AN: I'd like to thank everyone who has actually stayed with this story until now. I am a horrible person who never updates and who nearly decided to not continue this. I didn't see a point when I heard Book Five was FINALLY coming out. I didn't think I'd have enough TIME! But, I'm determined to see this through, if only to hear your horrified reviews when I leave you hanging with the wortst cliffies the world has ever seen. Cliffies to rival even the Evil Queen Imogen's!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So! Here we go again! Please, stick with me! And thanks for the reviews!

Chapter Ten: And it Begins.

The next morning Harry awoke with a feeling of dread. He'd slept uneasily, and his dreams had been vague and confusing. As he lay in the confines of his warm bed, morning sunlight filtering through the window, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so grim. Then he remembered his conversation with Dumbledore the evening before.

Harry groaned into his pillow and turned over, shielding his eyes from the light groggily. Maybe if he went back to sleep it would all go away. He knew with certainty that he didn't want to face the world today and he definitely didn't want to have to deal with the prying and curious questions he was sure to receive from his friends.

Ginny had been surprisingly understanding the night before, to Harry's great relief. He was still rather flattered that she'd waited up for him and her obvious concern for his well-being made his insides flutter, but he hadn't told her then and he didn't want to tell her now. He knew he'd have to tell her though. Ginny deserved to know, as did Ron and Hermione. They were his friends.

"Harry?" came a voice from the bed opposite his own. "You awake?"

It was Ron. He was awake and must have heard Harry shifting.

"Yeah," he replied, sighing and sitting up, pulling the curtains of his four-poster aside as he did. Ron's freckled face stared back at him, his hair sticking up in every direction. It seemed he hadn't been awake for very long. "What time is it?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Quarter of seven," Ron yawned out. "We've got to get down to breakfast."

Just the thought of food made Harry feel nauseous. He didn't think he'd ever be able to eat again. Neville stirred in his bed and Dean grunted.

"Harry, what was all that about with Dumbledore last night?"

Harry sighed and got out of bed, pulling on some robes. It had begun.

"I'll tell all of you tonight, ok? Just give me some time." Harry couldn't get it out just yet, and besides, tonight they'd have a lot more privacy. This wasn't something you discussed over the breakfast table.

Ron raised an eyebrow in question, but when Harry didn't say anything else, proceeded to get dressed as well. The other boys were all nearly awake by now, so Harry and Ron didn't bother them as they crept out of the room, noiselessly and made their way down to breakfast.

The Great Hall was only half full when they got there. Ginny and Hermione had met up with them in common room and they'd all gone down together. Hermione had been inquisitive and had bombarded him with questions all the way down and Harry's disgruntled non-answers did nothing to stem the flow. All in all, he was in a worse mood as he sat down than when he'd awoken. Harry's day was definitely getting off to a rocky start.

"But, really," Hermione exclaimed as she buttered her toast, "why can't you tell us now? I imagine what Dumbledore told you was very important. Was it something dangerous?" Hermione asked in agitation. "Oh, Harry, it didn't have anything to do with-" Hermione left the sentence unfinished but the word 'Voldemort' hung in the air as though she'd shouted it.

"No, it didn't, don't worry." Harry may have been annoyed just then, but he knew that Hermione was just worried. They were all on edge; the whole Wizarding World was since Voldemort's returned. Harry gave Hermione a small smile and said, yet again, "I told you that I'd tell you everything tonight. Now's not the time, all right? Believe me."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but a look from Ron silenced her. She flushed slightly as she seemed to realized she'd been practically harassing Harry and poured herself some pumpkin juice. Harry shot Ron a grateful look and took a sip from his goblet. He really wasn't very hungry.

Ginny had been oddly silent on the way down and hadn't said a word yet. Harry shot her a glance to see if something was wrong. She was staring down at her plate, picking at her eggs half-heartedly with her fork and there were dark shades under her eyes, like the beginning of circles. Ginny didn't look well at all.

"Ginny?" Harry asked softly, while Ron was talking to Hermione about the course schedule. She looked up abruptly, as though startled and grinned slightly when she saw his worried expression.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to ask me about yesterday as well?" he asked. Last night he'd told her he didn't want to talk about it and Ginny had accepted that without argument but he'd expected her to ask again this morning.

Ginny's smile grew wider, causing the shadows to fade almost completely. "Harry, I know you'll tell me when you feel like it. I can see you don't want to talk about whatever happened, but whenever you feel you need to talk about anything at all, you can always come to me. I won't press you."

Harry felt his spirits lift ever so slightly at her words. He'd never imagined that people like Ginny Weasley existed and he was grateful to have her as a friend. Then Harry asked her what had really been bothering him. "How are you feeling?"

Ginny sighed and went back to picking at her eggs, which, in Harry's opinion, wasn't a very good sign. "I'm alright. I'm just- tired, I guess," she said stabbing at a fried tomato.

