Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

Okay, not going to say anything about the number of reviews as the last time I did that (on another site) I got a lot of people telling me to shut up and stop making them feel guilty XD So, all I'll say is thank you to those who did review and if anyone wants to review this chapter, I very much encourage them to do so ^_^;

Dragon
Millicent has no tact XD And yay for being caught up; that's always a good feeling :)

PantiesAreOverrated
XD

Kuromei
I think Harry took the test simply to make Hermione happy (as he at least thought that it would make her happy). And even though I know who the one trying to kill Harry is, I still think it could be any of the Slytherins at this point XD *hugs Kuromei-chan*

Snivelly
Harry a strong, beastly man? ...Kay O.o
Oh Milli, look what you've done; made everyone turn against you just like that. You've disappointed your fans and everything. Oh well, we'll all just have to focus on adoring Harry and Draco instead XD

I will cease chatter now and allow you all the read the chapter which I think is a hell of a lot better than the last :)

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14th February 1998: Midday

Harry bit back a sigh as he poured himself a cup of tea at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. It had been a somewhat lonely morning, mostly because his free periods had to be spent alone as Hermione had classes and Draco's free time was currently taken up with work on an Arithmancy project which was worth a significant amount of his final grade. Harry hadn't seen his blond lover since they had separated at breakfast and it was unlikely that he was going to see him until that evening at dinner as the dark haired youth had Divination that afternoon. Admittedly, Harry wasn't usually one for loneliness and he wasn't sure why he felt it, even to a small degree, at that moment. Perhaps he had underestimated just how used to having company he had become.

Currently, there was no one else at the Seventh Year end of the Slytherin table so at least Harry wasn't having to make small talk with anyone. He so wanted to see Draco though, if only to simply say hello. The fact that it was Valentines Day and everyone else around him seemed to be love-sick didn't help, it just made him miss his Malfoy all the more.

As he took a sip of his tea, Harry heard the flapping of dozens of wings as owls arrived to deliver the second load of mail for the day. He ignored it completely, naturally not expecting anything to come anywhere near him as he was the only one present at his end of the table. So, when an owl did land on the table in front of him, he was both surprised and confused. It took only a glance at the envelope to confirm that it was, indeed, addressed to him and in the familiar, neat scrawl of Draco. The twine holding it to the owl's leg was swiftly removed and the bird immediately flew away. Not even a glance was spared for its departure as Harry began to open the golden-brown envelope.

Inside the envelope was a Valentines card. Harry pulled it out and gave the picture on the front a brief look, hardly even a glance really, before he opened it and read what was inside. He was rather surprised to find Draco's handwriting inside despite the fact the envelope had already told him it was from the blond. He had never mentioned anything about celebrating Valentines day. In fact, Harry had rather got the opinion that the Malfoy wasn't at all bothered with Valentines Day and thought it was a bit of a waste of time. So, to receive a card from him was unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome when a brief note at the bottom requested that Harry meet with Draco in the Astronomy Tower that night after curfew.

Harry and Draco hadn't had the opportunity to be intimate together since the students had returned and the dark haired teenager would readily admit that he missed the blond's sexual touch. The feelings he had felt that night still lingered in his mind and he longed to feel them, to feel that close to Draco again. Perhaps that's what the Malfoy had planned; some alone time away from prying eyes where they could delight in each other's bodies again. It was a very appealing thought and Harry immediately felt a small thrill of anticipation shiver up his spine.

Smiling very slightly, Harry closed the card, replaced it in its envelope and then put it into his bag. He would go to the Astronomy Tower after curfew and he would spend the rest of the day anticipating it.

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14th February 1998: Afternoon

With Divination over, Harry was looking forward to heading to his dorm room with the hope that Draco might be there to at least say hello to. Not speaking or even seeing the Malfoy for an entire day was harder than he had first thought it would be and he wanted nothing more than to be in the blond's arms, if only for a moment. So, he walked through corridors with a slightly hurried pace, easily side-stepping around people he encountered along the way. He had to stop eventually however when he turned a corner and narrowly escaped smacking face first into Millicent Bulstrode. Both he and the girl stopped themselves in time though and instead came to an abrupt stand-still centimetres away from each other.

"Oh, sorry about that, Harry." She said with a slight smile.

"I am at fault as much as you." Harry replied as he stepped around Millicent, intending to continue on his way.

