I'm about to start the final 5 or 6 chapters of this fic. Review again everyone. Criticize if needed be. Thanks for reading.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE SECOND PROPHECY

"On the brink of the final battle, the Dark Lord is not what he seems to be. Covered in the flesh of the dead, he will gain the trust of the one born as the seventh month dies. The life of the eldest will be sacrificed to reveal the identity of the enemy."

Harry sat in the headmaster's office, trying to force what he learned in. He just heard the second prophecy and didn't understand it completely. He repeated it in his head. It still didn't make sense.

"Can you explain this?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore leaned back on his seat as he took of his half-moon glasses. "This prophecy foretells what will come to pass on the night you and the Dark Lord fight."

"Thats obvious. What about what this prophecy tells about the fight?"

"'On the brink of the final battle, the Dark Lord is not what he seems to be' this part of the prophecy seems a bit vague but we will learn more of it as the time draws near that you face Lord Voldemort. The other bit about him gaining your trust, since you were the chosen one to be born as the seventh month dies, is the one that truly bothers me. He can get into your inner circle of friends and learn from all of you on your weaknesses if he gains your trust. It will help him defeat you, Harry. I trust you will be careful who you deal with in anytime of the day, anywhere. My best guess is Voldemort is in a clever disguise."

"And according to the prophecy, with your, the eldest, death can the enemy, Voldemort, be identified."

"Correct. That is why I am dying."

"But what does this all have to do with Crouch and everything else? I mean everything can't just be happening coincidentally all at the same time. Everything is tied together at some point."

"I believe so, too. Don't dwell on this for long. What you need to do is to be careful. According to the prophecy, the Dark Lord is not what he seems to be. He may be anything or anyone. Careful, Harry."

"Okay, headmaster."

Harry went out of the office and walked slowly to his room. It was now passed dinner time and the nighttime wind was blowing serenely through the halls. Harry continued on, not knowing what to think. Nothing was certain in Harry's life. Dumbledore was about to die soon and Voldemort was in a disguise. One thing was sure though. Things will not make sense anytime soon.

The following evening, Harry went to Sirius's place for dinner. Harry had a good laugh as he sat by his godfather. He needed a good laugh actually. They spoke for hours on end. They talked about everything except about Dumbledore dying and the matters relating to that.

"Wait. How exactly did Voldemort end up in the Dementors' Realm again?" asked Sirius

As he drank some butter beer.

"How did you know he was sent there?" chipped in Harry as he scooped his mashed potatoes.

"Well, saw him shriveled up back at the Dementors' Realm."

"Oh, yeah. Well, Dumbledore cast the Avada Kedavra curse on him as Voldemort was about to kill me. It didn't kill him for he was too strong but it left him weak. After that, Dumbledore slid him under the veil at the Department of Mysteries as he was unconscious."

"So it was Dumbledore who sent Voldemort under the veil."

"Yeah. Well, better be going. Good night."

"See you."

March blew into the scene soon enough and classes went on as usual. Harry was now teaching about doxies and pixies to the second years. It was almost lunchtime and Harry was wrapping up his lesson as he whisked away the remaining doxies to their many cages. The bell sang five minutes later, allowing Harry to dismiss the class. Harry now walked out of the classroom and into his room to keep his lesson plan in his desk. After doing so, he walked out, into the hall. He passed by the corridor along the headmaster's office when he walked into Sirius.

"Sirius!" said Harry, surprised. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, nothing. Just went for a stroll here and there." answered Sirius who was wearing a big hat to shadow his face since he was still believed to be a criminal by the public.

"I'm headed to the Great Hall for lunch. Want to eat with me? I can lend you a wider hat to hide your face"

"Oh, no thank you. I had a late breakfast. Well, see you."

"See you."

And then, Harry walked pass the corridor and down the Grand Staircase. He checked his watch, now reading 12:15 as he arrived at the Great Hall and started to eat.

Harry hastily ate since he was so hungry, having not eaten breakfast to catch doxies and pixies for class to study.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall swung open. Everyone was startled as they saw Professor McGonagall enter the massive doors of the Great Hall.

"Prefects, escort the students back into their dormitories immediately. No delays." said McGonagall in a trembling voice.

"Why?" asked at fifth year.

"No questions."

The students left their food as they lined up to return to their dormitories. Harry was puzzled why McGonagall would ask the students to go.

"Minerva, why are the students going back to their rooms?" asked Harry.

"Oh, Harry." answered McGonagall shakily. "Its Albus. There has..."

"What is it?"

"We couldn't do anything. It was horrible. He... "

"He what? Minerva?"

"Someone killed Albus!"

Time stood still. Dumbledore was dying, Harry knew, but not so soon. McGonagall grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him. They were almost running towards Dumbledore's office. Once they were there, Harry saw Dumbledore lying on the ground, dead.

"How did this happen?" asked Harry.

"I am not sure myself. I went up here at around 12:30 and found him here, dead." said Minerva. She was clearly teary eyed.

Harry walked away from the body of Dumbledore and headed to a window since the smell of dead flesh was assaulting his nose. He opened the window and gazed into the fields of Hogwarts.

Harry's mind went blank. The prophecy has come true. Dumbledore was dead. Harry gazed into the noon time sun. Suddenly, something caught his eye. As he watched through the window, he saw something moving under the bushes by Hagrid's hut. It was a dog. A black dog running as fast as the wind as if escaping from something.

Harry's mind collapsed. It was Sirius. He was near this office before Harry went for lunch. It was around 12:15 when they bumped into each other outside the office.

Sirius killed Dumbledore.

'The eldest will be sacrificed to reveal the identity of the enemy.' Through Dumbledore's death, now Harry knows who Voldemort was disguised as. Sirius Black.

He felt worse though. Potter realized that Voldemort killed Dumbledore first, before Harry, because the Dark Lord learned through Harry that it was Dumbledore's fault why he was sent to the Dementors' Realm. He wanted revenge so he killed Dumbledore.

Harry gazed into the grounds feeling as if a thousand dementors were with him, ensuring that he will never be happy again. It was his fault why Dumbledore died because he was told to be careful on telling anything to anyone but he went on talking to Voldemort as Sirius about Dumbledore and now, the headmaster is dead.

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE