Hope shines through
Chapter 17:
Harry and Neville had quickly walked back up to the dorm again so they could get dressed. Quietly, they walked back down and left the portrait hole for breakfast.
The journey was quiet. The castle was only just waking up and Harry liked this, as it gave him a chance to organise his thoughts.
For over a month he had been dreading his reunion with Arthur. He had feared that his father would hate him for what he had done. He had feared that there would be more conflict, which was not what he needed at the moment.
However, he had been surprised by the man actually forgiving him, and asking for Harry's forgiveness. He had not even thought that it would be possible for them to be walking side by side in solidarity, not even an hour after the once High King regained his memories.
Yet here he was, walking down to breakfast with Arthur, now Neville, as a friend. As an equal.
He could feel hope blooming in his chest. Never before had the possibility of him actually succeeding in defeating Dumbledore and Voldemort seemed more likely. There had always been a large shadow of doubt looming over him.
But now, with this knew development, the shadow seemed to grow ever smaller.
Now, with Neville, they could start their plans properly. This was what Luna and he had been waiting for. Now, they could actually start setting things into motion.
It would appear that Luna had had a suspicion about today, as she was waiting for them outside the doors of the Great Hall. Smiling, he approached her.
"The wracksperts have cleared from his head." He whispered, gesturing to Neville.
Instantly, Luna smiled.
"I see. Well, the Nargals will be leaving something for me under the tree by the lake at lunch, if the two of you could come, they'll have something for you too."
Harry smiled.
"That sounds great."
Luna then smiled at Neville.
"Welcome back King Arthur." She whispered to Neville.
And with that, she skipped back into the Great Hall.
Neville stared at him.
"What was that?" He asked.
Harry grinned.
"I just told her about you remembering, and we organised to meet under our usual tree by the Black Lake at lunch."
Neville blinked. He then shook his head.
"You have a secret code. Of course you have a secret code."
Harry grinned.
"Hey, we came up with that in Camelot. We needed some way to sneak around."
Neville rolled his eyes.
"But why are we meeting at lunch? Don't you usually meet each other at night?"
Harry grinned.
"That may be true, but we have to have some private time, if you know what I mean. We don't want to plunge strate into a public relationship, because that may seem a bit suspicious to some people. So right now we're in the slowly revealing that we are lovers stage."
Neville's face turned pink.
"Well... Errr... Just be careful."
"Don't worry." Harry replied, laughing as they walked into the Great Hall.
Not many people were in the Great Hall. Only a few students, most of them Ravenclaws, and about half of the staff. Of them, Harry spotted Dumbledore sitting in his usual grand chair.
Yes, smile away while you still can Emrys.
He thought darkly as he saw the old fool in his throne like chair.
Soon, Neville and I will take you down.
He looked to Neville to see the other boy was also looking at Dumbledore. He could see that, despite his warning about who Dumbledore was, Neville was still scared.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked quietly.
"Oh? Yeh, I'm okay." Neville replied. "It's just... Seeing Merlin again..."
Harry nodded in understanding.
"I know. Every day I have to fight the urge to either throw a butter knife at him, or run for the hills."
Neville chuckled.
They both took seats at the Gryffindor table. Harry examined the staff table again, until he spotted Snape sitting and eating a meager breakfast. He quickly turned to Neville, knowing of his fear of Snape.
"Oh, I just remembered." He began quickly. "You know how I said that Lot was hear?"
"Yeah." Neville replied.
"Well, he's someone we know."
"Who?"
Harry's face became rather sheepish.
"Snape."
"What?" Neville asked in a voice that was probably louder than intentioned.
"Shhh." Harry hushed.
"Sorry." Neville said in a quieter voice. "But seriously? You could have given me a bit of a warning."
"Sorry." Harry replied.
"Anything else?" Neville asked.
"Well, it's complicated. Not everyone is at Hogwarts." He began.
"Who is?" Neville asked.
"Well, me, you and Nimue, obviously." He began. "And you now know about Snape being Lot. Okay, so Ron is Gaheris, and Hermione is Agravaine."
Neville blinked in surprise.
"Agravaine is now a girl?"
"Yeah, why?" Harry asked. "Just cause it's the same soul doesn't mean they have to be the same gender. And anyway, you didn't act this way when you found out that Morgana is now Voldemort."
