FicWad

A/N: Beta reader for this chapter is Rebby

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Contego letum

The next morning at breakfast they saw in the Daily Prophet photos of the attack in the Diagon Alley. A headline on the front page read: "Attack repelled by duo under mysterious shield". The article described several witnesses that a man and woman appeared under a mysterious shield of red fire killing many death eaters. Most of the students were looking at Harry and Hermione, who were trying to look as innocent as possible. Draco Malfoy seemed very suspicious to the two of them from his spot at the Slytherin table.

"I think that very soon a nice little owl with an informing parchment will fly to papa Malfoy", Harry said.

"You can't avoid that, Harry. I think that the news already left the school about the shields we have been practicing. As long as the news about the Quidditch trap will not leave the school everything will be okay."

Hermione stood from her place and took the arm of Harry. "Let's go, we have a session at the lab today, where we need to work on the shields again. I also have a lot of paperwork to prepare for the Quidditch-trap- we have one more lesson and then we can start making preparations. We also need to call the core group of the DA together this evening. "

Both of them walked to the laboratory to start working.

In the laboratory, Harry was working on his latest project. He was trying to create a shield containing layers of separate type of magic. The problem what he needs to solve here was to combine both types of magic without canceling each other out in the shield and to be able to keep it up.

He managed to bring one shield up. The blue shield surrounded him, and he tried to keep it active. Then he tried to initialize his new spell, he had created several weeks ago. The color of the shield changed into bright violet, and a misty halo surrounded his shield. This halo continued to circle his shield and after 10 seconds it disappeared. The blue shimmering disappeared as well. His shield broke and Harry swore.

He looked to the central table in the laboratory and was thinking. He initialized the Contego orbis terrarium shield. A greenish shield appeared around him and he relaxed. "Finite Contego orbis terrarium". The shield disappeared.

Harry went back to his work book and started to look at the spell-code. He suddenly had his inspiration and started to write. He was busy for some hours until he finally exclaimed "I have it!"

This was followed by a less enthusiastic "... I think."

He waved his hand over the code of the spell in his workbook. The code appeared in the air in big letters and with another wave of his hand he let the code be compiled. He linked the compiled spell with the magical substance and stood up. He took his wand and concentrated. "Contego letum" he bellowed and waved his wand with a zigzag.

Again he was surrounded with a shield of blue fire with a while halo around the shield. This time it was stable. He screamed "FINITE Contego letum" and the shield disappeared. He took a large spider from the cage and placed it on the table. He pointed his hand to the spider: "Contego letum!"

This time the spider was surrounded with the blue shield and a white halo surrounding it. The spider became suddenly very quiet and did not make an attempt to escape. He pointed his wand at the spider and screamed "Crucio". The red stream of the curse sped to the shield. Harry and Hermione started at the result. The red stream of energy disappeared at the moment it touched the shield. There was no bouncing, no firework and no flash- it simply disappeared.

Hermione looked up surprised. "Did you manage the shield, Harry?"

Harry was still intent on processing what he has experienced.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The red beam from his hand sped to the shield. Also here the same effect, the beam simply disappeared.

"Imperio!"

The effect was also the same. The beam simply disappeared in the shield.

"Hermione, please help me. Let's both send the Crucio-curse as fast as we can to the shield and see what happens. "

Now Harry and Hermione were firing the Crucio-curse as fast as they could to the shield, and the effect was still the same, the shield held. After a minute of firing the curse, the color of the shield changed from blue to bright blue. After about five minutes the shield collapsed.

"Let's do the same now, but with avada kedavra. I want to see if there is any difference. "

Harry built the shield again, and they were cursing the shield with the death curse. After two minutes the shield collapsed.

"This is excellent news, even when the shield collapses, we have a shield which gives some minutes protection. "

Harry went back to his workbook to work on the spell.

When lunch time appeared, Harry and Hermione were too involved, and they didn't want to abandon their work. Harry was now trying to change their new Contego contindo curse, which will return the absorbed curse to the caster. Harry tried to build this shield the same way as the Contego letum, so it would return a Crucio curse to the caster. But this was more complicated then the Contego Letum curse and it required much more work.

