Ron was asleep when Harry reached there room; Hermione, Harry thought, must too be soundly sleeping in her four poster bed. Harry didn't sleep much that night. He found it hard to close his eyes, as every time he did the face of Tom Riddle began to float inside his mind; his cold eyes, his mirthless face, and his jet clack, rumpled hair , so like Harry's own. It was almost too much to stand.

Why did he need to see that? What was the purpose? He didn't need to know that, if anything he should have been kept from knowing that?

"So," Harry though to himself, after forcing himself to lay his head down and close his eyes. "He used to be a decent person. How does that change who he is now, or who he was the night he tried to kill me."

Harry closed his eyes tighter. He tried to search his memory; something he hoped, something from that long ago night. A flash of green light, a haunting scream from his mother, warnings from his father; all things he had seen in his third year. Would he ever know what happened that night?

Then it came to him, as if it had always been there; of course, he could know. Hadn't Dumbledore showed him one of Voldemort's memories in the Pensive, couldn't he do it again. But, how had Voldemort's memories reached into the Dumbledore pensive. Didn't you have to dispose the memories into the pensive? And Dumbledore had been totally absent from what he had seen, hadn't he? He tried to place the thought of that night out of his head, it was always mysteries like that…that made him think about Sirius-someone who had always consoled his every worried thought. And, what had happened to his Godfather? He had fallen through that eerie veil, never to bee seen again.

A small tear fell down Harry's cheek. He remembered how he had screamed, and screamed for him to come back from behind the veil.

"What is it?" Harry thought to himself, he opened his eyes. He didn't need to visualize the veil, and that dark night in the Department of Mysteries, when everything had changed. "Why did he have to die? What was that veil?"

Yes, Harry wondered what that veil was. What had Dumbledore said on that night, that it was where wizards studied the mysteries of magic? What were they studying? What odd mysterious chasm had caused the creation of such a hideous thing?

Harry fell asleep then; he didn't like to think of the veil, not only because it made him think of Sirius, but because it made him think of that entire night, that night, with all of it's blunders and gaffes. So he went to asleep, to stop from picturing Hermione laying unconscious, Ron struggling against that bloodcurdling brain, Neville falling at the hands of the Death Eater, Luna running from the room she said was full of planets, and Ginny limping, her leg broken. For all of it, and for Sirius, he went to sleep.

When Harry awoke, he tried hard to capture the memory of what he had dreamed that night. Yet, they memory like water in his palm, kept falling from his grasp.

It was a clear Sunday morning, and not a sound, save the muffled snores of Neville, was in the room. Harry arose from the bed and looked over to Ron's bed. It was empty. Had he already gone down to breakfast? Harry dressed quickly; he was in the mood to talk, about everything that had happened last night.

He walked down the steps slowly; once again he heard the voices of Ron and Hermione. However, they were not screaming, they seemed to be whispering. "I always seem to be snooping," Harry thought to himself.

"I wonder when the first Hogsmeade visit is," Ron said in a chipper tone. Harry thought for a moment, "Why didn't they wake me?"

"It should be in the next two weeks," Hermione said in her usual factual tone. "Why?" Her voice was much more sly, and, in fact, more girlish than Harry had ever heard it.

"I was just…er…I was thinking that maybe…um…we could go down and visit Madam Puddifoot's," Ron's voice had lost it's chiperness, it seemed strained and awkward now. Not at all like the voice he usually talked to Hermione in, had Harry thought.

"We? You mean you, Harry, and me?" Hermione's voice was also odd. It was neither factual, sly, nor girlish. Harry had never heard her like that, she sounded a lot like Cho had that day they visited Madam Puddifoot's.

"Well, I mean-er-I mean, maybe, if it's okay with you, just me and you could go. Is that okay?"

"That is fine," There was a moment of silence. Harry walked down the rest of the steps slowly….

