Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Marauders Vanguard	By : fantasyra Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 1974 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I dont own anything Harry Potter, just the story idea and plot. No profit is being made by me in anyway shape or form with this fic.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Ye Old Disclaimer: Harry
Potter and associated milieu, characters, and situations are owned by J.K.
Rowling and her licensees. This is a work of fan fiction, produced solely for enjoyment.
No infringement of rights is intended. J.K. Rowling owns it all, I am just
playing with the Story. No money is being made by me in anyway shape or form.

Special thanks to my Beta, Polegara, who has been absolutely
awesome in her support and help.� It�s thanks
to her that most if not all of my grammar and spelling errors, or in some cases
not getting terms correct, have been fixed in the prior chapters and hopefully
she will continue with me.� Thanks
again!

Now, on with the story�

Chapter 6: The Apprentice

�So� you and Susan, eh?�� Tonks asked playfully.�

Ever one with the intelligent
comebacks, Harry replied: �What?�

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a
cheeky smile. �Come on, Harry. No secrets now. Just the two of you, all alone
in some secluded place�� She let the sentence hang while wagging her eyebrows.
Harry laughed.

�

�It�s not like that Tonks. Besides,
she�s not my type. Yeah, she�s a great person, and I could do a lot worse. But,
it�s not like that.�

�Dunno, Harry. You guys looked
pretty cozy earlier.� Harry shook his head.�

They were currently sitting in a
Muggle coffee shop, enjoying the morning. Tonks had only just gotten back from
dropping off Susan with her Aunt at St. Mungo�s, where her mum was undergoing
treatment for the dark stunner she was hit with. Tonks said she would be fine.
It just did something strange to her nervous system that the healers were
having a hard time fixing. Harry was glad that the all of them had managed to
get out alive, though he was still puzzling over how he managed it.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he
sighed. He really needed find a way to get a coffee pot to work in his tent.
Instant coffee was killing him.� She was
with us last year when we were rebelling against Umbridge. Not only that, but
we had just survived a Death Eater attack. Besides, she looks too much like
mum.� He gave Tonks his own cheeky smile, �Don�t get me wrong. Mum�s a looker,
but because of her, I could never do a ginger.�

Tonks shook her head dramatically.
�Ginny�ll be depressed to hear that.�

Surprise overtook his features,
�Gin? I thought she gave up on me. I was hoping anyways. She seemed loads
better now. She�s able to talk around me, and I haven�t seen her put her elbow
in a stick of butter in forever.�

Tonks chuckled. �So who does that
leave then? This �Luna� person? You got another letter from her yesterday.� She
pulled out the letter, handing it to him. Harry�s face brightened and tucked
the letter into his jacket to look at it later.

�Dunno about that. Then again,
Luna�s crazy enough to date me, knowing what it could mean. Not too sure how
that makes me feel. That you have to be crazy to do it, or that might be the
only way to find a date, all things considered.�

Tonks threw her head back and laughed,
drawing a great many eyes from the non-gifted sitting around in the caf�. Not
that they did not attract a lot of looks anyways. Tonks was dressed in hip
huggers with a black t-shirt two sizes too small showing off her stomach and
molding to her frame showing her considerable assets. Not to mention the bright
pink color to her hair. Harry was dressed the way he normally did when in
Muggle-areas: biker jacket, faded jeans, blue glasses, violet headband, and
fang earring.� His own shirt was fairly
loose on him. Tonks loved the attention from the stuck up and ignored the
baleful glares they received.� arry did
not like the attention they garnered, but ignored it the same, he had years of
practice.

�You�re a great guy Harry. Hell, I
would have shagged your brains out long ago had I thought you could survive the
ride.� You�re a catch, and any girl who
can�t see it is plain stupid.�

�Don�t know about all that. Ask
Katie, I can�t deny dropping me was the smartest thing she could have done. Cho
didn�t seem to see things the way you do either. Don�t get me started on
Parvati either, though, to be honest, that was all me there.� Harry said wryly.

Tonks frowned. �Like I said, if
they cannot see what a catch you are, they are bloody stupid. You�re a great
guy, Harry. Trust me. I have dated loads of the bad ones.�

Harry shrugged his shoulders, not
arguing. They had his talk more than once, and he still did not see what made
him such a good catch. It was a circle they danced on more than one occasion.
Trying to move the conversation away from his non-existent love life, he asked:
�How�s things with Remus? He finally coming �round?�

Her smile widened, and a light
dreamy look came into her eyes.� He let
me take him shopping like Sirius wanted.�

�Poor guy. Should I send a
condolences card?�� He quipped.

