Chapter 8 Not as Swiftly as He'd Like

Voldemort plagued Harry's dreams badly for a week after St. Mungo's. He had visions of that creature torturing his Death Eaters almost every night and it wasn't a pleasant sight. The nightmares left him tired and cranky, so when he wasn't training, the poor teen was poring through books like Hermione, trying to find something that would keep the dreams at bay. He attempted Occlumency again, but still had no idea how to clear his mind and the books he found weren't much help. It was an off the cuff comment from one of the refugees that made him start looking at meditation. So now he spent each night before bed learning the art. It was a work in progress. The rest of the time he spent getting closer to his friends.

The researchers worked night and day, when they weren't training. They were scouring through the library trying to dig up anything that could be used. They were all desperate to find the Horcruxes and a way to destroy them. Bill was a lot of help. He let them know the various ways to abolish the vessels, Fiendfyre and basilisk venom were two of them. More focus was put on finding them though. They used the necklace to help them identify how one felt and what they were searching for, it helped a lot. While they researched, they had found tons of lost spells and rituals, and they taught them to the Order and the professors, who were also working to the point of exhaustion.

The teens had found all the ritual rooms in the towers. It seems that the people of old relied more on rituals than spells. It wasn't until the invention of the wand that ritual ceremonies fell out of use. Each tower was riddled with these rooms. If you entered the tower on the ground floor and took the stairs that lined the walls, on each floor was a large circular room that was covered in runes. Some had the five-pointed star, while many more just had a ceremonial circle. It was only with the help of the runes teacher, Bathsheba Babbling, and her star students, that they knew what each room was for. Now, more and more people were using them to get over their time with the Death Eaters. Soon the ex-prisoners weren't as exhausted anymore. That didn't seem to help their spell work though.

Harry didn't know what he expected when he rallied the people of Halstead. Maybe he had hoped for an army, but it wasn't what he got. Too many of them were weak, injured, or just plain defiant. The first morning the adults who wanted to fight all gathered in the sally and the professors took charge. They started with simple shields, which many couldn't erect. Those that could were moved on to other things. McGonagall chastised the weaker ones that they were failing at a fourth year spell and continued to drill them on that one spell for days. It was no wonder they almost lost the first war with Tom.

The DA looked on and shook their heads. They did their training at night, right before dinner. The rest of the day was spent learning spells in the library. They mostly stuck with each other, recuperating from Hogwarts, going over battle strategy or just talking like teens. Harry was pretty sure there was some heavy snogging going on, but who could blame them. They wanted to help the adults, but were told to let the professors and the Order handle it, because it was felt that the adults wouldn't listen to a bunch of teens. That didn't stop them from talking to their parents about the things they learned, in hopes that they would catch up.

"I wonder why they can't cast it," Harry stated as he watched a forty year old woman erect a weak shield. He was a bit disappointed that it was so dim; a tripping jinx could break it. Dennis Creevey could cast that spell a lot stronger and he was only fourteen.

"You have to remember, Harry, you are talking about housewives and shopkeepers. They haven't lifted their wands in defense in years, probably since they left Hogwarts," Luna said airily as she put a hand on his arm and then slipped her arm around his waist in a friendly hug.

"That's just stupid; there have been two wars in the last twenty years. They should have kept up with their spell work." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, what are we supposed to do then? We need them in top shape," he asked the blonde at his side as he put his arm around her shoulders. Luna was one of his more touchy-feely friends, and he adored her.

"Try and have them use what they know," was the calm answer.

Harry had to think about that, 'use what they know' was a lot like 'playing your strength'. If he could out fly a dragon, what could they use in a fight? "Right," he said, leaning over and kissing Luna on the cheek, "you're bloody brilliant."

"You are not bad yourself; you are just letting your emotions cloud your judgement. I suggest you meditate and get rid of your wrackspurts," the little blonde said with a beaming smile.

"You're probably right; I'll use one of the ritual rooms and do that today. I wonder if Hermione has found a spell to clear the mind," Harry said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"It never hurts to ask," Luna answered then she reached up, kissed his cheek, turned and skipped away.

Harry smiled fondly at her, glad that these last few days had made him more comfortable with his friends. He shook his head and turned back to the people training, frowning as he watched them struggle. Use what you know, was his thought. He turned and went to the fortress; he'd have to think about how that could be used. He wandered to the kitchen and watched the busy elves. They were slicing, dicing and chopping meat and vegetables for lunch. Harry watched as they floated the knives with just a snap of their fingers, yet still cut with efficiency. His mind drifted back to all the times he saw Molly Weasley do the same. How she would lift things around her kitchen with ease, sometimes not even looking at what she was doing. It seemed so effortless.

