Mein Mentor
Harry woke with a start. He sat up straight, groping for his glasses. He was then that he realized he was sweating. Running a hand over his forehead he looked at his surrounding. This was his last night at the Dursleys' for the rest of his life. His clock read 8:15. Suddenly his door flew open and his uncle loomed, her face purple with annoyance,
"Get up," Vernon barked.
"What for?" Harry questioned, leaning back on his pillow.
Before Vernon could say another word, Hermione apparated into the room. Harry, whose sheets had slid down his body slightly, grabbed them, covering himself up.
"Hermione!" Harry gasped.
"Happy Birthday Harry," she said, ignoring the man in the doorway.
"When'd you get here?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
"About a half hour ago. Come on, McGonagall has something for you," the brunette said, turning to face the muggle in the doorway.
"Pardon me," Hermione said politely. Vernon let her pass and then followed her back downstairs.
Harry got out of bed and rummaged through his drawers, finally finding clean clothes. Running into the bathroom he showered quickly and sprinted downstairs. He found several Order members as well as Ron, Ginny and Hermione in the sitting room. His aunt, uncle and cousin were sitting on the opposite side of the room, eyeing the group anxiously.
"Happy Birthday mate," Ron said.
"Thanks," Harry replied with a grin.
He was approached by Professor McGonagall. She looked extremely tired and worry lines covered her face. She pulled a wrapped package from within her robes, her hands shaking slightly.
"Professor, are you ok?" Harry asked, offering a seat.
"Yes," she said softly. She refused the seat.
The new Headmistress handed the package to the famous boy wizard and rejoined her colleagues by the couch. Harry stared down at the plainly wrapped parcel. His hand was scrawled across the top neatly. He recognized the penmanship but couldn't place it at that moment for his thoughts were interrupted by his stomach. He looked at his relatives.
"Um…I'm going to go pack and then we can go to Grimmauld Place," he told the congregate of wizards.
He tucked the parcel under his arm and was followed by his friends back up stairs. Between the four of them, it took them not time at all to gather everything of Harry's.
"I can't believe I'm doing this for the last time," Harry mused, tossing a handful of socks in the general direction of his trunk.
"No wonder you aren't a Chaser," Ginny muttered as she was hit with socks.
"Sorry Gin," Harry muttered as he bent down and pulled the floorboard under his bed up. He pulled out all of his old books, tossing them into his trunk.
"I think that's everything from the closet and drawers," Hermione called.
"Yeah, you got everything. Hey Ron can you take Hedwig?" Harry asked.
"Sure thing," Ron said, picking up the cage with the snowy owl. She hooted happily at the redhead.
The four teens gathered the trunk and few other accessories and trekked back downstairs where the adults were waiting. Remus took Harry's trunk, freeing hi up so he could speak with his relatives. Harry looked at them for a moment before speaking.
"Well I suppose this is goodbye," he said matter-of-factly, extending his hand to his uncle. Vernon shook it and then Dudley. Out of nowhere Petunia pulled Harry to her in a tight hug.
"Aunt Petunia…I can't breathe," Harry gasped. She let him go and wiped at her eyes.
"Goodbye," she said, sniffling softly.
The group of wizards moved together and as one disapparated from No. 4 Privet Drive. Once the group had disappeared the Dursleys returned to their lives, minus Harry. As the group appeared outside of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry let out a sigh. He was nervous to be back here but at the same time he was glad to be away from the Dursleys.
Half an hour later after everyone had eaten and Harry had been given his other gifts, which included new parchment and quills from Hermione and several new Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products, Harry remembered the parcel McGonagall had given him. He retrieved it from his belongings and set it on the kitchen table. Everyone stared at it for a moment.
"Whose it from?" Fred asked.
"I don't know," Harry replied, looking to Minerva.
"I found it in my office," she informed the 17-year-old.
Harry slid his finger along the taped edge and found the object within to be a book. He stared it, turning it over trying to figure out what it was.
"Open it," Hermione urged. He opened the front cover and nearly dropped the book.
"What's wrong?" a chorus of voices echoed.
"It's…Tom Riddle's diary," Harry breathed.
"But…you destroyed it in the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny commented nervously.
"There's a letter," Ron pointed out.
Harry turned to the page where there was a folded piece of parchment sticking out. He set the book down and opened up the loose parchment. It was indeed a letter from…Dumbledore? Harry read it silently, his eyes moving across the parchment.
Harry,
If
you have received this then several things have happened. First
of all you are now celebrating your 17th birthday and are now an
adult in the wizarding world. However, this also means that I
have passed on. I am sure this has upset many of the Order.
But alas I am writing this as one last piece of guidance in your
quest.
