Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
By: Fred and George Weasley are MY kings
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. I don't own the sentence I just wrote, or the words that make it. I don't even own the last sentence I just wrote… Or… yeah you get the point. (I don't own the point either)
Chapter 16: Aberforth's Document
FIRSTLY REVIEWS:
Slate-one: Ahh, constructive criticism… Thank you. It is always welcome and wanted. To answer your question, I am not lucky enough to have a beta reader, but after your suggestion, I do intend to get one. I know the mistakes are plentiful and apologize, but I unfortunately do not have enough time to make sure that every mistake is corrected… I realize I should proofread my chapters, but I barely have time to write them let alone reread them and fix the errors. But I do understand where you are coming from I do hope to eventually revise all of the chapters – please bare with me!
Secondly, Author's notes. Thanks for pointing it out. I didn't know people found it annoying and I will keep it in mind (and fix it) in the future. Last but not least, I want to just give a quick thanks to you for being so polite with your criticism and for actually giving me examples of my errors… I really appreciate it. Thanks for the review!
Verigo4ever: Yeah too bad Patriots won, but I agree with you on the MVP. I am really glad to hear that you like that the plot line and that you enjoyed the update! Thanks for reading and reviewing and I hope you enjoy Chapter 16. After reading your story, I don't think you need any pointers :) ATTENTION to all: If you are interested in Half-blood prince fics, I highly recommend Vertigo4ever's story.
Nandhp: Thank you so much for the review! You are the best :) Hope you enjoy Chapter 16! Sorry this response is so short.
Clara: Glad to hear that you liked the update. Hope you like this chapter too! Sorry this response is so short.
A/N: Sorry this is a bit late…I normally try to update once a week, but I didn't have much time to write last weekend. Homework is killing me. I really am so sorry! I feel bad, considering that I even left you on a cliffhanger! I didn't have time to write, but I did get a chance to do some more editing and correcting. This story is under huge revision, and I recently just got a beta reader… improvements to chapter one have already been made.
Chapter 16: Aberforth's Document
Harry looked curiously at the folded piece of parchment that was clutched firmly in Gretchen's small hand. It had yellowed with age and long wrinkles lurked on the corners and along the sides, branching outwards like growing tree branches. Gretchen was staring at the piece of parchment with a vicious hunger that Harry had never seen in her features before. It lurked somewhere deep in the interior of her mind, and the emotions that were tied to it were hidden securely. Despite the seclusion of her emotions, Harry could make a plausible guess of what she was feeling considering the knowledge he had gained from viewing the shell pensive. Thanks to Lupin, Harry knew that his godfather had had a romantic interest in Gretchen… Why wouldn't she return the interest? It was apparent to Harry now, that she obviously had, and perhaps even still did, even though Sirius had passed on.
Harry then thought of the issue, which was being presented. It was obvious that Sirius had had every intention of letting Harry view his 'secret', but Harry felt a bit sketchy about letting Gretchen see it as well. What if it was something that she wasn't supposed to see? Something of personal matters or perhaps a hidden treasure that only Harry could know about?
Despite his qualms of Gretchen being present when Sirius' secret was revealed, he nodded in response to her question. There was no way of not letting her see the contents of the parchment… After all, she had shown him the way to open the compartment in the pin, which had eventually led to the discovery of the very piece of parchment. Seeing Harry's gesture of approval, Gretchen unfolded the aged parchment with small and nibble fingers.
As the paper was eventually unfolded and flattened all that was seen was lonely emptiness throughout the vast surface. Gretchen sighed heavily with a touch of disappointment. "Blank, how discouraging. Here I thought it would be something interesting," Gretchen said, as she again folded the parchment back to its old position and replaced it to its proper position in the pin. Harry was not as easily convinced that the paper held nothing…Instead, he was reminded of the marauder's map. Did this parchment also need a certain password in order to reveal its hidden message? Harry reasoned that it must; why would Sirius give him a blank piece of paper? There had to be something important or significant about it.
