Disclaimer: Harry Potter is NOT mine! It is all owned by JK Rowling, Warner Bros and anyone else JK Rowling has deemed worthy enough to own a piece of her masterpiece, and again, I am NOT one of those who are worthy. I'm just having some fun in JK Rowling's magnificent sandbox.
"Quickly Harry," Dumbledore urged as he rushed toward the house, wand already drawn. Harry chased after the Headmaster, his own wand in hand.
Without a word, a red bolt shot from Dumbledore's wand and struck the closest Death Eater. The cloaked wizard dropped to the ground without a sound but the red light had caught the attention of the others.
"Shite! It's Dumbledore!" a gruff voice shouted. "Give the signal. I'm not sticking around to fight him." The speaker vanished with a sharp CRACK. Harry heard two other CRACKs come from the other side of the house as he and Dumbledore neared the front door that had been blasted off its hinges.
"Carefully Harry, there might be more of them inside," Dumbledore warned. "Stay behind me."
The pair slowly crept into the house. Harry's senses were screaming at him that something just wasn't right but he ignored them and followed Dumbledore down the hallway.
"Crucio!" a voice sneered from deeper inside the house. A hoarse scream followed. Harry chanced a glance at Dumbledore and saw that the Headmaster's face was as white as his beard.
"We don't have time for that," a second voice snarled. "You heard the others leave, that must mean the Ministry is here."
"Good, I can handle some of those Auror whelps," the first voice snarled back. "If you want to return to the Dark Lord empty handed like those cowards fine, but I shall not fail him again. Crucio!"
The screaming began again, sending chills racing up Harry's spine. The first voice sounded vaguely familiar to Harry, a nagging feeling that he had heard it before.
"That is quite enough gentleman," Dumbledore said as he entered the room. "I believe you have encroached on Horace's hospitality long enough."
"Dumbledore," a Death Eater hissed.
"Ah Walden, your brief sojourn to Azkaban has done little to make you see the error of your ways," Dumbledore commented.
"Azkaban has no hold over me old man," Walden sneered. Harry noticed something shiny hanging from the man's belt and it all suddenly clicked. The Death Eater was Walden Macnair, former Ministry executioner and one of the Death Eaters who Harry thought had been captured a month ago at the Department of Mysteries. "This little pig has something that the Dark Lord wants, and he hasn't squealed just yet, so I'll be with you in a moment. Jerkins, deal with the old fool."
The second Death Eater froze, to Harry, it looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in that room with Dumbledore. "I didn't sign up for this," the man said before vanishing with a CRACK.
"Coward," Macnair spat. "He shall be dealt with. But first, you old man, Avada Kedavra!"
Dumbledore moved with a speed that bellied his advanced age and Summoned a bookcase in front of him and Harry, blocking the Killing Curse. The wooden bookcase burst into green flames reminding Harry of the Floo for a brief moment.
Rage filled Harry at the sight of the green flames. He had only felt such potent anger once before and that was when Bellatrix had killed Sirius a month ago.
"Reducto!" he bellowed. A bolt of blue magic shot from his wand and screamed across the room. Macnair saw the spell but was too slow to block it. With a wet thump, the spell slammed into Macnair's chest and sent the Death Eater flying into the opposite wall.
A weak and watery cough from the wall drew Harry's attention. Macnair was at the base of the wall, a large hole in his chest. Blood was pouring from the wound and his mouth but the Death Eater paid it no mind, giving Harry a toothy grin, teeth that were stained red with blood. Harry felt his stomach rebel at the gory sight but managed not to vomit.
"Pathetic Potter," Macnair sneered. "You see a bit of blood and guts, and you're about to wet your pants like a babe. That is why my Lord will kill you, you are all weak, not willing to do what it takes to win, not willing to get your hands dirty, to feel the blood you spill cover your hands. Well, you aren't so pure and innocent now are you Potter? You've blood on your hands now too, just like us." And those were the final words of Walden Macnair as the man's head slumped forward onto his chest.
"Harry, are you all right?" Dumbledore asked gravely.
Harry nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the corpse of Macnair.
"Please stay here Harry, I must check on Horace," Dumbledore said. He noticed Harry's gaze still on the body and silently conjured a blanket that covered the corpse. The Headmaster then walked over to the quivering body of the man the Death Eaters had been torturing.
"Horace, Horace, can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked, kneeling down next to the overweight man. "I am going to put you to sleep and send you to Hogwarts. Poppy will be there and take care of you, can you nod if you understand me?"
The rotund man managed to nod in the midst of all his trembling. Dumbledore smiled down at him and muttered, "Somnus!" The man went limp as Dumbledore's sleeping spell took effect. With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore sent a silver dart flying out the window and into the night. He then placed a woolen sock on the man's chest before muttering, "Portus!"
