The double doors opened slowly, and Harry followed the scribe who had been tasked with escorting him to the courtroom. It was a giant circular room with witches and wizards seated in rows all around, and a seat for the Chief Warlock at the front. The room was brightly lit by torches, and there was a general murmuring present as Harry walked toward the witness stand.
He was surprised by the amount of people inside the large circular room. Seated in the center of the room, looking exactly as he remembered her, was Dolores Jane Umbridge. She was wearing a gray set of robes, and her hair was a bit disheveled. She glared hard at Harry as he passed her, as if she wanted nothing more than to strangle the life from him. Harry looked around at the many wizards, all wearing black robes, thinking he might see someone he recognized.
The trial had been going since nine that morning. Harry had known little of what had been happening, only that the other witnesses had spoken, and as his was the supposed to be the longest testimony to be given, Harry understood that he would be the last to speak. He'd been in a small room by himself all day, very bored, and wished he'd thought to bring something to read. Around noon a young witch brought him a plate of sandwiches and told him that someone would be there to get him soon.
He sat in a high, straight backed chair, that faced Umbridge and most of the room. Next to the former defense teacher was a thin balding man with deep set dark eyes, and an almost comical face. His hair was thinning, and grey, and his nose was very pointed. However the man was impeccably dress in some of the finest robes Harry had ever seen.
"Let's have order." the Chief Warlock said loudly. The presiding judge, as Dumbledore had been unable to rule in this particular case, was a stout looking witch by the name of Melody Thatcher. She wore small wire frame bifocals and her hair was a dark auburn, with streaks of silver. When she spoke, Harry was reminded of Professor McGonagall. The murmuring stopped immediately and the presiding Warlock seemed to settle her self into her seat more comfortably.
"Mr. Monroe?" Madam Thatcher asked. Harry turned to see another wizard approaching, holding a long roll of parchment. He was very large, nearly the size of his Uncle Vernon, and had large round brown eyes. He had an ease about him, as if all the excess weight were not there at all. He moved gracefully, and smiled as he eyed the young man before him.
"Sir, would you be so kind as to state your name and age for the court please?" Mister Munroe's voice was like very deep and he spoke very properly. The man was barely paying attention to Harry, his attention glued to the parchment he now held.
"Yes, sir. Harry Potter, and I'm sixteen." Harry said easily.
"Mr. Potter, you served several detentions with Madam Umbridge correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do please tell the court about the first detention you served with Madam Umbridge."
Harry recounted going to Umbridge's office and being told he would be writing lines. He then went on to tell how she had presented him with a bright red feathered quill with a black metal tip. Harry described in detail about how with every word he wrote on the parchment the word cut itself into his hand.
"How long did she keep you in that first detention?" Munroe asked.
"Three hours. I arrived at five in the evening and she let me go around eight. It was the same fore every detention over the next two weeks." Harry said confidently. He noticed Umbridge little fat fists balling up.
"Was this the only detention you served?"
"No, sir. I had several more with her."
"Can you give us an estimate of how many you served with her?"
"She usually gave me detention for an entire week at a time. I must have served a total of ten weeks with her." Harry shrugged.
"Can you tell us the reasons for these detentions?"
"She said I was telling lies." Harry nodded.
"Lies?"
"Yes, sir. I even got detention for things I did outside of school and on my own time."
"Such as?"
"I got detention for granting a single interview with a reporter while I was in Hogsmeade."
"You say you received these detentions for telling lies, is that correct?" Munroe asked.
"Yes, sir."
"What is it you were supposed to be lying about."
"Voldemort's return."
There was a collective gasp about the courtroom, and Harry saw several people fall from their seats. Harry seethed inwardly. Something had to be done about people's fear of that idiot's name. It had held society in it's grip far too long.
"Did you ever suffer any other punishments, Mr. Potter?"
"I had my broom confiscated after I allowed a friend use it in a Quidditch match. I was also not allowed to be a part of my house team because of my temper."
"I see. Your friend would be Ginevra Weasley, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anything else?"
"Yes sir. She used the Cruciatus curse on me."
"The boy is a nasty little liar!" Umbridge screamed. The court exploded in murmuring and hisses. Harry turned to try and see the many faces who were obviously angered by his statement. Madam Thatcher banged her gavel, repeatedly calling for order.
"Madam Umbridge." Thatcher spoke when the court room finally settled down. "I will remind you that it is not Mister Potter that is on trial. It is you. If his statement is untrue, I am sure your solicitor will root out the truth. In the meantime, you will refrain from anymore outbursts." Madam Thatcher motion for Mister Munroe to continue.
