Making Plans
Harry did get a bit of sleep that night, but most of the night he spent in thought. How was Malfoy going to kidnap him? The wards wouldn’t let anyone be portkeyed out of the castle, so he would have to wait until Harry left. Hogsmeade weekend perhaps. Well, that was good, he could set his trap then.
It was still early and all his dormmates were still asleep, so he snuck into the bathroom and put a locking and silencing charm on the door. He’d hear if someone wanted in, but they wouldn’t hear him. They would probably think he was wanking, but he’d let them. This was more important than the teasing he’d get.
He called Sirius on the mirror and waited for a few minutes when a weary man answered.
“Harry, why are you calling this early?” the man with bedhead asked, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “Is it important?” was the next question as Sirius realized just how early it was. He perked up like there was immediate danger.
“There’s no need to worry,” the teen said, seeing the alertness in his godfather’s face. “I’m not in danger. However, I heard from Queenie that Malfoy is going to try and kidnap me,” Harry said in a rush. “I thought we could use this as a time to finish the war. I mean, we’ve got all the horcruxes, but the one that is near Voldy,” he explained quickly, not wanting his idea shot down before he got it out there.
“Absolutely not,” the now wide-awake Sirius said, his face and voice firm. “You will not use yourself as bait,” he stated, in a voice that said he was putting his foot down. Well, trying to. He knew how headstrong Harry was.
“It is a perfect set up,” protested Harry, not ready to give up without a fight. Even with a fight, he wasn’t willing to give up his plan. He’d just do it without Sirius’s help. He was just hoping the man would be there with him.
“Harry, you are not bait,” his godfather reiterated. “Listen to me, I don’t want you in danger.” He softened his features and said, “Please, don’t do this.” The pleading in that tone was almost enough to make Harry reconsider. Almost.
“Sirius, I love you, you know that right?” Harry said, changing tactics.
“I know you do. What does that have to do with this?” the other man asked, confused as to why he was bringing that up now.
“You know that I trust you, right?” Harry added, continuing to soften the man up. He wasn’t above using Sirius’s love for him to get what he needed. And he needed the man to be onboard with his plan.
“I trust you too,” Sirius said, getting the feeling he was being buttered up.
“Good, then you know that I will be kidnapped one way or the other. If Malfoy doesn’t do it, then someone else will. I can’t be watched 24/7. Someone, sometime, is going to take me to Voldy. We should use the time we know about to our advantage,” he said, almost pleading with the man to understand.
“I know,” Sirius said with a sigh. It was inevitable after all. Voldy wasn’t going to let Harry sit the war out. “Tell me what you know so far,” he said, sighing again.
So, Harry told him what little he knew and figured out. He only knew that there was a plot to kidnap him, not the nitty-gritty of said plot.
“I don’t like it,” Sirius said, still not liking Harry’s plan. It was too vague and didn’t have any contingencies. He would get with the others and see if they could come up with something. He needed more information than what he had right now.
“We may never get a chance this good,” Harry protested, thinking that Malfoy would mess it up somehow. He was going over things that his godfather didn’t think he was. He knew that plans never survived the enactments. There were tons of things that could go wrong.
“You’re right, I know you are, but I still don’t like it,” his godfather stated again. His face morphed in to a worried one again.
“Sirius, think about it. I mean, seriously, it might be our best chance,” he reiterated. “If you don’t do it with me, I’ll have to go alone. I don’t want to do that.” His face was firm, and unyielding.
“Okay, but I want to know his whole plan before you even attempt it,” Sirius said resigned to doing something he really didn’t want to do.
“I’m thinking portkey,” Harry said, thinking it was the only option.
“You’re probably right. However, he can’t do it while you are in the castle,” the dogman said with a furrowed brow. “But that doesn’t mean that he can’t knock you out and take you off the grounds that way. So, don’t let your guard down. Keep your bag on you at all times,” he said, worry lacing his tone.
