Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you will recognize.

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Chapter Nine
The Painful Truth and Chocolate Frogs
By Patilaputra Jeanne

"I'm going to go see what time we are arriving," Ron said for an excuse. Ron left the compartment but not without kissing Hermione on the cheek, causing Harry's jaw to nearly hit the floor. What exactly was going on between these two? And why had no one bothered to fill him in about his two best friends were suddenly in serious relationship?

"You seem surprised," Hermione stated once the door was shut and Ron was out of hearing range. That's a bit of an understatement Harry thought to himself. Harry had always known that his two best friends liked each other as more than just friends, even best friends, it just came as a bit of a shock. "I wanted Ron to tell you the first night he was there so that you wouldn't be mad. Your fight couldn't have been going on all month." Harry though about this for a moment.

The night he had arrived at Headquarters, he'd had an outburst about the stupid prophecy and about the whole Order knowing and not telling him. Harry now realized that Ron wasn't going to tell Harry about him and Hermione until Harry told him about the prophecy. Since Harry was still putting it off, Ron hadn't told him. It all made sense, now.

"Ron has a grudge against me for not telling him about the prophecy. That's why he didn't tell me." Harry explained briefly to Hermione. However, Harry failed to realize that they knew nothing of what had happened at headquarters over the summer. He mentally cursed himself with any hex that came into his head.

"What?!" the three others shouted. They all started talking at once about how could he not have told them and why he didn't trust them and expressing their outrage in various ways. Harry rolled his eyes at them and groaned.

"Stop! Stop!" Harry finally shouted at them. When they had all grown silent, he continued. "I know I should have told you alright? I have just got a lot to deal with at the moment."

Hermione, however, was not convinced. "But you will..." she began but Harry cut her short. He growled in a Mad-eye way that made them all jump a bit.

"How about as soon as Ron gets back since you don't seem to have much faith in me?" Harry growled at Hermione.

"No, it's just that--" but she was again cut off by Ginny jumping up and skittering out the door to find her brother. Harry didn't like this, he hadn't intended it to be like this, for someone to go and get Ron now. What in Merlin's name was he going to say?

"You wanted to tell us something?" Harry fell out of his thoughts with a thud. 'No time to think about it now.' he thought.

"Yeah, err, I owe you all the err, truth about what happened in Dumbledore's office last June." Ron gaped at him as he sat down. It was obvious that this was the last thing he was expecting but was too curious to say anything. They all went quiet, watching Harry intently for the story that they had all been so inquisitive about.

"Alright, I suppose I should start from the beginning." he said more to himself that to the others. "I guess it all started about 16 years ago. Ironically enough, when Professor Dumbledore was looking for a Divination teacher."

"Oh no. There is no way I am listening to this if it has anything to do with that old bat!" Ron shouted at his best friend, surprising everyone.

"If you want to know about this stupid prophecy that I'm afraid you have no choice." Harry said coldly, quickly loosing his patients with Ron. The red head looked at him for a moment, making up his mind about what to make of Harry.

"I'm leaving." Ron said, standing up. "I am not listening to some cocked up story about a false prophecy."

"Sit down Ron." Harry said in an even voice.

"No! I don't need to listen to someone who's touched in the head anyway." Harry stood up and looked Ron directly in the eyes.

"Sit down Ron, or I'll hex you so bad that you'll be lucky to be able to." Harry said. Ron must have seen the glint in Harry's eye or just didn't want to be on Harry's bad side after last June.

"Now as I was saying, it all started when Dumbledore was looking for a divination teacher." Harry repeated. "They were in the Hog's head having an interview. Dumbledore wasn't all that impressed with her and started to leave but all of a sudden her voice went hoarse, deep like it was someone else talking through her and she said a prophecy.

'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 POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT... AND 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....'

"When Voldemort tried to kill me when I was only a year old, he marked me as his equal. The prophecy was the weapon that Sirius was talking about last summer; the knowledge of how to get rid of me."

Harry had finally told them. What he had been putting off for over two months, he had finally done. He had a clear conscience once again, or clearer that the pile of mud it was before.

"But wait a minute..." Harry looked up at who was talking. Neville was confused about something, that much was obvious, but there was something else that his frowning eyebrows that made concern take over Harry.

"But if that's true... then the attack... my parents... me?" Neville said putting the pieces together.

