A/N: Hi everyone. I hope that everyone is doing well. This chapter will contain the prophecy for which the story was named. I am not a poetry writer, and I hope that it's not too lame. Enjoy reading.
Harry Potter: Prophecy of the Phoenix - Chapter 8
Harry stared at the page in disbelief with a cry of frustration welling up inside of him. Although the title had been translated into English, the rest of the book was written in another, more symbolic language.
He turned back to the cover, only now seeing the small parenthetical statement written in smaller letters beneath the title: "Written in its original language."
For not the first time, he cursed the fact that he had chosen Divination as his elective instead of something like Ancient Runes that might be helpful in times like these. After all, what good was it really for him to hear over and over again that he was fated to die?
Momentarily, he was tempted simply to steal the book and drag Hermione out of bed in the hopes that she could translate it, but he quickly quelled that impulse. Even if she could translate the language, it was a large book, and he was not sure what exactly he was looking for. Besides, he had already decided that he was not going to drag his friends into what he was doing. All that it would do would be to bring up questions that he could not answer.
Somehow he would have to unscramble the writing himself. His father leading him to the book could not have been for naught.
The now familiar pull to the Phoenix Chamber surprised him as the next scheduled meeting had not been for a couple of days yet, but with the events that had occurred, the Order must have decided that an emergency meeting was necessary.
Harry moved to slip the book onto the shelf but decided against it. The book had been covered in at least a decade's worth of dust, and he reasoned that no one would miss it if he borrowed it for awhile.
Shrinking the map, cloak, and book and stuffing them into his pocket with his wand, he transformed into his animagus form and transversed the hallways effortlessly as the way to the Phoenix Chamber was now as ingrained into his psyche as any other place in the castle.
Effortlessly, he landed on the perch and found Fawkes and the rest of the Order already there. Fawkes was looking a little worse for wear, and Harry guessed that he was probably approaching a burning day and wondered if that somehow had something to do with his absence earlier.
Dumbledore nodded to him in a greeting and spoke, "Since we are now all here, I'd like to call this meeting to order. I know that you are all familiar with some of the events involving the Dursleys' death. As you probably guessed, Sirius was not the perpetrator of the crime."
Sirius muttered an, "Unfortunately," but Dumbledore ignored it.
"Rather it was indeed Voldemort. Severus, was there any kind of warning?"
"None. He must have wanted to take no chances, telling us only that he was planning something before his ultimate revenge against Potter. I of course would have informed you had I known differently."
"Of course."
Dumbledore agreed with a slight speculation in his tone, knowing Snape's ire at Harry's relatives and hearing something odd in his speaking of the last sentence.
"What you all need to know is that Harry was a witness to these deaths through his dreams, and I'm beginning to suspect that Harry is actually present in some form when he experiences his nightmares linked to Voldemort. To my knowledge, he has never been seen by anyone in these dreams, but he was hit by the Killing Curse last night in an effort to protect his relatives."
Molly Weasley gasped loudly in horror as her husband took her hand while other members around the table reacted as well.
Dumbledore turned a kind smile to the distraught woman, "Don't fret, Molly. He has been treated, and Madam Pomfrey has released him already."
Harry, however, felt a chill of fear rush through him. The experiences seemed so different when he could dismiss them as dreams, but his involvement being more integrated made the experiences that much more terrifying. It would, however, explain in part why his aunt could see him and how he could have used magic to put out the fire after Remus's house had been destroyed.
Snape spoke again, "We all know that Harry is connected to Voldemort through his scar, but how do we know that he was in fact hit by the Killing Curse and not simply having a reaction to the fact that his relatives were murdered by the Killing Curse."
Sirius stiffened, and again his response was stayed only by the restraining grip of Remus's hand against his forearm.
There was a brief flicker of Dumbledore's eyes in the direction of the lycanthrope, but it would have been missed by anyone not paying extremely close attention.
"According to Harry's account, he was hit by the Killing Curse before any of the Dursleys, and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of his words."
Apparently, Dumbledore had reason not to share that Lupin had somehow known about the incident, which only served to pique Harry's curiosity once again.
"Albus," McGonagall spoke, "if Harry is actually there shouldn't we find a way to stop him from dreaming? He could be in danger."
"Alas, the human mind needs to dream in order to survive, and continued use of the Dreamless Sleep Potion could lead to its ineffectiveness. I'm afraid that his dreams will have to be a burden for young Harry to bear, no matter how much we wish to spare him."
