Shaking in Armor

This ain't a scene, Its a damn Arms race. - Fall out Boy

Harry Potter swaggered down the streets of muggle London with the confidence of some whose plans had gone perfectly. Yes he was still a bit shaken from his and Dumbledore's ordeal but mostly he was glad that his mentor had died the way he himself had planned. Snape had played his role perfectly and Harry knew he would soon be back to Number 12 Grimmald place as soon as he could with new and intriguing information. In fact the only thing that actually surprised Harry had been Malfoy's apparent fear and regret at his part in all of this. Perhaps he wasn't the death eater scum Harry had so readily expected him to be. Maybe Snape would bring news of Malfoy as well. Harry didn't want to admit but he had been thinking of Malfoy constantly. It seemed ever since the night he saw him crying in moaning Myrtal's bathroom he had pondered Malfoy's alliances.

When Harry reached the warehouse he had rented for this occasion he discreetly checked that the appropriate wards were in place. Once he checked them to his satisfaction, he slipped quietly in the back. Hermione and Luna were already inside and setting up Bogart boxes. Hermione's already frizzy hair seemed to have frizzed out even more in the almost chokingly balmy warehouse.

“Don't they have air conditioning in here?” Harry asked walking towards the girls. Luna gave him a quizzical look.

“What is 'air conditioning'?” Luna asked in her whimsically high voice and Harry figured he had better cast a cooling charm. Hermione didn't even look up from the Bogart case. She seemed to be fiddling with the lock.

“Can't get that one open 'mione? Here just let me-”

“NO!”

“What?!” Harry spun around looking for some death eater about to attack. He saw none. The ware house was completely empty aside from the three of them. He turned back around wand ready to open the box.

“Harry, I don't have a problem casting that by myself. It's just that...” Hermione's voice trailed off reluctantly. Luna looked confusedly between the two of them before deciding to finish Hermione's sentence.

“Her hair is stuck in the lock.” Luna admitted. She smiled, not in the least been bothered or embarrassed by her friends predicament. Harry chuckled and soon broke into full blown laughter. Hermione frowned.

“ It's not funny! It's actually quite painful.” Hermione said pouting. Harry reined in his laughter and moved closer to help his friend untangle her hair. Luna stood looking down at them.

“I can't get it 'mione. I'm not very good at this kind of stuff. Why don't you just wait for Ginny? I'm sure she can get it.” Harry offered after much fiddling with the hair knot. Hermione let out a straggled groan.

“When Ginny gets here so will Ron.” She confessed. The significance of that confession was lost on Harry. Puzzled he looked at Luna who seemed to have tuned out all together.

“'Mione? Ron's gay. He told us last week. I mean I thought you were-”

“Of course, I was listening Harry. Doesn't mean I want to look stupid around him.” She sighed and sat down and resigned herself to her fate.

“Gay men don't go out with women 'Mione.” Harry explained patting her shoulder. Hermione looked up at him with a angry look.

“You went out with Ginny.”

“Well I'm not gay. So that doesn't count.”

“Sure Harry. Whatever you say.” She laid her head on the case and sighed. Harry was about to protest when Luna waved her wand and Hermione's hair became untangled. Hermione looked at Luna with astonishment.

“Luna. How did you do that? And why the hell didn't you do it earlier?” Luna shrugged and smiled as she helped her friend up.

“It's a charm my mother taught me a long time ago. It took me a while to remember it.” She explained softly. Hermione looked sorry she asked. Luna's mother was never discussed. No one was quite sure how Luna felt about her mothers death but Luna always got a glassy eyed and sad composure whenever the subject came up. Harry had more than once wondered if it was harder to lose a parent than to never have one at all. Shaking away from his thoughts, he wrapped Luna in a bear hug and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“Hugging me isn't going to prove you're not gay, Harry.” Luna stated. Her voice was especially soft but it carried to Hermione, who proceeded to laugh much harder than Harry had. Harry dropped Luna and scrunched his nose at both of them.

“ I'm not gay!”

“So you check out Malfoy's ass because its so womanly.” Ron said walking with the rest of the Weasleys. Hermione laughed, a bit too loud but caught herself before Ron noticed. Harry gawked.

