Chapter 9: A Destiny To Fulfill
"So what's the deal with this Umbridge character?" Harry asked one fine July evening as the Weasleys and Hermione had joined them for dinner at Grimmauld Place.
"Don't even speak the name of Dolores Umbridge around me," Remus said darkly from across the table. Tonks stepped on his foot none too subtly and looked at him warningly.
"We've already told you, Harry, she's a complete maniac," Ron said in exasperation. "She's completely overridden Dumbledore for control of the school, she's already expelled the Creeveys and Dean for sticking up for you... the only reason she hasn't expelled us is because we haven't been caught red-handed yet."
"Castle's in chaos," Ginny agreed.
"No, I know, but I don't get who she is. I mean, how is she overriding Dumbledore?"
"Umbridge," Tonks spoke up quietly, "is the Senior Undersecretary to Minister Fudge. She was the one who pushed through the Werewolf Legislation in 1994."
"But how is she overriding Dumbledore?" Harry asked again.
"The Ministry has been butting into Hogwarts affairs for the last few years," Remus said. "They've enacted laws, legislations that let them decide who gets hired, who stays hired, what gets taught and who gets accepted..."
"It won't be long before they exclude Muggleborns," Hermione agreed softly. "As the High Inquisitor, Umbridge has almost total control, and Fudge lets her do whatever she wants."
"So what's the whole purpose of the Headmaster, then, if it's the Inquisitor who has the power?" Harry asked.
"He's an administrator, really," Sirius sighed. "He's there just in case Umbridge tries something truly nasty."
"Just one moment, Harry, Sirius, Remus," Dumbledore spoke up quietly the next night, following the end of another Order meeting. "I'd like to discuss something with you."
The three named men sat back down slowly, Tonks staying stubbornly where she was. "I'm staying too," she said without hesitation, casting an I-dare-you-to-kick-me-out look at Remus.
"It is ultimately up to them if they want you to remain here, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said reasonably.
"Aw, let her stay, it'll save her tedious interrogation later," Sirius sighed. "What's this all about, sir?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily. "It's about the prophecy."
"The one Voldemort wants?" Harry asked, as Remus leaned forward, frowning as he watched Dumbledore carefully. "The one that's supposed to be about him and I, but nobody knows what it says?"
"Yes, that one," Dumbledore affirmed. "Although your description isn't entirely accurate. One person knows what it says in its entirety: myself. It was told to me in 1979, around Christmastime, if my old mind still serves me right."
"What about the prophecy?" Sirius asked sharply.
Dumbledore sighed again. "I think, given the current circumstances, that it may be prudent to pass on the knowledge of that prophecy."
Sirius, Remus and Harry all exchanged glances. "What do you mean, sir?" Harry asked carefully.
"I mean, Harry," Dumbledore said, "that you cannot remain ignorant of what was said for the rest of your life."
"Why not?" Remus spoke up quietly. "Why should he know? The Department of Mysteries is full of unheard prophecies which never came to pass, isn't it?"
"That's true, Remus," Dumbledore replied quietly. "But the problem is that Voldemort is already aware of a portion of the prophecy, and it's no longer safe to keep it under wraps."
"But why do you have to tell him now?" Sirius demanded hotly. "He's still – "
"Because, Sirius," Dumbledore cut him off, "Harry is old enough, and at very least mature enough, to handle what it says. Regardless of what any of us may want to believe, he is almost 17, and has come through more than any other boy his age."
"Sirius, I want to hear it," Harry said quietly.
"Ugh, I know you do, that's besides the point…" Sirius groaned, setting his forehead in his hands momentarily. "All right, fine, go on with it, then," he grumbled as Dumbledore sighed and waved his wand momentarily.
"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 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 silence in the kitchen. Then Tonks spoke up, albeit a little tentatively. "That seems sort of woolly to me. I mean, that could practically be anyone, right?"
"Thanks for trying, Tonks," Sirius sighed as he rubbed his forehead again. "But it's not half as woolly as it seems."
"'Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…'" Remus murmured, closing his eyes momentarily. "How many people back then fit that…"
"Two, if we're going to be precise," Dumbledore said quietly, sitting down across the table from the four. "Harry and Neville. Although it's rather obvious by now which one he marked."
"Hey, Harry, what'd Dumbledore want?" Ron asked curiously as Harry entered his room, still reeling slightly from the severity of Dumbledore's revelation.
"Oh, um, just needed to discuss something with Sirius and Remus and I," Harry replied truthfully, dropping down onto his bed. "You staying here still?"
"Yeah, I'd rather not hang around the Burrow, if you know what I mean," Ron yawned. "All the wedding stuff going on, a guy can't so much as sit down a second without being handed something else to do."
The day of Harry's 17th birthday, he was rather rudely awakened by Sirius creating a ruckus in the kitchen. The sounds of Remus and Tonks both laughing (whether with him or at him was as of yet uncertain) echoed up the stairs as well.
"Good Merlin, who's being murdered down there?" Ron groaned drowsily, slowly pulling himself upright as Harry groped for his glasses on the bedside table.
