How Fools Who Love Act

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. Just borrowed. Will be returned. Snape is welcome to stay, though.

A big thank you goes to my beta-reader, Maggie, and my beta-reader and brit-picker, Melusin, who both are always encouraging, helpful, and thorough.

Chapter 7 – How Fools Who Love Act

When Hermione was released by Madam Pomfrey the next day, Harry and Ron were already waiting impatiently for her.

"Hermione, do you know where the Marauder's Map is?" Harry threw at her as soon as the door to the hospital wing had closed behind her.

"What? No! Why? What happened?" Hermione looked from Harry to Ron and back. They both looked wretched as if their last hope had just been shattered.

"It's gone. It's not in my trunk or anywhere in the dormitory. I couldn't think... I had hoped... You were my last hope, Hermione. If you don't have it, it's lost," Harry said desperately.

"How... Why?" Hermione swallowed and tried to collect her thoughts. "Perhaps you left it at the Burrow or at the Dursleys? When was the last time you saw it?"

"I had it at the Burrow when I packed my stuff. I'm absolutely certain about that. But I haven't looked at it since. Today I wanted to check to see if, perhaps, Snape was hanging around in the area again. Not that I had much hope, but I wanted to check, and then I couldn't find the map."

"You don't think that someone stole it, do you?" Hermione's stared at him, a concerned frown wrinkling her forehead. "The tiara! Is it still there?"

"Yes, it's there. Nothing else is missing. Nothing was out of place. I lost it." Harry's voice had faded to a dismayed whisper. "I lost the Marauder's Map!"

"Maybe it fell out of your trunk...!"

"I always keep it at the bottom of the trunk; if the map had fallen out, then a lot of other stuff would have, too. Don't you think I would have noticed that?" Harry snarled.

"Calm down, Harry. I'm just trying to think about all the possibilities." Hermione rubbed her forehead tiredly until she suddenly looked up, chewing her lips. "Did you ask Kreacher?"

"No, I didn't. That's a possibility!" Harry's eyes lit up and he took a deep breath. "Kreacher!" he commanded.

The old house-elf Apparated with a loud crack. "Kreacher is here. What does Master want?" he asked before muttering, "Half-blood filth. Who'd be interested in what he wants?" under his breath.

"Kreacher, did you take a piece of parchment out of my trunk?"

"What would Kreacher want with a piece of parchment from Master's trunk?"

"You've been taking Sirius' stuff. Perhaps now you're taking mine, too?"

"Kreacher has collected a few Black family keepsakes, yes. Kreacher has not taken, and would never take, anything from Harry Potter," he said defiantly and continued in an undertone, "Who would want a keepsake from him? As if he were on the same level as Kreacher's old family."

Harry scowled. "If you have it, give it back. I'll give you something else in exchange...."

"Kreacher does not have it. Perhaps Master has temporarily lost his hearing? No wonder, having to listen to the nattering of that Mudblood all the time." Kreacher shot a nasty look at Hermione and Disapparated.

"He doesn't love you any more than he did last year, does he?" Ron stared at the spot where the house-elf had stood just a moment ago.

"I wish I could release him." Harry sighed. "Looks like we'll have to continue without the map, then."

"You know Hogwarts better than anyone else, Harry. We can get around without the map; we know all the secret passages, anyway. And when we're looking for the... Things... We'll be away from Hogwarts anyway, won't we?"

"I suppose you're right," Harry said, worried and disappointed. Together, they walked on in silence.

A few turns and staircases later, they arrived at Professor Price's office in the dungeons. They were keen to discuss what they should tell Price about Snape's attack... or was it Snape's defence? Hermione eventually reminded them that Price was a trusted friend of Professor McGonagall and that he was an Order member. They had to learn from someone, and she thought that Price was just the right teacher for them.

They walked down to the dungeons. Price had taken Snape's old office since Professor Slughorn still occupied the office that had belonged to the earlier Defence against the Dark Arts teachers. To Hermione's surprise, there were still jars with Potions ingredients and unrecognizable slimy-looking... things... that may, or may not, have been alive once. Hermione had only seen this office once or twice when she had gone to ask Snape about exam results or had a question about Potions essays––and in her second year, to steal Potions ingredients from his private store. Each time, her visits had been brief and unpleasant. She had never quite understood why Snape seemed to dislike her so much, but by now she thought that that was rather a good thing. It was creepy to imagine Snape liking her as much as her other teachers did.

