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NOTE: Okay, so I don’t know about you, but I think the story is going a little slow right now, I'm boring myself, basically, so let’s bring back some excitement!



The next day, the boys persuaded Mrs. Weasley to let them go off to Diagon Alley on their own, using Christmas shopping as their excuse. "We can’t very well shop for you when you’re standing right behind us, mother." George told her. She agreed to send them with ministry guards, which made the boys happy. After all, a ministry worker would be easier to lose than the ever-watchful Molly.

A short while later all the arrangements where taken care of and they all stepped into the fireplace, arriving at the twins’ shop covered in a fine coating of soot. Brushing themselves off, the boys greeted Lee and immediately began inspecting the shelves for the ingredients needed to make the counterpotion. George sent the guards to stand outside (so as not to scare away business) while Fred gave Lee some busywork back in the office to keep him out of the way.

"I wish Hermione were here. This would probably go a lot faster if the big brain were helping." Fred grumbled as he began measuring out the proper amounts of the ingredients the others found.

"Yeah, but then we’d have to listen to her tell us we’re doing everything wrong." George laughed.

"Guys, it should be obvious that it would be much faster to do everything this way!" Ron imitated Hermione, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as she does when correcting or scolding them.

"I think it would be less annoying if she weren’t always right." Fred joked.

Harry remained quiet on the topic since he actually felt pretty guilty not to have included Hermione. Through planning or accident, she’d always been a part of everything he’d done since they’d met and it felt wrong to try and exclude her now. But at the same time he felt bad including her, Ginny, or Luna in something like this, something Cho had clearly meant for the boys.

By the time half an hour had passed, they had all but three of the required materials and finished measuring out the proper amounts of those they did have. "We still need to find: Nardook root, turnock juice and spectorperspe." Harry read off the list.

"What’s spectorperspe?" Ron asked.

"It’s more commonly called ‘ghost sweat.’" a voice said from behind them. Startled, the four boys turned to see Hermione and Ginny standing by the fireplace. "Why on earth would you need that?" Hermione asked, a smirk on her soot streaked face.

"What are you two doing here?" Ron asked, finding his voice first.

"You didn’t think it would be that easy to ditch us did you?" Ginny said with a false sweetness. "The real question is, what are you four trying to hide?"

The boys all looked at each other and reached a silent agreement to let the girls in on what they were doing, though it still made Harry uncomfortable to do so. "Fred and George may have found a potion to get around the Bickeross." He finally answered as he handed over the book and list of ingredients.

(BREAK)

Luna had woken that morning feeling compelled to accompany her father to the Quibbler offices. She did this often, liking the bustling colors, noises and employees, but today had been different. There was some reason she needed to be in the area, she just didn’t know why yet. She was certain an answer would be forthcoming though, and so she gladly followed her dad on his rounds to check on the printing presses. As the morning progressed, the uneasy feeling she’d shrugged off earlier steadily built up until she felt like a teapot about to boil over.

After lunch, her dad left her in his office to attend a meeting with one of his most published reporters. No sooner had she gotten up to get a glass of water, wishing something would come to let her know what was going on, than the familiar feeling overtook her and she dropped to the ground unconscious to the world.

(BREAK)

They had almost instantly noticed the boys’ absence from the house- the silence gave it away. It had taken a long time to get Mrs. Weasley to tell them where they’d gone, but as soon as she had admitted to letting them leave for Christmas shopping, Hermione and Ginny had known it was a lie. Ginny did most of the talking, getting her mother to finally agree to let the girls follow after the others. "Why do you think they didn’t tell us they were going somewhere?" she asked Hermione as they prepared to step into the fireplace.

"I don’t know, but it certainly wasn’t to go buy presents." Hermione knew that whatever they were doing, it was something dangerous that she wouldn’t approve of. Harry hadn’t told her for a reason, and usually when he kept things from people it was because he either felt the need to protect them or to protect himself from their disapproval. She had a funny feeling this time the reason would involve a little of both.

They arrived just in time to overhear enough, stepping into the twins’ store without bothering to brush the soot from themselves and demanding to know what they were being kept out of. Hermione watched as they all glanced nervously at each other, each one nodding slightly as they decided to tell the truth. "Fred and George may have found a way around the Bickeross." Harry said, handing her a book.

"The Rictheous Potion?" She quickly read the text as Ginny looked over her shoulder.

"Well, do you think it will work?" Fred asked excitedly.

"It should. It does say the potion was created specifically to counteract the effects of Bickeross." She answered honestly though she hated to get their hopes up.

"So if this works, you’ll be able to tell us everything that happened with Cho?" Ginny asked.

"You, Dumbledore, the world... Everyone!" Ron exclaimed with a wide smile.

"But where do you expect to find the last three ingredients? Nowhere I know of in Diagon Alley sells spectorperspe or turnock juice." Hermione tried to recall anywhere she’d seen that would sell these sorts of things. "You might find nardook root, I suppose." She added, looking at the boys who were all staring purposely at the ground. She immediately realized where they intended to go. "Oh no you don’t Harry James Potter." She scolded as she stalked over to him. "Knockturn Alley is dangerous, especially for you. Do you know how many Death Eaters there could be just slinking around? Only the worst kind of wizards shop there."

"Relax Hermione. George and I go there all the time!" Fred told her.

"Thank you for making my point." She answered crossly, upset they had been planning to take such a risk. "And you’ve never gone there with Harry. Besides, what if this potion doesn’t even work the way we think it will?"

"Well, fine. We’ll just go alone then. You guys can wait here and entertain Lee and the guards." George shot back. "Then if it doesn’t work out, we’re the only ones who risked our necks."

Hermione cringed, knowing he’d just said the exact right thing to ensure Harry would be going with them. Sure enough, he stepped between everyone with his hands out trying to keep the peace. "Alright, that’s enough bickering. Look, there’s no way you guys are going alone when we wouldn’t even be in this mess if Cho hadn’t been after me."

"Relax, Harry. We came to terms with the fact that people would be after you long before we decided to be your friend." George grinned.

"Yeah, it was kind of why we decided to be your friend, all the excitement and all." Fred added with an identical grin.

"So we’re all going?" Ginny asked.

"Absolutely not. You and Hermione should just go home." Ron said stubbornly.

