At The Heart Of The Matter

Authors Note: Thanks again to ALL my reviewers! Harry Potter is still not mine!

What’s Next

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When Harry finally made it home after the trial was over after agreeing to meet with everyone on Wednesday, at Thurox Manor for lunch to go over the time warp plans and to discus the ramifications of this new prophecy. He stripped out of his outer dress robes then plopped down in one of the lounges out by the pool in hopes of unwinding. He was spent….there was no other word for it as he stared up into the night sky. He couldn’t comprehend everything that he had learned or that had happened today. Calling out to Dobby, he asked for a light dinner and that he not be disturbed for the rest of the night. Dobby, sensing that his friend, was under a lot of stress, quietly brought his meal and left to watch over the floo network to prevent anyone from bothering Harry.

Before Harry knew it, the warm summer night had called forth and he was asleep. Waking as the sun attacked his eyes, he stretched and cracked his stiff bones. Sometime during the night, Dobby or Winky must have covered him up in a light weight blanket. He went into the pool house, changed and did his morning workout. After a light breakfast out by the pool, he decided to spend the day just being lazy and accomplishing nothing in an effort to break free a little while from his chaotic life.

The only stressful part he allowed himself, was reading his morning copy of the Daily Prophet, and the front page headlines read:

DUMBLEDORE CAUGHT IN EVIL PLOT TO OUST MERLIN IN HISTORY!

And:

SNAPE STEALS FROM BOY-WHO-LIVED FOR REVENGE!

And:

HOGWARTS’ HEIRS WERE TO BE MURDERED BY DUMBLEDORE:
His Quest To Own Hogwarts

He didn’t bother reading any of the stories, he had been there after all, so the only parts of the Prophet he read were, as any red blooded male, the sports sections. As the morning turned into early afternoon, Neville flooed in to tell him about another of the summer parties that was going to take place at the Burrow. Fred, George and Ginny had decided that a Quidditch themed party would be fun. “Nev, I think I will decline this one, and would you tell them that I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I just don’t want to be around a lot of people today, and I really don’t want to have to deal with Ron. My goal is no stress today!” said Harry, not wanting to be rude by turning down a party.

“No problem. I already told them that I didn’t think you’d come, but that I would get a hold of you anyway. Hermione is really worried about you. That’s why I came over in person….I had to physically check on you, were her direct orders.” Neville said chuckling.

“Tell her not to worry, and I‘ll see her tomorrow. I’m just going to enjoy my relaxing day out by the pool….may even take the coaster for a spin later.” he said and then getting a mischievous look in his eye he continued, “Soooo, how are things between my two best friends been lately?” Harry asked teasingly.

“Knock it off, Romeo….I don’t spill my dirty little stories either. But, if your asking if we are getting closer, then the answer is yes!” said Neville in a humorously stern way.

“Nev, your no fun….how am I suppose to get any good gossip material to take the attention off myself. Some helpful friend you are!” he said with fake pouting eyes, continuing on in their banter.

“Hey! Knock the eyes off…it may work on the women, but it won’t on me! Sorry, mate….I’m just not a kiss and tell man like Seamus. You’ll have to figure out a way to save your own neck.” and with that they both broke into a good manly laughing spell.

Harry said a few moments later, “Look, seriously, I’m glad to hear things are going well for you two. Me, I’m happy right now just keeping things casual and relaxed….nothing long term for a while yet.”

“I can understand that, just make sure that you don’t get hurt, or hurt anyone in the process. You have enough enemies out there. I don’t know how serious ‘Mione and I will get, but we like where things are right now.” said Neville.

“Good! Don’t worry about the hurt or getting hurt, I am very upfront with everyone that I’m not looking for anything permanent. If they can live with that, then we go from there.” said Harry.

After a few more minutes of idle conversation, Neville left and Harry resumed his vigorous day of doing nothing. ‘It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.’ he thought wryly to himself.

Wednesday rolled around far to quickly for Harry’s liking, but got up and did his morning routine anyway. After dressing and eating a light late morning snack, he got ready for his guests that would be arriving for lunch. He had a large table set up on the back patio, and as he did this, Harry realized that another of his traits was starting to manifest itself. He absolutely hated being indoors if he could help it. He thought, ‘It must be some of the more elvin traits coming on….I always want to be outside.’

Those coming today were: Cornelius, Amelia, Prof. McGonagall, Poppy, Remus, Mad-Eye Moody, Hermione, Neville, Tony, Bill, Prof. Flitwick, and Goblin Smyte. When everyone was done giving their condolences about the machinations of Dumbledore and Snape, and what it had cost Harry, and could have cost Neville, they sat down and got to business.

Harry started out, “I thank you all for your kind words, and as far as I’m concerned, it is now part of my past. Let’s work on the future, and destroying Voldemort. Tony, have you had anyone sign the forms for going into time warp?”

