Review Replies to Chapter 2:
Replying to kd35693: The pairing is still completely unknown; stop freaking out! And yes, Susan is at least as possible a love interest as Ginny as I replied to your PM.
Replying to Sammy-Jay Potter: I'm glad you enjoyed the second chapter. The idea that Cedric was the brother Harry always yearned for just seemed to fit and give Harry even more want for revenge. And I'm sorry to all those Ron fans out there but Ron never treats Harry as a brother - in fact he abandoned him twice! sure, he's his best mate, but not a brother- at least not until seventh year in canon when he finally matures.
Dumbledore being the magical guardian of Lily made perfect sense in my mind too. It would explain a great deal of questions never answered and give Dumbledore a huge reason to be close to Harry! A flashback - now that could be useful, except I'm not sure where I would put it. Rest assured though, I work on this story between 4-8 hours a day, so if it can be done, it WILL be done!
The duelling style of Sirius Black - oh god he is giving me such hell in chapter 5, which I am 90% finished writing at the moment! I will send you the draft of his first practice duel with Harry to see if you think it works, because I am totally out of my depth there! I'm going to add a saying in to this book in the wizarding world: "If you know half as many curses as a Black, you're a Dark Lord." completely made up, but I thought it would make sense for it to be a saying in the wizarding world! And all your points about Sirius' duelling style are excellent - I have read them quite a few times for ideas!
Remus being there for the meeting - I'm super sorry to disappoint, bt he is away on another mission during this time. Remember, he is the Order's only chance of keeping the werewolves in check - he probably saved hundreds of lives in canon stalling them.
Harry's fast healing you'll see why this chapter.
No Harmony - got it. So I have 1 vote for ginny, -1 for Hermione, and 1 for Susan. Also, I have 1 vote for a Fremione!
Sibling bonds - ok so the twins HAVE to have some sort of magical bond, And if sibling bonds exist then they definitely have one! I don't see them having a sibling soul bond, well actually it's quite possible just not any time soon in the story.
Thanks for reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Replying to UnscrewedUp: I am gratified that my Dumbledore POV wasn't a complete flub after all! I use A/N to justify myself not necessarily because I have to, I just can't help it.
Sirius' duelling style - I agree, he would know many of both kinds of magic. Snape - okay I tried setting up a poll on how Snape will work in this story but no one seems to have noticed. Should Snape professionally get along with Harry, or do they despise each other to the bitter end?
Albus will be devoting everything he has to making Harry his successor, just as Nicholas Flamel did with Dumbledore. Harry will be stronger than canon yes, but I do everything in my power to explain why. Again, not because I have to - I just like to make it clear that THIS IS NOT A GOD DAMNED INSTANT GOD HARRY FIC! Everything must have a reason and not just happen!
Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this whopper of a chapter!
Chapter 3: Coming Clean
June 25th-26th
"Come in, Harry" Dumbledore's cheery voice replied. "Would you like a lemon drop?"
As Harry opened the door and turned to answer no, he did not see the black blur rushing towards him and was immediately tackled by Padfoot and knocked to the floor. After receiving far too many slobbery kisses he managed to get the dog off of him; it promptly transformed into a grinning Sirius.
"Did you have to do that," Harry groaned as Sirius helped him off the floor, careful not to touch his wounds.
Sirius pretended to be affronted. "Did I have to? How dare you question my marauder's honor! Of course I have to!"
Dumbledore chuckled. "I seem to recall hearing that many a time from you and James when I would ask you why you charmed the Slytherin bowls to fly onto the heads of the owners and permanently stick there or some other prank equally trivial and genius."
Harry could tell they were wanting to lighten the mood, but they really needed to talk.
Sirius smiled reminiscently. "That was in our fifth year, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. I do seem to recall Professor Flitwick-"
Harry cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt the stroll down memory lane, and I will hear this story sometime over the summer, but I believe we both have questions that need to be answered. But first Sirius, please tell me you are NOT living in that cave still."
"Indeed he is not," Dumbledore interjected. "I have convinced him to abandon his cave and for the past several weeks he has been reluctantly living in his parent's house, a place I have put under the Fidelius, and been making suitable for human habitation." At Harry's questioning look Sirius chimed in, "My parents weren't the nicest people and I ran away and was taken in by your grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia. Apparently my mother has been dead for ten years of so and the only occupant has been an insane house elf who has been taking orders from dear mum's portrait all this time. We are also planning on using it as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
"What's the Order?" Harry asked, and the two adults filled him in on what it was and its purpose. As soon as they finished Harry said, "As much as I wish to know more about this we have a great deal of questions that really do need to be answered."
Sirius took a seat while Dumbledore peered over the top of his half moon glasses at Harry. "Indeed we do have many questions. I assume you would first like to know what exactly we learned in our interrogation of Barty Crouch Jr.?"
"That would be quite nice, sir."
"I too would like to know as well," Sirius chimed in.
"Very well then," Dumbledore said wearily, the twinkle in his eye dimming. He told Harry how the man had survived and escaped Azkaban - of course Sirius thought it wasn't a half bad prank - and of his involvement with the events of the quidditch world cup; his mission from Voldemort; the attack on Mad-Eye, polyjuice, the murder of his father, and finally how the cup was turned into a portkey. When Dumbledore had finished Harry was silent for a few moments; coming to a decision he said,
"OK, so that fits in perfectly with my side of the story. I have a hell of a lot of questions but this'll be much easier on both of us if you both witness the memory instead." Harry said slightly torn. He needed them to understand but was still nervous about showing the awful things that were done to him to anyone.
