Title: Holding Court
Rating: PG-13
Summary: WARNING: this story is an anabashed celebration of Harry Potter's uniqueness and powers. Anyone who would prefer to see another character glorified, turn away please! Hogwarts is divided amongst the four Houses. As physical violence increases, a Hufflepuff fourth year watches as her hero fulfills his destiny. Set in Harry's seventh year, doom approaches. But where is the real war; between the Houses or against the Dark Lord?
(Yes, I know, this is a really long chapter, and some of you might just wish to just skip it, but I need to have feedback on this one! This is the first chapter that directly relates to the fifth book and it contains my reasons for what I believe will happen at the end of the seventh book. It's really verbal, with not much action, but it's important!)
Chapter 10
Minnie was amazed. It was obviously in a tower; the view they had out of the windows was from very high up. Outside, snow glittered in the moonlight which also reflected off the ice of the lake. The sky was dark and the trees in the Forbidden Forest swayed ominously in the wind. It looked so cold out there, but the contrast with the warmth of the Gryffindor common room created a mildly feverish feeling that spread from her toes to the tips of her fingers.
The whole place was a symphony of red and gold. There were no stones to provide any cold feelings, everything was carpeted, tapestried, covered, layered or generally hidden underneath velvets, corduroys or wool. A large fire cackled merrily on one side and bunches of students were gathered around it, sitting in the couches or high-backed armchairs, talking and arguing animatedly. When the arriving group entered through the small passageway behind the portrait, heads turned and Minnie felt many inquisitive gazes seizing her up. Yet, she obviously wasn't the main center of interest. As soon as all the arrivals had been assimilated, the chattering began anew, though it was obviously relative to the number of people entering. A few of the older students rose and headed towards Dean, but he waved them off. Instead, he led the group over to an archway. On one side were the boy's dormitories, on the other, the girls'. Dean led the group up the boy's staircase. It wound and twisted but up they went, until they came to the Seventh Year room.
But when Dean pushed the door open, the sight was not that of a line of beds, but rather that of a center of communication. A large oak table had been placed in the center and it was now liberally covered with pieces of parchments and diagrams. Several students were cluttered around this mass of parchment, apparently attempting to establish some order. Minnie wished them luck. A stone platform had been constructed over to one side, beside a large window, and logs had been stacked upon it. A fire and a cauldron cackled away merrily and a student was currently leaning over it, adding a sprinkle of some ingredient while stirring. On the other side of the window, a number of broomsticks had been placed against the wall. They could be grabbed quickly and flown out of the window if need be. That took up two corners. The third corner was taken up by bookshelves, thickly stacked with large volumes. Some one was standing with their back to the entering group, flipping through a register and saying things to another who was dutifully writing the words down.
But in the fourth corner, a large desk strongly resembling those used by the professors had been placed so that the person sitting behind it could have a clear view of all that happened in the room. Hermione Granger had been sitting behind it, writing on a piece of parchment, but had dropped it the moment they entered the room. The group dispersed. The Creeveys headed to those looking over the diagrams and began pointing to them, probably clarifying the status of the corridors. Seamus Finnigan went to the person taking care of the cauldron and handed him a vial before falling into a deep discussion. Minnie suspected that the vial had been something pilfered from the Slytherin Common room and was to be analyzed.
Ginny and Dean dragged Minnie and carried Martina over to where Hermione was standing.
"We got Martina out but we picked up this-" began Ginny.
"Where's Harry?" asked Hermione, looking past Ginny over to the door, she apparently hadn't heard a word Ginny had said.
"I'm getting to that," snapped Ginny and Hermione's gaze shifted to her. "We got Martina, but this girl was in there with her. So Harry decides to get all heroic again and takes her out. But then she tells us that there's another Hufflpuff girl in the dungeons and that we've got to get her out. Well, Harry goes and checks on the Map and finds that the girl's actually in Malfoy's bedchamber. So he, Ron and Neville stayed behind to get her out." Ginny did not seem happy about this.
