Harry Potter and the Approaching Storm of Doom and Destiny in Hogwarts

Chapter 1 The Approaching Storm

The sun dropped in the sky over the castle, mottling the horizon with swirl of muted pink and gold. The air held the crisp feel of the approach of cooler nights and the smell of fall was in the air.

The new school term had begun at Hogwarts again. If it hadn't been for the sheer weight of things to come, it would have been a very pleasant evening indeed.

A boy with dark, untamable hair and an unmistakable lighting bolt scar sat quietly looking out of a castle window from his dormitory four-poster.

Harry had been recounting the events of the past few years over and over in his mind. He was trying to think of something, anything that he could have done differently to change the course of events.

Again, he came up empty.

The world around him seemed to be spiraling out of control. Voldemort was gaining strength and recruiting followers to his devoted group of minions, the Death Eaters.

When they finally attacked, the Order suspected it would be swift and brutal.

Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had been expecting this for some time. They had also grown in number, but it would make the actual fighting no less intense or deadly.

The older students of Hogwarts and Beaubaxton Academy, as well as a few from Durmstrang, were also to join the fight. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just entered their 7th year at Hogwarts and knew that when it came down to it, their place would be in battle with the others.

The students spent many long nights practicing curses and defensive spells in the Room of Requirement, away from the prying eyes of possible spies. They all worked very hard.

Hermione, in particular, was faced with the challenge of conquering one of her greatest fears...flying. She absolutely hated to go flying in any way other than within the safety of a Muggle airplane. They had told her that there would be plenty to do on the ground, but Ron and Harry would be in the air, and she refused to be left behind.

Upon consideration of her phobia of broom transport, Ron was utterly perplexed. He really couldn't understand her trust in Muggle machines. Having not grown up in a Muggle household as Hermione had done, he thought of them as a whole... a bit dodgy.

Ron's dad had always been fascinated by all things Muggle. You'd think a bit of his obsession would rub off, but to the contrary, Ron was of the opinion that anyone who trusted a metal box run by a motor to fly them around was bordering on insanity.

This belief was only reinforced by his experience once with a Muggle car that had been bewitched to fly. It had let him and Harry down at a critical time.

Ron had apparently filed that away and applied it to all motorized machinery. His vocalization of his opinion on this particular subject led him and Hermione straight into another one of their arguments.

"Well, what if the motor is faulty? Then what? It's not as if the Muggle driver of the.... arrow thingy could do anything to fix it, is there?" Ron had sarcastically inquired.

"First of all, it's 'airplane' Ronald, and...well, actually...if there is a problem with the plane's engine, well...then...it may be prone to...well...crash." Hermione ended in a somewhat defeated tone.

"CRASH?! You mean fall?...all the way to the ground?" When Hermione didn't respond, he took her silence as a yes. "Well, that's exactly my point isn't it? It's just as I said then, you'd have to be daft to ride in one of those." And feeling quite triumphant, Ron looked to Harry and added "Right Harry?"

Harry, for his part, actually agreed with Ron. He'd never flown by airplane because any time the Dursley's had flown anywhere they certainly didn't invite him to join them. He would be left behind with their cat loving, batty, old neighbor, Mrs. Figg.

Of course there was also the fact that Harry was never happier than when he was soaring through the air on his Firebolt, a fact that Ron knew all too well. To him there was really no comparison, but Harry was not about to admit that now. Taking his side would only lead Ron to gloat and Hermione would then be angry with Harry too.

Trying to be the diplomat and desperately wanting to stay out of it, Harry said, "I suppose it really comes down to... personal preference, doesn't it." Then he quickly added, "The point of the matter today though is that Hermione needs to learn to fly on a broom safely. So, if you're finished...we'll get on with it."

They both looked at each other with a grimace and a huff, and then decided to move along.

They began by having her ride with them so she could get the feel for taking off and landing without having to go it alone. Then they moved onto solo flights.

She worked tirelessly with Ron, Harry, and Ginny at getting comfortable on a broom and eventually she seemed to be mastering the art of flying.

Part of Harry secretly thought that one of the only reasons she did it was to prove to Ron that she could do it...even if she did prefer planes to brooms.

That was not the only necessary preparation. They also sat up late on several nights talking about the inevitable challenge that they all faced and what they would need to do if they were to win the day.

The trio usually reserved their quiet Common room discussions for just the three of them, but under the circumstances, Neville, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, and several others had joined them on a few occasions. After all, it concerned each and every one of them.

The entire wizarding world was in extremely dark times. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said that it brought back horrible memories of the last time Voldemort had been in full power.

The Dark Mark would appear over a family member or friend's home and what lay inside was horrific. Muggles and wizard folk alike were being slaughtered at Voldemort's whim. It seemed the Death Eaters looked at Muggle killing especially as some sort of sadistic sport.

The prophecy about Harry and Voldemort was nearing reality. Harry could almost feel it in his soul. He knew when it came down to it, the prophecy would come to life and one would die at the other's hand.

The moment the Death Eaters entered Hogsmeade, Harry would know exactly what he had to do.

Of course, his devoted friends Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and many of the other original members of Dumbledore's Army would go to back him up, but in

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THE END