"Why because we’re girls? You and Harry get in way more trouble than we ever have!" Ginny replied heatedly.

"We’re all going." Hermione said with authority. She caught the unhappy look on Harry’s face and decided he could just deal with it. "If something happens, it’ll be better that way, more of us to watch out for each other."

"More people to be targets you mean." Ginny said.

"You don’t have to go Baby Sister." Fred reminded her.

"Yeah, you’re the one who got all feminist about it. We’d rather you didn’t go." George added and once more Hermione knew he’d said the one thing to ensure the opposite of what he’d wanted to achieve. There was no way Ginny wasn’t going now.

"Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible before anything can go wrong." She said impatiently.

"Everything will be fine, Mione. You’ll see." Ron reassured her.

"That’s what we always say right before we end up fighting for our lives." Ginny grumbled.

(BREAK)

Draco absolutely hated Bellatrix Lestrange. But for some unknown reason she was a favorite with Lord Voldemort and therefore the insanity that would have normally made her a liability to them, had to be tolerated. He and his father were walking through Knockturn Alley with the horrid woman, disguised in cloaks just in case an Auror or two decide to take a stroll looking for the escaped Death Eaters. Draco thought it ridiculous that they risk capture at all, but they’d been sent on a mission and he had been told that for some reason he had to go with. He knew the plan they were currently enacting had come from that crazy old man who’d shown up over the summer, somehow quickly gaining a place of power within the Dark Lord’s inner circle- he just didn’t know how yet. But a few more days in London, left to wander virtually unnoticed, viewed as neither an asset nor a threat, and he’d know all.

"There’s the signal! Little Potter and his nasty friends have been found!" Bellatrix said excitedly, turning to Lucius. "See and you didn’t trust what old Jasper said."

Jasper. Draco thought to himself. So that was the strange old man’s name, though he wasn’t sure if it was his first or last. He kept his face blank as his father growled out his answer. "It’s not that I didn’t trust him, I just didn’t believe everything he said. But I guess it really was time for our new recruit to prove himself."

Draco knew they didn’t mean him. He was already in the process of having to prove himself in this whole twisted plot with Cho. They meant the other person who’d come with them to Knockturn Alley and had been sent out to search for Potter. To be honest, he didn’t believe the person would actually do it, but time would still tell once everyone was face to face against each other. As he followed Lucius and Bellatrix through the dark streets, he knew that whatever was about to happen was going to change everything.

(BREAK)

Luna felt calmly panicked as she picked herself up off the floor. Having been receiving warnings and visions of the future for as long as she could remember, she was used to how fast they overtook her and coming out of it sprawled wherever she’d fallen. Thankfully this time it had taken her over while she was alone and so she wouldn’t have to make any explanations, which always proved awkward. But the events she saw that were about to take place had been almost more than she could bear to watch, leaving her feeling desperate and scared. Unable to find her dad, she quickly scrawled a note to him making her excuses for leaving. Then she ran from the building toward Knockturn Alley hoping she wasn’t too late to help.

(BREAK)

Harry stood at the end of Knockturn Alley with his friends staring towards the dark, decrepit and decaying buildings lining either side. They all wore heavy cloaks, keeping their hoods pulled up to hide their identities as he, Hermione, Ron and Ginny quickly followed Fred and George, who seemed to know exactly where they were going. They walked for a long time as witches with bad teeth and wizards with twisted limbs watched their progress, making Harry feel uncomfortably scrutinized under so many eyes. The air grew colder and the day became darker the further they went, until finally the twins stopped and turned to the others.

"I think we’ll find what we need here." George said pointing to the building on their left. Harry looked up and read, ‘Poisons and Potions,’ on a storefront made of decayed wood and dirty smudged glass. The name didn’t make him feel any better nor did the shabby and foreboding exterior, which was actually nothing compared to what he saw once they went inside. Cobwebs covered every inch of the ceiling, much to the discomfort of Ron, Harry noticed. Jars full of gross and disgusted things filled the shelves inside broken display cases. Taking a closer look at a few different jars, he decided that it would be in his best interest not to try anymore of the twins’ concoctions if this was where they got their ingredients.

There were all kinds of unruly and creepy patrons shopping there and Harry drew his hood down further, desperate to get what they needed and leave before trouble could break out. Fred and George pointed their wands at their throats and muttered something under their breath. When they approached the shopkeeper, their voices were magically altered and came out as gruff, commanding, and tough. "‘Ello, Grutch." Fred addressed the stooped, disgusting man behind the dirty counter.

"Back again boys? I see you brought friends." Grutch tried to look past the brothers.

"Never mind them, they work for us." George told him with such authority that the man turned his intense gaze from Harry, who he had been studying closely, back to them.

"What can I do for you two, then?"

"We need, nardook root, turnock juice and spectorperspe." Fred listed off.

The shopkeeper bared the few teeth he had in a crooked smile. "Quite a shopping list. Might I inquire of the purposes?"

"Ask us no unsightly questions, and we’ll do the same." George said, leaning forward and blocking Harry from view. Harry himself was feeling uneasy, the man kept turning his attention to him, as were many other cloaked figures in the store. He wished they’d hurry up.

"I’ll be right back." Grutch said disappearing behind a torn black curtain. Hermione went off with Ron to inspect some of the shelves’ contents while Ginny searched the glass cases full of weird, dead creatures. Harry felt very exposed standing in the middle of the store all by himself. He had a childish urge to turn and run until he was safely on the sun-filled streets of Diagon Alley. This whole street gave off an uneasy sense, of death and darkness, evil and pain. Harry felt it all and knew he wanted to be gone. He stepped a bit closer to the twins who still had their backs to him as they waited for the shopkeeper.

Grutch finally reappeared from behind the curtain with three vials. "That’ll be 50 galleons, boys."

"Fifty?" Fred asked with feigned surprise.

"You’d charge that much to us?" George asked indignantly. "Two of your most loyal customers?"

"Yes, now pay or leave." Grutch crossed his arms over his chest and watched closely as the twins counted out the amount due.

Suddenly, Harry felt the tip of a wand in his back and a hand on his shoulder. A voice whispered into his ear, "Come with me Potter, or I’ll kill your friends where they stand." He nodded and let himself be steered out of the store. The voice was familiar, but he couldn’t place it. "Don’t turn around." It growled at him as they walked outside. Harry couldn’t tell if his captor was male or female, but he realized it didn’t much matter. As he was led further down the rapidly darkening streets, he found himself concentrating on Hermione until he could have sworn he heard her voice in his head.

