Chapter 3- The Gifts from the Wise Man

Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor tower. They had been sent by Mrs. Weasley to pack their things and prepare for their departure. Harry wasn't sure where exactly they would be going. He hoped that he wouldn't be expected to go to Privet Drive right away. The knots in his stomach grew over the thought of having to see his Uncle Vernon and cousin.

Upon walking through the portrait hole to the common room Ron dropped his and Hermione's trunks on the nearest chair, sat down and proceeded to open his letter from Dumbledore. Hermione stood next to the couch and motioned for Ginny to join them, but Ginny looked over quickly at Harry, shook her head; no, and walked up the stairway to the girls dormitory.

After Ginny had walked out of sight Hermione put her hands on her hips and looked over at Harry.

Harry fiddled with his socks and pretended not to notice.

"Harry James Potter." Hermione said in a low voice, making Ron look up from his letter.

"What's the matter?" asked Ron glancing back and forth between the two of them.

"It's nothing." Harry muttered hoping to drop the subject. But Hermione had other ideas.

"Harry broke up with Ginny," said Hermione her tone flat and unsympathetic.

Ron looked baffled. "You two broke up?" he asked. "I thought you had just had a row or something."

"Oh, go put on your socks Ronald," said a flabbergasted Hermione.

Harry dropped his trunk on the nearest empty chair, frustration spilling out in his movements. "I had to do it," he all but snarled. "She can't be near me anymore, it's too dangerous."

"Yes, I thought it would be something like that." Hermione said briskly. "You heard what Dumbledore said today."

"No," said Harry sardonically. "I heard what his portrait said."

"A wizard's portrait is a collection of their memories which appears only after their death."

"Let me guess," Ron interjected, "Hogwarts, a History."

"Yes!" she snapped. "Honestly, the things you two would learn if you would just..." She took a deep calming breath, and then returned her gaze to Harry.

"Dumbledore's portrait," she began, "just told you that the most important gift that we have is to love and to be loved in return. He was talking to you, Harry."

Harry shook his head, wondering how he could possibly end the argument.

"Well," said Ron, "I think their break up was probably a good idea."

Harry's mouth gaped open in astonishment. He had not been expecting Ron to agree with his decision; in fact he had preparing for the fact that Ron would be livid.

Hermione whirled on Ron, "You what?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah," He insisted. "It's one thing for me to go follow Harry into danger, I know what I'm doing." Hermione snorted but Ron kept speaking. "I don't want my baby sister to be anyone's target, and being around Harry would make her one."

Harry thought he should have been glad that someone finally agreed with him, but hearing Ron say it made his stomach hurt all the same.

"You are so backwards Ronald Weasley. You won't let your sister do anything dangerous? Well I'm a girl and I'm going to go with Harry," she stated firmly, "where ever he goes."

"Well, yes," agreed Ron, "I expect that. But you're older and in my opinion far more capable than she is." he finished.

Utterly flummoxed Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but she could neither agree with him, not disagree.

When she had not answered him a full minute later, Ron grinned up at her triumphantly.

Hermione sniffed at him, and then with a swish of her wand and a "loco motor trunk." she too went up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

Ron watched her leave. "Oh, I'm going to be in trouble for that." he murmured in a low voice to Harry. "You owe me." he said looking up at his friend.

Harry slumped on the couch opposite Ron. "What?" he asked confused.

"You should have seen the look on your face. Anyone could have seen that talking is the last thing you want to be doing right now. I knew Hermione would never give it up, not without talking you to death about it. I just thought I would give you some breathing room."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." he said simply.

"What are mates for? She won't give it up forever though you know. When she gets her teeth into something....." he trailed off shaking his head. He studied Harry a minute more before continuing. "Harry, I know what Ginny means to you, but she's my sister. I don't want her to be in any more danger than she already is. With Dumbledore gone, now, it's going to be worse than ever, isn't it?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

Harry sat on the couch looking grimly at his socks, wondering how he was going to continue, wondering what he should do next. I need a plan, he thought to himself.

