AN: Squee! Oh my god, I'm on someone's favorite authors list (thank you, SolcieNTalin)! And I'm on SIX peoples' Author Alert watch! You've made me so happy I'm giving y'all this chapter two days early, and it's my longest one yet. Squee!
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Lupin, Moody and Tonks were all stunned into silence; until, that is, the constantly vigilant Mad-Eye Moody quickly whipped out his wand and pointed it at Harry's heart. The other two were quick to follow, each training their wands in the most vulnerable areas. Harry, on the other hand, hadn't even blinked.
"Who are you?" demanded Moody. "What do you want with the boy?"
The voice using Harry's mouth spoke again, still gazing at Moody. "Neither is of your concern. I mean him no harm."
"No harm!" said Lupin, glaring heatedly into Harry's eyes. "You're possessing him!"
"Again!" added Tonks.
"Things are not what they appear, young ones. Sometimes help can come from most unusual sources."
"And how, exactly, does possessing a sixteen year old boy help anybody?" said Moody, scathingly.
"As I said before, things are not always as they may seem. I'm not possessing the Young Prince, merely serving as his guide," said the voice.
"Guide? To what?" challenged Lupin.
"I am guiding him to the path to triumph; the path to wisdom; the path to life."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" demanded Tonks.
"I have finished my task today. That will be all." Harry slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head. When he finally looked up, Lupin, Moody and Tonks saw the familiar brilliant green of his eyes before they rolled back and he fell forward.
Harry could vaguely hear voices shouting from very far away before succumbing to the dark once again.
For the second time in the space of a few hours, Harry awoke to a pounding headache. Knowing to whom he'd be waking up this time, he groaned and sat up, announcing his return from unconsciousness to the quiet voices above him.
"Harry!" whispered Lupin, sounding relieved. Harry could hear some slight clinking noises that he identified to be the pouring of more pain-relieving potion. Lupin gently took his hand and placed the cup into it once again. "Drink up," he said.
Harry didn't need to think twice this time, and gulped down the lot. After the painful buzzing had subsided, he looked around and noticed he was no longer on the couch in the Dursleys' living room, but in his own bed. He slowly returned his gaze to Lupin, and spoke apprehensively. "It happened again, didn't it?"
Lupin only nodded. "Do you remember anything?"
Harry's forehead creased in concentration; after a few moments, his eyes widened in astonishment. "Y-yes, I do!"
The Aurors and Lupin looked amazed as well. "How much can you remember, Harry?" said Tonks.
"It was when you…well, sort of implied that Voldemort may have cast an outside spell on me earlier," Harry began. "I was trying to remember if I'd felt any pain in my scar before I'd blacked out, but instead I remembered feeling a sort of…cool feeling."
"What was so cool about it?" said Tonks.
"No, I mean it was just…cold. But not painful, in fact it felt rather nice."
Moody's magical eye was incessantly roving over Harry. "Has your scar ever felt like that before, Potter?" he asked.
"No, never. It's always been a burning pain with Voldemort," he said.
"I see…well, then what?" Moody went on impatiently.
"Er, right," said Harry. "Well, after a second it felt like I wasn't just remembering the feeling anymore–it was like I was actually feeling it right then. Then somebody started talking…but he was talking through me…."
"Do you remember what he said?" Tonks asked quickly.
"Yeah," said Harry quietly. "He said he meant me no harm, and that he was my guide, and that…erm…." Harry was about to inform them of where he'd actually been during his little incident, but then thought better of it. That was something he'd have to tell Dumbledore as soon as he could.
"What is it, Harry?" said Lupin kindly. "Do you remember something else?"
"No. No, it was nothing; just something from a dream," he said quickly to avoid the subject.
Apparently, this was not a good thing to say as Lupin's eyes widened and grew worried. "A dream, Harry?" he asked quickly.
"No! Not one of those dreams," said Harry. "Don't worry, I haven't dreamt of Voldemort for a while now," he added.
Lupin relaxed and smiled apologetically. "Are you going to be alright, Harry?" he asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine. Why?" said Harry.
"We need to be getting back to Headquarters. I really don't want to leave you alone, but we need to talk to Dumbledore before we can do anything about this mess. I'm afraid all I can do is leave you with this pain-relieving potion," said Lupin, holding out the glass vial. Handing it to Harry, he added, "Just take a quarter of a cup if…that ever happens again, okay?"