"Are you sure? You had a fever on the train yesterday," Harry said, not convinced.

Ginny looked up at him abruptly. "Oh? How do you know that, may I ask?" Her forlorn look had turned into one of impish glee and Harry found himself blushing.

"Er, well I, er, you seemed cold, so I checked. You were pretty warm." Harry looked down at his plate, his own eggs lying untouched as well.

Harry heard Ginny chuckle in amusement. "Harry Potter," Harry looked up at her as she shook her head, "you never cease to amaze me.." Harry didn't know if that was good or bad, so he kept quiet and resumed staring at his plate.

Soon after, the course schedules were passed around. Ron groaned when he saw they still had double potions with the Slytherins every Tuesday and Friday. However, who their professor would be still remained a mystery. Professor Grubbly-Plank would be teaching them Care of Magical Creatures, much to Hermione's delight, and Defense Against the Dark Arts would be taught by none other than.

"Dumbledore?!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. Ron and Hermione both gasped. "Dumbledore's going to be teaching Defense? I guess there was no one else for the job." he reasoned. He couldn't help but feel happy about it. Harry trusted Dumbledore, no matter what happened. The teaching arrangements would probably also give the Headmaster a chance to watch over Harry.

They finished their breakfasts, said good-bye to Ginny and headed out to the greenhouses for Herbology.

The day passed without event. Professor Sprout had them working in greenhouse four this year and Harry had been quite intrigued by half of the things in there. They'd spent the entire lesson chasing Dodo Daffodils and trying to trap them in paddocks. It was nearly impossible as the plants used their roots to run amok and unfortunately were capable of shooting thorns from their leaves. Scratched, sweaty and dirty, the Gryffindors trudged up to Gryffindor Tower to change and get cleaned up before heading down to Charms. Professor Flitwick would be teaching them a series of Location spells for different circumstances. They were very much like Summoning spells except for the fact that you didn't know where the object you were Summoning was. They were supposed to be Locating quills that Flitwick had hid about the room but the only thing Harry seemed to manage to Locate was dust, which kept wafting towards him in clouds making him and Ron go into bouts of irrepressible sneezing. Seamus Finnigan seemed to find it hilariously funny until he Located a wad of old chewing gum, which landed unceremoniously in his hair.

After a quick lunch, Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone out for Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Grubbly-Plank was an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a rather prominent chin, giving students the correct impression that she wasn't to be crossed. Harry remembered that she seemed to ignore the boys in her lessons more or less and focus on the girls. It was bad enough that Hagrid was gone. Now they had to suffer her as well.

"Good afternoon, class. I trust you all remember me from last year, when Hagrid was busy. I'm sorry to inform you that he may not be teaching you at all this year. For those of you who have forgotten, I am Professor Grubbly- Plank. I will be taking over Hagrid's classes."

Ron sniggered at the Professor and gestured to Harry pointing out that that was quite obvious.

Hermione huffed up. "Honestly Ron. You should be happy that Professor Grubbly-Plank offered to teach. She's a very intelligent woman."

Ron only rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me?" came Professor Grubbly-Planks stern voice from the front of the crowd gathered before Hagrid's cabin. "You, sir, with the red hair. What's your name?"

Ron fidgeted uneasily, clearly unaware of what he'd done wrong. "Er, Ron Weasley, Professor."

"Yes, well, Mr. Weasley, I don't appreciate you interrupting my class. Please be quiet."

Ron's mouth fell open as she went back to talking about kelpies. He stared at Hermione in shock. Hermione only gave a small, amused smile and continued taking notes.

Ron turned to Harry. "Well, how do you like that?" he whispered, clearly disgruntled.

Harry barely had time to do anything before Professor Grubbly-Plank's voice rang clear across towards them again.

"Mr. Weasley!" she exclaimed. "I warned you. Ten points from Gryffindor for your lack of listening skills." Ron turned bright red, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water in frustration. When they finally headed towards the lake for a closer look at the kelpies, he stayed as far away from the Professor as he could and shot her dirty looks every time she had her back turned.

"Can you believe her?!" he shouted in outrage as they headed for Defense Against the Dark Arts forty minutes later. "What did I do?!"

"Oh, come on, Ron. You know the Professor's right. You weren't listening and there are two whole chapters about Kelpies! How do you expect to pass if you're not listening?" Hermione exclaimed.

Ron made an incredulous noise in his throat and Harry had a feeling that he would have strangled her right there and then, no matter what Harry suspected might be going on between them, had they not reached the classroom at that moment and walked in to find Dumbledore already sitting at the front desk.

The Gryffindors shuffled in quietly, glancing at the headmaster uneasily. They didn't know quite what to expect from the coming lesson. They'd been assigned no books and were one of the first classes of the year, so they hadn't yet heard others' opinions.