“I do not check out his ass! ” Harry said huffily. Ron placed a hand on his best friends shoulder.

“Don't be ashamed Harry. I'd go gay for Malfoy too. I mean if he wasn't such a prick.”

“Ron, you are gay.” George pointed out.

“Oh right.” Hermione perked up, think maybe this was all just a joke. “I keep forgetting I don't have to lie about that anymore.” And she sank back down, disappointed.

“ That's disgusting Ron.” Harry and Ginny said at the same time. They blushed and Ginny carried on.

“Malfoy looks like a weasel. Hav-”

“A hot weasel.” Everyone looked at Luna. She smiled shyly and then put her hands on her hips.

“I'm dating Neville, I'm not dead. Malfoy has grown into a very attractive man and he's really quite intelligent. He'd have to be to organize all that happened last year.” Silence. Everyone had to admit it had taken cunning to pull all of what happened off but no one wanted to compliment the boy that organized the murder of their leader in anyway. Luckily Neville stumbled in and broke the silence his girlfriend had created.

“Sorry I'm late guys. I'm not very good at apparation.” Neville said the last part as if anyone would have guessed otherwise. Fred laughed and pulled Neville into a noogie as Neville tried to make his way towards his girlfriend. When Fred let him go he gave Luna a peck on the cheek and stood next to her blushing at their idea of PDA. A kiss on the cheek was all that anyone ever saw the young lovers do but through that soft kiss anyone could tell their love would survive anything. If they survive the war that is, Harry thought sadly. Harry sighed at his own morbidity. He didn't like thinking that way even if it was the truth. Positive thoughts, Harry.

“Well I guess everyone is here. Um so I figured we should keep up the DA especially now that...” His voice trailed off but everyone got the message. With Dumbledore dead and the school closed, it was up to them to educate themselves. “ Um. So here are the books Hermione brought and um if you have any questions feel free to ask either me or Fred and George.”

Hermione passed out the books. Chuckling she spoke up for the first time since Ron had entered the room. “ I kind of feel like an arms dealer.”

“Yeah but our weapons are in the form of words.” Harry and Hermione laughed while the rest sent each other worried looks.

“In case you all haven't noticed weapons are words. You know spells, incantations,charms and the like.” Ginny pointed out. Which only made Harry and Hermione laugh even more. Of course not having muggle experiences no one besides Harry and Hermione would know the cliché of saying that words were weapons.

“We'll explain later.” Harry said still laughing a bit. Soon the meeting was in full swing. Hermione had opened the Bogart boxes and half the room was practicing Patronesses. The other half worked with George to build a resistance to crucio. Screams and pleas of forgiveness filled the air and Harry could tell that George was going to be sick from causing his friends that much pain even if it was for their own good. Deciding to take charge Harry whistled for everyone to stop.

“ Everybody switch sides. George why don't you take a break. Ron can you take over for him?” Harry smiled at how well this was all going at least until Ron spoke up.

“Hell no. I cant do that.”

“Ron. Just do it.” Harry said walking over to the Bogart's.

“No.”

Harry stopped and looked back at his friend. “Ron, I'm not joking.”

“Neither am I. I said no Harry. I don't see the reason we need to do this. We're not going to cruico anybody.” Ron said his cheeks red with frustration. Harry turned around completely and stood to face Ron. His magic swirled around him blowing his hair back. The room had stopped to watch Harry and Ron as they stood almost as if they were enemies not best friends.

“Do you want to know the reason Ron?” Harry whispered maliciously. Ron almost stepped back before rethinking and stepping forwards instead. He nodded slowly, a challenging look in his eyes. Harry shook his head and started walking away again. Ron relaxed his shoulders and looked at his friends with the same look he gave them when a slytherin backed down from a fight.

“Pfft.” And with that Harry turned around in a blur of light and cast the cruciatis curse on his best friend. Ron fell to the ground screaming and writhing.

“Where is the head quarters of the Order of the Phoenix?” Harry yelled. Ron screamed again as Harry kept him under the curse.