“So far, the only ones who have not signed on yet are; Michael Corner, Adrian Pucey, but he said that he would be signing, he just wants to rewrite his Quidditch Contract so that when all is said and done, he will be able continue on with his career; Lavender Brown and Lisa Turpin. Their parents, with the exception of Adrian, have been in constant contact with my office, asking all kinds of questions, so I do expect them to also sign on by the cut-off date. They were skeptical at first, but seem to be coming around to the idea.”

“That’s more than I thought would sign on….but, to get everyone, I never expected that! That’s great news! Cornelius, have you decided whether or not you will have any of the Aurors join in?”

“I will be having 10 Auror’s going in, besides any that become instructors. Even the ones that are teaching will have time to learn new skills on their down time. There is one Unspeakable that I would like to see go in as an instructor….he is not completely human, but I think he will be able to help you learn about the Chuzzor blood magic. His name is Paole Constantine, and he is a vampire who is highly trained in the mind arts, and blood magic. I have spoken with him about you, Harry, without using your name, and he is more than willing to help out. Don’t let the fact that he is a vampire scare you, he will not attack anyone for blood that’s in time warp. We will have a large enough supply of blood for him to last the time you are in….muggle blood banks are such a great idea.” Cornelius finished with a small smirk.

“I would be very interested in speaking with Mr. Constantine when ever he wishes. I was worried I’d have to learn it all on my own, and that was a daunting prospect. Good to know, too, that he won’t go biting our necks when he’s hungry!” Harry finished with a joke.

“Moody, when do you expect the additional equipment to be ready and delivered?” asked Cornelius.

“Most of it should be here by the end of this week, or the start of next. I have also asked the Dept. of Mysteries to give us some of their training dummies to use….they have the best money can buy. They agreed to let us use 4 of them.” reported Moody, receiving a nod from the Minister.

“Good thinking on getting those dummies, Moody. Professor McGonagall, I take it Luna and Ginny are coming along with their OWL’s?” asked Amelia.

“Yes, they should be ready to test by August 3rd. Just to let you know, Arthur Weasley approached me the yesterday, and as some of you may know, he used to be an Unspeakable years ago. He was wondering if he could be brought on as an instructor as well as take over the DADA position once school resumes. Dumbledore always turned him down citing a conflict of interest because of his children being his students. I think it is a good idea, and if I remain Headmistress, he could also fill in as Head of Gryfindor.” finished Minerva.

Harry was shocked to learn that meek and mild Mr. Weasley had been a lean, mean fighting machine during the first war. He said, “Bill did you know about this?” receiving a humorous nod from Bill, he continued, “Wow! Your Dad….an Unspeakable….never would have guessed that one! Well, I’ve no trouble with him coming into time warp as a trainer or being DADA professor and Head of Gryfindor. Really, it’s quite ingenious, and we all know what I think of Dumbledore’s opinions!” this got them all laughing.

“Poppy, Remus, are you two going into time warp? You would both make excellent instructors and I would really like to spend some time with you both.” asked Harry.

Poppy answered first saying, “Yes, Harry, I’ll be going in. Not only can I spend time with my long lost godson, but I can train a few new healers and be there when you get hurt….Merlin knows that happens enough!” she finished in false exasperation, throwing her hands up for a dramatic flare.

“You know I’ll be there too, Cub, as I would also like to learn from some of the others…oh, yeah, and to spend quality time with you, of course.” he said with a wink.

“Of cooouuurse….both of you keep it up….and I’ll not buy you any really extravagant Yule presents! Man….find your godmother and one of your supposed guardians, and get picked on….where’s the justice in that!” Harry teased right back.

Hermione interjected after the laughter had died down some, and said, “Harry, Neville and I researched on Saturday what possible Chuzzor traits he could come into. I’m going to hand out a copy of our notes, and Minister Fudge, if you or Madame Bones could tell us if this will cause any legal trouble for Harry. I have highlighted any of the extreme ones that Harry has the most concern over. We realize that we won’t actually know until July 31st, but any upfront work we can get cleared out of the way, the better.”

After everyone had spent a few minutes reading over the notes, Remus spoke up and said, “Harry, you don’t have to worry about turning into a demon Incubi, a Chuzzor only has the sexual attraction, or pull that is associated with Incubi…so ease your mind on that one, Cub! Also, as for the sex and blood magic….you don’t have to learn that aspect, but I would ask Paole about it anyway….you never know what you may need in order to defeat Vo-Voldemort and his Death Eater’s.”

“I agree with Remus. Harry, most of the stuff on these notes are not going to lead to any problems, especially if you gave an oath to not use ‘The Breath’ on anyone innocent. Let’s just tackle any issues with this on August 1st.” said Amelia.

“Okay. Remus, thanks for letting me know about not becoming and evil demon….I was truly worried most about that possible aspect. It’s quite a relief to know that I‘ll still be me. Professor Flitwick, I take it by your being here, that you’re willing to be an instructor for our little group?” asked Harry.