Dumbledore sat silently, watching them file in and take their seats, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. His gaze lingered on Harry perhaps a fraction longer than it did on the others as Harry sat down in the second row next to Ron.

When everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood up and walked around to the front of his desk.

"As I'm sure you are all wondering why exactly I will be teaching you Defense against the Dark Arts this year, I will relieve you of the suspense. The most important reason is, of course, because the world has become a most dangerous place since the end of the last school year. Voldemort has returned."

The class, as one, drew in a shuddering breath when Dumbledore said Voldemort's name. Harry ignored them and Dumbledore continued.

"I feel that I can no longer allow myself to hire just anyone as the professor. Over the past few years, you have not even begun to delve into the obscure, complicated tangle that is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Normally, what you have learned up until now would suffice. Normally." Dumbledore peered over his glasses at the Gryffindors who sat as still as stone, and as silent. Dumbledore sighed, "We are all living in very abnormal times, I'm sorry to say, and I wish nothing more than that none of you should ever have had to face what looms before us and the entire Wizarding World. However, we cannot change the events that have led to these dark times. The only hope we have is to change the course of the future by using what tools we have." Dumbledore paused and gazed quite obviously at Harry. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing exactly which tools Dumbledore meant. His discussion with the headmaster the previous evening all came flooding back to him, and with it, his anger at Dumbledore's renewed hope for the opposition.

"There are a few people that I would have entrusted with your education at this point, but they are all currently indisposed. Therefore, as I am the only one left, I'm afraid you will have to endure the teachings of an old bumbling man." Dumbledore shrugged non-challantly and twinkled at them. Most of the class grinned. Hermione barely seemed able to contain her excitement.

"I have heard rumors that the students believe the position is cursed. No teacher lasts more than a year, am I correct?" The class nodded. Dumbledore chuckled. "I assure you that I would know if such a curse had been placed. It has not. However I cannot account for what the school itself might be responsible for." Harry looked over at Ron in confusion. Ron shrugged, turning back to the front of the room and Harry waited for Dumbledore's explanation. He didn't give it though; seeming to think what he'd said was quite normal and completely obvious.

"Very well, now that that's out of the way we will begin." Dumbledore leaned back and half-sat on his desk. He slowly looked around the room; his face impassive and then said one word.

"Voldemort."

Everyone except Harry flinched.

"Fear of a name, increases fear of the thing itself. I myself have always held with the belief that reluctance to speak Voldemort's name only increases his power and capability to defeat us. If we can't even speak his name, how can we be expected to stand before him and keep our wits about us? How can we be expected to defeat him?"

Harry sat riveted to his seat. He had a feeling he knew what Dumbledore planned for his first lesson and all Harry could think was that it was about time someone did it. There were uneasy murmurs from his classmates at Dumbledore's words, but the headmaster continued and they all fell silent.

"I doubt many of you are aware of this, but Voldemort is not even the Dark Lord's true name." Dumbledore paused as the class broke into confused whispers. When the noise died down, he continued. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, was born to a magical mother. and a Muggle father. His mother died when he was young. He killed his father. He grew up in a Muggle orphanage until he was sent to Hogwarts where he was sorted into Slytherin. Tom was one of the most outstanding students this school has ever seen, and one of the most brilliant. He opened the Chamber of Secrets in his sixth year, though no one suspected it was him, and framed another student for his actions, causing that student's expulsion from school. He was a prefect and the Head Boy in his seventh year and almost every teacher's favorite student. I knew him personally. He was a very charming young man." Dumbledore gazed around the room, watching every student's reaction to his words. Harry, Ron and Hermione knew all of this already, they knew who Dumbledore was talking about so it came as no great surprise, but the rest of the students had never suspected that Voldemort had ever been anyone but- Voldemort. Neville looked as though he might faint in shock.

"After he finished school, Tom traveled the world, searching, always searching for power. He craved it more than anything and he killed anyone who stood in his way. He underwent so many transformations, body and soul, that when he once again returned to the Wizarding World, no one recognized him as the boy he once was. They knew him only as 'Lord Voldemort'." Dumbledore took a deep breath and shook his head. "Would you fear to speak Tom Riddle's name?" he asked in a way that showed he expected an answer.

Slowly, everyone in the room, one by one, shook their heads.

Dumbledore nodded his assent. "Very well. By the end of this lesson, each one of you will speak Voldemort's name. Your assignment will be to continue to speak Voldemort's name until you don't fear it anymore. I am teaching you this class so that you will learn how to defend yourselves. You will learn. This will not be an easy class. Many of you will be forced to do things you find very unpleasant. All of you will pass." Dumbledore's eyes were ablaze with determination as he caught each student's eye. When he said everyone would pass, he specifically looked at Neville, who gulped and slid down in his seat uneasily.