For a moment, he didn't believe it. Hermione was moving closer toward Ron, her lips puckered, in a way Harry had once see Cho's. Ron began to move closer toward her. Harry backed back up the steps, he was sure that he had never worked as hard at being quiet.

"I wonder where Harry is." Ron said. Harry began back down the steps, coming toward them; he made sure his face showed no sign of anything. "Speak of the Dementors."

Ron smiled largely up at Harry, who took a seat on the cozy chair near the inglenook. Hermione and Ron joined him, in there usual seats.

"So, what are we doing today?" Ron asked.

"Ron," Screamed Hermione, she seemed shocked at what he had just said. "Tell Harry!"

Harry turned away from the inglenook, and stared over to Ron. He was bright red, the shade he always turned under pressure. Harry asked what it was.

"Well-er-yesterday," Ron paused, as if he was searching for the words. "When McGonagall took me to her office-" He paused again. "She told me…that I was the new Captain of the Gryfindor team."

There was a moment of small silence, as Harry's heart began to sink. He couldn't believe it. First Ron had become prefect and now he was the Quidditch Captain. Hadn't he been on the team longer? Wasn't he the one who had always caught the snitch? Why was Ron, who had only done well in one match, being the captain? Why not me?

"That's great," Harry paused. He could fell that he was smiling; it was an awkward and forced smile (he was sure that he was showing all of his teeth). "No, it really is great. What did McGonagall say?"

Ron paused for a moment; Harry was sure that Ron could sense his fake visage. Hermione's brown eyes were moving back and forth from Ron and Harry. However, Ron plunged into his story. He told them how McGonagall had brought him into her office, told him, very simply, that he was going to be the new captain.

"I asked why it wasn't you, mate?" Ron said. It seemed that he had finally caught on to Harry's mood. "She said that with my small schedule, I should be able to handle getting new team members and setting up practice."

So that was it. She chooses him, because he had fewer classes. Would he be telling this story if he hadn't taken potions.

"Er-Harry."

But, this time it was not Ron who was talking. Hermione was speaking, her voice seemed distant and, somewhat, odd. It was as if she didn't think it was appropriate to talk about.

"What happened with Dumbledore?" She asked. There was a silence; Harry found this odd because the common room was filling up with students. He could hear Colin Creevey telling someone about his plans ("I've got to study for my Divination test; Firenze is really hard. Is it Mars that causes war?") Harry's mind went blank; he had completely forgotten about that. His desire to tell them heightened.

"After you left," Harry started, he soon found himself plunging into the story with untold accuracy. He was able to tell them about the harrowing look on Riddle's face, and how calm Dumbledore had been. He was able to tell them exactly how the small green light had emerged from his wand (at this Hermione almost screamed). He finished.

"So? Everything that was in that Prophecy, thing…is true?" Ron asked. His face was pale, and it seemed that all color had leapt from his face.

"Yes," Harry said, silently. He didn't want to say what that entailed, it was to harsh to even think about. However, Ron and Hermione both seemed to know what it meant.

"Well, I still think there might be a chance for something to change. Voldemort doesn't even know the prophecy," Hermione said in a confident voice.

"Hermione, You-Know-Who not knowing the Prophecy doesn't change the fact that it exists," Ron spoke; there was a slight shudder in his voice. Harry knew that this came from the fact that Ron, like many in the Wizarding word, was terrified to say Voldemort's name. Harry, who was never sure if it was bravery or just the fact he had grown up outside the Wizarding world, had never been afraid of saying Voldemort's name.

"Ron, would you just learn to say Voldemort's name. We all should, after all." She paused. Hermione was, like Harry, unafraid to say Voldemort's name. "After all he's back and we should get used to that. I mean…if the prophecy is right, and I am not saying it is, then…he'll be here for a long time."

There was a silence that followed a silence so absolute that it seemed that none of them, or the others in the room, was breathing. Harry leaned in closely, and began to speak in a very small voice.