His mind raced with ideas, but first he had to clear it, so he took himself to the library and found Hermione. "Hey, Hermione," he said, giving her a quick shoulder hug and dropping down beside her, leaving his arm across her shoulders. He was glad Ron wasn't around; he didn't want to deal with his jealousy. "Have you found any rituals that will help clear the mind? Luna says I have wrackspurts."

To give the girl credit, she only lifted an eyebrow at that. "Well, there isn't any specific ceremony, but any meditation should help. There's a ritual room in the east tower, on the third floor, used just for the purpose of clearing one's mind," she said as she returned his hug and then went back to her notes.

"Okay. Anymore on the Horcruxes?" he asked, thinking he'd go after lunch.

Hermione bounced in place, she was so excited. "We found out how to locate them," she exclaimed, searching the notes on the table. When she found the ones she was looking for, she waved them in front of him, until he reached out and grabbed them. He looked them over, only understanding a bit. "It wouldn't have worked if we didn't have the necklace," she continued, still squirming in her seat, "but there is a ritual that will search out all the rest. It creates a map, and points to where they are. It's a bit like the Marauders' map, however the only thing it shows is what you're looking for."

"That's great. Why haven't you done it already?" he asked a bit confused, placing the notes on the table.

"We're missing an ingredient, but Bill has one of the house elves searching for it," she explained as she calmed down a bit and stopped bouncing, much to Harry's disappointment. "We hope to do it sometime in the next few days."

"Brilliant," the male teen said, beaming a smile at his best friend.

"Harry," the curly-haired witch started off tentatively, not wanting him to explode, "are you ever going to forgive Ron? I mean, you've been mates for years, do you really want to throw that away?" she added hurriedly at his scowl.

"I don't know," he said honestly, "I'm all for second chances, but he was already on his. I don't want to be like Dumbledore and give chance after chance to people who won't change. Look, I really don't have time to worry about him, right now. What with all the training and stuff. I might talk to him later, after the war, but as long as he stays out of my way, well, I'd just rather not deal with it." He shrugged his shoulders. He and Ron had avoided each other like the plague, if one entered a room the other left. The only time they saw each other was during training and at meals, and even then they kept far apart.

"Okay, Harry, but you really shouldn't talk about the Headmaster like that," she chastised.

"It's how I feel. I mean, look at Snape and Malfoy. He gave them chance after chance and they are both still Dark," Harry defended himself.

"Fine, I'll drop it for now," she said, patting his arm, not wanting to push him. While Harry had been better at not snapping at her, he was still a ticking time bomb. "Come on, lunch should be ready soon. Let's go to the dining room." She gathered up her notes and put them in her ever present purse.

So the two friends went and joined the others and had a nice lunch of roast beef sandwiches, vegetables and crisps. Harry had no idea where the elves got crisps from, someone might have given them the recipe, but he was glad for it. After lunch he said good-bye to his friends and made his way to the eastern tower.

There were torches on the walls of the stairwell, but most of the rooms were lit with candles and dim sconces that lined the walls. There were no windows in the towers, making them a perfect place to use as safe rooms in case something got through the wards. As he climbed the stairs he noted that a lot of the rooms were being used, mostly by healers. He watched them perform the rituals needed to boost the cores of some of the weaker patients in hopes that their magic would help them heal faster. Then he moved on.

He made it to the third floor, lit his wand and looked around. The room was basically bare, with walls and a floor of stone. There was a large circle etched in the middle, runes marked the floor and walls, and candles were surrounding the circle. He waved his wand and lit the candles. Making his way to the middle of the room, he folded himself into the lotus position and tried to clear his mind.

Soft music filled the air as he sat, and Harry focused on the candle in front of him. Trying the technique he'd read about the last few days, he took his thoughts and fed them to the flame. One by one his thoughts cleared and soon the meditation took hold. He felt a thrumming of energy fill his body, but he was in the zone, so he ignored it. Unknowing to himself, he lifted off the floor and simply floated. When he was completely relaxed and ready to reenter the world, he drifted down and gently landed on the floor. He had no idea how long he sat, but when he came back to himself, he felt much more level-headed.

