Chapter 10

Harry was leading the small group up to seventh floor and into the room of requirements which surprisingly still worked despite the fiendfire that had been used in it during the battle. It smelled smoky but it looked alright. Harry looked a bit sick in this room as the memories of fifth year rushed back at him. He barely had enough time to wish for some chairs before he fell backwards landing in one of them.

Minerva rushed over and hugged him. It wasn't normal for her to be this affectionate with any student but she could see that he needed it desperately. Carlisle and Edward sat down not that they needed too but they thought they would do it to make the others more comfortable.

"This story might take a while. And it is by far one of the hardest years I've ever faced. I spent the summer of course with my aunt and uncle. While there Dudley and I were attacked by dementor's sent by some one in the ministry. I faced expulsion because I defended ourselves using the charm Lupin had taught me. I had to go to a hearing where thanks to my neighbor Mrs. Figg who turned out to be a squib, testifying for me." Harry said calmly.

"We finally came back to school. No one seemed to believe me that Voldmort was back. And we had a horrible DADA teacher who refused to teach us anything useful. While I had been at the head quarters for the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization fighting the dark lord, I was able to learn about how he was creating an army and was looking for what we thought was a weapon. So that weighed heavily on my mind as the school term started. Umbridge the DADA teacher called me a liar in my very first class with her and gave me detention. Her detentions were brutal. She had what is known as a blood quill. When a person writes with it it uses their blood to write the words and they carve into the persons hand. She made me write I must not tell lies until as she put it, It sunk in." Harry said showing them his hand with the slight scar of the words on it.

Carlisle shook his head angrily. What kind of monster would do that to a child?

"As the fall continued we realized that we would never be ready for our Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams or O.W.L s as we call them. So we put together a group of students and I was asked to teach them. So I taught them as much as I knew. By that Christmas I had been getting visions thru my connection regularly. In one I managed to see Arthur Weasely attacked by Voldemorts snake Nagini. Luckily they were able to get him in time and save his life. Snape at that point tried to teach me occlumency but I failed at it."

"There was a mass outbreak from Azkaban that made us all train that much harder. We knew we would have to fight. Then one day Umbridge found out where we were meeting and confronted Dumbledore with it. She had brought the minister of magic and some aurors along with her. Dumbledore took the blame but escaped with the help of his phoenix. Umbridge became headmistress even though it should have been Professor McGonagall. By that time the Weasely twins Fred and George had grown quite tired of all the stupid rules she set and caused a big old mess and left the school." Harry said sadly as if thinking about something else at the time.

"We were in the middle of taking our O.W.L.s when I had a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldmort and I reacted. I along with other members of the D.A or Dumbledore's Army as we called ourselves tried to contact Sirius by Floo but was caught. Umbridge called for Snape to get truth serum from him but he told her that he had no more. I tried to give him a subtle clue about Sirius. By then however she was mad. She was going to use Cruiatius curse on me when Hermione lied and led her into the Forbidden Forrest where Umbridge had made some enemy's with the centaurs who lived there. We escaped and a group of us went to the ministry of magic to save Sirius." Harry took a long breath. His hands were trembling even as he fought to keep his voice even.

"When we got there we headed straight for the Department of Mysteries where my vision had shown Sirius but when we got to that spot he wasn't there. I picked up an orb that had my name on it and we were surrounded by death eaters. We fought as hard as we could and managed to get into another room when the order came with Sirius to help. Lucius Malfoy and I were fighting in front of the Veil when they showed up. In the fight that started I dropped and broke the orb. I got back when the order started fighting the death eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange started dueling with Sirius and some how she hit him with a curse and knocked him into the veil. He died instantly and was taken beyond. Lupin had to restrain me from going after Sirius. At that moment the pain was so much I didn't think I could survive it." Harry said closing his eyes as the pain washed over him. It still seemed unreal to him.

"She managed to get away while the other death eaters were captured and I took after her intent on killing her. I could hear Lupin crying out to me no repeatedly and my name but I couldn't stop. I was so angry. As I had my wand trained on her I suddenly heard Voldmort behind me telling me that I had to mean it. I turned around and he managed to disarm me. Dumbledore arrived just in time to save me and they dueled." Harry said voice breaking with sobs that was threatening to overcome him. It took several minutes for him to calm down before continuing.

"Neither could finish the other off so Voldmort took a new approach. He possessed me for a short time but all the loving memories were too much for him and he was forced out. The Minister of Magic arrived just in time to see Voldmort dissapparate with Bellatrix and knew I was telling the truth." Harry said with his voice still shaking with emotion.

"when we got back to the school and everyone's injuries were taken care off I talked with the newly reinstated Headmaster and learned some things that they had kept from me. He had kept from me the fact that I had to go back to the Dursley's because of my mothers sacrifice. I would be safe as long as I lived with a blood relative of hers. And that Dumbledore knew he would return. He also had kept from me a prophesy that was made at the time of my birth. It could have been one other boy but Voldmort marked me when he tried to kill me as a baby." He said before telling them all the prophecy.

"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 equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …" Harry said.

"I was very angry about Sirius and being tricked like that and now all the secrets and lies I practically destroyed his office. After I calmed down later I had a talk with one of our ghosts and they told me that Sirius would not be a ghost. So after it all I went back to my aunt's hurting and feeling more alone than ever." Harry said finally allowing the tears to fall.