"Dumbledore said that it could have been either of us." Harry stated directly to Neville. He didn't want to look at anyone else's reaction. "Voldemort chose me because I'm a half blood, like himself, but when the he met his downfall there, the Death Eaters went after you and your parents." Harry didn't know what else to say to Neville. What he explained meant that it was because of Voldemort's first downfall that Neville didn't have his parents, and there for unintentionally Harry's fault. "Do you wish it was switched?"

Harry was worried that Neville would blame him for his parent's insanity and that he would hate Harry for it. Harry certainly didn't want to lose Neville as a friend, he'd stuck by him through the thick and thin last June.

"Honestly I don't think there would be a Wizarding World would be here if it were switched." They all laughed at this though Harry could see a slight pain in Neville's eyes. He knew that the truth was painful to hear but there would not and could not be any harsh feelings between them.

They all settled down once again as the food trolley rolled by and Harry bought lunch for them all. The topic changed to Quiddich and the upcoming semester of school. Harry saw Ron's arm fold around Hermione a few times as she scooted closer to the red head. It was all Harry could do to stop from laughing out loud every time this happened. Luna joined their compartment not that long after and congratulated Harry although he had no idea what for. She had to explain that Rita Skeeter had written another article about Harry in that Remus Lupin had become his guardian. They also talked about whether they would continue with the DA or not. They did have great Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher again after all.

"I think we should continue anyway." Ron said. "We all learned a lot of stuff that's not in the curriculum and we certainly won't be doing that much dueling in class."

"Remus isn't going to have a fit about us learning it on our own, and anyway we might just be able to take an advanced class instead of having to continue with the rest of the class with stuff we've already learned." Hermione put in.

"Either way, we do have members from other years that we have to think about as well." Harry said. "We could just help the others catch up to where we are and then continue from there. I can't see Remus making that big of a deal about it. Maybe Snape as there are no Slytherins in the DA." Harry was feeling himself again. They were all just talking and enjoying lunch. It all reminded him of the old days, when there wasn't nearly as much to worry about. Maybe Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban to kill him or maybe Snape trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone and then maybe Voldemort but this was different. They were waiting for the next battle or maybe the next several battles that they knew Harry would have to be involved in if he had any chance of defeating the Dark Lord.

'I'll worry about this later.' Harry told himself firmly. He grabbed a chocolate frog and opened it while still listening to the conversation that was going on around him. What he saw when the frog jumped out of the wrapping though caused his concentration on the conversation to completely disappear.

His own face was staring back at him. The picture looked like it might have been taken last June during the battle. Harry had his wand raised and looked to be shouting a curse at someone. Harry tried to think back to that night. When could someone have taken that? The only time that he'd been in the atrium was when he was dueling Bellatrix, which could mean that someone could know about the unforgivable curse that Harry had tried to use. But Harry didn't focus on this for long as the reality of what the picture meant. He was on a chocolate frog card.

Harry suddenly tore the card in half, not even daring to look at the back of it. He tore it again and again until it was in tiny pieces scattered around his feet.

"If you didn't want that card, I would have taken it for you." Ron said. "I collect them you know. There's no use destroying a perfectly good card." Harry laughed dryly, repaired the card and banished it over to Ron.

"Now do you see why I was quite happy in destroying the blasted thing?" Harry asked moodily. He watched all of their faces go from curious to aghast in a couple seconds as they all crowded around the card.

"Harry!" Hermione spat. "It's a great honor to be put on a chocolate frog card."

"Harry Potter." Ginny said reading the back of the card. "1980- Present, Harry Potter is most notable for his defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named when he was less than a year old. When he entered school he was reported to have saved the Sorcerer's Stone in his first year from what was left of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and saved a first year girl from a basilisk while he was in his second. He tied for the winner of the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year and Dueled with He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named when he received his body back; the other winner, Cedric Diggory, was tragically lost in fight. He is also thanked by many for alerting the world to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return when the government tried to cover it up in June of 1996."

"Your card is longer than Dumbledore's." Neville stated.

"Only difference is that Dumbledore deserves it." Harry said.

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I know it's been a long time but school is finally out (along with the 3rd movie that I was able to see at Midnight he he he) but I am planning to have a lot more time to type out my story. Please review, and if you haven't reread chapter 7 yet, I suggest you do so because it will help out a lot as there were some things that were changed in it.