�Prat.�

Harry�s smile grew. It was not
often that he got one over her, not with her personality. He chuckled at her
discomfort while she changed the subject this time.� �Where to now? Dumbledore�s really reaching out, trying to get
his hands on you, so much so that we are now looking for Jessica. I have been
taken off a few details, even though I am still allowed to attend Order
meetings.�

�Hermione�s. I need to talk to her
parents about a few things, and I wanted to check on her progress. After that,
Bill�s. Through him, I can get word to Forge for a few �custom� orders. Sirius
would have left the instructions in the vault, but I want to check on them. I
might get stuck at Bill�s for awhile. We have a few�projects to investigate.�

Tonks expression grew serious. �Is
this about what ever happened to the second floor of Bones� Manor?�

��Fraid so. I have never heard of a
Killing Curse causing an explosion like that before. So, that means it must
have been the locket. I want Bill to have a look at some of the runes to see if
we can figure out what happened. I know I have seen some of them before, but I
don�t know where. It�s bugging me. Besides, I need to tell Bill about the
change in plans.�

�You�re going through with it
then?�

Harry nodded. He had decided that
the day he talked to Hermione. He was going to stand and fight. �Yeah, right
now, it�s Neville, you, and me. I hope to bring Bill in along with Fred,
George, Ron, and Hermione. I have am considering a few others, but that is
largely dependant on who they decide to side with.� He took a deep breath and
asked the question he was afraid of, �Moony�is a special case. If he can be
pulled from Dumbledore, we can bring him in. I need to know where he sits, if
push comes to shove.� You can do it, or
I can. Either works.� He hated asking, but time was slipping by too fast. They
had already almost lost half the summer.

She blew out a breath. �That�s a lot
of watches.� She looked at him, showing nothing of her thoughts. �I�ll talk to
Remus. I made my choice, and it�s at your side. And that was before you
reinstated mum and me back into the Black�s. I don�t think Remus and me can
work if he can�t see that.� She gave him a genuine smile that warmed his heart.
�Mum cried for two days and asked me to tell you she would like a dinner with
her Head of House soon, to affirm her loyalty. You made Dad�s year. He always
regretted that mum chose him over family, if only because it hurt mum so much.�

Harry returned her smile. �I am
glad I could help. Like Sirius, I always thought it was shite you guys got
disowned just because your mum fell in love.�

It took them a few moments to
continue their conversation. After a sip of her coffee and a nibble from her
roll, she asked: �So, I can find you at Bill�s then?�

�Unless something happens, yeah.
For the next week, anyways.� It�s not a
lot of time, but I have other things to do so it�ll have to do.�

�Say hi to Fleur for me when you
get there.�

Harry raised an eyebrow at that,
�Fleur�s living with Bill? When did that happen?�

Tonks smiled again, �Few weeks ago.
She got a job at Gringotts to improve her English. Bill�s a curse-breaker, but
Fleur studied wards almost exclusively and has been working as Warder for them.
Bill�s immune to her charm, and I think that caught her attention. She�s not
used to people ignoring her.�

�Huh, I haven�t seen her since the
Tri-Wizard. I wonder if she can help me with some of my projects, if she is as
good as your saying. She�d have to be to get Bill�s attention. I swear he
breaths runes. It�s scary sometimes.�

He got Tonks to laugh again, which
made him chuckle. She was always a riot to be around. �You should have seen him
in school.� Embarrassing stories of Bill were always welcome. He needed all the
ammunition he could get.

They spent another hour talking
back and forth about Bill and some of his antics at school before Harry had to
go. It was getting on in the afternoon, and he still had a half hour drive to
the Grangers� before he took off for Bill�s.�

�Hey Tonks, don�t forget Neville�s
birthday is at the end of the month, I am thinking of renting out a room or
something to throw him a party.� Tonks nodded, saying she�ll be there. He bid
Tonks goodbye, mounted his bike, and took off into traffic to make his way.

While he carefully navigated the
traffic around him, Harry found his mind wandering a bit to the Grangers. He
needed to talk to them about the extra coins they had and get that worked out
without incident. The last thing he needed was for them to get the wrong idea
on why that much money was in her vault, or why he had set it up in the first
place. He would also have a chance to talk to Hermione, which was always a good
deal.� He could spend a few hours with
her, and then make his way out to Bill�s place, which was a long drive from
where the Grangers lived. If he was lucky he could make Bill�s by supper,
though that depended largely on how long he stayed at the Grangers�.

Driving on auto pilot, he arrived
and sat idling in the driveway for a few moments. He turned off the engine
threw his leg over the great bike before unsnapping the saddle bag.

In a move that was becoming a habit
to him, he threw the heavy bag over his shoulder and strode to the door to
knock.� He was a bit surprised to find
the door answered by Hermione�s father.