"They stayed behind?" Hermione said mutely.
Dean nodded, "Yeah, but Neville and Ron said they'd look after him. So we followed evasion procedures. Dennis and Colin are going to write up their report on the going ons in the hallway."
"Right," said Hermione. "So there was no problem for the way back?" Dean shook his head. "Good, then they haven't located that passage yet. Right, Dean, you need to check with Christopher for the Marissa business. Ginny, let's get those girls to the Infirmary."
Martina got to her feet shakily and was helped out of the room by the two other girls while Minnie trailed behind. They went down all the tortuous steps and back up on the girl's staircase, all the way up to the top where a plaque indicated that under normal circumstances it would have been a Seventh year dorm room. Instead, it was lined with mostly empty beds, and a cauldron cackled in a corner. Only one bed was occupied, by a girl that Minnie recognized as being Marissa Quigley, a sixth year, who was sleeping quietly. On the other side of where she lay, the only two Seventh years Minnie had not seen yet this evening were speaking worriedly together. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil headed over to Martina the moment she had crossed the threshold, carrying her away to a bed and immediately applying potions and asking her if she could describe her exact symptoms. After a minute, Parvati came back to where Minnie, Ginny and Hermione were standing.
"And you?" she asked Minnie, "Do you need patching up as well?"
Minnie shook her head, but Hermione said, "Check up on her anyway."
Parvati nodded and Minnie was led over to a bed.
"Say 'ahhh'" ordered Parvati.
"Ahhhh…" Minnie stuck her tongue out at the offending girl.
Parvati smirked and raised her wand. She spoke spells and charms that Minnie knew not of, but that nagging sensation in her stomach gradually drifted away.
"All done," said Parvati triumphantly, grinning at Hermione and Ginny who had come to sit on the bed next to the one where Minnie all ready sat.
"Thanks Parvati!" said Hermione as Ginny addressed Minnie.
"All right, Minnie." She apparently all ready knew Minnie's name. "Now, explain how exactly you went missing and set off this whole circus," she ordered acidly.
"Well, I was…" Minnie began desperately. It seemed she was like the grease that had fallen out of the pan and into the fire. At least in the dungeons, she'd been left alone. Ginny here looked furious. But before she could attempt to convince the Gryffindors that she'd meant no harm, the door to the Gryffindor infirmary burst open and Harry ran in, holding a limp and unconscious Tyler, closely followed by Ron.
"Lavender! We need help! She's been hit with an Ignivivos! Neville's applied herbs, but she needs help!"
Tyler was lain on a bed and Lavender and Parvati set to work, bringing out cauldrons and other medicines. Neville dashed in, followed by two other girls. Neville joined Parvati and Lavender while the other girls headed for Martina and Marissa. Minnie couldn't understand what was going on. She knew the basic principle of Ignivivos but she'd never been able to cast it. Essentially, it caused a fire inside the person's skin, which would eventually burn them alive if they weren't treated.
But even more interesting than the proceedings going on around Tyler were the looks between Harry, Ginny and Hermione. Hermione had jumped up to hug him the moment he had put Tyler down while Ginny waited before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"You!" said Hermione, turning to Minnie. "We need to discuss a few things!"
She led the Minnie over to what would have been the bathroom, and still was except for the cauldrons boiling. But just before they entered, Seamus burst in, holding a sheaf of papers.
"Ginny!" he called. "Ron! We've received something from Fred and George! And your Mum's written something too!"
"I'm coming!" Ginny called before turning to Hermione and Harry, "Can you guys handle the interrogation?"
They nodded and she and Ron dashed back out, narrowly avoiding Neville who was moving a cauldron. Harry opened the door to the bathroom, motioning that Minnie should go in. She did and sat on a wooden chair that was in a corner. Harry and Hermione followed, but regarded the wooden chairs present disdainfully. Harry conjured without any apparent effort two armchairs which he and Hermione promptly plopped into.