"Well, Harry, it's been nice talking to you but I am afraid I must be off," Gretchen said as she handed him the pin. He nodded as he took the pin, and he couldn't keep himself from wondering about just where she was going. As Gretchen left the kitchen, Harry resisted the urge to take the parchment out again, and try to unlock the message it held; he knew he needed to wait until he was alone and somewhere more private. He immediately stole away to the room that he and Ron had been sharing over break and found the room deserted.
Drawing out the pin, and opening the secret compartment, he again took outthe piece of parchment. Harry made his way to his bed, and sat, as he attempted to smooth the parchment into a flatter state. Flattening the parchment as much as was possible, he drew out his wand and muttered the only password he had ever known Sirius to use with anydocuments such as this; "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
No surprisingly, letters immediately began to take form in an aristocratic and curvy font, and they formed the following:
Harry,
Snape found this during one of his missions for Dumbledore at the end of your fourth year term. It's meaning goes unknown, though Dumbledore recognized the beginning as a prophecy made shortly before your birth. Snape was left to decode this document, but I also made a copy of the original and set out to decode it myself. I don't trust that git, especially when it concerns you.
If you are reading this now, I am afraid to say that I failed in decoding the document. I don't know what it holds or what it means, but I do think that it is important. No one else knows about this copy, and it is important that they don't find out. When you are finished with this, please clear it, like you would for the Marauder's Map. It is important that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
Take care,
Sirius
The one with the power 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
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
As another hatched in the last row of the eve of spring
In a line not of the Dark Lord's regime,
He comes a valiant one of royal blood,
Cloaked with the purest heart.
His power of seen goes on unseen
The light of future lighting his way
But the shadows of past deepening the doubt
The valiance and truth forever owned by both
Will be clearly seen when the fateful day of the solstice erupts
The power to defeat will be given to the side
Of which values they agree
The knowledge they possess
Will be the knowledge used to save
The King of blood shall be seen
The Ruler of heart shall be renewed,
Then the prince of time, which lights the others journey, will be revealed
And the solstice will mark a new
While none will follow there after.
Harry gapped as he read the document, knowing immediately what it was after his encounter with Neville and Dumbledore. It was the prophecy, the actual prophecy. It held the clues that were so desperately needed… Clues to find the half-blood prince's identity. Harry eagerly reread the piece of parchment, keeping his eyes alert for any clues that he could possibly use.
'The light of future lighting his way… But the shadows of past deepening the doubt' was easily the most confusing sentence whereas mention of the word prince or something similar to royalty was found almost everywhere. Just as he was brooding about the last paragraph with the mention of all of the royalty, the door gave a loud click causing Harry to jump at the sudden noise. Ron and Hermione entered, wearing blank expressions.
"We were wondering where you went," Ron said smiling as he saw Harry sitting on the bed. ron looked as he was about to say something else, but Harry spoke first. "You'll never believe this," Harry said softly gesturing towards the parchment. "What?" Hermione asked interestedly as she made her way over to the bed to look at what Harry was reading. As she leaned over to read it, a flicker of surprise crossed her face and she gasped in surprise."What is it?" Ron asked as he too came to have a look.
"It's the prophecy," Hermione said softly, as her eyes continued to search the surface of the long document, "How did you get this?"
Harry held up the pin and began explaining how it had come into his possession and how he had discovered that the prophecy was hidden inside of it.
"That is amazing," Hermione said after Harry had finished, "I am surprised that Sirius left this to you, though. It's obvious that we aren't suppose to know."
"Sirius wouldn't have wanted me to be helpless." Harry stated. "I just wish I knew why Dumbledore didn't tell me. He said last year that it was time to let it all out, and come clean."
"Well, Harry, Dumbledore probably didn't know what this meant last year… maybe he still doesn't," Hermione reasoned.
"Why do they have to make these things so bloody confusing?" Ron interrupted, gesturing towards the prophecy. "I mean, honestly. Why even make a prophecy? No one can figure it out anyway."
