Previously on Defiance…

"As we had garnered, Minister." Dolores added, making sure to emphasize upon the 'we', much to the Minister's consternation.

"Of course, of course, and what was it now? A secret defense organization? I knew Potter and Dumbledore were trying something similar."

"Indeed."

"I want you to catch them red-handed. We need proof before we act, and once we get them, we can get rid of the old bumbling coot for good."

"Of course, Minister." Dolores returned in her sickly-sweet voice.

Inside the Headmaster's Office…

Albus Dumbledore did not like secrets. Oh not that he did not like to keep secrets, not at all. On the contrary, he hated it when someone else kept secrets from him. It drove him insane, trying to figure what someone was hiding. On a completely different note, the moment he had excavated and deciphered the true secret and whatever it was that it meant, he would lose his interest in said subject and person, unless of course, there were other secrets to be discovered. Like the one behind the recipe of the original lemon drops created by an Italian who had come to visit Britain in hope for building a business out of it. The business could not be set up due to unexpected difficulties, as unfortunate as it was. However, Albus Dumbledore had drawn out the secret recipe behind those lemon drops (it was a wonder how much one could get with a little bit of passive Legilimency and a wandless compulsion charm, not that he would ever accept the fact in public) and ever since then, he had his own tiny factory unit that created lemon drops only for him. After all, it wasn't as if he had any future generations to leave any of his fortune.

However, lemon drops were not the topic of concern for the day. No, there was something much more important, not that lemon drops weren't important- those freshly prepared confectionaries with the right mix of sweet and sour were supremely delicious and had it been a perfect world, he would have been the world's largest confectioner of these delicacies. However, the world was far from perfect and hence, today's agenda for thought was a young man who seemed to have a number of secrets all around him, as if like a cloak. A young man, who went by the name of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter had changed, and to be honest, the change had started right from the moment he had entered the confines of the Black townhouse. More precisely, ever since Sirius Black got his hands on the boy. However, it would be unfair to say that the changes had been unexpected. No, in fact it was far from it. The moment he had heard the boy speak about Tom had used his blood to resurrect himself, that was the very moment he had concluded that the ritual would double the link between Tom and Harry- encouraging the horcrux in the boy to have a stronger hold on him. He had estimated that by the time the summer was over, Tom would be able to figure out the presence of the connection between his and Harry's mind and begin to slowly influence the boy. It was a given, and Dumbledore knew that this was the only way by which the little boy could be saved from an inevitable death, or at least, was his best chance to remain alive.

The plan had been remarkably simple. The moment Harry had written to him about his dreams, he had understood that the connection between Harry and Tom was growing stronger, giving Harry access to Tom's mind, and owing to Tom not having a proper and powerful body, the reverse wasn't possible. After the ritual, Harry and Tom had become doubly bonded- one by the horcrux, and the new one by blood. A double anchor might just be the only thing that could kill the horcrux while anchoring Harry to life while Tom lived. A single trump card- a single path that would work in accordance to the prophecy's words and ensure Voldemort's defeat. The unfortunate words still rung in his mind like a warning…

And either shall die at the hands of the other,

For neither can live while the other survives.

The play of words was the key thing to understanding the true meaning of prophecies. Harry and Voldemort both had to die at the hands of the other, and assuming the prophecy fulfilled itself-Voldemort would kill Harry at some time in the not-so-distant future, preferably by the killing curse since it was his signature spell. The double anchor could prevent Harry from dying, while at the same time, liberating the soul shard from his body, freeing the magical bindings that Dumbledore had placed upon him after the initial incident on Halloween 1981. While the bindings kept the soul shard weakened, it also drew a significant amount on Harry's magic. Moreover, the blood wards required more than just love to fuel them- like all wards, they needed a source of power. Power that was available from the only wizard living at Privet Drive- Harry himself. It would keep his magic at an all-time low, making sure that the Dursleys would not have to face the troubles that accidental magic could bring upon them.

A win-win situation. Harry got a normal life with his blood relatives. The Dursleys got a normal boy to bring up. He got his blood wards. The horcrux stayed weakened. Everyone could be happy.

It had worked exactly that way, though Dumbledore mused that Petunia could have done with caring a little more about the little boy he had placed under her care. Albus had believed that the son of her only sister would find motherly love in her. He had been wrong. The boy had grown up in a loveless environment, and had grown up lacking in self-worth. That explained his tendencies to please others and his white-knight complex.