Where’s Harry? He heard her ask.

I’m being taken hostage, Hermione. He thought, feeling miserably hopeless.

And then, he got a surprise.... she answered back. By who?







A/N: Sorry it's short, I promise next one will be longer with some fighting.

Chapter 26: Unexpected Foe

NOTE: This chapter, Harry’s power develops and we learn the identity of a most unlikely foe. So as always, Read, Review, Enjoy!!!!




Can you hear me, Hermione? Harry thought wildly, focusing everything he had on her.

Yes. Ron says he can hear you too. What’s going on? Where are you? Who’s taken you hostage? Her panicked voice filled his head.

"Keep moving!" The owner of the gruff voice ordered him, digging the wand deeper into his back as they rushed down the street. He wanted nothing more than to turn and fight this stranger, but something told him that the person behind him wasn’t unknown to him, that he actually knew them well. That made him even less certain about what was going on and what he should do about it. With no other viable option, he decided to bring help to him.

We turned left when we got out of the store, I think we’re going deeper down Knockturn Alley. He tried to take in his surroundings but they were moving quickly and of course nothing here was familiar. He desperately searched the strange faces on the street, but no one was paying any attention to the scene. Apparently, someone being forced away at wandpoint was a common enough occurrence in this area… that or everyone here knew better than to involve themselves in things unconnected to them.

We’re coming, have you turned off the main road yet? Hermione asked desperately.

No. He answered. But we’re moving fast.

Then the voices in his head changed, and Ron was talking to him. Harry, can you see who it is?

No. He said as his captor violently grabbed his arm and practically threw him around the corner before once more jamming the wand in his back and moving them forward. Wait! We’re turning, the street sign says.... Pheasant Street! He relayed quickly to his friends. He began to wonder if guiding his friends to this potentially dangerous person was a good idea, but in Knockturn Alley he had no one else.

Fred says we’re less than a mile away from you! Ron declared. They must have been running full speed after him.

There were several long tense moments of silence as he allowed himself to be directed further down someplace where he’d be unlikely to find an ally. Once more he was roughly grabbed and thrown around a corner, making the touch of fear he’d been holding onto melt into anger. He saw they were now blocked on three sides by buildings, the only exit behind him and past his captor. He supposed it was as good a place as any other to have this intended showdown, all he needed was an opportunity.

Deciding he would attempt to make this stand alone, he tried to call out to his friends again. We’re in an alleyway now. It’s a dead end. Maybe you guys should go get help. No one responded to that thought and he wondered if his sudden ability had left him or if they were deliberately ignoring him. He felt uneasy, knowing this had to be a trap.

"Drop your wand, Potter." The figure demanded, jabbing him in the back again. Harry obediently let his wand drop to the ground and saw the person kick it away. He kept his eyes trained on the spot where it landed. "Now turn and face your death like the man you’ll never become." Harry turned and faced the cloaked man. He knew it was a man now and the voice was uncomfortably familiar, though he still couldn’t see the face under the hood. His captor stepped forward and ripped Harry’s own hood back before raising his wand and preparing to cast his demise. He kept his eyes open, refusing to show fear.

"Harry?" Someone called breathlessly from the mouth of the alleyway. The man was distracted long enough for Harry to kick him away. He rolled over to where his own wand lay and rose pointing it at his would be assassin before glancing at the person who may very well have saved his life. "Luna! What are you doing here?"

"Daddy and I were doing some research for the Quibbler and I wandered off. Who is this?" she walked over to him and drew her own wand without hesitation.

"I don’t know." Harry answered, glad he wasn’t alone. But then if he couldn’t handle this by himself, how was he ever supposed to face Voldemort?

(BREAK)

Luckily Luna had made it in time to save Harry’s life, stopping the horrible event she’d been shown. But as she’d learned from the past, anytime someone else or even Harry himself stepped in to change his fate, another person suffered the consequences. During the Triwizard Tournament, it had been Cedric. At the Department of Mysteries it had been Sirius. Of the two horrible tragic quidditch games, Harry had come out alive and Neville had been the one claimed in his stead. She felt nervous, wondering how fate would even things out this time…

"Where’s everyone else? You didn’t come here by yourself did you?" Luna asked. She already knew the answer, she’d heard him talking to Ron and Hermione in his head, though she was sure he didn’t know it yet. So she made sure to play along as she always did, pretending ignorance to the situation she’d already foreseen while desperately trying to figure out how to get them out of this without further incident.

"They should be here any minute actually." Harry answered, looking toward the mouth of the small alley. She allowed her gaze to follow his, which proved to be a big mistake. Having both of their attention diverted even for those few brief seconds had been enough for the man on the ground to gather his courage, jump to his feet and attempt to curse them. "Look out!" Harry shouted, shoving her to the side. In his panic, he must not have realized how much force he was using and unable to stop her momentum, she landed on the ground hard, scraping her palms as she attempted to break her fall. Ignoring the sharp sting of her hands, she instantly turned with her wand out to find the two practically fist fighting as they rolled around on the ground. The stranger was all wrapped up in his cloak causing a quite a hindrance to him.

"Move!" She yelled and without hesitation Harry rolled out of the way, giving her a clear shot to send a binding at their attacker.

Once sure the man was secure, Harry rushed over to help her to her feet. "I’m so sorry Luna, are you okay?" He asked, taking her hands in his and studying the injuries caused in her fall.

"I’m fine. Better a little scrapped up than dead, right?" She answered, a bit embarrassed by his attention to such a minor wound. Of course the guilt flashing in his eyes told her that he blamed himself for this as much as if she actually had been hurt more seriously. "One application of a few herbs and it’ll be good as new." She smiled, trying to reassure him that all was well. Sensing the others were near, she pulled her hands from his and turned to greet them.

(BREAK)

"Harry!" Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins rounded the corner their wands out and ready. He’d never been so happy to see them, opening his arms wide as Hermione threw herself against him, both of them relieved that she’d found him alive and unharmed.

"Luna?" Ron appeared stunned to find her there. But as he and the others took in the sight of the man still stuck in a binding on the ground, he stepped over to her and put his arm protectively around her shoulders. Fred and George strode over to the hooded figure, releasing Harry’s spell and bringing him to his feet before unmasking him.