It was probably the hardest thing many of them had ever had to do. Harry watched as each student was called to the front of the room to stand before Dumbledore. Some stumbled and stuttered, others shook visibly, but each one, no matter how difficult it was for them, said Voldemort's name by the end of the lesson, as Dumbledore said they would. Neville had the hardest time of it. Harry knew how hard it must be for him. He knew what Voldemort had done to the Gryffindor's family. Yet Neville never whined, he never asked for anyone's pity. No one other than Harry even knew about his parents' fate.

In the end, even Neville managed to get a shaky "V-v-voldem-m-mort" out before collapsing back in his chair, pale and shaking.

Ron also had a bit of trouble. He'd open his mouth to speak and then close it abruptly, shaking his head, his eyes pleading. He'd looked around the room, panicking, searching for help until his eyes fell on Hermione. Harry had watched Ron stand unmoving, as he held Hermione's gaze. His skin had gone from pallid to stark white as thoughts Harry couldn't decipher passed through the boy's head. In the end, Ron had closed his eyes and swallowed nervously before saying in a controlled, firm voice, "Voldemort."

At the end of the lesson, Dumbledore assigned them their homework and wished them a good day as cheerfully as could be.

"Harry, Ron, could I see you both for a moment?" Dumbledore asked as they passed his desk on their way out. Hermione shot them a puzzled look, but continued outside. Harry and Ron approached the headmaster's desk apprehensively, but Dumbledore smiled at them both, dispelling any worries.

"Good job today, Ron," Dumbledore said, causing Ron to blush crimson with pride. Harry grinned at his friend's expression.

"Might I suggest a cup of hot chocolate to sooth the nerves? I'm sure Dobby would willingly oblige downstairs in the kitchens." Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Students weren't exactly supposed to go down to the kitchens. Dumbledore's mustache twitched. "After the chocolate, Professor McGonagall wishes to see both of you in her office. Tonight at seven, to be exact. I told her I'd give you the message." Dumbledore chuckled at their horrified expressions.

"Now, Mr. Weasley, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Harry for a moment," Dumbledore said. Ron, looking extremely nervous about whatever it was McGonagall wanted, barely heard him and left the room.

Dumbledore's smile faded as he turned back to Harry. "I assume you haven't told them yet," he said with a sigh.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "But I'm going to tonight."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, good. I think it would be best if they were there to stand by you during the next few months. You're going to have to work very hard, Harry to control yourself. It's not going to be easy and I don't envy the path you have ahead of you. However, I have complete faith in you, my boy." Dumbledore reached out a hand, unexpectedly and ruffled Harry's hair. Harry felt quite touched by the headmaster's words.

"We will begin your training tomorrow. I think it best to get started right away. Time is not exactly on our side." Harry swallowed, fully aware of just how little time he really had.

"After your lessons tomorrow, come to my office and we can begin." Harry nodded his consent, said goodbye to Dumbledore and left.

Outside, Ron and Hermione were glaring at each other while waiting for him. Ron still seemed rather miffed about the earlier episode in Care of Magical Creatures. Harry sighed as he approached them.

"You know," he said casually, "I'm starting to think it might be dangerous to leave you two alone together." Harry raised his eyebrows suggestively at the pair and to his great amusement, Ron and Hermione both blushed crimson and looked at each other sheepishly. It was a great improvement to their death-glares and Harry again found himself wondering just exactly what was going on between the two. Somehow, he didn't think anything serious had happened yet. Harry had a feeling that the scene he'd walked in on in St. Mungo's had been spur-of-the-moment. A friend comforting another friend, even though he'd suspected since some time last year that they'd be more than just friends. He'd just have to wait and see.

"Why don't you two go down to the kitchens without me?" Harry asked, thoughts about more important things than his two best friends' love lives intruding upon his speculations. He'd made Ginny promise she'd go and see Madame Pomfrey today..

Ron gave him a strange look. "You know, Harry, you've been acting odd all day. What's the matter with you?"

Harry sighed in annoyance. This called for drastic measures. "I haven't been any odder than you and Hermione have been acting, lately.." That did it. Both his friends flushed furiously, mumbled their good-byes and walked awkwardly away, staring at the floor. Harry watched them go with a sly grin. He'd have to remember that tactic.

Harry mentally shook himself and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. He wondered if Ginny was already finished for the day. He knew she'd protest; he might very well have to drag her to the hospital wing.

However, Ginny wasn't there when Harry climbed through the portrait hole, even though his classmates were. He asked a girl in Ginny's year that he recognized as Rosie if she'd gone up to her dormitory. Ginny wasn't there either.

"I think I saw her leaving a couple minutes ago," Rosie said, nodding towards the portrait hole.

