Harry and the others ran as quickly as they could back through Hogsmeade and to the castle. Harry knew he had to get some answers from Dumbledore right away. They all skidded to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle that blocked intruders from the headmaster's office.

"Do you all want to come with me?" Harry asked his friends.

"Absolutely, mate," Ron said. "We want to know as much as you do!"

"Alright, then," Harry replied.

He faced the gargoyle and opened his mouth to unleash a string of all the sweets he knew. Before he could utter a word, the gargoyle leapt to the side and two figures descended the great spiraling staircase. One was Dumbledore and the other was a man Harry had never met before. He had a very distinguished mane of salt and pepper hair and a mustache to match. His crystal blue eyes sparkled with energy, and he was dressed in ruby red robes.

"Oh, hullo, Harry," Dumbledore said as he spotted them. "Hullo, Ron, Hermione, and ah, Mrs. Mallason."

"Professor Dumbledore, please call me Mandy," Mandy said, grinning.

"As you wish, Mandy," Dumbledore replied, bowing his head slightly. "Harry, I would like to introduce you to Professor McAllister. You will start lessons with him this Tuesday at seven."

"Hullo, Harry," Professor McAllister said, shaking Harry's hand. "Dumbledore has told me great things about you."

"Thank you," Harry responded, studying his new teacher.

"Did you need something?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um, yes, sir. It's urgent," Harry said, not wanting to talk about the ghostly image of his mother appearing to him in Hogsmeade in front of a complete stranger.

He then realized that he had only met Mandy this very morning. It was different with her, though. He felt like he had known her all his life.

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "Marlin, I'll see you Tuesday, then."

"Yes. It was nice to meet you all," Professor McAllister said and walked off down the corridor.

"Now what is so urgent that you skipped half of your Hogsmeade visit for?" Dumbledore asked.

"Can we discuss this in your office, sir?" Harry said, looking around, not wanting to be overheard by anyone he didn't trust.

"Certainly," Dumbledore said, and they all followed him up the staircase.

As they entered his office, Harry noticed the paintings snoozing in their frames. Phineas opened one eye, but quickly closed it as Harry glanced his way. Dumbledore waved his wand his wand and four squashy armchairs appeared in front of his desk.

"Now, what is so important," Dumbledore said kindly as he settled into his own chair.

"We wanted to talk to you about the green flame torch," Harry began.

"Ah, of course," Dumbledore said as he leaned back. "I wanted to speak to you about that as well. I was about to before you came to school, but we were interrupted."

"Um, do you know what it is?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I do, but why don't you tell me what you know first, and we'll go from there," Dumbledore said.

Harry told him about his two dreams and about what happened in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed at the mention of the torch in Hogsmeade, but he didn't interrupt. Ron and Hermione threw him a glance when he told the headmaster about the second dream. He had forgotten that he had never told them about the dream with Fudge in it. Mandy just listened intently trying desperately to catch up.

"Interesting," Dumbledore said as Harry finished. "I have a lot to tell you. Is it okay to tell your friends? It might be quite personal."

Harry nodded. He trusted his friends completely, and he knew without a doubt he could trust Mandy.

"The green flame torch was made by the famous dark wizard, Grindelwald-," Dumbledore began.

"You defeated him, didn't you?" Ron interjected as Hermione shot him a look to kill for interrupting the headmaster. "That's what it says on the Chocolate Frog Cards, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, smiling. "He was a great wizard. He was powerful, maybe even more powerful than Voldemort. I defeated him, with the help of many others, in 1945."

"What did he make the torch for, sir?" Mandy asked.

"He made the torch to purge the world of Muggles and Muggle-born wizards. Thankfully, he was brought down before he could use it. Yet, when he was defeated, he took the secret of how to control it with him. We wanted to know how to use this powerful object for good instead of evil," Dumbledore explained.

"But why does Harry keep having dreams about it, sir?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the torch was stationed in the dark forest for reasons unknown to me, and a certain witch stumbled upon it's story. Lily Evans, who was, like Miss Granger here, one of the most clever witches of her time, worked tirelessly on how to use this torch for good," Dumbledore said as Hermione blushed the color of Ron's hair. "She could feel, like many others, that Voldemort was rising. Granted, she didn't know it was Voldemort, but we could all feel a very powerful dark magic on the rise. She finally found out how to control the torch but was discovered by Bellatrix Lestrange."

Harry gripped the sides of his armchair very tightly. That name made him want to punch a huge hole in the wall. Bellatrix had caused as much destruction and death as Voldemort.

"Well," Dumbledore continued. "The Minister of Magic was notified and ordered the torch to be moved immediately. No one believed that young Miss Evans could control the torch. We were in the process of using the torch against Voldemort sixteen years ago, but Lily and James tragically passed away. The torch is now held at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Mysteries behind a door that remains locked at all times."