"In a hurry to find Draco?" Bulstrode inquired, obviously kindly amused by it. "Can't wait until tonight to see him, hmm?"

Harry stopped then, a spike of suspicion running through him. He had told no one about his Valentine from Draco with the request to meet him that night, so Bulstrode's words were initially alarming. However, when he thought about it more, he realised she could just be referring to the fact that he and the blond shared a dorm room. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the girl and she offered another smile.

"I know it's nothing to do with me really, but I just wanted to say that I'm really glad you're making an effort with Draco."

"Making an effort?" Harry echoed, confused by what she meant exactly.

"With your surprise for him this evening, in the Room of Requirement." Millicent revealed, also apparently confused with Harry's confusion. Upon seeing the young man's expression switch to surprise, she instantly gave a silent gasp before launching into an apology. "Oh, I hope I haven't embarrassed you! And don't think it was Draco who told me; it wasn't! I just, I was with him when he found the card you put in his bag and I couldn't help but catch a glance of what you had written inside!"

"Do not concern yourself." Harry assured her gently, his tone calm despite the fact his mind was swirling with too many thoughts to describe. "I am...Grateful that you have given me your support."

Millicent seemed to be genuinely reassured by that and she gave a rather shy smile. "I'll, uh, just leave you to yourself then." She said quietly before turning and hurrying off in the direction she had originally been heading in.

Harry stared at the spot the girl had been standing in, even long after she had left, the cogs in his mind were working over-time. Draco had received a Valentine from someone claiming to be himself; that was certainly very suspicious. It made Harry rethink the Valentine he had been delivered that lunch time and he flipped open his bag so that he could pull out the envelope and card which he hadn't had a chance to put away. He pulled the card out of the envelope, opened it and waved his hands over the writing. He only felt mild shock when he saw Draco's writing reshape into the straight, sharp lines of an unfamiliar form. Inwardly, the young saviour cursed himself; he should've thought to check for spells when he first got it. He simply saw Draco's handwriting and assumed...

So his opponent had finally made another move after nearly two months of nothing, and what a move it was. An attempt to trap both Harry and Draco which may well have worked if not for Bulstrode's comment. But that was nothing to dwell on. Harry was aware of the con and could therefore begin to plan a counter attack.

Replacing the fake Valentine in his bag, he turned to head back in the direction he had just come from. It appeared he was forced to change his plans for the coming afternoon. Instead of seeking out Draco, he would retreat to the library to find a quiet corner where he could sit undisturbed and think. He had only six hours to formulate a plan; it was going to be a close-call.

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14th February 1998: Evening

After many hours of sitting perfectly still, simply thinking, Harry had formulated his plan of action. He wasn't sure just how well it was going to work out but he was confident about one thing; it would keep Draco completely out of harm's way, and that was what was most important to him. No matter what happened, as long as his blond remained unharmed then all was well.

It was a fairly simple plan. He would confront those who sent the Valentines before Draco was due to turn up. That was the bare bones of the whole plan, there was more to it than that naturally, but that was the gist. He had actually decided on the plan relatively quickly, it had been easy enough to concoct, it was the details he had struggled with, one detail especially.

While Harry was expected at the Astronomy Tower, Draco would be expected at the Room of Requirement. That meant there would be two groups of enemies in two different places. Harry, ideally, needed them all in the same place at the same time. So, the easiest solution he had found was to allow the group in the Astronomy Tower to think they had done their job so that they would most likely return to their comrades who would await Draco. If this was to be pulled off safely, Harry naturally couldn't let himself be hurt which meant he was in need of a double.

How best to create a double though?

That had been the one detail he had struggled with most of all. He had literally spent a good two or three hours thinking of nothing else. Eventually, after going over everything he knew, he remembered a suitable spell which would work adequately for him. Immediately he had retreated to his dorm room, knowing it would be empty as the rest of the school was in the Great Hall for dinner. He would eat later, before he put his plan into action but after he had placed down all the necessary pieces.

At that moment, Harry was quite intently feeling up a section of the wall in his dorm room, and at first glance it appeared that he was searching for something. However, when he backed away and simply stared at the wall, it was obvious that he was appraising it for some purpose. After a moment of looking, he smoothed his hands over the wall as though to check its texture before backing away once again. That seemed to satisfy him because he stepped forward one last time before closing his eyes, his face taking on an expression of deep concentration.