“I already do,” Harry said, to relieve his worries. “I even have it now,” he added, lifting it up to emphasize the fact.
“Good,” the other man sighed this time in relief. “Keep up your drills, and don’t go down without a fight. Learn all you can about Malfoy’s attempt, and keep me posted,” Sirius said, this time with a firm voice. Like he didn’t want Harry to go off without backup.
“I will, I promise,” Harry said, glad that his godfather was on his side. “You’ll let the others know?” he asked, thinking more people in the know the better.
“Yeah, as you let me know, I’ll let them know,” Sirius said, then looked to the side. “I’ve got to go, there’s a meeting this morning. I’ll keep everyone abreast. Have a good day,” he said, once more looking to the side.
Harry heard someone knock on the door, and knew his time was up. “Alright, there’s someone trying to get in anyway. Bye, Sirius,” Harry said, signing off. He went to the door and removed the charms. Seamus was standing there with his clothes in hand, giving him a knowing look. “It’s all yours,” Harry said, moving aside to let him in.
“About bloody time,” the Irish boy said, skirting past Harry. He made his way to the loo, and Harry let him get on with his business. He went to his bed and gathered his clothes and went back to the bathroom to take a shower. It had been a long day yesterday, so he put it off until the morning.
Ten minutes later he was ready for the day. He waited for Ron to get ready, and they headed down to the common room where Hermione and Neville were waiting. Those two were reading books getting prepared for the day’s classes.
“Come on, you two,” Harry said as he passed them. “It’s time for breakfast,” he added as he went to the portrait hole. He opened the portrait and climbed out. Everyone followed him and they went to the Great Hall, keeping conversation to classes and what to expect from them.
They sat in their normal spot, Luna joining them, and they ate the normal English fare. Soon it was time for class, and they made their way outside to Herbology. Professor Sprout was in a good mood this morning and they were set to repot snargaluffs. Which were a magical plant with the appearance of a gnarled stump but had dangerous hidden thorn-covered vines that attacked when provoked. They also had grapefruit sized pulsating pods.
They weren’t extracting the pods, but they had to be wary that they didn’t burst. The teams were set up as three per team. It was a tricky thing to repot them. One person had to hold the plant, the other had to hold the vines, while the third readied the pot.
It was a fun class, if not painful to some, and they all got it done and Professor Sprout was happy with them.
“That was fun,” Harry said, Neville agreeing with a nod of his head and a goofy smile.
“Says you,” Ron said, nursing his hand where one of the vines had scratched him.
“You just have to be gentler with them,” Neville stated, his hands scratch free.
“I still had a good time, and I learned a bit too,” Harry said, his voice cheerful.
“I did too,” Hermione stated, putting her notes in her bag. She was the only one to take notes. Though, she had to do them after the plants were repotted.
“What’s next?” Ron asked, looking at Hermione.
“Honestly, Ronald, I told you just this morning. Care of Magical Creatures is next,” she said, huffing a bit at the boy’s forgetfulness.
“I hope there’s nothing dangerous,” Neville said, having never liked the class.
“I’m sure there isn’t,” Harry said, though his tone wasn’t filled with confidence.
“Let’s just go,” Hermione said, not wanting to linger.
They went to Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid wasn’t there. They did unicorns this class, with Professor Grubbly-Plank. She was a kind, if not firm, teacher. Her class wasn’t as dangerous as Hagrid’s might have been, much to many students’ relief, but they did learn about the unicorns. Even if only the virgin girls got to pet them. And wasn’t that telling.
Then they went to lunch and met up with Luna.
“How was your day, Luna?” Harry asked, already knowing how everyone else faired.
“It was informative,” was her vague answer, but she was too committed into making her food a castle. He didn’t know that cheese could be used as a glue.
“I don’t think it’s fair that the unicorns would only let virgins pet them,” Hermione said, eating her ham and cheese sandwich. “I mean, that was quite a shock when some weren’t able to,” she added, looking at the few fifth years that didn’t get to pet the unicorns. Rumors would be spreading about this. “They’re far to young,” she said with a hint of disapproval.