"Well, first of all," Neville began. "I was a bit overwhelmed by the influx of memories. Second of all, I would rather not think about it, considering certain things that happened during our previous lives."
"Oh." Harry replied. "Well, anyway, the only other one at Hogwarts is Galahad."
"Who's he? Or is he even a he any more?" Neville asked.
"He's still a he." Harry replied.
"Well, who is he?"
"Errr, how do I say this?" Harry began. "Well, he's Malfoy."
Neville blinked.
"You're joking."
"Nope."
"Malfoy... Is Galahad?"
"Yep."
Neville rubbed his temples.
"great, so I've been terrified of my brother-in-law for the past four years and I've been bullied by the son of my former friend for the same amount of time."
"Pretty much." Harry said. "But hopefully they'll regain their memories soon."
"Yeah." Neville agreed. "But, didn't you say there were more? You said that all of your brothers had been reborn, and yet you have only said two."
"Oh, yes." Harry began. "That's... Complicated."
"How s?"
"Well," Harry began. "Remember Professor Lupin? He's Gareth."
Neville blinked, but then nodded.
"Yes I can see it." He replied. "But there's still one more."
Harry sucked in a nervous breath.
"Well, that's... Complicated."
He sucked up his nerve and continued.
"Gawain is now known as Sirius Black."
Neville spilt his pumpkin juice.
"What?" He exclaimed.
"Shhh." Harry said, his eyes darting around. "Don't be so loud."
"B but..." Neville stuttered. "Sirius Black?"
Harry pulled Neville down so he could whisper in his ear.
"Listen Neville, the entire wizarding World got it wrong. Sirius is innocent. Everything that Sirius is supposedly guilty of was committed by Peter Petagrew."
After about a minute, Neville managed to calm down.
"Well, that's a lot to process." He began.
Harry chuckled.
"Sorry. But in my defense, you did ask for it."
Neville shook his head.
"No more information dumps until lunch at least."
"Deal." Harry replied, smiling.
At Lunch, he and Neville walked down to his and Luna's favourite tree near the Black Lake, where his lover was already waiting for them with a large plate of food. She smiled upon seeing them.
"Hey," Harry said as he sat down.
Neville hesitantly sat next to him.
"How have you been adjusting sire?" She asked Neville.
"Don't call me that." Neville muttered.
Harry cleared his throat.
"He's still getting used to the idea of once being the greatest king in Britain."
Luna nodded in understanding. She pulled out her wand and quickly cast some privacy wards.
"Now, let us get down to business." She began.
"Yes," Neville agreed. "What have you been doing so far?"
Luna and Harry exchanged glances.
"Well, you see," Harry began. "We haven't exactly been able to do much."
"Why?" Neville asked.
"We've been waiting for you." Luna replied. "You are very important."
Neville shifted uncomfortably, obviously still not used to being regarded in such a way.
"But now that I've remembered, what is our next course of action?" He continued.
"Well," Harry began. "We have been discussing some things."
"Such as?"
"Well, first of all," Harry began. "We need to tarnish Dumbledore's reputation to the point that he will never be able to repair it. This will help us cut the puppet-master's strings."
Neville scratched his head.
"How are we going to do that? I mean, Dumbledore is regarded with a lot of respect from most of the country."
Harry grinned.
"Well, for once the Ministry has proven itself useful. They've spent the past few months discrediting Dumbledore, so people may be a bit less inclined to follow him."
"Yeah, but they've also been discrediting you." Neville pointed out.
"That may be so," Harry continued. "But I have a slight advantage. For you see, Dumbledore has been making large waves in the Ministry and the wizingamot with his continued insistence that Voldemort is back. But I've made barely a ripple. The prophet has said far more about Dumbledore than it has about me."
Neville frowned.
"There's still all that they've done to make you look like some attention seeking nut-job."
Harry's grin widened.
"Fortunately, I can get into contact with the reporter who started it all."
"Rita Skeeter?" Neville asked in shock.
"Yep." Harry replied, nodding.
"You actually trust her?" Neville demanded.
Harry scoffed.
"Of course not." He said. "But I know her kind, and I know how to manipulate them, thanks to my dear old mother."
He widened his eyes in mock innocence.
