He was staring out at nothing from the top of the astronomy tower brooding
at the sunset. He hadn't eaten all day, not amenable to being stared at in
the black adorned Great Hall; And he barely spoken to anyone. He had
snuck into the dorm with a invisibility cloak to sleep. He chucked a
sugarquill out at the long, pale clouds.
"Harry." He turned around and saw a tired Dumbledore standing behind him with an eyebrow raised.
"Yes, sir?" with some chagrin.
"Refrain from attacking the air with sugarquills, please."
He smiled slightly, "If I must."
"How are you feeling?" How many times had Professor Dumbledore asked him that?
"Not good, not at all. But still alive." He had found out that Arabella Figg had died. He had talked to her occasionally at Order meetings. Turns out she had been a Ravenclaw, and a friend of his mothers. She was easy to talk to.
"Are you willing to join the Order at the beginning of next year?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Already? When I'm still in school? I haven't even taken my OWLs yet. I am surprised you even let me go to Order meetings."
"After all you've been through. I think you have the right to fight if you want to. As for the meetings, your information *was* useful. And OWLs will be over in just a few days."
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore continued, "There are going to be a lot of changes next year. I've convinced the board of governors that you students will need to be prepared for living in a war zone. I am going to move you ad a few others to a separate dorm when the school term starts. It will also be easier for any young Order members to come and go to training and on missions."
Harry processed this, remembering something Dumbledore had said to objections of Harry being at Order meetings. He had said that the younger generation would be needed. "Ron and Hermione?"
"We shall see. They would be he most likely of students to join. I'm not sure yet when we will ask any other students to join -they are not ready yet to face Death Eaters. A feeling of relief spread through him.
"Alright." He knew that this was true. They were brave, but deserved to remain just. students for now. They hadn't had to see what he had in visions. They would agree to join though, for the same reasons he did. You can't just sit there while people suffer -must be a Gryffindor thing. "This summer-"
"You have an option. You can stay at the Weaslys for part of the time, but you will likely move around a bit."
Harry sighed. He didn't really want to put the Weaslys in danger.
Dumbledore looked at Harry-the-open-book. "We have set up protections you know."
"Alright." This he said with a little amusement -was he that obvious?
"I also ask you to agree to some extra training this summer. If you are going to participate in the Order you need to be able to do basic things like apparate."
This made sense. "Sure."
"-I believe Sirius offered to help in that department."
"Really? I'm going to get to stay with Sirius?" His face lit up with excitement.
Dumbledore answered with a smile.
Suddenly Harry moved closer and put a piercing gaze on the headmaster. He had been thinking since the attack. And he wanted an answer.
"This isn't just because of what I've seen or been through. This is about who I am. What I can do."
"You have a lot of power Harry, and will be invaluable fighting Voldemort."
"You admit it? That I'm meant to be weapon?"
"We need you Harry, Voldemort is going to be hard to kill. I don't know if even I can, and I could very well die." He didn't miss the flash of panic on the younger man's face. If he did die, it would be very hard indeed for them to continue, which was a weight upon his shoulders.
"I can bring people out of the Imperious. I can summon Gryffindor's sword." He paused. "I can survive the killing curse. You still haven't said anything about that."
"What can I say? No one else has ever done it. I don't know how you did it. I don't know how you bring people out of the Imperius either. You will likely grow more powerful." As Dumbledore watched his reaction Harry thought to the past year. Working magic had gotten progressively easier, although he hadn't noticed. He was getting more powerful -how much more power would he get?
"By why am I so powerful?
"A lot of it has to do with being Gryffindor's heir, some of it no doubt because of Voldemort."
"Parseltongue," Harry murmured. A present from Voldemort.
"And some Harry is just you. Will is an important part of magic, because magic comes from the mind." Harry looked somewhat doubtful that he was overly special, but he had a look of dread as well. Dumbledore waiting, hoping that Harry would say what he was thinking.
"I don't want to be powerful. It's too much. I just want to be normal. The responsibility -what if I'm corrupted, or Voldemort turns me." He surprised himself by saying that to the Headmaster. What was with him? First in the Great Hall. now. His silence was slipping because of the strain.
The old wizard put a hand on Harry's should to comfort him, although he knew full well Voldemort's power of persuasion and deceit. He had easily fooled many people into serving his ends. "I have faith that you will not become evil, especially after that speech of yours, which I believe was more or less accurately recounted in the Daily Prophet today." Dumbledore sounded far more amused than he should.
Harry groaned emphatically.