“Yes! I am very excited to be involved. I have often times tried to get a special class that I could teach my dueling knowledge to, but was always forbidden….I need not say by who. I am currently having some of the house elves at Hogwarts copying several of my personal journals and advanced texts to use in my teachings in time warp. When you get a final number, let me know, so I can have enough books copied. I’m not concerned with the aging factor of doing this….I have a long, long life ahead of me due to my goblin genes.” he said smiling at Smyte.

“Thank you, Professor, those texts should prove fascinating. Smyte, any problems or concerns on your end?” Harry asked.

“None at all, Mr. Potter. We have lined up the 7 goblins who will be performing the ritual, and as I have already inspected what you have done to your home in preparation, were are just awaiting August 10th.”

“I haven’t made any more adjustments to the house, but if you think of anything that would be beneficial, let me know.” said Harry.

Tony stated, “Okay, here is a list of instructors so far:

Remus Lupin - DADA, Care of Magical Creatures, and Advanced Transfiguration
Poppy Pomfrey - Healing
Filius Flitwick - Advanced Dueling and Advanced Charms
Paole Constantine - Unspeakable, Blood Magic, and Mind Arts Training
Bill Weasley - Advanced Curses, Ancient Runes and Warding
Arthur Weasley - Unspeakable and Grey Arts Training
Mad-Eye Moody - Auror Training
Chen-Li - Martial Arts and Physical Fitness Training
Kingsley Shacklebolt - Weaponry Training
Tony Rooks - Finance, Arithmancy and Law

Unless something really unexpected shows up, that should cover all our basis. Anything else before we move onto the prophecy?” When no one brought any thing else up, Harry stated the prophecy after receiving an oath from all that they wouldn’t reveal its contents.

“The one with the unknown power to defeat the darkness will be born as the seventh month dies. His battles will lie in the evil of this world and against the one who proclaims himself light. He will be a mistreated and tormented soul, but in the aftermath of extreme tragedy, will gain the army to win. None can truly live while the other’s survive. He will be born as the seventh month dies. I think its safe to say that I have taken care of the ‘one who proclaims himself light’, by getting Dumbledore imprisoned and stripped of his magic. The army it speaks of, I believe means two things….the legal and Ministry help in defeating Dumbledore, and the group going into time warp for defeating Voldemort. The unknown power has to be the Chuzzor blood in me. Other than that, I really don’t feel, after thinking on it over the last 36 hours, that we need to deviate from our plans or alter them. By Dumbledore making sure I was abused as a child, he set this prophecy in motion, and by the time we learned of it during the trial, we had almost fulfilled it. Just a few more steps, and some caution on all our parts, and hopefully, a victorious end is within reach.” finished Harry with a soft sigh.

“That’s pretty much what I’ve been able to come up with, except I also think part of this unknown power has to do with the army being so highly trained. Your support system will surprise many in our enemies camp.” stated Cornelius.

“That sounds very reasonable. I can see your logic in that. Any other suggestions or questions?” said Harry. When no one spoke he said, “Okay. I don’t see a need to meet until August 7th, unless something pressing comes up. Tony, get signed contracts with the instructors, and you and Cornelius can get with them to negotiate their pay. I’ll let you all get back to your day.” and with that, Harry closed out the meeting. Neville and Hermione stayed behind after everyone had left, and Neville said, “You missed a good party last night, Harry. Some people should not be on brooms…myself included!” he said laughing.

“HEY! We can’t all be broom gods like Harry, Oliver, Adrian and the twins. Some of us need to play the mortal fans. I’m perfectly happy being on the ground rooting for my team!” said Hermione in mock indignation. This made Harry smile and say, “Hermione, don’t take this personally, but I agree…you’re much better off on the ground. You too, Nev.” This got the three laughing. Heading into the pool house to change into their suits, the met back up and got in the pool. While relaxing, Hermione started speaking about the party again.

“Harry, I will let you know that Ron was trying to get back in our good graces again, so it was probably good that you didn’t have to deal with so soon after the trial. After he wouldn’t leave us alone, we told him to bug off, and that you weren’t interested in healing the friendship once again. I hope I didn’t overstep myself?”

“No, your right, I have no intention of letting that backstabber around me again. It’s not my fault that his boss man is in prison….he’ll just have to find someone new to double cross! I’m glad you guys had fun though.” said Harry.

“No one blames you for not being there. They all understood how much you needed to re-group after what had happened. Although, I did hear George, or was it Fred, say something about your only allowed to miss one party….and remain prank free. I think they were serious too! Scary…those two!” Nev said laughing.

“Well, as long as I don’t experience any more weeks like this one, I don’t plan on missing any more! We should take another trip somewhere soon….maybe Greece or Ireland….or Italy! Take an overnighter this time!” said Harry.

“Then let’s get planning!” shouted Hermione and with that they spent the rest of the afternoon planning one trip for before time warp, and on after. They decided on Greece first, then Italy. Conversation was kept to what teenagers talked about best…girls, boys, and parties. After dinner, Neville and Hermione left to their homes, and Harry headed out to his race track and spent the next several hours pretending to be Mario Andretti. Before heading in to bed, he took two spins on his roller coaster, then called it a night.