"Er, right. Any idea which way she went?" Harry asked. Rosie just shook her head apologetically. Harry thanked her and set off after Ginny. He wondered for a moment if perhaps she'd gone to the hospital wing after all and began walking in that general direction.

He'd nearly reached Madame Pomfrey's realm when he came upon Ginny, looking rather sullen and very cranky. She was so preoccupied that she didn't see Harry until he was right behind her.

"Hey, Gin."

Ginny jumped and turned around abruptly, her eyes wide. "Wha-? Oh, Harry! You gave me a fright!"

"Sorry," Harry grinned sheepishly, "didn't mean to, I was just coming to find you. I didn't think you'd come to see Madame Pomfrey on your own, though." The torchlight flickered across the two of them, glinting off of Ginny's hair, yet at the same time, deepening the shadows under her eyes. However, the look in her eyes made Harry want to cringe backwards and run away.

"Well," Ginny sniffed haughtily, jabbing a finger at Harry's chest, "You, made me promise to come, and I keep my promises, even if they seem completely pointless! Honestly!" She shook her head, causing her curls to bounce in a way Harry found mesmerizing, "No faith in me whatsoever! It's enough with my brothers acting the way they do, you come along and start babying me as well!" Ginny seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Ginny?" Harry asked in astonishment, completely in the dark as to what exactly he'd done to set her off, "What are you talking about?"

Ginny startled as if coming out of a dream and looked up at his worried face. Her eyes widened suddenly and the tears threatened to come spilling out in earnest. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I shouldn't have." Her lower lip trembled slightly as she spoke. "It's just been a hard first day back, is all. And Fred and George," here, her look turned murderous once again. "Well, never mind them. They were just being the usual prats." Ginny sighed, looking tired. "Forgive me?"

Harry smiled. "Always. I didn't mean to upset you. What did Fred and George do, anyway?" he asked as they continued walking.

Ginny sighed again. "They were just being older brothers, I suppose." They had reached the hospital wing and entered the sterile white corridor, wrinkling their noses at the all-too-familiar smell. "Of course, Fred and George being older brothers can be severely dangerous at times."

Harry swallowed nervously, suddenly aware that that was entirely true and just what implications it could have towards him. Well, hopefully towards him, he thought as he watched Ginny sit down nervously in one of the chairs outside Madame Pomfrey's office. His thoughts drifted off to how her hair had glinted in the firelight minutes before.

He snapped out of it when Madame Pomfrey came out. "Hello," she said in surprise when she saw them. She especially eyed Harry oddly and he had to grin. He spent enough time at the hospital wing without coming of his own free will. Ginny stood up and pulled her mother's note from her robe pocket. As she neared the nurse, Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, seeing suddenly the state Ginny was in.

"Hello, Madame Pomfrey," Ginny said, somewhat exasperatedly, in Harry's opinion. "My mum told me to give you this when I got to school." She bit her lip and continued, "I was in a rather bad accident over the summer."

Madame Pomfrey took the note. Her eyes widened as she read it and when she was finished, she looked up at Ginny, sympathy evident in her eyes. "Oh, you poor dear," she said softly. Ginny's cheeks glowed with displeasure. "That must have been absolutely dreadful." There was an awkward moment of silence, in which Ginny stared down at her shoes and Harry glared at Madame Pomfrey, even though she wasn't looking at him. A moment later, however, it passed. Madame Pomfrey, business-like once more, ushered Ginny briskly to one of the nearby beds and sat her down, though rather forcefully. Harry followed close behind and sat down on one of the beds opposite.

The portly nurse then proceeded to bustle about, muttering spells and incantations, tapping her wand here and there, while Ginny sat looking extremely disgruntled. Harry had to stop himself from laughing repeatedly at the faces she kept making at Madame Pomfrey when her back was turned. It reminded him so much of Ron's encounter with Professor Grubbly-Plank earlier that day, that it was nearly impossible to keep a straight face.

"She had a fever yesterday," he told Madame Pomfrey as she checked Ginny's temperature. Ginny sent him a venomous look and Harry grinned.

Madame Pomfrey just "Hmm"ed" and continued pottering about. A few minutes later, she shooed Harry away and closed the curtains around Ginny.

Harry sat next to Madame Pomfrey's office, waiting impatiently. The minutes passed by slowly and Harry fidgeted in his seat as he looked at the clock on the wall opposite him. It read "Time to pass out Vitalizing Potion," so Harry glanced down at his watch instead. It wasn't there. He still hadn't replaced his old one. Harry would have to start carrying his father's pocket watch around, he only wished he had it now.

Madame Pomfrey pulled the curtains aside abruptly and walked back to her office, passing Harry on the way and giving him a small nod, as though she knew she'd be seeing him soon again anyway. She smiled back at Ginny.

