Dedication- I dedicate this story to my wonderful friend Emma: May our friendship last across space and time.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K.Rowling. Please do not sue me. However, all characters, ideas and basically anything you don't recognise belong to me. Please refrain from copying. Thank you.
Choices Forseen
Chapter 2 – World of Chaos
"Firs' years this way!" thundered a booming voice over the roaring of the train.
Harry met Ron's amused glance and grinned with him. The loud voice that they just heard belonged to their large friend, Rubeus Hagrid, or as they called him, simply Hagrid. He was the Gamekeeper of Hogwarts, a dear friend of theirs as well as their parents and also a member of the Order.
Hagrid was an extraordinarily big man, and even Dumbledore (who was remarkably tall) barely reached his shoulders. A bushy beard covered most of his face. His striking appearance made him look rather menacing, but really, as Harry and Ron knew only too well, he was a big softy.
The first years gathered around Hagrid, some looking eagerly about whilst others looking terrified at the monstrous man in front of them.
"Is this everyone?" asked Hagrid.
The first years nodded simultaneously, not that any of them really knew.
Hagrid's face split into a toothy grin. "Follow me."
They walked down a steep narrow path, some stumbling in the darkness. A few were grumbling but stopped abruptly as the trail came to an end at the edge of a large shadowy lake. In front of them stood Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, still as magnificent as it was the day it was build. Positioned at the peak of a mountain behind the backdrop of the dark night sky and shining stars stood the ancient castle, filled with spirals and high towers.
The first years gasped and gaped at the best school in Europe. For some, going to Hogwarts was like a childhood dream come true. Many had to endure long and agonizing waits whilst listening enviously to their parents or older siblings' descriptions of the castle. Now they were finally here, and could see for themselves.
Hagrid grinned at the looks of some of the youngsters. Pointing to a row of little boats lined upon the edge of the great lake, he instructed, "Everyon' get inna boat; maximum of four. No rockin', no splashin' anyone, no purposely diving in the water..."
Hagrid trailed on but no on was listening; as they were all too busy getting themselves sorted into groups of four. Harry and Ron found an empty boat by the edge and hopped in. A small round boy holding a toad followed them.
"Hey Neville," greeted Ron.
"Mind if I join you?" the boy asked politely.
"Sure," replied Harry carelessly and moved over to make room. Neville stepped in and the little boat rocked slightly. He sat down next to Harry and gripped his toad tightly.
"I heard from someone that you lost your toad," said Harry, looking at the little green animal.
"Yeah, luckily I found Trevor before the train stopped," replied Neville, "He was hiding in the Prefects' Compartment. Actually, it was your brother Ron, Percy that found him."
"Why didn't you just use the Summoning Charm?" asked Harry.
Neville frowned. "Mum and Dad said not to use any magic before we got to school. They said that it could go wrong, because we're not prepared enough. Besides, using the Summoning Charm might be a bit dangerous for Trevor, I might hurt him. So I had to look for him the hard way."
Harry was extremely tempted to roll his eyes. Neville was nice enough, but sometimes he could be seriously annoying. Harry, Ron and Neville have known each other pretty much of their life, with their parents being very close friends. But Harry just couldn't understand why Neville was such a goody-goody. He was so obedient, listening to everything his parents said, right down to the very last detail. Harry was completely different, always trying to make things as catastrophic as they could be, always being the troublesome one.
The magic restriction, for instance, was a classic example. Neville was extremely advanced for his age, being able to do many spells and charms that were years above him. He was an eager learner and though he was slow at catching on, his determination made him better than others his age. His parents (who were both aurors) had taught him, but they would never let him perform any magic without the guidance of a trained adult, even when it was perfectly obvious that Neville was more than capable of managing it.
Harry, on the other hand, was less than willing to learn (he would much rather spend his time playing Quidditch or experimenting on gnomes) and thus was far less advanced than Neville. But he had a knack of picking up things fast. Harry agreed with the Weasley twin's motto- that his future lay outside the world of academic achievement.
Harry was interrupted from his thoughts by a high pitched girl's voice. He turned and came face to face with Hermione Granger.