Moody did not speak, but it was obvious that he wanted to argue for Harry's presence in the group. However, after having the same argument for several meetings, Dumbledore had declared the topic closed.
Harry was actually relieved. He was not sure if he could join the meetings in his human form since approaching in that form had caused him pain that first night, and he would not be able to accept membership if it meant revealing his animagus form.
Changing the subject, Dumbledore spoke again, "Arthur, what is our position at the Ministry."
"There are still several people who are intensely loyal to Fudge and refuse to consider any other possibility than the one that he provides. I'm afraid that Percy is one of them, but with the increasing attacks, a lot of people are starting to wonder. Right now, there is a small group of us that accept the fact that Voldemort has returned, and we have met discreetly to discuss what we can do within the system to prepare to fight him. We're prepared to take stronger actions whenever it is decided to be necessary."
Dumbledore nodded. "Good. Hopefully by the time drastic action is needed, your smaller group will be considerably larger. Be careful. The Ministry is not free from Death Eaters."
"A fact of which I am well aware, I assure you." Arthur acknowledged.
Dumbledore turned reluctantly towards the two Marauders, "I'm afraid that we're going to need you out in the field again within the next week. You two have a knack for sneaking around unnoticed." With this his eyes sparkled, and Sirius could not completely hide a mischievous grin. "We'll discuss specifics later, but it will take you away from the castle for awhile and might keep you from being present at our next few meetings."
Harry wanted to cry out in protest, but he understood the necessity just as he understood now. They were no longer in such extreme danger since Voldemort had exacted his revenge on the Dursleys, and they were needed for a greater cause other than his own selfishness.
They had their roles, and he had his. None of them were necessarily happy about it.
During his introspection, other reports were given concerning attempted and successful alliances, and Harry forced himself to pay attention just as they were dismissed until the next regular meeting.
Harry stood in front of his team, his stomach churning uncomfortably in a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Today marked the first Quidditch game of the season, not to mention his first game as team captain. Trying to look confident, he delivered the speech that he had planned in true Oliver Wood fashion.
"All right everyone. This year we must defend our title as holders of the Quidditch cup, and we're going to do it. We have a good team, possibly the best team we've ever had, and this is the last year for many of you. Make it count."
"We created a monster," Fred whispered to George, and this time a thin smile did form on Harry's face.
"And more importantly, have fun out there."
"That's more like it!" George whooped as they mounted their brooms and flew onto the Quidditch field with Lee Jordan announced them, having already announced the other team.
"And this year the Gryffindor team will be defending their win of the Quidditch cup with Harry Potter leading them as captain. Though he is one of the youngest members of the team, he was the youngest player to join the team in over a century his first year..."
"Jordan, get on with it."
"Yes, Professor McGonagall. The captains are shaking hands in the center of the field."
Harry extended his hand, clasping his counterpart's firmly and murmuring a "good luck" before they each flew into their respective positions and Lee reviewed the rules.
"Madam Hootch has released the Quaffle, and the game begins. Katie grabs the Quaffle and passes it to Alicia who shoots it, but it's blocked by Patricia Smithe. Good try Alicia."
"Jordan, be objective."
"Of course, Professor."
Harry was paying enough attention to the game to be aware of what was going on, but he was concentrating on locating the Snitch. He was also well aware that the Hufflepuff rookie Seeker was keeping a close eye on him and would not allow himself to be distracted by the fact that Cedric used to occupy that position. His team was counting on him, and he would exorcise his personal demons later.
Harry dodged a Bludger that sailed too close to him for his own comfort, and a Weasley twin whizzed by him in hot pursuit.
It was then that he caught the metallic glint of the Snitch out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he dove towards it.
The Hufflepuff seeker dove after him, but neither his broom nor his skill was comparable to Harry's, leaving Harry quite a lead in the pursuit.
The Snitch seemed to know that it had been discovered and began to dart off in the opposite direction into the melee of the tossing Quaffle and the violent beating of the Bludgers. This proved easy enough for the Snitch, which was small.
However, Harry had to pull off an acrobatic series of twists and turns to avoid both people and other flying objects while keeping the Snitch still in sight. A vibrant and liberating excitement began to build in him as he whipped through the air. Slowly but surely, he was gaining on the golden ball, and he reached out his hand to prepare to grab it.
Poor Dean's eyes grew as large as saucers as he realized that Harry and the Snitch were heading straight for him. He dove out of the way just as the pair shot through the goal that he was guarding.
