Ch: 10
Disclaimer: As usual
A few moments later, Harry was sitting in the headmaster's office and was surrounded by people. Draco took his usual spot and waited for Harry to explain why they aroused everyone from their sleep at the dead of night.
"I had a vision but this one was different," he said to the silent room. "Voldemort mentioned something about Ashland Lanes and a Staff of Merlin." The whole room quieted and stared blankly at Harry. They seemed to be confused to- with the exception of Dumbledore, Draco, and Snape.
"Are you sure Voldemort mentioned the Staff of Merlin?" asked Dumbledore. The twinkle that normally took home in his blue eyes was missing and he looked older and even more tired than Harry had ever seen. Harry nodded to confirm his statement. Dumbledore sighed and slowly rubbed his head.
"Professor, what is the Staff of Merlin and why would Voldemort want it?" asked Hermione. She stared at the headmaster worriedly and grasped Ron's hand. Harry raised an eyebrow at her emission of ignorance. 'Hermione doesn't know what it is? I'm shocked!' he thought and just for a moment, Harry felt so sad that he may never be friends with those two again. He didn't know if he could ever forgive them.
"The Staff of Merlin is exactly what it is named after. When Merlin was young," started the headmaster. He passed out a dish of lemon drops to everyone but only Harry took one. Harry popped it into his mouth and savored the tangy taste of lemon. "He created a great Staff of Power, one of the most powerful to ever grace his earth. Into this Staff, he poured all of his power, intuition, leadership, strategies, knowledge, and even his hate. Merlin was a very powerful and gifted wizard as many of us know and if Voldemort found his Staff, than the whole world is doomed and no one would be able to stop him."
The whole room fell into silence once again. The whole truth of what Voldemort would be able to do if he found the Staff was mind shattering. Draco suddenly spoke up. Harry could see the cold, calculating look that Draco was famous for snap into place on the blonds pale features. "But didn't Merlin have the foresight to see the danger of his Staff and place wards on it?"
Every one looked at the headmaster. He smiled slightly. "Yes, he did. Apparently he found some sort of Prophesy, which one we don't know, and placed some wards as a precaution. What we do know is that there is only two people on this earth who can find and weald this Staff of Power. Merlin wrote: Woe comes to those who try to wield this Staff, Words of warning I shall pass, Only two can use this flame, One brings Suffering and one brings Pain.
Two of my descendants they shall be, Both betrayed by those they need. One born of darkness to swamp the light, The other born in darks dear night.
Weather this Staff be used by light is determined in the dark For darkness eats at both these souls and only one will yield. Light will become darkness for a silent twilight, But who will win, day or night? As you can see, Merlin did not see who will yield his Staff but what we do know is who the two beings are."
Harry had remained silent during the reciting of Merlin's prophecy. If it's true, then his path lay down a different road than he had originally thought. Dare he take up this quest that his ancestor laid before him? Can he round up his courage and stand up to Voldemort one last time? Harry could feel, as if he was the great phoenix himself, all his old bravery fill up his heart. Strength flowed through his still lightly weak limbs and he rose from the ashes of his death and betrayal to become a stronger, fiercer person than he had ever been.
"I will go and search for the Staff." Harry heard someone startle and he slowly lifted his head and gazed around the room. Everyone gasped. Draco took one look at the new fire that turned his eyes into a blazing green flame and smiled a brilliant smile.
"You're back!" Draco whispered. He raised a slightly shaking pale hand and slowly caressed Harry's cheeks. Harry smiled back, a small but wavering smile, and clasped the hands that cradled his face gently. When he spoke with tears in his eyes, it was a husky voice that everyone had once recognized as the Harry from long ago.
"I'm back from the land of the dead and ready to kick some ass!" The two men grinned widely at each other, completely oblivious to the happy people in the room.
"What do you mean, 'you're back'?" asked a clearly confused Snape. Harry turned his newly bright eyes on Snape's form and watched the man rock back in shock. The potions master finally understood what he meant.