"Professor Slughorn will sort through all the Potions ingredients and take what he needs," Price said when she inquired. "I don't mind those things standing here. I'm not staying for more than a year, anyway.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and wondered if Price knew about Voldemort's jinx, but decided not to mention it in case he didn't.

"So what would you like to discuss?" Price asked agreeably after they all had sat down in the comfortable chairs that hadn't been there during Snape's time.

"Uhm," Harry said, "err, perhaps you could tell us a bit about ancient protective magic since you are an expert.... I don't know if you know, but my mother..."

"Protected you...and saved your life...with an ancient spell that's based on love and sacrifice. Yes, I know. She must have been a remarkable woman, your mother; that kind of magic has almost been forgotten, and it's a fascinating subject.... So what do you want to know?"

Hermione saw how Harry bit his lip; he still didn't seem to want to tell Perry what had happened. She decided to take matters into her own hands. "We saw Snape in the Forbidden Forest yesterday. Just after I fell off my broom, Professor. A group of Dementors was trying to get at us, and our Patronuses were too weak." She shrugged at the angry expression Harry shot her way and continued. "Harry's Patronus failed almost altogether, and his always used to be so strong that it could chase off large groups of Dementors. Snape banished them with a banishing ritual he taught us in sixth year..."

She swallowed but continued after an encouraging nod from Price. "And then he taunted Harry... told him that his magic is weak now that the protection of his mother has ended.... That can't be true, Professor, can it?"

Price looked at all three of them in turn for a long time, frowning slightly. "I cannot answer this directly. Since your mother's protective spell is so obscure and ancient, Harry, I can't know in detail what it entails. However, it is commonly known that the magical ability even of strong wizards can be affected by emotional uproar, and the loss of love or of a loved one is one of the strongest forces to diminish and alter magical ability, even more so than extreme humiliation and suppression... And a mother's love is strong. That protective spell was based on your mother's love as much as on her sacrifice; the two factors are inseparable from each other."

"But only the protection ended on Harry's seventeenth birthday, not his mother's love. I mean... She's dead, but doesn't love linger, even after death?" Ron had blushed crimson; he clearly felt uncomfortable talking about love so openly.

Hermione thought that he had matured quite a bit to be able to ask such a question now and nodded. "I'm wondering the same thing, Professor," she said supportively.

"That is a very good question, Ron, and I cannot answer it decisively, I'm afraid. I can only guess," Price said with a wry smile. "Even though his mother's love will last forever, and Harry knows it, he may not really feel it." He swept his fingers through his hair and frowned. "I know that this sounds horribly confusing. Most likely I'll confuse myself while trying to explain ..." He winked at them. "Love and emotions are directly tied to the soul, and through her sacrifice, Harry's mother has freely given a part of her soul for her son. At least, that's what our ancestors believed happens when a witch or wizard makes a sacrifice for a loved one."

Price had jumped up and was pacing the room, constantly monitoring their reaction while he explained. Their attentive faces seemed to encourage him, and he continued, "Those freely given soul fragments have to bind to something if they aren't to be wasted, supposedly to the soul of the beloved person for whom the sacrifice is made. The survivor, in this case Harry, would carry a part of that soul, of his mother's soul. Normally, that soul fragment is welcomed by the survivor, and it becomes a part of him or her, a treasured and cherished part. But Harry didn't know about this. From what Minerva told me, he didn't know about the sacrifice; he didn't even know for a long time that he was a wizard." Price sighed and smiled encouragingly at Harry. "So it may be that, while his own soul is aware that his mother's love is still with him, his subconscious mind may not be aware of this. Even though he knows better, subconsciously he may fear that he lost her love when he lost the protection of the spell... And that may affect his magic."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I don't know, Professor. This all sounds very obscure to me. I mean, I don't really think that meditation about my mum's soul or something will help... Err... I'm not good at that kind of thing."