The tops of Harry's fingers brushed the metallic surface, and after a split second, he was able to curl his hand around it victoriously.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch after some brilliant flying, earning Gryffindor 150 points." Lee announced over the cheering of the Gryffindor section of the crowd. "That means that the final score is Gryffindor 210 and Hufflepuff 30."
Smiling boldly, Harry landed on the field to join his excited teammates. One of the Weasley twins, he could not decide who in the shuffle of excitement, clapped him on the back saying, "Excellent catch! I thought Dean was going to faint on the spot when he saw you heading right towards him."
"Now we must have the mandatory celebration in the Gryffindor tower!" The other Weasley twin announced happily, a glint in his eyes suggesting that the two had prepared for such an occasion and that some of the treats would be of their own concoctions. It would be an interesting time in the Gryffindor tower that evening.
"You guys go on ahead. I have something that I have to do first. I'll meet you in a little while."
He had made plans with Sirius and Lupin to bid them farewell in the Shrieking Shack.
They had delayed their departure until the end of the Quidditch match, both wanting to see Harry play.
They had personally broken the news to Harry the night after the meeting, and he could get no more specific information out of them that he did not know before. He was also very disheartened to learn that because of the sensitivity of the mission, they would not be able to exchange owls. It was simply too dangerous.
Questioning Lupin on his ability to detect the Killing Curse on his was less than insightful as well. All that Lupin would say was that it was a gift, or rather an extension of a curse.
Harry made sure that there was no one watching as he deftly opened the passage at the base of the Whomping Willow, remembering the night only a couple years ago when his life had changed so drastically when Sirius Black became his godfather instead of a would-be assassin.
A part of him wanted to walk as slowly as possible to delay their leaving as long as possible, but he entered the shack and found the pair entirely too soon.
Sirius saw him, grinning wildly like a proud father, "Harry that was absolutely amazing."
Remus rolled his eyes, "And to think, until you walked in, he was fretting about how dangerous that stunt was like a worried mother hen."
"I was not." Sirius protested a little too strongly and a little too quickly, and Harry and Remus exchanged knowing glances.
A few moments of silence passed before Sirius spoke again, somewhat awkwardly, "Well, we'd better get going."
Harry nodded, a strange lump forming in his throat and his eyes stinging, "You two be careful."
Sirius's lips quirked into a forced smile, "Hey, 'careful' is my middle name."
Lupin winked at Harry, "Actually, Harry, his middle name is..."
"Don't you dare go any further Lupin, or I will be forced to retaliate." He pulled out the wand that Dumbledore had told him had mysteriously vanished from the Justice Department at the Ministry. He had missed it terribly, and he was itching to put it to good use. Being on a top secret mission did not ban them from having fun every once in awhile.
Remus looked at Harry in mock-horror, "Dumbledore is a very wise and a very resourceful wizard, but sometimes he has a very cruel sense of humor."
Harry knew what they were doing. They were trying to keep the departure light with their friendly banter, but his heart ached all the same, knowing that it was possible he would never see them again.
Sirius must have seen that their attempts were not being entirely successful, or he broke down himself because he pulled Harry into a crushing embrace, "You take care of yourself. If you have any more dreams, you go directly to Dumbledore."
"I will."
Sirius released him, giving him a hard look over, as if burning his image into his mind.
"Well, we really must be going now. Besides, Moony doesn't handle goodbyes well. He starts bawling, so we should probably save him from embarrassing himself."
"Don't believe a word he says, Harry."
Harry stood, watching them head towards the exit. Sirius took a final look over his shoulder and called out, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," before transforming into Snuffles.
Harry wanted to call out that those words were rich coming from someone with such a reputation for being a rule breaker, but by the time he could get his voice to work again, they were gone.
As it turned out, although the farewell to the Marauders had been hard, it had been somewhat of a blessing.
The Weasley twins had introduced a new invention as a treat for the celebration.
However, some slight error in the making of their Turtle Truffles had caused a momentary panic as the spell did not wear off as quickly as it should. Thus, a good lot of the Gryffindor House had spent a couple of hours as the shelled reptiles instead of the intended couple of minutes.
The twins quickly escaped to their dormitory as soon as the Gryffindors began to regain their human exteriors, but if the whispered conversations were any sort of indication, several of the former Gryffindor turtles were planning something to give Fred and George a taste of their own medicine.
Now, Harry felt as if he was too exhausted to sleep. Every once in a while he would toss and turn and maybe catch a few minutes of sleep.
