A/N

It's been forever, I know. A big thank you to all those who are still with me following this story. However long it takes, I won't abandon it.

The chilly breeze of spring had instantly reddened Harry's cheeks when he stepped outside Headquarters. Although he could not say he was fully enthusiastic about Dumbledore's plan - in particular about the part he was to play - excitement flooded through him that had everything to do with the day's activities. Or rather, what they meant: finally taking action. Harry was done waiting for Voldemort to make a move.

This held especially true now that Harry knew his fate. Dumbledore had finally shared the contents of the prophecy with him and had explained what this essentially meant for Harry. Harry was quite certain that, had it not been for the mission they were on today, the Headmaster may not have shared the information with him so soon. As it were, they could not afford any distractions to hinder their progress while retrieving the prophecy.

At first, he had been numbed by what he had heard in Professor Trelawney's hoarse voice that he'd only heard her use once before. Dumbledore had looked at him through his half moon spectacles and seemed to understand that Harry had registered what was just said, but that his brain seemed reluctant to process the information. Thus, giving him some time, he brewed and served them tea quite at his leisure, as though nothing in the world had changed. And it hadn't, Harry supposed. It had always been this way. He just hadn't known about it.

Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives

An ominous statement if Harry had ever heard one. Was that really his destiny? To kill or be killed? Becoming either murderer or victim.

Before Barty Crouch Jr. had suggested a career path for him, Harry had never truly envisioned one. Perhaps that was simply because on some level he had always known what his future held. Still, once the idea had been planted in his brain, he thought a career as an Auror would suit him. It smarted that he would not be able to make it a reality. Not as long as Voldemort was still alive, anyway. He had nothing to look forward to. It was a bleak thought.

But that wasn't the case today. Today, they would make their move and retrieve the prophecy before Voldemort was able to get his hands on it. The only thing Harry didn't quite understand was why it mattered so much.

Voldemort was already hunting him, had done so since he was a baby because the prophecy had been relayed to him in part. From what Harry could tell, there wasn't much in the parts he may not have heard that would change his course of action now. Dumbledore had assured him they would revisit this detail in due course, so Harry trusted the elderly wizard to know best.

With the feeling of having an egg cracked on his head that slipped down over his body, Dumbledore disillusioned them both and offered Harry an invisible arm. As Grimmauld Place vanished Harry felt like he was being pushed through a straw that would never fit him. The air was squeezed out of his lungs and Harry was becoming lightheaded with the lack of oxygen. Just as he thought black spots might soon be obscuring his vision, he felt solid ground under the soles of his trainers once more.

They were standing in an alleyway off a mainstreet, where hordes of men and women seemed to be passing by in the morning rush. A door opened to Harry's left and he saw that Dumbledore held it politely for him to enter.

"After you, Harry."

Once the door was closed behind them, Dumbledore lifted the Disillusionment Charms on them both. An elderly wizard was already inside, waiting for them. Harry thought he looked familiar. Perhaps he had been part of the brigade of people who picked him up over the summer. He surely couldn't remember his name, so he just mumbled a 'good morning', earning him a wide smile from the man and a warm greeting in return.

"Ah, Elphias, you're here already. Thank you for coming, old friend."

"Anytime, Albus, anytime." The wizard called Elphias said pleasantly. "Shall we?"

"Yes, I think so." The headmaster turned to him. "You remember the plan, Harry?"

He nodded in response and Dumbledore pointed his wand at him.

"Reducio!"

It was a good thing they had practiced this, Harry thought, or he would have had a full-out panic attack. Not only did it seem like there were two enormous giants in front of him, a few dog-sized ants scurried past him, giving him flashbacks of a particular night in the forbidden forest when he met Aragog and his family.

After another booming sound Dumbledore joined him in size.

"Refreshing, isn't it? A whole new perspective." The eccentric wizard proclaimed before his tone turned businesslike.

"Do you have everything, Harry? Wand, cloak, earmuffs?"

"Yes, sir. We should put them on now, right?"

"Indeed, Harry."

As they did so, the giant man in front of them crouched down to put something purple in a pentagon shape on the ground in front of them. It had a sort of window in it, with yellow linings and decorations.

Dumbledore strode towards it and, with surprising agility for a man so old, jumped into the window frame. Harry couldn't quite suppress the smirk at seeing his headmaster beaming at him from the carton of a Chocolate Frog Card carrying his name.

"I've always wanted to do this." He confessed to Harry as he beckoned him over and made room for him in the little space they had.

"Are you ready?" It sounded, once Harry had taken his place in the collectable.

Harry could tell Elphias had whispered the words, as a gust of wind met his face, and he was grateful. The earmuffs they had borrowed from Professor Sprout could only do so much.

Despite the Sticking Charm Dumbledore had put on the bottom of their feet, both of them grabbed the window edges for dear life as the Chocolate Frog Card was lifted into the air. Harry, who was pretending to be flying on the back of someone else's broom to keep the nausea at bay, could do so no longer when darkness engulfed them.

Only the buttonhole Elphias Doge had left undone in the front pocket of his robes provided them with light, air and a glimpse of their surroundings. A moment later they were jostled and while Harry's grip on the Card's edges had turned his knuckles white, his Headmaster seemed to balance himself looking like he was surfing imaginary waves with each jostle.

After a short stop in a familiar phonebooth that served as an entrance to the Ministry, they descended into the Atrium. It was much busier and noisier here and Harry gave up trying to see where they were headed in order to keep his earmuffs in place. Soon, they sank down to deeper levels within the Ministry and as the gates of the lift they had been in clanked open, Harry heard a woman's voice announce: "Level nine, Department of Mysteries." A minute or so later they were in an office and Harry started to get anxious. Not long now.