"Are you sure about your statement, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, Sir. I was put under the Cruciatus curse by Lord Voldemort before." Again there was the many gasps, and shudders. "I know what the curse feels like. There is no mistaking it."
"Thank you, Mister Potter, that will be all." Mr. Munroe smiled politely, and the wizard who'd been sitting next to Umbridge stood up. He smoothed down his thinning hair and eyes Harry critically.
"Mr. Potter, is it true that you received your fair share of detentions over your career at Hogwarts?" the wizard said in a nasally kind of voice.
"Yes, sir."
"Do you think you are above rules, Mister Potter? Do you believe you should not be punished when you step out of line?"
"No, sir. If I break a rule, I should be punished. I'd accept it because I was in the wrong. But, I find it more than a little odd that a person would be so severely punished for telling the truth, which as I understand it, is the right thing to do." Harry said carefully, eyeing the thin graying man who was pacing slowly.
"I see. So you believe that, when you have broken the law, that you should be punished accordingly?"
"Yes." Harry said, eyebrows raising questioningly.
"So, seeing as you feel so strongly, why do you think you haven't been punished for the murder of Cedric Diggory?" the nasally voice wizard said, pointing his long crooked finger at Harry who's mouth had fallen open.
"Objection. Higgins, there is no proof that Mister Potter has committed murder. In fact, his story regarding the demise of Mister Diggory seems to check out, as we all know for fact that You-Know-Who is back." Munroe shouted.
Harry straightened himself up and looked at the man, now identified as Higgins.
"Sir, I would be willing to be questioned under Veritaserum in regards to this matter." Harry held up his right hand, showing the entire court the scar that was so clear.
"Madam Umbridge saw to it that no matter how you ask me, the story will always be the same, because it is true. Peter Pettigrew killed Cedric Diggory before he performed the ritual which gave Voldemort a new body."
There was more murmuring and Madam Thatcher banged her gavel. "Mr. Higgins, that was uncalled for, and has not relevance to this case. If you have no questions for the witness he will be excused."
Higgins glared at Harry for a moment and finally shook his head. Madam Thatcher turned to Harry and thanked him for his testimony and excused him from the court room. Harry thought that things would have been much different, but shrugged it off as the double doors closed behind him.
The Court scribe met him and told him that he was free to go home. Again, Harry felt no sense of relief or justice. He wanted to know what was going to happen to Umbridge. Yet, there was nothing he could do, short of what he'd already done. He'd answered the questions honestly, and directly, without going into long winded explanations. It was in the hands of the court, hopefully they would give justice.
Albus Dumbledore arrived at Harry's home precisely at six o'clock, along with Severus Snape, who still looked sickly. There was not small talk made, or niceties observed. Dumbledore asked that Sirius joined them for their talk, and that they not be disturbed, and Harry led them to the study where they could sit comfortably. When the door closed, Dumbledore waved his wand several times. Harry knew that the old man was putting up wards to keep any who might want to eaves drop from hearing what was going to be said.
"Well, Harry, allow me to wish you a happy birthday. I hope that it was a good day for you and your friends." Dumbledore smiled.
"It was, but I have some questions. They can wait, but I do need to ask you before you go."
"Of course. Next, I would very much like to apologize again. This conversation is long overdue, but I felt it was to your benefit to have your childhood. I realize now that you have never truly had one, and for that and my part in it all, I am very sorry. You have been given a seemingly impossibly destiny, which is to save the wizarding world from Lord Voldemort. And so, here we begin that task.
"Tell me, Harry, have you ever heard of a Horcrux?" the ancient headmaster said, watching Harry over his half-moon spectacles. Harry shook his head, and Dumbledore let out a small laugh.
"I thought not. It is not a topic brought up in civilized conversation. In fact, it is almost entirely unheard of. You see, a horcrux is an extremely dark object, which uses the darkest of magics to even create, but once it is made, the maker can never ever die. Do you understand so far?"
Harry nodded and Dumbledore continued.
"Our Lord Voldemort has made such an item. In fact, he's made more than one. He has made seven. Seven items which prevent him from ever dying."
"How can these items keep him alive?" Harry asked.
"They do so by keeping a portion of the soul anchored to this world. It takes a very strong bit of magic in which to rip a person's soul in to, but there is one thing that does it easily. Murder. Anytime a person kills another in cold blood. Understand this, Harry, for it is important.