Something stirred in Harry's memory. Something Dumbledore had once told him about that locked door. He remembered sitting in this office after Sirius had died, and Dumbledore telling him about a power that only he had that would enable him to defeat Voldemort, and it was behind that locked door in the Department of Mysteries.

Dumbledore looked at Harry pointedly and continued, "Trained wizards have tried to gain control of it, but they don't know that the power to control it was passed to you, Harry."

Hermione let a little gasp, and Ron and Mandy just stared at Harry with their eyes wide.

"My mother left the power to control the torch to me," Harry said, still trying to absorb what he'd heard. "How?"

"I'm guessing the one who controls the torch just passes the power and knowledge down through their generations," Dumbledore said. "You have the power, Harry, but I'm afraid the knowledge is lost. There is an incantation you must use to ignite the torch, but Lily never told anyone. She didn't want them to be hurt for the information."

Suddenly, the letter that Sirius had given him in his will popped into his head.

"You have the power to beat Lord Voldemort, but you must also gain the knowledge."

Harry just sat there lost in thought. There was an awkward silence, and then Mandy piped up with another question.

"What was Harry's mother going to control the torch with, sir?" she asked.

"Lily manifested all the good things in the world, love happiness, trust, and fed them through the torch with the incantation that was lost," Dumbledore answered.

"Why did my mother appear to me in Hogsmeade?" Harry asked, coming out of his stupor.

"I know the torch will let a shadow appear of the last person to control it. I know this because Grindelwald once appeared to me through it," Dumbledore said, suddenly very solemn. "Why the torch was in Hogsmeade, and why you are dreaming about it, I couldn't say."

"Do you think Vol-Voldemort is trying to bait Harry again?" Ron asked.

"I believe that is most likely," Dumbledore said, sighing. "Yet these dream are real past memories, not Voldemort's present thoughts. I'm as lost as you all are on that topic, but I will find out what is going on, and I hope I won't see any missions to the Ministry to get behind the door I told you about. There is only one way to get in, and I cannot tell you that."

"I won't let Voldemort bait me again, Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, staring straight into his headmaster's eyes.

He felt no urge to bite him like he did last year, and that relieved him. He wondered if the days of feeling Voldemort's moods were over. They all rose to leave, feeling the conversation was finished. As his friends went through the door, Harry turned back.

"Sir, I'm not really feeling Voldemort's moods anymore. Is that good?" he asked.

"I think so, Harry," Dumbledore replied. "Voldemort must know we are teaching you Occlumency, and he fears you might get into his thoughts and see his plans. While he wants to know what is going on with you, he will not risk having the Order know what he is up to."

Harry nodded, but hesitated again.

"Thank you for telling me all of that, sir. It's really important that I know about it," Harry said, greatly appreciating Dumbledore right now.

Dumbledore looked at him with a sadness creeping in his eyes.

"Your Occlumency lessons could not start soon enough. Practice hard, Harry, and the information you received today will not be all you learn," Dumbledore said mysteriously.

Harry nodded once and walked out the door.

The weekend passed quickly and the warm temperatures they had enjoyed at Hogsmeade fell dramatically. Winter was upon them, and the chill of snow lingered in the air. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mandy spent most of the weekend in a corner of the common room discussing what Dumbledore told them in low tones. Harry had filled Mandy in on Sirius and the prophecy. He knew she wouldn't betray him. In fact, he felt he could tell her anything. They were growing close quickly, and he valued her as a friend almost as much as Ron and Hermione. Tuesday arrived before he knew it, and after a quick dinner in the Great Hall, he headed to the Transfiguration classroom. He had gotten a note earlier this morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts to go there for his lesson. Harry was happy to find out that Mandy was in his Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms classes. Gloria had been teaching them a very strong shield charm. Someone's spell must have shot toward the door because little Dennis Creevey couldn't get through to give Harry his note. Harry laughed to himself as he walked through the entrance hall thinking of Ron trying to pull Dennis through the door frame. All of a sudden, Nearly Headless Nick floated out of the wall to his left.

"Hullo, Nick!" Harry said brightly.

Nearly Headless Nick was the Gryffindor house ghost. He was called nearly headless because his executioners hadn't done their job properly and had left about half an inch of skin on Nick's neck.

"Hullo, Harry," Nick replied. "How are you?"

"Good. Just headed up to the common room," Harry said, hating to lie, but he wasn't about to get into a conversation with Nick about Occlumency.

Besides he was almost late.

"Oh, well, did you hear about the Headless Hunt?" Nick asked, floating closer to Harry.

"Um, no," Harry said, not really having the time to get into a conversation about that either.

"Well, that arrogant ghost, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore, has retired as the president of the Headless Hunt. Well, the new head says he might let me join," Nick finished, obviously very proud of himself.