"Mr. Doge! How can I help you?"

"Goodmorning Miss Henderson. I came to return the prophecy I collected in the hopes it would fit with the Emerson case. It would have explained a lot, but alas.. The DMLE is at a loss, I'm afraid."

"How unfortunate. Merlin knows the Emersons deserve some closure after that catastrophe. Anyway, -"

She handed him a piece of parchment and a quill.

"If you could please fill in these forms, I'll go get an Unspeakable to come with you."

It was clear to Harry this wasn't the first time Elphias Doge had been down to Level nine for such business. As he was Special Advisor to the Wizengamot, Harry supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

When the young woman called Miss Henderson left the room Elphias spoke to them in a hurried whisper.

"I've only been allowed inside a few times, they're all such sticklers to the rules. I don't think I'll be allowed in now. I'll sit down by the door and let you down, shall I? I can give you a solid 15 minutes while I keep Miss Henderson talking. You will manage, won't you?"

And without further ado, Mr. Doge gently set the Chocolate Frog Card on the floor so that Harry and Professor Dumbledore could climb out.

Harry kept close to his headmaster, knowing that if they came close to being crushed by something or someone he would be safest in close proximity with the most brilliant mind of the century.

Slipping in between the cracks they managed to get through the door, where they found themselves in a dark, circular room that was full of doors. Harry silently wondered how big this place was. Dumbledore, meanwhile, navigated his way through by simply asking for the room's assistance.

"The Hall of Prophecies, if you please."

It came out in a squeaky little voice that made Harry stifle a rather unmasculine giggle. Nevertheless, the room answered the request by swinging open the door that presumably led to their destination. One the far side of the room, another door opened at the same time and they hurried through. Once inside, Dumbledore led Harry around a corner to a secluded spot and lifted the enchantment of their minimized size by means of Engorgio.

Harry, feeling much more comfortable now that he had resumed his usual height was taken unawares as Dumbledore smartly tapped him on top of his head with his wand, and he shivered slightly as he felt the second Disillusionment Charm of the day take effect.

"I am sorry I startled you, Harry," Dumbledore spoke in a low voice, "but it will be much quicker like this."

Harry silently agreed, imagining himself and his elderly companion making their way across the enormous hall while sized like action figures, covering barely half an inch with every step.

"Let us continue, then. Follow me, Harry."

Harry had to squint in order to see where Dumbledore was going because he couldn't follow the sound of footsteps, which were silenced. The numbers on the rows were helpful as he knew where they were headed.

It was only as they made their way through the hall that Harry took in his surroundings. Rows upon rows of shelves were visible, all full of dusty little glass spheres and stacked as high as the ceiling. He wondered if half of them had come true. Did they simply remain there, forgotten? How was the Department of Mysteries even able to get a record of every prophecy ever made? He added this to the list of things he would one day ask Dumbledore.

?? Row 97 was not hard to find. Before Harry knew it, the moment of truth had arrived. How strange it was, to find a little orb with his name written on its' label in a place he had never even heard of until a few weeks prior.

S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

The question mark was the only indication there had ever been any doubt about the identity of 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord'. If only Voldemort had never heard about any of it.. Harry couldn't help but wonder if the question mark would have remained unanswered.

A translucent Dumbledore offered him an encouraging smile and Harry stretched out his hand to take what they came to collect. He thought it felt oddly warm to his touch, like taking a seat that someone else had just vacated. As his headmaster said it would, the hoarse voice of Sybil Trelawney echoed in the hall, but Harry knew nobody would be able to hear it. Dumbledore had made sure of it.

While Harry pocketed the glass sphere, his companion retrieved another from his robes and placed it on the spot the other one had resided until a moment ago. With a few flicks of his wand, Dumbledore ensured with a layer of dust and a powerful Confundus Charm that the label stated it was the very same prophecy that had been there for nearly fifteen years.

Once that had been accomplished the pair of them made their way back in silence. Harry estimated that the 15 minutes Mr. Doge had given them were nearly up. However, when they arrived back in the office he and Miss Henderson were still chatting away merrily as she shared the story of her little cousin's first accidental magic.

"Can you believe it? She only had her fourth birthday last month, you know. And making a stuffed animal gallop her around the yard is no mean feat either. Astonishing, really. Did I mention it was a unicorn toy?"

Doge, who had spotted the glimmer of a Disillusionment Charm, responded warmly.

"How wonderful! Quite the sorceress in the making, it seems. Unfortunately, I must be getting on. Thank you for keeping an old man company, Miss Henderson, and a lovely day to you."

As she responded in similar sentiments, Elphias held the door open and Harry and Dumbledore snuck through. Although Harry would have preferred to remain in his regular size, they simply couldn't risk running into someone while they were invisible in a crowded place like the ministry.

"What are you doing down here, Doge?"

They were already shrunken once more and climbing into the Chocolate Frog Card when the voice boomed loudly, startling them.

Elphias took his time, pretending to do up his shoelace as Harry and Dumbledore hurried inside.

"Why, the same as you, I presume, Fudge."

And sure enough, when he moved aside Harry could see the Minister for Magic standing there. At the slight frown on his face, Doge explained.

"Business."

Just as he continued on his way, Fudge halted.

"You've dropped something, by the way."

Elphias looked down to see the purple carton at his feet.

"Ah yes, my nephew collects these, you know."

Harry ducked down in the carton and out of the frame as the card was lifted and briefly flashed in front of Cornelius Fudge. Dumbledore, however, was still standing and smiling serenely while the frown on Fudge's features grew more pronounced.

"Well, I must be off. Good day to you, Minister."

And without waiting for a reply, Doge pocketed the card and strode off.