"Transcrito," murmured Hermione over one of the chairs. A piece of parchment and a quill appeared on the flat surface, prepared to write down all that would be said.
-Transcript-
Harry: What is your full name?
Minnie: Wilhelmina Beaufort
Hermione: You are a fourth year Hufflepuff?
Minnie: Yes.
Harry: How are you related to Cedric Diggory?
Minnie: He was my mother's brother's son. Her maiden name was Thomasina Diggory.
Hermione: What was happening down in the dungeons?
Minnie: Nothing, really! They'd tossed Martina and I into that cell and periodically pushed food through the slot under the door. But they left us to ourselves, they didn't touch us or anything! Except… well, they got a snake to enter the cell. But it didn't do anything! It sorta looked around and then left. But other than that, nothing happened! …What?
Harry: What?
Minnie: you guys are looking at me funny?
Harry: Are we?
Minnie: And how did you guys know where to find us?
Hermione: What were you doing last Friday night?
Minnie: Ummm… I was invited to a Dueling class.
Hermione: You attended the class, didn't you?
Minnie: Yes.
Hermione: And what did you do after this class?
Minnie: I went up to the Hufflepuff Attic to find a book.
Hermione: And you found your book?
Minnie: Yes.
Hermione: And why didn't you then return to Hufflepuff Chambers?
Minnie: I fell asleep.
Hermione: You fell asleep?
Minnie: Yes.
Harry: Just like that?
Minnie: Yes.
(lengthy pause)
Hermione: So you stayed up in the Hufflpuff attic?
Minnie: Yes. I fell asleep on the floor.
(sounds of someone sitting up abruptly)
Harry: You felt tired? … Or sad?
Minnie: (hesitantly) … Disappointed…
Harry: Did you… did you see anything that you hadn't expected to see?
(feminine gasp)
Hermione: Oh Gods… well, Minnie?
Minnie: Well, I did see something.
Harry: What was it?
Minnie: (very rapidly) I saw the both of you kissing on the marble floor.
-End of Transcript-
Hermione looked afraid and was shooting anxious glances from Minnie to Harry. Minnie was still perched on her chair, though she had her arms crossed and she slouched slightly. She felt rebellious; how dare they treat her like a threat while they themselves obviously had something to hide! But the looks that Hermione was giving Harry, almost as though she was pleading with him had to have a meaning. Minnie had missed something. But what was it?
Evidently, Harry and Hermione were a couple. Minnie had seen ample proof of that in the Dueling Chamber. But they were trying to keep it secret. That would explain why they waited until they thought they were alone to kiss. It would also explain why Harry and Hermione both seemed a bit angry right now. But why the fear?
Harry stood up. Oh my! Once again, it struck Minnie how imposing Harry was. Ronald Weasley stood taller than he did, so did Draco Malfoy. But the presence was unequaled. Ronald had a rugged look to him, Draco Malfoy had a refined elegance to his every feature, but you just couldn't get around to wondering where Harry's beauty came from. Because he was more than handsome… he had a real beauty that transcended everything else. He had discarded his glasses so his eyes blazed forth, in changing shades of green. Full of passion, hate, love and everything else; it was all of humanity that was summed up in his eyes. But it wasn't just that, his hair stood up in that unmistakable way that was unique to him. His brow was pale and white, marred only by the lightning bolt scar to which he owed his destiny. But then his full lips began to move, and Minnie was forced to cease her enraptured contemplation of the angel's face before her and focused rather on the tip of the wand that he now held beneath her nose. Now was probably not a good time to fawn over his features, she realized.
"Speak of that to anyone and you're dead," he said in a low voice.
"Harry! I don't think-" started Hermione worriedly. But Harry continued as though he hadn't heard her.