"I know what I have to do," Harry said solemnly. "Dumbledore knows as well. I mean-"

"Harry, you don't mean to say that," Ron was staring at him with an odd disbelief. Hermione had small tears in her eyes. "You are going to try to-"

"You can't-" Hermione screamed.

For a moment, Harry felt very happy; he was happy that they cared. Then a cold felling filled him, was it really there business? Did they have any right to sit here and cry about it? Ron, with all his brothers and sisters, and, of course, his parents. Parents who had always been there; parents who hadn't been killed. And, Hermione what did she know of his pain? Hadn't her parents always been there? She would never lose them, not the way Harry had?

"What do either of you know?" Harry said. He noticed that his voice was no longer his own, it was high and malevolent. It sounded cold and distant, much more harsh then his own. Hermione was staring up at him; her eyes were even more filled with tears. Ron's mouth was widely open; he didn't seem to understand Harry's anger.

"IT'S MY CHOICE. It really doesn't concern you two," By this time, Harry was walking swiftly over to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Why don't you two….Why don't you two just go and get married, and leave me be."

He screamed these final words as he closed the portrait behind him.

"Why I never," Said the Fat Lady to Harry's back. Her jovial voice making Harry turn around. "In my day, we had something called respect."

"This isn't your day, now is it?" He said in anger. He continued walking in anger. He didn't know where he was going, but he was sure he didn't want to be around Hermione or Ron.

He had finally found refuge in the dark corners of the library. The librarian, Madame. Pince, had been quite averse to let Harry in ("You had better calm down. We don't need you having a tantrum in here."). However, he had promised to keep quiet, if she allowed him to sit in there, she, of course, did, as he was a student-even if he was angry.

Harry had been there quite a while. Yet, he was unable to get the angry felling to subside. A rationa voice kept trying to calm him down, after all they were his friends, but something else, another voice, kept telling him that they knew nothing of his troubles.

He had never experienced anything like this before. It was fairly like the Imperius curse; he could still remember that long ago night….

"Kill the spare," Voldemort, in his deformed baby body, had screamed. Then it had happened, the blinding green light had erupted from the end of Voldemort's, held by Wormtail, wand and raced toward Cedric, removing all life from the boy that Harry had once had thought of as a friend, however distantly.

Then the darkness had come, a stab of a knife and the removal of blood from his arm, blood that now ran threw his enemies veins. Then that terrifying baby that, in fact, wasn't a baby at all, but what looked like a humanoid snake, with its snakelike, flat head and gleaming red eyes.

Harry could still remember, with shocking realism, how the deformed fetus that had once been the most evil wizard of all time, had been picked up and thrown into that large cauldron, and came out what he was today; strikingly tall with red slit like eyes, white skin as if made of bleached marble, and hands like spiders emerging from beneath his black cloak.

Then it had happened, Harry had dueled with Voldemort, who had put Harry under the Imperius Curse-Harry, after the tutelage of the fake Moody, had been able to throw the curse off, but he still remembered that cold voice exerting his will over Harry's body.

That is what this felt like. He was sure that voice was not his. But, then if not his, whose?

"Thinking about something," Said a distant voice. Harry looked up from the table that he had been sitting at. Luna Lovegood was standing over him, her hair, bright blonde was tied together by what Harry thought was a lion's mane hair. Her skirt, which was supposed to be jet black, was bright blue and dragonfly's were resting on it-Harry amused himself with the thought of whether or not they could move, like most pictures could in the Wizarding world. She wore a bright yellow shirt, and one her head was a large green bowler hat. Harry was sure that Parvati Patil would have jumped at her strange assortment of clothes.

"You like?" She asked. It was clear that she had noticed Harry's sum up of her clothes. "I don't find it necessary to dress in my usual attire on the weekends. May I sit down?"

Harry shook his head yes. He found that the problem of the voice in his head had gone away, Luna, to Harry, was a much more interesting thought. She sat down in the chair on the opposite side of him. For the first time, Harry noticed the silvery gray aspect of Luna's eyes; he stared at them for a long moment. She laughed.

