A/N: Okay, much rejoicing. Next chapter. Very much Harry Potter in here. I
had to have the last chapter in here because it's what the Ministry of
Magic is doing in the face of everything and that's always significant.
Boy, I'm sure you're fascinated. Okay, keep reading.
Chapter 3: Dead but Not Forgotten
Harry fingered his wand. He was sitting in the Headmaster's seat in the Great Hall. It was by far the most comfortable chair and if he was being forced to come back to life, he might as well get to sit in the nice chair. The Headmistress had pursed her lips when she saw him in it, but she hadn't said anything. They didn't believe he was who he said to be and that was fine with Harry. He didn't want to be here anyway.
He shook his head. He couldn't believe this. He was 16 again! He was going to have to wait all over again to get the respect he had gotten when he was an adult.
Harry was perfectly still, listening to what the professors were saying about him in the other room.
"-I don't believe him!"
"He is Harry Potter! His grave was in the graveyard and some guy in a black robe was digging it up! He said he was going to destroy the body because his master had told him so! Then he called down the lightning that should have disintegrated the body!"
Harry felt a sharp knot form in his stomach. Someone's 'master' had ordered him to destroy his body? He stood up suddenly, but then sat back down again. Voldemort couldn't be here. As far as Harry knew, it was centuries into the future! His grave had looked old, but it wasn't ancient. He sighed.
Just then, the door to the great Hall opened. A girl around the age of 15 or 16 walked in.
"Er.hello," she said. "You're not supposed to sit in the Headmistress's seat. She'll be really mad at you."
"Thanks for the warning," Harry said. "But she's already seen me."
"Wow! You must be a pet or something! Are you new? What house are you in?"
"First, I'm not a pet. No, I'm not new. You can be completely sure about that. And I'm in Gryffindor."
"Oh," the girl said. "I'm in Potter."
Harry blinked. "Potter?"
"Yeah," the girl said. "Why do you look so surprised? You said you weren't new."
"I'm older than I look," Harry said. "I've already graduated. I guess it wasn't here when I came."
The girl laughed but stopped when she saw the look on Harry's face. "What are you talking about? The Potter house has been around for almost a millennium!"
Harry mouthed, speechless. "A-A millennium?"
"Yeah, they named it for Harry Potter right after he died. Why do you look so surprised?"
Just then, the professors came out. "What is she doing here?" one of them asked, looking pointedly at the girl.
Harry shrugged. "She just came in here."
The girl went red. "I was.er.taking a shortcut."
"You're not to be in the Great Hall unless it's meal time!"
"He's in here!"
"He's new!"
"He said he'd already graduated!"
The professor looked sternly at him. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her the truth," Harry said. He couldn't help grinning at the professor's reaction. "I told her that I already graduated and I was in Gryffindor."
"Well.go along," the professor shooed the girl out of the Great Hall.
"Please get out of my chair," the Headmistress said sternly.
"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, this chair has always belonged to Dumbledore."
"Who's Dumbledore?" The Headmistress asked blankly.
Harry looked at her as though he thought she might be joking. "He'll tell you," he pointed to the professor who obviously taught history.
The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."
"What?" Harry stood up. "You mean you know about me, but you don't know about Dumbledore?!?"
The man shook his head.
"But Dumbledore's a legend!" Harry practically shouted.
"Obviously not," the man said.
"What has this world come to?" Harry practically shouted.
"To answer that young man's question," said a voice in the doorway. "It has almost come to the brink of destruction."
Everyone turned to look at the new arrival.
"Mr. Cocker!" said the Headmistress. "What brings you down here?"
"To tell you what has transpired," the man said. He walked to the staff table and set the papers he had been carrying down on the table. Harry glanced casually at the papers and froze, not hearing the man's next words.
"London has been attacked. There was one survivor. We got there-"
Harry grabbed the piece of paper he had been looking at and stuffed it into the man's face. "What is this?"
"Harry!" said the headmistress sharply. "You need to show respect! This is the Minister of Magic!"
"Yeah? I haven't had good luck with them," Harry said. "And don't talk to me like that! I'm older than you are! Now, what is this?"