"That'll be all for now, dear. However, I expect to see you regularly for the next couple of weeks, agreed?" Even though she was smiling, she gave the impression that it didn't matter whether Ginny agreed or not. She'd be back by will, or by force. Ginny grudgingly grumbled her assent and Madame Pomfrey bustled away.

Ginny sighed at her retreating form and sat down in a huff next to Harry.

"Well?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What did she say? What's wrong?"

Ginny looked puzzled as she answered. "Nothing," she said quietly.

"Sorry?" Harry said, not sure he'd heard her correctly.

"She said, nothing seems to be wrong. To all purposes, I'm completely healthy."

Harry stared at Ginny, his brow furrowed in thought. He was thrilled that she was okay, but it didn't make any sense. Not after what he'd seen on the train the day before. "But, how.?" he trailed off, Ginny's puzzlement now mirrored in his features. "Did you explain everything? What happened yesterday?"

Ginny nodded. "I don't know. It's strange. Madame Pomfrey said it's probably not even connected to the attack. Just a cold, or something of the sort. She gave me a potion to take that she said would help." Ginny held up a small glass bottle filled with purple liquid. She made a face. "It's horrid."

Harry laughed at her obvious displeasure as his worry melted away, satisfied with Madame Pomfrey's explanation.

~*~

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, please, have a seat."

They stood in Professor McGonagall's cozy study, looking about them nervously as the fire in the large stone fireplace sent shadows across the walls and bookshelves. McGonagall was pointing at two large red velvet armchairs with gold tassles across from her mahogony desk. She herself sat in her seat, looking at them over her square spectacles, and revealing nothing of why they were here in her expression.

Harry sank into a chair, trying to keep his calm, trying to convince himself that he hadn't yet done anything to deserve a punishment this year. Ron seemed to be struggling to keep from showing his worry on his face as well.

McGonagall fixed them with her penetrating stare for a moment before speaking. "I assume that neither of you have any idea why you're here. Am I correct?" Harry and Ron both nodded. McGonagall took a deep breath and looked as though she was about to say something she would come to regret very much.

"As you know, Hermione Granger was made a Gryffindor prefect this year. You probably haven't noticed but she's the only one in your year. There are always two prefects for every year fifth and up, one boy and one girl. I'm sure you failed to realize that neither Seamus, Dean nor Neville are prefects. There's a reason for this of course. We had a slight problem choosing this year." McGonagall was still staring at them sharply.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. What was McGonagall saying, exactly?

"I have decided to name both of you prefects."

Harry's jaw dropped. Him? A prefect? There was an uncanny silence in the room as both he and Ron gaped at their professor. Then Ron put words to his thoughts.

"Are you mad?" he exclaimed in a shocked whisper, forgetting, for a moment, who it was he was talking to.

Professor McGonagall looked extremely taken aback. She pursed her lips disapprovingly. "Hardly, Mr. Weasley, I assure you I'm quite sane." She glared at Ron, who turned bright red and stared down at his shoes in embarrassment.

Harry wondered if McGonagall might not be mad as well. He tried to explain. "It's just, professor, Ron and I haven't exactly been, well," Harry looked over at the fire, not wanting to meet McGonagalls fierce gaze. "Prefects are supposed to, er- stay out of trouble and besides, we're just average students, nothing like Hermione."

Harry didn't look up as he heard a rustling behind McGonagall's desk as she stood up. But he couldn't resist when he heard a small chuckle coming from his professor. There was actually a small amused smile on her face. Harry could see Ron squirming uncomfortably in his chair. This was an odd turn of events.

"I'm perfectly aware that you have, on more than one occasion, failed to follow rules. I'm also aware that you will most certainly not stop breaking rules after this meeting. However, I also know that you both possess the many qualities Godric Gryffindor prided in the students of his house, and that is what this is actually all about. You've proven yourselves worthy on more than one occasion. You both strive for what is right and you act upon your instincts when they seem imprtant. I don't have to tell you how many times you've saved lives and this school."

Harry was feeling distinctly flushed and when he looked over at Ron, he could barely make out his face from the red backing of the chair.

"You've both received 'Special Services to the School' awards and as for your grades, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," they both looked up at her as one and McGonagall smiled. "They're not as average as you might think."

~*~

"I can't believe this!" Hermione exclaimed, nearly bouncing about the common room in excitement. "She made both of you prefects! This is wonderful!" Hermione continued jabbering excitedly from her place on the couch. The four of them were sitting comfortably in front of the fire, their homework spread out on the table before them. Harry and Ron had come rushing back after their meeting to tell Hermione and Ginny the good news.

"Wonderful?!" Ron exclaimed in annoyance. "It's bloody awful, that's what it is! Now we're going to have to start following all the rules! No kitchen raids or slipping out to Hogsmeade. No sneaking out at nights." For some reason, Ron seemed rather disgruntled about this last one. Harry wondered why.
"Oh, come off it, Ron," Ginny said through her giggles, "you know it won't be that bad."