With a flick of his wand Dumbledore summoned the pensieve to him. Standing up he showed Harry how to take out the memory starting with placing your wand-tip to your temple; by concentrating first on the beginning and end of the memory, then major milestones inside it, making sure all the events in-between are stuck there, then imagining the whole thing being strung in order along a thread, and finally yanking away with your wand and placing the strand in some form of a container. It is also possible to take a memory out entirely instead of copying it, but that skill is fairly unknown to most. When placing the memory in Harry also asked Dumbledore how you could see outside of your own self in a memory and behind yourself; Dumbledore, fully in his element, was quite happy to explain that your magical aura stores the records of the area around you, so as long as you are looking with your eyes at one part of the area at that time the memory will show everything in the clarity you were viewing it in.
Once Harry had deposited the memory, he took a deep breath and said, "Its difficult to give you this memory but I understand why it's necessary. I'm warning you though, it's… really not pretty at all." Dumbledore and Sirius nodded gravely and ducked their heads in. Harry settled into his chair and reviewed what he needed to know.
Some time later the two emerged, looking queasy and shaken. Sirius had tears on his face and nearly cracked Harry's ribs with his bear hug.
"I'm sorry, i'm so so sorry Harry, I-" he sobbed but Harry cut him off.
"Sirius! There wasn't anything you could do to stop it, don't work yourself into a fit." Sirius nodded and asked him, "So… are you okay and all with Cedric's death? And don't you dare blame yourself for that either, cause if you do then I swear by all the-"
"Look, I can't deny that the events that happened last night have messed me up a good bit. But I have truly come to terms with Cedric's death. I know that I am not the one who killed him, even if it still hurts like hell." Harry stopped and continued on in a very unsure voice. "I… I'm gonna need your help getting over this though, and as long as I'm working to bring those bastards down I think I'll be able to let it go… please could I talk to you if I ever need too…" Harry was cut off by Sirius' indignant exclamations that of course he would always be there for him; he was the last of his family besides Moony! Sirius then moved in for the kill.
After the second Hagrid- worthy tackle he set off on a stream of expletives and curses about Wormtail so foul Harry didn't even know they could exist, but he felt like a good bit of weight had been lifted off his shoulders by Sirius' reassurances.
Dumbledore's face however was a whirlpool of emotions - but astonishingly the most prevalent one on his face was hope. Without taking any heed of the two he strode over to a chest filled with silver instruments, and began digging into it, tossing instruments out right and left.
"Where is it, where is it," they heard him mutter.
Harry ducked as a bronze astrolabe complete with lava lamp fixtures sailed overhead, shattering against the wall. "What's gotten into him? Has he finally realized the soothing practice of destruction?" Harry wondered aloud to Sirius. The man simply settled back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
"Whatever happened to him, I kinda like it."
Dumbledore found whatever he was looking for and rushed over to Harry, carrying a silver instrument about the size of a football, with various twisted pieces of metal sticks jutting out in odd places. In the center two tea-kettle pipes were sticking out.
"May I?" Dumbledore asked and without waiting for confirmation he took Harry's hand and placed it on the object. A smoky black panther came out of one end while from the other a small snake emerged grabbing on to the panther's tail. as they watched the snake dissipated into a wisp of smoke and the panther doubled in size roaring triumphantly. Dumbledore actually whooped and started dancing around the room with joy.
Sirius just watched this mouth agape at the Headmaster's strange behavior and after failing to get the old man's attention Harry had had enough.
"DUMBLEDORE WOULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON!" he bellowed.
Dumbledore stopped his celebrations abruptly but as he took his seat his eyes were still out-twinkling the stars.
"Before I begin explaining the reasons behind my rather odd behaviour I would like to stress that most of what I am about to tell you is simply theory. What I do know is that on the night everything changed, when the killing curse rebounded upon Voldemort years ago a fragment of his soul flew off from the rest and attached itself to harry, creating a partial horcrux." Dumbledore raised his hands to stop Sirius and Harry mid-speak.
"Please, no questions until I finish." Seeing that the two had closed their mouths, he continued. "I suppose I should start off by explaining that the night you were pulled from the wreckage in Godric's Hollow I ran some tests to see if there were any adverse effects from the killing curse; what I found was a foreign entity in your body. What a horcrux is; a container for a piece of one's soul, which can only be done through a ritual and committing the worst crime possible; tearing the soul apart with murder. No one has ever been known to create more than one, but I believe if Voldemort did do so that he created many, severely destabilising his soul. In support of this theory the diary may very well have been a horcrux from your second year, especially considering the only way to destroy them is either using basilisk venom or Fiendfyre; also Voldemort's words from the graveyard, his experiments, being less than the meanest spirit but alive, all of this points to the theory. Anyways, the killing curse was just too much for his weakened soul, blasting the fragment off. Now this was not a true horcrux without the ritual, so instead of bonding to your soul as well it simply tagged along with you. The basilisk venom did nothing because it simply attacks the container itself; Fiendfyre however attacks the soul as well. Considering how loosely attached the incomplete horcrux was the Fiendfyre must have destroyed it. Please understand that I have been tirelessly seeking a way to save you for nearly fourteen years, and to have Tom do it for me… well, to say I'm happy is an understatement. Now I know that eventually Voldemort's links to immortality must be severed, but it is not at all a pressing concern right now as my centaur friend Firenze has informed me that the final battle is still years away. In any case, it will be at the shortest many months before I have acquired the information necessary to even know if they exist, let alone search for their location. I would kindly request that you let me worry about that for the moment." Sirius gave Dumbledore a thumbs-up. "Also, if you are going to be angry at me for not telling you this and a certain prophecy to you when you first arrived at Hogwarts then you have a right to."