"What is this kid on about?" the Minister asked.
"I'm not a kid!" Harry said, his eyes flashing. "And I'm tired of being treated like one. Now answer the question!"
The Minister looked outraged by the disrespect he was getting. "Now listen here, young man! You-"
"Your world may stand on the very edge of total destruction," Harry said, rising to his full (and slightly shorter than he remembered) height. "The Ministry will go to pieces and you will no longer run your own life, let alone the Ministry. There will no longer be a Muggle in the entire world and the only way you could possibly survive is to do the will of the man who has ruined your life. Are you going to listen to me or not?"
The Minister looked slightly taken aback. Harry could be intimidating if he wanted to.
"Ask," the Minister said simply.
"Where did you get this picture?"
"A witness saw it over the ruined city of London."
Harry dropped the piece of paper and took a step backward. "You're joking right?"
"No!" the Minister said. "But by the look on your face, I sincerely wish I was."
"Then it must be a copycat," Harry said, trying to assure himself. "Because it couldn't possibly be the one the sign was originally associated with."
"When the legends became myth come to the real, The fate of the world might then be sealed. The serpent-tongued will destroy the wrong And the good will rise, ready and strong. The lightning who burned will certainly fall And the challenger will rule all."
Everyone looked at the history professor. He blinked back to the reality.
"It's the prophecy. The ancient prophecy that said it would come to pass when it was too late to stop it."
Harry looked at Grander. He unconsciously put his hand to the old scar that had been burning for the first time since he had defeated Voldemort a millennium ago. He had attributed the burning to the fire he had been in.
"I have never heard of this prophecy," the Minister said.
"It's hundreds of years old and I only came across it a little while ago when I was looking through an old book I saw in the library I thought it looked interesting. I found it on a slip of paper in the back."
"'The legends became myth come to the real'? What does that mean?" Cocker asked.
"Voldemort," Harry said. "Voldemort's back."
"Voldemort?" Crocker asked. "I don't know who you are kid, but Voldemort died a millennium ago!"
"So did I," Harry said quietly.
"What?"
Harry took a deep breath. "I died one thousand years ago. When the cemetery outside burned, I woke up to find myself 16 and in a hole in the ground with the ashes of my coffin all around me."
"Y-You're Harry Potter?" The Minister gasped.
"We're not sure yet," the Headmistress cut in.
"I am," Grander said firmly. "I've read his tales more times than any of you know. I know him better than he knows himself!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Harry said, a slight grin on his face. "There are a few things the history books left out."
"You might be surprised," Grander said confidently.
"In any case, we have a problem. If Voldemort really is back, this prophecy doesn't look like the future is very bright."
"I still don't fully comprehend this," Crocker said. "You're the Harry Potter?"
"Yes," Harry said patiently. "I don't know how it happened, but I'm here. And I still don't know why I'm helping you! I've already beaten him once! Surely you're much more advanced in magic than in my time!"
The professors in the room exchanged guilty glances.
"Surely there's some arch warlock somewhere that can beat him much easier than I could!"
"Actually," Grander said. "We're kind of in the mindset of 'technology is the future. Magic is holding us back'."
Harry shook his head. "Hermione was afraid this would happen."
"Who?"
"One of my two best friends at Hogwarts," Harry said. "The other was Ron Weasley."
"Oh!" Grander said, "Was he in relation to Arthur Weasley?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Ron was his son. Let me get this straight. You don't know about Dumbledore, but you know about Mr. Weasley?"
"Well, he's mentioned in one of your legends. I only know his name."
"He was the second Minister of magic during Voldemort's rein after Fudge."
"As fascinating as this undoubtedly is," Cocker said. "It in no way solves our current Voldemort problem."
"Or future if you look at it from my point of view," Harry said. He blinked. "Sorry. I don't know where my mind goes nowadays. Okay, to the point. Voldemort knows your weaknesses. He's going to use that to his advantage."
"What are our weaknesses?" Cocker said.
"Okay, let's start there."
