Disclaimer: Am I J.K. Rowling? Well, I'm 15, I live in the US, I'm a guy, and I'm not richer than the Queen of England. You make the call. Anything you recognize is hers, anything you don't is mine.

Summary: Trelawney's back for a third time, Neville becomes more powerful and more important, while Harry finds some new powers of his own. H/G R/Hr N/L

Harry Potter and the Next Prophecy

By TheTalentedMrRiddle

Chapter 1

Owl Post for a Third Bloody Time

Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The next jet of light hit him squarely in the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch…

Just as his godfather was falling through the veil in his dream, Harry Potter woke with a pain in his scar. Harry was unusual in many ways, not the least of which being that he was a wizard. No, Harry was strange even by magical standards. Very few people had a deranged Dark Lord making multiple attempts on their lives in only sixteen years. Then again, even fewer people were the subject of a prophecy stating that they were the only on capable of defeating the said evil wizard.

Just before Harry was born, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry's school, heard this prophecy in a room above his brother's bar. Harry learned the prophecy at the end of last year, after an event that he would gladly have erased from his memory. When he heard it, he knew why Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka the Dark Lord Voldemort, killed his parents and tried to kill him as a baby. Only two things filled Harry's mind lately; one of which was the 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 EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HANDS 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…" This was the prophecy that doomed Harry to a life of murder, whether as killer or victim. The other thing on his mind was blaming himself for the death of his godfather Sirius Black.

The attack on Harry as a baby was not the only time he had come face to face with Voldemort. When he failed to kill the one year old Harry, the curse backfired, and Voldemort was robbed of his body. Ten years later, during Harry's first year at Hogwarts, he foiled the Dark Lord's attempt to return to a body, and then repeated the feat the next year, this time saving his best friend Ron's sister Ginny's life, and killing a 60 foot long magical snake in the process.

Third year had been hard for Harry. Everyone thought that Sirius had escaped Azkaban Prison (a supposedly impossible feat) to kill Harry. Instead, he was after Ron's pet rat Scabbers, who was actually Peter Pettigrew, the wizard who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, and got Sirius landed in Azkaban in the first place, in animagus form. Pettigrew escaped, and the following year, used Harry to return Voldemort to a human body. Harry escaped him for a fourth time, but nobody believed his story of the Dark Lord's return.

Last year, Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, had been very difficult for Harry. Most people thought him to be either insane or an attention seeking prat. This continued to the end of the year, when Voldemort tricked Harry into going to the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic to save Sirius. However it was just a trick; Sirius was not in the clutches of the Dark Lord. Voldemort's purpose was for Harry to retrieve the prophecy, so he could hear the whole thing. When Dumbledore was told the full prophecy, Voldemort's spy overheard the part about the child being born. However, Voldemort did not know that it would be a great mistake to attack Harry. He wanted to hear the prophecy in full to determine how to destroy Harry. After a fight with Voldemort's servants the Death Eaters, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Harry's other good friends Hermione and Neville, plus an odd friend named Luna escaped the Death Eaters alive. However, Sirius did not. He fell in battle against his cousin. These events forced Dumbledore to tell the prophecy to Harry. The battle took place at the end of the school term. Now it was two weeks in to the summer vacation.

Unlike most children, Harry hated the summer holidays. He lived with his mother's sister's family, who were muggles (non magical people) of the worst kind. Harry did not even know who he really was until Hagrid, Harry's half-giant friend and teacher told him on his eleventh birthday. This summer had been much better than ones in the past; after being threatened by members of the Order of the Phoenix (Dumbledore's anti-Voldemort society) to treat Harry well, they were nicer to him.

Harry sat on his bed, unable to return to sleep, thinking about Sirius. If only he had mastered Occlumency, if only he had listened to Hermione, if only he had used the two-way mirror, then his godfather might still be alive. Harry hadn't had a good night's sleep since the battle at the Ministry. During the day, he would disappear to the park, careful to avoid his cousin Dudley's gang. Not that Harry was afraid of them, it was just difficult to refrain from cursing all of them into oblivion. As Harry was not yet 17, he could not do magic outside of school.

As he sat on his bed berating himself over the death of his godfather, Harry saw two owls and a flying tennis ball, no wait, that was a third owl, flying toward his window. He opened it, and the three owls landed on his bed. The small one hooted excitedly, and Harry recognized it as Ron's owl Pig, who was carrying a letter. The second was Harry's own snowy owl Hedwig, carrying two. The third, which Harry did not recognize, brought him a letter bearing an official seal, ruffled its feathers and left. Harry opened Pig's first, and it was from Ron.

Hey mate, how've you been? I'd watch out if I were you, I think Mum may know about your "gift" to Fred & George. Look, Harry. I know that you're blaming yourself about Sirius, but you really shouldn't. Mum's going to ask Dumbledore if you can come to Headquarters with us.

Ron

Harry couldn't help but feel angered at Ron's mention of Sirius and Grimmauld Place. He also didn't like the phrase he was sick and tired of; "Don't blame yourself" Who else was to blame?! Harry went to open one of the letters from Hedwig; it was from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

I hope you are alright. Hedwig turned up, and I sent these with her because I wasn't sure if Pig could handle it. Are your relatives treating you alright? I suppose, since no one has been sent to check on you. Harry, please don't blame yourself, or try to push us away. Don't think that you dragged us into danger; remember that we made you take us. Sirius came to save you Harry, that's how he would've wanted to go. Have you received your OWL scores? I'm sick with worry over how I did. I'm at you-know-where with the Weasleys if you want to send a reply.

Love,

Hermione

Once again, Harry bristled at being told that he was without blame, but it did sound better coming from Hermione then Ron. Harry was surprised to see that the third letter was from Ginny.

Dear Harry,

I read Ron & Hermione's letters, and I know that they won't make you very happy. I do agree with them, but I'm not going to just tell you that it's not your fault, because I know that you are tired of hearing that. I'm going to tell you whose fault it is. Everything is Tom's fault. I know that you want us to call him by his name, but it's easier for me to call him that then the name that everyone fears. Just remember that Sirius loved you, and that's why he went to help. You loved him too; that's why you went to save him, even if he wasn't really there. You did the best that you could with the information that you had, and that's all you could've done. Remember that he lives on in you, the son, godson, and close friend of the three worthwhile Marauders.

Love,

Ginny

Harry read the letter three times. It made so much sense coming from Ginny, but then again, she also had firsthand experience with Voldemort. At this, Harry resolved to stop blaming himself, and start working to defeat Voldemort (not much of a choice there) and take his revenge for all of the lives that the Dark Lord had destroyed. It seemed that the youngest Weasley was good at pulling him out of depression; she had done the same thing last Christmas. Knowing what waited for him on the bed in the envelope with the W.E.B. seal, Harry turned to his OWL scores.

OWL Results for Harry James Potter

Charms: O

Transfiguration: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Highest possible score—ties TMR and APWBD for highest score ever

Potions: E

Divination: P

Astronomy: A

Grades adjusted due to unforeseen circumstances

History of Magic: P

Herbology: E

Harry couldn't believe how well he had done. The only disappointment was that he didn't get an O in potions, so he couldn't become an Auror. Looking at the clock, Harry decided to worry about his career choice later—it was nearly 3:30 am. He got back into bed, and had his first dreamless sleep since the battle in the Department of Mysteries.

A/N: Well this is the obligatory recap first chapter. Chapter two will involve the Dursleys, going "home" and Trelawney's at it again. I won't be able to be totally religious in updating, but I'll try my best. Reviews welcome.