The sock glowed blue and in a swirl of light, the Portkey transported the man away from the ruined home. Dumbledore rose to his feet and turned back to Harry, who was still staring at the now covered corpse of the Death Eater.
"Harry," Dumbledore said sharply. The teen looked up at his Headmaster. "Why didn't you Stun Walden?"
"What?" Harry asked blankly.
"I asked you why didn't you use a Stunning Spell?" Dumbledore asked. "You instead used a Blasting Curse."
Deep in the back of Harry's head, a voice argued why the Headmaster was even asking the question. Macnair was a Death Eater, a willing follower of Voldemort, and most likely a murderer who had escaped justice several times.
"I just reacted," Harry answered. "I saw him use that spell and got so angry, I just used the first spell that came to mind. He was a Death Eater though; one that had been captured last month wasn't he? Why was he here?"
"It seems that Tom has managed to free his captured followers," Dumbledore said. "The Ministry is still weak and quite reeling from the death of Madam Bones. Now Harry, we must leave, come along."
Harry felt Dumbledore grip his arm and lead him from the house, and with a loud CRACK, they were gone.
When Harry's world finally stopped spinning, he noticed that they had arrived at the Burrow. The ramshackle house with its unkempt yard filled Harry with a warmth that he hadn't known he was missing.
"Harry, before I hand you over to Molly, there is something first we must discuss," Dumbledore said. "Come with me."
The Headmaster led Harry into Mr. Weasley's shed and shut the door with a wave of his wand.
"Harry, I hope that you realize what you have done?" Dumbledore asked, peering over his half-moon glasses at Harry.
"I killed someone," Harry said slowly. "I didn't mean too sir, I was just so angry and when I saw Macnair use that curse, I just reacted. I didn't think that it would kill him. It was the first spell that popped into my head."
Dumbledore nodded. "Ok Harry," he said. "I had hoped that you would never have to deal with this burden. Magic is a delicate balancing act, it can be used to help, heal and create wondrous things but it is also dangerous. Magic can cause death, destruction and despair just as easily."
"But he was a Death Eater?" Harry argued, feeling the need to defend himself. "He was trying to kill both of us, he used an Unforgivable."
"But does that mean you are to be his executioner?" Dumbledore pressed. "Just because he was a Death Eater doesn't mean you had to kill him."
Harry felt as if he had been struck in the stomach by one of Dudley's punches. Dumbledore thought him a killer. "So what about Voldemort?" Harry asked. "The prophecy says that I am the only one who can kill Voldemort, you yourself said that it will come down to one of us killing the other."
Thanks to the dim lighting of the shed, Harry missed the movement of Dumbledore's face at Harry's comment.
"There are other ways to defeat a Dark wizard without becoming a killer," said Dumbledore. The Headmaster's eyes gained a satisfied gleam at Harry's shoulders falling. "Do not hinder yourself with these heavy thoughts young Harry, I know that you will defeat Voldemort. Now let us not deprive Molly of your company any longer."
With a wave of his arm, Dumbledore opened the shed door and ushered Harry outside. As Harry and the Headmaster approached the back door of the kitchen, Harry saw that the lights in the kitchen were lit signaling that someone was up and about. Dumbledore pulled Harry up to the door and knocked sharply. Harry heard a pot or pan clang on the floor, obviously dropped by someone, and then the rapid approach of footsteps.
"Who's there? Declare yourself!" Harry heard the trembling voice of Molly Weasley through the door.
"It is I, Dumbledore, bringing Harry," Dumbledore announced.
"What do you wish people would give you for Christmas instead of books?" a new but familiar voice asked. Harry did see Dumbledore's face twitch at the question.
"A pair of thick woolen socks," Dumbledore answered brightly.
The door opened to revel a haggard and tired looking Tonks and Mrs. Weasley.
"Oh Albus we weren't expecting you two until later," Molly said. "Come in, come in. Nymphadora and I were just having some tea."
"No need Molly, I was just leaving," Tonks said. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy Molly but I need to report back."
Now in the Burrow proper, Harry saw that Tonks looked nothing like she had the last time he had seen her. Her hair was a mousy brown instead of her normal vibrant bubblegum pink and her face was lined and drawn.
"No need to leave because of me Nymphadora," said Dumbledore. But Tonks just waved the Headmaster off and made her way through the door and out into the night.
"Well Molly, I must be off as well," Dumbledore said. "There was an incident while I was escorting Harry here that I must inform the Ministry, I leave Harry in your capable hands." The Headmaster doffed his hat to Mrs. Weasley before leaving the Burrow.
"It is so good to see you Harry but I must say we were not expecting you until morning," Mrs. Weasley said. "Everyone is already in bed I'm afraid."
"It's ok Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. "I'm sure that Dumbledore expected us to arrive later. We were supposed to recruit a former teacher to come back to Hogwarts to teach Defense. I think Dumbledore said the man's name was Horace or something."
