A/N:

CliodnaHPFan, and dumbledore2905, and ermione512, and Swords_Babe, and Tiff, and LiZz- Thanks!

LilyFlower2 - An Application? Gheeze!

Aerin Dragon Killer - Tell Ash I said thanks also.

Chapter 28

She held onto his wrist for dear life.

"Hermione let go. I have to go die now!"

Tears were streaming down her face. "NO! I won't let you."

Harry shook her off. "You have to let go, If you don't he'll come for her."

She followed his eyes to the crib of their infant girl. "No Harry, we can protect her. Just stay with me."

He shook his head. "I love you, Mione. Take care of our daughter."

An explosion came from the other room; the front door. "He's here, it's too late," Harry called. "Get Lily! Get out the back! I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

She wrapped their red-headed little girl in her blanket and made for the door, but stopped at the last second.

A voice from the other side spoke in harsh hissing tones. "I'm here for the child, Potter. Give her to me. Alohomora!"

The door slammed open and Hermione was knocked backward to the floor.

"Stupefy!" Harry called from the side. A jet of red light issued forth from his wand barely missing, the red-eyed creature.

In return he whipped his wand at her husband. "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry slammed against the wall engulfed in green flame and thudded lifelessly on the floor.

"HARRY!"

The white skinned figure before her turned, "And now for you my little mudblood. Give me the child and I will make your death quick."

"Hermione, wake up."

The last thing she remembered doing was looking into the eyes of her little girl and seeing a crimson glow watching back.

"Hermione, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open and she cried out, "Harry!"

"It was just a dream, everything's okay."

She tried to get out of the bed, pushing him away, "The baby! Get Lily. He wants Lily."

Harry followed after her. "Hermione, we don't have a baby. It was just a dream!"

Confusion became her world. Things weren't where they were supposed to be. "Where was the door to the baby's room!"

Harry grabbed her from behind and held on until she stopped thrashing, saying over and over, "It's okay ... just a dream."

He felt her legs give out and he dropped with her to the floor. She turned in his arms and clutched his nightshirt. "I don't want you to die, Harry, " she sobbed. "I don't want you to die."

He petted her hair soothingly and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to die."

She sniffed, "Promise me."

"Huh?"

"Promise me!"

He pushed her away and traced his thumbs down her cheeks, wiping away the trail of tears. "I promise I won't die."

Hermione tried to force a smile. "You can't make that promise."

Harry frowned at her, "Yes I can. Haven't you been paying attention. I'm Harry Potter ... I do the impossible."

She hit him on the chest rather hard with the heel of her fist. "I'm not kidding, Harry."

He smiled softly, "Neither am I."

**************************

Dumbledore turned when they entered the Room of Requirement. "For this week's lesson I would like to concentrate on ... yes, Harry?"

"Professor, I can't do this anymore."

"Pardon?"

Harry held his hands out to the room, "The lessons, school, teaching. It's not enough."

The headmaster looked at him expectantly. "Not enough?"

"It's all going to come down to him or me ... what the prophecy said, right?"

Dumbledore sighed and conjured an armchair for both of them. After he sat down his shoulders slumped. "Harry I have been dreading this day for quite a long time, however I knew it would always arrive."

"Please, sir. I need to know stronger charms, hexes, jinxes, anything. I'm not going to kill him with a disarming spell."

Tired eyes peered through half-moon glasses, "I know ... and this I cannot teach you."

Harry was expecting this. "The prophecy says that one of us must die. I'm not going to leave Hermione, Professor. She will not be alone, so I'm going to kill him."

"The boy's right, Dumbledore," came a voice from behind Harry.

He spun in his chair for he recognized the voice. "Professor Moody!"

"Potter. I do wish you would quit calling me that."

"Alastor, this conversation is between Harry and I. Please ..."

Harry turned back around. "No, Professor. If you won't teach me then I'll go elsewhere."

'Mad-Eye' Moody walked up between the chairs. "Ready, are you Potter?"

Harry nodded, "Yes sir."

"Ready to take a life?" Moody said in a much more serious tone.