“Why are you complaining?” Ron asked, looking up from his onion soup. “You petted them just fine.”
“I get what she’s saying,” Harry said, peering at Hermione and nodding at her. “We have no idea what the story is with the girls. I mean, it might have been forced,” he said, thanking every god he had ever heard of that that had never happened to him. Or anyone he knew.
“Well, I hadn’t actually thought of that,” Hermione confessed, looking at the girls in a different light. “But now that you mention it…” she trailed off, not wanting to comment on it any further.
“I’ll drop it,” Harry said, sensing her discomfort.
“Don’t fret, Harry,” Luna said, eating the top of her castle made of cheese and bread. “I did think of that,” she added, nibbling on a piece of bread that had cheese stuck to it.
“Still, I didn’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable. I apologize,” he said with a nod to Hermione, who blushed, but nodded back.
“What’s next?” Ron asked, changing the subject.
“We have Potions next,” Hermione said, looking at the schedule. “Then you have Divinations after, while I have Arithmancy.” She picked at her sandwich, having lost her appetite.
“I only hope Slughorn is a better teacher than Snape was,” Neville said, fearing the worst.
“I’m sure he is,” Harry said, clapping his friend on the back. “I hear he’s quite easygoing,” he added, to further relax the other boy. It seemed to work, Neville’s shoulders untensed.
“If not, you only have to deal with him one more year,” Ron said, clapping the other shoulder.
“There is that,” Neville agreed, shaking off some of the tension that had started building at the mention of the class.
“Come on, let’s go,” Hermione said, anxious to get to see the new professor. She gathered up her books and headed out of the Great Hall. Ron got up and followed. Harry finished his corn beef sandwich and waited for Neville to finish his soup.
Luna got her stuff together, leaving a half-eaten castle behind. “I have Herbology,” she said as she stood. “I want to talk to Professor Sprout about something,” she added, then turned to leave.
“She was in a great mood when we left,” Harry called after her.
She raised a hand in acknowledgment and continued on.
They made it to Potions and Malfoy kept shooting Harry dirty looks. Mostly because he felt that the other teen was responsible for his father being in prison. Harry didn’t care one way or another. Malfoy was always giving him the stink eye.
Slughorn was an easy teacher, and thorough, if not a bit of a bias man. He kept praising Harry for his potion, even if Hermione’s was better. Harry took him for a suck up. Hermione was not impressed with the man’s inability to be fair.
“Don’t fuss,” Harry said, looking at the teacher who was helping someone else. “I’m sure he will grade us fairly. He’s just trying to get in good with the Boy-Who-Lived. You know how I feel about people like that,” he said, trying to calm her down.
“It’s just unfair,” she grumbled as she poured her potion into a vial. “I get it though. You don’t like it, so you won’t abuse it. Other than that, he’s a good teacher. Better than Professor Snape,” she stated, finishing her vial. She then put it to the side and started cleaning her station.
Harry did the same, but he nodded to her in agreement.
Divinations hadn’t changed in all the years he had taken it. They were supposed to keep a dream diary this year. All he and Ron did was make stuff up. The deadlier the better. Harry made sure to make his extra bloody for the fraud. Well, not a complete fraud, but her only prophecies didn’t make her a good teacher on Divination. Harry was seeing a trend in that. Just because Snape was good at potions the same applied. It was a wonder the man could teach DADA.
That night after they settled for bed, Harry called Queenie. He waited a few minutes for her to come out.
“Good evening,” he stated when she flew out.
“Good evening to you too,” she said back as she hovered in front of him.
“What did you find out?” he asked her when she was looking for somewhere to sit.
“You were right, he is going to wait for the first Hogsmeade weekend. Whatever that is,” she reported, finally sitting on his knee. Which he lifted up a bit to see her better.