"Horace, Horace Slughorn?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Harry shrugged. "Well, if it is Horace Slughorn, for him to teach Defense will be a change."
"Why?"
"Horace Slughorn was the Potions Master when Arthur and I went to Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley explained. "Very good teacher though Arthur didn't think much of him."
"Why is that?" asked Harry.
"Well Slughorn had quite a few favorites," Molly said. "And Arthur was not one of them. He said that Arthur's obsession with Muggles was going to hold him back. But what does he know! Has Ron told you?" she added when Harry looked confused.
"Told me what?" Harry asked.
"Arthur's been promoted!" Mrs. Weasley squealed.
"That's brilliant!" Harry said with a large smile.
"Yes, he is now the Head of the Department for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects."
"Wow, um what exactly is that?"
"Well with all the panic about You-Know-Who, curious things have been popping up all over the place. Things for sale, protective items that one supposed to help protect oneself from You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. I am sure that you can imagine such things, protective amulets that actually do nothing, potions that are supposed to change your appearance but just have a bit of bubotuber pus in them or even instructions for defensive spells that will make your ears fall off instead. So Arthur is in charge of a group of ten men who are supposed to confiscate such things so they don't fall into people's hands. In fact, Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakascopes that were most certainly placed by a Death Eater. It's a very important job, and much better than that obsession over spark plugs and batteries and the rest of that Muggle rubbish."
The rumbling of Harry's stomach stopped Molly's rant quite quickly.
"Oh dear me, you must be starving. I'll just whip something up for you," Molly said rising from the table and bustled over to the kitchen counter.
"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as he felt something furry brush against his leg. Looking down, Harry saw the bandy-legged and stripped body of Hermione's cat, Crookshanks.
"Here you are dear," Mrs. Weasley said placing a bowl of stew and loaf of bread in front of Harry.
"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Harry repeated before digging in. "So Hermione is here?"
"Yes, she arrived several days ago," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny has been thrilled to have another girl to talk too, aside from Fleur of course."
"Fleur? Fleur Delacour?"
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley answered, a bit shortly. "She is staying with us because she and Bill are engaged."
"Engaged!" Harry chocked on a large spoonful of stew. "Engaged to be married?"
"Indeed," Mrs. Weasley said though she was frowning. Dimly Harry recalled a comment that one of the twins had made last year that Bill and Fleur had been working together at Gringotts for the last year. "Though they are moving much too fast, it is all this You-Know-Who fear. Like the last time, people are rushing off to be married so they could have some time together."
At Mrs. Weasley's words, Harry recalled that his own parents had married right out of Hogwarts. He was about to ask Mrs. Weasley about that when there was a knock at the door. Both Harry and Mrs. Weasley froze at the sound.
"Molly, are you still up?"
Harry heard Mrs. Weasley release a sigh of relief at the sound of Mr. Weasley's voice. "Oh Arthur, its you. Thank Merlin," she said. Mrs. Weasley rose from the kitchen table and went to the back door. But she didn't open it. "If you are really my Arthur, then what is his greatest ambition?"
A low chuckle came from outside. "To discover how airplanes stay in the air," Mr. Weasley said. "Now your turn…"
"Arthur, that isn't necessary," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, her cheeks turning quite rosy.
"Molly, we must be an example to others," Mr. Weasley said firmly. "Now what do I call you when we are alone?"
Harry felt his face burn and quickly scrapped at the bottom of his bowl as loudly as he could but still heard Mrs. Weasley whisper, "Mollywobbles."
"There, now that wasn't so hard," Mr. Weasley said. Mrs. Weasley, her face still burning brightly, opened the door and the patriarch of the Weasley family stepped inside. He looked very much the same as the last time Harry had seen him; thin and balding wearing horn-rimmed glasses and had a long and dusty traveling cloak over one arm.
"Hell dear, oh something smells wonderful," Mr. Weasley said after kissing his wife on the cheek. He turned toward the table and saw a blushing Harry. "Harry, we didn't expect you till morning."
"Yes, well the errand that Dumbledore wanted me for ended sooner than he expected," said Harry.
"Oh, what was that?" Mr. Weasley asked, taking a seat next to Harry.
"He wanted me to convince a former teacher, Horace Slughorn, to come out of retirement and teach this year," Harry explained.
"And? Did Slughorn accept the position?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
"I'm not sure," Harry answered. "When we got to Slughorn's house, it was being attacked by Death Eaters."
"What!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shouted.
Immediately, Mrs. Weasley came around the table and began examining Harry with a critical eye. Mr. Weasley had fallen back into his chair and wiped at his pale face with a handkerchief that he procured from his pocket.
"What happened?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"I don't really know what happened before we got to the house," Harry said. "But one of the Death Eaters was torturing Slughorn with the Cruciatus Curse." Mrs. Weasley gasped. "It was Walden Macnair."
"Macnair? But he was caught at the Ministry last month," asked Mrs. Weasley with a confused look. Mr. Weasley's face grew grim.
