Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch
Chapter 3 : The Conversation
Harry woke up to the sound of someone talking impatiently downstairs. He tried to recognize the voice. His head was killing him. Yet at the same time, he didn't feel a tad bit tired. In fact he felt a little over energized. It was like energy was drilled into him.
Strangely, he remembered every detail of his dream vividly. He couldn't, however, place it anywhere. So, he put it at the back of his head. He would sort it out later.
He could recognize the voice now. It was Professor Dumbledore!
He moved out of his room and at the edge of the staircase.
He heard Dumbledore ask aunt Petunia for him. He called out.
"I am right here, Professor Dumbledore."
He saw Dumbledore spin around and saw relief washing over his face.
"Ah, Harry. I must say that you gave us quite a scare." He smiled.
Just then he heard a loud bang and Lupin and Tonks came running through the door. They saw Professor Dumbledore first and started questioning him.
"Albus, what happened to Harry?"
"Is he alright?"
"I have informed Shacklebolt. He will just be awaiting our signal."
Then they seem to look wildly around the room and noticed Harry. Lupin immediately calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief. Tonks however was another matter.
"Harry!" She cried.
"Yes as you can see, Harry is safe and sound."
"Remus, Nymphadora you may return to the order headquarters. Don't worry about Harry. He's with me. I'll take good care of him." Dumbledore said, sobering up.
Remus nodded once, throwing a worried glance towards Harry, before dragging a protesting Tonks out of the house.
"Now Harry. Can we talk somewhere else, please?" He asked pleasantly.
"Of course Professor," Harry replied.
Fifteen minutes later found them sitting on a bench in a nearby park, without any prying ears; in other words, ready to talk.
"Harry, do you know why I came here?" Professor Dumbledore asked Harry.
"No." He replied honestly.
"You see Harry; I was in my office when I noticed a huge magical surge in your house. I immediately came here, thinking that perhaps the Death Eaters had attacked you. But as you can see, that is not the case." Dumbledore gazed at Harry.
"Now that I think, it was not even possible for Voldemort to create that much of a magical tension in the house. I must ask you if you have anything to tell me about it." He gazed in Harry's eyes intently, trying to find some guilt, any emotion.
"No sir, I don't know what you are talking about." Harry replied all too innocently. It was very easy for him to hide his true emotions. Before Hogwarts, he had that mask on all the time. After going to Hogwarts, he saw no need to wear it. But now the dark times were coming and he would have to practice it again.
Dumbledore gazed the same penetrating gaze at Harry but could find nothing but innocence, perhaps more than normal innocence. He couldn't point it but something was wrong. Something was different.
"Okay then." He said, breaking his gaze.
Harry tried hard not to take a breath of relief. The infamous gaze of Dumbledore had unnerved him a bit. His instinct had told him not to tell Dumbledore about his dream and he had done just that.
"Harry there is one more thing I must discuss with you before heading off." Dumbledore said.
"I just realized that if it really was an attack, you had not known how to hold off the Death Eaters until the help came."
"About time," Harry snorted. Dumbledore looked at him gravely but continued.
"I think we should train you in dueling. It is for that purpose that I invite you to stay at Grimmauld place for the rest of the summer and train with myself and other Order members." Dumbledore said, thinking that there was no way that Harry could refuse. So he was clearly shocked when Harry said.
"I would really like to accept that Professor. However, I have quite a few things to sort out. Would you mind if I owl you when I was ready."
"That will do, Harry. But if you don't mind can I know about these things." Dumbledore asked curiously.
"I am not obliged to tell you everything." Harry answered harshly, his anger suddenly flaring up. How could he ask that of him when he hid so many things from him for fifteen years?
Dumbledore was certainly taken aback. Harry had only once used this tone with him before and it was after the Department of Mysteries event. The boy had changed. He needed a different approach. Sirius was clearly very dear to him.
They sat silently for a few minutes before Harry stood up.
"I think I'll just leave then."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Here I have something for you." He extracted a heavy letter from his robe and passed it to Harry.
Harry saw curiously at it. These were his O.W.L results, he realized. He nodded at Dumbledore before setting off towards his uncle's home.