Price laughed. Hermione thought that he had a pleasant laugh. He was a good teacher, she thought. He was pleasant and knowledgeable, approachable but not ingratiating.

"I don't think that meditating will be the right thing for you to do, either, Harry!" He smiled. "Remember, this is only a guess and doesn't have to be the case, or maybe only part of it." His expression became serious again. "When did you first notice that your magic was affected?"

"I'm not sure... I think it was when we fought Bellatrix Lestrange.... My Protego failed, and Hermione's protected me. I thought it was just a case of bad luck or perhaps nerves.... But then, yesterday, none of the protective spells worked. I did other spells--during the day--," he added hastily, "and they worked like they always have...."

"Could be two things, then," Price mused. "Either this, whatever it is, only affects your protective magic, or it affects your magic where you are strongest.... Defence is your strongest subject, isn't it?"

Harry nodded.

"But to affect the strongest magic... That doesn't make all that much sense. Maybe we should use the working hypothesis that only your protective magic is affected. We'll try to verify that and to counteract it." He stood up from his chair and moved the tables and chairs in the office to the side with a wave of his wand. "Come, Harry, duel me."

Ron and Hermione got out of the way when Harry stood up to face his new teacher, wand raised in greeting. Price bowed quickly and almost imperceptibly and then immediately attacked with a Tickling Charm.

"Protego." Harry's reaction was fast, but the spell hit him full-force and he was hurled backwards, falling to the ground. "Damn," Harry cursed between maniacal laughter, "looks like I can't do the Protego any longer.'"

"So it seems," Price said and released Harry from the hex. "Attack me now."

Quickly, Harry raised his wand and shot a nonverbal leg-locker jinx at his professor, but Price saw the flash coming out of Harry's wand and evaded the spell swiftly. Price fired a succession of spells at Harry, some of which he evaded, but the majority hit their target, and a bouncing, dancing and snickering Harry with leeks growing out of his ears had to be released from the various jinxes and curses. Price stepped back, and Harry charged quickly, and before anyone knew what had happened, Price was hanging upside down in the air.

Ron and Hermione cheered and laughed, but Price seemed less amused. "Let me down this instant," he snarled, and anger flashed over his face. He quickly seemed to check it, and after Harry had let him down and stooped to help him to his feet, he smirked and retaliated with a quick Petrificus Totalus.

Harry was hit full-force; the surprised look on his face froze into place, and he slowly fell forward.

Price stopped his fall, took the wand out of Harry's stiff fingers and released him from the jinx. "Enough. I've seen what I wanted, Harry. No need to go on with this." He handed the wand back. "Your reflexes are good, and your magic is strong. What is lacking are the defensive spells, and you could be a bit more cunning. Using the Levicorpus on me was fast and efficient, though. I hate that spell; it's so undignified to hang upside down," he said with a twisted smile.

"Constant vigilance," barked Ron, and Harry and Hermione let out a startled laugh while Price was studying Ron with a nod of approval. "That's right, Mr. Weasley. That's exactly what Mr. Potter is still lacking, and I suppose, from what we learned from your encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange, that you are lacking it, too."

"And I," admitted Hermione, who had been torn between admiration and amusement while she watched the two men duel. "When I disarmed Lestrange, I was lucky with those spells; it was mere instinct to use them. I didn't really think about them. But when Snape attacked us so soon after the Dementors' attack, I was surprised, affected by my lingering respect for a former teacher, and at the same time quite scared. All of that prevented me from reacting in time."

"Very good," Price said. "You seem to see what is lacking. Why don't you try to explain it to us, Miss Granger?"

His changing form of address puzzled Hermione, but she thought he might be switching between teacher and mentor mode, automatically using the names appropriate to each role. She collected her thoughts and began. "You need happy thoughts for a Patronus. Ron and I have happy enough thoughts to cast our Patronuses when faced with Dementors, but Harry must have felt unhappy, subconsciously, maybe because he mourned the loss of his mother's love and maybe because he still mourns for Professor Dumbledore, as we all do."