"I dunno. Sounds like a party, though…" Harry yawned, shoving his glasses onto his nose and dragging himself out of the room. "C'mon, let's go see."
"What's going on?" Harry asked with a yawn, wandering into the kitchen. "We can hear you clear on the third floor."
"Ha! You tell him, Remus!" Sirius crowed happily, dropping into a chair and leaning back. "Happy birthday, Harry, by the way."
"Yeah, yeah, what's going on?" Harry asked again, directing his question at Remus.
Remus sighed with a slight smile at Tonks, who was perched on the countertop and positively beaming. "We – that is, Dora and I – are going to have a baby."
Harry was struck dumb momentarily before he laughed at the astonished look dawning on Ron's face at the reasonably-new wedding ring on Tonks' finger.
"Damn, you miss so much when you go to school!" Ron exclaimed. "When the hell – "
"Oh, God, Ron, it's been, like, a month!" Tonks laughed. "Anybody feeling like actually eating breakfast this morning?" she asked as she jumped down to the ground again.
"Me!" both Harry and Ron said immediately.
"Well, you'd best get on it, then, because it'll be lunch by the time you finish up at this rate," Remus said with a smile.
"Excuse me?" Harry asked indignantly. "It's my birthday! I shouldn't have to cook my own breakfast today!"
"Well, considering neither Remus or I can operate a stove to any decent ability," Sirius said lightly.
"And I'm not allowed to operate anything that can't be controlled by magic in this place," Tonks added cheerfully.
"That leaves you two," Remus finished.
"Oh, screw this, I'm going home," Ron muttered darkly. "Mum'll have plenty of breakfast left."
"Bring me back some," Harry called after him wistfully. "On principle, I refuse to cook my own birthday breakfast."
"Yeah, if I ever managed to sludge my way out of the Phlegm at the Burrow."
Once Ron had left, still muttering darkly, Sirius burst out laughing. "Honestly, Harry, did you really think we were going to make you cook your own breakfast?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at his godfather suspiciously. "You're evil. That was an incredibly underhanded way to get rid of Ron."
Sirius shrugged. "Molly's a scary person. She wanted Ron home to help out."
"Tell Bill and Fleur congratulations from me," Sirius ordered as Harry grumbled and yanked at the collar of his dress robes. "And don't pull at your collar like that, you're going to rip it."
"Yes, Hermione," Harry growled irritably. All morning, both Remus and Sirius had been pestering him about being careful at the wedding: Sirius obviously couldn't go, still being a hunted man, and it wasn't safe for Remus or Tonks to go, since the Ministry's crackdown on werewolves, and despite their adamant protests to the contrary, Harry had the distinct idea that neither Sirius nor Remus were particularly pleased with him going by himself.
Honestly, as though they didn't all agree that he was a big boy and could handle himself, as though they didn't all agree that he knew more about taking care of himself than half the adults in the world, as though they didn't all know he was at the Burrow, surrounded by other Order members...
"Be – " Remus started to say, when Harry cut him off.
"You tell me to be careful one more time and I am going to hex you," he threatened. "Honestly, I'm 17! I can handle myself perfectly well at a damn wedding."
"I'm just saying," Remus protested, when Tonks put a warning hand on his arm.
"Enough, both of you," she said quietly. "Harry's right. He'll be fine, and if anything does happen, he knows how to handle himself. Worse comes to worse, half the Order will be there."
"Thank you!" Harry exclaimed. "You are now my favourite person 'round here."
Tonks grinned at him. "I live to please."
"Harry!" Ginny and Hermione both shrieked as Harry Apparated into the Burrow.
Harry laughed and let the two girls throw their arms around his neck and kiss his cheeks. "Good to see you guys, too, Hermione, Ginny. How's everything running so far?"
"As smoothly as can be expected when Fred and George are around," Ginny laughed. "Harry, is Ron telling the truth? Are Lupin and Tonks actually married?"
"Yeah, they've been married for, like, a month," Harry said with a grin. "Remus didn't want a huge fuss and bother about it, given the Ministry's stance on werewolves lately and the Death-Eaters being so active. Figured it was probably safer for Tonks all around if it wasn't widespread knowledge she was marrying a werewolf. Mind, Sirius caused enough ruckus 'round Grimmauld Place about it to make up for the lack of public festivities. What, don't your parents and Bill and Fred and George tell you lot anything about what's going on?"
"You could've told us!" Ginny exclaimed indignantly.
"Harry, is Ron telling the truth about everything?" Hermione butted in.
"Why, what else did he tell you?" Harry asked.
"Is Tonks actually having a baby?" Hermione and Ginny both demanded impatiently.
"Yes."
Both girls burst out into delighted squeals. "When?" Ginny asked excitedly. "Whenwhenwhenwhen?"
Harry shrugged as they both started pulling him towards the house, peppering him with eager questions. "I dunno, spring, I guess."
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Hermione exclaimed. "You must know, Harry, you're our only link to anything happening around there!"
"I don't know, Hermione, and quite frankly, I don't really want to know." Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, isn't your mother about to go mad for help?" he asked Ginny.