Albus shook his head. Once again, he had digressed from the main point of concern. Yes, once the bindings would be free, the boy would have access to his entire magical potential, and perhaps finish Voldemort for good. He was already Tom's equal in magical power. The prophecy ensured that. However, the horcruxes would need to be taken care of, first. Perhaps he should invite the boy to some private lessons and teach him all he knew and guessed about those vile abominations. No, the boy's mental link could not be trusted at the moment. Not until Tom resurfaced publicly at least.

I will have to wait.

Albus had no problem in waiting. In fact, patience was the name of the game. The die was cast, and the first person to speak would be the one to lose. No, he had the entire year to sit and observe the changes in Harry Potter before he would take the boy's education in his own hands. Moreover, with Cornelius and Dolores plundering the state of affairs at Hogwarts, it was best if he kept a safe distance from the boy.

Just as he had expected, Harry Potter showed remarkable changes this year. However, the special point of concern this time was Sirius Black. The boy had spent an awful lot of time with Sirius, something he was concerned. How much of Harry's changes were because of Sirius and how much were of the horcrux? It was difficult, very difficult to say. His mind went back to one of the very few direct conversations he had had in presence of the boy.

"Harry is, to quote his own words, done with Magical Britain, its hypocrisy and Voldemort. All he desires is to be simply left alone to study for himself, like a child of his age should. Wasn't that was what you were professing the previous day?" Sirius taunted.

"I—yes, I mean, yes of course, he is a child and a student. This is not his war." Dumbledore stammered uncharacteristically.

"Then I am sure you will not mind if he dedicates long hours to his own education in his family magics? Plus, as I have heard, his years at Hogwarts have had indecent and underqualified teachers lately." Sirius ignored the snarl that Snape gave out. "I am sure you will agree that he deserves to be left alone, studying in peace."

How he wanted to know and inspect what it was that Harry was studying. Was it Harry at all? How much was Harry, and how much was Tom? For the record, if it were Tom, it would mean that Tom had complete access to the Potter and Black family grimoire at the moment. The idea simply sent a cold shudder down his spine.

However, not all was lost. The reports from Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley (Ronald, he reminded himself, since there were too many Mr. Weasleys out there) showed that Harry had not shown any kind of negative attitude towards anyone, though he wasn't the white knight he had been previously. The use of the détente oath was a fascinating idea, though considering what the boy had been through- it was simply a product of the public behavior against him.

Maybe it is still Harry. Maybe the horcrux hasn't had that much of an influence on him as I had initially feared. The boy is truly wonderful.

Indeed. It was magical how, despite having the life he had lived; Harry Potter had an incredible capacity to love. While he had been demonstrating some ruthlessness recently, he could account the changed behavior to self-preservation more than he could to anything else.

Besides, the boy could be a good Slytherin, given how resourceful he is. Resourcefulness and self-preservation are after all, the key aspects of being Slytherin.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Miss Granger."

The girl entered the room, as Dumbledore offered the seats opposite to him, in front of the table. Crossing his arms with his elbows resting on the hard wooden table in front of him, he peered at her with a thoughtful expression.

"I suppose you have arrived with some potential information."

Dumbledore tilted his head in curiosity, waiting for Hermione to begin who seemed to be fidgeting for some reason. A part of him could not help but feel disappointed with the two teenagers who had so easily, been outwitted and convinced by him to, in a way, betray their best friend. Yes, it was a fact that he was Albus Dumbledore, the leader of the Light, and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, but it saddened him how quick the two were to sell the privacy of their best friend just so that they could be recognized as doing something significant for the Order. While outwardly, it might have seemed that it was their sense of duty, but a little passive Legilimency had showed him an entirely different reality.

While Hermione Granger was very devoted to her best friend, she held a powerful attraction towards her other friend Ron Weasley, which also explained why she had taken Ronald's side during their little conflict the previous year. Apart from that, the girl's want to please her seniors was more than a little disturbing. Albus had decided that it was a mere side effect of being bullied by her own classmates during her budding years. It was a mix of the desire to please the Headmaster and follow the orders of her elders, along with the fact that Ronald himself was agreeing to do the same, that had motivated the young girl's actions. While it explained her nature, the entire thing was still a little saddening that young Harry had trust in the wrong set of people.

Ronald Weasley was an entirely different story. Why young Harry could not be friends with someone like Neville Longbottom or someone else from any other house, Albus could not fathom. While it was true that the Weasleys being staunch supporters of the Light helped, he could not help but sympathize Harry for being carried along with Ronald and his laziness. The youngest Weasley boy was perhaps the laziest person he had ever seen. A healthy bout of jealousy, an inferiority complex of the size of a dragon, and an extraordinary amount of laziness- what the young Potter had seen in Ronald was oblivious to him. A peek into Ronald's hormonal cesspool of a mind showed that being recognized for something was incentive more than enough for Ronald to betray Harry's secrets. It was a good thing that the boy held a big grudge towards anything Slytherin, else, his mind was the perfect kind that Tom attracted to his propaganda.