Price nodded, and she continued. "When we fight, all three of us cast our spells more or less instinctively out of reflex and without much thinking. There is a lot of emotion involved. We react to the situation around us. Maybe what we need, and Harry most of all, is more control over the way we use our magic. We would have to be removed enough from the situation to have better judgement over which spells are to be used when and to infuse just enough emotion of the right kind to make them work."

"You sound like Snape in the Occlumency lessons," Harry accused her.

"Well, I was thinking about what he told you there, you know. I don't understand his motives, but what he taught us usually didn't harm us, did it?"

Before Harry could hurl another protest at Hermione, Price stepped in.

"Hermione, you hit the nail on the head. As Harry will undoubtedly have heard before, the mind is a multilayered, complex thing, not easily understood. It can be our greatest weakness, but it is also our greatest strength. When we let our mind be tied to our emotions, and allow ourselves to be ruled by them, then we are in danger of being overruled. However, when we remove ourselves completely from all emotion, we isolate and hurt ourselves and our souls. Neither way is apt to bring our magic to its best use, to its most efficient use. We need to find a balance between heart and mind. Between emotions and rationale. Only then can we control and not be controlled."

"Now that doesn't sound like Snape," Harry said with a relieved smile. "So how can we learn this, Professor? What do we have to do?"

"The traditional fighter training is based on three steps. You learn to control your body and your mind and to work out strategies. We will work out a routine for practice. I will duel all three of you individually and watch you duel each other, and then we can see which weaknesses and strengths each of you have." He paused for a moment. "I surmise you, Harry, and Ron there still do some leisurely Quidditch practice?" Both young men nodded. "And you, Hermione, I take it flying isn't one of your strengths, so you wouldn't be a Quidditch player. Did Rolanda Hooch teach you Wizards' Yoga in the basic flying lessons?"

"Yes, she did," Hermione said, "and I quite liked it. I haven't been practicing a lot, though. Why is that important?"

"The three of you are in the middle of things. You will have to fight. All of you. And I want you to stay alive. What do you do when your Protego fails? You run and dodge the spells, right?"

The three students nodded, understanding dawning on their faces.

"How undignified a death it would be to die faced with your opponents' wands but completely out of breath, too tired to fight back. A good fighter needs to be fit. All three of you should make exercise your daily routine, stamina and flexibility alike. If you don't like to fly, Miss Granger, then run. Run around the lake twice or three times a week. And take up Wizards' Yoga again. All three of you. Hmm..." He considered them for a moment. "Do you dance?"

While Harry and Ron replied without enthusiasm, Hermione admitted that she loved to dance.

"You should dance, all of you, often. Dancing improves a person's balance, movements, and confidence, and it is a pleasant way to combine exercises for stamina with those for flexibility. I shall talk to Minerva; we can initiate a dance club for the older students. That way you can make it part of your school timetable and won't appear strange when you pursue the dancing in earnest. You know, Irish dancing is especially efficient; it strengthens the leg muscles, and that's good for jumping and kicking. However, the arms are a bit neglected." He winked at them, and Hermione grinned back. The boys looked sullen.

"You're trying to tell me that I should dance to get my magic back?" Harry sounded less than convinced.

"No, I am telling you to dance to develop your full potential as a witch and wizards." Price smiled. "Your particular problem is a minor one, Harry, and I expect that we will get rid of it quickly. All you need is awareness, a slight adjustment to the way you use your spells, and practice."

"All right, we work out. Makes sense," Ron said. "We need to be fit when we fight. But what else? How do we... What did you call it, combine the heart with the mind?"

"By developing discipline," Price said. "A well-functioning body will make the mind free for other things. When your body is quick and flexible enough to do the jumps, leaps, and dodges necessary to evade hexes and curses by reflex, then your mind is free to assess the situation and choose your actions accordingly. You will neither let anger cloud your vision, nor detachment make you uncaring about the outcome of your fight. Depending on the situation, you will be able to show your wrath, rally the morale of your friends, or taunt and mock your enemy. And while you do all that, you are still capable of checking your strategy, predicting an outcome and changing tactics when necessary.

"Come on, all three of you, let's go to the Defence classroom. Ron, Harry, you two will fight me since you're fit already because of your Quidditch practice. I will give my wand to Hermione. You two try to stun or petrify me, and I will demonstrate that I can dodge anything you throw my way without using any magic."