"If you kill someone to defend yourself, or a loved one, you do not rip your soul. But, if you kill out of hate and spite, you tear the very fabric of your being. When you have done this, and you know how to perform the ritual, you could take that ripped piece of soul and hide it in an object, like a diary."
Dumbledore let the words sink in. He watched as Harry put the puzzle together, smiling as Harry's face showed that he had figured it out.
"The diary in second year. That was one of these, uh…Horcrux things?"
"Precisely, Harry. Very good. Now, Voldemort, who is so fearful of death, made seven in order to protect himself from ever dying. As you well know, when he was originally vanquished by you as a mere child of one, his body was destroyed, but the remaining piece of his soul was free to roam until he was able to make a new body.
"When you brought the Diary to me after your encounter in the Chamber of Secrets, I learned soon after what it was. It was then that I began my research trying to track down how he had made this item. It was then I learned that he had made others. I have since located two others, and am still searching for the rest, though I believe to have a very strong idea of where three of them reside. Once I have found them all, I will destroy them, and at that point, Voldemort will be mortal once again. I would like your help in discovering two more of the Horcruxes.
"Of course, however I can help." Harry agreed. Sirius nodded as well, showing he would do whatever he could.
"Wonderful. If you are agreeable, I should like it if you could show me into the Chamber of Secrets tomorrow afternoon."
"Of course sir. You think one of the Horcruxes is in there?"
"It seems quite likely. While he attended Hogwarts, I believe that Lord Voldemort discovered more of the castle's secrets than any other since the founders. As the Heir of Slytherin, it stands to reason that he may have hidden one of the items in the chamber of his forefather, knowing that none would ever discover it."
"What about the other?" Harry asked, and both Snape and Dumbledore looked at each other.
"Harry, this is going to be difficult to hear, and I ask that you don't, as they say, 'freak out' over it. But, it is my belief that you are the final Horcrux."
Harry's face flushed, and his heart began beating rapidly. He looked at Sirius, who looked rather panicked as well.
"I believe that when he tried to kill you," Dumbledore went on, hoping Harry would calm down. "Your mother's sacrifice put a protective spell around you, which bounced the killing curse off of you and destroyed Voldemort's body. In the process, however, it somehow made you a horcrux for part of Voldemort's soul. It is how part of his power was transferred to you, and also how you have been able to feel what he is feeling, and see into his mind."
"So I'm…I've got some of him inside of me?" Harry said shakily. His eyes were wide in horror at the thought that Voldemort, or at least part of him rest inside of Harry.
"I believe so. What I would like, Harry, is your permission for Professor Snape and myself to use Legillimency on you and see if that it is truly the case. I promise that we are not going to pry into your private thoughts. What we wish to do is to see if there is indeed another presence inside of your mind. It is part of the reason I have asked your godfather to join us."
"How are you going to do it?" Harry asked, still frightened. His mind was having a hard time working. There was a piece of the thing that had murdered his parents inside of him. He knew everything Harry knew, it saw what Harry saw. Harry felt like his lungs were constricted, and his vision was becoming blurry.
"What happens if it is in there? How do we get it out?"
"I do not know, at this time. But, I think it will be Lord Voldemort himself who will do it. Who must do it. I think that this has to do with the prophecy, Harry. But, we are jumping to conclusions. May we proceed?" Dumbledore asked, looking quite upset at having to ask this of Harry, who looked quite afraid. Harry nodded and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.
He opened his eyes and looked at Dumbledore, who was staring very intently into his eyes. Harry tried to keep his mind as calm as he could, thinking it might make it easier for Dumbledore to find what it was he was looking for.
He could feel something in his head, something he'd never experienced before. It felt like gentle pressures on his mind, as if someone were pushing against his conscious. Harry tried to keep his breathing even, and to focus on the headmaster's brilliant blue eyes. The process took a very short period of time, and when it was over, Harry felt a little dizzy.
"Severus?" Dumbledore asked. The sickly looking Potions master nodded.
"I felt it. It's there."
"As did I. I am afraid our worst fears are true. Harry is a Horcrux."
"It's very strong, and it seems to feed of the boy's negative emotions. Undoubtedly it became very strong throughout the boys." Snape said.
"You've got to do something." Sirius said angrily.
Harry heard the words, and felt anger rise up in him. His eyes began to burn with tears and he began pounding at the arm of his chair.
"Why?" He screamed. "Why me? Why couldn't it have been someone else's problem? I don't want this. I don't want to have him in my head. I want him out. Now!"
"I am sorry, Harry." Dumbledore said, a few tears spilling from his eyes. "If I could take away all of your pain, I would do so."