"Really, Ron it isn't that hard," Hermione said calmly while Ron continued to wear a skeptical expression.
"Look at this…" Hermione said pointing to the first paragraph " 'Born as the seventh month dies.' Harry, you were born in then end of July!"
"Yeah, the first part is about me," Harry admitted, "That is the part that Dumbledore told me last year."
" 'As another hatched in the last row of the eve of spring.' That must be referring to the half-blood prince. The last row must mean last hour," Hermione reasoned… "Eve of spring?"
"Well spring officially starts in March, right?" Ron asked.
"Yes, March 21st." Hermione corrected.
"Well the eve of spring would be March 20th."
"Ron, I think you're right."
"But that doesn't help us much," Harry said, somewhat frustrated, "knowing his birthday isn't going to help us figure out who he is."
Hermione considered this as Ron began to frown. "We still don't know why he is so important." Harry also stated.
" It says he has a power of seen… what that means, I haven't a clue." Hermione said helplessly. "I was really thinking this would be more helpful then this. I think its right to assume that this is the document that Aberforth must be trying to decode."
"Well, Tonks said that he had already made a discovery… Aberforth must've already figured something out." Harry said.
"We just have to find out what," Ron stated.
"If only Clara were okay… We might be able to get some answers," Hermione said softly and all of their faces fell sadly at the reminder of the tragedy that had earlier occurred. Silence hung like a heavy curtain until Ron cleared his throat. "We were coming to find you earlier, Harry, because we overheard a meeting of some sort. You know how you overheard them in the kitchen?" Harry nodded and Ron continued, "Well, we did too, earlier today. They were talking about Gretchen going on a mission to uncover why Percy and Clara were attacked."
"They said that she left today," Hermione said picking up where Ron had left off, "We aren't sure how she is going to go about doing it, but they also mentioned someone else…Igor Karkaroff."
At first, Harry's mind drew a blank, despite the familiar ring that the name had to it. Then in a flash, realization dawned upon him. Karkaroff was the Durmstrang headmaster and a once-loyal death eater. Harry's memory settled on the time when he and Ron had witnessed Karkaroff addressing Snape during their fourth year, the night of the Yule Ball… Karkaroff had been planning on fleeing in order to escape Voldemort's return. Something told Harry he wasn't going to like what was going to come next.
"What about him?" Harry asked.
"He was found by some death eaters… apparently he knows some information, and he is being tortured. Snape was really concerned about it."
"Did they mention what he knew?"
"No, but Snape said that if Karkaroff caves in, the aftermath will be horrible." Hermione responded.
"So, you think he knows something about the half-blood prince?" Harry asked finally seeing what his two friends were getting at.
"I'm almost positive," Hermione answered.
"There isn't really anything else that he could know that would be that important," Ron shrugged.
"The order was talking about a rescue mission… going in and saving Karkaroff, as soon as possible. They are leaving tonight."
Harry sighed heavily, blocking out the thoughts of what would happen tonight in a few hours. He didn't want to think of the lives that would be lost; all of the pain that the night would cause.
A sudden roar was erupted from outside the door and interupted the trio's chat. "You three have a letter," Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted through the closed door. The three exchanged surprised looks as they opened the door to let Mrs. Weasley in after Harry had securely hidden the prophecy under his pillow. There Mrs. Weasley was standing with a letter in her hand.
"There you are, dear. I may be wrong but I am almost positive it's from Hagrid." Mrs. Weasley said as she handed Ron theletter. Shethen continued, "After you three finish reading it, dinner is ready, so come on down." She then turned and dissappeared down the staircase.
Ron opened the letter as Harry and Hermione read over his shoulder.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione,
How yeh doin'? Hope all right. I'm fine, been busy. I am expecting to start teaching as soon as break ends cause I'm back home. Can't wait the see yeh lot again. Been a long time. Got some good news after my trip. See yeh soon.
Hagrid.
"I am so glad Hagrid is coming back," Hermione said as she finished reading the letter. "I can't wait to hear about how the giant alliance went. By the sound of things it all went according to plan."