"What?" Harry asked. He wasn't sure why she was laughing. He did, however, notice that his heart was racing, as if he had just taken a large dive to catch the snitch.

"Nothing, so where are Ron and Hermione. I mean you three are usually together on days like this," She said in a matter-of-fact type of way. He tried to ignore her tone, it reminded him of Hermione.

"I don't know….I wasn't much up for hanging out with them today," His heart raced again as he noticed how serenely she was staring at him. He thought of Ron and Hermione and how they had spent the morning before he had come down. His heart skipped a beat. "Hey Luna….Do you have anything-er-I mean the first Hogsmeade trip is in two weeks-"

"-its next week on Friday." Luna added.

"Yeah, are you going with anyone?" Harry asked. Harry wasn't going to miss Hogsmeade, because his two best friends wanted to hang out without him.

"No, I mean I usually don't go. I don't have many friends, and Hogsmeade is a place you can only have fun with friends."

Harry was sorry for her, for a moment. He felt that she deserved to have friends-she was nice and funny and always so full of life.

"Wanna go with me?" Harry asked again. He was almost sorry after he asked it. She laughed again. It was a high and loud laugh. Harry could hear Madame Pince coming.

"Sure," Luna said, as Madame Pince came over to them and reminded them where they where ("This is a library, and some come to study rather then to speak loudly."). "Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't care. He felt as if he could tell Luna anything like he had known her forever.

"Was that guy-Sirius Black-he fell behind that veil. I mean Neville told me about it, but what, exactly, is that veil thing?" There wasn't an airy tone to her voice now. She seemed to really want to know.

"I wish I could tell you….I don't know either, but yeah Sirius fell threw that veil and he-died," It was the first time he had said it aloud. It seemed so final, and for the first time that was tolerable. Luna's eyes filled with compassion.

"I know what that fell's like," Luna said in a quiet tone. "But, it'll be okay. I mean you always miss them, the people you lose. Yet, after a while, I mean for me, I began to stop thinking of my mother as dead, I started to think of her as just in the next room, and that she was very close. That's how I look on it now; she's just in the next room. I know that I'll see her again, that's how I get through it."

Harry thought for a moment about what she had said. It made sense wasn't Sirius just in another room waiting to be found again. He loved Luna, or at least he loved the fact that she could believe so many amazing things.

"Thanks, Luna."

Harry ate breakfast alone the next morning; Ron and Hermione sat on the other side of him having forced conversation, every now and then one of them would shoot him a glance only to return to their conversation.

Harry, however, was happy to be sitting alone today, although his thoughts were enough to way him down. He kept falling back to that discussion he had had with Luna, who had come over to say hello-wearing her black Hogwarts robes, but with a necklace comprised of butterbeer caps.

"Do I like her?" Harry thought. That was the only thing he could think of, after all he hadn't felt that way since Cho. It had been that same feeling, awkwardness mixed with supreme happiness, with a small dash of fear.

Harry didn't have time to think on this, as it was time for class. He collected his things and sauntered off before Ron and Hermione could join him. He continued to ignore them all the way through Transfiguration, even though he could have used Hermione's help on transfiguring his rock into a life size dog-this being particularly hard as the rock was the size of a thumb.

Nevertheless, he made it through Transfiguration (his rock dog only being slightly smaller than a normal dog and unable to bark) and was more than happy when it was time for Defense against the Dark Arts. Once again he picked up his things and walked off before they could join him, also taking a seat in between of Dean and Seamus.

"Today," Shouted the voice of Professor Reid. "We will be having an exam. This is a practical exam and you will need your wands and I will be giving you partners, but we will need a bit more space."

He motioned for the class to get up and join him in the front of the class; it was a tight fit, as there were so many of them.