"Potter." Snape said gently. "I know that you're angry, and there is nothing anyone can say to take that away, or make this situation better. But, you have never given up in all the time I've known you. You will fight this, and you will win because we are all doing our best to figure it all out."
Harry watched the greasy haired man for a long time. He saw no more malice in the man's eyes, there was only empathy. Harry could see that Snape meant what he was saying.
"Severus is right, Harry." Sirius said. "None of us are going to let you face this alone. Not me, or Remus, or your friends."
"Which brings me to the next topic." Dumbledore said. "Harry, I wish for you to continue the DA this year. I also wish that you and your friends take advanced lessons with some private tutors. This will mean giving up Quidditch, as you will have little time for it, but I think it for the best."
"How many of my friends?" Harry asked, still having difficulty in calming down. His anger and despair had such a strong hold on his heart at the moment.
"I think it would be prudent to have Miss Greengrass, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Davis as a part of it. If you should like more, I leave it up to you. You would be having advanced lessons three nights a week. You will be learning very advanced spells, potions, and several different styles of fighting. I am asking you to do this, Harry, because I want you to survive, and I must make sure you have everything I can give you to ensure it.
"I know that you will teach your friends, so it is wise for them to take these lessons with you." Dumbledore finished.
Harry had finally settled down a bit and was looking at the headmaster with a blank expression.
"Who'll be teaching us?" He asked with no emotion. Dumbledore frowned. He had not wanted this for Harry, it was too big a burden. He could only hope that when they were finished, his friends would help Harry to deal with this information better than he could.
"I have asked several of the Hogwarts professors to help. Professor Snape, who has a very expansive knowledge, has agreed to teach, Professor Flitwick as also agreed to teach dueling. I will be asking several members of the Order to come and train with you, as well as you're godfather, if he is agreeable."
"I'm in, you don't even need to ask."
"Harry, it is important that you begin soon. I understand that your house has a training facility. I believe it would not only help you to work out some of your obvious frustration," Dumbledore smiled when Harry finally looked at him again, a slight frown on his young face. "But it would help shake off the cobwebs. You will, of course, be unable to use magic as you are still underage, but perhaps an exercise routine would help build your stamina and physical strength."
Harry nodded again. Dumbledore sighed wearily and looked to Snape, who shrugged.
"I believe you had questions to ask of me, before we concluded?"
Harry's face lost it's look of despair and he seemed to brighten a little.
"Yes, sir. While we were at the amusement park yesterday, we met a fortune teller. She said things that were vague, but also very spot on regarding all of us. She told me that I was being hunted but that my hunter would not succeed. She said I would be victorious at the reckoning."
"Interesting. You think perhaps she was a witch?"
"I think it more likely that she was a squib, who could have been a great seer if she'd had a proper teacher." Harry hypothesized.
"I believe you might be right in that assessment. Harry, you know as well as I that Divination is a dodgy aspect of magic at best. I would not hold too tightly to anything that you were told. There are many variables, and no one's journey is written in stone until it is ended."
Harry nodded and the Headmaster rose to his feet. He turned to face Snape who had not yet risen.
"I wish to speak to Harry alone." The professor said lightly. Harry turned to look at the Potions master, and nodded. Sirius and Dumbledore left them and neither spoke for several moments.
"I must apologize to you Harry." Snape said, finally breaking the silence. "I misjudged you when you first stepped into my classroom. All I could see was your father staring at me. I forgot that you were also the child of Lily Evans. My friend. I have many sins to repent for, and I may never be truly free of them all. But I must make amends to you. For the sake of your mother.
"I know that we will never be friends, but I wish to be your ally. I swear on my magic that I will teach you everything I know, not just in magic, but what I have learned as a Death Eater. I will help you understand how the Dark Lord functions and why he chooses to act as he does. Sirius is correct when he tells you that knowledge is power.
"I must also tell you something the Headmaster neglected to mention. I will ask that you keep this between us, as it is very important. You do not have complete access to your magical core. This Horcrux that is inside you is dampening your power. Now, whether the Dark Lord is able to use your magic is unknown. It is my belief however that he can not.
"I would also like to tell you that you will probably not feel much from him in the future. After your encounter at the Ministry, the Dark Lord was terribly injured. He now knows that you can hurt him through your bond. He is also unaware that your bond is a Horcrux. It is why he still pursues you. We'd like to keep it this way. If he learns the truth of it, he will kidnap you and torture you forever, but he will never let you die. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I do. Thank you."