"I am waiting, Miss Granger."

"Umm, Professor, I am afraid this is the last time I am going to make a report on my best friend."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. Did the girl really have that much loyalty to Harry? It felt good to him, but he had to be sure. "Why, Miss Granger? I was very clear about how important it was that we monitor Harry. I am afraid I am quite disappointed in you."

Hermione widened her eyes. "No, Professor, you have to understand. There was an oa-", she suddenly held her throat with her palms, trying to prevent the constriction rising in her throat. Instantly, Dumbledore sent her a calming charm and a langlock charm, understanding very well that she was under some kind of oath. "Miss Granger, no need to speak anything. Just nod your head in affirmation if my guess is right else shake it in denial. Do you understand?"

Hermione nodded. Good.

"Now, would I be correct to guess that you have taken an oath that prevents you from revealing any kind of information about Harry Potter?"

Nod.

"Is it only Harry Potter?"

Nod.

"Did someone force you to take the oath?"

Shake. All right, that was denial.

"So you took it on your own accord?"

Shake. Another denial.

That's strange. She wasn't forced; she didn't do it on her own accord. That only left...

"Were you coerced into doing it? Like some kind of pact?"

Nod. Finally!

"Did you do this… pact with Harry Potter?"

Nod.

Dumbledore smiled. It was amazing how even powerful vows held so many loopholes in them. So Miss Granger had made some kind of pact with young Harry, in return of which, she had taken up an oath not to betray his secrets to anyone.

Always the resourceful one, aren't you Harry?

"Miss Granger, listen to me very carefully. I am going to guess the correct reason, and say it aloud systematically. I need you to carefully understand it and nod or shake accordingly. Do you understand?"

Nod.

Good.

"You entered into a pact with Harry Potter."

Nod.

"And in return for something, you agreed to an oath-"

Nod.

"To not share anything about his-" Dumbledore paused intentionally, "—abilities-"

Nod. Yes.

"With anyone."

Nod.

"And this happened when you witnessed him doing something spectacular."

Nod.

Just as expected.

"Was he performing a dark curse?"

Shake. Thank Merlin!

"Some powerful spell?"

Nod.

"Something you know about?"

Nod.

"And you know that because you read it?"

Nod.

"And saw someone performing it?"

Shake.

Okay, so young Harry was performing some powerful arcane magic, and given the fact that it was not a dark curse and something Miss Granger had read, presumably from the library books, it was some kind of Light spell.

Good. Perhaps something he had learned from the Black Library. No, the Blacks were famous for their dark magic. It has to be something else. Maybe Potter library? After all, he was holding the Potter lordship.

"Very well, Miss Granger. You are freed from reporting to me. Best not to invoke the wrath of the magics behind the oath. "You may go. However," he paused for a moment, "is there anything you wish to tell me? Something that you can say without trying to break the oath?" He quickly canceled the langlock charm.

"Yes, Professor."

"Very well. Go ahead."

Hermione quickly stood up. "We have begun a new secret group to teach ourselves DADA, and I am the-" and drew a little closer to him as she whispered. "The meeting place of the Defense Association is the third room from the library on the fourth-floor corridor of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore widened his eyes. A Fidelius? Had harry potter performed a Fidelius? It was mind-boggling. The Fidelius was one of the most powerful spells out there, and while he could perform one, the same could not be said for a fifteen-year-old. Then again, the kid had cast a corporeal Patronus at thirteen- it seemed like he had enough power, despite the bindings, available to him but even then- that would not be enough for a Fidelius. It was possible in only one case, and that was-

Merlin! The boy had torn through his bindings. Did that mean that the Horcrux was also free?

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore ordered with uncharacteristic loudness, "please leave right now. I have something very important to do." Hermione seemed to understand, despite the shock at his odd behavior, and stood up to leave the room.

"Thank you, Professor." She mumbled, before walking out of the office.

Dumbledore watched her go, as he instantly waved his wand to levitate his Pensieve over his desk. Placing his wand on his temples, he drew out the last memory he had with the boy close enough. The white thread dissolved into the churning waters of the Pensieve, as he dived into it.

He was back into his own office, though this time he was inside his own memory. He could see Fawkes sitting on Harry's shoulders, while Sirius sat beside him. He could see himself sitting opposite Harry, trying to make him speak about the events at the graveyard.

"If I thought I could help you," Memory-Dumbledore said gently, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. However, I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."