The concentration became a frown before the frown became a grimace of effort as he obviously struggled with whatever it was he was trying to do. Eventually, however, his hard work evidently paid off and the section of wall in front of him transfigured into a mirror. Harry's grimace immediately broke and he took on a more relaxed, relieved pose and expression. His eyes remained shut as he took in a deep breath before he looked at the wall he had been so focussed on just a few moments prior. A section of the stone wall had turned into a mirror, stretched from the ceiling to the floor and about a metre across. Harry's entire body, from his head to his feet, was reflected back in the polished glass.

Harry took a few soothing breaths before raising his right arm and gently touching the surface of the mirror with just his fingertips. Then, he simply stood there for long moments, staring his reflection in the eye the entire time, only their blinks breaking the gaze. Then, finally, the surface of the mirror began to ripple from the points where the pale fingers touched it and Harry curled his fingers forwards so that they travelled through the glass. Identical fingers came out from the mirror in return and laced with Harry's own. When the two sets of fingers were laced together completely, he took a step backwards. Joined at the hand, Harry's reflection stepped out of the mirror and joined him in reality, leaving the reflective glass empty of the saviour's image.

Connected by their still laced fingers, Harry continued to stare his solidified reflection in the eyes. The reflection seemed confused with where it was for a moment and looked around itself with a bemused expression. Eventually, whether it had figured everything out or it had simply decided to let the issue go, it met Harry's gaze again and offered a bright smile of the sort Harry had never, nor probably would ever, smile. Its smile faded after a minute or two and it gazed at the real Harry with a light, slightly worried, frown.

"I have a task for you." Harry told the exact mirror image of himself.

The replica's expression became serious then and it gave a simple, firm nod.

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14th February 1998: Night

If anyone was ever able to, essentially, watch themselves die and feel no emotional reaction of any kind, then it was Harry. From where he stood in a corner of the Astronomy Tower, concealed underneath his father's invisibility cloak, the stoic youth didn't even feel mildly unnerved by the sight of himself crumbling under the impact of the green light which had shot forth from the wands of the three Death Eaters who stood at the room's entrance. He could have been watching a Quidditch match for all the interest that showed on his face and even on the inside he felt nothing more than calm reassurance that everything was going according to plan.

He and his solid reflection had arrived at the Astronomy Tower at least an hour before they had been due and while the reflection had gone to stand by one of the alcoves, the actual Harry had retreated to an out-of-the-way corner, covered himself with the invisibility cloak, and then proceeded to wait. It was Death Eaters who entered the tower forty-five minutes later and Harry couldn't bring himself to feel too surprised. It was only common sense to expect that not every single Death Eater had been arrested and sent to Azkaban and were in hiding, because they couldn't be escapees as there had been no reports of a break-out in the papers.

There were three of them, one obviously a woman as she was much shorter than the other two. They had all hesitated quite a bit upon entering, no doubt surprised to find Harry waiting for them. If the situation had been real and unplanned, Harry would have had plenty of time to notice the threat and take up a defense. As it was, the reflection remained staring out at the world below and left the Death Eaters to re-gather their wits and cast a simultaneous Killing Curse.

With Harry's reflection now slumped on the floor lifelessly, the three Death Eaters lowered their wands and turned to look at each other. "What should we do now, do you think?" One of the males asked.

"Leave the body here, it'll only slow us down." The female said. "Let's meet up with the others; it's doubtful the Malfoy brat will put up much of a fight but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"He'll probably kill himself when he hears his precious Potter's dead." The second man sneered. "I can't believe that kid was the one who killed the Dark Lord, it was pitiful the ease he went down."

"Yeah, well don't knock it, we got off easy if you ask me. Now c'mon," the burlier, larger man said. "We better hurry or else Malfoy will show up before we do." With that, the three Death Eaters left.

Harry watched them go and remained watching after them for a few seconds after they'd left. Then, pulling down the hood of the invisibility cloak as he went, he hurried over to his reflection which was just starting to push itself back onto its feet. "Alert the headmistress." He advised his replica.

The reflection nodded as soon as it was standing again and started to leave immediately.

Harry brought the hood of the cloak over his head again and followed on behind, swiftly leaving the Astronomy Tower and running through the corridors which followed in an attempt to catch up to the Death Eaters who had had quite a head start. Fortunately, the adults in black cloaks seemed to be going slowly, no doubt so they didn't inadvertently run head first into trouble. Upon locating them, Harry was quite able to easily trail after them. He followed through the various corridors before they reached their destination.