"Quite the bombshell you dropped old man," Sirius said after an awkward pause digesting this horrifying information.
"I do not blame you for not telling me this," Harry said softly. "That's hardly the sort of thing you burden an eleven year old with. I do have a couple more questions however. For one, do I still have my link with Voldemort? And can I still use Parseltongue?"
Dumbledore nodded his head, quite relieved Harry wasn't upset with him. "Ah, as to both of those questions the answer is yes. Parseltongue is a magical ability; to use it your magic had to adapt to certain changes for this, so even without the horcrux your magic itself will still remember how too. As for the link, I'm afraid it has been with you far too long, and will have the connection now to your soul instead of just the horcrux. However, hopefully I will be able to teach you to block it before Voldemort ever realizes and uses it to manipulate you. In fact, you used some of this ability to block out the pain in the graveyard."
"How would I go about that, sir?"
So Dumbledore explained what legilimency and occlumency were, how they worked, and the advantages associated with them. He also pointed out another point that amused Harry to no end.
"A master legilimens such as Voldemort can see what their opponent's next move is going to be before they even move if the mind is unprotected as well."
This sent Harry into gales of laughter. When Dumbledore and Sirius asked what Harry thought was so funny, he replied, "Well when I drew my wand and accidentally willed that new spell into existence the words I thought with all my might were, 'Die, Bitch!'"
At this Sirius started laughing uncontrollably while Dumbledore looked like someone had just returned his favorite sock.
"Well I'm sure that Tom found that quite infuriating, though I would request that you remember those words for later. They will be quite important."
When Sirius had finally calmed down enough, Harry asked Dumbledore bluntly, "I know why you didn't tell me the prophecy earlier. But everything has changed, and I must be informed now. I assume you know the contents?"
"Very well," said Dumbledore, feeling it could not be put off any longer. Standing up he raised his wand to his own temple. Pulling out a memory he deposited it in the basin. Dumbledore sat back down behind his desk and after a moment prodded the silvery stuff in the basin with his wand-tip.
A figure rose out of itm draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin. But when Sybill Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had heard her use once before.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the 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…"
There was another pregnant pause, and Sirius spoke first.
"But wasn't Neville also…"
"Ah, but you are forgetting the 'marked as an equal' part," Dumbledore said pointing to Harry's scar.
"It's me, Sirius," Harry said determinedly. "And I accept this prophecy. I will kill this bastard!" He spoke with such force that the instruments on the shelves rattled. Sirius gazed at him worriedly.
"You don't have to…"
"You're right, I don't." Harry interrupted. "I have a choice. And I choose to do this." Dumbledore looked at him with both sadness and pride. He saw Harry in a way he never had before.
"And we will assist you, every step of the way." Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement, and asked Dumbledore why the spells connected the way they did. Dumbledore explained how Priori Incantatem worked, and then moved on.
"So now may I assume that you wish to know about your rush of power after the torture in the graveyard and the creation of a new spell?" Receiving another nod, he continued. "Once again, this all starts the back on that fateful night. In on moment at that time you had more power coursing through you than any being as ever felt. The combination of your mother's blood protection, already spectacularly powerful; another instance of the power of love; and taking in the energy of the killing curse, and throwing it back at Voldemort, created a huge reaction within you. So picture magic as water within a container in another dimension. The leaks and cracks in the container are its way of reaching through to this world, AKA magical beings. Now keep in mind that magic is still all about intent as I explain. Some weaker witches and wizards are merely a couple droplets leaking through, while others, such as Voldemort and myself, are like streams. Some have more focused channels than others as well. You were born a combination of two quite powerful witches and wizards, and although you had above average power as a babe it was still not on the level of Tom. I am sure you have talked about how in class the more you use magic regularly the more powerful it becomes, not unlike exercising a muscle. Well on that night you channel through which you can use magic was blasted wide open into more of a raging whirlpool or river. Ironically this sudden influx would have killed you if not for the horcrux. For in order for the piece of Tom's soul to sustain itself without the completed ritual, it had to constantly be leeching magic off of you for the past fourteen years. Even at your current age it would still have been dangerous, and had your magic not been severely depleted working overtime to help you survive the torture, it could have been fatal. Now combine this sudden wave of power crashing down through you, and then factor in the all consuming power of love you were using, and in those few minutes you could have willed almost anything to occur. It was this that gave you the ability to not only create a new spell, but also do a complex transfiguration combined with a banisher wandlessly, killing a Death Eater. Tomorrow, if it is okay with you, could we go down to a hidden spot on the grounds and I help you re-create the spell?" Harry saw a gleam in his eyes and caught a glimpse of the eccentric inventor Dumbledore used to be.
"Absolutely sir, it could be invaluable fighting Voldemort and his forces. Now could you please explain where the voice advising me during the battle of wills with Voldemort came from?" Dumbledore nodded, still excited by the thought of yet another new magical spell.
"I believe that your advisor was none other than your own wand." Harry nodded, having suspected that, but Sirius looked confused. Dumbledore hastened to explain.
"Ollivander has doubtless informed you when you picked your wands that they are more than tools, and in fact have their own personalities. Well Harry's and Voldemort's wands are brother wands as you know, creating the aforementioned Priori Incantatem effect. They are naturally rivals, and this fact is exacerbated by how Voldemort and Harry are each other's nemesis. Now if that wasn't enough they both are using utterly opposite emotions, hate and love, to fuel their power in a personal contest. Thus, I do not find it surprising if both decided to advise their masters in that moment." When Harry looked quite warily at his own wand, Dumbledore added on, "You needn't be worried about it talking to you constantly, as it is incredibly unlikely to ever find reason enough to speak to you again. It is virtually unheard of for a wand to speak to their owner anyways."