She nodded in reorganization at them. "Could I join you?" she asked. But she might've not bothered because before any of them had replied, she had stepped into the boat. "Everywhere else is full," she added, as if explaining her actions.
Before Harry could say anything, Hagrid shouted forward and the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was eerily silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as the sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.
The students followed the light of Hagrid's lamp and walked up a flight of stone steps, which finished in front of a huge oak door. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked.
The massive door swung open and revealed a tall, elderly witch with black hair in emerald-green robes. Harry recognized her as the infamously strict Professor McGonagall. Hagrid and McGonagall exchanged brief words and then Hagrid walked down the steps. As he passed Harry and Ron, he gave them a small wink.
McGonagall led the group of jittery but excited first years through the entrance hall filled with flaming torches, up a flight of marble stairs and into an empty chamber. Then she turned around and gave them a penetrating look.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she began in a no-nonsense voice, "I am Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor. The start of term feast is about to begin, before which, you will all be sorted into your houses- namely Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
She continued to talk about the houses and the house point system. Harry found that he quickly lost interest. He glanced around, bored. Next to him, Hermione gave excited gasps, which Harry found extremely annoying. McGonagall finished her speech and left.
"I wonder how we're getting sorted," murmured Hermione next to him.
"Dunno," replied Ron. "My parents and older siblings wouldn't tell me, but my twin brothers told me that it involved pain of some sort."
A girl with brown plats shuddered. "They wouldn't make us fight against some vicious animal, would they? I mean... that sounds kind of dangerous."
Draco Malfoy snorted. "You are all so pathetic," he remarked arrogantly, combing his perfectly brushed hair with his hand. "Of course it wouldn't be something like that. They wouldn't dare. Father would be absolutely furious if anything happened to me, not that anything would," he added sleekly.
Harry desperately refrained himself from snorting. "I suppose, Malfoy, that you know exactly what is going to happen?" he retorted and waited for the blonde's reaction. The group of first years watched the interaction between the two closely.
Malfoy was saved from having to answer as McGonagall re-entered the chamber, and all the crowd's attention was returned to the stern professor.
She gave them a knowing gaze, as if she somehow knew about what had just happened. "Hurry along now," she said, "The Sorting is about to start. Form a line and follow me."
The first years scrambled into a messy line and forwarded after the professor.
They went up another flight of marble stairs, gazing about them. A few ghosts popped up at regular intervals, welcoming the first years and giving them useless words of advice. For those who weren't used to seeing ghosts (Harry assumed that they were muggleborns), the girls squealed in fright whilst the guys yelled in delight. McGonagall turned and gave them a stern look, silencing them.
After walking through a particularly dark chamber, they entered a brilliantly lit spacious room. As Harry's eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he realized that this was the Hogwarts' Great Hall, a site he had seen so many times in his parents' school pictures. But what the photos presented was nothing compared to the real site. The atmosphere of the large crowd of students from the four houses, the ancient beauty of the aged castle, was indescribable.
Harry turned his head up and grinned as Hermione whispered to no one in particular that the ceiling was enchanted to look like the clear night sky of a summer eve. The stars shone so dazzlingly that Harry almost doubted there was a ceiling. But he didn't have any more time to marvel at the phenomenon as the first years in front of him scrambled forwards.
Professor McGonagall placed an old battered hat on a three-footed stool in front of the first years. Harry turned and saw that all the teachers and students were staring at the hat expectantly, so he followed suite, feeling oddly anxious. What did the hat have to do with it all? What looked like a tear to Harry suddenly opened and spoke in a raspy voice that echoed throughout the hall.
Another year has just flown past,
A few more tears on me, a few more cracks.
Time these days seems to travel fast;
I find myself here sorting again.
All you youngsters listen to my song,
My words in rhyme of place and time.
To know which house that you belong,
Come over here and try me on.
Perhaps Gryffindor will suite you best,
If courage that is dwells your heart,
If you're more daring than the rest,
Then join those lions of red and gold.
If you're one with a clever mind,
Then in Ravenclaw you ought to be,
It's the house where you will find,
The brightest students of them all.
If loyal and patient describe you,
Then a humble youngster indeed you are,
For people like that there are only a few,
And in Hufflepuff they can be found.
