FicWad

Once again, I must remind readers that the world of “Harry Potter” is Ms. Rowling’s sandbox, I am merely only playing in it, and adding a bit of sand of my own. I make no profit from this fan fiction, other than being able to share it with all of you.

15: DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Harry sat on side of the bed, completely dumbstruck. As sure as the light of dawn, Cedric was smiling up at him from the portrait. “But, how?” asked Harry, bewildered.
“One thing about mum,” answered Cedric, “She is always planning and thinking about the worst. When my name came out of the goblet over a year ago, well, she almost went spare, while dad was tripping over himself… Merlin, that was embarrassing. But mum all but forced me to sit and have a portrait done.”
“How… how much do you remember?” asked Harry, finally getting control of his nerves. Frank had also sat on the edge of the bed beside him, slinging an arm around him.
“The night before the third task was the last time it was updated. Mum said that it took about a week before she could actually face me, well, the portrait, anyway, and wake it up. Dad was half mental, and mum wasn’t far behind, so she said.”
“So you know… about what happened?”
“Bits and pieces, yeah,” answered Cedric.
“I’ll show you… one day… what happened,” said Harry, the memories of the disastrous night over a year prior filling his head.
“That’s all right, mate,” answered Cedric. “I know it’s a difficult memory for you, mum explained what she knew. Is it true the ministry called you and Dumbledore liars?”
“Yeah, it is, Ced. Most of wizarding Britain thought I was barking, and just seeking attention. Bloody hell, all I wanted was a normal life, instead, I got…”
“Harry,” said Frank, “Don’t think of those things, man. That’s long behind you.” Harry nodded, although he didn’t fully believe it. ‘No, there are many things that will come back at me in the end,’ he thought. Frank’s words, though, snapped him back to reality.
“Ced, this is Frankie Iero. Frankie, Cedric Diggory.”
“The one who’s stolen Harry’s heart,” said Cedric, flashing a smile.
“I guess that would be me,” answered Frank, giving a grin of his own.
“But, how? How did you know?” asked Harry, very confused.
“When you guys visited the house a couple days ago to borrow the floo, I saw you. Merlin, even mum spotted how you guys are together.”

As tired as Harry was, he couldn’t bear to just leave Cedric hanging, so to speak. The sun was high in the sky before the room at last became quiet. They discussed the past year in detail, including the disaster at the Ministry of Magic, and the recent changes Harry had made, including his flight to Canada and the friendships he was then making as a result. Most definitely, things were turning around for the Boy-Who-Lived.

It was mid-afternoon before Harry and Frank were awake again, pulled out of their slumber by a knock at the door.
“Harry,” said the voice belonging to Travis, “You guys are gonna miss your date.”

Of course, that had resulted in a brief panic, as Harry believed he had slept through the entire day. It had been agreed they would make reservations for 6 pm. He was relieved to find out it was only 4 pm. They still had loads of time to get ready; after all… he WAS a guy, and didn’t require hours on end in the bathroom.

They arrived at the hotel just before 6 pm, having apparated from the cottage. Bill, Remus, and Travis had side-apparated those who couldn’t, appearing in a thicket of trees not far from the building. Remus had gone along as an extra pair of eyes, having borrowed Harry’s invisibility cloak. He would position himself out of the way, but in a spot that would give him a clear view of the dining room.