Another pause ensued, which Sirius once again broke. "These damn awkward pauses!"
At this even Dumbledore chuckled, and the tension was broken.
Harry was satisfied by this explanation and the conversation then drifted onto the resurrection of Voldemort, which intrigued Dumbledore to no end. All of them, Harry especially, were furious that Voldemort took Harry's blood and by extension the protection Lily had died to give Harry.
Finally, Harry felt it was time to ask the question that had been on his mind since entering the office. He steeled his nerves and hesitantly asked Dumbledore, interrupting the conversation he was in with Sirius about which Death Eaters they recognized from the memory that were present at the graveyard. "Sir? Since Voldemort took my blood… I mean I can leave the Dursleys now can't I? The blood wards will not protect me anymore so…."
Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully and replied sadly, "No, I'm afraid you cannot return to them my dear boy. Would you want to-"
"Whew," Harry exclaimed in relief. "I'm glad to be well shot of the Dursleys." Harry noticed with extreme irritation that Dumbledore was looking at him quite disapprovingly, and combined with the fact that he was still furious over Voldemort stealing his momma protection, his anger skyrocketed.
"Harry, the Dursleys are your family…"
"They are not," Harry hissed, having never felt so insulted before; how dare he say that!
"They are no mat-"
"I WAS FORCED TO SLEEP IN A FUCKING CUPBOARD FOR TEN YEARS, I WAS STARVED, MADE INTO THEIR SLAVE, BEATEN REGULARLY, NEVER OWNED A SINGLE THING OF MY OWN IN MY LIFE- HELL, THEY TRIED TO HAVE THE LOCAL GANGS GET RID OF ME! SO DON'T EVER TELL ME THAT THEY ARE FAMILY, BECAUSE THE AREN'T, AND ITS YOUR FAULT I ENDED UP WITH THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Harry screamed. Dumbledore had grown steadily paler at each word, and was now white as a sheet. He fell backwards into his chair in shock and horror, his worst fears confirmed. Sirius had shock and absolute fury on his face.
"They WHAT!" he bellowed, slamming his fist down on the desk. Sirius had equal parts outrage at the muggles and Dumbledore for putting him there, and guilt on his face for getting chucked in Azkaban and not being able to help Harry; he too was standing. "Why in hell didn't you check up on him! Oh I am going to KILL THOSE BLASTED DURSLEYS!" he screamed, starting to look quite a bit like the deranged escapee mass-murderer that the Wizarding World believed him to be.
Harry grabbed Sirius' arm and forced him back down into his chair before taking a seat himself; they both waited for Dumbledore to recover.
Dumbledore didn't even notice; he was shaking and had put his head in his hands, moaning. "No not again… what have I done… how could I have been so wrong…." Fawkes flew over from his perch to comfort Dumbledore and starting singing. After a while Dumbledore looked up from his hands and gazed at Harry, regret and shame in every line on his face. Sirius spoke first.
"Well, professor," he asked harshly. "Did you just stand aside and let this happen? Does this make you hap-"
At these words Dumbledore abruptly got to his feet, startling Harry and Sirius by the sudden motion.
"NO!" he yelled, and then, holding his wand out in front of him, croaked out, "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, swear by my life and magic that every decision about Harry James Potter I believed to have made in his best interests including the breaking of my promise to Lily Potter because I believed it was best for him as well. I also swear I love him as if he were my grandson. So I have sworn; so mote it be." A soft glow surrounded Dumbledore for a brief moment and disappeared just as quickly. Harry recovered first from this astounding oath.
"What was your promise to my mother," He asked. Dumbledore looked at Harry again. "My dear boy, I… I have made a grave error. I have lost many people, including my own sister, due to my grave mistakes. I promised sweet Lily that I would be like a grandfather to you, and indeed ever since you arrived at Hogwarts these past few years I have been fighting a losing battle with myself over staying away. Sending you to the Dursleys and distancing myself all this time remains one of the most painful things I have ever done, but I believed that it had to be done, that I couldn't let personal feelings get in the way of your greater good," Dumbledore said bitterly. "You were a second chance to set things right for a past person I had failed; yet now I see that by removing myself from your life has caused my worst fears, the reason I broke that promise, to become reality. I know you cannot possibly forgive me, and whatever you have to say about me I shall fully accept." Tears were running down his face, and Harry felt his anger at the man slip away against his will. He decided on a compromise.
"Professor," he began haltingly, and then plowed on. "You broke a promise to my mother and left me in hell for ten years. Yet you did so thinking it to be for my good; not only putting what you believed to be best for me over your own feelings, you also suffered accordingly for this decision. If I had not lived through it I would not have believed either that my own family could be so cruel. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, you once told me; just yesterday that very same thing cost Cedric his life. I cannot in good conscience keep all the blame on you when there are so many others out there infinitely more deserving out there. I will forgive you, Professor, if you do everything in your power to rectify this mistake and teach me so that I can destroy Voldemort and end this madness."
Harry finished and looked at Dumbledore, but was quickly distracted by Sirius who said, "I cannot hold this against you with any righteousness, for I too abandoned Harry and made the same mistake going after Wormtail. I would wish to swear an oath on my life and magic to assist Harry with you Dumbledore, if you accept. We need to put this behind us or we will never be able to defeat Voldemort with this kind of relationship."
Dumbledore finally decided to speak; he was looking at Harry with such gratitude and thankfulness that he felt the attention and looked away. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I would be honored to do so, Sirius; I suppose we should go over the wording now." The men spent the next minute or so deciding how to phrase the vow while Harry pet the ever-vain Fawkes; once they finished the duo turned to Harry, laying one hand on a shoulder and holding their wands up with the other. Both men swore to be there for Harry like how they should have been all those years ago, and to prepare him to the best of their abilities to fight Voldemort. Harry also required Dumbledore to promise not to lock Harry away from the conflict or keep things from him like before. Before they could close the vow off however Harry spoke up.
