Chapter 3 – The Return

After what seemed like an eternity, Harry's feet his solid ground. He stumbled for a second until Remus helped him stay upright. Glancing at Remus and giving him a 'thank you' smile, he turned to look at where they had just Portkeyed.

They were in the entrance hall of 12 Grimmauld Place, standing near the door. Harry caught a glimpse of the doorway to the kitchens, before his vision was obscured by bushy brown hair. "Oh, Harry, thank God you're alright!" Hermione shrieked from the region of Harry's shoulder

"Hermione, let him go, he can't breathe!" Ron said, standing behind Hermione.

"It's ok Hermione. What could've happened that would've put me in danger? I just portkeyed here from the Dursleys'." Harry tried to placate Hermione, patting her back awkwardly. She moved away from him, seeming almost in tears.

"I was just so worried about…well; you know…how you would…cope." She seemed reluctant to speak of what was really worrying her.

"Hermione, I'm fine," Harry saw her disbelieving look and continued. "I…well, I'm not totally fine. But I am better than, say, a week ago."

This seemed to be enough for Hermione. "Hey, don't forget about me now." Ron, who was still standing behind her, poked his head around her body, smiling.

"Hey Ron, how's it going?" Harry and Ron shared a hand shake, grinning all the while.

"Not too bad, now that you're here. Maybe you can save me from Hermione's homework sessions."

"Ah, I don't know about that one mate. When it comes to homework, she isn't stopped." Harry said with a smirk.

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Hermione said, her hands on her hip and a grin on her face. "I'm not a complete bookworm."

Harry and Ron shared grins before saying "Yes you are" at the same time. All three of them burst out laughing at this, albeit reluctantly for Hermione.

"Well, I'd hate to break up such an interesting reunion, but there's going to be an Order meeting in a few minutes, and I can't be late. Run up to your room now, and Harry, it's the same as last time." With that, Remus headed into the kitchens and closed the door behind him.

Harry stood there for a moment, slightly angry by the fact that he was still excluded from Order meetings. He headed upstairs to his and Ron's room, getting a bit depressed, but resolving to tell his friends about the prophecy and the dream soon.

In all the excitement concerning Sirius, he had almost forgotten about it. But now that Harry had a plan for Sirius, his thoughts returned to the prophecy. He had thought that, being the one the prophecy concerned, Dumbledore would at least let him in the meetings. But Harry should've known that Dumbledore would still try and 'protect' him. As Harry headed up to his and Ron's room, he made a mental promise to himself to start doing things his way, even if it went against what Dumbledore wanted.

Following Harry up the stairs, Ron and Hermione shared a look of concern at the sudden change in behavior of their friend. When Lupin had mentioned the Order meeting, Harry had had an angry glint in his eyes which changed to one of sadness as he headed upstairs. Hermione thought that Harry was upset at the fact that they weren't allowed in the meetings, but she thought that he understood why, considering they were banned last year, too.

When Harry reached the landing that led to their rooms, he said urgently, "I need to talk to you guys for a minute." Ron and Hermione had been following him upstairs slowly, but stopped at seeing the look in Harry's eyes. They were almost burning with intensity, not unlike Dumbledore's eyes when he was angry. Ron and Hermione simply nodded and followed Harry into his and Ron's room. Shutting the door behind him, Harry turned to face his best friends.

"I know you guys think I was overreacting just now downstairs, when I got a bit huffy at not being let into the Order meeting," he stated. Ron and Hermione both looked slightly abashed, but Hermione was first to regain her composure.

"Well Harry, you knew we weren't allowed into the meetings last year. What's supposed to have changed their minds to let us in now?" Hermione had a sinking feeling that she was about to find out.

"What I am about to tell you only two people know as of right now. Do you remember the prophecy that got smashed in the…the Department of Mysteries?" Even thinking about that stupid place made Harry want to break something. 'Not the time' he thought to himself.

Both Ron and Hermione nodded their heads, and Ron said, "But Harry, we know it was smashed and no heard it. You told us that at the end of last year."

Harry didn't know what was making him do it, but he didn't want to have to deal with the burden alone. He had to tell someone. Otherwise, it would eat at him from the inside, especially trying to keep it from his friends…no, he had to tell them. "Well…it was smashed that night, but the…the person that actually heard it in the first place…well, we know him."

Ron and Hermione were both listening with interest now, obviously not up for guessing games. "Why are you so nervous talking about this Harry?" Hermione whispered subconsciously. "It has to do with you, doesn't it?"

'Trust Hermione to hit the thing on the head…' "Yes Hermione, it's all about me. The whole thing was heard by none other than our own headmaster, and he finally told it to me after I got back from the Department of Mysteries. This is what I remember: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not…" Harry faltered here, as this was the part that he had been dwelling on since he had heard it. "and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"

The room was completely silent, just as it was when Harry had first heard it in Dumbledore's office. Then Hermione spoke up, "But Divination is such an obscure branch of magic, you can't trust that." Ron was just sitting there, seemingly deep in thought, or too stunned to think, either one.