"If anyone hears of this, I will personally deliver you to a fate worse than death. Don't think that I won't; you'd be placing those I hold dear in far too much danger."
So that was why! It wasn't that Harry was ashamed to admit his involvement with Hermione, he simply didn't want that information to be used against him. It hit Minnie again how sad it was that these students had lost their childhood and innocence.
"Don't you ever get tired of it?" she asked.
"Tired of what?" Harry frowned at her.
"Tired of playing general! Tired of acting as if all this were so important!"
Harry lowered his wand and crouched so that he was eye level with Minnie and his robes pillowed on the floor.
"You have no idea, do you?"
"Idea of what?" she spat. "I realize now how ridiculous this House scheme was. I thought that that was just the way things ought to be! And look what it's gotten us into!"
"You truly believe that we fight for our Houses, do you?" Harry mused, which only served to incense Minnie further.
"Yes! All this fighting just so that your House would be higher than the others! But we all belong to the same school! And that's where our allegiance ought to be! As students, we can do nothing against the forces outside! And you of all people! You, who everyone knows is on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's list! You ought to know that your only chance of survival is with Dumbledore! But, noooo! You've gone and alienated him!"
Harry let her finish her tirade without saying a word. Slowly he rose, becoming again that far off entity that he always seemed to be. There just was something unnatural about him, he was human, he was man, he was flesh. But no eyes could speak of so many emotions at once. And if the eyes were windows into the soul… but anyone with a soul so complex so near to the surface must surely disappear or burst from simply exhaustion.
"I've gone and alienated my only protector? The high and mighty Professor Albus Dumbledore?" Harry asked softly, an eyebrow disappearing into the long ebony fringe. "Because of course, I'm the cataclyst for everything that happened? I'm the one who accused and attacked an innocent target in the Great Hall? Come with me," he said, eyeing her with what could have been respect or mockery.
He led her out of the converted bathroom, past the students leaning over a still unconscious Tyler. The activity that had reigned over her had somewhat abated, the students were talking now, no longer casting charms or brewing potions. Tyler's sleep looked peaceful, she looked extremely young and innocent covered by the red bedcovers that had been pulled up to her chin. It was hard to think of the fury and hate that had splayed across her face as she accused Minnie of being responsible for the mess the school was currently in to have come from the delicate form being watched so attentively by the Gryffindors.
Hermione made to follow them out of the Gryffindor infirmary, but Harry simply shook his head at her. She seemed disconcerted and her eyes flickered to Minnie, looking for something. Slightly panicked about being alone with Harry, Minnie wanted to ask Hermione to come with them. But there had to be an effect of being in the Gryffindor's Den that caused her to straighten her back and raise her chin, willing herself to see this through.
Harry led her over to a tapestry in the common room, then pushed it aside, revealing a stairwell and three doors. He pushed one of them open, and motioned for her to pass in front of him. It was oddly reminiscent of the Slytherins motioning for her to enter their cell. Minnie glanced around her, noting that many of the Gryffindors lounging around the Common Room were gazing at her in stark curiosity, and in some cases, hostility. She looked back at Harry, who was still gazing at her, his hand extended. She walked past him, into the room on the other side of the door.
She hadn't left Gryffindor Tower, that was for sure. It was a small sitting room. A large iron-latticed window was partially iced over, allowing for glimpses of the grounds beyond. The glass was stained in various colors, depicting various chivalrous scenes of love and battle. The floor was covered in red carpeting, the two couches opposite one another were brown. A small tea table was placed between them and near by, the ever-present fireplace illuminated the whole room. A few portraits hung on the remaining two walls, though they were currently empty of their occupants. Strange objects were placed on low bookshelves beneath these portraits, along with quite a few books. From where Minnie stood, she thought she could catch the names on the books. No surprise, they were all on dueling and fighting and … dying?