Dumbledore and Sirius were quite surprised when Harry immediately made a personal oath of his own; to combat the Death Eaters, get rid of their master, and devote himself to accomplishing this, at any cost. Dumbledore turned to Harry and said quietly, "Before I seal and complete the vows Harry I cannot impress upon you enough the enormity of just what you are swearing to right now. Do you understand that from now on your life will be working towards this goal until either Tom is defeated or you die trying? That you will have to keep most of what we speak about and our activities from your friends? That you will not have a life outside of this war?"
"I am fully aware of what I am about to do and am thrilled to be doing it," Harry answered in the same voice. "I have never felt such happiness and satisfaction as when I stood up to Tom Riddle in that graveyard; this is what I want and must do. I feel so out of depth with my friends now; everything that I have been through has made me so much more mature than them. I still love them and always will, but I feel the need to keep this as far away from them as possible, even though it is more than likely they will one day fight in the war that is just beginning. It's not as if I could have a life as long as Tom Riddle lives; I knew this for a fact well before even knowing this prophecy existed. Do it, Professor."
Dumbledore with a heavy heart sealed the vow as the three of them clasped hands; a brilliant brightness emanated from the three grim-faced, determined individuals; And Fawkes trilled a heart warming note that ignited the fire in their bones, making Dumbledore feel determination he had not even felt dueling Tom in the first war; no, he had not felt this since his final duel with Grindelwald, when he determined to end him or die trying.
After a few seconds the moment faded, and the three of them exchanged stoic glances that soon became awkward.
There was yet another stunningly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes; this time Harry broke it.
"Either we keep having these unbearable dead moments or I'm getting a noise machine." Sirius cracked a smile while Dumbledore glared at Fawkes whose answering chirp sounded suspiciously like a cackle.
"Since we are going to be working together for a while, I kindly request that the two of you call me Albus in private." Sirius and Harry assented.
"Also before this meeting I took the liberty of excusing you from class for the rest of the school year so hopefully whenever I am not tending to my other duties I can teach you," Albus informed them.
"So," Sirius said once they had settled back down. "I suppose we should start working out a schedule and what Harry needs to learn?" The others nodded affirmatively, and the were just about to get to work when Harry checked the time and realized that dinner had just ended. Since it would look somewhat suspicious with Harry and Albus already having spent several hours together and they didn't want to give the Daily Prophet more conspiracy ammunition(Albus had informed both of them that an old friend of his had given him a warning that Fudge would begin trying to discredit them both within days), they decided that Albus and Sirius would continue to discuss preparations tonight, and Albus would take Harry to an out of site area at the lake in the morning to assess his capabilities.
"But how will Harry get around the castle to your office or the lake without being seen?" Sirius said as he prepared to floo to Grimmauld Place.
"Do you not have a house-elf friend that owes you a great debt, Harry? Perhaps you could request that he apparate you to me under the invisibility cloak?" suggested Albus.
"How do I summon him?"
"If you simply call out his name I believe he will appear, even if you are not his master, since he is after all quite attached to you."
"Dobby, could you please come here?" Harry called out, and before he had even finished Dobby popped in.
"What does the great Harry Potter sir need from Dobby?" the elf said gushed.
After explaining to him what they needed the house elf was quite happy to comply. He said goodbye to Sirius and headed down to the kitchens to catch a meal. While in the kitchens he asked Dobby where he could go to train and not be disturbed, and Dobby excitedly told him all about the Room of Requirement. Harry resolves to investigate this place tomorrow and thanks Dobby for helping him out.
When Harry entered the Common Room around 9:00 most of the chatter suddenly stopped as everyone turned to stare at him, broken only by the cries of "Harry!" from Ron and Hermione as they raced to him.
"Argh!" Harry groaned as Hermione hugged him; the marks on his back still hurt quite a bit. Harry clutched his back as Hermione released him as if burned.
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot-"
"Its okay, Hermione," he grunted and tiredly walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, motioning to the others to follow him. Once there he shut and locked the door, turning to the others. This is the first time I've been alone with them since before the task, he thought as he sat down on his bed. It feels like its been years….
Hermione spoke first. "Are you… doing okay with everything that happened?" Harry nodded and replied, "Look, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what happened today, and I think I'm for the most part okay with it now. Let's just talk about something else. Please? I kinda want to forget about it.
And so they talked about the most mundane things possible- quidditch scores, how Hermione thought she did in her exams, chess- and Harry could almost pretend everything was back to normal. Almost. He had expected to feel some form of guilt keeping so much from them, but all he felt was a grim sense of satisfaction in the fact that, whatever happened, he wouldn't have them to hold him back in this fight. And he would win it.
Harry woke up at 5:30 in the morning to his wand buzzing under the pillow. Getting dressed and into the common room as noiselessly as he could, he looked around, and saw no one.
"Dobby," he called out softly, and a moment he appeared. Telling Dobby to take him to Albus, they disapparated.
Harry and Dobby re-appeared about 2 and a half miles from the castle, just around the bend of the lake behind a collection of boulders hiding it from view. Turning he saw Albus at the edge of the lake looking out across the water and a cloudless early morning sky with a smile on his face.
"Ah, Harry," he genially greeted. He walked over to a log and conjured a large table and chairs, putting a plate of strawberries, eggs and bacon on it. "Please sit, my dear boy. Oh, it is a lovely Saturday morning today, is it not?"