"Look," Ron said smiling trying to lighten the mood, "defeat Voldemort, and then you can pick up where you left off with Ginny. You can date her, marry her, and have seven red headed kids with green eyes," he grinned at his morose friend. "There's incentive for you to get moving."

Harry gave a half hearted scoff. 'Right' he thought to himself. 'All I have to do is find the four missing horcruxes and destroy them. Defeat Voldemort and kill him, and then find Snape and kill him too' "What's in your trunk?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

Ron's face lit up with glee. "Wait 'til you see!" he said lifting his trunk onto his lap. He opened the lid and pulled out several stacks of tightly bundled decks of cards. He handed one of the stacks to Harry to open. "They're Chocolate Frog cards! he exclaimed as he sorted through the cards almost lovingly.

Harry picked up a stack from a bundle nearest to him and shuffled through them. Circe, Paracelsus, Mopsus, and Merwyn the Maliciousall looked up at him from various poses on their cards. The last one in his hand was Merlin, and he waved vigorously at him.

Ron picked up his roll of parchment. "I was just reading about it in my letter. He scanned it and read aloud. "I have been collecting these since I was a young boy and wanted to make sure they continue to be enjoyed. Over the course of my life I have collected and traded them until my collection has grown into what you see before you. " He looked over the top of the cards with a look of awe on his face. "Harry, it's the entire collection of Famous Witch and Wizards." he breathed. He began to sort through the decks and making them into piles.

Harry picked up the letter and continued reading. "I'm glad to see that you have grown up to be a fine young man, and I wish you luck. Harry is lucky to have such a loyal friend. I hope that you find as much enjoyment with these cards as I did. Use them well and they may even help you out in a pinch." The words 'use them well' stood out in the flowing script. He had seen that particular phrase written before more than 6 years ago. He had always wondered who had given him his father's invisibility cloak. He'd often thought it might have been Dumbledore, but had never asked. Just another thing that I'll never get to ask him, He thought sinking back into his melancholy.

"How about you?" asked Ron, pulling Harry away from his thoughts, "What did Dumbledore leave you?"

Harry retrieved his trunk from beside the chair and put it on the floor next to Ron's. He took out his parchment from Dumbledore and unrolled it. There were three pieces of parchment about a foot long that were rolled together. Scanning the first, Harry found instructions.

To open the trunk, point your wand at the lock and hold the image in your mind of the thing you want most. Harry assumed that the one thing Dumbledore meant was Voldemort defeated, and he tried to create a picture of what that would look like. Instead of Voldemort, Ginny's face swam into his mind, and as he focused on her eyes there was a soft click and the trunk lock sprang open.

Harry looked at the lock in surprise. He remembered the words the portrait spoke earlier. Love is the most powerful defense you have now. Maybe, he thought, but I'm not going to let anything happen to Ginny.

Harry opened the lid. The inside of the box was much deeper than outside appeared to be. Harry had seen something similar in the trunk that Mad Eye Moody had been a captive in. Inside of the trunk there were several items. The first he drew out was a red leather bound journal. Harry flipped through the pages but it was in a flowing script that he couldn't decipher. He set it aside. The next item he drew out even Ron recognized.

"That's a Phoenix feather, isn't it?" asked Ron taking it from Harry's hand.

Harry nodded looking at the brilliant red plume, "I think it belonged to Phawkes." he said.

While Ron studied the feather, Harry reached for the last item. It was a large wooden box that was very tall. The top and sides were covered in lines of ancient runes that Harry couldn't read. He set the box on the floor and lifted the latch and opened the lid. Nestled inside the box on a bed of white satin was Dumbledore's Pensieve. Where there was normally a white liquid substance there was only the smooth polished sides of the bowl.

"What is it." asked Ron looking at the bowl dubiously.

"Its Dumbledore's Pensieve," Harry said, awe struck. "He used to put his thoughts in it and we'd examine them for clues about Voldemort."

"It's empty." Ron said sounding a little disappointed.

"I wonder how it worked." Harry mused.

"It's probably in your letter," said Ron returning his attention to the deck of cards in his hand.