Professor Dumbledore entered the classroom and watched the two at work. "Is there anything new to report, Harry? "

Harry looked up from his workbook. "Yes, professor- fantastic news. We have managed a shield to block the unforgivable curses, even when it is only protection for several minutes under constant fire. "

Professor Dumbledore looked surprised. Professor Snape who stood behind professor Dumbledore seemed disbelieving. "Impossible. There can be no shield for any unforgivable curse. Demonstrate it for me. "

So Harry repeated the experiment. Harry and Hermione started to fire all the unforgivable curses to the shield, and after several minutes the shield collapsed.

Professor Snape did not believe his eyes. "Let me try this, otherwise you two have made wizarding world history. "

Harry built the shield up again and Snape cursed the shield.

"Crucio ... Avada Kedavra ... Imperious ... Crucio ...Crucio".

All curses were fired in rapid succession, but the shield held!

Snape continued to fire curses to the shield, and after 5 minutes the shield was still standing. Professor Dumbledore joined Snape and one minute later the shield collapsed.

When the shield was gone, there was silence. Nobody was talking, and Snape was looking very surprised now; pleased even. "I need to know this shield, Harry and Hermione. We need to publish the information about the shield in all newspapers, it could save lives, this is so excellent, so fantastic. "

Harry smiled and looked strange to Snape. "Professor Snape, you know that I am updating this workbook. Please come to us in the evening with your workbook and I will update it, so we work from the same copy. All relevant information will be there, I only need to update the contents. It's too early to publish, because we need to do some more testing and experimenting. I also want to make an effort to make the shield stronger and faster. What do you think, professor Dumbledore?"

"Harry, you deserve to call me Albus, because the work you both have done is unprecedented in the history of magic."

"That is a lot of getting used to. We're in school and officially students ", Hermione said.

"My children, I am so proud at you both. I will personally see to it, that your N.E.W.T.'s will be held this weekend at the ministry and from that moment you will be hired by Hogwarts as researchers and special professors. This is unheard of. I'm sure that when we bring this news to the ministry nobody will object."

Professor Dumbledore was grinning broadly and left the room in haste.

Professor Snape followed professor Dumbledore, but before he disappeared he turned. "Excellent work, I can't wait before I can build the shield myself and test it. " And he disappeared into the hallway.

There was silence between the two. Hermione looked to the spider and stretched out her hand. A blue shield appeared around the spider. She fired several Crucio-curses in rapid succession to the shield and it held. "Finite Contego letum" and the shield collapsed.

"We have something beautiful between us two, don't we? "

"Yes we have indeed. I love you. "

"I love you too. "

"We have class in 10 minutes, Harry. Let's clean up here, lock the room and secure your workbook."

They left the room after five minutes and went to their classroom. They finished the lessons for the 5th years and went back to their classroom. When they entered the room, they saw an additional table with their lunch. "Oh my, I am starved, let's eat. " With that, they sat and had their meal.

Hermione was finishing the preparing work for the Quidditch-trap and Harry had finally finished his documentation.

"Harry, do you know a messaging spell? "

"No, Hermione. I have no idea. "

"Well, I did some research, and came up with a very nice spell. It sends a bird to the recipient with a message in the form of one sentence and a maximum of 25 words. 'Epistula amitto'. You have to concentrate on a short sentence. Then you need to concentrate on the person who you want to send the message to. After that, you need to cast the spell. "

Hermione concentrated on the contents of the message, then on professor Snape, and cast the spell. "Epistula amitto"

A golden bird appeared from Hermione's hand and flew straight into the wall of the classroom. It disappeared.

"What happened? Does Snape see the bird? "

Hermione turned to Harry and looked intensive to him. "Epistula amitto" The same golden bird appeared from her hand and the bird flew straight to Harry. Before Harry could react, the bird dove into his chest. Harry expected to feel an impact, but nothing of such thing appeared, but he suddenly heard in his head "I love you".

"Hermione, it worked. This is fantastic. The message spell is something where we can work on as well. It has a very strategic value when in combat. We have the ability to communicate with everyone in battle. "

Hermione looked with a frown to Harry. "Harry, do you realize that when we work together on this material, and we form a company in the wizard world, and we charge money for research, we could get so rich! "

"Yes indeed, Hermione. " But Harry did not look impressed.