"Indeed, sir," Harry replied. "So what are we starting off with?"
Albus launched into an explanation while he and Harry ate of what he and Sirius had come up with last night. Right now, he told Harry, they would see what his reflexes, physical condition, and spell repertiore were he would have Harry perform the spell used at the graveyard, and return to the castle by 8:30. At 8:00 that night Dobby would take him to his office for a lesson on occlumency, as his schedule was full the rest of the day. Albus had managed to make it possible to meet with him at these times every day except for at least the next week, and he was looking into his summer schedule to see what was possible as well. Harry was thrilled that Albus would have him stay with Sirius this summer. Otherwise he would have to find time during the day to work on his own, or at Grimmauld place with Sirius. Harry was surprised to hear that Sirius was once an auror and would be coaching Harry on dodging and physical exercise. He was somewhat incredulous to hear that Sirius had actually had Albus set him up a mini gym in his house, but the old man assured him that Sirius took physical health quite seriously, especially for the ladies of course. This amused Harry to no end and he resolved to get some pointer's from Sirius about dating before grimly remembering he wouldn't be doing that for a long time. When asking if Sirius tried to keep shape in prison, Albus' eye-twinkling intensified. "You don't really think he swam at least thirty five miles in dog form without having some strength, did you? Sirius is a man of action after all." On that, Harry had to agree.
When told about the Room of Requirement and how he may have used it for chamber pots once, Albus was intrigued. "I believe that after school ends we must use this room to its fullest extent, if what Dobby says is indeed true." Harry agreed that the headmaster should probably not be seen creating rooms out of thin air with Harry by students.
Harry asked how he would be practicing magic over the summer when he was underage. Albus answered, "While it is true you cannot do magic during the summer in most cases, including this area without being detected, there are exceptions. Grimmauld Place, being under a Fidelius now, will stop the ministry sensors from detecting anything. As for our outdoor exercises, we may have to see if the Room of Requirement is a viable option, otherwise the Forbidden Forest, as its magical aura will mask us, may be our only option," He explained reluctantly. Harry did not ever wish to practice in the Forbidden Forest, but then again the danger would be perfect for training he mused.
After eating in silence for a bit, Harry spoke up again.
"Sir," he asked, "When will the first Order meeting be? And what is Voldemort up to right now?"
"I'm afraid it has been more difficult than anticipated to gather up the old crowd, let alone gather new members," Albus admitted. "We should have our first meeting in about two weeks if everything works out. As for what he is up too, I have some ideas but will not discuss them till we know more and when we have our first Order meeting." Once they finished eating Albus told Harry he would first test Harry's stamina.
"How?" Harry asked as Albus muttered some sort of spell, causing him to float slightly off the ground.
"Why, by running as far as you can of course," Albus said his eyes twinkling merrily. "Best get going my dear boy."
Harry just glared at him and started running.
Harry had not made it two miles before he collapsed. "I can't go any farther, sir," He panted as Albus, who had been levitating along with him, looked down concernedly.
"You did make it farther than I thought you would, but I see we still have a lot of work to do." With that he grabbed Harry's arm and disapparated them both back to the starting point. After having Harry do as many push-ups and sit-ups as he could(which was ten and twenty-five)allowing Harry a half hour to recuperate, he stood up again.
"And now, I will test your reflexes and dodging abilities." Albus started out slow, flinging stinging charms every ten seconds at a distance of forty feet, but quickly saw that this was laughably easy for him. Undeterred, he quickly increased the rate of fire and closed in on thirty feet, but still could not seem to hit the boy. Again and again he upped the ante, but it wasn't until Albus had nearly maxed out his casting speed(between three to four stinging charms a second) and was fifteen feet away that Harry was finally overwhelmed.
"I'm sorry, sir," Harry tried to apologize, but Albus cut him off. "Harry, your reflexes are the best I have ever seen! And you are better able to dodge spells than even myself in my prime against Grindelwald! Do not apologise for being exceptional, ever!" Albus thought for a moment and said, "I think I know why this is, but first we will complete the other tests to be sure."
Albus was impressed by the power behind Harry's spells and accuracy(though promised he would expand his repertoire significant;y by the time he was through with him), but when Harry tried any spells or charms with that can't simply be willed through, or had complex meanings, Harry found it incredibly difficult to do, sometimes impossible. However, Albus, contrary to his expectations, seemed thrilled at this turn of events.
It was after all this and a quick water break that Albus decided to see what Harry could do without a wand. Placing his wand on a log twenty feet away he told Harry to stretch his hand out and try to summon it too him; however fifteen minutes of yelling "ACCIO!" later and Harry was getting confused and frustrated. Albus decided to take pity on the lad and told him the problem.
"Harry, when you summoned your wand in the graveyard, did you yell 'accio' and try to use a summoning charm? Or in your rage did you command your magic to bring you your wand through sheer willpower and the magic complied?" Harry stopped for a moment and looked at the benevolent Headmaster. "I thought we needed the incantation tied to the spell to work the magic! So how did I…."
"Harry, you work magic in a way unlike any others! Wandless magic does not require an incantation because it is not forced so specifically through a wand. If all magic required you to say or think a certain phrase then accidental magic would not exist. Now, use all that willpower you have in you and command the magic to bring you your wand; Don't take no for an answer for if you leave any doubt behind it you will be resisted. Or did you truly think Neville is as inadequate as he believes he is?"