That's three houses out of the four,
Let's not forget old Slytherin,
It's the house that strives for more;
Filled with determined cunning folk.
Before the Sorting Ceremony starts,
I want to give you some advice,
Listen and take it into your hearts,
For though I'm old I still know much.
There is a war outside these walls
Beyond the entrance of Hogwart's doors,
When the day comes that destiny calls,
Do not falter- take the chance.
That is all that I have to say,
Each of us has our own purpose,
Mine is to sort you all today,
So we might as well begin.
From the round of scattered applause, Harry guessed that the last few verses of the song weren't usually part of it. He swore that when the Hat sang the lines, "When the day comes that destiny calls, do not falter- take the chance," those odd looking eyes lingered on him for a fraction before moving away. What Harry did not know was that Neville was thinking the exact same thing, only it was for himself and not Harry.
Ron's voice awaked Harry from his queries about the hat. "So that's all! We only have to try on a hat! Stupid Fred was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry nodded but didn't reply for McGonagall had already started to read the list and calling forth first years to sit on the stool and be sorted. The first one was a girl with blond pig-tails and after a few seconds, the hat called out "HUFFLEPUFF!"A massive cheer erupted from the second table as the small girl joined them, looking relieves.
After a few more students (Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom was sorted into Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy, not unexpectedly, was sorted into Slytherin), Professor McGonagall finally called out, "Potter, Harry."
Harry walked up to the stool calmly, aware of the thousands of eyes on him. The hat sunk over his eyes and Harry was blinded.
A small voice sounded next to his ear. "Ah! A Potter... the last one I sorted was your father. A Gryffindor, if my memory does not fail me. But you... ah... it is hard to say, Mr Potter."
Harry felt his hands grow cold. His parents, Remus and Sirius were all in Gryffindor. He had always imagined himself as a Gryffindor; it seemed hard to think of him being in any other house, which was what the hat was suggesting.
Gryffindor, please Gryffindor, thought Harry desperately. What would he say to his dad if he was placed in Hufflepuff (James was always making fun of the badgers), or worse, Slytherin?
"Why Gryffindor? You have a clever mind; Ravenclaw would help you develop that a lot further. And you value friendship- Hufflepuff would be fantastic for you. And yes... I see it now, an eager thirst."
Thirst? Thought Harry, what thirst? Just put me in Gryffindor, please.
"Interesting indeed. You yourself do not even know it. I do not know why you want to be in Gryffindor. I do see courage in you, plenty of it, but admittedly, Gryffindor would suite you the least. On the other hand, I would say Slytherin-"
Please, thought Harry, put me in Gryffindor.
Harry felt the hat consider something. "Are you sure? Slytherin would honestly be the best house for you. It will help you achieve what you want. You have it in you... we'll expect great things from you, Mister Potter. But if you insist, then you'd better be off in-"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry let out a tremendous sigh of relief as the hat called out its decision and the house of red and gold cheered loudly for their latest member. Running, he joined the Weasley twins who saved a seat for him. Rather unfortunately though, it was right opposite to Hermione Granger.
"Well done Harry," congratulated Fred.
Harry gave him a half-hearted grin, still dampened by what the hat had said, and turned back to watch the rest of his fellow first years be sorted. The hat was on Ron for only a second before he called out "GRYFFINDOR!" And watching his best friend, Harry suddenly felt very unsure of himself- did he make a mistake?
After the last student was sorted, McGonagall snapped her fingers and both the stool and hat disappeared. From the High Table, an elderly wizard with an extremely long flowing beard stood up and the chatter in from the tables below died out almost immediately. It didn't take a genius to know that the man who had just stood up was no other than Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and smiled broadly. "Students, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we start the Start-of-year Feast, there are just a few things I must say. To those new and those who still don't know, the Forbidden Forest, as the name suggests, is forbidden. Also, the caretaker, Argus Filch, would like to remind you that magic is strictly not permitted in corridors, as are numerous other things. If anyone would like anything clarified, please see him. Lastly, would you please welcome Remus Lupin, as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!"
There was a polite round of applause from the teachers and students as Remus stood up and bowed. Only Harry, Ron and the Weasley twins cheered at the top of their voices, and Harry saw Remus throw him a grin before he sat down in his place next to McGonagall.