"PERCY?!???!" Everyone said at once, not quite believing what was right in front of their eyes. There stood the outcast Weasley child looking calm and defiant, his hair as fiery as the glare he threw his brothers and Harry.

"Who is he?" Luna asked, though Harry sensed she already knew. And who could dismiss the family resemblance? He gathered the fallen wands, keeping his and handing Percy’s over to one of the boy’s siblings.

"Our brother." Ron answered grimly, still in a bit of shock as he reached to take the wand.

"Don’t tell us you joined the other side!" Fred growled as he grabbed Percy’s arm and rolled up the sleeve. There on the inside forearm for all to see was the tattooed dark mark of a Death Eater.

"Didn’t think you’d have it in you." George commented.

Fred shook his head. "Mum and dad are going to be so disappointed."

"They’ll be used to the feeling." Percy sneered, pulling his arm free and pushing away the twins.

"Whoa there big brother. Calm down or you’ll hurt yourself." George pushed him back.

"Or we’ll hurt you." Fred added, waving his wand threateningly.

"Guys-" Harry started to rein the twins in, but was interrupted by a voice at the mouth of the alley.

"Well, we only wanted you to bring Potter, but you brought us the whole miserable bunch. Good work Weasley." Everyone turned and pointed their wands at the three new figures standing behind them, blocking the only exit. Harry glared at Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, but was surprised to see Draco hovering behind his father, looking unsure if he really wanted to be there.

Grinning madly, Bellatrix took a step toward Hermione, Ron and Luna. Thinking now was as good a time as any to experiment with his developing powers, Harry pushed with his mind the image he had been picturing, and Bellatrix suddenly hurtled backward knocking over the Malfoys. Harry collapsed to his knees, exhausted from the effort.

Ron leapt into action, diving for their fallen wands before Lucius could while Fred and George made a mad grab for their brother, who was trying to flee. Ginny kicked Percy’s legs out from under him as he ran by her, forcing him to stumble and dodge back into the blocked alley. Harry ran and tackled Draco who had recovered his wand. The boys grappled for a moment and then it was almost as if the other boy had just given up. Harry took Draco’s wand back and threw it to Ron who had come to help him.

Rising slowly, he tried to sort out who needed help but froze in fear at what he saw. Fred, George, and Ginny were backing away from Percy, their hands in the air signaling defeat as he dug the tip of a small dagger under Hermione’s chin. She was struggling to get away, out of his grasp, but it was no use, he was taller and had developed a lot of strength since he had last been seen. Everyone else stopped what they were doing, either in horror or curiosity to see how this scene would unfold.

"Give them back their wands, Ronald." Percy ordered.

"Why? Why did you do this?" Ron asked him, almost in tears. Trembling, his lifted the hand holding Lucius, Draco and Bellatrix’s wands.

Everything seemed to happen at once as the elder Malfoy stepped forward to snatch back his wand. Harry had been giving Ron and Hermione silent orders and on his count, they had sprung into action. Ron threw stunners at the Malfoys and LeStrange, while Hermione used her wand to stun Percy’s foot so that he would loosen his hold enough for her to escape as Harry mentally threw him against the wall. But Percy recovered more quickly than they had expected. He got to his feet and dove for the wands that Ron had dropped. Picking one up he wildly waved it around yelling out loudly and passionately, "AVADA KEDAVRA!!!"

"Duck!" Harry screamed, grabbing Hermione and Luna who were closest to him and diving behind one of dumpsters. But the others weren’t as quick as he was. He watched horrified as the unforgivable struck a target, sending another of his friends falling to their death.





A/N: Who was it?!?!?!? Who died? I know........Muwhahahahahahahahahahaha I know this isn't as long as I promised, but once again I didn't know what was going to happen until I started writing, I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by this weekend.

Chapter 27: The Ignorant VS. the Understanding

NOTE: Welcome back, obviously someone died last time which may upset some, but I’m beginning to have a plan formulated for this story, so all I can say is trust me, it will all have a purpose. READ, REVIEW, ENJOY!





Harry sat down next to Hermione in the hard plastic seats and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. Together they watched the healers of St. Mungo’s bustle around them importantly but Harry knew there was nothing they could do. They all walked around with their medicines and bandages like they could save every life- but what about the ones that were already dead? What could these impressive healers do for them?

He felt numb inside as he looked around at the five tear-stained faces of his friends and felt the void of the one face that would no longer be among them. He felt guilty for not having shed a single tear for the loss, but he knew he was too angry to cry. The circumstances surrounding the death were too much and he felt ready right now. If given the chance, he would take on Voldemort and end the constant suffering of the people around him.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came back to them after visiting the morgue, shock evident on their faces. Harry could tell they had no idea how to feel or how much crying would be enough, how much anger. Without a word, the six teens followed them to the car and endured the silent ride back to Potter Manor.

(BREAK)

Draco thought his heart was going to explode in his chest as he quickly made his way through the maze of streets back to the safe-house. Lucius, Bellatrix and Percy had apparated there immediately, but not being of age and not wanting to bring attention from the ministry for underage apparation, Draco had been forced to take the long way. He wished his father had stuck around to take the journey with him, but he hadn’t been surprised when Lucius had insisted on disappearing immediately after the crime.

The Crime… The murder to be more exact. He’d just witnessed a brother take a brother’s life… and for what? What stake did Percy Weasley have invested with Lord Voldemort that would cause him to act so carelessly around so many of his siblings? It had been obvious Percy hadn’t cared who his curse struck, he hadn’t even attempted to aim. They had all been targets, Lucius, Bellatrix and himself included. This led him to believe that perhaps it wasn’t loyalty that had driven the outcast Weasley to turn to the other side, it had been anger. That made him dangerous in Draco’s estimation, a huge liability because you could never tell just what will change the tide of one’s rage.