Harry picked up his rolls of parchment and began to sort through them. There were the instructions, a copy of the speech the portrait had given earlier that was in the same writing as the barrister's letter, and on the third roll was a flowing script that Harry recognized as Dumbledore's. His stomach gave a lurch. He stared at the words for a minute, their meaning escaping him, until he focused on the date. The letter was dated July of last year. That was the day before he came to get me at the Dursley's. But why was he writing me a letter then?

Harry began to read.

Dear Harry,

Of all the letters I have found myself writing lately I find this is the hardest. I count myself fortunate that I was able to watch you grow into the man that you have become. Your parents, I believe would join me in that pride.

I wish that I could have made it through the end of this trial by your side, but it was not meant to be. Circumstances have worked against me I'm afraid and I was forced to make decisions to save the life of another.

I have left you as many tools as I had at my disposal to continue to aid you in your time of need. There is still much you need to understand before you can hope to face Tom Riddle and defeat him.

In the trunk you will find three objects that I hope will aid you every way possible. The first is my pensive, which you have seen me use. It cannot contain my memories now that I am gone, but I will have given you every memory that I think you will require that I posses so that you can refill it with your own. I have always found it helpful to sort my thoughts out from time to time. I would recommend that you do the same. Start with thoughts that are important to you. I would suggest that you also concentrate on everything we have studied this year, and of remembering each of your encounters with Tom, no matter how small they may seem. I believe that Ms Granger will be very helpful in assisting you further. You would be wise to listen to her advice, in this and in other areas.

The second item is my journal. I realize that after the pensieve it may seem superfluous; however what most witches and wizards do not realize is the power the written word has. The pensive e shows us many things and allows us to compare our memories from all angles and walk outside of ourselves. However a journal will take you into what the person was thinking, and it's that internal thought, not just the actions that must be weighed and measured. You have undoubtedly noticed that it is not very legible in its current state. I wanted to be sure to protect everything after it had passed out of my reach and made sure that if it fell into the wrong hands it would not cause harm. There is a charm that you must perform in order to be able to read it. I have not written it down anywhere, but I am very confident that you will be able to figure it out.

The final item is a feather. You will recognize that it once belonged to Phawkes. Indeed it was not mine to give, but left to you by him. That is important Harry. A phoenix cannot be kept by chains, or cages, but by loyalty and love. Phawkes has been my companion for many years. I do not leave him behind with a heavy heart for I know he will be well looked after. Very rarely has a phoenix ever transferred from one person to another. In fact the magical Creatures book will show no record of it happening, but it has. Phawkes is an extraordinary creature, and I believe that you might one day find yourself able to call upon him again.

I realize that with everything that has happened you will not be planning on returning to Hogwarts. I understand your reasoning for this; however I do hope that you will think it over a while before you make up your mind. There is much that Hogwarts can still provide, both in the way of your education as well as resources. I would suggest that you take a page out of Hermione's book, if you do pardon the pun, and read Hogwarts a History. It will give you a greater insight to the founding four, and why keeping Hogwarts together is so important.

I have left instruction with members of the staff and of the order to help you in your quest. Each of them will have received instruction on the best way they can help you.

Remember also my promise to return once more to the Dursley's. You need only stay for one night, but you must do so before your 17th Birthday in order to seal the magic. The charms I have placed upon your and their home will last even after my death.

The house elf, Dobby will have been given a letter from me also. I have asked him to leave Hogwarts and go into your employ. House elves are powerful creatures with a far greater understanding of magic then withes or wizards can ever understand. He can go where you cannot, and he can be a great asset and ally to you.

Sincerely yours,

Albus Dumbledore

Below the signature there was a postscript.

Harry certain events require me to place another burden upon your shoulders. I would not ask if it was not important, but a life hangs in the balance. You will have a received a letter today, one that was addressed to Professor Snape. You were asked to make sure that he received that letter. You must listen to me Harry. No matter what you have seen, or heard you must look past all of that to make sure that Severus receives that letter. Severus Snape has been an ally and a friend. No matter what your differences have been you must learn to trust each other. Severus can assist you now that I am gone, but in order to do so you must make sure that he receives that letter. Once he has it, all can be explained. You must do this for me.