"Evanesco," Bawled Professor Reid's voice, his wand in the air, a bright golden light emitted from his wand, surrounding the desks and with nothing more than a blink of the eye they disappeared. The class clapped as they spread out and waited to be paired.

Harry waited a very long time before he began to be fearful that he would be paired with Ron or Hermione. He wasn't about to duel with them, he wasn't mad enough to want to curse them.

"Miss. Granger you will be paired with Hannah Abbott," Harry sighed as Professor Reid said Hannah's name. But, there was still Ron. However, Ron was soon partnered with Justin Finch-Fletchley. Harry got it then, they were being paired against Hufflepuff.

"Harry you can go with Wayne Hopkins," Professor Reid said, and as they walked over to an empty area Professor Reid paired the final two. "Now, you will be graded on your ability to defeat your opponent. House with the most winners, I'll give them…forty points." He raised his wand and uttered something that caused a great whistling sound to erupt from it.

Harry turned to Wayne, a sandy haired boy with dark blue eyes, and bowed. Wayne returned this; Harry noticed that he seemed less confident. Harry, then drew back on his wand, Wayne did the same.

This was it, Harry thought.

"Expelliamrmus," Screamed Wayne.

"Protego," Harry screamed. He was too quick; his wand didn't move from his hand but twitched for a moment and then returned to its usual state. Wayne stood shocked; he had clearly thought this would help.

"Silencio," Harry said bright silver sparks and moved to Wayne. He began to scream, but to no avail. The silencing charm had worked; Harry had won, he was sure that Wayne would not know how to break the charm. "Incarcerous."

Brown ropes fell from Harry's wand and descended upon the Wayne, they rapped themselves over him gently.

Harry raised his hand, only to find that Professor Reid was standing over him.

"Very good," He said. "Very good, indeed! Potter, have you thought of becoming an Auror, I mean you didn't hurt him, took care of him like I and Mad-Eye used to,"

"Mad-Eye? You worked with Professor Moody," Harry used the term Professor loosely, as the real Moody had never really taught them anything.

"Oh, yes. We were partner's at the Ministry together-until, but….This really isn't the time or the place, let's first free Mr. Hopkins, can you do that?" Reid said. There was a faint sound in his voice, as he was afraid to discuss what had happened.

"Finite Incantatem," Harry said pointing his wand down at him. The ropes released him and slowly they could hear his voice come back. Reid congratulated him on his effort and told him he passed.

Harry motioned to move to an empty corner, Neville's duel was getting out of hand, his partner seemed to be, even more so then Neville, absentminded. He kept tripping over his feet and sending red sparks from his wand. Harry noticed, however, that Neville was much more coordinated than usual.

"Wait," Professor Reid said to Harry, who was moving farther away from the class, he wanted time to think of Luna and there approaching date-is it a date? He stopped and turned around, Reid was standing behind him. "Harry, tonight after dinner, I would like you to come by my office, do you know where that is?"

"Yes," Harry had been there several times in the past, in the days of Lockheart, Lupin, Moody, and he had had several painful detentions with Professor Umbrage. Yet, Harry could not imagine what Professor Reid wanted, had he done something wrong.

Before he could ask the class was over, and Professor Reid had scampered off.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Hermione said after finally catching up with Harry after Lunch. They were on there way to Potion's, Harry was still striding along, and ignoring Hermione's pleads. He hoped she would stop soon; they were coming on the classroom, and he wasn't about to have Malfoy taunting him or Hermione. "You can't be mad forever."

"Hermione, would you shut up?" Harry said as he snapped around. "Would you? You're always talking…talking…talking. Your either talking about 'house-elves' or 'Arithmancy' or 'Hogwarts a history'"

He knew that he had been harsh. However, Hermione was neither angry nor crying; in fact, she was looking at him with utter love.

"Harry, we only say it, because we cared." Hermione said as she grabbed Harry's arm. She turned him around, his brilliant green eyes staring at her.

"But, you know that it is my choice," Harry stopped. He wasn't sure what more to stay. "You have no say in it; I have to do this on my own."