The older man blinked showing his
surprise, but gave Harry a slight smile. �Harry, didn�t expect to see you
today, come in.�

�Hello Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger.�
Harry nodded and offered his own smile to them as he stepped. He noticed he had
interrupted them putting away a light lunch. �Sorry to interrupt. Is Hermione
about?�

Mrs. Granger shook her head.� �Sorry Harry, but I think she said she would
be at the Burrow today. We�re not expecting her until later this evening for
dinner.�

Knew I should have owled her.
Well, that also did seem to answer the question of how well she was doing if
she was able to be about.� �Oh. Alright.
Well, I did need to talk to you if today�s okay��

His answer came from Mr. Granger
who sat next to his wife holding his hand out to a seat across the small table
for him. �Of course, Harry. Does this have to do with a small mountain of gold
in Hermione�s new vault at Gringotts?�

�Yeah, that was the main thing. I
wanted to explain that before you got the wrong idea, but the last few days
have been pretty crazy for me. I only just got back.�

Mr. Granger nodded his head. �I
think it would be a good idea to go over that then. Do you play chess?�

Harry blinked in confusion after he
had sat down. �Er�I play wizard chess, been a while since I played regular
chess.��

Jake nodded. �I�ll get us the
board. I fancy a game now and then if you wouldn�t mind indulging me?� Bemused,
Harry shook his head. �Aright, be right back then.� He rose and walked out of
the room while Mrs. Granger was cleaning up the small table in front of them.

A few moments later, Harry was
sitting in front of a chess board, making his first move while explaining about
the vault. Several moves went by before Ellena spoke.� �Well, that make sense I suppose, and it is a better rate than we
have been getting at the bank before. Still, it�s a lot of money, Harry.�

He shrugged his shoulders. �It�s
only money. Besides, it stops the goblins from profiting from you and helps me,
since I have a need for pounds more than galleons right now.�

Mr. Granger was frowning in
concentration while he moved his bishop to take Harry�s knight. �If you don�t
mind me asking, I can understand a need for some traveling money during your
summer, but do you really need massive amounts on hand?�

�No, but I also don�t want to rely
on Gringotts for all my banking needs. I spend too much time in the normal
world to not have some about.��

He studied the board, �What I would
like to do is put the bulk into normal banks.�
I got this idea from my mum and dad, though I don�t know which one came
up with it.� They set up a trust vault
in Gringotts for me. Yearly costs, tuition, and the few withdrawals I have made
get replenished from an investment vault. I don�t understand a lot about that
vault from the paperwork I got on it, but the gist I do get is that the
investment vault is something the goblins can play with. I don�t really know
what they do with it, but I know the balance on the ledgers is different than
in the vault. Anyways, the goblins pay for the privilege of using my gold and
their payments are deposited into my trust vault to the maximum with any
left-over going into the main Potter Vault. I am hoping that they got the idea
from normal banks, or vice versa, and I can put my regular money into normal
banks with the same idea.� Harry frowned when he realized he left an avenue
open for Jake�s bishop to rampage through his backfield. Unfortunately, he
caught it too late, and that was what Jake was doing.

�Besides, I had a really hard time
getting into Gringotts this last time. So, I want to spread my money around amongst
different normal banks. That way, if by some chance, they find one of the
accounts I can move on to the next. Once I set it all up, they will have a hard
time stopping me from getting to my money the next time they try.�

�You are right in that there are
banks that can do that for you, but, you�re what, sixteen now?�

�Not until the end of the month,
still fifteen.�

Mr. Granger nodded. �That is going
to make getting accounts difficult for you.�
You will need an adult to sign in with you as a guardian of the accounts
until you make eighteen or become emancipated and are over sixteen.�

�I know. It�s the kink in the plan.
I was emancipated by my godfather, but I am pretty sure Dumbledore will bury
the paperwork. I might be able to talk my Uncle to signing my emancipation in
the normal world, but I am pretty sure I am going to have to bribe him to do
it. We don�t really get along. He hates magic, anyone not like him, and me, not
necessarily in that order.�� Harry
sighed. There was no way he could stop the bishop now.�

�Jake.� Harry looked up from the
board to see Mrs. Granger looking at her husband, pouting.

�We could help with that, if you
wanted Harry. If you can�t convince your uncle, Ellena and I would help you
store your funds in the way you want. It�s the least we can do for you.�

Harry sat back a moment, floored.
�That would be great thank you. I would be more than happy to pay for your help
in this. It�s only money to me, and it�s more of a need to have it spread out
so I can access it freely that I need to do this.�

Mr. Granger waved him off. �Think
nothing of it Harry. Like I said, we would be more than happy to help out. I am
curious as to why you are choosing this mode on doing things.�

Harry nodded again, thankful. He
outlined how it would help him in the projects he was involved with and
gathering the supplies he went through in his crafting. �I also have been
checking in with jewelers and some other places of interest looking and
comparing quality and cost between non-gifted products and Wizarding products,
and which ones take better to different schemes. It might sound strange, and
normally, you would not think there is any difference between them, but I have
found some. Notably there does seem to be some kind of hidden magic in handmade
items vs. mass produced.� I am still
experimenting to prove it.� Harry frowned, looking at the board. It was still
early, and already, his king was coming under pressure.

�Schemes? Does this have to do with
plots or something to do with magic?��
asked Ellena.

�Magic. Er�don�t suppose Hermione
mentioned anything about her classes in Ancient Runes or Arithmancy?� Harry
knew she would go on for hours if anyone let her get steam behind her at
school. At least this year, I might be able to talk to her about it since I
was planning on taking classes if my O.W.L.s come back with �E�s.�

�Some. We have gotten the
impression that both are used uncommonly in your society. She said that Runes
are something like magic in written form and Arithmancy is something along
advanced mathematics.� Harry�s frown deepened when he noticed the danger his
queen was coming under. He moved his rook to flank a knight who was getting
into position.