As he silently slipped through the front door of his father’s London safe-house, he made sure they all knew he’d come back safely. No one seemed to care much, not even Lucius and he found himself longing for the large, empty house he shared with his mother. It had to be better than the crowded, cold indifference he had here. Careful not to show any emotion, just in case anyone was paying attention, he quickly made his way to the small room allotted for his use. Then, flinging his cloak in the corner, he sat on the bed and dropped his head in his hands, feeling the full conflict brewing within him. Longbottom had been one thing, it had been an accident that he died- well not the circumstances that brought about his death, that was Cho- but everyone else had been saved and it was only a fluke that he hadn’t been. But this… this was something wholly different. He’d gone to Knockturn Alley that morning knowing they intended to kill someone, be it Potter alone or all of his friends as well. He hadn’t been sure how to feel about it then… and after witnessing the event, he definitely wasn’t sure how to feel now. He knew he was supposed to be hard, to shut off the emotions and fuel the predator. But he certainly didn’t feel like a predator at the moment.

A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought. Setting his face in a bored, stony expression, he got up to see who could possibly want to see him. He was only slightly surprised to find Cho. "What do you want?"

"I heard one of them died." She answered brushing past him into the room before turning to face him with a demented gleam in her eyes. "Who was it?" She asked with so much excited anticipation that it made his stomach turn, not that he let on to that fact.

"Why didn’t you just keep eavesdropping?" He asked cruelly. "I’m sure they would’ve said."

"You’re one to talk about eavesdropping. You think I don’t know that you’ve been slinking around in that cloak of yours listening to everything." She shot back.

"What of it?" He answered defensively.

"Relax Draco, I understand the benefit of not being left in the dark. I won’t tell anyone." She smirked.

"Great." He walked over to the door, opening it and gesturing her out. "You can go now."

"Come on! They stopped talking about it." She whined. "Please, just tell me. Which one of them died?"

"Good-bye Cho."

"Come on, Draco." She said in a low voice, slinking up to him, closing the door again and grabbing his collar, running her fingers around his neck. "Tell me who it was."

If only she knew how little her charms worked on him. But he’d just been wondering how much of a predator he could be and this seemed as good a time as any other to find out if he could still pull it off. "One of the Weasleys." He teased, drawing out the information she wanted.

As suspected, she upped her game. "Oh yeah. That’s slightly disappointing. Which one?" She asked in a low smooth voice, now drawing her finger down his chest.

With a satisfied smirk, he grabbed her arm and pushed her away. "Does it matter?"

"You’re being purposely obtuse." She accused, crossing her arms.

"And you really think you can seduce anyone, don’t you?" He shot back.

"It worked on you before." She replied smugly.

He turned on her quickly, stalking up to her with a look in his eye that forced her to back up. Raising his arms and slamming his hands against the wall on either side of her head, he took great pleasure in the excited fear he saw in her eyes as she cringed. He leaned in close, bringing his face within inches of hers, trapping her with his body. "Make no mistake, Cho. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do." He growled with so much conviction, he nearly convinced himself it was true, though they both knew the opposite.

"So now what?" She whispered.

Rather than answer, he captured her mouth with his, hating himself the whole time. She responded immediately as he’d known she would since she believed she had some kind of hold on him. But he knew he was the one using her, silencing the doubts in his mind by filling the void with self-loathing at the twisted pleasure he took in being with Cho. He didn’t need her to know that he was in control, that this would always begin and end whenever he chose… for now, it was enough that he knew it. Especially since this was the only place in his life where he felt he had any control at all.

(BREAK)

"Tell me again, son, why you were all in Knockturn Alley?" Mr. Weasley pleaded in a numb voice, addressing Ron. There was not a moment Ron had stopped crying since Percy, Bellatrix and the Malfoys had run off. Now was no exception as he struggled to answer through his sobs.

"It was my idea, dad." Fred answered quietly for him. He had shed his tears and now Harry watched as the hardened face of anger and regret took over. He knew that face well. "We needed some things for- it doesn’t matter. I wish we had never gone."

"But you did and YOU LIED TO ME!!!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. She hadn’t said a word since Hermione had contacted her and now her grief was creeping in. "IF YOU HAD SHOPPED LIKE YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. YOU KNEW HOW DANGEROUS IT IS THERE!!! IF YOU HADN’T GONE THEN WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO BE GOING TO… to... to anyone’s funeral." She finished quietly unable to utter her lost child’s name before she broke down. Mr. Weasley led her upstairs, crying. Harry knew how she was feeling, and at the same time he didn’t. He had lost a great deal in his life, but he could never imagine what it would be like to lose your child.... especially at the hand of their brother.

He watched Fred and Ginny silently walk out of the room with the heads hanging and was tempted to follow, but figured they’d rather be alone. Eventually, he and Hermione convinced Ron to go to bed as well by setting up a makeshift bed on the floor of his room and bunking with him for the night. They knew he didn’t want to be alone and were more than happy to do anything to help alleviate the agony he felt.

As he struggled to sleep, Harry knew everyone in the house was still wide awake and full of grief, each trying to figure out how to live the next day without George.

(BREAK)

Luna had gone with to the hospital but insisted on having her dad pick her up. She wanted more than anything to be there for Ron and knew her father would certainly have given his permission to let her stay… but she just couldn’t do it. This needed to be about him and his family and their grief. She worried that if she had to bear witness, her own suppressed grief for her own similar loss would overwhelm her and make her unable to truly help Ron. She felt it much better that he be with Harry and Hermione who could give him the attention she now had to deny him… at least until she was sure she wouldn’t be consumed by her memories.

"Hello love." Her father said from the doorway to her room. "You doing alright?"

"I’m quite sad actually." She answered honestly as she climbed into bed.

He walked over and kissed her forehead before sitting next to her. "That’s only to be expected. It’ll all fade with time."

"Until something else happens to make me remember." She grumbled.

"Here’s a little something to help you forget." He pulled out the latest copy of the Quibbler. "Hot off the presses. You are the first to set eyes on it."

Many people misunderstood her father, but she knew he was truly trying to make her feel better and so with a smile, she reached out and took the magazine, opening it to the lead story. Vampires Bite at Chance to Negotiate Joining Lord Voldemort By: Xenophilius Lovegood.

"Is this true?" She asked, amazed but not really surprised, figuring most vampires would side with Voldemort.

"Heard it myself from an extremely reliable source as stated in the article." He answered proudly. Then he leaned over and once more kissed her forehead, pulling the blankets up around her as he stood. "Try your best to sleep tonight… remember, tomorrow only brings you one day further from today’s mistakes. I love you."