When they reached the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Hermione took Price's wand and stepped to the side of the room, ready to watch. Harry and Ron walked towards Price from opposite sides and hurled random curses and hexes at him. He jumped, leaped, and in one case even somersaulted. Hermione was amazed how fit and flexible he was, and she very much doubted that Harry and Ron could do those acrobatics. After 15 minutes, Ron and Harry were exhausted from hurling spell after spell while Price stood in the middle of the room, grinning and only breathing slightly faster than normal. Finally, he uttered a battle cry that made Harry start violently and made Ron lose his wand. Price dived for Ron's wand, and before Harry knew what had hit him, Price had petrified him once again. Hermione gasped and then applauded enthusiastically.

"Do you really think we can learn to fight like this?" she asked.

"In time." Price nodded, released Harry from the jinx and handed Ron his wand. "But don't forget that I've had years of experience, so don't expect to be able to do all this in only two or three months." He smiled when he saw their disappointed faces. "Most wizards don't know how to fight like this, including most of the Death Eaters. What I just showed you, and will teach you if you wish to learn, is a very old way of studying fighting. It stems from a time when the magical and the Muggle world weren't as strictly separated as they are today, and many of the methods were used by both types of people...." He looked at them seriously. "Miss Granger, what is the biggest difference between the Voldemort conflict and Muggle warfare?"

Hermione was dumbstruck. She had never really thought about that particular question, let alone read about it. "Err... I'm not certain... I think... Muggles fight their wars with armies. Those armies are very structured, subject to a well-defined hierarchy of command.... But from what we learned about the Goblin wars, the structure was quite similar. And the Grindelwald War... Grindelwald used that insane Muggle leader in Germany to get to power, him and his Muggle armies. And we learned that in the first Voldemort war, Voldemort gathered an army of wizards and other disgruntled magical beings around him. They all fought for him. So I don't really see that much of a difference, except for the use of magic when fighting. And, we don't have a defensive army like most Muggle nations have."

"That's correct," Price nodded. "And when a would-be evil overlord tries to come to power, usually the normal wizarding society is rather helpless. As you said, the Ministry of Magic doesn't have a defensive army, except for the Aurors. When times get worse, witches and wizards are willing to join the fight, but if there isn't a good military leader, this often results in many unnecessary deaths. Wizard conflicts rarely are fought out army against army; most of the time it is a guerrilla war to undermine the enemies' morale, and then leaders and other groups duel individually. These duels are as much about showing off as they are for debilitating or destroying the enemy. That is one of the great weaknesses of wizardkind...."

"And you know how to do it better?" Harry asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. This all sounded too good to be true.

Price merely smirked at him. "Yes. In theory. As does everyone who reads up on our history and the great battles that were fought. You can start with Merlin and Arthur, but you can also go further back and look at the ancient Chinese dynasties and their power games. All of those armies contained wizards and witches. They had strong leaders with good heads for strategy and wise advisors. Dumbledore was such a leader, too, and you would do well to study his battle against Grindelwald and the strategies he used against Voldemort. Unfortunately, we are lacking such a leader right now. The Ministry is corrupt, and Minerva, while a capable leader, lacks the experience of a true fighter. She will be wise enough to listen to good advice, so that is what needs to be given to her."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Ron asked. "We will hardly be the ones to give advice. We will be among the fighters and maybe have to face a few battles of our own...."

"It may have more to do with you than you think right now." Price frowned and looked at Ron critically. "It won't hurt you to be prepared and learn as much as you can in the meantime. Which brings us back to your training schedule, lady and gentlemen." He bowed slightly.

"Now, you will be disciplined enough to go through with your exercises. This will strengthen your bodies. To strengthen your minds, we need another kind of exercise. You have learned Occlumency, Harry?"

"Not really. Snape was told to teach me, and he really didn't make an effort to teach me anything. He was going on and on about emotions and how I should empty my mind and hide my emotions... Just because he doesn't have any...."

"I see." Price looked at Harry critically. "And you made every effort you could to learn Occlumency, did you?"

Harry blushed. "Maybe I could have worked harder... But he never explained to me how that emptying of the mind works...."