Suddenly a great deal of things made sense about his new-found abilities. Harry concentrated on how he had felt in the graveyard, and put that sense of urgency into himself, envisioning an invisible lasso yanking the stick to his hand, and acted like his life depended on it. Instead of summoning just the stick however, the entire log came hurtling through the air towards him. Harry had barely enough time to lean backwards as it hurtled through the air where his head had just been, sailing over his nose by inches. He sheepishly looked at Albus, who had serenely watched all of this. "I did not take you for suicidal, my dear boy," said the man with a straight face, and it took Harry a moment to realize that Albus was joking. After they had cracked up at Harry's near self decapitation, they returned to work. Over the next hour Albus taught Harry to master wandless summoning and banishing, and before they sat down to go over Harry's progress, Albus told Harry that his homework for today was to investigate this Room of Requirement, and to master several other forms of offensive wandless magic.
Albus sat down on the log next to him. "So, Harry," he said, looking at him expectantly, "Why don't you summarize for me where you are at."
"Well, sir," Harry began, "I have a great deal of work to do physically. You said my reflexes were exceptional though I don't know any techniques, and the power behind my spells and accuracy was quite acceptable, but now I'm having so much more difficulty than I had before working complex charms, but as long as I can put my basic willpower behind spells I'm doing fine. Transfiguration is the same. And now that I know how to do my wandless magic correctly I'm learning it at an unbelievably fast pace? My magic has changed so much Professor; what will this mean for me in the future?"
Albus nodded slowly. "As you said, there are advantages and drawbacks to your sudden change. Organizing your mind may help a little bit with your new issue, but I'm afraid non-willed and complex charm magic will always be difficult, sometimes impossible for you. However, this is a poor price to pay in exchange for the other avenues of magic that are now more open to you. Your magic, Harry, now flows through your body in a way I have never seen before… in fact, I believe that you are subconsciously enhancing your reflexes."
"So that's why I'm so good at dodging? And also why I can suddenly do wandless magic?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Indeed," Albus stated with a smile on his face. "I can teach you to not only enhance this and your strength and stamina, but to use elemental magic as well, as it is the closest thing to your new forte. However, you are not to use this when I teach you it during exercises, which Sirius will be in charge of during the summer. Now," he said, walking over to a grove of trees as Harry followed. "While we still have time, let us test your new spell. Remember how I told you to remember the words you thought as it was cast, and my lecture on incantations?" He stopped about thirty or so feet from the closest tree.
Harry put the pieces together and smirked. "So, 'Die, bitch' is now the incantation?"
Albus' beard twitched. "It is quite likely. Now aim for that nearest pine tree. Good. Simply yelling out the incantation, as you know, will not accomplish the spell. I want you to repeat the drawing motion you did before firing, and then summon up the feeling of the magic that was used. Don't fire until you are absolutely certain you have got it down. Oh, and I would appreciate a warning when you are ready." Albus waited as Harry squeezed his eyes shut with a look of intense concentration on his face. After a minute or so, he opened them again.
"I'm ready, Albus." The Headmaster nodded and Harry repeated the upwards whipping motion he had used at the graveyard, yelling with all his might, "DIE BITCH!"
The sound was eerily reminiscent of those muggle tanks firing Albus had heard during the war with Grindelwald. Golden lightning erupted from the tip of Harry's wand towards the tree, going through and encircling it slightly for a fraction of a second, before the base of the tree explodes; the tree is disintegrated, sending shrapnel everywhere… in the blink of an eye Albus' wand is out, already casting some shielding charm in front of them that turns the shrapnel into smoke. After Albus disperses the smoke, Harry asks coughing, "You have gotta teach more that shield!"
Albus' eyes just twinkled insufferably and replied, "Only if you teach me yours."
Harry walked into the great hall about ten minutes later. Albus had used some cleaning charms on them but Harry still looked quite hot and sweaty. Dobby had taken them to the Headmaster's office and the old man had told Harry to wait a couple minutes before entering the great hall so as not to be suspicious. Albus said he had spoken to the student body yesterday and told them not to disturb him, which Harry was quite grateful for. When he walked through the front doors the hall quieted down as most everyone turned to watch him enter. It was nothing less than he expected though, and he pretended not to notice as he sat by Ron and Hermione, who he had to placate by saying he had taken a run around the grounds because he had a lot on his mind; fortunately this seemed to satisfy them.
He also noticed that Snape seemed to still be missing, but then again there was no way he would be back already. What with nearly fourteen years of information to relay, and that's not even considering all the reorganizing the Death Eaters must be undergoing….
When the bell rang at nine and the others went to their classes, Harry headed up to the seventh floor under the invisibility where Dobby said the Room of Requirement was; a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance. Once there he paced back and forth three times, thinking as hard as he could I need a place to train to fight… I need a place to train to fight… I need a place to train to fight….
After he passed the wall a third time a small pop heralded the arrival of a new door. Harry opened it, stepping inside and closing it behind him. Slipping off the invisibility cloak and turning around he let out a gasp as it fluttered from his grasp. Its perfect, Harry thought as he looked around. In the end of the room he was in there was a drawing board, an assortment of defensive items, and bookshelves filled to the brim with advanced fighting texts. Cutting the room in two was a blast resistant glass wall, the other side of which had a row of dummies lined up and a pile of pillows in the corner.
Harry played around with the room for several hours, finding out that not only would objects pop into existence as soon as he wanted them but he could also change the scenery too. The dummies could also be charmed to dodge spells at different levels. After about an hour he started to work on his wandless magic. He found an impressive dark severing charm in one of the books that he soon mastered and by the end of the day could sweep his hand and cut five dummies in half at once. He also practiced other spells wandlessly, though he found out that ones like stupefy and such were quite difficult to use and aim wandlessly and the times he could do it they were so weak it would hardly make a difference to use them, so he abandoned that venture. He hadn't realized how much time had gone by until he looked at a clock that read 5:00. After using a shower the room provided he left for the common room.