�Yeah, Hermione has been taking the
classes since third year. During the summer, I spent some time living in rooms
at the Leaky Cauldron and got to know a couple of curse-breakers who were off
the job at the moment and became fascinated by it. Not the subjects, but the
job. I thought it would be cool to be like Indy, hunting treasure and looking
for ancient artifacts long thought of as myth. I knew only of Bill, brother to
Ron who was my best friend at the time.

Anyways, I took up some books
looking to take the classes later on, but I never got in. Dumbledore never approved
my application for the classes due to scheduling conflicts. He decided I needed
Divination instead, which shares class time with Runes. I decided a little
while later to just study it independently. I got some books, and thanks to the
blokes, I got a few other things like a crafter�s kit for my carvings and
started practicing and learning in my spare time.

Anyways, it was some time later I
got stuck on something, and I took a chance. I sent some of my ideas and where
I was stuck to Bill, asking where I went wrong and if he could help me. He took
a week from his job and came home during the summer after third year. I had no
idea what was going on, but he liked the direction I was taking my projects and
decided to take me on as his apprentice since he just gotten his Mastery. We
spend a lot of time Owling each other and keeping in touch. He�d give me things
to do and learn, but leave it up to me to do it. His teaching style is pretty
loose, but when it comes to the work itself, he�s worse than McGonagall. He
takes his runes seriously.�

Harry shook his head while Jake
chuckled at him. He had lost mightily. They reset the board, getting another
game going before he restarted his explanation.

�See, the point here is that in
school between third and fifth year, that is all Runes and Arithmancy really
is. Writing magic and learning to translate it and a type of Wizarding
mathematics. Now, N.E.W.T.s change all that. Sixth and Seventh year, we learn
how to apply it into something tangible, malleable, and if you�re good enough,
something enchantable. With me so far?� Harry looked up to see both Grangers
nod, though uncertainly.

�First Runes. There are many
different types of Runes available. Celtic, Egyptian, British, Japanese,
Chinese, etc. Every culture has its own kind of Runes. So, when you are talking
ancient runes, you are talking the Latin of runes, the core from which all
modern runes come from. Like Latin, if you can understand and translate Ancient
Runes, you have a good chance to get the gist of the others. Though really,
precision is the key to survival in curse-breaking. So, it pays to be
knowledgeable in the modern modes too.

Now, when it comes to Wards think
of a home security system. Instead of using electricity to power your system
and alarms, you draw from other sources. You have more options than just a loud
alarm to give the thieves away. Wizards have a tendency to worry more that an
intruder is there to kill them, not rob them, so the system is more defensive.

Another use for Runes is enchanting
objects. My motorcycle is enchanted to fly, be invisible, silent, and with
charms to help with traction since we get so much rain.�� Harry sighed in frustration when he noticed
how skillfully Jake had maneuvered his king into a corner. He flicked his
earring, �This is also enchanted as a Dark Detector though the range is pretty
limited. Since the fang is from a basilisk, it has a better range than the jade
stud I first started with. This one has a range of twenty yards. I have
discovered in the last few months that the right components go along way to
fuelling the enchantment or increasing things like strength, range, or
duration.

Arithmancy, now, is the binding
that makes Runes work. Really, you can�t do one without the other. If you want
to build a ward, just laying down the runes won�t do it.� You have to use Arithmancy to bind the runes
together.�

Ellena who had been mostly silent
while Harry talked, spoke up, �I don�t understand that. Can you explain that to
us, in detail?�

Harry sat back, thinking for a
moment. �Maybe it would help if I gave you something you can see.� Harry leaned
over the chair pulling his saddlebag to him, opening one side. �I keep a few
things on hand if the mood strikes me to do some carving or to take some notes
while on the road.�

Harry pulled out an incense stand
carved of ivory and set it on a cleared space on the table. Aside from the hole
that one would normally set the stick on the far side, it also had a small
tripod looking inset. In this inset, Harry pulled out a small crystal, not much
bigger than a thumbnail. He also took out an incense stick that was colored a
strange, pale puce. From his belt, he took out a Zippo out of its case,
lighting the end giving it a few seconds to burn before blowing it out allowing
smoke to trail in twining spirals up into the air. No scent could be
detected.�

After a moment, he removed the fang
earring from his ear and after muttering something, set it within the smoke
where it hovered a few inches from the burning ember.� Both Grangers gasped at what they started to see.

The air above the earring began to
shimmer, and the smoke began to gather about it forming strange symbols,
letters, and numbers forming a pattern in a sphere. At its central point, one
large glowing symbol could be seen with everything radiating off from it.