The golden plates in front of them suddenly magically filled themselves with a whole variety of food. Harry grinned at Ron and grabbed some roast beef from the plate nearest to him.
Hogwarts was certainly going to be interesting.
Albus Dumbledore sighed as he stepped inside his office. The Sorting Hat's lyrics echoed in his head- another year has just gone past. Indeed it has, he thought, yet there seems to be no progress in the war whatsoever. Will they ever win? Will they ever be able to defeat Voldemort? Will the wizarding world ever be safe? Will it ever return to normal?
Things have changed since ten years ago. Some worsened, some came off better, yet Voldemort was still here. Nothing in ten years has stopped him. Will this next year prove to be the same as the previous ones? Dumbledore sensed no, because this year is the year that the two entered Hogwarts.
Not many people knew about the prophecy- only a few most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix. There was himself, Severus Snape, the Potters and Longbottoms, and despite Dumbledore's protests, James had told Sirius and Remus. It wasn't that Dumbledore didn't trust the two other former pupils, it was just that the more people who knew, the more chances of the news escaping. They had been very secretive for the past ten years, never talking about it directly, and they have been lucky. The last thing Dumbledore wanted to happen was for the Ministry to find out about it.
How different the Ministry is now compared to ten years ago.
Barty Crouch had found his way up the ladder and into the top seat. Although many had wanted Dumbledore for the job, he refused, knowing that it was Hogwarts where he belonged. That gave Crouch the chance he had been lusting for. With strict laws and a harsh nature, Crouch gained myriads of faithful followers. Growing in popularity, the former Head of Department of Magical Co-operation and was voted in. From the day he became the Minister of Magic, the wizarding world changed. New laws were made that gave Aurors more power than they ever had, allowing them to use the Unforgivables when battling a suspected dark wizard.
At first, the rate of Death Eater appearances decreased rapidly and for a moment people had begun to hope that maybe Voldemort had been defeated. But how wrong they were. Voldemort made the public pay whatever they owned him thrice with more deadly attacks than ever. The people wavered, and Crouch's popularity diminished. Most of the old laws were restored and everything went back to normal, or at least as normal as things could be.
Whilst all those political battles were going on, the Order had done everything within their power to refrain Voldemort from gaining more power. They fought at night, battling against steadily increasing Death Eaters whilst their own numbers decreased. They lost so many friends and relatives that it was hard to fight. But Dumbledore pulled them along somehow, and they made it through. Admittedly, without the old man, they would be nowhere.
It wasn't just human support Voldemort had; it was also from giants, trolls, dangerous magical beasts and the worst of them all, dementors. The former sinister guards of Azkaban revolted against the Ministry at an uprising ten years ago. They attacked all Aurors present at the time and freed all captives. It was a major blow the light side. All the Death Eaters that they had risked (and some lost) their lives for had been freed. For weeks, people were down-trodden.
No one ever dared to go back to Azkaban. Though the dementors weren't there anymore, the mere place reminded everyone of the nightmares of former evil. The Ministry didn't bother to reconstruct the prison because any Death Eater caught was sentenced a death penalty, another new law introduced by Crouch. Snape had told Dumbledore that Azkaban was empty- he had been there with the Dark Lord. Snape seemed rather shaken when he described the state the prison was in. It was obvious that though the evil inhabitants were gone, they had left a permanent imprint on the place. Azkaban was abandoned, and Dumbledore hoped that it would never be resurrected, at least until the war was over.
Once again, everything came back to the war.
Dumbledore had taken note of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom during their childhood and watched them carefully during the Sorting. But it was impossible to know whom Voldemort, being Voldemort, would choose. Neville was hard working and very advanced for his age, so on the surface he would be a stronger opponent, but Harry on the other hand, was brighter and spontaneous. Both boys looked promising as excellent wizards, but would they be good enough to face Voldemort?
They would have to wait and see.
Of course, neither boy knew about the prophecy- they were much too young now. But the problem was, when they were old enough, should they be told the truth or should they be kept in the dark? If they knew, perhaps they would study harder, and have more chances of defeating Voldemort. But again, with the unpredictability of fate, maybe things were better done in blindness rather than hope.