At that moment Snape burst into the classroom. "Did you send that spell? "

"Yes, professor, we have finished. I have copied the workbook for you, here it is. "

Snape looked astonished to the workbook. Very obviously he wanted to continue on to a rant, but said nothing more when he accepted the workbook and looked into the contents.

"Professor, please destroy the other copy of the workbook, before it can fall into the wrong hands"

Snape nodded and disappeared from the classroom.

Harry and Hermione closed everything off and went to professor Dumbledore's office and gave him all the papers about the Quidditch trap. He looked into the material. "Excellent work, children. Can you come to my office before breakfast and we will talk about the implementation of the trap. Did you hand professor Snape a copy of your workbook, Harry? "

"Yes professor. I made an extra copy for you. Here it is. "

Harry handed the copy of the workbook to professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked very pleased. Let's have dinner together, children. This news is too good to stuff it somewhere. I am so excited. "

They all left the office and went to the great hall. During dinner professor Dumbledore asked Harry many questions and listened to his comments. In the meantime all professors on the table heard the news and were as excited as children. Professor Flitwick exclaimed that Harry and Hermione were now professors, not students.

All the students observed the mood of the professors, and an excited whispering went through the hall. Rumors had reached the ears of the students that Hermione managed to create a spell against the unforgivable curses. The murmurs in the great hall became louder.

Professor Dumbledore stood up from his chair and waited silently to the hall to become quiet. Instantly every eye was on professor Dumbledore.

"Our research team of Harry and Hermione made a breakthrough in their research this morning in a weapon against the unforgivable curses. Tomorrow we will make this news official, and Hogwarts will make the utmost effort to teach this to its students. Thank you all for your attention."

Now the hall burst out into more questions and shouts for more information. Professor Dumbledore said nothing more, and with a smile on his face he disappeared from the table and went to his office.

Later that evening, a golden bird appeared and flew directly to Hermione. Hermione's eyes lit immediately. "Harry, we need to go to professor Dumbledore immediately. "

When the reached Dumbledore's office, they saw that Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic was sitting on a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Also present were Tonks, Kingsley, Mundungus and professors Snape, McGonagall, Sinistra, Lupin and Vector.

Fudge turned to Harry and Hermione, unbelieving. "Is it true that you developed a shield against the unforgivable curses? That's impossible!"

Harry turned immediately towards the anteroom. He transfigured a small table into a spider and he cast the spell. "Contego letum"

A blue, burning shield appeared around the spider. "Please Tonks, cast an unforgivable curse at the spider"

Tonks was looking to the minister, who was impatiently waving his hand to her. "Go Tonks, we don't have an hour time here for this nonsense."

"Crucio"

The beam was absorbed into the shield.

She looked astonished.

"Crucio ... Crucio ... Crucio ... Crucio ... Crucio"

All beams were absorbed.

Now Kingsley and Mundungus joined her, but to no avail. The spider was still moving in the shield, and all of their spells were absorbed.

Minister Fudge looked astonished to Harry and Hermione, then to professor Dumbledore. "What is this Albus? Is it true, have they developed a shield against the unforgivables? "

"Yes Cornelius, they have, as you can plainly see."

Kingsley was almost jumping from happiness. "This is fantastic news, this is unknown. Do you have any documentation, is there anything on paper. Who developed this? Did Hermione develop the shields? When did you manage the shield? Did you test it?"

Professor Dumbledore stood up and held his hands up. "We will give you their workbook and you can test the shield yourselves."

Tonks, Kingsley and Mundungus looked very excited. Professor Dumbledore handed a copy of his workbook over to minister Fudge, who was looking impressed at the book. "Kingsley, I want to have this shield tested tonight. If this shield is indeed a shield against the unforgivables, then we will publish all relevant information in the press tomorrow morning. "

Harry stood up as well. "Please minister Fudge. Please do not mention our names yet, only Hogwarts where the spells were developed."

Fudge looked at professor Dumbledore.

"Yes Cornelius, please honor their request ... And by the way, I have still not received the answer about their N.E.W.T. exams."

"That is no problem, whenever you want to have the exams; I will make the people available for the golden couple. We owe them much more then that with this shield. Many people's lives will be spared, and not to mention the Aurors."

