25

Professors Parley

Harry spent the rest of the week every night scrubbing out cauldrons, organizing potion ingredients, and filing paperwork for Professor Slughorn. The thing Professor Slughorn found a bit unnerving was the fact that Harry went about his tasks in near silence. He had been warned by Lupin that Harry might have agreed to the detention so readily in an attempt to question him about Order activities that McGonagal had forbid them to mention to Harry. So far though, Slughorn hadn't detected the slightest interest in such matters from Harry.

For Harry's part, it was his observation that Slughorn was being unusually quiet during the detentions. It had always been his experience that Slughorn never wasted an opportunity to recruit him into the Slug Club. Something was causing him to be more standoffish, and Harry was fairly sure he could guess what it was. He had seen the look in McGonagal's eyes when he had agreed to the detention. He knew that Horace Slughorn possessed information that could be useful to him. His only problem was how to get it out of him while he was being so guarded and careful.

"You know," Harry said near the end time of his detention, "I wasn't sure over the summer if you would be coming back to Hogwarts this year with Professor Dumbledore gone."

"I had the same doubt about you," Slughorn replied thinking there was no harm in that little bit of information.

"I can't blame you," Harry said with a grin. "I had strong doubts about my own return. Sometimes, I still think it was a mistake."

"Are you thinking of leaving then?" Slughorn asked with only a hint of panic.

"Oh, no," Harry said as he continued to file papers. "I've gotten too close to Ginny for that. I could never leave her behind. Has that ever happen to you Professor? Have you ever been in love?"

"I've loved a great many people in my day," Slughorn replied as he resisted the urge to go into an extended story. "None more so than myself though. I have encountered no one that I could not leave behind if the circumstance warranted it."

"I find myself in just the opposite situation," Harry said. "There are so many people I could never abandon even if the circumstances warranted it. Ginny calls it my hero complex."

"From what I can see that complex provides a great deal of comfort for the masses who look to you to be 'The Chosen One'," Slughorn observed. "It is an attribute that could take you to the heights of power in the Ministry if…"

"If I manage to survive another duel with Voldemort," Harry said as he stopped filing and looked at Slughorn for the first time.

"Exactly," Slughorn confirmed as his excitement began to build. "If you do that then you will practically be able to name the position you want. A record like that could land you in the Minister's seat one day. All you would need would be a bit of guidance in that direction."

"I'll have to remember that," Harry said with a smile. "There are worse things I could do with my life. Of course there is still the little matter of actually defeating Voldemort to get there. I'll never be able to do that if I can't find his remaining horcruxes though."

"Don't worry about that," Slughorn said still thinking about the exciting prospect of having a contact like Harry in the Ministry. "The Order will find the horcruxes and clear out some of the death eaters for you. You just worry about preparing yourself for the biggest duel of your life."

"I feel better about it knowing that someone is taking care of the horcruxes for me," Harry said looking into Slughorn's eyes. "I'll devote myself to my dueling studies from now on. If I have any questions about dueling strategies, would it be all right if I come to you for help?"

Slughorn's face split into a smile as wide as Harry had ever seen as he said, "It would be my distinct pleasure, Harry. Anything you need, you just come and see me."

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said with a smile. "I appreciate that."

Several minutes later, after Slughorn had dismissed Harry from his last detention and sent him to dinner; he sat back in his office chair and thought how upset McGonagal would be if she found out that he had told Harry the Order was looking for the horcruxes and capturing death eaters. He immediately resigned himself not to mention it to her. After all, he reasoned, Harry had said he was giving up looking for the horcruxes himself. That was something McGonagal had been hoping for. There was no reason for her to know why he had suddenly lost interest. Besides, it was a small price to pay for the beginnings of a mentor relationship between himself and the-boy-who-lived.

Harry walked toward the Great Hall to meet his friends for dinner, but he stopped when he heard the sound of hooves striking stone behind him. He turned to see Firenze walking toward him from an adjacent corridor.

"Good evening, Professor," Harry said as he turned to greet the centaur.

"Good evening, Harry Potter," Firenze said as he came to a stop near Harry. "I believe you are a bit late for dinner. It has already started."