She hadn't any chance to push that though further as Harry was motioning her over to one of the couches. Awkwardly, she settled into it as Harry moved over to the one facing her, reclining, seeming at the same time as though he were completely comfortable and still tense. He pulled something out of his sleeve and for a moment, Minnie tensed, thinking he was going to attack her. However, Harry simply allowed the snake to coil in his lap and stroked its head slowly. It was the same snake she'd thought would bite her in the Slytherin cell. That's right… Harry was a Parselmouth! And he could posess other people, what was to say he could have possessed his snake! The Gryffindors were using resources Minnie would never have thought to use in order to spy on their enemies… but then again, she was a Hufflepuff, she couldn't be expected to think of these things.
Harry gazed at her for a moment before beginning to speak.
"You really do have a gift for seeing things. You do know that?"
Minnie nodded mutely, and one of the corners of Harry's mouth twitched.
"It is true that for some, this is purely a conflict between Houses. However, it never started that way." He paused for a moment, leaning forwards so that his elbows rested on his knees and his chin rested on his steepled fingertips. "The divisions in the Houses started before you came to this school. There have always been divisions between the Houses, ever since they were created; it's inherent in their nature. If people are divided according to capabilities and preferences, it stands to say that that means they won't get along so well with people in other groups. That's how and why groups of friends work." He looked up at Minnie. "But the current divisions merely stemmed from those separations. If the Houses stand so separated today, it is only because of me."
"Trying to carry the world on your shoulders again?" mocked Minnie.
"Always," he replied, straight faced. "Why has Slytherin gone in such a different direction than us? Because of my rivalry with Draco Malfoy. Why has Hufflepuff broken away? Because of my dual champion status four years ago, and because I didn't bring him back alive." He paused for a minute, his mind obviously in another place, walking amongst tombstones and seeing things that Minnie hoped she'd never have to see. "And Ravenclaw… they've always followed the rules. And at first, the rules were to hate me. And so they did. It only aggravated the matter when Luna stood up for me. Thus, because of me, Gryffindor stood alone. But the separations between the other Houses has nothing to do with me."
"I guess not," said Minnie slowly, dissecting what he'd said in her mind. Why did the other Houses have such problems with each other, aside from Gryffindor? It was all for mere stereotypes; the Ravenclaws must be snobbish, the Slytherins must be evil, and the Hufflepuffs… must be stupid for not having seen all of this before. "But that still doesn't explain why you had to go and alienate Dumbledore! You've gone and lost your most precious ally!"
Harry's eyes flashed, but he otherwise didn't move. Instead, "Do you remember what you said about Dumbledore earlier? About what he was to me?"
"Yes! He's your only chance for survival! I'd have thought you'd be smart enough to realize that!" Minnie was feeling the self-righteous anger felt by those who just couldn't make someone else see the obvious. But Harry appeared to have a different take on the whole matter.
"Survival," he repeated slowly, as though savoring the word. Then he suddenly rose and began to pace in front of the window. "Survival ought to be granted to all. But in a war, some die. Some must die, others are mistakes. An that's what we're going to see-"
"You're wrong!" blurted Minnie. Harry stopped pacing and became motionless again, just staring at her with one eyebrow raised. "You're only going from the principle that this is war! It's not! It's only a sad schoolboy conflict! And if you had any sense of responsibility for those that call you their leader, you'd go out and solve this now!"
"So, that's what you think," he said almost imperceptibly. "There is a real war, Minnie," he said soothingly. The use of her name startled her, but he seemed not to notice. "There is a war that started at the beginning of time, between the Light and the Dark. The conflict has heated up and erupted into open warfare several times. It came again to warfare thirty years ago. Yet, the world has been living through a truce. That truce, which started at the death of my parents and ended with the death of my godfather, is now past. The war has started again. Indeed, I also find it sad that Hogwarts played at war, but now it is irrevocably tied to that greater war. This is the new battlefield, set against a backdrop of childish fighting. We're fighting against those who fight for the Dark, not against those who dislike Gryffindor. So this is a true war, many have already died over the ages, and I shall soon join that list."