"Don't you get it Hermione?! It means me!" Harry had just stood there, waiting for the blow to fall, but Hermione's answer was not what he wanted to hear. "You weren't there when Trelawney said it. It was a real prediction. I know." Harry stopped here. "Did I ever tell you about the other prediction I heard her make?" Both of them shook their heads 'no'. "It was during our third year finals. She had just dismissed me, but then I heard her say 'It will happen tonight'. It didn't sound like her voice though. She went all…rigid, and seemed to be in a trance. Then she seemed to wake up and didn't remember a thing."

"But what was that prediction, Harry?" Ron asked. He remember that Harry was about to tell them something when he got back to the portrait hole from his Divination final, but he hadn't finished what he was going to say because of Hagrid's letter.

"It was a prophecy predicting the rebirth of Voldemort. And I helped it along…when I didn't let Remus and…and Sirius kill Pettigrew." Harry had already had a talk with Dumbledore about this, but he still couldn't help but feel like it was his fault. His fault that Voldemort had come back full strength. His fault that Cedric and Sirius were dead. But before Harry could get very far down that train of thought, Ron spoke.

"But…doesn't that prophecy…the one that Dumbledore told you, I mean…does it have to mean you?" Ron and Hermione both wanted to know this answer, but already knew in their hearts.

"Yes. It could've been either me…or Neville. But I was 'marked as his equal' when he gave me this," Harry moved his bangs back and pointed at his scar. "I was so…I don't even know if there's a word for it. I just…felt like everything was centered on me. I went through all the actions, but I wasn't really there. I just…I had to tell someone." Harry now looked at Ron and Hermione, pleading them silently not to give him pity. He hated pity. Pity was for cowards. And Harry was not a coward.

Ron and Hermione were both speechless at the time. They knew Voldemort always had it in for Harry, and he always seemed to get at Harry once every year. The only exception was third year, but then there were the dementors. They always wondered why it had to be Harry. Now that there was evidence of a prophecy, it just made it seem more real. "So Harry," Ron started. "Does that prophecy thing mean that…either you have to kill You-Know-Who, or he has to kill you?"

Harry gulped audibly at this, and his eyes became a bit distant. "Yes Ron. It has to be me…or no one. But there is a tiny bright side." His friends looked at him like he was crazy. Who could find a bright side about having to kill or be killed by the most feared dark wizard of our time? "It doesn't say that I'll die for sure. I mean, I don't…it doesn't say that we both must die, does it?"

"Of course not Harry," Hermione stated. "But how can anyone expect a…a fifteen-going-on-sixteen year old to defeat You-Know-Who? I mean, Dumbledore…"

"Has absolutely no say in this," Harry finished Hermione's sentence. He didn't need a lecture about how powerful Dumbledore was. No, he'd seen that up close. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but what about the 'power the Dark Lord knows not'? I need to find it, that's what." Ron and Hermione had rarely seen Harry this fired up, and when they did, it usually ended up with someone getting yelled at or them being dragged into another crazy adventure.

"The only way I'm going to be able to do that is by training; training hard. But I need your help."

"What do you need our help for, Harry?" Hermione sounded hesitant, if not downright scared.

"I need you to help me practice. It'd be good for all of us. We could all train. Voldemort won't leave you guys alone either, you know. Just for being my friends you put yourselves in danger." Ron and Hermione made to protest, but Harry held up his hands to silence them. "It's true. Look at what happens to every person I love or care for. They end up dead. But that's not going to happen any more." Harry said this last bit with such intensity Ron and Hermione unconsciously scooted back on the beds.

"Well, you're not doing all this without me," Ginny said, standing in the now open door.

"Ginny! I forgot…I mean, I didn't know you were here," Harry muttered sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry Harry," she said seemingly off-handedly. "I'm used to being ignored."

"Ouch Harry. She got you there," Ron said slyly. "But of course we wouldn't let you train alone. It could be helpful, with all this stuff happening…"

"What, do you know something about Voldemort's doings?" Harry said urgently. He knew that Ron and Hermione were being left out of the Order meetings, but that didn't include using Fred and George's inventions to spy on them.

"Oh, we don't know anything, trust me," Hermione stated. "We just know that You-Know-Who is out there and he's started killing Muggles again, seemingly just for 'fun'."

Harry had heard enough. He just wanted to get away now. He loved his friends and all, but sometimes they could be a bit…stifling. Plus he had just revealed his deepest secret to them. He needed to give them (and himself) time to think. "Well, when the Order meeting's over, could you come and find me? I want to…walk around for a bit."

"You sure, mate?" Ron asked, looking at his friend with concern. He didn't want Harry to shut himself off from them. It wasn't good for anyone's health.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna walk around the house for a bit. I…I just want to be alone for a little while. I'm not going to shut you out, mate, don't worry," he added with a grin. "I know I need my friends right now." And with that, he exited the room and left behind a very relieved Ron and Ginny, and a thoughtful Hermione.