"I know," Harry said. "I just got out of a detention."

"I see," Firenze replied. "I trust you have been well."

"Very well, thank you," Harry said. "How have you been?"

"I manage," Firenze admitted. "The confines of the castle are difficult to get used to for someone who was meant to live under the stars."

"I think we all feel that way sometimes," Harry observed. "Do you ever get to walk outside?"

"Occasionally," Firenze answered. "I sometimes wonder out late at night to look at the stars. The Headmistress has forbidden me to walk far from the castle though. She fears that dangers still await me from the forest."

"That sounds familiar," Harry said with a grin of recognition. "She's almost afraid to let me walk around inside the castle on my own much less out on the grounds."

"Yes," Firenze said. "It was related to me that centaurs watch from just inside the forest who have shown an interest in you."

"Do you have any idea why they might be interested in me?" Harry asked.

"Perhaps," Firenze replied. "You should not be fooled by the declarations that have been made that centaurs take no interest in the activities of humans. While on the whole that statement is quite true, occasionally there is a wizard who catches the attention of even the centaurs."

"But why have I caught their attention?" Harry asked. "Does it have something to do with the prophecy?"

"It has to do with something the centaurs have seen in the stars for many generations," Firenze said. "The prophecy you speak of was not new to the knowledge of the centaur. Your destiny has been written in the heavens since long before you were born. The others would have you believe that we are all knowing when it comes to future matters. I will confess to you that such a thing is not true. We did not know who you would be, or how you would come to the final battle. All we knew was that the battle would happen. We knew that the outcome of that battle could have long lasting effects on the world of wizards and centaurs alike. We know that to win the battle you must find the power that resides in you even now, though no other human has ever discovered it."

"But how do I find it?" Harry asked.

"That we do not know," Firenze admitted. "Nor do we know that you ever will find it. If you do not find it then you will die and darkness will descend upon the world."

"Great," Harry said sarcastically. "I'm glad there isn't any pressure involved."

"Do you have any idea why it is that centaurs dislike humans so?" Firenze asked.

"Not really," Harry answered.

"The centaur does not see the world in the same way humans see it," Firenze said. "It may be difficult for you to understand since you obviously see as a human sees. When you are in the forbidden forest you see trees, rocks, plants and creatures. The centaurs see those things and how they relate to one another. We see the physical lines that connect one thing to another. We understand their relationship immediately. Centaurs dislike humans because we can see no such lines of connection radiating from you to anything else in the world around you. If the lines do exist, as a select few centaurs have believed, then we are unable to perceive them. It is the larger view that the lines do not exist at all. The centaurs dislike humans because they believe there to be no connection between humans and anything else that exists in nature."

"Interesting," Harry said. "So you see an actual physical line connecting a tree to the shrubs that grow under it?"

"Yes," Firenze confirmed. "More importantly, we can see and feel the relationship of each of these things to ourselves. We gain a great deal of strength and power from this connection."

"What kind of power?" Harry asked, becoming more interested.

"It is difficult to describe," Firenze stated. "Relating it in terms you can understand, think about the fear that the Dark Lord commands in the wizarding world. Fear and anger are what he thrives on. I believe that he is made more powerful by the physical connection of that fear to himself. I can see no such connection, but I believe it must be there."

"So I have to somehow break through that fear in order to weaken him?" Harry asked.

"Such a task may be impossible," Firenze warned. "I believe you must find from where your own power flows. If you found a way to detect that connection you may be able to increase your own power sufficiently for battle."

"Do you have any suggestions as to where I might start?" Harry asked, hopeful he could be given a clue about how to go about such a thing.

"I do not," Firenze replied. "I am sorry, Harry. Centaurs are born into the world seeing the connections. There is no special training that takes place to develop it."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Harry said.

"I have said more than I would have been allowed already," Firenze admitted. "Know that I have made you aware of these things as a favor to Albus Dumbledore. You must never admit to the Headmistress that we ever spoke on this matter."