Harry nodded.
"See you, Harry," said Tonks with a smile before she Disapparated. Moody simply nodded and Disapparated after a murmured, "Potter."
Lupin was last. "Well, see you later, Harry. I'll be in touch soon, take care of yourself."
"Bye then," said Harry, and Lupin Disapparated as well.
Take care of himself. Didn't he always?
Harry had gone to bed soon after the members of the Order had departed. He'd had an exceptionally easy time falling asleep, and had no dreams at all, visions or otherwise.
When he woke up the next day, he lay in bed wondering what to tell Dumbledore. A letter to the Headmaster of Hogwarts was the first step in the plan he'd come up with before falling asleep last night, though it didn't make writing to him that much more desirable. With a reluctant sigh, Harry heaved himself out of bed and over to his desk for some parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. After sucking his quill for quite a while in thought, he finally began his letter to the Headmaster.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Thank you for the Pensieve, sir. I really do appreciate it, and you can be sure I'll be using it often when I get to Hogwarts. But the isn't just a thank you not; I have a request.
Now as I'm sure Lupin, Moody and Tonks have already told you, something happened to me yesterday. But they could tell you only what they themselves saw and heard; and I was able to see something very important that they couldn't.
I can't explain what it was in this letter, as apparently important information can't be sent by owl anymore, especially when it concerns me. It'd be hard to do, anyway. My request of you is that I be removed from this house and to where I was last summer. I know I need to stay here for the protection the house offers, but if I'm over there you (and no one else) can look at this memory of mine; I would allow it this time.
Please consider my request, and thank you again for your gift.
H.P.
Harry reread the letter, satisfied with the slight jab at Dumbledore in the middle of it. He was certain his point would get across even through his vague words; he was willing to let the Headmaster use Legilimency on him to search his mind for the memory.
He wished he could just show it to Dumbledore through his Pensieve, but that would mean he'd have to wait until he got to Hogwarts, as he wasn't yet allowed to perform any magic outside of school. That would defeat the entire purpose of the letter, as the whole point of Harry's plan was to get to Grimmauld Place. He remembered what had happened yesterday afternoon…
While the mysterious voice had been talking to the Order members, Harry had actually been lost in another vision. He had been able to hear the Order members' conversation, but only in the background. His main focus had been on what had been shown and spoken to him at the time.
When Harry had been taken over, his dream self had been slammed back to the enormous oak tree he'd seen just the night before in his first vision. This time, however, the young woman had been absent. The red-haired man had stood before the tree alone, gazing at Harry.
"Who are you?" Harry had asked.
"You already know my name, do you not, Young Prince?" the man had replied.
Harry had frowned, trying to remember. "You're Dirk Everard."
Dirk had smiled. "Correct, Harry Potter, as usual."
Harry's frown had deepened. "How do you know my name? And how did you know that I'd seen you here before? Who are you really?"
"Easy there, Young Prince," Dirk had said, laughing. "All will be answered in good time. Time that I, unfortunately, do not have at the moment. Your friends will soon want you back to normal, I'd wager. They don't seem to enjoy my company as much as they do yours."
It was then Harry had realized that he could hear what was being said back with his real self. "You're possessing him!" he could hear Lupin nearly yelling, though he sounded very far away.
"If you can't tell me anything now, then why did you bring me here?" he'd asked
"Do not think that I brought you here to tell you nothing, Young One. I simply haven't time to answer all I know you wish to ask. If you desire to know the cause for what has been happening to you of late, as well as about myself and your fate, you must heed the message of your godfather."
Harry's head had nearly spun. "What?" was all he could manage to gasp out.
"Heed your godfather's message, Young Prince. It is the only way for you to succeed in fulfilling your prophecy."
Harry could only stand there, mouth agape as Dirk had grasped Harry's shoulders bracingly. "And you must succeed, Harry. I must take my leave now. Heed the message." And Dirk had disappeared.
The world had spun violently, shoving Harry's dream self back into his physical body. He had looked up to see Lupin, Moody and Tonks staring at him worriedly before he'd blacked out.
After the wizards and witch had left, Harry had rummaged around for Sirius's last letters. While the birthday letter contained wonderful words of wisdom, Harry got the feeling the strange second letter had been what Dirk was referring to.