"When I was first placed in Azkaban, I tried hard not to give in to the hate that I felt every time I thought of what they did." He gestured to Hermione and Ron, still not removing his hand from Draco's. "I knew deep down that they were not to blame for putting me in there. After all, they didn't know that I was a cutter and I was acting kind of dark at the time. But as the days passed to months, and months passed to years, my mind finally crumbled and I was lost in the maze of despair and hate. When Dumbledore was reciting what Merlin had wrote, I thought of what my parents would think. Me, hating people for what was a mistake? They would be disappointed.
Then I thought of all those who loved me and I knew that that Staff was meant for me. For me to defeat the darkness once and for all. For me to bring peace to all those that had suffered." All who were present and who could see the look of truth that flashed in Harry's eyes were filled with a hope- a hope of a better and brighter future.
"Let me go to Ashland Lane to find it," Harry said, appealing to Dumbledore. "Let me finish my destiny." He was scrutinized by those blue eyes that reveilled nothing before Dumbledore nodded a yes to his request.
"I'm going with him. Someone needs to care for his skinny ass!" said Draco. Harry stared at him in shock and before he knew it, Hermione, Ron and Snape were also pledging their lives for Harry's mission. Harry nearly cried at that small sign of trust- and maybe love and hopes of forgiveness- from the people around him. "After all, it's the least we can do for you considering what we did." That was Hermione answering Harry's silent question.
"As you wish. Take a few minutes to gather your things before you leave. Good luck Harry." Deep inside his mind, Harry knew that this journey- which might be his last- would be a soul changing experience and he couldn't wait.
AN: This fic has gotten so off track and I have no clue what is going to happen! I figure that Harry would eventually forgive Hermione and Ron for something that they couldn't have known about but I don't think that they will ever be as close as they once was. And Harry and Draco did have something of a relationship way back when, and it might just save Harry's life. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and enjoy! ~Ta-ta
A few moments later, Harry was sitting in the headmaster's office and was surrounded by people. Draco took his usual spot and waited for Harry to explain why they aroused everyone from their sleep at the dead of night.
"I had a vision but this one was different," he said to the silent room. "Voldemort mentioned something about Ashland Lanes and a Staff of Merlin." The whole room quieted and stared blankly at Harry. They seemed to be confused to- with the exception of Dumbledore, Draco, and Snape.
"Are you sure Voldemort mentioned the Staff of Merlin?" asked Dumbledore. The twinkle that normally took home in his blue eyes was missing and he looked older and even more tired than Harry had ever seen. Harry nodded to confirm his statement. Dumbledore sighed and slowly rubbed his head.
"Professor, what is the Staff of Merlin and why would Voldemort want it?" asked Hermione. She stared at the headmaster worriedly and grasped Ron's hand. Harry raised an eyebrow at her emission of ignorance. 'Hermione doesn't know what it is? I'm shocked!' he thought and just for a moment, Harry felt so sad that he may never be friends with those two again. He didn't know if he could ever forgive them.
"The Staff of Merlin is exactly what it is named after. When Merlin was young," started the headmaster. He passed out a dish of lemon drops to everyone but only Harry took one. Harry popped it into his mouth and savored the tangy taste of lemon. "He created a great Staff of Power, one of the most powerful to ever grace his earth. Into this Staff, he poured all of his power, intuition, leadership, strategies, knowledge, and even his hate. Merlin was a very powerful and gifted wizard as many of us know and if Voldemort found his Staff, than the whole world is doomed and no one would be able to stop him."
The whole room fell into silence once again. The whole truth of what Voldemort would be able to do if he found the Staff was mind shattering. Draco suddenly spoke up. Harry could see the cold, calculating look that Draco was famous for snap into place on the blonds pale features. "But didn't Merlin have the foresight to see the danger of his Staff and place wards on it?"