"What? But, you're the greatest dueler Hogwarts has ever seen! If you'd only go to Dumbledore, you'd be safe! Of course you'd survive!"
"Survival is not an option for me."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know what an avatar is?"
"Oh dear sweet Merlin!" Minnie gasped. She did indeed know what an avatar was: it was a reincarnation of a god or an ideal. It was a blessing and a curse. But as extraordinary as Harry Potter might be, how could he be an… avatar? "How? How would you know!" she asked.
"I've always known I was designated for something. As a child, the feeling was only slight, a fear of the future, a future that I could feel held no interest for me." He turned to face Minnie directly. "I have no part in the future. I am a product of the past, but unlike others, I will always live in the past. This body I occupy is a consequence of past mistakes, mistakes made by individual and groups of men. I've come to earth as an avatar, a sacrifice, a resolution,. Call me whatever you wish, your epithet would not be the first."
Harry looked at her for a moment, then came back to sit across from her. The sky behind him was still pitch black and the room was warm from the fire and soothing colors, but there was also a magic that cackled in it. And Harry, cloaked in black and his so pale skin, seemed to be out of place in such warmth, yet completely natural in the red and yellow overtones. He raised his hands, placing them a foot away from each other, palms facing each other. A piece of parchment appeared rotating between his palms, along with a magnificent red quill. He directed both of them onto the table in front of Minnie, where the quill's tip rested on the parchment, ready to take down whatever he would say. But instead, Harry merely nodded at it and it began to write so that Minnie could follow along.
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 an equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…
"What is this?"
"A prophecy."
"A real one?"
"And it concerns me."
"Then why would you show this to me? What if I were untrustworthy and I told someone else?"
"I've no doubt you would. But the outcome does not matter."
"It doesn't?"
"Read it again."
Minnie perused the message once more, trying to decipher what the prophecy might hold for Harry. She couldn't find any cause for the melodrama Harry seemed to be wallowing in.
"But that doesn't mean you'll die!" said Minnie excitedly.
"Read it carefully, Minnie. This is a prophecy, and in being so, it cannot be read through only once. What does it really say?"
"That the one who will bring down the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies… that's July!"
"Yes, it say July. But it doesn't say that the Dark Lord will be vanquished. It merely says that the one with the power to do so approaches."
"And why would it make that difference?"
"Look at the structure of the sentence. It speaks of one who will approach and then be born."
"But it's the One-"
"And notice how the next sentence is built."
" 'Born to those…" that's birth. 'Who have thrice defied him,' it's the most important part of his life, that's his life. 'As the seventh month dies,' it speaks of… death?"
"Indeed, it foreshadows the life of the individual to whom this prophecy applies. He will be born for one sole purpose, to fight against the Dark. And then he will die."
"But afterwards, it says that, even though the Dark Lord and the One are equal, the One will have another power, that the Dark Lord won't be able to handle! That means life, doesn't it?"
"Look first at the mark. What kind of mark do you think?"
"Well, that part's obvious. The mark would be a scar, a lightning bolt shaped scar."
"No."
"No?"
"No. The scar is nothing but a visible reminder of the curse that failed. But to have been loved deeply, even though the person who has loved us is gone will give us protection forever. It is in my very skin. And in my mind. Voldemort," Minnie flinched, but Harry continued, "and I share many characteristics. Both half bloods, both orphans, both raised by Muggles, both Parseltongues, we even look something alike. Dumbledore said that the reason I can speak Parseltongue is that Voldemort transferred some of his power to me when he tried to kill me. And that's how he marked me as his equal. What I didn't have yet, he gave to me."
"But if you're an equal to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, then is he an… avatar also?"