“So, do many from the magical community come here?” asked Frank. The main course had been finished, and the group was then attacking dessert. Their table was out of earshot of the other diners, and so discussion of things magical was safe.
“Yeah, this place is fairly popular,” answered Travis. “I mean, with the magical community pretty much mixed with the muggle world… well, what’s popular with them, it’s popular with us too. Hell, I mean, as I promised, we’ll go see a hockey game in the fall. It could almost give Quidditch a run for its money.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” said Ron.
“Oh, trust me, it’s fun.”
“Have you ever played?” asked Bill.
“Yeah, when I was 6. Of course, when I got my letter from Nipigon, well, that was the end of that,” answered Travis.
“So you just dropped everything to go to school?” asked Frank.
“More or less. Once one gets a letter like that, well, everything changes. As much as we are so similar, we ARE also very different,” explained Bill.
“What would happen if someone just ignored the letter?”
“Well, that doesn’t happen too often. Mostly with muggle-born witches and wizards. It’s usually an instance where the parents think it’s some kind of practical joke. As far as I know, with Hogwarts, they do send a professor out to contact the family if they don’t hear back by the recipient’s 11th birthday,” said Bill.
“So that’s why Hagrid showed up,” said Harry.
“That’s exactly it. Of course, the child can most certainly turn down the invitation, and that would be it. Although that happening tends to be pretty rare.”
“It’s pretty much the same over here,” said Travis. “Usually, professor Bishop goes herself to those cases. When I received my letter, though, a professor from the school did visit us, since I’m a muggle-born as well. Over here, we make sure a muggle-born is more equipped to enter the world, and so it isn’t such a shock when they get to Nipigon.”
“That would make sense,” said Hermione. “I wasn’t really given anything when I got my letter, it’s a shame they don’t.”
Travis nodded in agreement, saying, “That’s not the way to introduce someone to the wizard world. It’s crazy how behind England is.”
“Considering we’ve got Malfoy and the like, with their pure-blood agenda, and the minister in his pocket to boot, it’s no wonder,” said Harry.
“That’s a good point. Voldemort is only part of the problem,” said Travis. “The British wizarding government also has to change, or you’ll be facing yet another dark wizard in a few years’ time. From what I’ve heard, England has been a breeding ground for them. Something has to change. For the safety of English witches and wizards, and for the safety of the international community too. I mean, our generation’s kids have the right to a safe community. A wizard government stuck in the dark ages won’t give us that; it’ll just give us another Voldemort, or Grindelwald.”
“You know of him?”
“We covered him in History class, second year,” said Travis, “We had four or five classes about dark wizards, and the nightmares they caused. Last year, when Voldemort got his body back, we covered him again in History, more as a reminder about what he’s capable of.”
“All Professor Binns goes on about is goblin wars,” Ron snorted. “Bloody useless as a professor.”
“What are your classes like, Travis?” asked Bill.
“Well, in our History class, we talk a lot about historic events in the muggle world, from a magical context, of course, but we still cover them. Now you guys get Arithmancy, right?”
“Yes, of course, it’s one of my favourite subjects,” answered Hermione.
“We have that, but we also cover regular mathematics as well. In fact, most muggle classes are available if they want them. Of course, the core magical classes are mandatory… Transfiguration, Charms, Defence against the dark arts, Potions, and Herbology.”
“You guys have Quidditch, I guess?”
“Oh yeah, absolutely. Our national team was knocked out of the World Cup rather early two years ago,” said Travis.
“Do you play?”
“No, not on the school team, anyway. I mean, I know how to play, but it’s not been a big focus. Protecting my ass has been a bigger issue, if you get what I mean.” That got a nod from Harry; he knew exactly what Travis meant.

As the group got up to pay, another group of young ladies approached. “Excuse me, um, Mr. Iero?” said one of them, “Could we… um, get your autograph?”
“I’ll take care of the bill,” said Harry, while Frank obliged the group of young ladies. ‘At least they’re not calling him mental, or a liar,’ thought Harry darkly, as he approached the front counter to clear the bill.
“You sure, mate? I mean, I have muggle money, too,” said Bill.
“No, it’s fine,” said Harry, pulling out his wallet.

The rest of the evening for the six were spent once again gathered around a bonfire, while the rest of the group pressed for details. Harry noticed Travis and Bill were then sitting very close to one another. Perhaps their relationship had moved forward a little more. That drew his thoughts back to the man who was then planting soft kisses on his neck, holding him so close. ‘So many blessings this summer,’ Harry thought. ‘All because of a little Canadian intervention’.

oOo
The rest of August was spent making further plans and connections, with few interruptions. Two of those that stood out were Troy Bartlett’s trial and Travis’ father’s trial. Both were completed expeditiously, considering the weight of evidence over both defendants. Troy was sentenced to life in Azkaban, whereas Philip was sentenced to two years less a day in jail. His sentence wasn’t long enough to be sent to the wizard prison. Travis was somewhat disappointed; he believed his father deserved far more than the ‘slap on the wrist’ he had been given. All the same, two years away from him and his mother was more than good enough.