Harry used his finger to point out
various things to bring them to their attention.� �The center rune is an emulation rune that begins the
enchantment. From here, I used Arithmancy calculations to bind the runes I
wanted to use. See how all the runes are linked by numbered equations and
smaller runes? That is known as the �binding�. The runes themselves call for
the object, in this case the earring, to identify the properties that make up
itself. Since the object is the fang from a basilisk that energy signature is
Dark.�� Harry pointed out a few things
moving around the smoke and glowing sphere calling attention to various
different symbols.

�See here, here, here, and here? These
are known as attraction runes. They create a �pull�, like a magnet to lightly
draw the earring in the direction it detects its brother energy signatures.
What that does is when something using dark energies, like cursed objects, and
I am hoping those carrying Dark Marks, though I haven�t proven that works
yet,� the earring begins trying to move
in that direction. For me, it creates a tug on my ear and will point to the
direction it detects its fellow dark energies.�

Harry pointed out a few other runes,
which were glowing with a slight blue fire in the smoke haze. �These are draw
runes. These runes draw magic out of whatever is handy, normally me, to power
the device until I deactivate it. Again, notice that of all the runes I used,
everything is spider web connected using the Arithmancy calculations that make
up the enchantment�s composition.�

Jake shook his head barely keeping
up with what the young man was saying. He got the gist though. �Is there a
reason why you use smoke to show the diagram?�

Harry nodded his head, smiling
sheepishly. �Yeah, I can�t cast the spell that does it. I have tried to learn
it, but I haven�t gotten the hang of it yet. Bill found the incense potion
ingredients in an ancient grimmoir� from an Arabic wizard who died trying to
raid a tome in Egypt thousands of years ago last year and turned me on to it.
I�ve been brewing and using it since then.�

Ellena frowned. �I don�t think I
get that. Is the spell that difficult to do?�

Shaking his head, he replied: �Not
really. I know Hermione can cast it and has been able to since third year. But,
she is just that good, and I don�t know half the spells she does. And, she
knows some wild spells. Of the spells we do know, she always gets them quicker
than I do. I think it has something to do with her meticulous nature. I am a
bit more on the fly, nowhere near as studious as she is.� Harry noticed both
parents backs straighten in pride at their daughter�s accomplishments. Harry
understood. He was proud of her too.

Jake was the first to speak, �Is
what we are seeing your design or something you copied?�

�Both, actually, the theory is
based off of the runic scheme for a dark detector. I altered it a great deal by
passing some of the more dangerous scapes using a basilisk fang. It�s like I was
saying earlier. Components matter in these things. I tend to use jewels, gems,
shards, things like that since they hold to magics amazingly well, but in
things like this you can get away with a lot if you can find something that has
a close kinship with what you are looking for. If I were looking for, say,
Crookshanks, I would use something of a kneazle maybe powered by something from
Hermione.�

A lot of things can change how a
construct reacts. What I used to carve the runes matters as much as how I carve
them. If I am crafting a ward, it matters even more. I am of the school of
thought that Bill uses, my only limitation is what I can�t imagine. I have
learned a lot from him. Mostly, I have learned a lot of what I can�t do and
have had to find work-arounds to get the same results. Hermione is a purist. If
it�s not made through established procedure, it won�t work. Makes trying to get
her to see my points difficult at times.�

Ellena asked, �How long did it take
you to make that?�

Harry furrowed his brows in
thought. �It took Bill almost a year to figure out how to shrink the fang,
which was due to the magical properties inherent in basilisks. Three months for
me to work the Rune scheme and a few weeks to apply the scape. Overall, it took
awhile for the project to be considered done. The scheme on this earring is a
lot different than the one in the jade stud I worked first. That one had a
calculation to apply to the identification rune, which comprised of the magical
breakdown of the fang. That took me almost two months to work out. So, it was a
long-term project to get to the finished product. If I was to make a new one,
it would go a lot faster now since all the groundwork had been laid out and
done.�

�� Now, we
don�t know a lot about mythical creatures, but isn�t a basilisk a dangerous
snake that can kill with a look?��

Harry
nodded solemnly. �Worse. Their skin is highly magical resistant. They have
heightened senses of smell and taste, and are highly intelligent beings on par
with humans. That is not even taking into consideration how horribly poisonous
they are. They are also animalistic and as evil as it gets, living for
thousands of years, passing the time in hibernation if they choose. Overall,
almost impossible to kill or fight.� Unless you happen to have a rooster, a
sword, a phoenix, and more luck than Abundanita.

�Such things must be hard to come
by, how did you get one?�� Jake
inquired.

Harry fidgeted a bit and mumbled,
�That was easy, pulled it out of my arm.��
Harry cleared his throat at the strange looks he was getting from the
Grangers. �I happened to come across a dead one, so it was pretty easy.�

Clearing his throat again, Harry
looked down at his watch, noticing the time. �I should go, let Hermione know I stopped
by please. Next time I come by, I�ll introduce you to Wizard�s Chess. Just
don�t tell Hermione. She�ll be convinced I am trying to corrupt you.� His
comment got a chuckle from Jake while Harry packed up his things and headed for
the road again.

xxxxxx

Harry was tired; it was a long
drive trekking across the country to where Bill lived. It was a nice place,
overlooking the ocean from on top of a cliff with a lightwood a few hundred
yards away from the cottage. Secluded, peaceful, scenic. It was just the place
a curse-breaker needed to unwind after a long job. Harry could see himself
getting a place like this in the future, if he lived long enough to have
one.�

He climbed off the bike, and after
throwing his saddlebag over his shoulder, made his way to the front door to
find Bill waiting for him, dressed casually. Bill let him into the sparsely
furnished house, closing the door behind him.