Harry,
the page that has been marked notes a crucial chapter of Tom Riddle's
life that until last summer I had not known. Use the knowledge
within these pages to your advantage. Draw on the aide of those
around you.
Give
my best to everyone
Sincerely signed,
Albus
Dumbledore
"What's it say Harry?" came Hermione's voice, barely above a whisper.
"It's from Dumbledore. He…he must have known he was going to die," Harry remarked, looking over the letter again.
"What?" Minerva gasped, taking the letter from the boy's hand. Her hand covered her mouth as a tear slid down her cheek. Slowly she handed the parchment back to the teen.
"What else did it say?" Hermione pressed, leaning closer to try and read it.
"That I should read this entry," Harry mumbled confusedly.
Silence followed as no one moved. Finally Harry cleared his throat, rose from the table and went to the library to be alone and read the entry. He sat down and shakily opened to the page once more. He stared at the writing for a minute, shivering at its familiarity. Memories of his second year came flooding back to him. Had Riddle turned this diary into a Horcrux as well?
"Here goes nothing," he muttered and began to read.
July
9, 1941
I
have just returned from a week-long trip to Germany. It was a
most amazing sight to behold. Military troops were marching off
to defend the German way of life, the Nazi way of life. I do
not know much of the war that is being fought around the world as it
is a Muggle war. Their wars and affairs are of no importance to
me. Muggles are generally useless and unintelligent, but there
is one exception. He is a great man. He is a leader
with a splendid vision; Adolf Hitler.
At this Harry paused. He tried to recall what he knew of Hitler. Nothing came to mind. He supposed he would have learned more if he'd gone to a muggle school instead of Hogwarts. Shrugging it off, he continued reading.
On
my third morning in Berlin, I saw from my hotel a crowd gathering in
the public square. It consisted of boys mostly my age and a few
years older. Having nothing else to do I went down and joined
them. I knew they were Muggles but my intense boredom overtook
me. As I entered the crowd I couldn't figure out what they
were saying. What use would I have for knowing German? I
cast a translation spell easily enough and found their conversations
to be mostly boring. Every now and then one or two would shout
out Hitler's name. They all grew quiet suddenly and I looked
up. There he was. The greatest Muggle I had laid my eyes
on, yet I did not it at the time. He raised his arm in a
salute, the boys about me mirroring his gesture.
I
really did not give him much of my attention. He was just
another useless Muggle, or so though I thought. When he began
talking of his plans for Germany, my curiosity sparked. "We
will purge Germany of the Jews!" he exclaimed "They are
driving Germany into ruin. We will unite all of Germany under
the master race, the Aryan race" he proclaimed confidently.
He continued on, saying that he with the help of the boys around me,
would work to eradicate the country of those not of Aryan descent;
the Jews and gypsies and homosexuals. His speech made my blood
run hot with excitement. He really was brilliant.
I
returned from that trip enlightened and inspired. He was my
mentor whether he knew it or not. It was a perfect plan.
A plan, in a few short years I could begin in this world.
Hitler truly had the right idea. I will follow in his
enlightening footsteps; I will purge the wizarding world of the
imperfect blood. I will do away with the mudbloods and
half-bloods. The wizarding world shall be purified. The
master race shall reign supreme.
Harry stared blankly at the end of the entry. He had no idea what Dumbledore wanted him to get out of reading this. To Harry, it seemed that Voldemort was as disturbed an individual before he made his horcruxes as he was now. His ears pricked up as the door to the library opened what seemed to be the entire Order of the Phoenix walked in.
"What did it say?' a chorus of voices asked.
"Um…he went to Germany in 1941 and heard some political leader speak. This Hitler guy apparently inspired Voldemort to try and kill off all the muggle-borns and half-bloods," Harry recapped.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, looking thunderstruck at her friend's lack of historical knowledge.
"What?' he asked, looking offended.
"Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party in Germany during the second world war. He along with Nazi Secret Police, the Gestapo, wrongfully imprisoned and executed nearly six million Jews," she railed.
"Oh," he muttered, blushing slightly.
"Well how was he stopped?" he asked.
"The Allied Powers won the war and arrested his followers. He committed suicide in his bunker," she answered.
"Somehow, I don't see Voldemort killing himself…even if he wanted to," Harry muttered cryptically.
"Why don't we worry about this tomorrow," Minerva suggested.
"After all, it is Harry's birthday. Why not at least try and spend it as peacefully as we can?"
The group nodded and Harry closed the diary. He got up, following the small crowd out of the library and down to the kitchen. He would try to enjoy the rest of the day but it was going to be hard.
'I will purge the wizarding world of the imperfect blood. The master race shall reign supreme,' echoed in his mind.