. It was a little fun to tease her that way. He didn't want to overdo it. “Look. I know it's going to sound weird, but I'm not that mad at her. I'd rather be able to keep an eye on her, but I know her well enough to know she'll be all right. I'm not very worried about her to be honest. I...” He looked thoughtful. “I still believe in her. Despite everything. She has always come through in the end. Now if I can just get her to do it to begin with. I'm hoping she'll figure that out on her own. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's her plan.”

She looked quite done with the subject. “You are so strange.”

He shrugged and yawned. “Sorry. I'm going to get some sleep. We'll have the morning off, but afternoon classes will still be on. We've got Double Potions with Slytherin tomorrow afternoon.”

That did little to help her mood. “Great.”

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter was in her room, the door was closed and no sound was coming from inside. She'd not gotten to say goodbye to her brother or her friends. The two adults had berated and scolded her for the better part of two hours once they'd brought her home.

James was sitting on the couch running his hands through his hair. “Well, at least we know she'll be all right. It's not like she'll need to find work.”

Lily scowled at him, but refrained from scolding him. He was trying to look at the bright side, and he was right about it. “I don't believe this. Expelled. She tortured the other students with some sort of...I don't know.” She hung her head and looked at a large pile of angry letters from other parents from the school. “What happened? I never expected something like this.” She started to cry and simply glared forward looking confused. “That blank stare she kept giving while we scolded her. It was like she couldn't even hear us.” The girl had no reaction to her scolding at all. She seemed to just shut down and stood in silence without looking at either one of them.

Her father shook his wife by the shoulder and didn't know what to say. She'd answered them both when asked to respond. It was a quiet monotone voice and limited to short simple answers. “I don't know what to make of her. Why would she do something like this? I don't understand.”

The girl's mother stood up, marched up to her daughter's bedroom door and pushed it open. “Why? Why did you do this?”

She was simply sitting cross legged in the middle of the room with her eyes closed. “I couldn't let it go. It was more important than you think.” She opened her eyes and stood up to look at the woman. “Maybe you never will, but I cannot remain so near to him. I had to let him go, and it almost destroyed me.” She cocked her head a little and frowned. “There is no explanation I can give for this that will satisfy you. I am sorry, but I cannot undo what I have done. I'm afraid I have nothing to say. It would be fruitless and lead only to frustration for both of us if I tried to explain further.”

She looked confused and her face contorted. “This is about some boy?” She didn't look pleased.

“Your son. For a long time I have cared for him, raised him, and taught him. I couldn't let go, and it is time for us to part ways for a time. I could not change this.” She seemed very calm and almost emotionless.

“So you killed him?!” cried her mother.

The girl looked up at her with the maddening calm she'd had since they had returned her home. “Yes. It was the only way to free us. Me from my fear, and him from his curse. I could no longer deny that he was ready.”

The red haired woman looked frustrated. “What the hell does that mean, Annabelle?”

She sat back down and closed her eyes. “Only that sometimes Destiny cannot be changed. It does not matter how hard you try to fight it, or how badly you wish it would.”

Her mother decided she'd had enough and slammed the door in her wake. Anna gave a heavy sigh and went back to her meditation. After a moment of restless sitting, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her tarot deck. On the top of the deck was death. The girl's eyes closed and she stood up and walked over to her dresser. She took a chain with a small cheap charm off of her neck and looked at it. It was the one Cedric had gotten her as a gift. She placed the chain and charm into her palm and put it inside a small jewelry box before carefully closing the lid. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to open it again. A tear ran down her face as she walked back and sat down in the middle of the floor to meditate again.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter had an odd look on his face as he walked out of Honeydukes Sweets in Hogsmead. He paused outside the door to the shop and looked at the bag in his hand with one of his eyebrows arched.

Ron noticed it first. “What's up? Did you forget something?” Parvati was on his arm with a lollipop in her mouth. She looked interested, but not enough to speak up.

Hermione shrugged and grinned. “Well, we're still here and we've got plenty of time.”

Neville, Margaret, Pansy, and Melvin were all behind them with smaller bags of their own. Margaret ignored the scene and called a bunny over. It consumed the children's bags and followed behind them looking pleased and alert to a disturbing level.

Harry shook his head and handed the bag over to the creature. It swallowed it whole with a great amount of vigor. “I've not forgotten anything.”

Pansy cocked her eyebrow. “You've got an odd look on your face. What is it?”

The boy chuckled and scratched the back of his head with a blush on his face. “I just realized that I've just bought a bag of sweets to bring back to my son.”

Hermione's face fell a little. “Huh?”

Harry blushed a bit more and looked down. “It's a bit strange. Not bad or anything, but I hadn't thought about it that way until now.”

Parvati's expression mirrored Hermione's. “It should be a bit strange, you're fourteen.”

The brunette girl nodded in agreement. “Yes. Exactly what I was thinking.”

“I noticed,” grumbled Harry as he shrank back a little.

Ron noticed the two girl's expressions sour a little. “You should stop talking now.”

Margaret nodded. “It's good advice.”

Harry composed himself and gave a small sigh. “Sorry, but you did ask.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes and gave a short nod. “Fair enough.”

Parvati wasn't that interested to begin with and was siding with her friend on the matter. She turned her nose up a little and moved off with Ron. The group followed after them.

“Now what?” asked Neville as his nerves started to calm a little. He had backed away from the scene rather quickly with Melvin.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Yes, Anna is going away for a bit.

 

[Druid]

Wow, that was quite a trip. I saw the first half of this on FFN and left a review there, I think, but didn't realize there would be more here. I just popped by on a whim, and I'm glad I did.

It was difficult to see Anna fall, and how it played out I could never have imagined. It's certainly a novel way to rid Harry of his... unwanted attachment so to speak.

You've left me quite curious about this Mage's Guild. Such as, other than philosophy do they also practice magic differently? It's apparent that whatever they will be doing there, Anna feels it will help both her and Draco mentally, but I'm very curious as to how.

At any rate, I'm very glad to see more of this, and I'm also glad you continue to be willing to share.

P.S. I hope your health issues are if not cleared up entirely at least in abeyance.