He thought about it for a moment, knowing Moody was making this a trick question. "No, sir. I'm ready to defend my own life and my family's. If that means I have to hunt Voldemort down and kill him then that's what I'm going to do."

He sneered and his constantly revolving eye stopped, centering itself on Harry. "Brave words."

He looked up over behind the chair. "What say the rest of you."

Harry stood, this time and welcomed a number of members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Have you all been standing there this entire time?"

Snape stepped forward, "This is the Room of Requirement, Potter. We required a hiding place to observe your lessons." He lifted up his right arm and it seemingly disappeared behind what he presumed was some type of invisibility cloak the size of a wall. "And I must say I am rather disappointed in his progress thus far."

Remus Lupin stepped in between them, "Severus, he is regularly performing at seventh-year level. I'd say that is beyond our expectations."

Snape smirked. "Yes, that will impress the Dark Lord," he muttered sarcastically. "Whatever shall he do against the knowledge of a seventh-year."

Tonks came up beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. "They've been going on like this for the last five weeks. 'Bout sick of it, myself."

"It's time, Dumbledore," Moody said. "Time to admit him into the Order.

The headmaster stood, "I will, of course, bow to the wishes of the Order, however I will also say this, Harry. Once you take this step, there will be no going back. Are you willing to risk your life and those of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley?"

Harry looked back and forth between the other members. "What do they have to do with this?"

"Come now, Potter. Surely you don't think yours is the only prophesy in existence. Even your ego couldn't stretch that far."

"That's enough, Severus."

"I do not think so, Lupin. He wants to be an adult. So lets see what he thinks on adult issues." Snape conjured an armchair and turned Harry's around with a flick of his wand. "Sit."

He turned to look at Dumbledore. He nodded, so Harry sat.

"What is it worth to you, hmm? The death of the Dark Lord."

"It's a stupid question. No matter what I answer, you'll have a snide remark."

A jerk of laughter shot up beside him.

Tonks held her hand over her mouth, "Sorry," she shrugged. "Well it's true."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Very well, I'll rephrase. Would you have one of your two best friends die at the hands of the Dark Lord so that you may have your vengeance."

Before he had even heard the prophesy Snape spoke of he already knew what it would say. Hermione or Ron would die if they became involved with the Order of the Phoenix.

"I can't keep it from Hermione, the ring, she'll know."

Snape fell back in the chair with a satisfied look on his face. "Then she shall die. You must go back to your safe little study then, Potter, and back to your silly teachings. Perhaps you can train the girl's cat to say the Dark Lord is a weenie."

Harry stood and turned to the door. "If you won't teach me then I'll find someone who will. I don't have to be a member of your precious Order to fight him."

"Stop!" Dumbledore yelled.

It wasn't often that Albus Dumbledore raised his voice and when he did, everyone stopped to listen.

"I had not given that thought consideration."

Lupin jumped, "You can't be serious. He can't face Voldemort alone!"

"Of course not. Instead ... he shall form his own order for he already has. In one stroke he will have defeated the Phoenix Prophesy and set himself on a road to possible victory."

Harry hated to be the only one out of the loop. "What's the Phoenix Prophesy?"

Dumbledore stood, "I will teach you what you wish, Harry. On one condition."

Excitement rose in Harry's chest, "Name it."

"You must recruit your own Order and they in turn must learn with you," he paused. "These people are your original ministry crew: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom."

"Longbottom! Headmaster, have you lost you mind?" Snape almost yelled.

An evil twinkle skirted out from over Dumbledore's glasses. "Severus, for the first time since the Dark Lord's return I think I am in perfect control of my faculties. I must consult my sources." He stepped lively toward the door. "Alastor, begin Harry's lessons, properly."

"About time." Moody grumbled.

"Harry, in one week's time I expect you to have your people ready. The lessons you are taught will be excruciating, complicated and difficult to learn, however in the end I think you will have the results you are searching for."

He nodded back at Moody, "Begin. Everyone else, come with me, please."

Harry watched as everyone filed out of the room except for he Moody.

"Potter."

Harry turned.

"I suppose you'll have to call me professor after all," he said rather evilly.

"Your first lesson will be the Flaming Prison."

"Sir?"

"Over here, Potter, we haven't got all day."