�Nice place mate, just move
in?�� Harry asked.

�Yeah, last week. How�s your summer
on the run?��

�Good, only almost died once. It�s
like a record or something.� Harry laughed.�
Bill shook his head, not sure if it was Harry�s humor or if the rumors
he heard were true.

�You want to set up outside, or are
you going to take over one of my rooms?�

�If you don�t mind, I�ll take a
room. Just easier.�

Bill nodded, leading him up the
stairs to the small room just off the stairwell. �You seem in good spirits for
only almost dying once. Care to share?�

Harry smiled. �Things are good, if
a bit busy, but that beats the Dursleys� any time. Besides, it�s not every day
I can prank the Headmaster, and I bet he is going mental trying to find me. I
understand why we are not winning this war if he can�t find one underage
wizard.� Harry walked into the empty room and took his tent out of the
saddlebag, giving the command for it to set up. Once up, Harry looked at Bill
while picking up his bag. �Butterbeer?�
I have a few left in the chill box.� Harry walked inside without
waiting.

Harry threw his bag onto the floor,
off to the side, before pulling two bottles from the chill box under one of his
cabinets in the kitchenette just as Bill walked in looking around.

�Great Mercy Harry, and I was
worried that you were living rough!��

�Nice yeah? Sirius got the tent, but
most of the furnishings came from the Potter Heirloom Vault thanks to Tonks.�

�How is she? I haven�t had a chance
to meet up with the old crowd yet between mum fussing over me and harping at
Fleur.� Bill asked while taking the opened bottle and taking a drink.�

�Good, you know Tonks. It takes a
lot to rattle her. So, you and Fleur eh? There�s got to be a story there.�� Harry started leading him to his workshop
and heard his reply as he was opening the door.

�Not as much of one as you would
think. She�s smart, knows her wards like no one I know, and for some reason
likes me. I could do a whole lot worse.� As soon as Bill stepped into the room,
his eyes began taking in everything, nodding in approval at most of the things
he was taking in.

�Good for you mate. She was a
nightmare in the tri-wizard. It was like going up against an older Hermione
with all she knew.�

Bill�s eyes strayed to the
Quidditch pitch and noticed a red haired woman sitting with her back against at
tree reading a book and glancing up at two figures riding brooms from time to
time. Harry turned to look about the time she looked out at them and gave Harry
a smile.

�Hello dear. Your father�s going to
break his fool neck if he keeps it up. Who�s your friend?�

Bill blinked while Harry replied.
�Bill, that�s my mum, Lily Potter, and yes that�s dad and Sirius racing around
the pitch. Mum, Bill Weasley. He�s my mentor for curse-breaking.�

Before Bill could greet her, she
raised an eyebrow and sniffed. �I see where you got the idea to put a hole in
your ear for that fang.�

Bill raised his hands saying, �Oh
no, don�t blame me! I just told him to get his own look. I never told him to
pierce his ear. I�m not taking credit for that one.� She only watched him
coolly.

Harry laughed. �Settle down Bill,
she�s having you on. You get used to her humor after awhile. Then again, you
have to have one to be able to put up with Dad and Sirius.�

�Speaking of your father dear, have
you though about my request?�

Harry burst out laughing before
looking to Bill. �Mum�s been peeved at Dad for awhile now for getting sauced
when I got hurt not too long ago. She�s been on to me to find a painting of the
Slytherin common room so she can lock him in there to teach him a lesson. She
wanted me to get a dog house for Sirius.� Harry turned to the painting. �Not
yet, Mum. I asked Tonks and she said she would look around for them.�

�Let me know dear.�� She went back to her reading while Bill
shook his head.�

�Only you, Harry.�

Harry chuckled. �I know, Susan said
the same thing to me before Tonks took her home. Anyways,� Harry pulled a
notebook from the shelf, �Here�s those things you wanted me to work on.�

�O.W.L.s arrive yet?� He started
thumbing through nodding at Harry�s schemes.

�No, Tonks knows I am here for now.
So, if they come in she will bring them by, if you don�t mind.�

�That�s fine.� He closed the book
looking at Harry. �Did you get the scheme worked out for the earring yet?�

Harry smiled widely. �Better, I got
a working scape out of it. One for the fang and one for the stud.� Harry spent
a few moments looking through the papers adorned on his walls before he found
them. Being careful, he took them down and handed them to Bill who began
looking through them with a critical eye.