With this, they floo'd back excitedly to the ministry of magic.

Professor Dumbledore sat back in his chair when their guests had gone. "I'm impressed by the plans and the schedules. We can fill in the schedules here and I will call the order to prepare us correctly. We also would appreciate very much if you two can organize a class tomorrow evening to teach us the new shield. Would that be possible?"

"Yes professor. Tomorrow straight after dinner. "

The days following that meeting with the minister and Aurors, all of the professors were busy preparing the Quidditch trap. Harry and Hermione were busy in the evening with teaching the shield to the professors and members of the Order. In the meantime, the Daily Prophet had published detailed information about the Contego Letum shield. The newspaper was honoring Hogwarts as the minister had promised.

The Daily Prophet published also an amazing story that morning. Death eaters had attacked a small wizarding home. Two wizards survived the killing curses because of the shield, but a child had been killed. The Aurors appeared straight after the death eaters apparated.

The day of the Quidditch match was fast approaching and everyone was very busy with the preparations. The Wednesday dinner was different than normal, because professor Dumbledore had some announcements to make.

"First of all, Quidditch will be canceled tomorrow."

All students grasped because of the news.

"Second, and more importantly, tomorrow there will be a death eater attack on this school during the time when the match was supposed to have happened. We will need assistance to carry out our plans to annihilate the attackers, so DA members, as well as sixth and seventh years are asked to help- however this is strictly voluntary. Because of this, all lessons will be canceled until further notice. Nobody is allowed to leave the school and owl traffic is canceled as well. The castle is now locked down and nobody is to come in or out without my permission. Thank you."

Everyone streamed out of the great hall and went to their dormitories, while talking and discussing the situation loudly.

Hermione and Harry went to the last meeting of that day with the Oder and the professors.

"Everything is set up, the wards are reinitiated and we have more now in place. All professors and Oder members know how the cast the special shields and they also are able to work with the shield against the unforgivables" professor Dumbledore said in the meeting.

"Harry have you had any dreams involving Voldemort lately?"

"No professor, nothing at all anymore since this summer."

"Hermione, take care that you warn me immediately when Voldemort approaches."

Professor Dumbledore looked at Hermione with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes professor."

The next morning there was a shining sun in the morning sky. The order was already out and busy with the preparations for the Quidditch trap in the early afternoon. Everyone had breakfast in their respective dormitories, but the professors and Order members had their breakfast in the great hall. A feeling of expectancy was clearly present. Afterwards they went over all the preparations again. Hermione's schedule and documentation were very helpful in smoothing the preparations. At ten o'clock in the morning everything was ready and in its place. At one thirty in the early afternoon the Quidditch team appeared with the audience, who were screaming and having fun. All the 6th and 7th years had volunteered, except the Slytherins, they were strangely quiet and stayed in their dorm.

Professor Dumbledore locked all dorms and nobody would be able to enter or to leave until everything was over.

Harry's scar suddenly started to burn and pain went through his him like knives. Harry couldn't see anything anymore, everything was black. He screamed and grabbed Hermione's hands and tried to control the stabbing pain. After some minutes the pain subsided, but not completely.

"They are coming" professor Dumbledore announced.

From the forbidden forest a group of black clad figures appeared and floated fast in the direction of the people at the Quidditch match, and some were coming from above.

Harry looked into the air.

"See, they're on broomsticks!"

Hermione looked up into the air as well. "That is a problem, they're faster than we expected! "

Harry grinned. "In war, everything goes wrong and everything that is planned needs to be changed immediately. That's what Sirius always said."

Hexes and curses flew everywhere. A green shield was soon protecting the audience's section. All 6th and 7th years slowly and orderly left the stands and prepared to go to the castle, as was planned. They did not need to let loose a single spell.

The death eaters from the forbidden forest approached the field very quickly now. The professors and Order members set up a defense front and were ready for them. Only some 30 meters to go before the death eaters were in the area, which was prepared for the trap.