"But you are a Seeker, correct? Haven't you played Quidditch since your first year?" Price looked genuinely puzzled. "Clearing your mind and learning to focus used to be essential parts of Quidditch training, at least when I was young. Has that changed so much?"

"What?" Harry looked sheepish. "I never thought that that was the same thing... Yes, we did do that before each training session. I even showed it to other players when I was the captain.... You're telling me that this was what Snape meant when he told me to empty my mind?"

"I would think so," Perry said. "It's the same thing, learning to focus. It needs discipline, naturally, but that's a prerequisite for a good Quidditch player, is it not?"

Harry and Ron nodded.

"So I suggest you go on with your Occlumency lessons, and I would strongly advise that Ron and Hermione learn this skill as well. It will be of advantage in more than one kind of situation.

"Will you teach us, Professor Price?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"I can't. I'm not a Legilimens," he replied apologetically. "Minerva can ask Horace Slughorn. He is a fair Legilimens and a reasonably strong Occlumens; he can teach you.

"Professor Slughorn?" Hermione was flabbergasted, and Ron gaped. Harry merely nodded. "Of course. I completely forgot about that. Dumbledore mentioned it to me when I was trying... Err... To get Slughorn to tell me something about my mother." He didn't look at Price.

"Yes. He's a good teacher, or so I'm told. Minerva told me that he regularly taught those skills to everyone in his house who wanted to learn."

"That makes a lot of sense," Hermione said. "That must be how Bellatrix Lestrange learned Occlumency, then. And Snape."

"And possibly Tom Riddle himself," Harry added. "He was in Slytherin with Slughorn as Head of House, and Slughorn was thoroughly charmed by him... He would have taught him anything."

"There you go. You learn Occlumency exactly the way Tom Riddle learned it. That could be an advantage. Knowing your enemy well is one of the basic requirements of warfare."

"Where did you learn Occlumency, Professor Price? Were you in Slytherin House, too?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I didn't go to Hogwarts. My parents were both scholars, and we constantly moved to different places where they could study ancient manuscripts. I was tutored privately and learned the basics in Occlumency from Uncle Albus, just as I learned my basic duelling and fighting skills from him. He had already beaten Grindelwald when I was a youth, and he was quite famous. He liked to spend his summers with us. He was an excellent fighter and general." Price's voice had become thick with grief, and he looked down at his hands. "He's left us at such a critical time..."

"He hasn't left; he was murdered," Harry snarled. "And we will just have to go on without him. And didn't you speak about a plan that night Sybill Trelawney made that strange prophecy? Something about Muggles and fighting?"

"Not a plan, per se, Harry, but a strategy. This is something we can learn from Muggle generals; there were quite a few good ones around. In the end, they more or less all used the same tactics. Some simple and general rules on how to win a war were written down more than two thousand years ago by a Chinese Muggle general named Sun Tzu. His treatise is called The Art of War, and it contains so many universal truths that it is never out of date."

"The Art of War?" Hermione interrupted excitedly. "My father has that book... It is quite the in-thing among managers, he told me. Apparently, they can use what's in there just as military leaders can."

"Yes, that's true. The statements in that book are very universal and easy to understand. However, if you don't have the intelligence to adapt those rules to your individual circumstances, all theoretical knowledge won't help you. You need to take every little part into careful consideration and then adapt it. If you can do this, the book can be a treasure. Uncle Albus introduced me to it; he read and reread it all the time, and I'd say that he met many of the criteria for a good general that are stated there. And that brings me directly to the third part of your training: the knowledge about strategy. I will give each of you a copy of The Art of War. Read it, think about it, and then we can discuss it when we meet next time. We need a place to meet, too. School starts in a few weeks, and we won't be able to practice in my office."

"We could meet in the Room of Requirement," Ron said and looked at the book in his hands with great interest. He had been all attention when Price was talking about strategy. Hermione thought that he would likely be the one out of the three of them who would get most out of the book. While his train of thought was rather fuzzy in most areas, when it came to analyzing a situation, his insights often were surprisingly clear and accurate.