"Won't be that bad!" Ron replied in misery, "It's going to be awful." He suddenly went very pale. "Harry," he croaked in horror. "What if we turn into Percy?!"

This was too much for Harry and he burst out laughing and even Hermione couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. Ginny was collapsed on the sofa, shaking with mirth and wiping tears from her eyes. Ron gaped at them for a moment, before a sheepish grin crept onto his face.

"Well, all right. Maybe we won't turn into Percy."

"Maybe?!" Hermione exclaimed. "Oh, honestly, Ron!" she huffed, with her hands on her hips.

Harry shook his head as he finally calmed down. "Ron, don't worry, it'll be fine. Nothing's changed. It's not as if we're going to start licking Snape's shoes, or anything of the sort."

Ginny suddenly spoke up. "If anything," she leaned in closer so that only the four of them could hear. "This will make sneaking around even easier. Just imagine, caught out of bounds at one in the morning. All you have to do is spew out some ridiculous prefect duty you forgot to take care of during the day and you're fine!"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, exactly, and besides, the prefect's bathroom is unbelievable."

Hermione looked as though she severely disapproved and it seemed her annoyed "humph!" was the thing that finally settled Ron. He leaned back in the armchair he was sitting in, as a grin spread across his face.

"You know, I reckon you're right." Ron looked up at Harry, his eyes alight with excitement. "Harry, this is going to be bloody brilliant! We're prefects." He still seemed shocked at the very idea.

Harry shook his head again. "Yeah. I just hope I'm going to be able to deal with this as well as with what happened last night."

The air suddenly underwent a change. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all stopped smiling and looked at Harry simultaneously, their faces a mixture of curiosity, tension and worry.

Harry had been wondering how to bring up the topic of his talk with Dumbledore last night. He knew that if he didn't, Hermione probably would, eventually, but he wanted it to be over and done with already. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Dumbledore wanted to talk to me about my summer. He'd heard that I'd stayed with Sirius and what happened to Ginny and he wanted to know how I was."

"That's it?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"No," Harry raked a hand through his hair, wondering how to continue, when he remembered that he wouldn't be going back to the Dursleys. He'd been so caught up in everything that he'd completely forgotten.

"Ron!" he exclaimed in sudden excitement. Ron jumped at his shout and looked at Harry as though he were mad.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly, "I just remembered. Dumbledore spoke with your parents and they said it would be all right.. "

"What would be all right?" Ron said in annoyance.

Harry glanced quickly at Ginny, grinning. "I'm not going back to the Dursleys! I'll be staying at the Burrow from now on!"

It took a moment for this announcement to sink in, but when it did, the reaction was tremendous. Harry was nearly strangled as Ron, Hermione and Ginny all came flying at him, hugging him at the same time.

"Harry! That's wonderful! I can't believe it!" Ginny's muffled voice came from somewhere near Harry's left ear. Harry could feel himself grinning irrepressibly, the topic of conversation forgotten for a moment.

Ron seemed to be yelling something as well, but he was now hugging Hermione (for some odd reason.) and both were nearly jumping up and down with excitement.

Ginny was still pressed tightly against him and Harry found himself hoping she'd never let go. He hugged her back, just as tightly, breathing in the smell of her hair, sunshine and apples.

She pulled away and Harry felt a sense of loss for a moment, but he was compensated a moment later when Ginny sat down on the couch next to him and took his hand in her own, giving him a reassuring squeeze. She was smiling, all traces of fatigue wiped away by the look in her eyes. Harry remembered what he'd been about to tell them but suddenly, he wasn't as nervous as before.

Ron and Hermione had sat down by now, and Harry must have missed something because they were sitting as far across from each other as they could, Ron looking down at the carpet and Hermione eyeing a book on the table.

"Right, well, back to the topic." Harry began again, "that was before I told him about the dreams I've been having."

Ginny's grip suddenly tightened and both Ron and Hermione looked up at him in horror.

"Dreams?" Ron asked in a low, nervous voice. "You mean, dream dreams?"

Harry shook his head. "No, they haven't been about Voldemort. They've been, well, odd is the only way to describe them. Except for the first one." Harry shuddered. He still didn't knpow just who exactly it had been that had spoken to him, but somehow, that voice knew that he was One of Power. That thought was remarkably unnerving. "I had it when Ginny was at St. Mungo's." He glanced at Ginny. "Dumbledore says it was a vision."

Ginny looked worried. "A vision? But, how can that be? Only Seers have visions, don't they?"

Hermione spoke up. "Not necessarily. Many witches and wizards have visions, although the vision naturally has something to do with them. Much like Harry and," Hermione hesitated slightly, "and Voldemort. But, if it wasn't a vision of him, then, what was it?" She was looking curiously at Harry, her will to learn anything new at any time clearly eminent in her eyes.