"Well, congratulations, Nick," Harry said as he inched his way down the hall. "I've got homework to do, so I'll see you around."

Nick waved goodbye as Harry set off at a fast pace down the hall.

He was five feet from the Transfiguration classroom when he heard, "Dobby is so glad to get to see Harry Potter again."

Harry whipped around and saw Dobby, the house-elf staring up at him.

"Hullo, Dobby," Harry said, glad to see him, but desperately not wanting to be late for his first lesson with Professor McAllister.

Dobby was wearing the same tea cozy for a hat, a brown and pink striped vest, a pair of black pants, and a pair of socks that Harry recognized as Uncle Vernon's, which he had given to Dobby two years ago for Christmas.

"Dobby just wanted to see Harry Potter and tell him hello. Dobby considers Harry Potter his very good friend," the house-elf said in his squeaky voice.

"You are one of my very good friends, Dobby, but I'm late for a meeting, so can you come see me later," Harry said, looking at his watch.

"Oh, yes, Harry Potter, sir. It would be my honor," Dobby said, and with a whip-like crack he was gone.

Harry finally turned and opened the door to the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McAllister was standing near the window. He turned and smiled brightly as Harry walked up.

"Well, hullo, Harry!" he said, his blue eyes sparkling.

He wore ocean blue robes that billowed like the waves as he shook Harry's hand vigorously. Harry liked him instantly. Someone this happy and energetic couldn't be all that bad. It had been completely different with his last Occlumency professor. At least Professor McAllister didn't cringe at the sight of him.

"I have been looking forward to this," his new professor said warmly. "Dumbledore has told me about your previous lessons, and I believe we will go a different route."

"That would be appreciated, Professor McAllister," Harry said, grinning.

"Oh, Harry, please call me Professor Mac. McAllister is such a mouthful. Very well, then. Shall we begin?"

Harry nodded and cleared his mind of all emotion. He tried to make a blank canvas, so that Professor Mac could see nothing of his thoughts.

"One, two, three. Legilimens!" Professor Mac said, and Harry felt his power break into his train of thought.

He saw the first time he had laid eyes on Mandy, and he pushed hard with his mind to block Professor Mac. He felt his body become tense, and he knew he had done something, but his mind was too hazy to tell what he'd done. When his head cleared, he saw Professor Mac had stumbled and was bracing himself against McGonagall's desk.

"Well, Harry, I certainly underestimated you. I have to admit I was not prepared for what you could do. Professor Snape obviously taught you something useful," Professor Mac said, standing upright again.

"Yeah, he taught me to hate and mistrust any greasy-haired, big nosed potion instructors," Harry mumbled.

"What was that, Harry?" Professor Mac said.

"Nothing," Harry replied quickly.

"This time I'm going to be at my full alert. I wasn't trying very hard last time because I was under the impression that you hadn't advanced at all," Professor Mac said, rummaging through his bag for something.

"I haven't," Harry said sullenly. "I never practice, and I'm still having weird dreams that I just want to block out."

He wanted desperately to dream and see his mother's past, but there would be no way that Voldemort was going to trick him again.

"Harry, you'd be surprised at how advanced you are for your age," Professor Mac said, finally finding what he was searching for in his bag.

As he pulled the object out, Harry saw it was a smaller version of Dumbledore's pensieve.

"You are so advanced that I'm not going to hold anything back. That is why I'm going to let you have this and put some of your more personal memories that you don't want me to see in here. I might be breaking far into your minds and vice versa, and my thoughts are over in that other pensieve," Professor Mac said, motioning to the larger pensieve on the windowsill.

Harry took the small bowl in both hands and set it on one of the desk's in front of him. He pulled out his wand and stared first at the bowl and then at Professor Mac.

"Just think extra hard on the thoughts you want to extract. Pick out details and words, and then place your wand to your temple and pull slowly," Professor Mac explained.

Harry thought hard. The first memory was of Sirius falling through the veil. Even though he didn't want to, he thought of every aspect. Bellatrix laughing as his godfather fell slowly through the stone archway. Lupin's weathered hands holding him back as he tried in vain to catch the only father-figure he'd ever known. He put his wand to his temple, and pulled out a strand of silvery substance. He repeated this process five more times as he extracted the memories of Cedric's death, Voldemort's complete possession of him, the first time he saw Mandy, his mother appearing to him in Hogsmeade, and his dreams about the torch. Professor Mac stared at Harry with a look of concern on his face.

"You've been through a lot. Haven't you, Harry?" Professor Mac said, suddenly very serious.

"Yes, I have, sir," Harry said, straightening up and looking his new teacher in the eye. "That's why I'm here. This is the key to helping me stop these things from happening to me. I'm here so I can beat him."

Professor Mac looked at Harry with understanding and a sort of grim respect.

"Alright then," Professor Mac said slowly. "Let's begin."