Bill laid out the both sheaves side
by side on the work table to compare them.�
�So, the fang really did cut out a lot of the original scheme. I was
curious about that. Are you sure Jade is best for the studs?�

Harry shook his head, �No, Onyx is
better.� Bill looked up from the papers.

�You prove that?�

Harry nodded and showed him the
area where his calculations were written out.�
Bill nodded approvingly. �Nice, that�s a good job Harry. Well thought
out and the work is sound. What kind of range can you get?�

�Detection Range is limited to
fifteen feet on average. You can get twenty with Onyx though. With the fang, I
get close to twenty yards though so that proves my theory about like objects
and energy signatures.�

Bill shook his head. �I see that.
It�s something to look into more. I mean, all curse-breakers know that it�s
best to do things in certain ways, but none of us really know why. If we get
lucky, we might be able to improve established techniques with much safer and
easier ones.�

Harry blushed at the praise. He was
still not used to getting any, and from Bill, it meant a lot. �Cheers Mate.�

After thoroughly looking over
everything, Bill looked up. �Your letter said you had something you wanted me
to go over?�

Harry nodded and after rifling around
in his, drawers pulled out the broken locket.�
�This almost killed me. It also saved my life. I want to know why.�

Harry told him all about the
killing curse and the aftermath after it hit the locket.� He also explained about how some of the
runes were familiar, but he could not place where he had seen them before. Bill
told him he would look into it. Harry also outlined all of his ideas and plans
involving the various stages of all of his projects, hoping Bill would find the
time in the next week to advise him on where he was stuck or help him finish
them.

xxxxxx

What is this feeling? A
figure of stood in the shadows of the top of her home, thinking to herself. Her
long blonde hair blew like a banner behind her in the twilight breeze. Her
silver-blue eyes, which normally were clouded in a dreamy countenance, were
crystal clear and piercing blindly into the inky blackness of the night.� Tonight she had climbed to the top of the
tower she called home, to stand in the evening breeze, hoping answers would
come to her over the dilemma that was Harry Potter and had been here for some
time.

She had only finished painting her
ceiling in the images of the few people she allowed herself to consider
friends. It was as she finished and was looking at each of them critically,
that she realized one of them was done with far more attention to detail than
the others. Granted, her work was good, even she knew that, but one picture in
particular was done in far more detail than the others.

She had checked each of them with a
critical eye when she noticed the discrepancy. Ron looked the way he normally
did, though she did admit that there was something about his eyes that gave him
a slightly mean look, but she was not sure if that was just her. Hermione was
done accurately, though her hair was not as bushy as she normally kept it and
had a bit of a glow about her. Ginny�s face had the same knowledgeable smirk
she always had in life. She was little surprised when Neville�s came out far
more bear-like. He looked far more the warrior than he did the last time she
saw him on the train. Though to be honest, there was that something in his
expression that gave the imagery to her.�

But it was not these pictures that
concerned her. When she looked at those pictures, she knew what she felt, the
love of friendship. Maybe a bit more for Hermione than the others, but that was
in some way tied to the last painting. The painting that confused her was the
one of Harry Potter.

It was the first one she did, and
it had more detail than the others. His hair was more life-like, and his
eyes�she spent hours just detailing his eyes, trying to capture that special
something that was in his eyes. She was not satisfied that she had it, but she
couldn�t think of anyway to improve on it.�

He was always nicer to her than the
others were. He even helped her at the end of term to find all her things that
her classmates had hidden. He listened when she talked about the things her
father printed in the Quibbler, and whether he believed or not, he never made
fun of her or let others do it around him. He treated her with respect, and
that was something she was not used to. She was used to people making fun of
her, treating her like she was �Loony� instead of Luna. She couldn�t help it
that her father went a little mad when her mum died. He was still good man,
always treated her well, and loved her unconditionally. However, even she knew
he was�well a tad odd.�

She learned in first year, and
learned quickly, what people thought of her and her father. It was not very
pleasant, all things considered. Even Ginny, who was her best friend, teased
her from time to time. She learned to never let them see her cry. It
only encouraged them to new heights in their desire to torment her. By the time
she met Harry, she had heard a great deal about him already over the years from
Ginny who was a bit taken with him. She was in full Loony mode by then, having
developed the personality to match what everyone wanted to believe. In a way,
it was her armor against them and their antics. She could be Loony, and when
they teased her, it did not matter. She made the best of it, or tried to, by
saying the most outlandish things just to see how people would react to
it.�

Harry took Loony in stride. He even
asked to read her Quibbler. She tried all year to get him to act like
the others to prove he was no different.�
She even made up a few things to try and get him to mock her. She called
him on personal things� that she could
see in his aura, yet nothing.�

When Harry was around her, she felt
like her old self again. He always treated her like Luna, never Loony. By the
end of the year, she had made her decision in regards to Harry. Anything he
wanted, and if it was in her power, she would do it. It was the least she could
do for the only person who, other than her father, treated her like a real
person. When he needed to go to the Ministry, she never blinked, even with
knowing it was a trap and the likelihood of all of them getting killed was so
high that it was ridiculous. Anything for Harry.