"I understand," Harry said with a grin. "As far as anyone else will ever know, this conversation never happened. I want you to know though that if there are lines of connection coming from me that you can't see, the one connecting me to you just got much stronger."
"You honor me more than you know," Firenze said. "I will carry that knowledge with me proudly. Hurry on to dinner now before you miss it altogether. I think I will take a walk outside."

Harry entered the Great Hall and took a seat next to Ginny for dinner. He apologized to all of them for being late, but made no mention of his conversations with Slughorn and Firenze.

"So you made it through an entire week of detention with Slughorn, Harry," Ron said with a grin. "Are you an official member of the Slug Club now?"

"Actually Slughorn was very quiet for most of the time," Harry replied as he loaded his plate.

"I find that hard to believe," Ron said. "That doesn't sound like him."

"He isn't the only professor acting strangely, Harry" Ginny informed him. "Lupin left dinner early, and he was limping when he walked out. He didn't have a limp when I had him for class this afternoon."

"Maybe he just turned an ankle or something," Harry suggested.

"Don't you think the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be able to heal something as simple as a turned ankle?" Hermione asked. "The spell for it is covered in some detail in chapter twelve of our book."

"Good point," Harry admitted.

"He's been coming to dinner looking tired all week long," Ginny said. "If I didn't know better I would say he was up to something."

Harry grinned and pointed out, "That's what people usually say about me. He may be doing some kind of assignment for the Order. It won't do any good for us to sit here and theorize about what it is. They won't ever tell us about it anyway. Besides, I have to get ready for the D.A. meeting tomorrow evening."

"What are we going to study tomorrow?" Ron asked.

"Wordless magic," Harry answered. "I think we were all hurt by Snape trying to teach it to us last year. I worked on it quite a bit over the summer. I think we all have room for improvement."

"Some of us more than others," Ron said as he hung his head.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ron," Harry said. "After all, you're still the only person in class who can do the full body concealment charm. Think how much more effective that would be if you could do it without speaking to give away your location."

"I guess it would be useful at that," Ron said grinning again.

"You have a busy day planned tomorrow, Harry," Hermione observed. "You were planning on reading the books you wanted from the restricted section early tomorrow."

"I still do," Harry said. "Are you sure you don't mind taking the list up to McGonagal for me tonight, Hermione?"

"Of course not," Hermione replied. "After the encounters you've had with her lately I think it would be a good idea for the two of you to minimize your contact for a while."

"Great," Harry said. "I have the list up in my room. I just have one more subject I would like to add to it."

Just over half an hour later, Hermione stood outside McGonagal's door and knocked lightly. She could hear footsteps approaching the door, and she realized that someone else was in the office other than Professor McGonagal.

Tonks pulled the door open, and hesitated in surprise a moment before she said, "Hermione. Did you need to see the Headmistress?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back later."

"Don't be silly," McGonagal said from behind her desk. "There is no use in your climbing those stairs again if we can see to your needs now. Come in, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said as she looked around and noticed that Lupin was present in the office as well as a woman Hermione had never seen before, but looked very familiar anyway.

"What can I do for you?" McGonagal asked as Hermione neared her desk.

"I just came to drop off Harry's list of the books he would like to see from the restricted section," Hermione explained as she pulled out the parchment and placed it on McGonagal's desk.

"I was hoping he would forget that I agreed to that," McGonagal sighed.

"I think that was why he had me bring it up to you," Hermione said. "He was hoping to avoid the creation of any more tension between the two of you."

"I see," McGonagal said as she picked up the list and began to read down it. "The Art of Blood, Curses From a Darker Age, The Memoirs of Artilus Gromp, Griselda the Mad, and Lineage of the Famous Wizarding Families. A rather forbidding list to be sure. I suppose Mr. Potter would argue his need for every single book on this list."

"I think he's already planned those arguments actually," Hermione said. "Just in case."

"It looks as though the last book requested was written in a different hand," McGonagal said looking down her glasses at Hermione. "It looks like your writing, Miss Granger."

"I didn't think Harry would mind if I asked about it," Hermione said. "Harry knows so little about his family, and I thought I would research it for him as a gift for Christmas. I couldn't understand why that book was in the restricted section instead of the main section."