"My mother's been going mad for the last two years," Ginny said darkly. "You'll regret coming."
Harry hadn't really realized just how much he'd come to enjoy the relative solitude of Grimmauld Place until it was 10 at night and the reception was packed with people.
"Harry!" came the call of Dumbledore over the crowds as he strode through them effortlessly. "Harry, a word, if I may?" he asked. "You are here by yourself?"
"Yeah, yeah, nobody else could come," Harry said, following his former headmaster away from the crowds with a certain degree of relief. "What's this about, sir?"
"I'm afraid we didn't get much of a chance to discuss the meaning of that prophecy when I first divulged it to you, between Sirius and Remus," Dumbledore said seriously, looking over the top of his glasses at Harry.
"I, I got what it meant," Harry muttered. "It's me or him."
"You understand, of course, then, why it is so vitally important that you keep up with your training," Dumbledore said. "Do not underestimate the power of instruction combined with the strongest power: that of love." He smiled benevolently when Harry sent him a confused frown. "Oh, yes, Harry, you can have all the power in the world and yet be as weak as a newborn if you don't have love. Just look at Voldemort."
"I wouldn't exactly call him weak..." Harry muttered.
"Ah, yes, Harry, but you see, it is precisely that which will be the end of him, mark my words. He believes he is strong as well, but when confronted with love, he doesn't know what to do." Dumbledore paused for a moment, stroking his beard. "Yes, Harry, yes, he is weak behind the powerful mask. Alone, friendless, no family, nothing and nobody that he trusts. Yes, he is weaker than a newborn. Even an infant knows instinctively to trust its mother and father..." He paused again, a crooked smile making its way onto his face. "Speaking of which," he added, eyes twinkling. "Do pass along my congratulations to Remus and Nymphadora. I'm afraid I won't be present at the next meeting to give it to them myself."
"God, how fast does news travel 'round here?" Harry muttered. "I only found out two days ago and seems like the entire country knows now."
"Harry, Harry, come dance with me," Ginny pleaded as she appeared at his elbow. "Fleur's cousin – you know, that huge, spotty bloke? – is eying me and it's rather disturbing." She stopped. "Oh, sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Quite understandable, Ginny, quite all right," Dumbledore assured her. "Harry and I were done at any rate."
"Please, Harry?" Ginny begged.
"All right, all right," Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "I should probably warn you, though, that I'm not exactly a top-notch dancer."
"Oh, that's fine, I don't care, I just don't want that Richard or whatever his name is to come over and ask me to dance, because then I have to be polite and say yes and..."
"You're jabbering, Ginny," Harry said with a slight laugh, putting a light hand on her back to guide her out onto the dance floor.
"Oh, am I? Sorry, I get that way when I'm nervous," she apologized, then went furiously red in the face. "I mean, this whole wedding thing has gotten me all tongue-tied and I hated everybody looking at me today, standing up there..." Groaning, Ginny just dropped her forehead to his shoulder. "Oh, just kill me now."
Harry laughed again as he wrapped an arm around her waist lightly and closed the other hand around hers. "Don't look now, but Richard's looking pretty ticked off about me being here," he murmured, grinning as she looked up curiously from his shoulder.
"He does, doesn't he?" Ginny said happily. She looked up at him, smiling back. "Thank you, Harry," she said, going up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek lightly. Richard-the-Rejected scowled at Harry, who smirked back at him.
"Any time, Ginny," he replied, returning the kiss with only the slightest hesitation. She gave him a delighted grin and snuggled back down comfortably in his arms.
"Snog her and die," came Charlie's threatening mutter from nearby.
"No threats to murder on my wedding day, man," Bill muttered under his breath to Charlie, passing by with Fleur, who was positively glowing. "We know where you live, Potter. You snog her and we will hunt you down."
Harry got back to Grimmauld Place long after the sun had set, opening the door only to find Tonks fast asleep between Remus' legs in the sitting room, her head resting back against his shoulder and her face buried into his neck. "Hey," he greeted softly.
"Hey yourself," Remus replied quietly, brushing back a stray lock of pink hair from his wife's face. "She was rather insistent that we stay up and wait for you," he explained with a roll of his eyes. "She wants every little detail about the wedding, the reception and everything before and after, so I hope you took good notes."
"And yet she's the one sleeping," Harry laughed, dropping into the armchair across from them.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Remus said dryly.
"So the party-boy is finally back," came Sirius' yawn from the staircase. "You learn anything new and exciting?"
"No. New travels fast, though. The following people would like me to tell you congratulations," he said to Remus. "Weasleys, Prewetts, Lovegoods, Longbottoms, and Dumbledore."
"How the hell do they all know?" Sirius asked, dropping onto the couch without a second thought and succeeding in making Tonks stir.
Remus sent a glare in Sirius' direction. "I expect a little redheaded bird told them," he said, resettling Tonks against him. "Don't wake her."
Harry half-listened to Sirius and Remus' light-hearted arguments, thinking about what Dumbledore had told him. If he had a destiny to fulfill, he could think of nobody he preferred over these two to help him – except perhaps Ron and Hermione.