A/n: Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/whatever to you all! I thought I'd take a little break from my holiday homework to post chapter 7. I hope you're all liking this one so far. I'm in the middle of writing the next Prisonerstory,Order of the Phoenix, and I really like it so far... maybe even better than this one. But I probably shouldn't tell you that.

Oh, and to answer a question from one of my reviewers: I'm sorry if I didn't make it clearer (I explained better in "Prisoner of Azkaban") but Belle is not a Squib nor is she an ugly old lady. She's taking the Polyjuice Potion so as to keep a low profile to protect Harry as his Secret Keeper. She poses as a Squib to enforce this protection within the Wizarding World. (Actually, I added the posing as a Squib part after reading Order of the Phoenix, but all the same.) Hope that answers your question. So don't worry, Sirius isn'tmarrying Harry's old, batty neighbor, I promise. I would never do that to him!

Chapter 7

Moving to the Cave

The cave Dumbledore had indicated wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. In fact, it could just comfortably fit Sirius and Buckbeak inside. It was high on a mountainside facing away from the wizard village of Hogsmeade. Its mouth was at an odd angle, so when Sirius was seated, he couldn't see the surrounding snow-capped mountains or the tall fir trees that covered them. Sunlight only reached into the cave halfway, the rest was plunged into shadows. Icy cool winds blew into the cave at night, making Sirius shiver, and he had to build a fire towards the cave's mouth to keep warm as the December snow began to fall.

Buckbeak didn't like living in the cave too much, though he found the rats rather amusing to play with. Sirius didn't find the rats amusing in the slightest. And they didn't taste very good, either.

Sirius informed Dumbledore that he had arrived and was safe the very second that he had arrived, and Dumbledore wrote back the next morning saying that he would soon come to visit, as he had something very important to tell Sirius. Sirius used his last piece of parchment to ask Dumbledore to bring more parchment.

"Sirius?"

It was Dumbledore. Sirius could hear him struggling towards the mouth of the cave.

"All right, Buckbeak, be on your best behavior," Sirius said to the hippogriff quietly. "You want him to think you're civilized, don't you?"

Buckbeack cocked his head in confusion.

"Yeah, I'd thought so," Sirius confirmed, turning around to welcome the headmaster into his humble abode.

Ablus Dumbledore was the wizard that Sirius admired the most in the world, next to James. He was brilliant and wise, and always had that mystifying twinkle in his concise eyes. Dumbledore stood proudly, framed in the chink of light that was the entrance to the cave. Dumbledore said nothing, did nothing. His eyes were resting upon the hippogriff. Finally, he took a slow step forward and bowed low, his silver beard brushing the ground. Buckbeak bowed back instantly, closing his bright, amber eyes in respect. Only once Buckbeak had risen again to full height, did Dumbledore turn to Sirius.

"How are you?" Dumbledore asked seriously. Sirius didn't answer right away, but his stomach gurgled his response for him. "I thought you would be," Dumbledore said in reply. He reached into his deep robe pocket and withdrew a large package. "Non-spoilable food straight from the kitchens," he smiled as he passed an eager Sirius the package. "And your requested parchment."

But Sirius didn't even look at the scroll of parchment Dumbledore was holding out patiently. Sirius's hands were busy untying the first package.

"Thank you, Dumbledore…" Sirius breathed enthusiastically, as food tumbled out of the freshly unwrapped packaging. Without another word, Sirius snatched some of the food and began to tear at it with his teeth. But after a few hungry swallows, Sirius remembered his manners. "What was it that you needed to tell me?"

"Well," Dumbledore began. "It's about Harry."

"He's all right, isn't he?" Sirius started. He took half of the food portions, and threw them to Buckbeak, who began to eat.

"He's fine. For now." Dumbledore spoke quietly, moving to a short boulder across the cave from where Sirius was seated. Dumbledore sat down, observing the hippogriff, who was clacking his beak and gnawing on the food.

"What do you mean, 'for now'?" Sirius asked flatly. He chucked another quarter of the food to the hippogriff. Sirius had suddenly lost his appetite.

"It's something that I should have told you all about long, long ago," Dumbledore said solemnly. "I should have told Lily and James…"

"Dumbledore, what…?"

"There was a prophecy made about Harry about a year before he was born," Dumbledore said quickly. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"A… what? About what?! And you didn't tell Lily and James?!" Sirius cried out. He leapt to his feet. He was so confused. A prophecy?