"I'm glad he's coming back too. Care of Magical Creatures just isn't the same without him." Harry replied."You know, nothing interesting... No blast-ended skrwets or hippogriffs this year."
The three then left for their dinner, and entered the kitchen as the sweet smells of Mrs. Weasley's cooking flooded their senses. Harry dug in hungrily as did everyone else, but he couldn't help from noticing the strange way that Ron and Hermione were looking at each other, and for the first (but probably not the last) time he felt like the third wheel.
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Harry stifled a yawn as he entered the sixth year boy's dormitory. The night before had proven to be entertaining. Fred and George were not requested to goon the rescue mission, so they spent the rest of their night playing quidditch with Harry's set that he had gotten from Luna for Christmas. Harry had felt guilty that night, for having fun while the other order members were out putting their lives on the line, but the distraction was needed greatly.
The order members had come home defeated, proclaiming that everyone was fine but that the mission itself was total failure. They hadn't even set eyes and Karkaroff, and time was running out rapidly.
Harry knew somewhat of the importance, which was tied to Karkaroff… But if he had known the whole story, he would've been much more upset then what he was. Of course, he felt pressured and he pitied the man, but he wasn't necessarily as worried about the situation as he truly should've been.
So he entered the dormitory and set his heavy trunk in the corner, ready to begin a day of lessons, knowing that the war was continuing without him. It not only made him feel useless, but it made him feel much younger then what he was. He was sixteen years old… He was on the verge of becoming a man, if he wasn't one already. Yet the order refused to recognize him as one. And hadn't he proved himself worthy to be called one? After defeating the Dark Lord so many times?
Harry struggled to stop the thoughts from entering his mind. He knew that it wasn't his place to be fighting yet… There was so much he needed to learn. Yet he couldn't help feeling that it would never be learned; feeling like he would just be thrust upon Voldemort without knowing what he was doing.
The unfairness of the situation settled deeply in his mind. Why was he to conquer Voldemort? Why couldn't someone else stand up to the task? He didn't want the responsibility of the task, and he knew that the rest of the wizarding world didn't want their future to rest on a sixteen-year-old boy's shoulders. Yet here he was, sort of wanting to fight, to stand up for the order. He was lost for any explanation as to why he had suddenly become so accepting of his cruel destiny…
Ron entered behind him, whistling a cheery tune, interrupting Harry's thoughts, to which Harry was thankful for (he didn't like where his thoughts were going).
"What has got you so happy?" Harry asked at seeing his friend continue whistling. Harry smiled, thinking that he probably already knew the answer.
Ron blushed feverishly and stopped his whistle, "Well, uh, you see…"
At that precise moment the dormitory door opened with an energetic bang. Ginny entered looking absolutely jubilant.
"So is it true?" she demanded as she stepped further into the room.
"Ginny get out! This is the boys' dormitory. Honestly!" Ron replied.
" Ron answer me!Are you and Hermione dating?" Ginny continued to press. Ron turned a deeper shade of red as he attempted to push is younger sister out of the room.
"Ginny, you can't be in here," Ron stated.
"I'll leave as soon as you give me an answer."
Harry watched amused, as Ron looked from Ginny to him and back again in a desperate fashion. Finally he gave Ginny a cold, "Yes," and she left as promised, though in a fit of giggles.
Ron refused to look Harry in the eye after the incident and his face was still a bright shade of red that matched his hair color.
"So, uh, is that why you were in such a good mood?" Harry asked, letting a smile form on his lips.
"Maybe," Ron said somewhat resembling the dim manner in which Crabbe and Goyle spoke.
Harry continued to snicker, but Ron was not one to just take the teasing lying down. "Well what about you and Looney Luna. Certainly that's something?"
Harry felt a flush rising to his neck as he stopped smiling. Thankfully, Seamus and Dean entered the dormitory saving Harry from facing Ron's question as he easily struck up a conversation with Dean.