Every one looked at the headmaster. He smiled slightly. "Yes, he did. Apparently he found some sort of Prophesy, which one we don't know, and placed some wards as a precaution. What we do know is that there is only two people on this earth who can find and weald this Staff of Power. Merlin wrote: Woe comes to those who try to wield this Staff, Words of warning I shall pass, Only two can use this flame, One brings Suffering and one brings Pain.
Two of my descendants they shall be, Both betrayed by those they need. One born of darkness to swamp the light, The other born in darks dear night.
Weather this Staff be used by light is determined in the dark For darkness eats at both these souls and only one will yield. Light will become darkness for a silent twilight, But who will win, day or night? As you can see, Merlin did not see who will yield his Staff but what we do know is who the two beings are."
Harry had remained silent during the reciting of Merlin's prophecy. If it's true, then his path lay down a different road than he had originally thought. Dare he take up this quest that his ancestor laid before him? Can he round up his courage and stand up to Voldemort one last time? Harry could feel, as if he was the great phoenix himself, all his old bravery fill up his heart. Strength flowed through his still lightly weak limbs and he rose from the ashes of his death and betrayal to become a stronger, fiercer person than he had ever been.
"I will go and search for the Staff." Harry heard someone startle and he slowly lifted his head and gazed around the room. Everyone gasped. Draco took one look at the new fire that turned his eyes into a blazing green flame and smiled a brilliant smile.
"You're back!" Draco whispered. He raised a slightly shaking pale hand and slowly caressed Harry's cheeks. Harry smiled back, a small but wavering smile, and clasped the hands that cradled his face gently. When he spoke with tears in his eyes, it was a husky voice that everyone had once recognized as the Harry from long ago.
"I'm back from the land of the dead and ready to kick some ass!" The two men grinned widely at each other, completely oblivious to the happy people in the room.
"What do you mean, 'you're back'?" asked a clearly confused Snape. Harry turned his newly bright eyes on Snape's form and watched the man rock back in shock. The potions master finally understood what he meant.
"When I was first placed in Azkaban, I tried hard not to give in to the hate that I felt every time I thought of what they did." He gestured to Hermione and Ron, still not removing his hand from Draco's. "I knew deep down that they were not to blame for putting me in there. After all, they didn't know that I was a cutter and I was acting kind of dark at the time. But as the days passed to months, and months passed to years, my mind finally crumbled and I was lost in the maze of despair and hate. When Dumbledore was reciting what Merlin had wrote, I thought of what my parents would think. Me, hating people for what was a mistake? They would be disappointed.
Then I thought of all those who loved me and I knew that that Staff was meant for me. For me to defeat the darkness once and for all. For me to bring peace to all those that had suffered." All who were present and who could see the look of truth that flashed in Harry's eyes were filled with a hope- a hope of a better and brighter future.
"Let me go to Ashland Lane to find it," Harry said, appealing to Dumbledore. "Let me finish my destiny." He was scrutinized by those blue eyes that reveilled nothing before Dumbledore nodded a yes to his request.
"I'm going with him. Someone needs to care for his skinny ass!" said Draco. Harry stared at him in shock and before he knew it, Hermione, Ron and Snape were also pledging their lives for Harry's mission. Harry nearly cried at that small sign of trust- and maybe love and hopes of forgiveness- from the people around him. "After all, it's the least we can do for you considering what we did." That was Hermione answering Harry's silent question.
"As you wish. Take a few minutes to gather your things before you leave. Good luck Harry." Deep inside his mind, Harry knew that this journey- which might be his last- would be a soul changing experience and he couldn't wait.
AN: This fic has gotten so off track and I have no clue what is going to happen! I figure that Harry would eventually forgive Hermione and Ron for something that they couldn't have known about but I don't think that they will ever be as close as they once was. And Harry and Draco did have something of a relationship way back when, and it might just save Harry's life. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and enjoy! ~Ta-ta