"You-Know-Who managed to break his followers out last week," Arthur said. "It has been extremely difficult keeping that out of the public's knowledge."
"You knew about this Arthur, and didn't tell me?" Mrs. Weasley cried.
"I couldn't, we were sworn to secrecy by the Minister," Mr. Weasley argued. "I wanted to tell you but I couldn't."
"How did he break them out?" Harry asked. Mr. Weasley looked at Harry with a solemn face.
"Harry, I don't know if I should be telling you this," he admitted.
"Mr. Weasley, I have been part of this fight pretty much my entire life," Harry said. "And certainly ever since I re-entered the magical world when I turned eleven."
"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said. "You are only fifteen, let the adults handle these sorts of things."
Harry felt a surge of anger flash through him. "I am not a child Mrs. Weasley," he said. "And I don't have a lot of trust in the adults around me at the moment. Fourth year, they failed to stop my name from coming out of the Goblet of Fire and all that happened afterward. Last year, I was imprisoned with my relatives, put under a watch and still had to fend off two Dementors. And what did I get for my actions; I was put on trial and nearly expelled, or thrown in Azkaban by the adults who are supposed to protect me and the rest of the wizarding world. And then at Hogwarts, Umbridge tortured me and none of those adults did anything to stop it. And those adults didn't tell me that Voldemort could send false images into my head, and we all know how that turned out. So excuse me for not having much trust in the adults in my life!"
Mrs. Weasley looked stricken and her husband looked as if he had just been struck in the stomach. The sounds of pounding feet made the two Weasleys and Harry turn in time to see three new figures come rushing down the stairs.
"Harry!" the voices of Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley rang through the kitchen as the two girls rushed over and pulled Harry into a rib-cracking hug. Harry grinned at Ron over the heads of the two girls, which the tall boy returned.
"Hey mate, when did you get here?" Ron asked.
"Only a little bit ago," Harry answered. "Um Hermione, Ginny, its getting a bit hard to breathe here."
The two girls released Harry and stepped back, mumbling an apology.
"What are you three doing up?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Well, I heard yelling," Hermione said. "And as I was getting up, I accidentally woke Ginny up. Ronald was coming back from the…"
"The bathroom," Ron cut in. "I was coming back from the bathroom when I saw Hermione and Ginny leaving Ginny's room and followed them down here. What's going on?"
"It's nothing for you child…" Mrs. Weasley trailed off as Harry's words came back to her. She turned to her husband and saw that he was also deep in thought. "Why don't you all take a seat, there are some things we should talk about."
Ron and Ginny looked at one another, they had never seen their mother acting like this. The three newcomers found seats at the table, Ron on Harry's right, Hermione to Harry's left and Ginny next to Hermione.
"Harry, what you brought up about how little trust you have for the adults in your life is completely justified," Mr. Weasley said. "We have not been there for you and for that I apologize. Adults are the ones who are supposed to protect the children, not the other way around. All four of you are in the middle of this because of what happened a month ago."
"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said but her husband stopped her with a raised hand.
"No Molly, they need to know so that they can protect themselves," Arthur said. "Ronald, Ginny, Hermione, I don't know how much you overheard but the Death Eaters that you helped capture last month are now free."
"What!" Ron and Ginny shouted.
"How?" Hermione asked.
"You-Know-Who found out where his followers were being held and broke them out about a week ago," Arthur said. "The Minister deemed the break out as a national security secret, and anyone possibly connected was sworn to secrecy."
"If you were sworn to secrecy, why are you telling us?" Hermione asked, her face was white as a sheet.
"When Dumbledore picked me up, we went to get a teacher to come out of retirement," Harry said. "When we got to Slughorn's house, it was being attacked by Death Eaters. And one of the Death Eaters was Walden Macnair."
"Walden Macnair?" Ron and Ginny asked, trying to recall the man.
"Buckbeak!" Hermione exclaimed. "He was the Ministry member who was going to execute Buckbeak in third year." Harry nodded.
"What happened to the Death Eaters?" Ron asked. "Did they get away?"
"Some did," Harry said. "Dumbledore Stunned one and I…" Harry paused here, trying to figure out what to tell the others. He had killed Macnair, yes the man was a Death Eater and had tried to kill Harry and Dumbledore, but Harry had killed Macnair.
"Harry?" Hermione asked quietly. "What's wrong?"
"During the fight, Macnair cast the Killing Curse at Dumbledore and me," Harry said. "It's the curse that took my parents and Sirius from me, and I got so angry. And I hit Macnair with a Blasting Curse in the chest and killed him."
Harry couldn't bear to look up and see the horrified face of the Weasleys and Hermione, their eyes accusatory and calling him a murderer. And that is what Harry was now, a killer, and what he was destined to be.
"Oh Harry," Hermione said as she wrapped Harry in a warm hug. "Are you ok?"