The Headmaster, however, added, "It's not only that. If you were in pain would you lash out and try to make other's feel it or would you hide it -like you do." He said this pointedly.
"Point taken." He still wasn't going to go around troubling everyone with his problems though.
Dumbledore looked at Harry, who had turned back to the sky. "You have grown much."
"What I can do, I must do, to help." He meant it. Voldemort was killing and pillaging probably as they spoke. He would do what needed to be done.
Dumbledore had a proud gleam in his eye, which Harry did not see. Then raised an eyebrow after a moment. "You wouldn't want to prove Trelawney right would you?"
Harry smiled and turned around. "Merlin forbid." He would be alright.
************************************************************************
A days later the testing began and Harry got a surprising number of OWLs, although no one beat Hermione. Harry still had no been able to see Sirius, although he had written; Remus had also written that Sirius had nearly sent him a howler for coming into the battle like he had. Apparently Sirius severely damaged some furniture.
Soon his friends left the black adorned Great Hall, heading home.
"See you next year!" Neville paused to shout before getting on the train.
"Bye Harry!" said Dean.
"Bye, Gred and Forge." Harry said to the twins. He grinned, "Tell when you open shop!"
"Can do." Said one.
"-For you." Added the other.
"Write us Harry, you have no excuse this time." This came from Hermione.
"Alright Hermione!" In a much aggrieved tone. They had been -watchful- since his brush with death.
"Quit badgering him." Ron added, knowing his friend's thoughts, and not wanted to aggravate him. Even if he was too stupid to notice that he needed watching.
She hit Ron on the head in response.
"Harry! Can I have a picture?" Colin, of course.
Harry looked at his friends with a pained expression
"Sure Colin," said Hermione with a stern look at the other two.
"Where are you staying Harry?" asked Ron.
"I don't know yet, though Dumbledore said I could visit Ron this summer."
"Maybe I can visit too then!" Hermione wondered excitedly.
They got on the train; Harry watched them go, feeling tired. He remained at Hogwarts. He didn't mind being there, even when everyone else was gone. It was his home. He didn't know yet when or where he was leaving next. He didn't mind though -nowadays he just studied.
He was actually looking forward to lessons though. They would keep him occupied, and it was a far better option then playing punching bag for the Dursleys. He allowed himself a small smile at the fact that he wasn't going to see them for another full year at least.
The Boy Who Lived Twice walked back into the castle as summer began.
"Harry." He turned around and saw a tired Dumbledore standing behind him with an eyebrow raised.
"Yes, sir?" with some chagrin.
"Refrain from attacking the air with sugarquills, please."
He smiled slightly, "If I must."
"How are you feeling?" How many times had Professor Dumbledore asked him that?
"Not good, not at all. But still alive." He had found out that Arabella Figg had died. He had talked to her occasionally at Order meetings. Turns out she had been a Ravenclaw, and a friend of his mothers. She was easy to talk to.
"Are you willing to join the Order at the beginning of next year?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Already? When I'm still in school? I haven't even taken my OWLs yet. I am surprised you even let me go to Order meetings."
"After all you've been through. I think you have the right to fight if you want to. As for the meetings, your information *was* useful. And OWLs will be over in just a few days."
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore continued, "There are going to be a lot of changes next year. I've convinced the board of governors that you students will need to be prepared for living in a war zone. I am going to move you ad a few others to a separate dorm when the school term starts. It will also be easier for any young Order members to come and go to training and on missions."
Harry processed this, remembering something Dumbledore had said to objections of Harry being at Order meetings. He had said that the younger generation would be needed. "Ron and Hermione?"
"We shall see. They would be he most likely of students to join. I'm not sure yet when we will ask any other students to join -they are not ready yet to face Death Eaters. A feeling of relief spread through him.
"Alright." He knew that this was true. They were brave, but deserved to remain just. students for now. They hadn't had to see what he had in visions. They would agree to join though, for the same reasons he did. You can't just sit there while people suffer -must be a Gryffindor thing. "This summer-"
"You have an option. You can stay at the Weaslys for part of the time, but you will likely move around a bit."
Harry sighed. He didn't really want to put the Weaslys in danger.
Dumbledore looked at Harry-the-open-book. "We have set up protections you know."
"Alright." This he said with a little amusement -was he that obvious?
"I also ask you to agree to some extra training this summer. If you are going to participate in the Order you need to be able to do basic things like apparate."
This made sense. "Sure."
"-I believe Sirius offered to help in that department."
