Midnight Duel, Midday Love
Mars is Bright Tonight
By Draco664
Mars is bright tonight.
A lean, robed figure slowly made his way through the dark, twisted trunks of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. His soft footfalls could barely be made out in the silent darkness. The dark-haired wizard moved steadily and with a sure confidence, a silent, yet obvious warning to even the terrible and powerful horrors of this forest. This was someone well equipped to handle whatever the darkness could throw at him.
The almost full moon hung low in the night sky, bathing the forest floor with minimal silvery light, while making the leaves at the top of the trees almost glow with a pearly radiance.
The figure made his way unerringly to a forest clearing. A familiar creature stood proudly on the gently sloping ground. A powerfully muscled torso sat upon the body of a stallion. The centaur turned to face the visitor without surprise at his presence.
"Mars is bright tonight." The centaur intoned formally.
The dark-haired wizard nodded. "I know. It is why I am here."
"It has been some time since you last visited us."
Another nod. "I did not expect to meet you, Firenze. How have you been?"
The centaur picked at the ground with his front foreleg. "I have been, satisfactory."
The wizard slowly moved forward on silent feet. He held out his hand in greeting. After a moment's hesitation, Firenze grasped the hand and the pair shook. "It was good to see you, Firenze, but my goal tonight is further on."
The centaur nodded and looked up. "Mars is very bright. You need to do what you propose. You must not fail."
The dark-haired wizard nodded a third and final time. "Till we meet again."
The odd pair separated, and the lean wizard continued his way, deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Twice tonight he had been forced to defend himself. A large forest troll would be cautious the next time he tried to waylay a wizard, once he regained consciousness and stemmed the flow of blood from the stump of his arm. A vampire had also made an appearance, but had been driven off, several small wooden stakes protruding from its chest.
For another half hour, the lean figure made his way further into the dark and dangerous forest depths. A loud skittering, echoed on every side signaled his arrival at his destination.
"Aragog. Hagrid sends you greetings."
The enormous black arachnid, his eight dark eyes covered in cloudy cataracts, moved his ponderous bulk slowly from his lair and towards the figure.
"Ahhh, friend of Hagrid. You return to us."
The wizard smiled. "Not by choice. I came to bring you a warning."
"A warning?" the deep, grating voice of Aragog said.
Out of the corner of his eye, the dark-haired wizard could make out scores of large, hairy creatures moving to block all his escape routes. "Yes. A wizard called Voldemort is looking to recruit creatures to his side."
Aragog drew a rasping breath. "Why would you come to warn me of this wizard?"
"I didn't. I am here to warn you of the folly of joining him."
The massive blind arachnid paused, surprised at the lack of fear shown. "You dare to threaten me? In my own lair?"
The wizard shook his head. "He will offer you much. Perhaps even the chance to feed your children on the bodies of the students of Hogwarts."
"I would risk much to give my children such a feast."
"I warn you once, and once only. Do not support this wizard. You and your children would not survive the alliance."
Once more, the huge spider paused. "I make my own choices, for my own reasons, friend of Hagrid."
"If that is your final answer, then I will leave you."
"I think not. You escaped my children once, but the wheeled creature who saved you is not nearby." Aragog made a noise that sounded like Moaning Myrtle's sobs through metal pipes. The old arachnid was laughing. "It is time for you to finally feed my children."
As one, the huge arachnids skittered forward to tear the intruder to pieces.
Calmly, the wizard removed a golden object from his robes. He smiled viciously.
"I think not." Harry said.
With a flick of his wrist, Harry opened the golden egg. The egg he had snatched from the Hungarian Horntail's nest during the tri-wizard tournament.
Instead of the usual ear-splitting cacophony, Harry could only hear an eerie hum. The only effect Harry could feel was the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
The effects he could see were much more dramatic. Harry had charmed the egg to emit the mermaid's song at ultrasonic frequencies. Frequencies that drove spiders away in agony.
Like a breaking wave in reverse, Aragog's children skittered away from the wizard as fast as they could; climbing over each other in a desperate attempt to escape from the intense pain. Aragog himself shuddered in agony, but his ponderous bulk prevented him from running.
After only a few seconds, Harry closed the egg. The hum stopped, and the frenzied, pain-filled movement stopped.
"As I said, your children would not survive the alliance, Voldemort will want you to attack certain people and places, Aragog. Should you or any of your children leave this forest, you will die."
"Again, you threaten me."
Harry smiled evilly. "No, that was not a threat. Merely a statement of fact." Harry held up the golden egg. Aragog visibly flinched and pulled away. "The charms on this have been merged with the wards on Hogwarts. Should an acromantula set off a ward..."