~*~
Chapter 3 : The Conversation
Harry woke up to the sound of someone talking impatiently downstairs. He tried to recognize the voice. His head was killing him. Yet at the same time, he didn't feel a tad bit tired. In fact he felt a little over energized. It was like energy was drilled into him.
Strangely, he remembered every detail of his dream vividly. He couldn't, however, place it anywhere. So, he put it at the back of his head. He would sort it out later.
He could recognize the voice now. It was Professor Dumbledore!
He moved out of his room and at the edge of the staircase.
He heard Dumbledore ask aunt Petunia for him. He called out.
"I am right here, Professor Dumbledore."
He saw Dumbledore spin around and saw relief washing over his face.
"Ah, Harry. I must say that you gave us quite a scare." He smiled.
Just then he heard a loud bang and Lupin and Tonks came running through the door. They saw Professor Dumbledore first and started questioning him.
"Albus, what happened to Harry?"
"Is he alright?"
"I have informed Shacklebolt. He will just be awaiting our signal."
Then they seem to look wildly around the room and noticed Harry. Lupin immediately calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief. Tonks however was another matter.
"Harry!" She cried.
"Yes as you can see, Harry is safe and sound."
"Remus, Nymphadora you may return to the order headquarters. Don't worry about Harry. He's with me. I'll take good care of him." Dumbledore said, sobering up.
Remus nodded once, throwing a worried glance towards Harry, before dragging a protesting Tonks out of the house.
"Now Harry. Can we talk somewhere else, please?" He asked pleasantly.
"Of course Professor," Harry replied.
Fifteen minutes later found them sitting on a bench in a nearby park, without any prying ears; in other words, ready to talk.
"Harry, do you know why I came here?" Professor Dumbledore asked Harry.
"No." He replied honestly.
"You see Harry; I was in my office when I noticed a huge magical surge in your house. I immediately came here, thinking that perhaps the Death Eaters had attacked you. But as you can see, that is not the case." Dumbledore gazed at Harry.
"Now that I think, it was not even possible for Voldemort to create that much of a magical tension in the house. I must ask you if you have anything to tell me about it." He gazed in Harry's eyes intently, trying to find some guilt, any emotion.
"No sir, I don't know what you are talking about." Harry replied all too innocently. It was very easy for him to hide his true emotions. Before Hogwarts, he had that mask on all the time. After going to Hogwarts, he saw no need to wear it. But now the dark times were coming and he would have to practice it again.
Dumbledore gazed the same penetrating gaze at Harry but could find nothing but innocence, perhaps more than normal innocence. He couldn't point it but something was wrong. Something was different.
"Okay then." He said, breaking his gaze.
Harry tried hard not to take a breath of relief. The infamous gaze of Dumbledore had unnerved him a bit. His instinct had told him not to tell Dumbledore about his dream and he had done just that.
"Harry there is one more thing I must discuss with you before heading off." Dumbledore said.
"I just realized that if it really was an attack, you had not known how to hold off the Death Eaters until the help came."
"About time," Harry snorted. Dumbledore looked at him gravely but continued.
"I think we should train you in dueling. It is for that purpose that I invite you to stay at Grimmauld place for the rest of the summer and train with myself and other Order members." Dumbledore said, thinking that there was no way that Harry could refuse. So he was clearly shocked when Harry said.
"I would really like to accept that Professor. However, I have quite a few things to sort out. Would you mind if I owl you when I was ready."
"That will do, Harry. But if you don't mind can I know about these things." Dumbledore asked curiously.
"I am not obliged to tell you everything." Harry answered harshly, his anger suddenly flaring up. How could he ask that of him when he hid so many things from him for fifteen years?
Dumbledore was certainly taken aback. Harry had only once used this tone with him before and it was after the Department of Mysteries event. The boy had changed. He needed a different approach. Sirius was clearly very dear to him.
They sat silently for a few minutes before Harry stood up.
"I think I'll just leave then."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Here I have something for you." He extracted a heavy letter from his robe and passed it to Harry.
Harry saw curiously at it. These were his O.W.L results, he realized. He nodded at Dumbledore before setting off towards his uncle's home.
~*~