While reading though the letter, Harry had made mental notes of important points–Sirius had discovered "an extremely thin book with no title, only an intricate, silver compass rose embossed on the leather cover," in the Black library; he'd been Portkeyed to a "rather large, circular, black room lit only by floating orbs of light," before being forced back; the only words in the book had been: "Fortunes told in days of old felled the bold and made blood cold. Find the Records, Seek them out, the Seeker will win the Bout;" and then Sirius had said that Harry had to get that book.
Perhaps the most important message, to Harry anyway, had been his godfather's last words: "Don't dwell on the dead so long that you forget to live." These last words had been the final push needed to give him the courage to request being sent to the last house Sirius had ever lived in. Were it not for the inspirational message from beyond the veil, Harry would never have asked to go back to Grimmauld Place, where painful memories were sure to overwhelm him. With this mission in mind, however, he hoped he would be distracted enough to avoid those thoughts.
He could only hope that Dumbledore would be enticed into letting Harry leave the Dursleys early so he could put his plan into action. If he couldn't get to Grimmauld Place, he couldn't get to the Portkey book. If he couldn't get the book, he'd never find out what Dirk wanted to tell him. And with information on the prophecy at stake, he couldn't afford to lose this chance.
Harry was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Hedwig rattling her cage. Apparently she'd grown impatient waiting for her owner to give her the letter he'd been holding for about ten minutes.
"Sorry, girl," he said smiling apologetically, "but I'm not nearly finished yet. You can go back to sleep, and I'll wake you when I'm ready." The owl gave a disgruntled but resigned sort of hoot and refolded her head under her wing. Harry put his letter to Dumbledore aside and moved on to his Hogwarts sign-up sheet. He now saw that it had small checkboxes beside the course titles, as well as an empty slot at the bottom for anything not included on the list but still desired by the recipient.
Eligible Sixth Year Courses for: HARRY POTTER
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Astronomy
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Care of Magical Creatures
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Transfiguration
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Potions
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Charms
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Defense Against the Dark Arts
Advanced (N.E.W.T. Level) Herbology
Note: Marking any new electives you may wish to take is prohibited, as you will not have the prior knowledge required for the Advanced classes. The extra box is for EXTRACURICULAR N.E.W.T. LEVEL CLASSES ONLY.
Harry still wondered how he'd become eligible for Snape's N.E.W.T. Potions class. Shaking his head slightly, he checked the Potions box, as well as the boxes for Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. He gazed over the list once more before marking Care of Magical Creatures as well, not wanting to let Hagrid down. He also remembered that Professor McGonagall had told him that the Ministry wouldn't accept anyone without at least five "Exceeds Expectations" N.E.W.T.s for Auror training, and Hagrid's class would make five. Harry hoped he would be able to achieve at least one "Outstanding" N.E.W.T., as he had a strong feeling that he would utterly fail Potions.
That out of the way, Harry began writing thank you letters to his friends, starting with Luna's "Snorkack horn." He didn't need to write to Remus or the Order, so he tackled Neville's next.
Dear Neville,
It's good to hear from you mate, thanks for your letter. I hope your summer's been more fun than mine.
As for whether or not I'll start up the D.A. again, I'll have to wait and see. If we actually get a competent Defense teacher, we may not have to hold any meetings. Plus I don't know how my year will shape up, schedule-wise. If the D.A. is needed next year, we'll have, don't worry about that.
Tell your Gran thanks for what she said about my parents, and also that I said you'll always do your family name proud.
Harry
Harry put this aside and grabbed Ron's letter, rereading it before writing the reply to his best friend.
Dear Ron,
Thanks for the candy; it always helps after eating the rubbish Aunt Petunia insists I eat. Has Hermione gotten her O.W.L.s yet? Wait, don't answer that. She'll send me an emergency owl when she does.
Guess what? I got nine O.W.L.s too! I got E's in Astronomy, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration and Potions. I know, I know, how could I have ever managed an E in Potions? That's not the weirdest bit, though. McGonagall said Snape only takes people with an "Outstanding" Potions O.W.L., but I'm still eligible for his class! I reckon she threatened to transfigure him into a greasy rodent or something.