"We can meet again tomorrow for some duelling, if you want," Price offered. "In the meantime, you can start your exercises. I plan to introduce a duelling club when school starts; if you join that, our private lesson can focus on the strategic part, and you'll get the exercise together with other students. But first we need to get Harry's magic back up to its usual standards. I shall see you tomorrow, then." And with a friendly nod, he dismissed them.

"There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:

(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble."

Hermione stopped reading aloud and looked at her friends questioningly. "Do you think that this is what made Dumbledore such a good general, as Price said? He certainly didn't have any of these faults, did he?"

Hermione was floating three feet in the air, in a wizard yoga posture called, 'The Fanged Geranium'. The book from Price floated at her eye level; the pages turned on command.

"Perhaps Dumbledore was a bit too concerned for his people, which... What did you say, exposed him to worry and trouble?" Harry suggested.

"Yes, perhaps. But he told you that he couldn't continue doing so, didn't he? Didn't he say that he wanted to protect people and not send them into mortal danger, but had to?" She untangled her limbs and smoothly stretched arms and legs out into the position, 'The Manticore', still floating and rocking softly.

"Blimey, Hermione, you've become really good at this," Harry marvelled. The past three weeks had brought a noticeable improvement in fitness and magical control for all three of them. But while they had managed to improve posture and balance, neither of the boys had managed to focus enough to trigger the mild levitation effect of properly executed Wizard Yoga asana.

"But back to the point, yes, that's what Dumbledore said. He said that he tried to protect me, and all of us, but that he had learned the hard way that he couldn't keep all the people he loved out of danger. That he had to send them on dangerous missions because there were things that only they could do. It was when he apologized for keeping so much information from me. 'That's how fools who love act,' he said." Harry's eyes glistened while he remembered his kind teacher and mentor. "He needn't have apologized, you know. I should have apologized to him for not listening, for not thinking, for running headlong into danger. But I never did... I always took him for granted...." His voice faded.

Hermione moved out of the posture she was in and descended to the ground. She put a hand on Harry's arm and squeezed it lightly. "Nonsense, Harry. He didn't expect it from you; he knew that you were a child. He loved children; he was child-like himself when he could afford the luxury. Do you remember 'Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak'? And the school song?" Now she, too, had tears in her eyes, but they both smiled at the memory.

"Dumbledore was brilliant!" Ron mumbled from the depths of a huge armchair where he had buried himself, his nose in The Art of War. Harry and Hermione looked around in surprise. They had almost forgotten that he was there; he was always so immersed in that book.

"Listen to this," he said. "This is so true on so many levels. And Dumbledore used it; that's quite clear.... It's the seven considerations." He started to quote.

"Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made

(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?––That can only be Dumbledore. Voldemort knows neither moral nor law.

(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?––Dumbledore was the only one Voldemort was afraid of. Dumbledore beat him in the battle of the Ministry. It was only through poison and treason that he was killed. Snape, that... That... Piece of filth." Ron ground his teeth in helpless anger and continued.

"(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?––Heaven in this context means the seasons: the weather and everything that has to do with it. Earth means the layout of the land, the conditions of the road, the surroundings, distances and such. Well, having Hogwarts would be one huge advantage here. If Voldemort wants it, he'll have to besiege it, and a siege, according to the book, is always difficult for the one who lays the siege. A well-equipped fortress can withstand a siege for a very long time....

(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?––Hm. That's a tough one. Maybe Voldemort has a point there. Torturing his servants and forcing them to swear Unbreakable Vows and get ugly tattoos does sound rather rigorous to me.

(5) Which army is stronger?––That's another unknown. If Voldemort succeeds in rallying the giants and manages to gather enough Death Eaters... I don't think that the Order and the Aurors combined will be able to beat this by physical strength and numbers alone.

(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?––That'd be undecided, I think. The majority aren't trained all that well while some individuals have outstanding ability. In this case, I'd rather think that the way skills are used is important. And the nature of the skills. An unskilled fighter who is hateful enough to cast the Killing Curse will outweigh several highly skilled fighters who don't want to or who can't kill.

And finally (7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?––Can you imagine Dumbledore punishing anyone? He didn't need to punish; a disappointed look was all the punishment that was needed. At least with me." Ron shrugged and smiled sheepishly at Harry and Hermione, who both smirked and nodded back at him.