"It is admirable that you would want to give such a thing as a gift," McGonagal began as she prepared to deliver the bad news, "but that book is strictly off limits to everyone. I will not approve it to be viewed. I suggest that you drop this line of research, and come up with a new gift you can give to him."

Hermione stood in stunned silence for several seconds before she said, "I really wish you had just refused me the book because Harry didn't write it on the list. Now I know that there is obviously something in that book about Harry that you're trying to keep from him. Now I'm put into the position yet again of trying to decide if I should keep my mouth shut about it or tell Harry right away."

"I can only tell you that what he learned from it could possibly make him rush into battle that much more quickly," McGonagal explained.

"I can't believe that," Hermione said. "That's exactly the same kind of reaction you were expecting when he found out about Narcissa Malfoy being in the castle. It didn't happen. He hasn't gone out looking for Lucius Malfoy to get revenge. He isn't the same sort of person he was during his early years here. He isn't nearly as impulsive as he used to be. He's more likely to listen to reason when it's explained to him. He's applying himself to his schoolwork like I never imagined he would. He isn't a child anymore. I think you should start treating him like the man he is."

"If you know him so well," McGonagal said leaning forward slightly, "then tell me when Mr. Potter learned Mermish."

"He doesn't know Mermish at all," Hermione said. "That I know of, the only time he's ever encountered Merpeople was during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"I've gotten reports two times this week from Hagrid that say otherwise," McGonagal stated. "On two separate occasions Hagrid has observed Mr. Potter kneeling down by the lake speaking with three Merpeople in the middle of the night."

"In the middle of the night?" Hermione asked. "That's impossible. It couldn't have been Harry."

"I believe Hagrid is capable of distinguishing Mr. Potter from a crowd," McGonagal said. "When standing alone by the lake his recognition would be assured."

"You don't understand," Hermione said. "Harry couldn't have been out there in the middle of the night. He's been taking the potion Madam Pomfrey gave him every night before he goes to bed. It knocks him out cold. He takes it every night in front of Ginny just so she can be sure he's taking it."

"Yet I am not prepared to discount Hagrid's claim of recognition," McGonagal said. "By his own admission, Hagrid was a fair distance away each time he saw Mr. Potter. I will question him once again in an attempt to uncover the truth. You may take this information back to Mr. Potter if you like. I have no doubt that he will profess his innocence in the matter. In time we will discover the real culprit. Until that time, we will be watching Mr. Potter's activities very closely."

"I still say you're wasting your time," Hermione said. "Hagrid was obviously wrong in his identification. Can't you simply speak with the Merpeople and ask them who it was?"

"Professor Dumbledore was the only one here capable of speaking to them," McGonagal said. "They are a proud race. They will not choose to communicate in our language, and they are very selective of those they will meet with."

"I didn't think you would be able to spare anyone to keep an eye on Harry with the Order going on missions," Hermione observed to see what reaction she might get.

"What do you know about that?" McGonagal asked sitting up straighter.

"Well I didn't know anything for sure until now," Hermione said with a grin. "We noticed Professor Lupin limping during dinner tonight. He's been looking tired all week in the evenings. Couple that with the fact that Harry has been in detention all week, and unable to shove his nose where it doesn't belong, and it is only logical to think that you would use that opportunity to run some kind of operation or another."

"We do not plan Order activities around Mr. Potter's schedule," McGonagal assured her.

"Well you don't need to at any rate," Hermione said. "Harry knows you're doing something, but he's resigned himself to the fact that he will never be made aware of what it is."

"I find that hard to believe," Lupin said, speaking for the first time. "He may say it, but he's too much like James to give up on it entirely."

"I know," Hermione stated. "That's why his friends spend so much time watching after him and trying to keep him away from trouble. Don't worry about keeping an eye on him. We'll do that well enough ourselves."

"But will you report it back to us if you find anything?" McGonagal asked suspecting the answer.

"We won't have to," Hermione replied. "All we have to do is tell Ginny about it. She'll straighten him out faster than any of us could."