Aragog regarded the young wizard for a long time. "Very well, friend of Hagrid. My children and I will not support this wizard. We will never attack a human. Is that enough for you?" he asked sarcastically.
"That won't be necessary." Harry replied as he turned to leave. "I didn't say anything about not attacking that wizard's representative."
Albus Dumbledore looked up from his desk and looked at the blood-red phoenix that perched on his high windowsill. "Any luck?" he asked.
The phoenix blurred, and Harry sat on the ledge. He lightly jumped down, and landed in a crouch. With smooth, graceful movements, Harry rose and made his way over to the headmaster's desk.
"Yes. The acromantulas won't be joining Voldemort. In fact, I think they'll try to eat the messenger." he said with a smile.
"I see. Now perhaps I should begin chastising you."
Harry's smile vanished. "I told you my reasons for going out there tonight."
"No, you wrote me a note explaining your reasons."
Harry shrugged. "Same thing. I didn't want you to forbid me to do it."
Dumbledore sighed. "We call it the Forbidden Forest for a reason."
"Hagrid took me into it in my first year."
Dumbledore passed a weary hand over his eyes. "True, and I won't belittle your achievements tonight by saying that you shouldn't have gone. I will say that you shouldn't have gone alone."
Harry gave the headmaster a long stare. "The only people who would have willingly gone with me can be separated into two groups. Those I wouldn't have put in danger like that, and those who have the authority to forbid me going."
Dumbledore again sighed and wryly shook his head. "I know you prepared yourself for the acromantulas, but there are other dangerous creatures in the forest as well."
Harry smiled. "Yes I know. A forest troll who strayed too close to Hogwarts will now have trouble counting over five, and a young vampire is going to have difficulty resting comfortably with several tiny stakes in his chest."
Dumbledore looked deep into the emerald eyes of Harry Potter. The boy, no, the young man had changed significantly since his stint in Azkaban. "The Harry Potter who first came to Hogwarts would not have made such a flippant joke about such dangerous things."
Harry blinked slowly. "That Harry was naive. I miss my innocence, but I don't mourn it. I have gained too much to wish the past had never happened, and I'll defend my sanity any way I can. If I have to make jokes about danger, I will."
Dumbledore nodded. "I just wish you didn't remind me so much of your Defense against the Dark Arts professor."
Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I remind you of Professor Moody?"
"Yes. But only after he had been an auror for several years, not when he was a student here."
Harry tilted his head to one side, trying to fit his DADA professor into a mental image of a carefree student. "Professor Moody as a student. That is something I just cannot picture."
A low chuckle escaped the headmaster's lips. "He didn't spring into the world fully grown you know."
Harry chuckled too. "I know. It's just, difficult. If I hadn't seen him in your pensieve, I don't think I could have imagined him in any other way."
"Please, sit down. I would like to spend some time discussing other things."
Surprise registered on Harry's face. He flowed into one of the armchairs, moving with that silent grace he had attained.
"First of all, how is the preparation for your OWLs coming along?"
"Fine, excellently even. I keep getting offers of last year's notes and tests from people in my old year level to study with. I find it amusing that even Hermione has offered to lend me her essays from last year. Normally, she wouldn't let us see her work until our own had been graded and handed back."
Dumbledore nodded. "Miss. Granger does strike me as that type of student." he chuckled. "You realise that what you are actually receiving from most of them is an unconscious request for forgiveness?"
Harry nodded. "I know. That is why I feel bad about declining the offers. I don't need them though." he said pointedly.
Dumbledore nodded. "I know that you felt you could have taken your OWLs after your trial and readmission to Hogwarts. I'm sure you would have excelled at Charms, Defense and Transfiguration. Perhaps even potions too. In all likelihood you would have gained more OWLs from those subjects alone than most others in your year level attained in total. But you have spent a year without using magic. I want you to have the best opportunity to get as many OWLs as possible."
Harry smiled. "If I get more than Hermione, you will have a life-long enemy you know."
Dumbledore laughed. "Yes, Miss. Granger's total of eighteen was extremely impressive. Do you think you will beat her record?"
"I intend to."
"Excellent. Speaking of Miss. Granger, how are you handling fitting in with your old group, as well as your new classmates?"
Harry leaned back and pressed his fingertips together. "The situation in the dorm room is fine. Seamus, Dean and Neville were a bit nervous when I met them for the first time after stunning them all, but now we are fine. It is just like how it was."
"And with your new classmates?"
Harry sighed. "Ginny has made it her duty to make sure I'm accepted by the other fifth-years."
"You have some reservations?"
Harry winced. "Cho and Ginny aren't getting along. When they worked together to try to save me they got along OK, but now, I sometimes think Cho sees Ginny as a threat."
"Have you told Miss. Chang to ease her fears?"