Having been found guilty, it also moved forward the divorce proceedings filed by Lisa. The brief hearing took place the last week of August, with Philip being represented by his own lawyer. As expected, Philip was left with virtually nothing, other than the few possessions he entered the marriage with. Since most of those had been destroyed in the fire, he only ended up with a small slice of the insurance money.

The Order of the Phoenix also began meeting in the trunk, save for a couple members whom Harry decided should be excluded from the organization, namely, one Mundungus Fletcher. He had proven his uselessness on several occasions, one of which almost got him and his cousin killed. Being the second in command, no one was going to question that at this point; clearly Remus agreed with the decision. A few were, however, surprised that Severus was being retained. Knowing the sometimes volatile relationship between the potions professor and the Boy-Who-Lived, it had been almost expected he too would be cut from the Order.

It had most certainly been brought up, as Tonks had asked, “Why not get rid of Severus?” Of course, the potions professor looked about ready to explode with that comment, and only Harry’s explanation prevented it.
“We’re working on our differences, and I mean, I know he can’t tell us a lot about what Voldemort is doing, but, it’s still better than shooting in the dark.” Severus nodded at this, seeming to calm a little with Harry’s words.
“The thing is, we can’t just be sitting on our arses anymore, waiting for things to happen,” Harry continued. “It’s time we take the fight to their back yard, to go on offensive, give the wizarding community something to rally behind.”
“Harry, I don’t think…” Tonks began.
“Why not? Don’t tell me it’s too dangerous, bloody hell, I could DIE tomorrow, for all I know! So enough of the coddling me like a two-year-old!”
“Besides,” added Travis, “Most of us are adults here as it is, so it doesn’t have to be Harry or I that go out there.”
“My next point, exactly,” said Harry.
“If we have intel on someone, let’s just deal with it, rather than let them run rampant,” said Travis.
“And what would you do with them, Mr. Carter? Turn them over to the ministry?” Severus drawled.
“Actually, what if we set up our own prison?” Hermione suggested, “I mean, the ministry is so incompetent as it is…”
“A better idea would be to get Angela’s help with that,” said Deric.
“Even better than that, would be to get the digital map like what the Improper Use of Magic office has,” said Travis.
“That might be a bit more of a challenge, the security clearance involved and so on.”
“What about the technology? Is that covered by secrecy?” asked Hermione.
“Well, no, but…”
“Could we do it ourselves?”
“In theory, yes, but…”
“Hell, I’ve got the hardware… I mean, all it does in the end is project the image up on the wall as a hologram… I saw it once,” said Travis.
“And exactly what would that give us?” asked Moody.
“A real-time map of the UK. Showing every port key, every apparation, possibly movement of magical creatures, I mean, I think we could probably set it up to track brooms too,” Travis explained.
“More importantly, it can be set to trigger an alarm if intense bouts of magic are detected, the kind usually associated with battle,” Deric added.
“Then it sounds like we need to do some research,” said Remus. “This is exactly the kind of thing that could give us an edge.”
“How, though?” asked Frank. He was once again sitting beside Harry, running a hand through his hair, and generally being closer than should be allowed.
“Well, think about this… whenever they hold a meeting, the map would show a large influx of persons into the area,” explained Deric.
“Even if they’re using a Fidelius Charm?” asked Harry.
“It would still show the end of their trip on the map, although we wouldn’t be able to see the actual location for real,” answered Deric. “What the map would give us are real-world coordinates as to exactly where that massive amount of traffic landed.”
“It still doesn’t solve anything if they’re using a Fidelius Charm,” said Tonks.
“Ah, you see, that’s where I come in,” said Bill. “It’s most definitely one of the most difficult charms to break, but it is possible to break through it. Again, very difficult, not something that can be disrupted or removed with any speed.”
“Now, if you can’t see a place, it’s still there, right?” asked Frank.
“Of course, it’s just hidden from view.”
“So we could still blow the place up, couldn’t we?”
“Err, probably not,” said Remus, “Although it is by no means a stupid idea.”
“More than likely, Voldemort will also have the property warded against intrusion, in the unlikely event someone manages to get by the Fidelius Charm. No, the first bit would be to break that first, and then remove the rest of the wards,” Bill explained.
“I think, then, we need to find out about this mapping technology,” Harry decided. “It’s definitely a start.”