"You aren't disgusted with me?" Harry asked, his voice small and child-like. "I am a killer, a murderer."
"NO!" Hermione, Mr. Weasley and Ginny cried.
"Harry, you are the furthest thing from a murderer," Mr. Weasley said. "Did you mean to kill him? Did you take pleasure in the fact that Macnair is dead?"
"No! Of course not!" Harry cried. "I was just so angry at Macnair for using the Killing Curse, and I thought he would block my spell anyway."
"Harry, Walden Macnair was a right piece of work," Arthur said. "Even without joining the Death Eaters, he was a most distasteful person. He took pride and joy in his job as the Ministry's dangerous beast executioner. Macnair was a very bad man. You did not intentionally set out to kill someone; you reacted in life and death situation. The fact that you feel bad about Macnair being dead tells me that you are no cold-blooded killer, and certainly not a murderer. The Death Eaters have no qualms about killing our side, I shall cry no tears for Walden Macnair."
Harry was quite surprised at Mr. Weasley's frank admission and belief in him, and he could tell that his wife and children and Hermione were as well.
"During the last war, there were many believe that Barty Crouch Sr. had the right idea in how to deal with the Death Eaters, allowing the Aurors to use lethal force," Arthur explained. "We were losing the war last time, and his decision began to turn the tide. It gave the Aurors a chance to level the battlefield, no longer were they held back by their spell choice. Now, they didn't use the Unforgivables but they were not limited to only capture spells. And then that Halloween happened, and the war was over. But now we are fighting this war all over again, and once again we are on the back foot. So Harry, I do not blame you for using a potentially lethal spell when protecting yourself against someone who has no qualms about killing you."
Harry felt something settle over him that he had never felt before. It was a warmth that filled his entire body, like he had just downed an entire bottle of butterbeer in one go. He also felt greatly relieved that Mr. Weasley, who was now probably the closest thing Harry had to a father figure, was not condemning him. It gave Harry just a boost that he couldn't find the proper words to use to thank Mr. Weasley.
"The Aurors are not soldiers," Mr. Weasley continued. "The Ministry does not have a standing military force, since that would violate the treaty between the Ministry of Magic and Her Majesty's Government."
"What!" the teens exclaimed.
"Yes, Her Majesty's Government," Mr. Weasley said. "Not many, even within the Ministry, know this but there is a clause in the treaty that gave the Ministry of Magic the ability to govern the wizarding world of Britain. It says that the Ministry is not allowed to raise or have a standing military force. The military is under the direction of Her Majesty and the muggle government, it was a concession that the Ministry agreed to in order to separate the Muggle and Magical worlds. The Muggle government at the time was afraid of the threat that wizards and witches could pose to them, just like many witches and wizards are afraid of the muggles invading. So the muggle ruler at the time, Queen Anne, gave wizards and witches the ability to rule themselves, to some extent, in exchange for the vow to not raise a military force."
"Why isn't this taught in History of Magic?" Hermione asked. "Shouldn't this be one of the first things that we are taught as first years?"
"I do not know," Mr. Weasley said. "It certainly wasn't taught by Binns when I was at Hogwarts. It is only due to my position at the Ministry, and having to work closely with the Muggle government, that I've learned about this."
"But what about the Aurors?" Harry asked. "Don't they violate this clause?"
Mr. Weasley shook his head. "No," he said. ""While the Aurors are specially trained in how to deal with Dark witches and wizards, they are more like muggle defectives, I think they are called."
"Detectives," Hermione corrected. "But muggle police departments have their own special response forces, doesn't the Ministry of Magic have anything like that?"
"No," Mr. Weasley admitted. "The Ministry does have a small contingent of Hit Wizards but during Fudge's term as Minister, Fudge drastically reduced the budget for the DMLE and that made it nearly impossible to have any Hit Wizards on staff let alone an Auror Corps that was able to cover the entire country."
"So the Ministry is completely ineffective in fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Harry said. "What a surprise. No offense Mr. Weasley, but the way the Ministry has acted, it seems like it doesn't even want to win this war."
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked at Harry's words but Mr. Weasley gave Harry a grim smile.
"It does seem that way," he said. "The Minister wants to start fighting back but many are terrified that fighting will only make things worse."
"So they would rather stick their heads in the sand and hide instead of fighting back," Harry growled. "Cowards," he spat. "Or maybe they are hoping that another baby will lose its parents just to perform a miracle. Pathetic."
Molly and Arthur both winced at Harry's words. They knew they were guilty of this, they had celebrated the downfall of Voldemort all those years ago and had praised Harry for his part, forgetting the sacrifice that James and Lily had given, their very lives.
"Let us pray that it does not come to that," Mr. Weasley said. "Now I believe that we have stayed up long enough. It is time for bed."