"Of course. I don't think she is afraid that I'm going to leave her. I just think that she is jealous of the amount of time Ginny gets to spend with me. Of course, to others, that comes across as jealous of Ginny."
"Has Miss. Weasley herself given up on her pursuit of you?"
Harry blushed. "I think so, but sometimes I can't tell. Ginny has been a great friend, and I've been trying to treat her as I would treat Ron or Hermione. Most of the time she is all smiles and helpfulness, but she sometimes, um, brushes up against me." Harry stopped, too embarrassed to continue.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Surely she apologises."
"Yes, she does. But she has this, I don't know, this 'smile'. It's like she enjoys making me embarrassed."
"Perhaps she is just getting you back for all the times you made her blush."
Harry sighed deeply. "Maybe. I hope so. She has done so much for me that I don't want to push her away. But I don't want Cho to even start to suspect that I no longer want to be with her.
"Speaking of Miss. Chang, how is her NEWTs preparation going?"
"Good. I understand that everyone, especially the Ravenclaws are glad that she has come out of her shell. I've been helping her with a transfiguration project."
Dumbledore smiled. "I wonder what that could be?"
Harry smiled too. "Hopefully, she will be an animagus by the end of the school year."
"Does she have any idea what animal she wishes to become?"
"I hope Fawkes doesn't mind being gawked at, since she wants to try to duplicate my feat. I think she wants to study and document the different requirements to becoming a magical creature, opposed to a normal animal."
"A worthy study. I presume you have informed Professor McGonagall?"
"We are going to visit her and request permission this weekend."
"That only gives Miss. Chang a little over eight months to accomplish the feat. Will that be enough time?"
"We think so. Cho is amazing. It took me that long simply because Transfiguration is not my best discipline. Cho picks things up much quicker than I."
"Have the two of you rejoined your respective Quidditch teams?"
"No. I have, since Natalie insisted on letting me be seeker in her place. Cho declined a similar offer, because she didn't want to take over for only a year. She has said she would be the reserve seeker though."
"I understand that Miss. McDonald didn't have a very good season last year."
Harry nodded. "She only managed to catch the snitch once, but at least that was against Slytherin."
Dumbledore laughed softly. "I see your interhouse rivalry with Slytherin is still as strong as ever."
"Did you expect that to change?" Harry asked with a grin.
"It certainly didn't with your father and Sirius. There is another thing, what are your plans for Christmas?"
"You mean in regard to where I want to spend the holidays?"
"Yes. Since your escape from Azkaban, the Dursleys are unable to take you in."
"'Unwilling' you mean."
"No, 'unable'. Mr. Dursley is still in custody, and his charges of child abuse are about to be upgraded to murder."
"Murder? How?"
"Well, for all intents and purposes, you disappeared that night. The muggle press is making the assumption that your uncle had you killed to avoid having you testify against him."
"I'd better fix that. I don't want him charged with murder."
"If you wish, I can organise for you and a wizarding lawyer to visit your uncle."
"I'd appreciate that."
"So would your uncle, I daresay."
"That reminds me, has Sirius been officially pardoned in the muggle world too?"
"Yes. That caused a bit of a stir too. But back to my original question, what are your plans for the Christmas holidays?"
"I honestly don't know. I have always spent them at Hogwarts. I'd love to go home with Sirius, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable at the Malfoy's old manor. I spent some uncomfortable times there."
"You are of course welcome to stay at Hogwarts. I simply wanted you to start thinking about it, since for the first time the decision is entirely up to you."
"It is a rather novel experience, I must say."
"Take your time. Speaking of novel, Professor Flitwick has approached me with a rather strange suggestion."
"Oh?" Harry said, grinning.
"Apparently, he let slip that the wards around Hogwarts had been supplemented with an object which tracks the location of people within the castle. A fifth-year student of his snorted and suggested that the tracking charms in question could be improved."
"Fancy that." said Harry, his grin widening.
"When did you figure out that the Marauder's Map was being used with the wards around the castle?"
"Just recently. The night I escaped, Fudge contacted you through the fire. You told him that tracking charms had been used with the wards. The Map is the only thing of mine that I have not been able to account for its whereabouts. When Professor Flitwick mentioned the combination of object and wards, something just clicked."
"Excellent. You said you had some improvements?"
"Yes. We've been making our own version of the Map."
"We?"
Harry laughed. He withdrew a piece of parchment from his robes. "This version doesn't have the annoying repartee of the original, and fixes some holes in the security of my Father's. It isn't quite finished yet though." he said, passing the sheet to the headmaster.
"How do I activate it?"
"Anyone can. Just concentrate."