oOo
Harry found himself floating high above the city of London, his prized Firebolt between his legs, the morning sun warming his back. ‘It seems to be late autumn… but no, that can’t be right,’ he thought. He recognized many of the buildings, including the Houses of Westminster, on the banks of the Thames River. He had flown right by it the night the Order had rescued him from the Dursleys, now well over a year prior. The night Dementors had visited Little Whinging.

A tremendous roar snapped him out of his thoughts, and a brilliant flash filled his view in all directions. It quickly engulfed him, the force of whatever it seemed to rock him on his broom. Then, it only got worse. He could still see, as the city was literally incinerated with the blinding flash that easily matched that of the sun. ‘Why am I not burning?’ he thought to himself. ‘What is this?’

He awoke, trembling, Frank gently jostling him to come to.
“Harry, you all right?”
“I… I don’t know. I think I just… bloody hell!” He hesitated, and then described his dream to Frank.
“It sounds like a nuclear attack,” said Frank, finally.
“Nu… nuclear?”
“Atomic weapon,” answered Frank. “One bomb can wipe out a whole city.”
“But… Merlin, why would I dream of that?”

He didn’t hesitate telling the others of this strange dream, or nightmare, rather. No one, however, saw any significance of it, considering many people had dreams about the end of the world. It played on one’s worst fears. Still, it most certainly concerned Harry, as, coming from him, anything like that bore some kind of significance.

The following night, as he retreated to his mind to do his Occlumency exercises, he found his subconscious self was not alone.
“Most impressive, Potter,” said Voldemort, looking at the computer workstation that represented access to his inner thoughts.
“Yeah, I thought so, too. What do you want?”
“Only to have a chat, of course. You have been quite busy this summer, I see.” He poked at the keyboard, seemingly perplexed at exactly what the device was.
“You could say that.”
“Severus has been helpful in this… fortress you have managed to erect around your mind?”
“No, oh Merlin no, this was all my doing… although he’s been giving me pointers,” said Harry. “Don’t think I don’t know who he really serves. The old coot might have had most people fooled, but he never fooled me.” That got a laugh from the Dark Lord.
“Indeed, Potter.”
“Now, what do you want? I’m rather busy.”
“Further protecting yourself?”
“I think you could already assume that, Riddle. Now get lost.”
“Oh, I don’t think I will,” answered Voldemort. “I have been rather busy myself…”

Harry suddenly found himself watching as giants, once again, unleashed unholy terror in an English community. He was unable to establish the exact location, but the damage was incredible as the three creatures demolished entire houses, tossed cars as if they were toys, uprooted 100 year-old trees like they were twigs, and then vanished as they were apparated away by three teams of Death Eaters.

Harry found himself once again back in his subconscious, and breathing heavily.
“I may no longer be able to enter your memories, but I can still force you to live some of my own, Potter,” the Dark Lord hissed. “You have not gotten rid of me, and do remember this. One day, I will finish what I started. You and your friends will all die, and there is not a thing you can do to prevent it.” Voldemort vanished in a puff of swirling black smoke. He remembered nothing further, mentally exhausted from what he had just seen.

oOo
It was the early hours of the following morning, August 28. Harry was shaken awake by a loud bang from the common room, and commotion in the corridor, quickly accompanied by shouting, and several small explosions.
“Harry?” Frank shook him. Just then, the door flew open.
“Get up, someone’s breached the wards on the floo!” Travis shouted.


AUTHOR NOTES: Right, then. Voldemort HAD to make another appearance here, it’s been a while since we heard what exactly he was up to, right?

Now. I know people were probably looking forward to a grandiose 20 page epic of the triple date… sorry to disappoint, but doing mushy date-things and so on just doesn’t happen in my works. I mean, I was even thinking of having an ‘incident’ occur. However, I felt that might be pushing things a bit, too. and so you get what I posted instead.