A/N: Lack of Voldemort. Right, well, something interesting will happen soon seeing as how nothing much of interest happened in this chapter. Anyway, we learned a few things like the prophecy. Again, fasinating (sarcastic voice). Review!
Chapter 3: Dead but Not Forgotten
Harry fingered his wand. He was sitting in the Headmaster's seat in the Great Hall. It was by far the most comfortable chair and if he was being forced to come back to life, he might as well get to sit in the nice chair. The Headmistress had pursed her lips when she saw him in it, but she hadn't said anything. They didn't believe he was who he said to be and that was fine with Harry. He didn't want to be here anyway.
He shook his head. He couldn't believe this. He was 16 again! He was going to have to wait all over again to get the respect he had gotten when he was an adult.
Harry was perfectly still, listening to what the professors were saying about him in the other room.
"-I don't believe him!"
"He is Harry Potter! His grave was in the graveyard and some guy in a black robe was digging it up! He said he was going to destroy the body because his master had told him so! Then he called down the lightning that should have disintegrated the body!"
Harry felt a sharp knot form in his stomach. Someone's 'master' had ordered him to destroy his body? He stood up suddenly, but then sat back down again. Voldemort couldn't be here. As far as Harry knew, it was centuries into the future! His grave had looked old, but it wasn't ancient. He sighed.
Just then, the door to the great Hall opened. A girl around the age of 15 or 16 walked in.
"Er.hello," she said. "You're not supposed to sit in the Headmistress's seat. She'll be really mad at you."
"Thanks for the warning," Harry said. "But she's already seen me."
"Wow! You must be a pet or something! Are you new? What house are you in?"
"First, I'm not a pet. No, I'm not new. You can be completely sure about that. And I'm in Gryffindor."
"Oh," the girl said. "I'm in Potter."
Harry blinked. "Potter?"
"Yeah," the girl said. "Why do you look so surprised? You said you weren't new."
"I'm older than I look," Harry said. "I've already graduated. I guess it wasn't here when I came."
The girl laughed but stopped when she saw the look on Harry's face. "What are you talking about? The Potter house has been around for almost a millennium!"
Harry mouthed, speechless. "A-A millennium?"
"Yeah, they named it for Harry Potter right after he died. Why do you look so surprised?"
Just then, the professors came out. "What is she doing here?" one of them asked, looking pointedly at the girl.
Harry shrugged. "She just came in here."
The girl went red. "I was.er.taking a shortcut."
"You're not to be in the Great Hall unless it's meal time!"
"He's in here!"
"He's new!"
"He said he'd already graduated!"
The professor looked sternly at him. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her the truth," Harry said. He couldn't help grinning at the professor's reaction. "I told her that I already graduated and I was in Gryffindor."
"Well.go along," the professor shooed the girl out of the Great Hall.
"Please get out of my chair," the Headmistress said sternly.
"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, this chair has always belonged to Dumbledore."
"Who's Dumbledore?" The Headmistress asked blankly.
Harry looked at her as though he thought she might be joking. "He'll tell you," he pointed to the professor who obviously taught history.
The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."
"What?" Harry stood up. "You mean you know about me, but you don't know about Dumbledore?!?"
The man shook his head.
"But Dumbledore's a legend!" Harry practically shouted.
"Obviously not," the man said.
"What has this world come to?" Harry practically shouted.
"To answer that young man's question," said a voice in the doorway. "It has almost come to the brink of destruction."
Everyone turned to look at the new arrival.
"Mr. Cocker!" said the Headmistress. "What brings you down here?"
"To tell you what has transpired," the man said. He walked to the staff table and set the papers he had been carrying down on the table. Harry glanced casually at the papers and froze, not hearing the man's next words.
"London has been attacked. There was one survivor. We got there-"
Harry grabbed the piece of paper he had been looking at and stuffed it into the man's face. "What is this?"
"Harry!" said the headmistress sharply. "You need to show respect! This is the Minister of Magic!"
"Yeah? I haven't had good luck with them," Harry said. "And don't talk to me like that! I'm older than you are! Now, what is this?"
"What is this kid on about?" the Minister asked.