"I love you too." She returned, feeling slightly better than when she had gotten home. She knew that starting tomorrow, she was going to have to find the strength to give the support that Ron needed from her.

(BREAK)

The next morning, Harry and the other teens found they had to fend for themselves for breakfast since Mrs. Weasley refused to come out of her room. Mr. Weasley had left early to take care of some things along with Lupin and Tonks, leaving them to themselves and making the house feel very empty. No one was really in the mood to eat, but they went through the motions all the same so they would have something to do. Luna’s arrival slightly brightened Ron’s mood and Harry was grateful that she’d come back.

A little after the cereal was poured, a large brown owl swooped in to deliver the Daily Prophet to Hermione. She paid him and opened it to the front page. "Oh, Harry." She sighed as she laid the paper out for all of them to see. He stared at the large picture of himself plastered above the fold. It was apparently taken last night in the hospital- he was staring at the floor, as if trying with his gaze to burn a hole down to hell to confront the Devil. At the top of the page was the headline: DEATH ONCE AGAIN SURROUNDS HARRY POTTER.

"What’s it say?" Ron asked grimly as Fred and Ginny turned away. Apparently they weren’t up to reading it themselves yet. Harry grabbed the paper and read it to them, getting angrier as he went on.

Another friend of the famous Harry Potter died
today. According to sources, he was accompanied
by his peers to Knockturn Alley where they were
ambushed by three death eaters, whose names have
not yet been disclosed. The victim was a child of
Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley, though which
of the seven we have not yet been informed. We
expect more information to become available today
at the press conference held by Minister Weasley.
It seems no one is safe around Potter these days.

"I told my Carl to stay away from that boy when
he returns to school for spring term. Nothing but
pain, death and misery surrounds that child." Said
Mrs. Fellow, a concerned Hogwarts’ parent.

"If I was his friend, I’d run screaming in the other
direction. The rest of the Weasleys better watch
themselves, as well as his girlfriend." Said Carl
Fellow, fifth year Hufflepuff.

Many other students felt the same. "God, if I was
his girlfriend I’d run to the other side of the world,
I don’t care how hot he looks in a Quidditch
uniform." Said Marta Kramer, seventh year
Ravenclaw.

"I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my brother or
sister, but if I were Ron Weasley, I do know I’d
hate Harry Potter. He’s the reason Death Eaters
were there in the first place. He’s the reason
everyone keeps dying." Said Millicent Bulstrode,
a sixth year Slytherin.

Harry threw down the paper in disgust, not wanting to read the rest of it. He ran from the kitchen, the tears he wished he had shed yesterday coming in full force now. Storming into his room he
slammed the door shut and collapsed on his bed to sob in peace.

Awhile later, Harry heard his bookcase open and silently yelled at himself for not locking it. He turned to see Ron holding the paper. Without a word, he sat down at the end of Harry’s bed and quietly began reading.

"A lot of friends and family of Harry Potter
have died at the hands of evil people. But
that’s what happens when you choose to
stand up and fight instead of sitting back and
watching this evil spread. I’m proud to be
Harry’s friend because I know that no matter
what, he’ll be there, trying to keep me and
everyone else safe. Death is a part of war, a
large part unfortunately, and it sucks. Honestly,
I don’t know why Harry is still fighting for the
good guys, when all they do is blame him for
everything that goes wrong. If I was Harry
Potter, I’d stop fighting and let Voldemort take
over, that way you’d all see how much worse
things could be. But I’m not Harry and he
wouldn’t do that to you, he can’t, it’s not in
him. But believe me, things would be a lot
worse without him." Said Dean Thomas, sixth
year Gryffindor.

"Who knew Dean was so eloquent?" Harry asked to hide his slight embarrassment. Ron snickered and kept reading.

"My sister Parvati and I have known Harry for
five and a half years. He’s one of the nicest,
bravest and most loyal people you’ll ever meet.
I can’t believe all the crap he’s gotten over the
years for the consequences that come with
stopping He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He’s
saving our butts people so just leave him alone
to grieve with his friends. What none of you
realize is that all he really has left is them and
when they die, it’s like he’s losing his family
all over again. So just get over him already and
let the guy have a break." Said Padma Patil,
sixth year Ravenclaw."

"Since when is Padma Patil my friend?" Harry asked surprised.

"I think she and Fred are kind of seeing each other. But it’s not the point. She doesn’t know you very well, but at the same time she knows all about you. Everyone who’s talked to you does. I don’t hate you, none of us do." Ron said his eyes welling up again.

"This shouldn’t be about me, and you shouldn’t be here trying to make me feel better when tomorrow we have to go and bury George."

Ron let out a shaky breath. "I’m not ready for this to be real yet. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for it to be real."

They sat there in silence, knowing it was best not to talk. Knowing that simply being there together was help enough. Eventually, Hermione and Luna found them and sat down with of their respective boys. All four were getting ready for a funeral.





A/N: A Weasley dead! Oh no! What have I done!? But remember it all has a purpose.


Chapter 28: Moony

NOTE: Read on as the plot thickens… Enjoy!



Harry held on tightly to Hermione’s hand as they followed the Weasley family into the graveyard to bury one of their own. Mrs. Weasley still hadn’t said a word to anyone since her outburst, Ron had spent most of his time with Luna or alone, while Fred and Ginny hadn’t shone their faces except at meal times. They came to a stop at a hole six feet deep in the lush green ground. This was the second time Harry had stared down into the dark, gaping earth, with early morning mist swirling around the mourners of a young, lost life. He had a strange urge to smile. Of all the people he knew who had died, it wasn’t until this year that he had actually attended a funeral. At least… he didn’t think he’d been at his parents’ funeral...

Dismissing thoughts he had no control of, he looked over to Bill and Charlie, who had arrived at his house very late the night before. They hadn’t cried with their family, rather they showed the same emotion Harry felt, anger. Pure, blinding, unbridled anger. When they found out that Percy had been responsible for the body now being lowered into it’s final resting place they had left in search of him, wanting to get a hold of their brother before the Aurors. "It’s a family matter." Bill had said. "Percy has always been weak, but that won’t save him from us."

Next to them, Lupin and Tonks were holding each other and Harry knew his friend was thinking the same thing he was. Too many people were being lost to this cause, innocent people. Dumbledore was giving the service, but Harry wasn’t listening to a word he was saying. He had memorized the front page of the paper this morning and as he looked at one Weasley clan member in particular he reread the article in his mind.