Now, with better focus, he knew he'd been acting like the spoiled teen Snape always accused him of being, throwing tantrums when he didn't get his way. He knew he was going to have to make amends to a lot of people he'd been snapping at. However, he did feel that he was going in the right direction, just going about it the wrong way. Shaking off those thoughts for now, he made his way to the training area. The teens were all there with the Order and a few others.

"Sorry, I'm late, I was meditating and lost track of time," he said when they all turned his way.

Luna gave him a big smile and Hermione's was just as bright. Ron was glaring at him from the other side of the training area.

"And you look much more collected. I'm glad the wrackspurts have left," the little blonde said, causing the curly-haired witch by her side to frown.

"Alright, you lot," Kyle called, getting everyone's attention, "here is one of the spells that the researchers found. It's a right nasty one, so pay attention and only direct it at the dummies." He lifted his wand to one of the targets and said the spell. A pale pink light shot towards it. When it hit, the cloth skin on the left arm peeled right off, leaving the stuffing to fall to the floor. The stick that made the frame stuck out like a bone. Many of the DA cringed at the sight. "Like I said, nasty. I'd only use it when you need to get away. The person hit with this will bleed out. There is no counter-curse that we could find. So if you don't intend to kill your opponent, don't use it. We're going to do this wordlessly; we don't want to give the enemy a new weapon. So do your best."

There were a lot of sullen nods and they got in lines to try the spell. Each line was manned with one of the Order, who would make sure they had the spell correct. One by one they decimated the targets, while McGonagall and a few others would restore them or make more. Soon enough it was time for dinner, so with praises from their instructors, they went to the dining hall to eat, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

This set the pace for the next few days. Harry always made time for his friends and meditation, his nightmares stopped and he was glad. He still felt when Voldemort was very angry, but he didn't get visions anymore, which was enough for him to get a full night's sleep. He never truly understood why he felt so energized when he finished meditating, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. All he knew was his mind was clearer and his hormones weren't running all over the place. He had apologized to many of his friends for being so surly, they accepted it and moved on. Well, except Ron, he was still mad at the redhead and they still avoided one another. He did give a fleeting thought to girls, but the reason he had broken it off with Ginny was still there. That didn't stop him from dreaming, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a little over a week since he gave his speech and a meeting was called in the large dining room. The Order, some refugees, the professors and the lead teens all gathered. Kingsley stood and called the group to order. "First off, are the Healers settled?"

"Yes, they've set up the third and fourth floors as the hospital wing. Most of the families have relocated to the village. They seemed to be doing well there," Molly answered. She had been spending most of her time with the healers and was quite tired, but was filled with a sense of purpose.

"A few of the patients were able to be moved to the village, like my parents," Neville added, extremely happy that this was so. Gran was taking care of them with the help of a daily nurse, but they really didn't need medical attention, just a quiet place to rest. His mum was doing much better, and he was still hopeful they would one day make a full recovery.

"That's good. We've started getting everyone back into shape. It's slow going, but thanks to the rituals, it's going a bit faster than we thought it would. Give us a week and we should have them at least strong enough to erect shields. The DA is doing very well, and I think they could hold their own in battle." He took a sip of water and turned to Charlie. "Have you found any critters that can help in the woods?" he asked the dragon-tamer.

"We searched the whole area, and only came across some fairies and gnomes," the redhead shook his head. "There's non-magical wildlife, but nothing that can help us in battle." He had been a bit put out about that.

"Well, that's disappointing, but it can't be helped. Arthur, have we started the patrols?" the Auror asked.

"Yes, it is mostly the Order and some of the stronger people. We've set up a schedule and they are walking the walls at all times. We even found some bows and arrows that a few of the muggles know how to use. They were in bad shape, but we sorted them out," Mr. Weasley answered, proud of what little they had accomplished.

"Good. Now, Hermione, did you get the Horcrux search started?" Kingsley asked the lead researcher.

"Yes," she sighed her answer, "but I'm not sure how much help it will be. There's one in Gringotts, one in Hogwarts, and one at the Ministry, and to our surprise there are two here at Halstead."

Harry could tell there was more from the way she seemed to be holding back tears. He had a horrifying thought and pushed it back. He'd wait to see what she said.

"What?!" many people shouted. It had been explained to everyone what a Horcrux was, to think that there was one hidden here was scary.

She nodded, bit her lip and continued, "The one at the Ministry moves, so does the other one here at the fortress." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her best friend. She had figured out almost immediately who the last Horcrux was.

