taking control

Chapter 9:Happy Anniversary: A Halloween Party

A/N: There were a couple things I wanted to address here that have been coming up in reviews. One person brought up what they thought to be an error on my part, but is actually quite intentional. They thought that with Harry constantly warding the RoR for training that Ginny should not have been able to intrude on him in the mornings, but I never said that Harry warded the room for his morning workouts. All his friends know that he works out, and none of his "special talents" are showcased during those times, so he has no reason to hide that.

Now as for Ron and Hermione, they are both being portrayed in a bad light, and that is intentional, but I don't think I've done a good job at showing that they still do get along pretty well on a day to day basis in classes and at meals and whatnot, except when I specifically show you times when they are not getting along. That's something I need to work on, but I just thought I'd point that out for people because Harry is trying to keep the peace and maintain his friendships, but he is definitely distancing himself by keeping secrets and all that.

Basically Ron is not always being a prat, just more often than usual. And Hermione isn't always jumping on his case, but often enough to be seriously grating on his nerves. I've been stressing the fact that there is tension there, but in doing so I've made it seem like that's all there is, which was not intentional. So just try to keep that in mind, and I'll try to work on that a bit in future chapters.

Now, I have a bit of action coming up for you all. I hope you're not disappointed. Thank you to all those who have been leaving me reviews. I truly appreciate it and would love to keep hearing your comments. Now enjoy the new chapter.

Chapter 9:Happy Anniversary: A Halloween Party

As the week passed by, a growing feeling of dread began to fester in Harry's stomach, and he thought he might know why. He voiced his concerns to the Headmaster during their weekly Occlumency lesson. "I think Voldemort is up to something. I think it's going to be starting...tomorrow."

Dumbledore sighed heavily, the twinkle noticeably absent from his eyes. "I had wondered....It would make sense that he publicly announce his return on the 15th anniversary of his supposed downfall. Have you had a vision?"

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head wearily. "Not a vision or anything. And I can't say my scar has been bothering me much more than usual either. It's just a gut feeling, like I know something bad is coming."

Dumbledore nodded, his fingers steepled in front of his face. "The Order will be on full alert tomorrow, but I'm afraid that as of right now we have no leads as to what he may be planning," he revealed.

"It's going to get ugly pretty quickly, isn't it?" Harry asked trepidly, knowing the answer even as he voiced the question.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore admitted. "In the height of the last war, there were attacks almost daily. Once this war starts in earnest, I'm afraid it will most likely escalate back to that level rather quickly. The Ministry, while they have admitted his return, have taken his silence as a sign that he is nowhere near his former power. They are not prepared for a full scale war."

Harry nodded. "I was afraid of that. Fudge really is a bumbling idiot. We need someone more competent in his position before things get too far out of hand."

"Cornelius is not an ideal choice for Minister," he agreed, "but removing him from office could potentially be disastrous. There are many who could do a much better job, but we could not guarantee that one of those candidates would get the position. Indeed, someone much worse could fill the vacancy. It's not as simple as just getting rid of Fudge. But anyway, enough about that," he suddenly shifted gears. "Let's get on with your lesson, shall we?"