"Yes and no. He was once a mere mortal man. But he went to deep into the Dark, he sold his body and his soul to beings more powerful than he in exchange for more power. He fights for the Dark, while I am his polar opposite. And he bears his own protective mark. The hate that his father left in him when he left is just like the love that my mother left in me. To have been hated so deeply also leaves a mark. And that is why we are the only people who can destroy the other. Because our marks cancel the other's protection out."
"And what is the power that the Dark Lord knows not? If you have a power he doesn't know, then you have an advantage!"
"The power of which he doesn't know is merely love. He has become an incarnation of evil, and therefore is well acquainted with hate. But I also know how to hate. What he cannot do is feel love for anything. Fondness maybe, but mostly simply a sense of manipulation. But the power of love doesn't make me any more powerful than he is. My power of love merely counterbalances the fact that he has had more than fifty years of experience. It is what has kept me alive long enough for me to grow into my own power. But as I grow and touch the world, I lose that love. Because I see and feel hate for things, which touches the original purity of love with which I was born, and so as I grow in the experience that he already has, my advantage of love ebbs away."
"That's too theoretical…"
"When Voldemort chose his method to be reborn, he ensured that I would be taken to him. Unfortunately, his plan didn't work too well because your cousin was taken along, and was therefore killed. But before I managed to escape, Voldemort took a small measure of my blood. He has a small protection from my blood, which is yet another reason that I am the only one who could possibly defeat him."
"It's too far fetched!" protested Minnie stubbornly.
"See it this way then; my love is divine. My body is at once mortal and a deity. Voldemort's hate is human. His body too is mortal and divine. Yet I will always be divine and sojourn in this mortal body briefly while he was created from ashes and though he is somewhat divine, his body and soul will return to the ashes he came from. So my power that he has not yet fully acquired is that of the gods. But my human body cannot channel that power and therefore I am at a disadvantage. Voldemort, on the other hand, has had fifty years to channel magic through his body, but he does not have the divine knowelde that I have. So we are both at a disadvantage. Opposite disadvantages, in fact."
"But isn't there still a chance! Just a small one, that you might survive a final encounter?"
"No. If what I have said before does not convince you, read the rest. 'Either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.' Look at the construction again."
"It says 'either,' that means one or the other!"
"Yes, it could mean 'either … or' but it can also mean, 'on either side.' We already know that Voldemort and I are almost polar opposites. Remember the prophecy talks of us being equal. Have you ever done Arithmancy?"
"Only a little bit."
"Then you know that what you do on one side of the equation, you do on the other, right?"
"Ye-es…."
"So if Voldemort and I are equal, what you do to one, you do to the other. As Voldemort gets stronger, so do I. But if Voldemort dies, so do I."
"So, if you're also the only one who can kill him, by destroying him, you're killing yourself?"
"Exactly. But the up side is that, by killing me, he kills himself as well."
Minnie was horrified. Harry sat across from her, leaning back into the couch, discussing his own death in such a bland and clinical way and not seeming in the least perturbed by the thought of his imminent death. 'An up side' indeed!
"But the prophecy can't be telling the truth," she said to break the silence.
"Why not?" he merely raised an eyebrow.
"Because, 'neither can live while the other survives.' Yet, the both of you are alive!"
"Minnie," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Do you call this living? Knowing fully well that out there, exists someone who was born only to kill you. Or knowing that your only reason for being is to murder and die at the hands of another? It's not a life. We breathe, walk and talk, but we aren't alive in the sense that you are. We exist for another purpose. I grow uncomfortable in this form, and though Voldemort does not know it, the gods call for his soul's presence in the Banquet Hall of Olympus now."
"But you don't have to! I mean, if you know all this, can't you counter it? Can't you force yourself to believe that you can live? To feel the present and look forwards to the future?"
"Minnie, how can one force oneself to believe anything?"
"Well-"
"And why would I want to negate my purpose?"
Minnie sighed and asked her last question in a small, shaky voice, "Do you know when you'll have to… go through with that?"
