"You may leave. Class dismissed!" barked Professor McGonnegal.
Harry Potter packed his things up, and moved towards the door.
"Potter! I want to see you. Weasley, Miss Granger, you may leave."
Ron and Hermione left, looking confused and slightly offended.
"Follow me, Potter. Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you," said Professor McGonnegal tersley. She lead Harry up three flights of stairs, through a narrow passageway to a stone gargoyle.
"Pepper Imp!" she shouted. The stone gargoyle sprang aside.
Harry assumed this was the password. Dumbledore often came up with funny passwords to get into his office.
Soon they were going up the spiral staircase.
"Now Potter, I have an idea what this is about, but I'm not sure," said Professor McGonnegal as she knocked on Dumbledore's door, "But if I'm right, I advise you to stay calm."
Harry bit his lip. He wasn't sure exactly what Professor McGonnegal meant by "I advise you to stay calm."
The door swung open and Dumbledore's bright blue eyes fell on Harry.
"Ah, Harry, I was just wishing that Minerva would bring you up soon. Come in, come in, both of you! Sit down."
Harry stepped into Dumbledore's office and sank into a chair. He was hoping that what Dumbledore had to tell him was good news.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Dumbledore as though he was deciding the best way to tell him the news. "I have just received a letter from my good old friend Gandalf the Gray-" Harry looked confused. He had never heard of any Gandalf before-"He, as you might already know is going on a quest in Middle Earth, where he lives, with a Fellowship, the Fellowship of the Ring. Now this is no ordinary ring. It is the One Ring. The Ring of the great but terrible Sauron. He is the Dark Lord of Middle Earth, similar to the Lord Voldemort." McGonnegal flinched- "The Fellowship is on a quest to destroy the Ring for good. It must be destroyed in the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, for that is where it was made. Sauron will become powerful and rule Middle Earth in terrible ways, if the Ring reaches him, and is not destroyed. He has already sent out Ring Wraiths, or Black Riders to retrieve the Ring for him. The Wraiths are terrible, horrible things. They were once men, but were each given a ring of power, and tortured by Sauron, and now their only purpose is to serve him. They are similar to dementors." Harry shuddered. Even hearing the name of the Azkaban guards made him shiver.
"The Fellowship consits of nine people," continued Dumbledore,"Gandalf the Grey,a wizard, as I told you before, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, a Silvan elf from Mirkwood, Gimli, son of Gloin, a dwarf, Boromir son of Denethor, brother of Faramir, Samwise Gamgee, Meridoc Brandybuck, and Perigrin Took, all hobbits, and last but certainly not least, Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, and the ring bearer."
Dumbledore paused to take breath, and to see if Harry was taking this all in. Truth be told, Harry was quite confused, and just as he was about to start asking his many questions that had accumlated in his head the moment Dumbledore had started to explain, Dumbledore started up again.
"Frodo, unfortunately, has been hurt most seriously, and is not expected to recover for a very long time," he said, then, lowering his voice, "Perhaps not ever."
Harry gasped. McGonnegal put her hand to her heart.
Dumbledore continued, "So, they must find a new ring bearer very soon, so they can continue their journey to destroy the Ring. None of the others in the Fellowship are fit for the job. Also, Samwise, Meridoc and Perigrin are staying behind with Frodo, so they'll need three new members for the Fellowship, not counting the ring bearer."
Dumbledore stopped and turned to Harry. His eyes twinkled.
Harry gulped. He didn't understand why Dumbledore was telling him all this.
"Don't you see Harry?" asked Dumbledore when he saw Harry's confused expression. "You must destroy the Ring. You are the new ring bearer."
Harry Potter packed his things up, and moved towards the door.
"Potter! I want to see you. Weasley, Miss Granger, you may leave."
Ron and Hermione left, looking confused and slightly offended.
"Follow me, Potter. Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you," said Professor McGonnegal tersley. She lead Harry up three flights of stairs, through a narrow passageway to a stone gargoyle.
"Pepper Imp!" she shouted. The stone gargoyle sprang aside.
Harry assumed this was the password. Dumbledore often came up with funny passwords to get into his office.
Soon they were going up the spiral staircase.
"Now Potter, I have an idea what this is about, but I'm not sure," said Professor McGonnegal as she knocked on Dumbledore's door, "But if I'm right, I advise you to stay calm."
Harry bit his lip. He wasn't sure exactly what Professor McGonnegal meant by "I advise you to stay calm."
The door swung open and Dumbledore's bright blue eyes fell on Harry.
"Ah, Harry, I was just wishing that Minerva would bring you up soon. Come in, come in, both of you! Sit down."
Harry stepped into Dumbledore's office and sank into a chair. He was hoping that what Dumbledore had to tell him was good news.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Dumbledore as though he was deciding the best way to tell him the news. "I have just received a letter from my good old friend Gandalf the Gray-" Harry looked confused. He had never heard of any Gandalf before-"He, as you might already know is going on a quest in Middle Earth, where he lives, with a Fellowship, the Fellowship of the Ring. Now this is no ordinary ring. It is the One Ring. The Ring of the great but terrible Sauron. He is the Dark Lord of Middle Earth, similar to the Lord Voldemort." McGonnegal flinched- "The Fellowship is on a quest to destroy the Ring for good. It must be destroyed in the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, for that is where it was made. Sauron will become powerful and rule Middle Earth in terrible ways, if the Ring reaches him, and is not destroyed. He has already sent out Ring Wraiths, or Black Riders to retrieve the Ring for him. The Wraiths are terrible, horrible things. They were once men, but were each given a ring of power, and tortured by Sauron, and now their only purpose is to serve him. They are similar to dementors." Harry shuddered. Even hearing the name of the Azkaban guards made him shiver.
"The Fellowship consits of nine people," continued Dumbledore,"Gandalf the Grey,a wizard, as I told you before, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, a Silvan elf from Mirkwood, Gimli, son of Gloin, a dwarf, Boromir son of Denethor, brother of Faramir, Samwise Gamgee, Meridoc Brandybuck, and Perigrin Took, all hobbits, and last but certainly not least, Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, and the ring bearer."
Dumbledore paused to take breath, and to see if Harry was taking this all in. Truth be told, Harry was quite confused, and just as he was about to start asking his many questions that had accumlated in his head the moment Dumbledore had started to explain, Dumbledore started up again.
"Frodo, unfortunately, has been hurt most seriously, and is not expected to recover for a very long time," he said, then, lowering his voice, "Perhaps not ever."
Harry gasped. McGonnegal put her hand to her heart.
Dumbledore continued, "So, they must find a new ring bearer very soon, so they can continue their journey to destroy the Ring. None of the others in the Fellowship are fit for the job. Also, Samwise, Meridoc and Perigrin are staying behind with Frodo, so they'll need three new members for the Fellowship, not counting the ring bearer."
Dumbledore stopped and turned to Harry. His eyes twinkled.
Harry gulped. He didn't understand why Dumbledore was telling him all this.
"Don't you see Harry?" asked Dumbledore when he saw Harry's confused expression. "You must destroy the Ring. You are the new ring bearer."