Albus

Harry finished the letter, and then read it again. There was so much to take in. A secret charm he had to figure out, Dobby working for him, his thoughts on Tom Riddle, and then the last part about Snape. Harry reread that section of the letter three times. 'Trust Snape'? He sneered. 'Never'.

Harry packed up the items and letters from Dumbledore, and closed the lid of the trunk with a thump, startling Ron from his card perusal.

"Come on then." He said briskly. "We'd better get packed up." And they shuffled upstairs.

Once in their room each went to his dresser and began to throw together their school books, and clothes. Harry stopped by Hedwig's cage where she perched softly snoring, and rubbed her feathers affectionately through the open cage. She opened her eyes briefly, gave a small hoot and returned to sleep.

It didn't take long to pack. Harry finished long before Ron did. He was still searching for things beneath his bed when harry closed the lid of his trunk and gave a final look around the room. He gazed around the room trying to memorize its every detail. He'd spent some of the happiest times of his life here. Some unhappy ones too he admitted to himself. But still better than he'd ever had at Privet Drive.

Ron stood up with the last of his laundry in his arms and spotted Harry staring into space. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Harry muttered. "I'm just wondering if I'll ever see this place again."

"Of course you will," Ron joked. "We still have our N.E.W.T's next year, mind you we may have to take off from time to time to look for the Horcruxes, but-"

"You think that's how it's going to be?" Harry said with a derisive snort. "Just keep taking classes and popping in and out looking for these things in between Quidditch practice and Hogsmeade trips?" He said his voice getting louder and louder.

Ron stood mouth agape as Harry continued his rant.

"Voldemort is going to keep killing people and I have to stop him and I don't even know where to begin!" He yelled. "You think I'm worried about N.E.W.T's right now? Hogwarts isn't safe anymore. I don't know if anywhere is safe. I don't know where to start looking for the Horcruxes and I don't know what to do. Dumbledore always knew, and even he was wrong. How am I supposed to know what to do?!" Harry sank down onto his bed and gripped the bed curtains in his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm himself. When he opened his eyes Ron stood exactly where he'd been, his arms still full of clothes and a stunned expression on his face. A noise from the door made harry turn around and he saw Hermoine and Ginny standing in the doorway, their faces mirroring Ron's.

Hermoine recovered first. Harry, she began. No one ever said you have to do this alone. She glanced at Ron who was woodenly dropping the clothes in the trunk, and motioned with her head for him to jump in, but Ron was silent. "We will come up with a plan Harry. We're all going to sit down and think of a way."

Harry still sat gripping the curtains refusing to look at anyone.

Hermoine looked back and forth between the two and then making up her mind, moved to Ron's side and took his hand. "We have to get going," she said softly "or Mrs. Weasley will come looking for us."

Ron said nothing except a terse Locolotor Trunk, and then led Hermoine from the room.

Harry stayed put on the bed until he felt a small hand on his shoulder and he looked up into Ginny's eyes.

"I believe that you will come back to Hogwarts again," she said softly. "I know that you think that you won't right now, but you have to have some faith. I know you Harry, and you're upset because you think Dumbledore left you all alone. But you're not."

Harry blinked his eyes rapidly turning his face away so that Ginny wouldn't see the tears that kept threatening, but she put her hand on his face and turned him back towards her. Without thinking Harry lifted his own hand and placed it atop hers holding her there.

Wordlessly she studied his face, as Harry had just been studying the room.

Harry reached out and brushed one of the strands of hair out of her face. "Gin, I…." he started.

She shook her head, withdrew her hand from his face and took a deep breath. "We'd better go." She said somberly.

Harry nodded, picked up Hedwig's cage, while Ginny took care of the trunk. She left the room first, with a quick glance over her shoulder towards Harry.

Harry took care not to jostle Hedwig as he went through the door. He gave one last glance around the room, and closed the door behind him.