From a safe distance, but not too far away, the invisible young man watched as the three Death Eaters revealed the door to the Room of Requirement. When the adults began to enter, Harry rushed in after them, managing to slip in sandwiched between two of them, still going completely unnoticed. He was away and over in a corner the first moment he got and from there he took a moment to observe the others in the room.

"What are you doing here?" One of the Death Eaters already present in the room, a male, demanded of the three who Harry had just entered with.

"We've taken care of Potter." The female of the group answered.

"Already?"

"He was in there when we arrived; we were able to just get him in the back." The burlier of the men explained.

"And he was dead?"

"He got hit with three simultaneous Killing Curses; I don't think there was much chance of him still being alive."

"He survived it once, I see no reason why he couldn't have survived it again. You should've checked the body to make sure he was dead."

"Or perhaps you should have checked whether you were alone or not." Harry spoke then, pushing the invisibility cloak from around his shoulders so it pooled on the floor and left him in plain view.

The five Death Eaters all turned to look at him and Harry didn't need to see the faces behind the masks to know that each and every one of them was stunned by his sudden appearance. No one moved or spoke immediately until Harry drew his wand and started to move forward slowly.

"I assumed whatever you needed to discuss with Draco could be discussed with me." He said tonelessly, his wand trained on one of the Death Eaters who all backed up accordingly.

"How...We just saw you die!" One of the other Death Eaters, standing over to the left, exclaimed.

"Vision can be deceptive, as the false Valentines you sent out are proof of." The saviour told them pointedly before focussing on one in front of him solely. "Now, tell me, who allowed you through the school's wards?"

The Death Eater glanced around to his companions a little nervously before his eyes returned to the Wizarding world's saviour. "It was Millicent Bulstrode."

"A lie; try again." The teenager said without emotion as he advanced a pace towards the man he had his wand levelled on.

"I'm telling you, it was Bulstrode!" He insisted.

"It was because of her that I discovered your plot."

"Then she's double-crossed us all because it was..."

"It was Pansy Parkinson." One of the other Death Eaters spoke up then, drawing the attention of everyone.

"What!" The third and fourth adults cried, aghast.

"Crabbe, you lying bastard!" The female of the two exclaimed.

"How dare you accuse our daughter!" The male snapped angrily. "Perhaps we should talk about the role your son played in all of this."

"My son has no involvement in this and you know it!" The Death Eater who had originally accused Pansy yelled.

"Neither does our daughter but you accused her readily enough!" Mrs Parkinson retorted.

"Enough!" Harry said in a raised tone and effectively brought everyone to silence. "I have better things to do with my time than stand here and listen to the proof that a Death Eater's loyalty is to no one but themselves. Whether or not you tell the truth is irrelevant, your accomplice will be found and will join you in Azkaban."

"We're not going to Azkaban." Crabbe disagreed and started to draw closer to the dark haired saviour.

Green eyes flickered from the burly Death Eater to all the others who had also started to advance on him. "You plan on escaping; do you think I will let that happen?" He asked, his tone as emotionless as always, as he slowly backed away towards the wall the entrance appeared in.

"You won't be able to stop us if you're dead." One of the nameless Death Eaters sneered.

"I have no intention of dying for quite some time."

"You don't have a choice in the matter. Avada Kedavra!" Mr Parkinson suddenly yelled, green light shooting from the tip of his wand and hurtling towards Harry.

Somehow, Harry managed to dive out of the way of the spell just in time to have it miss him by mere centimetres. It was with that movement that the five Death Eaters sprung into action as well. All manner of spells started to shoot around the room, most missing and the ones hitting not doing much difference. Harry was unable to do much attacking as he had to concentrate on defending himself. It was one against five, but it was extremely impressive just how many spells he was able to deflect. The smallest of mistakes, however, and it would ruin everything.

The mistake, which was bound to come eventually, came about six minutes into the whole five-against-one fight. Harry may have been magically strong but he was physically weak and all the dodging and darting about took its toll, making his limbs tired and heavy. His pace gradually slowed and, thusly, before he could move his body out of the way, a spell of some sort hit the hand he held his wand in and it immediately went completely numb. Fingers and muscles went lax and the length of wood fell uselessly from Harry's hand. Of course, Harry being Harry, not having a wand was hardly a disadvantage but before he could cast anything, one of the Death Eaters took advantage of his "disadvantage".