"All I have to do is spin her the story of the poor little orphan boy who only wanted some love and was manipulated by the big bad headmaster, and she will be putty in my hands."
Neville shuddered.
"Will this actually work?"
"Of course it will." Harry replied. "Once this happens, they'll stop seeing me as a mentally ill glory seeker, and begin to see me as a victim of a power hungry old fool."
Luna nodded.
"The masses will develop sympathy for him, which will go a long way in gaining their support."
"Won't it make you seem weak?" Neville asked.
Harry shook his head.
"Perhaps, but I also intend to tell them about all that has happened in Hogwarts since I first came here."
Neville's eyes widened.
"You don't mean...?"
Harry began to tap his chin.
"Saving the stone in first-year, defeating Slytherin's monster in second, facing an army of dementors in third, and being entered into a death tournament in fourth. This will serve to both make Dumbledore seem incompetent, and me seem stronger."
"So the plan is to make yourself look like a victim turned hero?" Neville asked.
Harry nodded.
"But this is not for a little bit." Luna added. "We are first going to begin to gain support for our cause from other factions than the general public, starting with Hogwarts."
"Yes," Harry agreed, frowning. "And we are going to begin by getting rid of that horrid excuse for a witch, and the reason why I never want to see the colour pink ever again."
Neville nodded.
"Yes, she needs to go." He agreed. "But how?"
Both Harry and Luna smiled.
"Well, she thinks Dumbledore is trying to train us as his personal army." Luna began. "And so we shall become an army, though not for Dumbledore."
"Not everyone of course." Harry added. "We are thinking of collecting a select number of students, from all houses, and secretly teach them how to fight with magic, and possibly even with non-magic weapons."
Neville frowned.
"All four houses?"
"Yes," Harry replied. "We need to stand as one if we are to have any hope of succeeding."
"But," Neville continued. "I do not see any Slytherins joining us unless Malfoy gets back his memories. But there's no telling when that may happen."
Luna smiled.
"It should happen soon." She said. "Now that both of you remember, the rest will come quickly."
"How quickly?" Neville asked.
"If my feelings are correct, then I estimate that everyone will remember by the solstice." She replied.
Both boys blinked.
"Well, I hope Malfoy remembers soon." Harry said. "There's a Hogsmead weekend in a few weeks. Now that Neville's regained his memories, I was thinking we should gather as many people as we can and arrange to meet them somewhere there, so we don't risk getting court by Umbridge."
Both Luna and Neville nodded.
"Well, then it's settled." Harry said, smiling. "We have three weeks to gather as many people as we can, and hopefully Malfoy remembers in time to get some Slytherins."
Luna nodded.
"Don't worry. Magic knows how important it is for all of us to unite, so it is very likely that she will allow Malfoy to remember soon."
"Good." Harry replied.
Neville cleared his throat.
"Was there anything else?" He asked.
Harry nodded.
"As we have mentioned before, we also plan on seeking allies from the minorities who have faced discrimination. Firstly, there's the muggle-borns. Voldemort wishes to destroy them, while Dumbledore claims to care about them, but has done little to prevent laws in the ministry which greatly hinder them from having high-ranking positions."
"We intend to give them results, instead of mere words." Luna agreed.
"Then there are those whom the Ministry have declared "magical creatures". Centaurs, house-elves, goblins, werewolves, you know, anyone who has suffered from discrimination."
Neville nodded.
"I see. Let me guess, you will be promising them equality in exchange for their support."
Harry nodded.
"It helps that I have friends among the house-elves and werewolves. And I will be able to sympathise with them, thanks to Camelot."
Neville winced. Harry put a hand on his knee.
"Hey, don't worry. I forgave you for your mistakes."
Neville smiled.
Luna cleared her throat.
"There is one final matter." She began.
Her eyes flicked between the two males.
"If we intend to take over the Wizarding World, then we will need a leader."
"Yeah, about that," Harry began.
"We've agreed to both be Kings in our own right." Neville finished.
Luna nodded, smiling.
"I expected this arrangement." She replied. "But the two of you still need something, a symbol of your kingships."
"What?" Both males asked.
"You," She pointed at Neville. "Need Excalibur. And you," She pointed at Harry. "Need Caliburn."
"What?"