"Really? I'm going to get to stay with Sirius?" His face lit up with excitement.
Dumbledore answered with a smile.
Suddenly Harry moved closer and put a piercing gaze on the headmaster. He had been thinking since the attack. And he wanted an answer.
"This isn't just because of what I've seen or been through. This is about who I am. What I can do."
"You have a lot of power Harry, and will be invaluable fighting Voldemort."
"You admit it? That I'm meant to be weapon?"
"We need you Harry, Voldemort is going to be hard to kill. I don't know if even I can, and I could very well die." He didn't miss the flash of panic on the younger man's face. If he did die, it would be very hard indeed for them to continue, which was a weight upon his shoulders.
"I can bring people out of the Imperious. I can summon Gryffindor's sword." He paused. "I can survive the killing curse. You still haven't said anything about that."
"What can I say? No one else has ever done it. I don't know how you did it. I don't know how you bring people out of the Imperius either. You will likely grow more powerful." As Dumbledore watched his reaction Harry thought to the past year. Working magic had gotten progressively easier, although he hadn't noticed. He was getting more powerful -how much more power would he get?
"By why am I so powerful?
"A lot of it has to do with being Gryffindor's heir, some of it no doubt because of Voldemort."
"Parseltongue," Harry murmured. A present from Voldemort.
"And some Harry is just you. Will is an important part of magic, because magic comes from the mind." Harry looked somewhat doubtful that he was overly special, but he had a look of dread as well. Dumbledore waiting, hoping that Harry would say what he was thinking.
"I don't want to be powerful. It's too much. I just want to be normal. The responsibility -what if I'm corrupted, or Voldemort turns me." He surprised himself by saying that to the Headmaster. What was with him? First in the Great Hall. now. His silence was slipping because of the strain.
The old wizard put a hand on Harry's should to comfort him, although he knew full well Voldemort's power of persuasion and deceit. He had easily fooled many people into serving his ends. "I have faith that you will not become evil, especially after that speech of yours, which I believe was more or less accurately recounted in the Daily Prophet today." Dumbledore sounded far more amused than he should.
Harry groaned emphatically.
The Headmaster, however, added, "It's not only that. If you were in pain would you lash out and try to make other's feel it or would you hide it -like you do." He said this pointedly.
"Point taken." He still wasn't going to go around troubling everyone with his problems though.
Dumbledore looked at Harry, who had turned back to the sky. "You have grown much."
"What I can do, I must do, to help." He meant it. Voldemort was killing and pillaging probably as they spoke. He would do what needed to be done.
Dumbledore had a proud gleam in his eye, which Harry did not see. Then raised an eyebrow after a moment. "You wouldn't want to prove Trelawney right would you?"
Harry smiled and turned around. "Merlin forbid." He would be alright.
************************************************************************
A days later the testing began and Harry got a surprising number of OWLs, although no one beat Hermione. Harry still had no been able to see Sirius, although he had written; Remus had also written that Sirius had nearly sent him a howler for coming into the battle like he had. Apparently Sirius severely damaged some furniture.
Soon his friends left the black adorned Great Hall, heading home.
"See you next year!" Neville paused to shout before getting on the train.
"Bye Harry!" said Dean.
"Bye, Gred and Forge." Harry said to the twins. He grinned, "Tell when you open shop!"
"Can do." Said one.
"-For you." Added the other.
"Write us Harry, you have no excuse this time." This came from Hermione.
"Alright Hermione!" In a much aggrieved tone. They had been -watchful- since his brush with death.
"Quit badgering him." Ron added, knowing his friend's thoughts, and not wanted to aggravate him. Even if he was too stupid to notice that he needed watching.
She hit Ron on the head in response.
"Harry! Can I have a picture?" Colin, of course.
Harry looked at his friends with a pained expression
"Sure Colin," said Hermione with a stern look at the other two.
"Where are you staying Harry?" asked Ron.
"I don't know yet, though Dumbledore said I could visit Ron this summer."
"Maybe I can visit too then!" Hermione wondered excitedly.
They got on the train; Harry watched them go, feeling tired. He remained at Hogwarts. He didn't mind being there, even when everyone else was gone. It was his home. He didn't know yet when or where he was leaving next. He didn't mind though -nowadays he just studied.
He was actually looking forward to lessons though. They would keep him occupied, and it was a far better option then playing punching bag for the Dursleys. He allowed himself a small smile at the fact that he wasn't going to see them for another full year at least.
The Boy Who Lived Twice walked back into the castle as summer began.