"I want you to do something, Potter. I want you to try and keep as much positive emotion as you can. I have a theory that the Horcrux inside you was strengthened through all your years with your relatives. As I said, it is my belief that all the negative emotions, the sadness and despair you felt growing up allowed the Horcrux to become very strong. I think it was how Lord Voldemort was able to access your mind so easily. If you can reverse that, by feeling love and happiness, it is my theory the Horcrux will weaken. We might be able to get it out of you if we can weaken it enough. Spend time with Miss Greengrass, and try not to let this dampen your emotions.
"I promise you, Harry, we will get rid of it. I will make sure you are well informed, just as your godfather has been doing." Snape stood, shakily.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"Yes. I will be fine. I have just been taken ill." Snape lied easily. He inwardly cringed and promised he would tell the youth later. He had enough to deal with at the moment.
"I would suggest that you seek out you friends, Potter. Tell them all that you feel comfortable with, and allow them to try and lift your spirits. You will find great strength in their camaraderie. Good night."
Harry watched his former menace leave, and thought of his advice. Harry knew that Snape had no friends when he had been in school, so he would truly know how lucky Harry was. Harry knew as well that he now had such a diverse group of friends that they would all be able to see his problem from different angles and come up with several possible solutions.
Harry had to think of who he wanted to train with him. Of course Daphne, Neville, Tracey and Hermione, but Harry knew that the five of them wouldn't be as formidable as say if Ron were a part of it. Or Luna and Ginny. And what of Blaise and Susan? Together they could be a major force to be reckoned with. They had all been the strongest in the DA, mostly because they all studied together, and had learned to work together, but this was going to be something deeper.
Harry rose from his chair. He needed Daphne. He didn't want to talk about anything just yet. He needed to process it all himself. But he also knew he couldn't wait forever with it. He promised himself that he would talk to them tomorrow. Tonight he just wanted to be alone with Daphne. To be a teenager for a little while.
Ron sat in his room, staring out at the woods. He and Ginny had come home that morning right after Harry had gone to court. Ginny had to appear but she had come back just after lunchtime. She had nothing to report as far as the case had gone, but Ron wasn't really interested. He had spent the day sitting alone in the woods, and staring into the pond.
The amusement park had started out as a really fun day, until they had gone to see the fortune teller. He had thought it would be a laugh until he sat down with the young woman. She had looked right into his soul.
"You carry a heavy burden." She had said, a small smile on her face. "Too big for one so young. Don't let your guilt prevent you from being who you should be, or with one who loves you so deeply."
Ron had smiled, and his mind flashed to Luna, who had been so happy to spend the day with him. They had flirted shamelessly all day, and she had even kissed his cheek a few times. Ron was beginning to believe he may be worthy of the strange Ravenclaw girl.
"Hell, if Harry can look past a person's flaws, why can't I? Luna's very pretty and she's not always mental. She's really a good person, and I could do a lot worse. Besides, life will never be dull with her." He had thought to himself.
The young fortune teller had begun gazing into the crystal orb then and her face fell into one of deepest sadness. When she looked at Ron she looked as if she wanted to cry.
"What is it?"
What she told Ron made his blood run cold. He felt himself shiver at the revelation. He watched the woman carefully for any signs that she was having him on, but her face looked so genuine and remorseful. The young woman reached across the table and clutched his hand, apologizing profusely.
When he had calmed down sufficiently, he left the young woman. He decided he would not tell the others. What she had told him had shaken him to his very core. He couldn't even look at the others, save for Harry, who was watching him curiously. Ron wanted to tell his best friend, but his throat had closed up. He simply began staring at his shoes. When Luna came out and kissed him so soundly, Ron had nearly broken out of his dark mood. He had put on a good act for the rest of the day for his friends, even dodging the question about what the gypsy had told him.
Once he was home, and could be alone, it weighed on his mind. He kept trying to convince himself that the woman was a fraud like Trelawney, but inside he didn't believe it was true. Still he kept trying. He couldn't let this phony's "prediction" run his life.
Now as he stared at the darkening woods he made his choice. Ron would not let it rule him. He would live his life as best as he could. She had said it. The future was not set in stone. It was possible that things could change and nothing she had said would ever come to pass. If he dwelled on it, it very well may happen.
No, Ron would go on living. He would work at his goals of becoming a better student and a better man. He would make himself worthy of Harry's friendship and he would take a chance with Luna Lovegood. Ron Weasley was going to be the man he knew he was meant to be.
And, if that silly prediction did come true, Ron knew that he wouldn't hesitate in his choice. He would sacrifice himself to save Harry Potter.