Dumbledore leaned over the parchment and his brow creased in concentration. A swirl of ink appeared.
are proud to present
B-3'S IMPROVED MARAUDER'S MAP
"Bambi, Bookworm and Bluey?" Dumbledore asked with a smirk.
"Apparently, in Australia, red-heads are called 'Bluey'. Not too many people would be able to figure out who they are." Harry replied.
Dumbledore returned his attention to the parchment, drawing back in surprise as the ink left the sheet, and began forming a three-dimensional model of Hogwarts in the air. In seconds, the pair were looking at a stunningly detailed translucent model of the castle.
"We noticed that the charms my father and his friends used took the identity from the person's mind. That was why when Crouch, Jr was in Professor Moody's form, he still appeared as Crouch on the map. However, if someone had been obliviated, and then placed under the imperious curse, they could enter Hogwarts undetected." Harry explained.
"Fascinating. But that is a rather obscure set of circumstances. Why do you think that is a problem?"
"One of the original map's creators is still working for Voldy. It's probably not the best security practice to use his work."
"Point taken. What else needs to be done to this before it is finished?"
"Just a few stabilising charms. We were going to also put in a magnification feature, but that probably isn't necessary if you are just going to link it to the wards."
Dumbledore watched in facination as the tiny named dots travelled around within the floating model. "I see you have different colours for different people." he said.
"Yes, black for students, blue for teachers. We decided on white for ghosts, and yellow for visitors. People with no identity, obliviated or not, have flashing red dots."
Dumbledore looked up from the map. "How long until you have completed this? I'm very interested in using it instead of the current map."
"A week. Hermione and Ron are double-checking the charms we used to make sure it will work with the castle's wards correctly. You can have it then."
"Excellent. Would you like the original map back?"
Harry smiled. "Yes please. The Marauders left it here to be used by the students. It would be a shame if future generations of rule-breakers were denied its help."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I doubt any other student would have dared to make that arguement in order to have something returned."
Harry shrugged, still smiling. "You wouldn't have believed me if I'd said anything else."
"True." Dumbledore said, and he turned his attention back to the floating castle map. "I shall get Fillius to assist in your research for this if you wish. He is instrumental in maintaining the wards around Hogwarts."
"Good point. I'll have him give it to you once we have finished it. Is there anything else you want to discuss tonight? I'd like to get some rest."
"Just one more thing. I'd like your assurance that you will not attempt another meeting like you did tonight without some sort of backup."
Harry regarded the old wizard thoughtfully. Finally he nodded. "Alright, but only if you promise to look at my proposals on face value, and not from the point of view of a teacher entrusted with my safety."
"You know I can't promise you that. But I will take it into concideration."
Harry nodded. "OK, I can live with that."
"That is the idea, Mr. Potter."
Harry grinned, stood up and pocketed the map. "I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."
"Good night, Harry."
"Where in Merlin's name have you been?"
Harry sighed. "Justice." he said.
With a huff of indignation, the Fat Lady opened the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Three figures were asleep on the couches. Ron had his arms around Hermione, while Ginny slept alone, her cheek lying on the armrest of the couch.
Ron's eyes flickered open as Harry tried to make his way silently to the sixth-year dorm.
"Where in Merlin's name have you been?"
Harry sighed again. "I was just asked that. Do you mind keeping your voice down?"
But it was too late. Both girls had been roused from sleep by Ron's exclamation, and they jumped up, ready to berate Harry.
Harry held up his hands in supplication. "Before you all go off, Dumbledore knew where I was."
"That's not what he told us." retorted Hermione.
Harry dropped his hands. "OK, he didn't know exactly where I was. I had to make sure that Voldy didn't get some allies too close to Hogwarts."
"You could have invited us along. We'd have helped." Ron insisted.
Harry gave him a wry smile. "I'm sure Aragog would have been pleased to see you again."
It was not often that Ron's skin turned any colour other than red, but now he went chalk white. Hermione looked from Ron to Harry.
"Aragog? Hagrid's acromantula pet?"
Harry nodded. "He's now about half the size of the Hungarian Horntail I went up against."
Ron made a whimpering sound and sat down heavily.
Harry looked at his oldest friend. "I know what to make you for Christmas."
"What?" Ron whispered.
"You'll see. In any case, I'm going to bed. You can all yell at me in the morning."
The three friends looked at each other as Harry disappeared up the stairs. "Since he got back, he is becoming too reckless." said Hermione.
"Yeah, I miss the old Harry." said Ron.
Ginny looked at the stairs that Harry had just climbed, her lip caught between her teeth. "He always took on too much." she said. "Now with his success against You-Know-Who, I think he is more afraid of accepting help than before."
"I think you're right, Ginny. I just hope he doesn't take on too much." Hermione replied, before making her way up to her own dorm.
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