The number of things one needs to do for the Greater good. Dumbledore thought somberly. In hindsight, it was not the correct thing to do. After all, Harry was just a fourteen-year-old.

Time to check what I need to.

He did something he had not done in almost a decade- he activated his mage sight. It was something he had learnt from Nicholas Flamel when he was apprenticing under him. The sight enabled him to see the auras of people and objects. The interesting thing was that it worked on memories just as good as in real life. He walked closer to Harry as he inspected his forehead. There, hidden by his bangs, was the familiar lightning-bolt scar. It was red and it was bleeding, but the aura from the scar seemed a lot less. Satisfied, Dumbledore raised his wand and forced himself out of the Pensieve.

Next one.

Another repetition occurred and Dumbledore vanished into the depths of the Pensieve. This memory was a newer one, from his only meeting with Harry face to face after he had taken over the Black lordship. He was back at the newly renovated Black Manor, watching as Harry Potter stood his ground and made Molly back off.

"No, he is not. I have seen this coming since long, Black. Azkaban has addled your brain. I have seen the way you talk about him; it is as if you got your old friend back. He is not James, Sirius." She screeched.

"I know perfectly well who he is." Sirius snapped coldly.

"No, you don't. I raised him, not you. You were away shackled up in Azkaban while I was the one-"

"ENOUGH!"

A huge wave of magical energy inundated all over the room as Harry's aura flared brightly. The huge grayish aura hung like a cloak all over him, as energy poured down him in waves. The pressure of the energy increased as it became distinctly uncomfortable for everyone to breathe.

Harry walked down the stairs. Every step he made, the energy flowed down through him, seeping down from his skin while the aura hung to him like a cloak. "You did not raise me, Mrs. Weasley. I only spent a couple of weeks in my second year at your place. While I am grateful to you for your efforts, it does not give you any right to deny Sirius's role and his importance in my life. Sirius Black is my godfather. He is more family to me than anyone here is- including you. Do not make me choose because I will choose him. Every. Single. Time."

Dumbledore trod closer to Harry, peering through his spectacles as he tried to look at his scar, despite the sheer brightness of the aura emitted out by the young lad. The scar had almost faded to a point of non-existence, with not even the slightest trace of dark magic emanating out of it. Dumbledore almost shed a tear in joy.

You remarkable boy.

By some unexplainable way, Harry Potter was not a Horcrux. His soul was finally, and solely his own. Could it be possible that he had been hit by a killing curse in the fight? He was sure that being hit by a killing curse was not something one would forget, even if one had been through what Harry had been. Something else was at play. Whatever it was, one thing was clear.

Harry Potter had died at the hands of Lord Voldemort.

He replayed the words of the prophecy in his mind.

And the dark lord will mark him as his equal…

Harry has a tremendous amount of magical potential inside him, as is evident from the fact that he can cast the Fidelius. Surely, that matches him to Tom's level. The fact that a fifteen-year-old boy had a power equal to a seventy-year-old dark lord sent shudders down his spine.

But he will have power the dark lord knows not...

A power that Tom knows not. A couple of months ago, he would have said that it was Love. Now, he wasn't so sure… Was it his pseudo-immunity from the Unforgivables? Was it something different? Family Magic perhaps?

And either must die at the hand of the other…

Assuming Harry died at Voldemort's hand, and still lived. Didn't it mean that it was Voldemort's time to die next? If the horcruxes were taken care of, Tom would be gone forever. They would have died at the hands of the other, and that, he thought with a smile, paved the way for the next statement…

For neither can live while the other survives...

Survive… That was complicated. Harry could not live a proper life until Tom was gone for good. Tom could not live on until Harry Potter was gone for good. It made sense.

Finally!

The boy was no longer a Horcrux. The boy was no longer a Horcrux. That meant-

The truth hit him like a brick wall.

The boy knows that Miss Granger was spying on him. That must be why he conveniently arranged matters into an oath. That meant, Harry did not trust him at the moment.

I will have to gain his trust. Perhaps telling about his family- No, Sirius has already done that. I guess he is also angry with me for keeping him away from his heritage as well. The fact that I stole his best friends from him does not help matters at all.

Dumbledore sighed.

It is time to train him. Make him the best-damned wizard he can be. The Horcrux is gone, and now Harry can be trained. I will have to talk to Severus about it, or should I….

A part of him could not help but want to observe what this new and improved Harry Potter could do. Maybe he would just do that for a while. However, one thing was certain. It was time that Harry Potter received an active education and…" he looked down at his wand, "A powerful weapon to fight against Tom Riddle."