The Death Eater paused, pointed and then spoke: "Crucio!"

Time seemed to slow then for Harry as the mere seconds it took for the spell to reach and then hit seemed to linger like hours. But then, when the spell did hit and the pain began, time returned to normal in an instant. A positively bone-chilling scream rushed through Harry as he fell to his knees. His body always felt sensation more than others probably did and so he currently felt like he was dying. He was lost in the pain, only knowing the terrible sensation running throughout him.

He couldn't even pretend to know how many minutes passed then before the spell was finally released. All he knew was that one moment he had been in complete agony and the next it was gone leaving behind a bone-creaking ache. His final scream left him with a whimper as his body slumped, no strength left in it. He just about managed to open his eyes and was surprised to see that the entrance into the Room of Requirement had appeared once again and was why the spell on him had ended. All the Death Eaters had turned to the door and had their wands trained on it. Despite his pain, a small smirk curved the right side of Harry's mouth as he knew he was saved.

The door started to open and the Death Eaters shifted into a more suitable position to attack. However, when the door was fully open to reveal another Harry, the adults were too shocked to react which was their fatal mistake. In the split second they hesitated in their attack, it allowed the second Harry to step aside and allow Sirius, Remus, Professor McGonagall and three other professors to rush in and start casting spells.

As the adults fought, the reflection of Harry hurried over to the real one who was still laying on the floor, his eyes now closed again. However, he opened his eyes upon the arrival of his reflection and he gazed up to see himself looking down at him in concern. "Well done." He murmured hoarsely.

His reflection seemed pleased with that praise as it offered a bright smile, once again much brighter than the actual Harry had ever smiled.

The battle between the adults turned out to be a very short one, more of a scuffle than a battle really, and within a couple of minutes, all the Death Eaters were stunned or bound with their wands taken a safe distance away. With the immediate threat dealt with, everyone turned their attention to the two Harrys. At first they all just stared, obviously confused as the reflection of Harry wouldn't have been able to explain anything to them It was Sirius and Remus who broke the stillness, rushing over to their godson, the reflection moving out of the way as they approached.

"Merlin, Harry, that was you screaming?" Remus gasped as Sirius fell to his knees beside the fallen young man.

"What did they do to you?" The dark haired man asked as he gently helped Harry to sit up.

The young man gasped and cringed as his muscles and bones protested at the movement and it took a moment for him to compose himself once more in order to answer Sirius' question. "The Cruciatus." He had to almost whisper as he realised his throat was quite raw from his cries. "I do not know how long for."

"We better get him to the Infirmary." Remus spoke then and Harry was then painfully heaved up into Sirius' arms. "Poppy will be able to give him something for the pain and make sure no more damage has been caused."

"Must you?" Harry groaned lightly. "I dislike that place intensely."

"Is it the place you dislike or the person there?" Sirius asked, a clear grin in his voice.

"Both." The teenager sighed and made both men chuckle. Although he was still in pain, that sound made him feel lighter somehow and he made no more complaint as his godfather carried him out of the room, leaving behind the Death Eaters and the other professors who would deal with them. The reflection trailed after them until the real Harry turned his attention onto it. "Go and alert Draco of the situation." He instructed quietly and the reflection nodded before quickly running ahead.

"How did you make that second version of yourself?" Remus inquired curiously as the reflection disappeared around a corner. "Why doesn't it speak?"

"It is my reflection, I pulled it from a mirror. It is simply that, nothing more." Harry explained, allowing his eyes to close as he spoke and rested his head against his godfather's chest.

"What spell did you use? I've never heard of anything like that before." The Potions professor continued to query.

"I do not know. I simply have the knowledge that it is possible; the incantation and such are unknown to me."

"How is that possible?"

"Much of what I know I learnt when in incubation. I know how to do it and so I do, how it happens exactly has never been a concern of mine."

"Perhaps it's just something you can do, an affect of the incubation period." Sirius suggested.

"No," Harry disagreed. "I can do nothing that any other witch or wizard with sufficient magical strength cannot do either."

Remus sighed then. "You certainly are a mystery Harry, I wonder if we'll ever figure you out completely."

Harry saw no reason to reply to such a statement and instead allowed himself to fall out of the conversation. Although he never quite fell completely asleep, he did doze off and the last thing he was completely aware of was the kiss which was pressed to his forehead.