None of the teens argued with Mr. Weasley and made their way upstairs. Harry was shown to Fred and George's old room as they had a flat above their shop in Diagon Alley. After saying goodnight to Ron, Hermione and Ginny, Harry climbed into bed and fell asleep instantly.
A thrilling sound pulled Harry from his slumber, quite reluctantly though as Harry did not want to wake up. The bed was much more comfortable than the lumpy and thin mattress that Harry slept on at the Dursleys. Harry slowly opened his eyes and reached for his glasses that he had thrown onto the side table the previous night.
"There they are," Harry muttered, finding his glasses and putting them on. "I'm up Hedwig, I'm up." He turned and saw, "You're not Hedwig."
Fawkes thrilled again, sounding like the phoenix was laughing.
"What are you doing here Fawkes?" Harry asked. The phoenix looked down at its leg, and so did Harry. A scroll was attached to Fawkes' leg. "Oh right," Harry said. He reached over and untied the scroll from the phoenix's leg. "What does the Headmaster want?"
Fawkes thrilled uncertainly.
"Thank you Fawkes, um I don't have any treats for you though," Harry said. "Sorry about that."
Fawkes thrilled musically and rubbed his head against Harry's hand before flashing out of the room. Harry shook his head in amusement before undoing the elegant knot that was tied around the scroll. He unfurled the scroll and laid it on his lap.
Harry,
There were several items of importance that I was unable to inform you due to the events of last evening. First, I am sure that you are worried about Horace, well do not fret. He is recovering quite comfortably under the care of Madam Pomfrey, and shall be ready for classes come September. Secondly, I shall be taking a more vested interest in your education this year, as perhaps I should have sooner and so will be giving you private lessons this year. As do to the sensitive nature of these lessons, I will not go into further details just now. Thirdly, I implore you; as you now know the Prophecy, trust in your friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, and tell them the contents of it. They are your friends and closest allies, and coming from an old man, having others know will ease the burden that you have taken on so splendidly. Also please inform Miss Granger that your OWL results should arrive later today, that should ease quite a bit of her tension as well.
Until September,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry set the letter aside. He didn't know what to feel toward the Headmaster, their last two conversations were not the most amicable. Harry was quite surprised that Dumbledore mentioned private lessons with him; a small part of Harry was like 'finally', he wondered what the lessons would consist of. Another part of the letter stuck out to Harry, Dumbledore was telling Harry to tell Ron and Hermione the Prophecy. It was quite perplexing, as Dumbledore had made it seem that the Prophecy being kept secret was instrumental last year but now the Headmaster was telling him to tell more people about it. 'Why? I mean yes, I trust Ron and Hermione,' Harry thought. 'Dumbledore said that he couldn't tell me anything because he was afraid Voldemort would break into my mind. Sure there is this link between Voldemort and me that Ron and Hermione don't have, so the risk of him finding out through them is tiny. And I already told Andrew the basics of the Prophecy and I felt so much better after telling him.'
A knock on Harry's door drew him from his musing.
"Harry, are you up?" Harry heard Hermione's voice ask from the hallway.
"Yeah I'm up," Harry answered. "Come on in."
The door opened and Hermione and Ron both entered Harry's room.
"Good morning," Harry said.
"Morning mate," Ron said.
"I'm surprised that you are up Ron," Harry said with a grin. "Normally it takes a whole lot to get you up in the morning." Ron gave Harry his own grin in response.
"What's that Harry?" Hermione asked, pointing at Dumbledore's letter on the side table.
"It's a letter from Dumbledore that Fawkes dropped off just before you two came in," Harry said.
"A letter from the Headmaster!" Hermione exclaimed. "What does it say?"
"Read it for yourself," Harry said, handing the letter out to Hermione. She snatched the letter from Harry's hand and began reading, with Ron reading over her shoulder.
"Private lessons with Dumbledore," Ron said. "Blimey mate, what do you think they'll be about?"
"I have no clue as usual," Harry muttered. "I'm hoping that it will help me against Voldemort." Ron twitched at the name while Hermione frowned, still reading Dumbledore's letter, or rereading it more likely.
"Harry, what is this Prophecy?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Prophecy?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. "Was that that orb thing that had your name on it that we found at the Ministry?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "It was a Prophecy about Voldemort and me."
"You and Voldemort?" Hermione asked, not stuttering over the name. Harry nodded.
"But it was destroyed, wasn't it?" Ron asked.
"The Ministry's copy was destroyed, yes," Harry said. "But Dumbledore was the one who heard the Prophecy in the first place, and it was made by Professor Trelawney."
Hermione huffed. "Come now Harry, you can't believe that fraud," she said.
"Whether I believe it or not doesn't matter," Harry said. "Voldemort believes it and won't stop trying to find out what it says."
"What does the Prophecy say?" Ron asked eagerly.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have trice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" Harry said, relying the words that had been etched in his mind ever since Dumbledore had shown the memory to him two months ago.