“Where is it Ron?” Harry pried. Hermione ran towards Ron and cradled him in her lap as he continued to twitch in agony.

“Number 12, Grimmauld Place!” Ron gasped through clenched teeth. Harry cut off the curse with a wave of his wand and squatted down next to Ron.

“You're dead. And so is your family. And your friends. And our cause. God damn it Ron! If I had been a death eater we would have just lost the war thanks you. ” Harry stood and turned to look at all of them. “You all seem to be forgetting that we are in war. They arn't going to hesitate because we're young. If anything we'll be the ones captured because children are like Ron they give up our location after a few seconds under cruicatis.” A scathing look at his friend, who had managed to get to his feet and was fuming. “ This isn't a game. We arn't in school doing this because Umbridge is a whore. We're doing this because if we don't, we'll die. Thats why we do it Ron. Now get to work”

The group dispersed and Ron did some deep breathing to calm himself. Harry's speech had grounded him and he would do as Harry asked him. Harry walked to the Bogarts and closed their cases. “If you cant cast an unforgivable on your friends then whose to say you wont hesitate to cast it on your enemies. Hesitation gets you killed. So I suggest you suck it up.”

He picked up one of Hermione's books and sat on a old wooden box as the rest started practicing. He flipped through the pages to the index and scanned them for any obscure curse. He knew all of Snape's curses but the only ones that were worth anything in a battle were levicorpus and Sectumsempra. He had to find something new. Ginny was right words are their weapons, the only way to get ahead is to come up with new spells, new technology. Harry wanted to be the Americans not the Japanese. He needed an atomic bomb. He needed something, or someone. His mind flashed an image of Draco Malfoy. He was clever, Harry thought. He knows things and from what Snape has said at meetings the whole of death eater society is in the Malfoy manor. Maybe if there was some way to get him over to our side- but his thoughts were interrupted by Hermione's angry voice.

“Harry you shouldn't have done that. You should apologize to him.” She plopped down next to him and they looked at Ron who was casting on Ginny. Harry gave him a thumbs up when Ron looked their way and Ron smiled his toothy grin.

“See everything is fine.” He assured getting back to his search. She sighed something that sounded a lot like “Men!” and leaned over Harry's shoulder.

“Anything I can help with?”

“I'm looking for a unheard of spell. Something Voldemort would never have even thought of.”
Harry said exasperated he threw down the book and put his hands on his head.

“Like love?” Hermione said dismissively.

“Hermione! You're brilliant!” That was it they would fight with old magic and Voldemort would fall just like he did before and this time no one had to die to cast a spell. He kissed her soundly on the lips much to the cat calls of his friends and the jealousy of one redheaded girl. Hermione smiled and pushed him away.

“Sorry not interested sweetie.” She said as she wiped off her mouth. Harry laughed and told everyone that being crucioed once was enough for their first day and together they shrunk their cases and books and tucked everything into their pockets.

Harry opened the door that let them out in the back of warehouse. The back was risky, as being in public always was but the front was riskier . Everyone joked and laughed as they walked down the streets to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. One block down though the call of a young man stopped them.

As it turns out it was a few men and several women driving in a large convertible car. The group sped up so that the driver was parallel to Harry.

“Oy!” The driver said in a heavy Scottish accent that reminded Harry of Cho Chang. He was a burley teen around 17. His male friends were just as burley but the girls were smooth and delicate with long red lockes that swung enticingly over their breasts.

“What does a guy have to do to get into this scene?” The driver asked, the car erupted in laughter. Harry rolled his eyes and made to start walking when Ron stepped forward. His red hair was more orange than the girls and his height made him look monstrous next to the low riding car. He leaned forward into the face of the driver.

“This ain't a scene it's a damn arms race.” It was their turn to laugh as they walked on leaving the muggles wondering what the hell Ron had meant by that.

~


Soon enough lovelies? SO about the titles. Um I'm big into music and I hear Harry Potter in everything. So i decided to incorporate lyrics as well as give you the songs that supplied said lyrics. So listen while you read though its quite distracting.
Thank for the positive feedback and keep on reading.