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HugeHarryPotterFan

Chapter Four

The Prophecy

After Harry had been at the Weasley's for a week, his birthday arrived. For that whole week the Weasley house had been a bed of pandemonium. Dumbledore had been unable to reach Hagrid by owl. He and Madam Maxime had seemed to disappear from the wizarding world. Everyone was worried about them and the Order members were working double time trying to find them. The giants hadn't been much help and several aurors were forced to give up and allow Dumbledore to talk to them. He was the only one they trusted. It seemed Hagrid had indeed arrived nearly a month before. But they had only seen his camp being used for about a day then he was gone. He hadn't even tried to talk to the giants. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were apparating in and out at all hours of the night.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were left alone most of the time since Fred and George were very busy with their shop. With the help of their friend Lee Jordan, they were making a small fortune. There had even been talk of them getting their own place. Mrs. Weasley begged them to hold off until the threat of Voldemort was over. They had spent the last few days practicing for Quidditch, since the school year was around the corner. Hermione sat on the ground watching. She siad she still had tons of elf clothes to make before they went back to Hogwarts.

"Oh right, cause the elves just love when you try to free them," Ron snickered.

Harry woke up very early on his birthday by a sharp pain searing through his scar. Hissing his breath in sharply he sat up in bed, holding his scar. He sat there several long minutes before the pain finally subsided. All the while he had this unusually strong desire to hurt someone. Voldemort must be angry, he thought to himself. Good. When Harry was done with him, Voldemort would wish that all he was was angry. Harry hoped he would be dead.

There was a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in," Harry called out quietly, unable to get out of bed. The pain and anger seemed to have drained him.

The door opened and Hermione stepped in. She was wearing a robe over her dressing gown. Harry saw that her hair seemed less bushy and wondered how he hadn't noticed that before.

"Hi. I had a feeling you were up but I'm not sure how I knew. Is it your scar?" she asked in a low voice. She saw beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Yeah. It woke me up. I think…I think Voldemort is angry." Harry explained, not looking at her. He wasn't sure how people felt about him knowing Voldemort's moods. He knew he didn't like it.

"Are you sure it isn't because he is nearby? Should we wake Mr. Weasley?"

"No, I'm sure it is because he is mad. I had this overwhelming urge to hurt someone." Harry muttered. He saw fear in her eyes and hoped it wasn't him she was afraid of.

She walked over and sat on the cot next to him.

"It's so early Harry. We should really try to get more sleep." Hermione whispered, her breath tickling his ear. He turned and looked at her.

"I'm not sure I can," he said.

"I'll lay down on the floor next to your cot. If you need me I will be right here since goodness knows it takes an army to wake Ron up." Right at that moment Ron snored loudly, making them jump. He turned over, murmuring about trips to the Forbidden Forest. They both laughed shakily. Neither one wanted to admit that he had scared them.

"Okay Hermione but I can't let you lay on the floor." Harry told her. They looked at the cot. Harry shrugged. "There's more than enough room."

"I don't know Harry. I'm not sure what the Weasley's would say, or Ron for that matter," Hermione said, blushing.

"We have clothes on. We are practically brother and sister. I will even sleep on top of the covers if it makes you feel better." They both knew her being there would make him feel better, so she relented.

They both laid down on the cot. The hinges squeaked under their combined weight. Hermione whispered, "By the way, Harry, Happy Birthday."

Harry grinned. "Thanks Hermione. Let's try to get some sleep."

Hermione yawned. "Okay Harry. I can't wait to give you your birthday pres…."

Harry could hear Hermione's breathing slow and knew she had fallen asleep. He lay there quietly, inhaling deeply. Hermione smelled like soap and something else he couldn't quite identify. He wasn't sure he could sleep this way. He tried not to think about her being on the cot with him. He hadn't even realized he had drifted off until he was awoken hours later by a loud gasp.

Ginny had walked in and found them lying there. Harry was still on top of the covers but both teenagers had their arms around each other. Harry shot off the cot.

"Ginny it isn't what you think," Hermione began as Harry looked at her helplessly.

Ginny giggled. "I know silly. You should see your faces, though. Priceless."

Ron was stirring. Harry walked over to his bed. He wasn't sure what Ron would say if he heard Harry and Hermione had slept on the same cot together, both in their Simons.

He opened one eye. "What time is it?"

Ginny looked at Harry's watch, which was lying on the bedside table. "Oh my God. It's almost ten o'clock!" she exclaimed. She ran out of the room and came back in holding a large box. She walked over and set it down on Ron's bed.

"Happy Birthday Harry," Ginny said, uncharacteristically shy. "I hope you like it."

Hermione looked at Ron. He was staring at her weirdly. She was sitting on Harry's cot but he couldn't have guessed she had been there all night. Nervously running her hands through her hair, she got up and left the room. When Ron got his bearings he also got up. He reached under his bed. "Happy Birthday, mate," he said grinning, pulling up a small box wrapped in paper with little snitches flying all over it.

Hermione walked in with her gift. She set it on Ron's bed with the others. Harry looked at the small pile.