"So that means…" Hermione began as she tried to process what Harry had just told her and Ron.
"It means that either I kill Voldemort or he will kill me," Harry said. "That is the way this war will end, with one of us dead."
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry with wide eyes.
"Oomph," Harry grunted as Hermione threw herself at Harry and wrapped him in a constricting hug.
"Man mate, everything happens to you doesn't it?" Ron chuckled in a flat attempt to lighten the mood.
"Yeah it does," Harry agreed, gently rubbing Hermione's back.
"So Dumbledore is going to be giving you private lessons?" Harry heard Hermione's muffled voice come from his chest.
"Yes," Harry said.
"They must be some special defense spells that will help protect you," Hermione said. Harry snorted.
"Yeah, like he has protected me so well so far," he said. Hermione and Ron looked at Harry in shock.
"How can you say that Harry? Dumbledore has always…" Hermione began but Harry cut her off.
"Done what Hermione?" he asked. "He abandoned me at the Dursleys, knowing that they wouldn't love me, and how many times have I had to fight Voldemort since we started Hogwarts? How many times have I nearly been killed at Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's watch?"
Neither Hermione nor Ron could answer Harry, as they thought about what Harry had said.
"But still Dumbledore is the only one that You-Know-Who ever feared," Ron said.
"Yeah but why is that?" Harry asked. "If Dumbledore is the one that Voldemort feared, why hasn't he fought Voldemort and stopped him? Sure he's dueled Voldemort, but he could have captured Voldemort, right? He's already defeated and locked up Grindelwald, couldn't he do the same thing to Voldemort?"
"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione asked. "Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 and…"
"Yes Hermione, Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 but he didn't kill Grindelwald," Harry said. "Dumbledore threw Grindelwald in prison after beating him in their duel. So it stands to reason that Dumbledore could have beaten Voldemort and lock him up. But he hasn't. Why?"
Again, neither Ron nor Hermione had an answer for Harry. Just then there was a knock on Harry's door.
"There you guys are," Ginny said as she entered the room.
"Harry!" A throaty voice cried as a new figure entered the room. Harry felt like much of the air in the room had just been sucked out at the appearance of Fleur Delacour. The tall, willowy blonde was as breathtaking beautiful as Harry recalled. She swept into the room, carrying a tray of food, and quickly placed the tray on the side table before kissing Harry on both cheeks that left them burning.
"Hello Fleur," Harry said thickly.
"Oh it is so good to see you again Harry," said Fleur. "It has been too long."
"Yeah it has," Harry agreed. Behind Fleur, Harry noticed a slight scowl on the faces of both Hermione and Ginny.
"You did not have to bring up Harry's tray," the annoyed voice of Mrs. Weasley preceded the Weasley matriarch as she entered the rapidly filling bedroom.
"I just wanted to see Harry, it was really no problem," Fleur said. Mrs. Weasley huffed.
"So Fleur, I hear congratulations are in order," Harry said, breaking the subtle yet tense silence that had fell over the room.
"Oh you already know!" Fleur exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley told me when I arrived last night," Harry said. "So you and Bill?"
"Yes, it has been quite a whirlwind," Fleur smiled brightly. "It is hard to imagine."
"When is the wedding?"
"Not until next summer," Fleur answered. "Bill wanted me to come and meet his family, so here I am."
"Yes well, why don't Fleur and I go back downstairs and finish cleaning up?" Mrs. Weasley suggested. "Let Harry have his breakfast in peace."
Fleur smiled at her future mother-in-law, though Harry thought the smile looked a bit forced. The dazzling blonde gave Harry another smile that seemed to suck the air from the room before gliding out the door; Mrs. Weasley followed Fleur leaving the four Hogwarts students alone.
Harry grabbed a piece of toast and some eggs from the tray and took a bite, tuning out Ron and Hermione's argument. He swallowed and turned to face the youngest Weasley.
"So this is what you have to deal with all the time?" Ginny asked when she noticed Harry looking at her.
"What, those two at each other's throats?" Ginny nodded. "Pretty much, you get used to it in time though. Becomes pretty easy to tune them out once you do."
Ginny giggled at Harry's joke, causing Ron and Hermione to stop their argument and look back at Harry and Ginny.
"Oh, are you two all done?" Harry asked.
"What are you talking about Harry?" Ron asked.
"Have you two finally stopped squabbling? It really gets on a bloke's nerves that you two are always arguing about something." Both Ron and Hermione flushed red in embarrassment. Their arguments were already legendary in the Gryffindor common room.
"Sorry Harry," said Hermione. Ron nodded beside her.
"Yeah sorry mate," he agreed.
Harry just shook his head, waving it off. "Just keep others in mind before you two go off on each other," he said. "Think of the others' eardrums."
"So if Slughorn is teaching Potions, then who do you think that will teach Defense?" Ginny asked as an uncomfortable silence settled over the room.