"I went to interview Sybill Trelawney for the Divination position at the Hogshead. She wasn't at all impressive, and I turned to leave when she went into a trance. She foresaw the one who could defeat Voldemort being born in the end of July to those who had thrice defied him."

"Okay, but that could have been any number of people…"

"She also said that Voldemort would mark the baby as his equal," Dumbledore continued, looking at Sirius intently.

"Harry's scar."

"Precisely," Dumbledore sighed.

Sirius's brain was reeling, "but why does this apply to Harry now? The prophecy's already been carried out. Harry's defeated Voldemort—"

"There's more," Dumbledore interrupted. More? "Harry has some power that Voldemort doesn't know about." Dumbledore's mouth was formed into a small frown, his face heavy. His fingers were interlocked, resting in the folds of his robe.

"He does? What sort of power? Do you know what it is?" Sirius asked, still scrambling to understand all this.

"The power that Voldemort doesn't know about is how strong Lily's love for Harry is. The fact that she died to save him is a powerful protection. As long as Harry stays with his aunt and uncle, that power can't be broken. Harry will always have that with him."

Sirius felt a bubble of relief swelling within him. Harry was always going to have protection from Voldemort, because of Lily. At least Lily hadn't died for nothing.

"But there's one more part to the prophecy. The most important part."

The bubble popped painfully.

"And what's that?"

"'Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live wile the other survives'," Dumbledore recited quietly.

"Dumbledore, how… 'Either must die…' what does that even mean?" Sirius spluttered angrily.

"It means that in the end, either Harry or Voldemort will kill the other, determining the fate or future for the rest of the world," Dumbledore said gravely. "The prophecy hasn't been fulfilled. It hasn't even begun."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. He exhaled a small breath that sounded more like he had just been punched in the stomach. None of this made sense. Harry was doomed, no matter what.

"But that can't be… Harry would have to face Voldemort alone… and murder him…"

"That's right," Dumbledore nodded.

"But at least Harry's got time to prepare, hasn't he?"

"Voldemort is slowly rising, Sirius. Deep down, we all know that."

Sirius closed his eyes. His best friends' son was going to be the one to stop Voldemort—again. Sirius suddenly wished that they were here, hearing this instead of him.

"Have you told him?"

"Who?"

"My Uncle Alphard—no, Harry," Sirius said sarcastically.

"No… no, not yet," Dumbledore said, closing his eyes, as if he knew that Sirius was trying his hardest to control an angry explosion that was sure to erupt at any moment.

"You—haven't—told Harry?" Sirius said through clenched teeth.

"He's too young."

"He's fourteen! He's plenty old enough!" Sirius shouted. But a second later, he took a step back to recollect himself. He had just shouted at Headmaster Dumbledore.

"I know, I know…"

"Dumbledore, listen." Sirius began pleadingly, "Harry's special. We've known that for a long time now—but if we expect him to live up to these crazy standards—like killing Voldemort for good—I think it's only fair that we tell him about it."

"I realize that, Sirius," Dumbledore said in an alarmingly calm voice. "I've realized that for fourteen years."

"But you said yourself—Voldemort's coming back. We don't have time to—"

"I know, Sirius," Dumbledore said, a bit of irritation in his voice, now. "We have to take this slow, if we want Harry to accept it. That is why I forbid you from telling him or anyone else about any of this."

Sirius stared. "Fine," he grumbled. "I won't say anything. I'll leave that to you, shall I?"

"I just thought you needed to know." Dumbledore rose from the bolder, and stood up tall, the tip of his hat nearly touching the ceiling of the cave.

"You're leaving? You just came to tell me that and leave?"

"I had to tell you so you would be ready when the time came, either to be there when I tell Harry, or to support Harry when he does what needs to be done. I'll keep in touch," Dumbledore promised, as he walked steadily out of the mouth of the cave. He paused for a moment, as though considering going back inside. Strangely, he pulled a long, thin wand out of his pocket, whirled around, and swooped the wand over the cave entrance in a graceful arc, his lips muttering something. The cave's entrance glowed a deep purple for a moment and then dimly returned to stone. Without a word of explanation, Dumbledore faced his back to Sirius and disappeared down the mountainside.

Sirius raised his eyebrows in confusion for a moment. Dumbledore must have done some charm to protect his cave from passersby. But who would climb all the way up here?

Sirius sighed heavily. The whole meeting with Dumbledore had lasted less than an hour, and he still had hundreds of questions. But his mind lingered on only one thing-- how could Harry ever be ready to risk his life to murder Voldemort?