"No. NO!" Harry shouted, standing up from his chair, causing it to slam into the wall. "Your spell must be wrong, there is no fucking way," he denied, even though he knew that it was probably true. His link to Tom all but confirmed it.

"We'll find a way, Harry," she said, rushing to his arms and hugging him with all her might. "I won't let you die."

"It can't be true," he kept denying. "Why? Why does this shite always happen to me? What god did I piss off in my former life?" he buried his head in her shoulder and held on for dear life.

"Do you mind telling the rest of us what you two are talking about," Remus asked softly as he watched the two friends melt down. He thought he might know, but he had never heard of such a thing.

The rest of the people were looking on with either dawning horror or great confusion. Whispers started and some were raising their voices, until a soft voice interrupted them.

"Hermione believes that one of the living Horcruxes is Harry," Luna answered for them as she watched them cling to one another. "They believe that there is only one way to get rid of one, and that is to destroy the container." She got up and joined the hug, lending her support to her only friends. Neville also got up to offer comfort, with his hand on Harry's shoulder.

The rest of the people gathered started shouting, some were saying that Harry was possessed and needed to leave, others argued right back. The chaos went on for ten minutes until there was a loud bang.

"It's not the only way," Bill said loudly as he lowered his wand, making everyone's head snap his way. It had never been brought up in the research sessions, as there was no need for him to tell. They mostly focused on finding them. "There are other methods. We can simply remove the soul piece to another container. Our problem is getting the ones out of reach," he added, trying to redirect the conversation.

"I don't have to die?" Harry asked relief on every part of his face as he sagged in the girls' embrace.

"No, Harry," Bill gently said with a soft smile. "You don't have to die."

"He could still be possessed," the scarred man who kept getting in Harry's face said. "You Know Who could be listening to us right now. He has to go," he snarled, making the teens glare at him.

"Shut it, Dick," Kyle snapped, slamming his fist to the table. He wasn't going to let this petty man run off Harry. "You have no idea what you're talking about. If Tom was listening to us, he would've found us ages ago."

"Kyle is right," Bill said, glaring at the man. "We would know if Harry was possessed. There would be signs, and he isn't showing any of them. His eyes are clear and he doesn't have moments he can't remember. No one has seen him wandering around like a zombie. You have no clue what you're talking about, so keep your opinion to yourself," he snapped.

"Harry isn't going anywhere, so drop it, Dick," Kingsley stated. "We need to worry about the ones we can't get. Now that we know where they are we need to figure out a way to either destroy them from afar or get in to steal them."

"Well, we can't sneak into any of those places, all but Gringotts are under Tom's control," Bill said, "And we all know trying to steal from Gringotts is suicide." He knew all the fail-safes the bank employed. There would be no way to get in and out of there safely.

"I guess we'll just have to try harder to find a way to destroy them from here," Hermione said, still sniffling as she, Harry, Neville and Luna retook their seats. Her hand was clinging to Harry's in a death grip. She was relieved that he didn't have to die, but she wasn't going to let go just yet.

Talks went on for ten minutes, but they were getting nowhere. They needed more information.

"I've been thinking," Harry said, changing the subject, his mind still not accepting that he was a soul container of Tom. "Not about the Horcruxes, but about training the adults to use spells they already know in combat. Ron and I took on and defeated a mountain troll with a simple levitation spell. If they could use banishing and cutting spells in a fight they could be more resourceful."

"That is not a bad idea," Kingsley said thoughtfully. "We'll still work on their shielding, but we'll start incorporating the household spells in their training."

"Luna thought of it," Harry said, giving his blonde friend a huge smile.

"There are many spells and charms that can be used," Flitwick said, being the dueling expert. He and the other teachers had been so frustrated at how much people had forgotten. Then again, there hadn't been a good DADA teacher in over thirty years.

"When are we going to trap the Death Eaters?" Harry asked, itching to get started on fighting back.

"When we get the adults trained enough to at least defend themselves enough to get away. We've brought most of his targets here and unless he starts taking out his allies, I think you bought us time," Kingsley answered, though he too was getting antsy.

"Yeah, he's still right angry at that," Harry chuckled.

"See, he is possessed," Dick stated smugly.

"You can fucking leave," Harry snapped, pointing at the irritating man. "You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since you got here. Like I told you before, either fight with me or get the fuck out of my way," he snarled, leaning over the table.