Hermione nodded, she let his arm go and they continued down to the dungeons. Harry couldn't wait, he found that he enjoyed Potion's a lot more now that Trewlawney taught-she said they were almost ready to brew Veritaserum.

"I'm sorry," Ron said as the waited for Hagrid to come back from his hut. They, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, were standing in the paddock. The other students were speaking about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, the poster had gone up.

"It's alright," Harry spoke softly; he really wanted to make up with Hermione and Ron. They were the only ones he wanted to talk to about Luna; he was hoping this would be a quiet lesson.

"'Ather roun', I've got a real treat for you today. We are finishing up our lessons on flying-er-creatures, with a real treat. Professor Dumbledore let me borrow him, were going to study the Phoenix today."

As Hagrid finished his sentence, there was a large burst of flame and a cloud of smoke filled in; Fawkes, the phoenix, had arrived.

He was flying around the paddock majestically, his large tail feather floating in the sky and picking up the brilliancy of the bright sun. The class exclaimed how beautiful it was, as Hagrid called back there attention, he asked what made a phoenix so special. He called on a tall Slytherin boy.

"They can disappear and appear at will," He said in a booming voice. Harry noticed that the boy looked nice-Harry, like many who attended Hogwarts, had come under the assumption that all people in Slytherins were evil.

"Yes, as we just saw. Anything else?" Hagrid said, he called on Hermione as many people had put there hands down, it seemed they knew nothing past what they had seen.

"The phoenix is, by far, the most mysterious creature of them all, due to there rarity and lack of acceptance of human interaction. However, they are greatly appreciated by wizards, as there tears have powerful restorative power, as well as the fact that there song is known to give hope to the pure of heart, yet, once again due to there rarity, very few have actually heard the song." Hermione said swiftly, her voice loud enough for all to hear.

Harry was sure that he heard Malfoy cough, "Know-it-all." Hermione ignored this, but turned a bright shade of red.

"Good job, Hermione," Hagrid said. "There's one more thing, though. Anyone?"

Harry raised his hand, and Hagrid called on him. "The feathers of phoenix's can be used as the cores in wands."

He knew this all to well, as his own wand, in fact, had the core of phoenix. However, Harry was not the only wizard he knew with a phoenix It was the fact that Voldemort and Harry shared almost identical wand cores; both of there cores came from the phoenix, Fawkes, that was flying over his head.

Harry had learned the results of this unholy connection almost two years ago, on the night of Voldemort's return.

The two of them, Harry and Voldemort, had locked there wands together in battle, and the oddest thing Harry had ever seen occurred. The spells had hit each other in mid-air, and erupted into bright golden rays and Harry, under the influence of serene song that came from the light(had it been the phoenix song?), had been able to cause the Voldemort's wand to erupt the spells it had cast.

The most improbable thing had happened then, the ghost of Cedric Diggory had come from the tip of the wand, then an old man(hadn't I dreamed of him, Harry thought), then the missing ministry witch Bertha Jorkins, and-to Harry's great surprise-Harry's mother, Lily, came out only to be followed by his father, James.

He would never forget that night, it had changed his life. The only time, he actually talked to his parents.

"Well done, Harry." Hagrid said. Yet, Harry wasn't really listening; he was beginning to think of something.

He would never se his parents again, surely Voldemort had cast many spells since then, and when would he ever get another chance like that, really?

"Are you okay?" Ron asked. Apparently, the thought of his parent's voices and that night had given Harry a gazed over look.

"I'm fine."

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, this chapter is really long, and covers a lot, so read carefully. I have finally planed a concrete ending to the story, I do plan to finish even if I don't finish before the release of Half-Blood Prince. I want to thank all of my reviewers and the Harry Potter Lexicon, which saves me countless hours as it stops me from having to look up very small details. You can look forward to another chapter soon. After all, Harry has to go visit Reid and there is still Luna…