He hung out with Ron and Hermione in the common room but nothing it just wasn't the same as before. The widening gulf between them could not be bridged as long as he had Voldemort to deal with. They were still friends, but he couldn't confide in them like he had before. Sitting on the couch together, Harry realized that he felt truly old with his friends, despite the fact that he was technically the youngest. Yet another reason to work to end this war fast, he thought in his mind. Even flying didn't have the same appeal as before, for it felt like running away from everything. Now all Harry wanted to do was face the coming darkness.
After dinner Harry disappeared before anyone noticed with the invisibility cloak and called for Dobby in a secret passageway.
"Good evening, Harry." Albus stated as he shuffled some papers into his desk. "Would you like a lemon drop?"
"No, thank you sir." Harry replied as he settled in one of Albus' squishy chairs across from the headmaster.
"As we have already touched on what Occlumency yesterday, I will keep it simple. The ability to shield your mind is perhaps the most essential skill to learn if you are to fight Voldemort. Now, what is the most effective emotion to repel Tom with, and also happens to make you strongest?"
"Love, of course." Harry said. He thought he knew where Albus was going with this.
"Precisely. A shield of love would be almost impossible for Voldemort to penetrate. Almost all occlumens must rid their minds of all emotion, but that would be especially difficult, if not impossible for you, so instead I want you to open your mind to the roiling power within you that is love. Now I do not believe occlumency like this has ever been used before but it would certainly surprise someone attempting to legilimise you. Close your eyes, and picture if you will all of the emotions you felt in your memories as a stormy ocean." Harry took a few minutes but then was finally able to do so.
"Good. Now, this part may take a great deal of time. Try to gather your conscience, all of your important memories inside a sphere, then cover this globe with your 'stormy sea'. Anything that holds no importance leave outside the sphere. Later the memories inside will be separated into their own containers but before that you need to build your outer defences. Every night before you go to bed I want you to spend at least a half hour meditating and working on your defences. Occlumency shields take a great deal of time to create and strengthen, and we will hardly be learning new information so much as working on this like strengthening a muscle."
Over the next hour Harry worked on creating this shield for himself. Several times Albus tested him(though only with light probing), and although of course he could never keep him out he was getting better at using the love to knock Albus from his mind once the old man was in, which the professor was quite pleased with. Around 9:00 he left and made it back just in time for curfew. He had a bit of a headache so he decided to sit by the fire and read a book he had from the library on Extreme Severing Charms and their usage in Combat, though he made sure to transfigure the cover into a school text as Albus suggested while Hermione was nearby.
Around 10:00 the boys turned in for the night and Harry slipped off his shirt when there were several gasps of horror behind him. He looked and saw the other guys of his dormitory staring open-mouthed at the massive scars on his back and the ones on his wrists and ankles. Neville actually looked like he was about to puke. Ron recovered first.
"Mate… I never… we were told you had some scarring but nothing like this…." He finished lamely and looked at Harry. "Why didn't you tell us it was this bad?"
"Because it was that bad, Ron; and its best you don't even know how they did this to me." Harry answered sadly. He wasn't really lying; the only reason he hadn't had nightmares yet was because of the influx of information yesterday. But that wouldn't last, Harry thought grimly. "My only consolation was that Cedric was murdered before he had to suffer what I did. Please, I really don't want to talk about it." Harry said hastily as the other boys opened their mouths to speak. "Just wake me when the nightmares begin." Without another word Harry hopped into his bed and turned away.
The Boy-Who-Lived did not sleep well that night.
A/N:
Dumbledore believes that Grindelwald's action partially occurred because he became too close to him, and did not want to make the same mistake again.
This is my first ever 10,000 plus word chapter - how long should chapters be anyways?
I think I should clear up the air a bit - Because the Vernon wanted Harry gone so badly but didn't want to ruin their respectable image, the gangs around that area he bribed a bit to get rid of that hooligan or at least rough him up for him. That is why Harry is such a survivalist - at least that's how i see fit to explain it. What were the gangs before Dudley doing anyways, twiddling their thumbs? We know Dudley's went after kids far younger than themselves, so why not others after Harry? And maybe Harry overheard his uncle talking about it? I don't even think Petunia would have known either - I mean this is still her nephew and Vernon was always far worse to Harry than Petunia, even though she was still a right bitch to him.
My occlumency training section is pretty indescriptive but come on, we all know how it works(not to mention every fan fiction has some sort of occlumency section and it is absolute hell trying to create a variation not used!) and all I really need to include are the changes in Harry's.
I had to make up a hell of a lot of theories for this chapter, took me ages!
So I had actually written the whole chapter out but then my computer told me file does not exist, whatever the hell that means, so I HAD TO REWRITE THE WHOLE DAMN THING! I apologise if the dialogue seems to move a bit fast, I'm still incredibly pissed and the amount of changes in this chapter are immense(hence the title This Changes Everything.
So I really need your thoughts now more than ever on what to do with the Order - Harry will be so heavily involved in it and I am so confused on what they will be doing during the summer.
So I have actually had Harry set up a crack research team to invent devices for the order to use. The members of the research team will be Flitwick(charms master) Bill(runes expert) Sirius and Remus(were marauders;inventors of the map and other useful creations) and of course the twins, the most brilliant minds of their generation, huge inventors in their own right. I NEED ideas on what they will create and come up with - please help me out!
I have an OC unspeakable in the order who will simply go by the name of Jef - should he help? What if he could procure a time - turner to help with training for Harry? Yay or Nay?
Pairing suggestions are still open!
Thanks for the support; see you next chapter!
The next chapter will be titled: Chapter 4: Year Ends, New Life Begins