"Wait, if Slughorn is teaching Potions, then what is Snape going to teach?" asked Ron.
"Oh bollocks, you're right," Harry cursed. "I'll bet you that Snape is teaching Defense in that case."
"Shite!"
Ron, Harry and Ginny turned to the fourth person in the room.
"What?" asked Hermione, seeing the others looking at her.
"You swore Hermione," Harry said, Ron and Ginny were nodding slowly.
"So," Hermione challenged. "I think me cursing is appropriate for this situation. We all know that while Professor Snape is very knowledgeable about Potions and Defense but he certainly is not a good professor. A professor is supposed to help their students in an environment conducive to learning."
"It only took you five years to figure that out Hermione?" Ron joked. "Harry and I have been saying Snape is a terrible teacher ever since first year."
"So you two finally wore me down," Hermione admitted. Harry and Ron grinned at one another.
"Wow Hermione, I don't think I've heard you bad mouth a teacher ever," Ginny said, sounding very impressed.
"You never heard her talk about Umbridge then, did you Ginny?" Harry asked with a gleam in his eye.
"Yes well, she deserved everything she got," Hermione said, sitting down next to Harry on the bed and taking Harry's hand in hers, gently rubbing the back of his hand.
"Ron, Harry, Hermione, there are Hogwarts letters here for you," Mrs. Weasley's voice carried clearly up the stairs. "Yours too Ginny."
"Oh! Our OWLs are here!" Hermione exclaimed. She leapt from Harry's bedside and raced from the room.
"Mental that one," Ron muttered fondly. "Come on Harry, you know how Hermione gets about grades."
"Yeah I do," Harry chuckled. "But we love her anyway, I'll be down there in a moment."
Ron nodded and followed Hermione from the room, with Ginny right behind him.
When Harry reached the kitchen, Hermione was pacing around the kitchen with Ron and Ginny watching her with small grins on their faces. There were three letters on the table, and each had a different name on them.
"She hasn't opened hers yet?" Harry asked.
"She's too nervous," Ron chuckled. "Why, we aren't really sure. Hermione, you aced everything, you know, we know that, so just get on with it."
"No, I know I failed everything, I just know it," Hermione whimpered, wringing her hands nervously and glancing down at the letters.
"Hermione, if you failed even a single class I'll burn my Firebolt," said Harry. "There is no possible way that you got anything less than 12 Outstandings."
"Do you really think so Harry?" Hermione asked, starring at Harry with wide eyes.
"Of course he does, we both do," Ron cut in. "Now would you please just open the letter! Your nervousness is making me nervous."
"Fine," Hermione huffed though there was pinkish tinge on her cheeks as she reached across the table and picked up the thick envelope that had her name on it in vivid green writing. Ron then picked up his own letter and tossed Harry's his.
Harry easily opened the envelope and found that there were two letters inside. The first letter was Harry's OWL results.
Ordinary Wizarding Levels Results
Pass Grades
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (EE)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Harry James Potter has achieved:
Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures EE
Charms O
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Divination P
Herbology EE
History of Magic P
Potions EE
Transfiguration EE
Harry reread his results, feeling his chest loosen with each second. He hadn't failed anything, and best of all he had gotten in Defense and Charms, as well as receiving Exceeds Expectations in Transfiguration, Herbology, Care and even Potions. But seeing the EE next to Potions deflated his hopeful bubble, Snape had said that only those who had gotten an Outstanding would move on to NEWT Potions which meant he wouldn't be able to become an Auror, as the Academy required a NEWT of at least EE in Potions.
"What's with the long face Harry, let's see what you got?" Ron asked, shoving his letter into Harry's hands and grabbing Harry's own letter.
Harry scanned down Ron's letter and saw that it contained no Outstandings, though his other grades were much the same as Harry's.
"Ha, knew you would be tops in Defense," Ron laughed. "What about you Hermione, how'd you do?"
"Oh, all right I guess," Hermione said quietly. "Hey! Ronald!"
"Oh relax," Ron said as he had snatched Hermione's letter from her hands. "Knew it, look at this. All Outstandings, even in Defense."
"Wow congrats Hermione," Harry said as he read the letter over Ron's shoulder. "Knew that you had nothing to worry about."
"Thanks Harry," whispered Hermione, her face still red though Harry wasn't sure if it was because she was embarrassed or still angry at Ron for taking her results.
"Hey mum, are there any more sausages? We're NEWT students now!" Ron grinned waving the three letters above his head.
A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter has taken so long to be uploaded, it actually has been written for quite some time but I just had a bunch of other things that got in the way of uploading it; work, moving, other stories, new job...I'm sure you all get the idea. But hopefully uploading this chapter will get me back into the Harry Potter writing feel. Anyway, let me know what you all think of this chapter and the story so far. I do promise that it won't take 7+ months for me to upload a new chapter of this tale, til next time,
SlyNinjaKnight