"No, not really," said Harry quietly, looking into the fire, looking as though he expected or wished to see something in it. "But I can sense that it won't be too long." He stood up, lifting his now sleeping familiar beside him, and walked back to the door leading to the tapestry.
"You need to sleep. We'll set you up in the infirmary and decide what to do with you tomorrow."
Minnie pushed aside the tapestry to find an almost empty common room. Lavender Brown and Hermione Granger were still talking at the foot of the girl's staircase while Ronald Weasley sat playing chess with Nearly-Headless Nick with his wand in his hand, facing the portrait of the Fat Lady, guarding against possible invasions. As soon as she came out, Lavender and Hermione hurried over to where she was. Lavender started to take her towards the staircase, but Hermione simply brushed past her and entered the room where Harry was.
Minnie was led back up the steps to the infirmary, and over to bed next to which Tyler was still sleeping. Lavender handed her a simple cotton nightgown and asked her whether or not she wanted anything to eat. But after everything that had happened and everything that she had learned, Minnie wasn't in the mood for food.
Her dreams were troubled. Visions of snakes, death, dying and green light, punctuated with scenes of red eyes and screams raced through her head. But worst of all, she saw Harry dying. She was standing next to a sobbing Hermione Granger and the both of them saw Harry fly backwards and lay sprawled without being able to go to him.
A/N: Arghhhhhh! I am soooooooo sorry! I've gotten the result of my baccalaureat back and immediately afterwards, I had Graduation and all the subsequent parties, and immediately after that, my parents leftso it's just me trying to keep evreything and everyone straight. And then decides it doesn't want to let me update. It's been a mess.
Right, this chapter was really odd to write. I've had people fully convinced for about a year now because I am able to go on for hours about the proof in canon (and out of it - like stuff JKR has said herself) that Harry will die at the end of book 7. And I've tried to write a paper for the school newspaper about how the prophecy means that Harry will die and that that's why Dumbledore was crying- he wasn't sad about Harry one day possibly being a murderer, he was just guilty of continuing his lies. For those of you who think I'm a bit tough on Dumbledore, let me assure you that this is a considerable let up of my opinions (before OOTP, I was convinced that Dumbledore was the same person as Voldemort- just don't ask).
I know that Harry would never tell some random Hufflepuff about the prophecy. Heck, in canon, he hasn't even told his best friends. However, the way I read it (you know, the whole, I'm gonna die anyway thing), it doesn't matter who knows about the prophecy. Even if Voldemort simply avoided Harry, Harry's life goal is to catch up with him, so they'd have to fight sometime. And Voldie can't send anyone else to do the dirty work, because Harry can only die at his hands. And besides, I wanted to write out my idea and throw it out there. I want feedback!!!
Sorry for anyone who isn't a Harry/Hermione shipper. I have no problem with the ship (I have no problem with any ship as long as it portrays Harry in a positive light). Unfortunately, I had to pair Harry with someone and there was no way I was going to pair him with Ginny (I hate the Wealeys in fanfiction- I just hope it didn't show in my story). And as for slash, even though I adore the stuff, I'm hopeless at writing it. In fact, I'm pretty hopeless as romance period (whether in my own life or in my writing, really). So well, I've plugged in a boring ship because the liaison isn't supposed to play a huge role in what's happening right now.
The 'Ignivivos' spell comes from a fantastically written story I read over a year ago. I have no idea who wrote it or on what sight it was on. Back then, I was pretty into Hermione/Snape, and this was one of the best I've read (the only problem I had with it was that Harry wasn't cast in a very positive light).
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I just felt horrible every time I'd have two minutes to check my e-mails, read all the kind reviews, and still know that I wouldn't have the time to finish the chapter. (Special thanks to balinor who gave me the best early graduation present I could have thought of. Receiving a separate review for each chapter on the same day gave me the exact same feeling as knowing that I'd be able to go to any of the colleges who accepted me with points to spare- in short, I was thrilled!)