Anyway, I got a P in Divination too, and a D in History of Magic. Not that I care about those classes anyway, they're complete wastes of time. And then I got O's in Defense and Care of Magical Creatures.
Just so you know, I haven't yet received any groveling letter from Percy. I really hope he doesn't send me one; and if he does, I'll just have you and Ginny kick him in the shins for me. I've know that Fred and George have been exacting their revenge on him already, so maybe you and your sister should get in on it as well.
See you soon (I hope),
Harry
P.S.- Don't worry about me keeping my feelings inside this year, I got a Pensieve from Dumbledore.
When Harry had finished, he was about to move on to Hermione's letter when he realized he hadn't yet tried out her gift; the same went for the Weasley twins' sample box. Deciding that Hedwig had enough letters to deliver anyway, he collected his replies and woke up his slumbering owl. When she saw he was finally ready to use her, Hedwig fluttered her wings and stretched out her leg for Harry.
"Take these to Hogwarts first, alright? That way Dumbledore can get my classes and my request as soon as possible," Harry told her.
With an affectionate nibble on his finger and a determined hoot, Hedwig flew out the window. Harry watched the owl disappear into the morning sun before turning from the window, looking at his birthday presents. He slowly walked over to the two unopened boxes and reached out for Hermione's puzzle, deciding it was the safer of the remaining two.
Upon glancing at his watch and discovering that it was only a quarter after nine o'clock, Harry decided that this would be a suitable activity for the day. Not yet feeling hungry enough to go downstairs and face his relatives at breakfast, he opened the box and gazed at the pieces inside. Much to his relief, Harry found that the pictures on the pieces were stationary; it would have been much more difficult to put a puzzle together if the picture was moving, as wizarding pictures were known to do.
After removing all the edge pieces from the box, Harry worked on fitting them all together to form the border. Working from the outside in, he had finished almost half of it an hour and a half later, when he finally noticed his stomach rumbling. He rolled his eyes and got up off the floor, where he'd been laying before the puzzle, and reluctantly headed downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised, however, to find the house deserted.
While not exactly expecting a warm reception from his relatives, he had certainly never thought they would simply abandon him without even a word. They'd probably taken yesterday's events more badly than he'd thought they would. He was getting rather annoyed when he finally noticed a short, hastily written note placed on the table under the salt. Harry picked it up, spilling the salt in the process. He cursed softly before turning to the note.
Harry:
We've gone to a special event held by Vernon's boss. Its location is a few hours away, so we will be gone for the rest of the day and night. He wanted to meet Dudley as well, so you will be alone. Food is in the fridge. Stay in the house.
Petunia
That's odd, thought Harry. How could the Dursleys not brag for days on end about something as important as an event held by Uncle Vernon's boss? This was the first he'd heard about it. Though Harry reckoned that his relatives had simply gotten miffed about all the magic in the house yesterday, he still thought the situation suspicious.
After eating a quick lunch, Harry went back upstairs to finish his puzzle. About an hour later, the last piece was ready to be put into place. Harry slowly lowered the piece into its proper position, pleased he'd actually finished it. He was about to get up off the floor to admire his work when a beautiful, trilling note rang throughout the room.
Startled, Harry froze and looked back down at the puzzle, only to freeze again in shock at what he was seeing.
Brilliant golden light was slowly working its way through the seams of the puzzle and around the border. The trilling note came again when all the golden lines met in the center. Suddenly the light flashed blindingly, and Harry threw his arm up to shield his eyes. The brilliance slowly faded, and the note rang out once more.
Harry lowered his arm and stared in wonder at the puzzle before him. Only it was no longer a puzzle–it was a wizarding portrait. The beautiful creature inside the frame trilled again, looking up at Harry, and filled him with a soaring hope.
It was a luminous, golden-red phoenix.
Well, thought Harry, at least now he understood that "ONE TIME USE ONLY" tag on the box.
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AN: And there's that sarcasm again. Honestly, Harry. ^_^ By the way, sorry for earlier (the 'squee's, you know), I really rarely make the "overexcited girlie noise." It's only when I'm REALLY happy.
Next Time: Will Dumbledore accept Harry's request? Will he have to?
Review Responses (plural, yay!)
pug320: Thanks, and now you know it's Dirk!
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Dreamyiys: Thank you! And don't worry, no evil cliffy (this time, anyway).
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