Harry sighed and gave Ginny's hand a slight squeeze before proceeding to tell them every detail of the vision he'd had. He didn't leave anything out and when he'd finished, he continued to tell them about the conversation he'd had with Dumbledore.

"I was about to leave when I remembered that the voice had called me "One of Power." Harry looked to Hermione, positive that she was about to launch into a shocked speech about how there hadn't been any of Power for nine hundred years and begin to list every single One of Power that had existed since the beginning of time. Hermione's face, though, remained curious and thoughtful. It took Harry a moment to get over his complete shock at Hermione's lack of knowledge on the subject. It was as Dumbledore said. Ones of Power really were rare.

"I've never seen Dumbledore react like he did. He lost it." Harry shook his. "He looked so upset, I didn't know what to do. He kept asking me if I was sure, as though I'd said something completely unbelievable. And apparently, it really is. There hasn't been One of Power for nearly nine hundred years."

Hermione looked awe-struck. "Yes, but what does it mean?!"

Harry decided, like Dumbledore, to start at the beginning. "It all began with the Great Ones-" Hermione cut him off. "Morgana, Paracelsius, Cliodne and Merlin, right?"

Harry blinked. Ron was staring at her as though she'd sprouted an extra head.

"Er, yes. Them. The point is, that they had so much magic in them, they lived for thousands of years, and their descendants were unbelievably strong as well, though not all of them and not nearly as powerful as the Great Ones. The problem is, they were born so rarely, that there usually wasn't anyone with the knowledge to teach them to control their powers and they began to die out. Those were the Ones of Power."

He felt Ginny squeeze his hand tightly as she gave a small gasp of shock. He couldn't look at anyone and he kept his eyes on the floor.

"Hermione," Harry said suddenly, "can wizards or witches perform wandless magic?"

Harry heard Hermione shift uncomfortably in her seat. "N-no." She sounded rather shaken. "Children with magical abilities are capable until a certain age, but witches and wizards past adolescence can't. It's been deemed impossible."

Harry nodded. "I blew up a vase in St. Mungo's when Ginny was there and I shattered the pane of glass in the compartment door yesterday on the train. My wand was in my cloak pocket at the time." He finally looked up. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all gaping at him disbelievingly. Ginny suddenly spoke up.

"Harry, you said that many of the Ones of Power died because no one was there to teach them. Why would it matter?"

"Because it's too much to handle. The vision somehow triggered the magic and now I have three months, at best, to learn to control myself or-" Harry stopped his sudden outburst abruptly. He hadn't been planning on saying anything about.

"Or what?" Ron had found his voice again and spoke up now.

Harry looked about quickly, his eyes wide in sudden panic. He hadn't meant to let them know. He'd only been supposed to give them the simplest facts. He didn't want them to know. Harry swallowed nervously. "I- er, I."

"Harry," Ginny's voice was soft yet firm next to him. "What happens if you don't learn to control yourself?"

It wasn't only that he didn't want them to worry. Harry felt that if he didn't say anything, it wouldn't really happen, it wouldn't really be the truth. The truth was, that the truth terrified him. He found he was taking several deep steadying breaths, trying to calm himself down. It was a lost cause.

"Ones of Power who didn't learn how to control their powers usually went mad. It's too much to take on, untrained. If I don't learn how to control myself, I won't be able to stop my magic from working of it's own accord. If I'm scared, I'll shield things out. If I'm angry I'll blow things up. I'll hurt my self as well as anyone else that happens to be around and then I'll go crazy." There. He'd said it.

Ginny's hand was like a vice. When he looked up at her, her eyes were slowly filling with tears and she looked absolutely horrified. Hermione had covered her mouth with her hands and Ron was a sickly shade of green.

"It's already started. Dumbledore's going to teach me as well as he can, but all he has is a dusty old book that was written who knows how many years ago? And all I have," Harry looked at his friends in despair, "is three months."
AN (the second): Ok, that's it! I'd like to do a more personal thank you, so, Thank You to: Morgan, Kezza13, Pix the White Wanderer, Nexus, Cogden, Sew2100, Kerry, Moselle, Bucky, Rachelle, Joanna, Frax, littlesoda, Fishhead, Ninir, Ginny13, P-chan, serah, Shura, Deity, SAm, gina87, SarahSnape, Prongs, irachmiel, R*wen, lella, M.S.K, Saman, Keira Aislin, K. H. T, Leesie, Firedrake and kylsemom. WHEW!!! Thank you, all of you. And an extra special thank you to my beta, Ami, down at Gryffindor Tower. She is, as Georgia says, double cool with nobs and does, of course, RULE. That's it, hope the next one will be a LOT faster. ~Rosie