"Wow you guys. You know you didn't have to get anything for me." He told them.

"We know, Harry. Open them already!" Hermione said, laughing.

He looked at the gifts and reached for Ron's first. He ripped open the wrapping and saw he had given him a small golden snitch. Engraved in the snitch were the words, "To the best mate a Weasley could have!" It must have cost Ron a fortune and he knew the Weasley's didn't have that much money. Harry then wondered why it said Weasley. Ron saw the question in Harry's eyes, even though he didn't ask.

Ron shrugged. "It's from me, Fred and George. I couldn't really afford anything and their shop is doing so well. We all went in on it together. I hope you like it. If you hold it in your hand long enough the little wings start beating. It doesn't actually fly around though. That would be too hard to keep up with. Even for a star Seeker like yourself," Ron said on a laugh.

"Thanks Ron, it's great." Harry set the little snitch back in the box carefully. He reached for Ginny's gift. She had gotten him a new copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

"I saw your copy lying on the floor downstairs last week and saw that the guys in the pictures don't seem to be flying right anymore. They all fly like they are snockered. I asked Fred to pick it up in Diagon Alley for me." Ginny told him, explaining how she had gotten it. They all laughed. He read it so much, especially when he was gearing up for a game against Slytherin. He thanked her and reached for Hermione's gift. Her eyes shone brightly as she watched him open it.

Harry wasn't sure how to take what she had given him. She had found a picture of his parents that he had never seen before. They were laughing and playing in the snow in front of a quaint cottage. She had it set in a beautifully crafted gilded frame. Inside the box with the frame was a charm. The heart-shaped charm had the symbol for Gryffindor with two lions instead of one and when Harry turned it over he read the inscription aloud:

"Two Gryffindors whose hearts beat as one. To Lily From James"

Harry was shocked. "Hermione, thank you so much. I can't believe I have never seen this picture. Where did you get these?" Harry's throat felt tight. He couldn't believe the present she gave him. It already meant so much to him.

"I owled Professor Lupin. He had a few things that he was able to save from their house. He was meaning to give them to you sooner and said I could have them. I had the picture framed for you and the charm cleaned up." Hermione smiled. She was very glad he liked it, she had been very nervous about giving it to him.

"You guys are the best. I love all my gifts. All I wish for now is that they find Hagrid."

Harry had been thinking about ways to defeat Voldemort. He hoped that the anger he felt earlier didn't have anything to do with Hagrid and Madame Maxime.

When they had all gotten dressed they trooped down to the kitchen. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley weren't home. There was a note from Mrs. Weasley:

Children,

Make sure you eat something and stay in the yard. Percy arrived last night while you were sleeping and is probably still asleep. He is going to stay with us until this matter with the Order is finished. There is still no news of Hagrid, I'm afraid. Behave yourselves!

Mother

Percy never came down. They assumed he was sleeping as they set about making breakfast and settled down to eat a half an hour later. Over porridge and kippers Harry and the others discussed the Order.

"I don't agree with you Harry. I don't think we are ready to become Order members. We've still two years of school ahead of us," Hermione was saying, looking anxious. She didn't want to initiate any anger from Harry.

"With the threat of Voldemort, oh stop it Ron, and knowing I am going to be the one who…" Harry trailed off, realizing his mistake.

"The one who what, Harry?" Ron asked with his mouth full of porridge.

"Oh gross Ron. Don't talk with your mouth full," Ginny scolded.

"I guess I should have told you this sooner. I know what the prophecy that Neville broke in the Department of Mysteries said. Dumbledore was the one who originally heard it and put it in his Pensieve for me to see. It seems that old dingbat Trelawney actually did make a prediction. Sixteen years ago, almost seventeen now, in a room upstairs from the Hogshead. It's the reason Dumbledore hired her. Although after that she only did it one more time." Harry looked at the others who were staring at him as if he had three heads.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione queried.

"The prophecy that got smashed. It had to do with Voldemort and me. She said to Dumbledore, '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 HAND 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…' Only you see, Neville was also born at the end of July like me. And his parent defied Voldemort three times also. Voldemort could have chosen Neville but he didn't. He felt I was the bigger danger. And since he marked me," at this he touched his scar, "I'm the one who has to defeat Voldemort."

"But Harry," Hermione said quietly, "does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes, Hermione. It means exactly what you think it means," Harry said.

"What?" Ron asked, as usual not following along.

"Oh come on Ron. Don't be so dense." Ginny said to him, giving him a look of disgust.

"Oh Harry," Hermione said, crying.

"What?" Ron asked again, frowning.

Ginny answered for Harry, "One of them has got to kill the other…in the end. Am I right Harry?"

Harry nodded. His voice was thick when he spoke again. "I have to kill him. Because if I don't, I will be the one to die."

Hermione sobbed. Ron looked shaken and Ginny had a solemn look on her face.

"I think we need to come up with a plan to defeat Voldemort. We have the DA. This year we will work with them even more. Get prepared for that final battle. I think we need to find a way to become Order members," Harry stated.

Hermione looked at Harry for a long moment.

"Okay," she said, softly. "I'm in."