Chapter 2: Truth Be Told
Harry entered the house to find nobody there waiting for him. He was slightly hurt that they weren't waiting for him but realized that they probably didn't know that Mr. Weasley had gone to get him yet. He decided that they must be upstairs waiting on him so he headed up the stairs to the room that he had stayed in the year before. He came to a sudden halt outside of his room when he heard his name spoken from the girl's room across the hall. He leaned against the door to listen in.
"When is Harry supposed to get here?" he heard Ginny asking.
"Soon and why are you so interested young Miss Weasley?" Hermione laughed.
"Shut up Hermione," snapped Ginny.
"Anyway, speaking of Harry, we are going to need to be careful with him this summer. He isn't going to like being back in this house after what happened at the ministry," came the worried sounding voice of Hermione.
"I know. I just wish that we could have heard what the prophecy had to say. It is obviously extremely important to this war. Maybe Dumbledore knows what it said," wondered Ginny.
"He couldn't since it wasn't made about him. He wouldn't have been able to lift it from the shelf." Harry chose now to enter the room causing both girls to scream.
"HARRY!"
"How are you doing?" Hermione asked him.
"I've been better. I hate this damn house. When I see that traitor of a house elf I am going to kill him with my bare hands." He snarled.
"I'll help you with that mate," Ron said from behind him. He entered the room past Harry and stood by Hermione. "Good to see you."
"You too. How's the scarring?" Harry asked referring to the scars from the brains in the department of mysteries.
"All gone now," he said showing Harry his arms. "Madame Pomphrey worked wonders on them."
"What were you saying about the prophecy and Dumbledore, Harry?" interrupted Ginny. Harry paled at her bringing that back up. He was hoping that they would just leave the topic once Ron came into the room. He still wasn't sure that he wanted to deal with their reactions to his horrible fate.
"It got smashed Ginny. Nobody will ever know what it said," Ron cut in. 'No,' Harry thought, 'he couldn't leave them thinking that. It would just make them angry with him when he did finally decide to let them in on the secret.'
"Maybe you should all sit down." Harry knew that this information was sure to shock them all greatly and probably scare them as well. Would Dumbledore even want him to tell them this information? He hadn't mentioned whether or not he should tell anybody what the prophecy said, but then again did he care? They were his friends and they had the right to know. "The prophecy in the department wasn't the only record of its message. The prophecy was originally told to Dumbledore so therefore he knows its full contents. Basically it said that Voldemort and I can only be killed by the other and that in the end one of us must die by the hand of the other." Harry told them all.
Ron and Hermione both seemed to go into shock. Ron's face was completely white and he hadn't moved a bit. Hermione had the same blank look on her face that Ron had but she also had a lone tear running down her cheek. Ginny was the only one that seemed to be able to keep her composure. She looked sad but wasn't in shock and wasn't crying.
"You just can't catch a break can you?" she joked. Her face no signs of telling a joke, however. "We will be here for you though Harry. Anytime you need help with anything or just someone to talk to; we are here for you." She finished more seriously.
"Of course we will. This is just so horrible. You have to either be killed or be a killer. There isn't a more unfair or worse fate out there. I am so sorry Harry." Hermione said coming back to her senses.
"Thanks a lot guys. It means a lot to me to know that my friends are by my side. You do realize the danger you will all be in though right? I don't blame any of you if you want to get away now." Harry told them. They weren't given the opportunity to answer though as Mrs. Weasley came into the room.
"Professor Dumbledore needs to speak with you in the kitchen Harry. It's good to see you again, dear."
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as he left the room to go meet with his headmaster. He figured that he wanted talk something about the prophecy and Harry felt his mood darken even a little more than it already had been when he walked into the house. He entered kitchen to see the old man smiling at him behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Good evening Harry. How was apparition?"
"It hasn't got anything on flying but its quickness." Dumbledore smiled at him.
"I have a couple of things I need to speak with you about. First off, Sirius put it in his will that this house would be given to you. I am asking that you allow me to continue on as secret keeper and allow the order to continue to use it."
"No problem there. I hate this house. You can have it for all I care," he said very darkly.
"The pain will leave eventually Harry. I know it is hard for you to be here but there is no other option as you now know why. Your protection happens to be the most important thing to our cause in this war, and for that I am sorry."
"I don't blame you. What else was it we needed to discuss, sir," said Harry wanting to change the subject quickly.
"I have made a very important discovery. It is another prophecy dealing with the defeat of Voldemort and as I promised you that I would hold nothing else from you, I am here."
"How did you discover it?" He was all of the sudden interested in this conversation. He wanted to get this whole Voldemort part of his life behind him as soon as he could and here Dumbledore had information that could help him.
"It was made a week ago and an unspeakable tipped me off to it. He showed me its contents knowing that it would help our cause. It deals with the Heir of Gryffindor. To sum it up, it says that the heir will play a vital role in the battle against Voldemort."
"But, sir, that doesn't really help me with anything. I already have you to help me and it doesn't tell me how to defeat Voldemort," said Harry, feeling his mood drop back down again.
"Thank you, Harry. You are quite correct in that this prophecy does not really tell us anything important but it did get me thinking and what I found is very important. I have discovered who the heir is."
"It would make sense for it to be you." Harry suggested.
"But in reality you are the heir. That is the importance of it. You the heir of Gryffindor will do battle against the heir of Slytherin as your ancestors did in their time."
"I can't be, sir. My father would have known if he was related to Gryffindor." How could he possibly be the heir of Gryffindor? In truth he was more of just hoping that he wasn't the heir. The last thing he needed at the moment was more attention put his way and this was sure to do that. Why did everything have to happen to him?
"Believe me you are. What was it that you pulled out of the sorting hat in your second year Harry? The sword of Gryffindor. That was a huge hint into the truth."
"But how does this really help me? I don't understand that."
"You will. You are going to have to trust me. Telling you wouldn't be the right thing to do. I would like the world to know about this though. It will strike even more fear into the heart of Voldemort for your ancestor defeated his."
"Voldemort will never fear me. I don't have the power that you do."
"He already does Harry. Why do you think he is constantly trying to kill you? Why do you think he tried to kill you before you could even speak? You are his largest threat and he knows it. Nothing scares him more than you do, especially when he learns this new information about you."
"Thank you, sir."
"And to do deal with your power, you will have lessons with me instead of regular Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will need to learn things that the rest of the students would not be able to handle for you do have more power than they."
"I am already looking forward to it, sir."
"I really must be going though, Harry. It has been a pleasure."