Maybe she was little mad?� It was certainly possible. She couldn�t help
it when it came to Harry. There was just something about him. Did she love him?
No, she knew she didn�t. Not like he loved Hermione anyways. She did not feel
any of the things her mother told her she would when she fell in love. Still,
just because she did not love Harry like her mother loved her father did not
mean they could not be together, for a while anyways. She knew he loved
Hermione, but she was in love with Ronald. Ronald�s jealousy was the only
reason Harry never told Hermione how he felt for her, Luna knew that, even if
Harry himself did not.

Luna knew that there were several
problems when one considered being with Harry Potter romantically.�

First was Ginny. She was obsessed
with Harry, had been since they were very small girls long before he saved her
from the Chamber of Secrets. Her fantasies rose to new levels after that. No,
Ginny would not take kindly to Luna showing an interest in someone she
considered to be her own personal Knight in shining armor. Even if Harry did
not wear shiny armor.

Her second problem was Hermione,
and this was a problem that Ginny did not even understand. There was no Harry
without Hermione. If she called for him, he would be there. No questions, no
excuses, he would answer the call. That was something any witch would have to
understand when it came to Harry. Cho never had a chance. It was foolish of her
to even try to control Harry�s affections in regards to Hermione.�

Luna knew she could handle that.
Harry loved Hermione, after all. So, it was understandable. That led to another
problem. She was absolutely sure Harry had no idea what love meant. She could
not remember him ever showing affection to anyone. Yes, she had seen him and
Hermione hug, but it was always Hermione who started it. He never really even
held Cho�s hand when they tried to make a go of it. No, she was sure Harry did
not understand his own emotions, and that was one of the biggest problems as far
as most witches were concerned. Witches liked affection, and Harry was not
affectionate at all.

During her third year, when Harry�s
name came out of the Goblet of Fire, she watched as Rita Skeeter bashed
Hermione and the fallout that resulted from it. It turned a lot of witches off
their desires for him, same with the slander from the prophet last year.� Now, it was different. Harry was a hero
again. It didn�t hurt that Harry was very fanciable in his own right. None of
that mattered to her, but it mattered to the other witches. She noticed that
Hermione was spending a lot of time at the Burrow lately with Ron. The
likelihood that she will not be as diligent of taking care of Harry was growing
high. Sadly, Harry needed people to watch out for him. She noticed he never
seemed to do it for himself.

Then, of course, there was the
Voldemort. Anyone who became involved with Harry was likely to die, if for no
other reason than it would hurt Harry. Voldemort wanted Harry alone in the
world, and for some reason, she suspected Dumbledore of the same thing, though
that puzzled her to no end. So, any witch who wanted to be with Harry had to be
completely reliant on him protecting them and dying in the attempt or be
willing to die for him. That left Luna with only herself and Hermione for
possible matches.

It was this conclusion that led her
to send that letter to Harry in the first place. Harry brought �Luna� back. If
she needed to, she would bring �Harry� back. Anything for Harry. She was very
pleased when the snowy owl arrived later in the week with his reply, asking if
she was alright. It was sweet of him to be concerned.� They had only been corresponding for a bit, and she was waiting
for his reply to the invitation to her home.�
Hopefully, her plan would work, and she could spend the rest of the
summer with him.

Ginny was her friend, but she did
not fear her ire in this. Ginny had told her she planned to date this year
blatantly to try and show Harry that she was a girl and get his notice. Luna
had her own opinions on that, and it honestly sounded stupid to her. Luna had
no fear of Hermione either. If anything, Hermione would later thank her for
taking care of Harry until she wises up and sees Harry for the great man he is.
At least, she hoped she would. Harry�s fan-girls did not scare Luna either.
They could not hurt her anymore than they already have over the last four years
they had tormented �Loony�. As for Voldemort, her father has already opposed
him by backing Harry, so she was a target anyways. She might not have been as
big of one as she will be if she gets involved with Harry, but she would have
been a target none the less. No, Luna was not afraid of the fallout over having
a relationship with Harry. He needed an understanding girl of his own to balance
his life, which was far too dark for any young man to handle. He needed someone
to take care of him, show him how to love, and understand what it feels
like.� He needed someone to talk to,
when he needs it. Hermione was going to be busy with her own relationship with
Ron. Luna felt that she would do. Besides, it would be lovely to know what a
real relationship felt like. No boys looked at her in a romantic way, nor did
any girls. The way she figured it. Harry was her best chance of a school
romance. They both would profit, in the end.

Her eyes focused back into the here
and now. She noticed the white speck floating silently toward her within the
black. A smile graced her face.� Harry�s
reply was here.

Authors
Note:

Special
Thanks, again, to Polegara, for Beta reading this for me. I look forward to
working with you for the rest of the story.�
They have been great and I hope to keep writing with them in the
future.� Buff those fingernails, cuz
you�re the best.

Please Read and Review. Hope everyone enjoys the story.
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Marauders Vanguard

Chapter 6: The Apprentice