"I'm not a kid!" Harry said, his eyes flashing. "And I'm tired of being treated like one. Now answer the question!"
The Minister looked outraged by the disrespect he was getting. "Now listen here, young man! You-"
"Your world may stand on the very edge of total destruction," Harry said, rising to his full (and slightly shorter than he remembered) height. "The Ministry will go to pieces and you will no longer run your own life, let alone the Ministry. There will no longer be a Muggle in the entire world and the only way you could possibly survive is to do the will of the man who has ruined your life. Are you going to listen to me or not?"
The Minister looked slightly taken aback. Harry could be intimidating if he wanted to.
"Ask," the Minister said simply.
"Where did you get this picture?"
"A witness saw it over the ruined city of London."
Harry dropped the piece of paper and took a step backward. "You're joking right?"
"No!" the Minister said. "But by the look on your face, I sincerely wish I was."
"Then it must be a copycat," Harry said, trying to assure himself. "Because it couldn't possibly be the one the sign was originally associated with."
"When the legends became myth come to the real, The fate of the world might then be sealed. The serpent-tongued will destroy the wrong And the good will rise, ready and strong. The lightning who burned will certainly fall And the challenger will rule all."
Everyone looked at the history professor. He blinked back to the reality.
"It's the prophecy. The ancient prophecy that said it would come to pass when it was too late to stop it."
Harry looked at Grander. He unconsciously put his hand to the old scar that had been burning for the first time since he had defeated Voldemort a millennium ago. He had attributed the burning to the fire he had been in.
"I have never heard of this prophecy," the Minister said.
"It's hundreds of years old and I only came across it a little while ago when I was looking through an old book I saw in the library I thought it looked interesting. I found it on a slip of paper in the back."
"'The legends became myth come to the real'? What does that mean?" Cocker asked.
"Voldemort," Harry said. "Voldemort's back."
"Voldemort?" Crocker asked. "I don't know who you are kid, but Voldemort died a millennium ago!"
"So did I," Harry said quietly.
"What?"
Harry took a deep breath. "I died one thousand years ago. When the cemetery outside burned, I woke up to find myself 16 and in a hole in the ground with the ashes of my coffin all around me."
"Y-You're Harry Potter?" The Minister gasped.
"We're not sure yet," the Headmistress cut in.
"I am," Grander said firmly. "I've read his tales more times than any of you know. I know him better than he knows himself!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Harry said, a slight grin on his face. "There are a few things the history books left out."
"You might be surprised," Grander said confidently.
"In any case, we have a problem. If Voldemort really is back, this prophecy doesn't look like the future is very bright."
"I still don't fully comprehend this," Crocker said. "You're the Harry Potter?"
"Yes," Harry said patiently. "I don't know how it happened, but I'm here. And I still don't know why I'm helping you! I've already beaten him once! Surely you're much more advanced in magic than in my time!"
The professors in the room exchanged guilty glances.
"Surely there's some arch warlock somewhere that can beat him much easier than I could!"
"Actually," Grander said. "We're kind of in the mindset of 'technology is the future. Magic is holding us back'."
Harry shook his head. "Hermione was afraid this would happen."
"Who?"
"One of my two best friends at Hogwarts," Harry said. "The other was Ron Weasley."
"Oh!" Grander said, "Was he in relation to Arthur Weasley?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Ron was his son. Let me get this straight. You don't know about Dumbledore, but you know about Mr. Weasley?"
"Well, he's mentioned in one of your legends. I only know his name."
"He was the second Minister of magic during Voldemort's rein after Fudge."
"As fascinating as this undoubtedly is," Cocker said. "It in no way solves our current Voldemort problem."
"Or future if you look at it from my point of view," Harry said. He blinked. "Sorry. I don't know where my mind goes nowadays. Okay, to the point. Voldemort knows your weaknesses. He's going to use that to his advantage."
"What are our weaknesses?" Cocker said.
"Okay, let's start there."
A/N: Lack of Voldemort. Right, well, something interesting will happen soon seeing as how nothing much of interest happened in this chapter. Anyway, we learned a few things like the prophecy. Again, fasinating (sarcastic voice). Review!