"Dick, Harry's right, we don't need your negativity right now. If you don't want to help then stick with the non-combatants. Now let's get back to what we're going to teach the newbies," Kingsley said, hoping to calm the volatile teen. Harry just sat back and continued to sneer at Dick.

The meeting continued along that vein, for the next hour. Dick kept shooting Harry leery looks. Harry knew he'd have to watch out for him. He didn't know how the intent wards worked once one was inside the keep; they had dungeons for a reason after all. Soon enough they called it a night and everyone separated. Neville, Harry, Hermione, and Luna were walking to the stairs, when Hermione tugged Harry into an empty sitting room. Neville and Luna followed with bewildered looks on their faces.

"I didn't want to say anything at the meeting, but while I was researching the Horcruxes, I came across this book. You'll never guess what it says," she said excitedly, taking a green leather bound book from her bag, after she threw up some privacy wards. "Now you know I don't like Divination, but this isn't quite like that. The person who wrote this was more of a philosopher. They theorized that magic will take care of itself. According to this, there is a reason why Dumbledore, Tom and Harry are so much more powerful than anyone else. It is a quirk of magic. There must be balance. So for every powerful evil there is a powerful good, most of the population is neutral. War is magic's way of maintaining this balance; if a nation goes too long without conflict it becomes stagnant." She bounced in place, making Harry's and Neville's eyes drift from her face for a minute.

"But, there's no way I'm as powerful as Tom or Dumbledore," Harry denied as if just realizing what she said, only to see his three friends look at him in exasperation. "Look at Neville, these last few months showed that he's quite a powerhouse as well," he said, waving his hand at his new best mate.

"Yeah, but, Harry, I'm nowhere near your level," the sandy-haired teen replied. "I mean, my Patronus isn't nearly as strong as yours, even with my new wand. Yours caused hundreds of Dementors to flee, mine only drives off around ten. You can't deny what you are, mate," he added, clapping his hand on Harry's back.

"Oh, Harry, you are letting the wrackspurts back. Don't be silly, of course you are just as strong as Tom," Luna said as she sidled up to the dark-haired teen and gave him a one armed hug.

"No, I don't believe this theory. It's like you're saying magic is a deity or something," Harry said as he turned to Hermione.

"Harry, think of it as one if you must, but history shows this to be true. I mean, think about those we know; Merlin and Morgana, Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Every time there is a great evil there is a great good. Look, there is a ritual that will tell who is most powerful of this time. It will prove to you that I'm correct," she answered forcefully. She always knew that Harry was a powerful wizard. His years at Hogwarts showed it. It frustrated her so that he still thought so little of himself even when his power was all but shoved in his face. Damn those Dursleys and Dumbledore, if it weren't for them always keeping him away from his true potential, she wouldn't have to work so hard to make him see just how good he was. It was the one thing she cursed the Headmaster for.

"Yeah, what about Herpo the Foul? No one rose up and took care of him. For all we know he's still lurking around somewhere," he stated smugly.

"Honestly, Harry, really, Herpo? No one knows what happened to him, the records burned with Alexandria. For all we know there was a great hero," she huffed, folding her arms at his argument.

"For the sake of argument, let's say I do this ritual and it proves that I am equal to Tom, then what?" he asked, gently setting Luna aside. She just gave him a dreamy smile and took the book from Hermione and started flipping through. "I mean, it's not like it will give me 'the power the Dark Lord knows not'. What good will it do to know? And if it gets out that it is true, then what? We just got everyone to fight for themselves. If they find out that I am Tom's equal, then they might fall back on that hero worship I just stopped."

"Well, we can do it without anyone knowing. It really is a simple ritual and it would only take the four of us to do it," Hermione answered, biting her lip. "Two females and two males, is perfect. Fred and George found a hidden room in the west corner tower. It's basement level and used for the more powerful rituals. I think it's where Merlin performed all of his, judging from the rune schemes they brought me and a few journals I found of Ashliegh's. We should do it there, just in case I'm right."

"Fine, but if the people start talking about me again, I'm blaming you," Harry sighed, defeated once more by the Great Hermione Logic.

"Wonderful," she squealed and then grabbed his hand and started to the western tower. "It's getting right on midnight, so we're just in time, but we should hurry so we can set up. I knew you'd say yes, so I have everything in my purse."

A very amused Neville and Luna tagged along. They looked at each other and held back their mirth. The four teens made it to the tower and Hermione took them to a blank wall. She tapped her wand on a spot about shoulder high and a door appeared.