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Chapter Twenty-Five: The Reprieval

"Why does he have us locked in his office?" asked Ron.

"So we can't escape." Harry answered.

"Has he done this to you before?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, the night we went to the Ministry."

Thirty minutes later, Albus returned.

"Ron, Hermione, you may return to Gryffindor Tower."

Both gave Harry sympathetic looks before leaving the office.

"Harry, go to your room."

Harry tried to leave for his dorm room in the tower, but didn't get far.

"Your room here, Harry."

The teen quickly doubled back and entered Albus' quarters.

It was almost two hours later before Albus knocked on Harry's door. It had taken him this long to calm himself enough to speak with the boy.

"Come out here, Harry."

Harry entered the sitting room, following his guardian to the couch.

Albus said nothing immediately. He simply stared at Harry, thinking. He had dealt with a lot of troubled teens in his years as first a professor, then as headmaster. Harry was truly perplexing him, though.

"Why did you do it, Harry?"

"What, sneak out? I thought that was clear. I wanted to go to Hogsmeade."

"So you disobeyed me simply because you had to get your way. All right. Why did you openly defy me in front of Voldemort? If ever there was a time for you to be obedient, it was then."

"Well, I was curious what was going to happen between the two of you, but that was just a small part of it. I wanted to see what would happen if someone disobeyed you."

"You could have died. Ron or Hermione could have died. That would have been a high price to pay for your rebelliousness."

"You wouldn't have let any of us die." Harry responded.

"There is no guarantee that I would have been able to stop it."

"But no one died. What happened after I left?"

"Harry, someone did die."

"What? Who?" Harry asked, shocked. Then he remembered. "No. No, not Charlie."

"No, it was not Charlie." Albus answered.

"Then who?"

"Kingsley."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it was the killing curse."

"Do you know who killed him?"

"Tonks saw it. She knows."

"Did she tell you?" Harry asked, though he had a feeling he already knew who it was.

"It was Bellatrix." the headmaster said, confirming Harry's suspicion.

Harry sat quietly contemplating what he had been told. "Bellatrix is going to die." was the one coherent thought running through his mind. "She has to die."

Unbeknownst to a very upset Harry, he was staring directly into his guardian's eyes. Albus was capable of reading the Harry's thoughts, which disturbed him.

"Harry, you must not get caught up in the need for revenge. It will destroy you." Albus admonished.

"You keep saying that, but you have no proof that it will. Maybe I can punish those that hurt me and everything will still be okay."

"Do you honestly believe that? I thought you realized that you made a mistake trying to take vengence on Bellatrix at the Ministry. You said just last week that you made a mistake with Cho. Why have you changed your mind again?"

"I-I don't know. I just have." Harry answered.

Albus summoned a book from his office. He flipped through it, clearly searching for something. When he found what he was looking for, he passed the book to Harry.

"What's this?" the teen asked.

"Read it. It's an old article from the Daily Prophet."

Harry read quietly for a few minutes. When he was finished, he looked up at Albus.

"Voldemort really did that?" he asked.

"Yes. It was his first official act as a dark lord. He hated that orphanage with all his heart. He felt the people there were responsible for all of his problems, and they needed to be punished. Fifty-three people were killed in the fire, mostly children. One was even a young witch who was to start Hogwarts the following year."

"What does this have to do with me?" Harry asked. "I would never do anything like that."

"Certainly you don't believe that Tom Riddle was a happy, well-behaved child one morning and then woke up evil the next. His dissent into darkness was gradual; indeed it took years for him to be transformed into the murderer he is today."

"Tom was once an enthusiastic young boy, who just wanted to learn all that he could when he was introduced to the world in which he belonged."

"Like me?"

"You know, Harry, that there are many similarities between you and Voldemort. Do you remember what I told you in second year?"

Harry knew exactly what Albus was referring to. "That it was our choices, not our abilities that define us."

"Think carefully about that, Harry. Go to your room. We will speak more after dinner."

Harry sat in his room thinking. He felt worse than he had all summer. He wondered what he could do to atone for all the things he had done, said, and thought during the last couple of weeks. Just thinking about them was enough to scare himself. He desperately wanted to cut.

"You are supposed to go talk to Albus when this happens." he argued with himself. "He isn't going to want to help me this time. He's too disappointed and angry to help me."

Before he had a chance to actually do it, Albus called him for dinner. The two were eating in Albus' rooms tonight. Harry had a feeling he was probably staying there overnight, too.

Harry pushed his food around his plate, but didn't eat. Albus didn't seem to be too hungry either. Soon, the pair were on the couch again.

"Harry, do you remember what I said about your probation?"

"WHAT? No don't please. I thought about it. I'm sorry. Please don't take this from me, please." Harry pleaded.

"I must follow through with what I said. Otherwise, you will never obey me, thinking you will get away with whatever you want." Albus looked sad, but firm.

"You don't understand. You can't do this. Flying is the only thing I-" Harry was quickly becoming choked up. He took a moment to recover, then continued. "First year, flying was the only thing I had. It seemed natural and easy when everything else was so difficult I felt I didn't belong here. Please, I'll do anything. Just don't ban me from quidditch."

Albus regarded Harry carefully. He didn't want to ban Harry. He was concerned what losing this would do to the teen. He was also a little afraid of what Minerva would do to both of them if she learned Harry would no longer be on the team.

"Very well. You get one reprieve. Do not waste it."

"Oh, thank you. I know I don't deserve it. Thank you so much."

"I intend to find a therapist for you. You clearly still have things to work out that I either can not help you with, or that you are not allowing me to help with."

"What?" the grin Harry had was quickly wiped away. "Why do you think that?"

"Because you are angrier now than you have ever been before. You need to speak with someone else."

"Who are you going to ask?"

"I am not sure. I do not believe Madam Pomfrey is a suitable choice, as her main area of expertise is with physical maladies. Finding someone who can be trusted is going to be a problem."

"Then don't do it."

"Harry-"

"You can't expect me to talk to a stranger about what is wrong with me. I would never be able to trust someone like that. Why can't I just make a commitment to talk to you."

"Because that isn't working. You still won't even come to me when you wish to harm yourself. How can I expect you to talk regarding other things."

"I- It's just harder here then it was over the summer. I've got so many other responsibilities, but I'll make time. Whenever you want."

Albus finally relented. "I am warning you, if things have not improved in two weeks, you will talk to a counsellor."

"I understand."

"I want you in my office Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after class."

"All right. Thank you."

"Do not make me regret this, Harry."

"I won't."

"You do know you must be punished for leaving school without permission, don't you? That was a very dangerous thing to do. What if you had been hurt, or captured in Hogsmeade. We would not have discovered it for hours, because you were supposed to be here."

"I understand. I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to do."

"You have detention for the next two weeks. I will ask the staff who is free, then let you know who will be overseeing it."

"All right."

"Go to bed, now."

'Okay. Good night. Thank you."

"Good night." Albus replied.

The headmaster sat up again that night, hoping he wasn't making a terrible mistake with his ward.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I still haven't reached 100. It will probably be this chapter though. (Happy hopeful smile). I'll let you know who it is next chapter.