MINISTER OF MAGIC’S SON BECOMES
DEATH EATER- KILLS OWN BROTHER

In a press conference yesterday, Minister
of Magic, Arthur Weasley broke down in
tears as he retold the tale of Harry Potter
and his friends.

"It is my deepest regret to inform you that
yesterday, my son Percy Weasley used the
killing curse against his brother, George."
The minister told the shocked crowd.
It is unclear when Percy, former
undersecretary to Cornelius Fudge, had
joined the Death Eater’s ranks. Other
Death Eaters present, according to
testimonies by Potter, Ron, Fred and
Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger and
Luna Lovegood, were recently escaped
Bellatrix LeStrange and Lucius Malfoy. It
is also reported that Malfoy’s son, Draco
was present.

"It is a tragic thing, war. It pits father
against son and brother against brother.
Everyone responsible for my son’s death,
and every other death under He-Who-
Must-Not-Be-Named’s orders, will be
shown no mercy. They will be brought to
justice, and as of right now, I have no son
by the name of Percy." The minister
stated at the end of his speech.

The funeral for George Weasley will be
held this morning at 9:00 a.m. It will be
closed to all except close family and
friends.

Harry looked at Fred and felt for him. He hadn’t talked to anyone but Ginny. When they looked at him, all they saw was a void where a normally happy and mischievous face had been. What was going on in his head? Harry was worried about him. In fact, he was worried about all of them, himself included. This had been a hard twist of fate.

They headed straight back to the house after the service and all scattered to be by themselves. Going to the third floor, Harry knocked tentatively on Fred’s door. After a brief pause, it opened and without a word, he was invited in. He looked around, discovering that all of George’s things had been packed in boxes that were now sitting along the wall.

"I couldn’t stand looking at it all." Fred said without emotion, noticing where Harry was staring.

"This may be a stupid question, but how are you, Fred?"

"The brother I always hated the most just killed the brother I loved the most. I don’t know how I am." Harry was beginning to get scared. Fred was distant and unattached. He appeared not to have slept or showered in days.

"Fred-"

"I’ve been working on that potion. With the ingredients we got. I think I almost have it right." He interrupted, gesturing to the things he had bubbling on his work table.

"Fred, you can’t just pretend... you have to talk to someone." Harry tried. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say, now that he’d seen his friend’s despair.

"Do I? You’ve lost a lot of people you love right, Harry? But how many of them did you know, like really know? Did you know everything about them? Did they know everything about you? Where they half of who you are? I don’t think so. Half of me is dead, so excuse me if it was the fun, carefree half." Fred stomped off to continue work on the potion.

"You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you?" Harry felt he had hit the nail on the head, as if he had plucked the thought from his friend’s head. But then again, maybe it was just because that was exactly how he felt every time someone died.

"Just leave, okay? I’d hate to say anything I can’t take back." Fred warned, his back to Harry.

"Go ahead, say it all. Whatever you want. Rail against the world if it’ll help." He offered.

At first he did nothing. Then out of nowhere he threw a beaker against the wall and Harry watched as it shattered into a thousand pieces. Fred collapsed on his bed in total despair. "What am I supposed to do now, Harry? All I can do is pretend. Pretend I can handle everything, his death, the store, school. Truth is, without him, I can’t do a damn thing."

(BREAK)

Ginny jumped as a large brown owl tapped on her window. She let him in and he swiftly dropped a small envelope in her lap before swooping back out into the morning. She stared at the note, making no move to either open it or close the window against the severe winter air. In truth the coldness felt good, soothing against the depressing thoughts she’d been lost in. Until that day she hadn’t let it be true in her mind, but watching George being lowered into the ground in his shiny black coffin she could no longer deny that her brother was gone. With a heavy sigh, she tore open the letter, curious as to who could possibly be writing her.

The words on the paper burned into her mind as her eyes poured over them. How dare he write to her! And what’s more, he was requesting a meeting, as if he had a right to ask anything of her. Well if he thought she was a fool, he would be sorely mistaken. She would meet him, see what he had to say for himself and then she would show him just how big a mistake he’d made by thinking she’d be understanding. That feeling of needing to throw caution to the wind was upon her and her mind was swirling in on itself to the point where even she didn’t know what she was thinking anymore. But she knew she wasn’t crazy- after all, she fully intended to protect herself.

Grabbing her wand, she stuffed it in her purse and snuck down the stairs to the kitchen with the idea of slipping out the back door. As she passed the counter, something gleamed out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see all of the large kitchen knives, freshly washed and laying out to dry. It was unlike her mother to not just use magic to do the chores and she realized Molly wasn’t exactly up to running a household. Harry must have cleaned up. Without questioning her actions, she picked up the biggest knife and put it her purse before continuing on her way out.

(BREAK)

"It’s not fair." Ron said quietly as Luna sat beside him.

"I know." She answered, her voice choked with emotion. He hadn’t realized she was feeling so deeply upset. "Murder is never fair."

"I just don’t understand Percy! Why would he do this to us?" he stood and began pacing, his heart feeling too big in his chest.

"Because he felt you all deserted him." She answered quietly. Then she looked up at him in horror as if she’d revealed too much.

"So it’s our fault he’s a horrible person?!" he turned on her.

"I didn’t say that, I said that’s how he felt."

"How would you know?"

"I wouldn’t. But one can piece these things together." She answered defensively.

"Whatever. The last thing I want is to fight with you." He sat at his desk and rested his head in his hands, trying to figure out something to make sense of his life.

"Well I don’t want to fight with you either. Believe me, I can imagine how you’re feeling right now." She came over and began rubbing his shoulders, but he pulled away wanting none of her pity.

"How could you possibly? You’re an only child, you never watched someone murder your brother." He looked back at her and saw the pain and anger in her eyes. He became startled by the sharp intensity of those emotions. Normally, she was sort of detached from everything as if the only thing tethering her to earth was her own body. But now, she was fully present in the moment and he became horrified, as if he were responsible for the fury and agony she was trying to conceal.

"You’re right. I’ve never had to watch my brother be killed." She finally said very carefully choosing her words before continuing in a rant. "That doesn’t mean I can’t empathize. I’m not some alien from the stars incapable of human emotion."