Both males stared at each other.
"It's been one thousand five hundred years," Neville began. "There's no telling where either of those swords are."
Harry cleared his throat.
"Actually, while it may be true for Caliburn, it is not so much for Excalibur."
He glanced at the Black Lake.
"In the non-magical legends, it is said that Excalibur was returned to the Lake of Avalon."
Neville blinked.
"Do you know where the Lake is?" He asked.
"Yes." Luna replied.
"So what are we supposed to do, go fishing for swords?"
Luna shook her head, chuckling.
"No, no."
She looked down.
"We will have to go to the Lake on Samhain, when the vale between our world and the world of the dead is at it's thinnest. This will allow us to... To talk to my mother."
Harry put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled.
"Thank you. I'm fine."
She shook her head.
"If we are able to make contact with my mother, and retrieve Excalibur, then maybe she will be able to tell us of the location of Caliburn."
Harry nodded.
"Great." Neville said. "There's just one problem. How are we going to get to the Lake of Avalon on Samhain?"
They all sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Harry's eyes widened. He hesitantly began to speak.
"My parents died on Samhain." He began quietly. "We could sneak away. It's on a weekend, so we won't be missed in class. And if we get court, I could... Could say I was going to visit them or something... Hopefully I'll be able to garner some sympathy..."
Luna crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Neville awkwardly put a hand on his shoulder.
"We can do this." Luna began.
Harry smiled.
"Yes, I know." He replied.
And with both his lover and his friend with him, he felt that he could. Now that Neville had remembered, he felt stronger. The clouds of doubt that had previously plagued him had now parted to reveal the light of hope. Their goal was now more than a mere dream, it was now an actual possibility.
With the people he loved around him, he felt that anything was possible.
Later that day, he and Neville approached Ron and Hermione and discussed their idea of a secret organisation devoted to teaching students how to defend themselves. Both seemed excited.
"Yes, this is a brilliant idea." Ron said enthusiastically. "We'll really stick it to the old toad."
Hermione nodded.
"Yes, and I agree that we should include other houses." ε added. "Ron and I can ask the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects from our year to help us."
Neither Harry nor Neville commented on how she had left out Slytherin.
"Great." Harry said, smiling. "Luna would try to help with recruiting Ravenclaws, but she isn't exactly the most popular."
Hermione nodded in understanding.
"So, we will all meet in Hogsmead." Neville continued.
"But where exactly?" Ron asked. "The three broom-sticks?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, too crowded. "We're going to try this place called the Hog's Head. It's less popular, so less people will see the large gathering of students discussing a secret study group."
Harry smiled. He could sense that this was going to be great.
Later, as Harry was going to sneak out for his secret rendezvous with Luna, he spotted Neville sitting in the common-room, staring at the dying embers of the fire.
"Hey, Neville, you okay?"
"Huh?" Neville asked, looking up. "Oh, yeah."
Harry walked over and sat beside him.
"Something on your mind?" He asked gently.
Neville sighed.
"It's just... Harry, we're planning on training children for war."
Harry frowned.
"The youngest of the students here are more than twice the age I was when I began my training." Harry argued.
Neville shook his head.
"Times were different back then. And anyway, there wasn't war then. Now... War is on the horizon and our first course of action is to train children?"
Harry sighed.
"Look, I don't want to do it. If it were up to me, then none of us would have to fight."
He looked seriously at Neville.
"But you and I both know that sometimes, what we have to do and what we want to do are not the same thing."
Neville sighed.
"I know, believe me, I know. I'm just so tired of fighting. War brings nothing but hate, and pain and death."
"I know." Harry said quietly. "Voldemort and Dumbledore are fighting to destroy what they hate."
He then looked again at Neville.
"But hate is not what I'm fighting for. I am fighting to protect the ones I love."
Neville nodded.
"Yes, you are right. We will fight for what we love. And I shall do everything in my power to ensure that no children have to fight for their own survival."
Harry smiled.
"That's the Arthur I know and love."
Neville chuckled.
"Give Luna my regards, and don't stay out too late."
Harry grinned.
"As you wish sire."
He gave Neville a mocking bow.
"Just be careful not to accidentally make little princes and princesses sire!" He heard Neville yelling before the portrait hole closed behind him.