Minerva again found herself with her arms around the young man allowing him to cry on her shoulder and fighting back tears of her own. Edward looked on uncomfortably. While Carlisle looked sympathetic towards the young man.

"I miss him so much. Sometimes I wander why he can't be here. Then I remember it's because he had to save me. It's my fault he's gone. If I hadn't fallen for it He'd still be here." Harry sobbed.

"Harry look at me" She said as his eyes slowly met hers. "It's not your fault. I know how hard it is to see a situation like that and not feel like you have some of the blame in it. But Harry don't you see. It's a testimony of how much he loved you that he would risk and lose his life to keep you safe. Harry, he loved you so much he would have done anything to keep you safe. And if you are honest you know that if he would have falsely seen you in danger and went to save you, You would have gone to save him as well. I know you love him. Harry, it isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for every thing that happens in your life. Please try to understand that."

Harry nodded slowly as he wiped the tears with his sleeve. Slowly the group made their way out of the Room of Requirements. He lead them up towards the highest tower and soon they all found them selves in the astronomy tower. Harry quickly told them about the classes that was held in the room and then began his story.

"My sixth year here was a dark and terrible year. We heard daily of killings and violence in the world around us but stupidly we thought we were safe here. From the day I arrived that year I was convinced that Draco had become a death eater. But no one would believe me when I told them he was up to something. Ron was too busy with his new girlfriend Lavender and Hermione was to busy being mad at him." Harry said in a far away voice.

"It was different though because Dumbledore started teaching me some things himself. He showed me Riddle's past. Voldmort was an orphan as I am. His given name was Tom Marvolo Riddle but he changed it to Voldmort. His mum was a witch who used a love potion to win his dad's heart who was a muggle. When he found out he left her alone and pregnant. She died hours after giving birth in an orphanage in London. He started mistreating people at a very early age. Soon he was in school here at Hogwarts and charmed people as much as possible. Like me Hogwarts became his first home. But unlike me he never learned to love anyone. He loved only power and took it any way he could. Death scared him so he took drastic measures to ensure his immortality. He created Horacruxes. At this time Dumbledore told me about six of them. The diary, Guants ring, Slytherin's locket, Ravenclaw's Diadem, Hufflepuff's cup and Nagini."

Harry said "a horacrux is a item that holds a piece of someone's soul. Voldmort had splintered off Six pieces of his soul and put them in these items and hid them to protect them so that he would stay immortal."

Harry found a seat and soon the others followed. "That year I found my love, Ginny and for the first time I felt what it felt like to be truly happy. But bad things still happened. Katie Bell a girl I had known from my first year on was hurt by a cursed necklace and Ron Weasely was poisoned. Hermione and Ron mad up and were best friends again. Then towards the end of the year Dumbledore had found what he thought was another horacrux and he asked me to go along. I went and together we went to this cave. We sacrificed some blood so that we could enter the cave. When we got inside we found a lake full of inferi which is bewitched dead bodies. We went over the lake in a boat and Dumbledore told me to force him to drink off of the potion no matter what he said. I did like I was told as I promised I would and we managed to get the locket. Somehow we got back a crossed the lake and I apparated us back to Hogsmeade. But as we looked up we saw the death mark hanging over the school so we picked up brooms and flew them to this very room. When we got here we were ambushed by Draco who disarmed Dumbledore but not before he managed to paralyze me with a spell under my invisibility cloak. They talked for what seemed like forever and Draco was starting to lower his wand when Snape and two other death eaters entered. Snape after Dumbledore begged him too hit him in the chest with the killing curse with such force that he fell out of this window and fell to the ground. I was freed and took off after the two of them. I passed people as they were fighting. I dueled with Snape but both he and Draco got away. When I returned to the castle I retrieved the locket from Dumbledore only to discover it was a fake. I also learned of all the injuries. The worst was Bill Weasely. He had been mauled by Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf although not transfigured. Bill isn't a werewolf but still has some of the wolfness in him. He gets a bit testy right around full moon and he prefers his meat more towards the rare side but other than that he is fine. His Fiancé Fleur at the time never left his side. The last thing I really remember from that year was the funeral. It was huge and beautiful and sad all at the same time. That was when I broke it off with Ginny. I wanted to keep her safe but you know how that worked out." Harry said quietly as he stared out the window.

Edward took a deep unneeded breath. As he breathed in he smelled the familiar scent of blood and his throat burned. He looked at Carlisle who had obviously noticed the same thing. Harry looked over with a concerned look.

"Are you ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes we are fine. We can handle this we just aren't accustomed to smelling so much blood in any one place." Carlisle said honestly.

"Do you need to leave?" Minerva asked.

"No we shall be fine just give us a moment." Edward said slowly regaining his composure.

"If you need to just let me know and we will go straight to our meeting and then leave." Harry said absently, "But you are right way too much blood has been lost here. Too much has been lost here."

Harry turned away again. Telling them of this past year was going to be hard. He didn't think he had the strength for it. He knew it was time to stop blocking all the painful reminders of what happened not so long ago. The school was being repaired but it was a slow process. So far all that had been done was just enough so that they could bring students back but they were all thinking of pushing the school year back to give them a little more time. Blood still stained the floors and their was broken walls and windows still needing repair. Harry knew this but why didn't he notice it. Then it hit him. He wasn't ready to notice it. Maybe now that the Cullen's knew about his more distant past he could focus on the memories of last year. Maybe it would let him feel that Voldmort was gone and he could focus on the job at hand. Defeating Lucius Malfoy one last time.