Dumbledore sighed again. In these tedious ten years, he aged more than he ever had.
Looking down at his desk, Dumbledore picked up the long list of names of newly recruited Death Eaters from Snape. Peering through his half-moon glasses, he read the first three names.
Davis Perks
Marlina Parkinson
Andrew Johnson
Two out of the three were old pupils, and Dumbledore knew that Davis' daughter, Sally-Anne was a first-year at Hogwarts. Dumbledore remembered that Davis was in Hufflepuff and he seemed to have been a prefect as well. What could've changed someone so dramatically? Fear? True faith? Dumbledore did not know, but more and more wizards and witches were joining Voldemort.
There are four kinds of Death Eaters now, thought Dumbledore sullenly. The first kind is those we know are Death Eaters, but cannot capture even if they are out freely in the public because we don't have any solid evidence. The most hated one was Lucius Malfoy.
Anyone with half a mind knew that the elder Malfoy was a faithful supporter of the Dark Lord, yet no one could have any proof that he was. He always seemed to just slip out of their grasp whenever they were close to catching him in action. Malfoy's cunningness and connections with authorities of power made him almost untouchable. Everyone would discuss his doings in secret but never in public, remembering the fate of Lovegood.
Lovegood was the editor of The Quibbler and in one issue he claimed that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater who bred fire-breathing pizies, whatever they were. Of course, anything in The Quibbler was known to be pretty much utter rubbish, but that didn't stop Malfoy from taking revenge. Lovegood's wife found her husband's dead body next to her the morning after the edition was published. But it wasn't the fact that he just died, it was how he died. Both of Lovegood's eye sockets were empty- his eyes had been ripped out. What was worse was that the eyeballs, still stained with his own blood, were later found in his mouth. After that event, if there was a single person in the wizarding world before who had any doubts whether Lucius Malfoy was truly evil, they were now completely convinced.
Dumbledore pushed out the horrific images of the eyeless Lovegood, and continued his thoughts on Death Eaters. The next kind was the ones who were renowned Death Eaters, but they never managed to catch, like Antonin Dolohov and the Lestrange couple. They were hated, but nothing could be done. Perhaps they were just too good for the Aurors.
The third kind was the ones that were spies for the light side. Like Snape, there were many who were willing to put their lives at risk for a chance to gain some information of Voldemort. Most suffered terrible fates when they were discovered, and Dumbledore hoped that Snape would not eventually have to face the same consequences.
The fourth kind was the most dangerous of them all. Enemies like Lucius Malfoy were not great to have, but at least you knew that they were enemies. The worst kind of enemies is those enemies you don't know you have. Death Eaters were everywhere, hidden under masks of family and friendship. These days, few could be trusted- you simply didn't know who is really on your side and who is using you. Voldemort's way of manipulating people against each other is notorious. He could turn husbands against wives, best friends against each other and even mothers against their own children.
Dumbledore knew that within the Order, there were numerous spies, just like how within Voldemort's circle of Death Eaters there were spies for the light side. Dumbledore did not fear these spies. But it was frustrating not knowing who was trustworthy. Some much information must be strictly kept between only a few people. Less than ten people knew the fact that Snape was a spy, for example. This secrecy was of course for his own safety, but at other times, Dumbledore feared that one day Snape would not die at the hands of Death Eaters or Voldemort, but at one of their own, thinking that the Potions Master was evil.
With the ironical cruel way that fate works, anything was possible. Dumbledore just hoped that after all Snape had done, all he had sacrificed, he would get what he truly deserved.
One of Moody's favorite sayings echoed in Dumbledore's mind, "True heroes are forgotten." Will that be Snape's fate?
The grandfather clock struck twelve.
Dumbledore stroked Fawkes gently, and gazed out of the small arched window into the dark depth of the midnight sky.
In a world of chaos like this, would they ever have a hope of winning the war?
A/N: Sorry for the late update. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really really appreciated it. I'll try to update soon next time. I hope you'ved enjoyed this chapter. Please review and help me make this a better story.
Disclaimer: There is a paragraph within this chapter that was copied out of the first book. It does not belong to me. See if you can find it.
That's all readers,
Till next time,
Amyranth.