“Hold on, let me get the mirror,” Harry said, thinking that a conference call would be better than ‘he said, she said’. He did as he said and called Sirius. “Hey, Sirius, I’ve got Queenie here. Are you available to talk?” he asked his godfather, who seemed slightly distracted.
“We’re in the middle of a meeting, so yeah, let’s talk,” the other man said, propping the mirror against a saltshaker in the middle of the table. “Go ahead, Harry,” he said when he was ready.
“Wait, didn’t you have a meeting this morning?" Harry asked not sure why they were having two in one day.
“Your news was important enough to have two,” Sirius said, from his seat at the head of the table. Though Harry couldn’t actually tell where the man was. He was staring at a wall.
“Oh,” was all he said to that. “My spy is here, but she doesn’t want to be seen,” Harry said, keeping her out of the mirror.
She went bright blue, going on purple with embarrassment. “One of my men heard that the Malfoy boy was going to portkey Harry on the first Hogsmeade weekend, which is the weekend after next,” she said in a low voice, still blushing, but bravely going on.
Harry told them what she said and waited for their reaction.
“Did the git say how?” Sirius asked, looking to Remus and Bill.
“Yes, he’s going to start a fight,” she said to Harry, who relayed it, her color returning to normal. “Then he plans on stunning him so that he won’t fight back when he gets to the destination,” she added, tapping her finger on her chin. “That’s all I know so far,” she finished, looking to Harry.
“Sounds like something that prat would do,” mumbled Harry, waving Queenie away. She just sat on his knee so she could hear. “So, we know when and how, we just need to know where he’s planning on porting me,” he said to his audience.
“I’ll lay bets it’s Malfoy Manor,” Bill said, looking around the table.
“No bet,” came the voices of a few.
“That’s my thought too. But how can we be sure?” Harry asked, wondering what he’d do if they were wrong.
“We’ll have someone there in Hogsmeade,” Moody said, his eye whirling around. “They can trace the portkey. Until then, we’ll watch the manor.”
“Good idea,” Kingsley said, being one of the few Aurors that knew what was going on. “Tonks and I will be best. It’s what we do all the time.”
“What am I?” Moody said, everyone knew he was one of the best Aurors ever. His arrest count was the highest.
“Old,” Tonks said, tongue in cheek.
“Brat,” the one-eyed man said, not taking offense. He was old. “I can still hold my own,” he added, puffing up a bit. It was true.
“But you can’t sneak with that leg,” Tonks stated, looking at the peg leg the man had.
This time he didn’t answer, just nodded in agreement.
“Like I said, we’d be the best for the job,” Kingsley reiterated.
“Yeah, but this will be unsanctioned,” Remus pointed out, not wanting them to get busted. It might ruin their career.
“We’ll be careful,” the darker man said with complete confidence.
“Thanks for volunteering me,” Tonks mumbled loud enough to be heard.
“You wanted something to do,” Sirius pointed out. “We’ve been listening to you bitch for days that you haven’t done anything. Now you can. It might save Harry’s life,” he added, looking at the pink haired witch. “I’ll join you, there are many large black dogs around. The chances of them recognizing me will be minimal.”
“Are you sure?” Harry asked, knowing that Wormtail would have told the Death Eaters about Padfoot. At least he thinks he had. Remus didn’t tell, but Peter was a traitor. They couldn’t rely on Marauder’s Honor with that guy.
“I’ll be fine. I won’t go anywhere near them, just watch. Besides, if you can risk yourself, then I can too,” the older man said childishly.
“Whatever,” Harry said then added, “I’ll let you get back to your planning.”
“Bye, Harry,” was the chorused response.
“Goodnight, Queenie,” Harry said to the doxy after the mirror went dark.
“Goodnight,” she said, flying back into her bag.
“Well, that was interesting,” Harry said to no one, thinking of all he had learned. He knew what he was going to do, he just needed to think about it a bit more.