"I never said that." He answered quickly, taking a step toward her.

She shook her head and within seconds she was herself again, those feelings pushed back down wherever she kept them. When she met his eyes again, they only held concern for him. "It’s okay. I’m the one overreacting here. I’m sorry." She stepped forward and threw her arms around him, giving no further explanation. Not wanting to rock the boat, he let it go. But as soon as he could focus on something other than the tragedy that had befallen his family, he intended to talk to her about all the little things he was certain she was keeping secret. After all, he didn’t have secrets from her.

(BREAK)

Harry ran into Hermione as he was leaving Fred’s room. They looked at each other and then silently made their way downstairs. Neither spoke until after they had bundled up and gone out into the snow-covered backyard. "Harry, this may not be the best time, but we need to figure out how we can talk to each other in our heads." Hermione whispered, her breath misting the air.

He dug at the snow with his boot, not wanting to talk about anything at all. "You’re right, it’s not the best time. It was a spur of the moment thing and we can’t do it now, so let’s just forget about it."

"But Harry..."

"I can’t, Mione, not now! Fred, he’s... I’m worried about him. He’s up in his room, with all of George’s things packed away, working on that potion. They’re all falling apart- Molly, she hasn’t eaten anything in three days. Ron won’t talk to any of us, Ginny refuses to come out of her room, and Arthur has to deal with this whole thing at work, away from his family while Bill and Charlie can only search for Percy, fueled by their anger. I feel helpless, Hermione, and I don’t like that feeling."

"I know." She rubbed his shoulders affectionately.

He steeled himself, ready to admit what had been rolling around in his head since the moment George died. "The only thing I’m certain of now is that I can do it."

"Do what?" She stopped rubbing, now squeezing his shoulders tightly, already knowing what he was talking about.

"Kill him. He destroys the innocent- he did it to my family, and now he’s done it to the Weasleys. It can’t happen anymore. I can’t let my guilt over becoming a murderer stand in the way."

She came around to face him. "You feel that way now, but...who knows what’ll have happened by the time you come face to face."

"More terrible things. I have to end it. It’s my destiny, so why fight that? I’ll do what I have to do."

Hermione threw her arms around him and cried softly, letting his words finally unlock the misery she’d been holding in. "I won’t let you do it alone. I refuse to believe you were meant to do this alone."

Harry couldn’t muster the strength or conviction to argue with her, so he simply held her until they were both nearly frozen. Finally with both their teeth chattering, they decided to head back in the house to thaw out. While heading down the hallway to the fire crackling in the parlor, they ran into Lupin on his way out, carrying a suitcase. "Are you leaving?" Harry asked him.

"I know I shouldn’t, but I have to." Lupin answered miserably. "I put it off for as long as possible, but the moon is full tonight and you know I have leave for that. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Promise me you’ll help Tonks look after Molly? Try and get her to eat something, alright?"

They nodded, having no problem promising to take care of a woman who had always taken such good care of them. The three said their good-byes quickly, Lupin eager to get far from civilization before night fell. After he left, Harry turned to suggest hot cocoa and noticed Hermione looking thoughtful. "What is it?"

"The clue, Harry!" she said loudly, startling him.

"What… the clue for the ring? What about it?"

"Do you still have it?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah, of course. It’s in my room."

"Come on!" She ran up the stairs and he quickly followed her, excited by her excitement. He rushed to his desk and pulled out the right paper and handing to her eagerly. She scanned the words, looking up at him with her eyes wide with pleasure at her epiphany. "This is it, Harry!!! When an animal was made, why didn’t I see it before?! Lily was talking about Lupin. Moony, get it?!"

"Let me see that." She gave it back to him and he carefully read through the passage. "It seems so simple now." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Harry, when was Lupin turned?" Hermione asked him eagerly.

"I don’t know, I don’t think he ever told us." Just then they heard the front door slam. "Maybe that’s him now, maybe he forgot something." He added hopefully. They eagerly ran down to meet him only to find Ginny instead.

"When did you go out?" Hermione asked her. And then she gasped. The other girl had taken a step into the edge of the hall light and they saw that she was splattered in blood.

"Ginny! What happened? Are you hurt?" Harry pulled her up to the landing and fully into the light. As he did, a knife clattered to the floor.

"It’s not my blood." She said quietly.

Hermione looked at her horrified. "Ginny, what did you do?"

Harry pushed Ginny up the stairs a bit as Mrs. Weasley poked her head out of her room. "What’s going on?"

"Nothing. Sorry if we disturbed you." Hermione said quickly.

"Fine." Mrs. Weasley closed her door on them again.

"Four words total, that’s a start...." Harry said, more than a little worried. They looked up at Ginny who hadn’t moved. "We can’t let any of them see her like this."

"Ginny?" Hermione gently touched the other girl’s arm. Ginny simply looked at her, but said nothing.



A/N: Muwhahahahahahahaha. Who’d she stab and did she kill them? Find out in the next installment of Harry Potter and the Ring of Mykele.

Chapter 29: Pretending

NOTE: HI! Time to figure out what’s going on! As always my lovelies, Read, Review and Enjoy!




Luna had gone home and locked herself up in her room. Unable to relax she paced the floor, angry with herself. She had intended to one day tell Ron everything about herself, but how could she tell him anything when there were so many things for him to deal with. He already thought her weird, the last thing she wanted was for him to think her as big a charity case as he sometimes thought of Harry. She felt so frustrated! Ron never thought anyone else’s life was as bad as they described it and when she had tried to commiserate just an hour ago he’d turned on her, certain no one’s pain was as great as his.

It only proved her instincts had been right, she couldn’t share her own history with him until he realized what it was like to think of others. Maturity would take care of that, but she still felt guilty; there were so many things she should have shared with him, things any boyfriend should know about their girlfriend and a few things that would be a little more abnormal. But his life had been a little too easy, too perfect up until a few years ago. He hadn’t had the strict and overbearing parents that Hermione did, he didn’t lose parents like herself and Harry. He hadn’t been forced to live with people who hated him, he hadn’t had to deal with the stigma that comes from being smart and he hadn’t had to deal with the taunting that comes along with your mother accidentally killing herself the way her own had. Ron could never understand where any of his friends were coming from and it angered him more than he cared to admit. So she’d always felt that telling him anything more than what was commonly known about her would push him away, tha