But they did not count on the death eaters on broom sticks, who were attacking the students. They fired a lot of curses towards the students and their shield deflected all. The death eaters became confused and did not know what was happening. The students started to send curses to the flying death eaters as well. Several death eaters felt from their brooms, but most of them landed safely and began to fight the students. But the shield held fast, and the students fought back. They stopped walking to the castle and lay flat down on the grass, the way they had been taught. The death eaters did not expect a large group of students to fight in an organized way, and they were very soon overwhelmed by the size in numbers of the students. Forty of the surviving death eaters decided to retreat; they ran for the forest.

The larger group of death eaters approached the area of the professors and order members and started to fire many curses. At that moment, a large greenish shield appeared around the death eaters; their curses bounced off the screen and returned back to them. Several of the attackers fell on the ground under their own fire. The professors and order members relaxed more and systematically fired stunners to the death eaters, who were not able to fight back. Most of the death eaters were stunned very quickly and the rest were giving up; with their hands in the air the fight was over.

Professor Snape had gone fireplace and floo'd the aurors that Hogwarts was under attack. Very soon the aurors appeared everywhere and looked very surprised by what they encountered. All death eaters were stunned and bound, very professionally placed under arrest of the Order members and professors. The Quidditch trap had succeeded. They managed to capture 165 death eaters and three death eaters had died after falling from their brooms. None of the students, professors or Order members were wounded or in any way hurt.

One hour after the aurors appeared and took charge of the transport of the death eaters, professor Dumbledore announced that the attack on Hogwarts was over and invited all students to come out of the dorms and have a celebration in the great hall. He also announced that there were no more lessons until after the weekend.

Harry and Hermione retreated to their dorm and were drinking tea and eating biscuits. Harry was not able to eat, because his stomach was still upset, and Hermione was not much better.

"Harry, have you realized that we don't use our wands anymore?"

Harry suddenly realized that he indeed had not used his wand during the fight, and neither during their lessons- he had been relying on his mind and hands.

"Hermione, I'm going to bed; will you join me?"

"Let's go to bed. The best idea of the year, really."

"Did you feel Voldemort, Harry? Because nobody ever saw him there- isn't that strange?"

"Yes indeed Hermione. It is strange that Voldemort did not join the attack. And none of the senior death eaters were caught."

After a pause, Hermione said, "Harry, I want shop for a wedding dress. You aren't allowed to see it before our wedding."

"Hermione my love, I want to come with you and the girls." He continued before Hermione could interrupt, "I will be on my best behavior. I promise not to peek. I insist on paying for the dress. Or better, I want that we go first to the Gringotts bank to share my accounts with you or at least one of my vaults, which are so full of gold that you could buy a dress shop ten times over. Please make me happy, Hermione. Let me do this."

"I don't know Harry. I know the dress I want will cost more money than I have in my savings and to ask my parents... it would be too much to ask for."

She was hesitating.

Harry kissed her. "Everything that I have, you have as well. You know that. To make that day the happiest day ever in our live, please accept the vaults and let us arrange it before you go shopping."

Hermione kissed Harry in return. "Let's go to the bank tomorrow morning and arrange it then. By the way Harry ... I asked professor Dumbledore to come with us ... I hope you don't mind?"

"Professor Dumbledore? ... What did he say? ... Did he accept? ... Is he coming with us?"

"Yes, he said that he was more then happy to come with us. He will keep you company when you are waiting for us."

Harry smiled happily. He could not wait for tomorrow.

"And Harry ... I also asked Molly and Ginny Weasley to come. My mother will be there as well ... and my father will accompany you and the professor."

Harry started to say something, but Hermione continued.

"Professor Snape insisted to come as well; he wants to discuss the shields and your workbook. It seems that he is extremely interested in the message spells you wrote down in your workbook ... I hope you don't mind."

"Hermione, you really know I do not mind that they come with me and to be my company, while we are waiting for you. I look so much forward to it."

"We need to get your dress robes for the wedding measured. I have already made that appointment. The appointment is at the 12th of October at 12:00 at Grindorgs Clothing."

Harry's eyes were rolling, but he was happy that this would take some time. He thought for a bit, and asked "Is Lupin coming Hermione? You've already asked everyone else."

"It's a full moon tomorrow. He needs his rest."

They fell into silence, holding hands on top of their blankets, and were soon asleep.

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A/N: Beta reader for this chapter is Rebby