"From what you told us about that Death Eater meeting, Harry, Voldemort is overly dramatic in both––punishment and reward––and maybe not consistent or constant. So there may be a point on our side. Hm. The conclusion of this passage is: By means of these seven considerations, I can forecast victory or defeat."

"And can you?" Harry grinned.

"Not yet." Ron said pensively. "There are few questions I have for Price. But I see one thing. If we try to meet as many of these considerations as we can, we'll be a force to be reckoned with. You know, you should get the Minister to have the Auror department offer basic defence refreshers for everyone. Maybe you can suggest something to him, Harry?"

Harry looked doubtful and shrugged. "I can try, but they always know everything better. You know that."

Ron closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is so frustrating. How can you defeat someone like Voldemort, if you have those self-righteous idiots in charge?"

"Not all the Aurors are idiots, Ron." Hermione reminded him. "And more and more of the skilled and smart ones are joining the Order, even if they aren't in the inner circle. They know what's coming and want to be prepared. I think you can count them among your skilled fighters." She smiled

"It's not funny, Hermione. If Voldemort does what Sirius thought he would, he'll have an army of Death Eaters soon enough. And he can use this army as he wishes, as a loyal, obedient unit, more or less skilled. Our side, on the other hand, is still divided. There is so little common ground, so many differing interests." Ron sighed. "I can't see how we can beat them...."

"We will have to avoid facing them as an opposing army; we'll have to resort to guerrilla tactics. Did you forget what Price taught us?" Harry asked. "He said that the book could only be a guideline. We have to adapt it to our circumstances.

"All warfare is based on deception," Hermione, who had been listening intently, threw in. "And that's what we'll have to do, I think."

"Right," Ron said with a nod. "And the spy who was trusted so much just turned traitor and murdered the general."

"I didn't mean it that way. Dammit, Ron, don't be so morose." She scowled. "We'll have to work with what we have. And just because we weren't aware of much organization and structure in the Order doesn't mean that it wasn't there. We'll have to use deception, especially the three of us. Even though she doesn't know what we're after, Minerva has promised to avoid a direct confrontation until we have succeeded, if at all possible. And we have to go about it. We haven't found clues for one single Horcrux yet."

"I'm running out of ideas," Harry said. "We've interviewed the older Order members. We asked Minerva; we even went to interview some of the surviving schoolmates of Voldemort, and we still don't have a clue where we could look. Where could he have hidden the cup or the locket? And if he didn't use the Ravenclaw artefact, what could he have used instead?" He took a deep breath. "At this pace, it will take us forever to do away with Voldemort for good."

"And if it takes years, it takes years," Hermione said firmly. "Dumbledore didn't find the items overnight, either. Didn't he first suspect Horcruxes in our second year? After he learned how the diary lured Ginny in, he started to make investigations. That's been more than four years, and in that time he's found one Horcrux and the original hiding place of a second one. And you think we can find them all in a few weeks?"

Harry sighed. "Right. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't know where we could look any more."

"We could start revisiting your memories of the memories Dumbledore showed you. Do you know if Minerva has his Pensieve? We have to get as many details about Voldemort's life as possible. We should go about this like a murder investigation."

"You watched too much telly at home, Hermione." Harry smiled, despite his obvious frustration. "We're no Sherlock Holmes, not even you."

"Sherlock who?" Ron asked, and Harry and Hermione laughed.

"Let's go and look at your memories in the Pensieve, Harry. And I have some more ideas, but I'd like to think them over a bit more––before I want to discuss them with you."

"So maybe you are a Sherlock Holmes in training." Harry smiled. "I should have known that you'd still have something up your sleeve. All right, let's go and ask Minerva about the Pensieve."

"Yes, let's go," Ron said, looking a bit more optimistic, too.

"Later, we should do some of our homework; we have loads." Hermione reminded them. "And you are so behind already. How do you expect to be able to do your N.E.W.T.s. revisions if you're having trouble keeping up already?"

"Bossy as ever," Ron said, sticking his tongue out at her. All three of them laughed and went to get their schoolbooks.