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The next day went as any other normal school day went. The lessons were boring and Harry longed to be back at Grimmauld, brooding over the prophecy again with Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, it was not an option and he sat through the day's lessons regardless keeping a watchful eye upon his watch.
After their last class had finally ended, he, Ron, and Hermione all went down to Hagrid's cabin for tea and, most likely, a story of Hagrid's recent exploits. Harry had been looking forward to it for quite some time, and he quickly went down the rugged terrain while Ron and Hermione hung back a bit. As he reached the door, he took his fist and gave a might knock.
The door opened only to reveal the great giant of a man with a grizzly beard and warm eyes peering at him.
"Harry!" Hagrid roared, giving him a large clap on the back, which threatened to knock him over. "Where are the other two?" Hagrid asked, apparently noticing that Ron and Hermione weren't with Harry.
"Oh they are up there a ways," Harry said dismissively as Hagrid strained to see in the distance.
"Blimey," Hagrid suddenly said, "Are they holdin' hands?"
"Err… I don't know."
"I never thought I'd see the day," Hagrid said smiling, while shaking his head.
"Do yeh want some tea?"
"Sure," Harry replied
"I was plannin' on making yeh some food, but I got back a bit later then what was expected," Hagrid said, "I hope yeh aren't disappointed."
Harry did his best to assure Hagrid that the absence of food was fine. In fact, Harry almost preferred that there wasn't any food. All of Hagrid's cooking wasn't necessarily what Harry would even consider edible. As the two sat down to have some tea, Ron and Hermione entered, and Hagrid immediately greeted them.
Soon they were all gathered around the small table, drinking their tea while Fang sat at Hagrid's feet.
"So Hagrid, where have you been all this time? And where is Grawp?" Harry asked as he took a sip from his cup.
Hagrid cleared his throat, "Well, I have been workin' with the giant's again. Yeh know, tryin' to get their help and all in the war, and well, we got ourselves an alliance."
"Hagrid, that is great!" Hermione said excitedly.
"Yeh I suppose. The new minister thinks it'll be a big help, which makes it all easier. Always nice to have some authority on yeh side." Hagrid stopped to take another drink and then he continued. "Grawp helped me out a lot, and I left him there with the rest of the giants. He's pretty good with 'em even if he is small… I think they missed him, yeh know? I gave 'em all the gifts and they accepted 'em. Worked real nicely. I didn't even see anyone else up there. I reckon you-know-who gave up on 'em. Not me, though."
"Well I am sure their help will make a big difference. I mean, who can compete with a giant?" Hermione proclaimed, "It's really great that we finally have some alliances. What with the Goblins and dementors already joining Voldemort…"
"Yea, I know what yeh mean."
"I think it would be a good idea to get the houselves on our side as well."
"Hermione, I don't know about that… They don't want to fight and betray their masters. Yeh might wanna rethink that."
"But they do have advanced magic… Think of what a help the could be."
Harry and Ron sat in silence as the debate began to fire up with Hagrid pointing out that it wasn't their war to fight, well Hermione insisted that it should be. Harry, who grew tired off the bantering, finally interrupted. "Hagrid it's been really good seeing you, but we have to head up to the castle. It's almost 5:00."
Hagrid just nodded, and they stood up to leave. "Yeh three take care now," Hagrid yelled as they exited the cabin. Harry turned to give a wave and the door shut behind him. The three trudged back up to the castle as the cold January wind encircled them.
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Harry awoke the next morning just as the sun was peaking over the snow-covered hills in the east, and he got gingerly out his bed. Making his way to the common room, he encountered Ginny reading a something as she sat contently in an armchair. "I was just about to go get you and Ron," she said sighing. "Mum sent this… and, well, to be honest it doesn't look good." Harry took the newspaper out of her hands and began reading. His stomach immediately overturned as his eyes read the headline labeled: Durmstrang Attacked Last Night.
A/N: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Any comments, suggestions, ideas, questions or complaints? If so please share! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed
Preview for next chapter: Viktor Krum's Last Letter