"Then maybe it would serve us better to keep an eye on Ginny," Tonks suggested.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hermione warned. "You'd never hear the end of it if Harry found out about it. He's very protective of her. Besides, he already knows he's being watched. He won't care if you watch a bit closer."

"Then it's all settled," McGonagal said indicating she was ready for the conversation to be over. "Professors Lupin and Tonks will escort you back to your common room. They were just on their way there with a guest to see Mr. Potter."

Hermione turned to look at the woman she didn't know as Tonks stepped forward and said, "Hermione, this is my mother, Andromeda."

"Really?" Hermione asked as she smiled and reached out to shake the woman's hand. "I wondered why you looked so familiar to me when I first saw you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Andromeda said with a smile. "I've heard a great deal about you from my daughter in her letters. She says that you are a brilliant student."

"Well, everyone has their talents," Hermione said blushing. "So you came here to see Harry?"

"Yes," Andromeda said. "I wanted to thank him for what he's done for my sister. I was hoping he would allow me to visit her. I heard he was letting her stay at the Black estate."

"She just left here two days ago," Hermione said. "I'm sure Harry would be happy to give you the address. I think she would appreciate the company as well."

"I hope so," Andromeda said. "I haven't spoken to her at all since her son was born."

After everyone had left her office, McGonagal sat back in her chair and waited for the criticism that she knew would come.

"It seems to me that they know far more than we suspected," Professor Dippet said from his portrait. "Perhaps it would be better to include them in a more meaningful way in the operations being undertaken by the Order."

"They know more than we suspected," Phineas began from his portrait, "but they know far too little for it to matter. It is not fitting for a student to be involved in such things anyway."

"Mr. Potter obviously knows the map is being used," Dippet said. "It is a small jump of logic to reason what it is being used for. We know with some assurance that Mr. Potter is the one who provided the map in the first place."

"Which we should see as a blessing," Professor Derwent said from her portrait. "From what we know of the boy, it is in better hands with us than if he still had it."

"I take exception to that," Dippet stated strongly. "It was well documented in the Prophet what he was able to do with it before he came back to Hogwarts. He accomplished all of those things without the assistance of the Order of the Phoenix."

"And at the same time proved himself to be foolish in the risks he took," Phineas pointed out with a grin. "It would only have been a matter of time before he was captured or killed in his attempts to subdue the death eaters."

"Some of us believe he displayed tremendous courage," Everard said from his portrait. "Wouldn't you agree Fortescue?"

"Indeed," Professor Fortescue confirmed. "Perhaps if more people displayed courage like Mr. Potter does the problem with the death eaters would have been contained earlier."

"You only say that because Kingsley told us about Mr. Potter planning the rescue of your relative who runs the ice cream parlor," Derwent charged.

"Planned and led the rescue I believe you meant," Fortescue corrected. "He led that mission and made a point to include Order members, the Minister of Magic and his own D.A. members. He led them to a successful conclusion on a mission that none of the three could have carried out alone. That shows courage and a keen intellect I would say."

"May I also remind you that he was nearly killed during that mission as well?" Phineas asked.

"There is no need to remind us of your constant opinion of Mr. Potter, Phineas," Dippet said. "I would like to hear what Dumbledore has to say about all of this. He knows Mr. Potter better than any of us."

"As for things in the past," Dumbledore said, "they are the property of the past. Nothing we say here will change them. What I have to say is what I have been saying. It is wrong for us to stop Harry from finding out where he comes from. I had intended to tell him myself when he turned of age. I still think it should be done."

"I know, Albus," McGonagal said looking over at him with tired eyes. "I don't wish to discuss that matter any more. The decision has been made."

"Then Hermione was right," Dumbledore said. "You shouldn't have made such a point of forbidding her to see that book. She won't stop looking until she finds the information she is looking for now."

"She'll never get close to it as long as it remains in the restricted section," McGonagal said.

"If you say so," Dumbledore said with a grin.

"What I need from all of you is a theory as to how Mr. Potter can be asleep in bed and still be spotted down by the lake," McGonagal said. "I would also like to know how he can be found at the same time in the room of requirement, on the astronomy tower, and in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Dumbledore leaned forward with a smile and said, "Well I would think that would be obvious."