Finally giving up, he retrieved his Charms textbook and the book he had borrowed from the library, knowing that bringing the latter was probably a futile gesture as it had in previous nights.
Stretching out on one of the couches, Harry cracked open what he thought at first to be his Charms test and realized once he saw the symbols on the page that he had opened the wrong book.
He sighed with exasperation and was about to put it down when a strange feeling came over him along with a sure knowledge that he knew what to do.
He placed his hand in the center of the pages and began to mutter something in a language that he had never learned and that he did not understand. Watching incredulously, his hand began to glow and spark as if giving off electrical energy. A bright flash extended throughout the paged of the book, and for a moment all of the symbols disappeared.
Panic that he had somehow erased the entire book was replaced after a moment by a nervous excitement. The pages were once again being filled with text, but this time it was in English.
By now, his heart was hammering so strongly that he was sure that it was going to come up his throat. Scanning through the pages, he finally found for what he had been searching for so long.
Prophecy of the Phoenix
A phoenix shall emerge in a time of great darkness and despair,
Sired by a stag from the lion's line
And born of a stainless bud.
The mark of thunder's light shall be upon him,
Calling to the end the serpent's first reign of darkness.
In the second reign of darkness,
Serpent and phoenix will be joined by blood;
The crimson bridge a bringer of death and salvation.
Twice joined, Young Phoenix must be sacrificed.
Whilst one lives so shall the other,
And together in death shall they fall.
Harry was finding it difficult to breathe.
A corner of his mind joked hysterically that the old bat Trelawney had actually been right all of these years.
In order to defeat Voldemort, he would have to die.
A/N: Okay. The eighth chapter is finished. I'm sorry that there wasn't much action in this chapter, but it can't be all action all of the time. At least this time the cliffhanger is not that bad at all if you even consider it to be a cliff hanger. Thank you all for your words of encouragement.
XiaoBai I know that it's angsty, and I've been told that I'm too hard on my characters. I'm glad that you're enjoying it though.
Insane Pineapple from Naboo: Hey, what instrument do you play? I play the flute myself. I tried to put a little more of Remus in this chapter, and I agree that I could do so much more with him. Don't walk around like a zombie. It will be okay. I promise. Hope to see you next time.
I don't know who you are, but here's more story for you.
Chava Lots of Quidditch in this chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed the communication with Padfoot. It was tons of fun to write. Luckily for us, the fifth book will be released, and I'm sure that it will put my version to shame.
Karen: Thank you. I thought that it fit too, and I was going for a bit of a shock value. I will continue. I promise.
Sky Chief: Wow. Speaking of delighted smiles, that's what appeared on my face when I read the review. I'm glad that you liked that line. It was one of my favorites, but I wasn't sure if anyone got my sense of humor. I hope that you continue reading.
TexansFanNumber8: If you want to be my proof reader you've got it, and you are special but not because of reading my story. Nuts. Someone finally asked me that dreaded question: How many chapters? The truth is, I don't know. I think that I'm about half-way done, but we'll just see.
angelhitomi I'm glad that you think so.
becki Hmmmm, did you get a new e-mail address? I doubt that there will ever be 1000 reviews, but I was particularly happy with my choice of the author's name as well.
Ariel: The sheer massiveness of the review was astounding and very appreciative. Believe me, I understand the battling of and I thank you for your persistence. I will now try to respond to your comments in order. First, I fear that this was another wind down chapter, which means that the next one will have so much more action and tension. At least that is my intent. I'm glad you liked McGonagall's reaction. I think that she has so much more to her than being the stern headmistress. I almost wrote a scene about the reaction, but I just couldn't make it work, so I had that flashback as a copout. I'm glad that it was effective. Lupin's ability has nothing to do with Petunia's ability to see him except for verifying that Harry is actually there in a sense. You are right that no one has seen him before, and how this feat was accomplished will be explored more later. As for the prophecy, I've worked and reworked it. I hope it came across all right.
Meghan-aka-KRAMMIT-THE-FROG: Well, there was another meeting. I hope that you liked it.
john Please believe me that the story will be much more effective in the end if they don't know. There will be articles in the future. Don't worry.
HogwartsMoonGyrl03: Thank you. I got both reviews, and you have been added to the list.
kateydidnt Yes, poor Harry, but I'm hoping to put a little more depth to him than just angst.
shdurrani Thank you, and I'm going, I'm going.
