Chapter 5

Dumbledore

Harry hadn't realise he was asleep until he was woken up by voices coming from downstairs. He could hear his Uncle low, droning voice, but he couldn't tell if he was angry or talking normally. As Harry sat up pulling off his glasses to rub where they had dug into his face, he heard another voice, one he could not mistake. His Headmaster was downstairs. Harry shot out of the bed so quickly, he felt slightly dizzy and wavered a little on his feet before he set himself straight and went for his door.

Harry grabbed the door and pulled it open to reveal his Uncle and Dumbledore standing there. His Uncle looked shocked to see Harry standing there, but he recovered quickly then started coughing and mumbled 'I'll be down stairs' before walking off.

Harry hadn't seen Dumbledore properly since he had returned from the Department of Mysteries. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about seeing him, whether he was angry, glad, he didn't know, but the was thing he was happy about was that Dumbledore was bringing news for him.

"Harry, how are you? May I come in?" Harry nodded. He didn't know why his voice was stuck in his throat, but he hadn't quite expected to wake up to his Professor waiting outside his room.

Dumbledore walked into Harry's room and sent his gaze around the room, taking things in. Harry's room was quite bare. All that was in there was a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, Harry's Hogwarts trunk, which was still packed from the end of term, Hedwig's cage, and a lamp. Harry's bed was made, but messy from where he'd been lying on it. Dumbledore's gaze returned to his young student.

"May I sit down, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, indicating to the messy bed.

"Yeah sure…err… it's not the most tidy room at the moment…" Harry shuffled into his room and pulled things about a bit, then waved his hand for Dumbledore to sit on the bed. The old

Headmaster sat on the side of the bed facing the window. Harry sat on his desk and waited for Dumbledore to tell him what was going on.

Dumbledore looked Harry in the eyes and sighed.

"Harry you are way too grown up for your own good" The old wizard commented. He looked tired, aware, but tired.

Harry frowned at the comment, and was about to say something when he carried on.

"We cannot stop the interviews coming, Harry. The Minister has now let it be known that anyone giving an interview to the muggle population about our world will be sent to Azkaban, but it had not stopped the damage that has already been done"

Harry frowned. "What damage? How have the press got hold of that interview already?" Harry asked, still frowning.

"I have my theories, but I will save those for a little while" Dumbledore held up his hand to stop Harry speaking

"I will tell you my theories, Harry, but there are a few things I need to tell you first"

Dumbledore looked at Harry and waited for him to acknowledge what he had said.

Harry thought it over. There wasn't much to think over, Dumbledore said he would tell Harry, which meant he would. Although the Professor had kept things from Harry, he had never out right lied to him. Harry nodded for him to continue.

"I thought you ought to know that an old friend of your parents, acting out in what she thought was good faith, has give an interview about you and your parents and what happened" Dumbledore was looking intently into Harry's eyes, as though he thought he would react badly to the news.

Harry barley even flickered. The only thing he felt was annoyed at the fact he hadn't gotten there to defend his parents and the cause they died for first.

When Harry did not react the way Dumbledore though he would, he carried on with what ever he needed to tell the teenager.

"Unfortunately, we cannot stop the stories coming out. The muggle media is as keen to hear our secrets as some of us are to tell them. The Minister has spoken to the daily prophet and has put a choke on all of the British wizarding nation, but it came too late, and some people, mainly known Death Eaters are purposely ignoring the choke and revealing our world more and more"

The Headmaster finished and was looking at his hands bitterly. Harry felt a sudden surge of anger, but suppressed it almost straight away. He knew he had to start schooling his emotions and he knew he still had to give his Headmaster the news.

"Professor, what do you think is happening? Voldemort is behind this? It was one of his Death Eaters giving the interview" Harry asked quietly from his seat on the desk.

The old Professor sighed deeply.

"I can only give you my suspicions, Harry, my theories at best. Like I said in the train station a couple of days ago, I believe that Voldemort want the ministry's efforts to be divided, that way there will be less spot light on him and his rise to ultimate power"

Harry frowned. Although what Dumbledore was saying could be true, why do it like that? Harry voiced his question to Dumbledore.

"But why do it like that? Why wait for me to come back from Hogwarts before doing it? He could have done it as soon as he was discovered, after what happened in the department of Mysteries.

Why attack me to show himself?"

"I do not know Harry, nor do I know if that is the reason he did attack, it seems the most likely, but it might not be the only one. I seem to be miss judging things too much these days" He said with sigh.

Harry hated to see Dumbledore looking defeated. He felt if Dumbledore was defeated, so were they all, everyone who was fighting against Voldemort. Even though Harry knew he must be the one to eventually give the final blow, he always felt that Dumbledore was their strength. Voldemort didn't fear Harry. He feared Dumbledore.

"It's not your fault" Harry heard himself say.

"What isn't my fault, Harry?" He asked quietly.

"I just wanted someone to blame other than myself. It isn't your fault. None of it is" Harry felt better getting this off his chest, but he couldn't bring himself to look at his Headmaster.

"Thank you Harry" He answered quietly

A small silence stretched between them, one that neither wanted to fill.

"You won't be here for much longer, Harry. If we can give it until the end of next week before we whisk you off to join your friends. Molly is very worried about your eating and sleeping. I don't believe she'll rest until she can see and feel you." Dumbledore told him with a small smile

Harry nodded not sure he could speak.

"I know its a lot to ask, but can you not wander to far away from your Aunt and Uncles house?" Harry looked up but nodded.

Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Your mother and father would be so proud of the person you've turned out to be Harry. I knew them both very well, and I see so much of them in you, shinning out, especially in times of need. Your more like them than you'll ever know"

Harry had heard all of this before, but the way his teacher had worded it made it seem more special. Then he had a sudden thought.

"Professor?" Harry said as the old man was getting up off the bed.

"Yes Harry?"

"What's going to happen about Sir…" Harry could still not say his name.

Dumbledore reached out and put his hand on his young ward's shoulder.

"The Ministry is finally happy to accept the fact that Sirius was an innocent man. All charges have been dropped and he will be known as an innocent man wrongly accused" Dumbledore told Harry with a slight smile.

"But it doesn't make any difference now. He's gone. He wont be able to enjoy it wont get the chance to walk as a free man…" Harry felt his anger rising and remembered what he had to tell his

Head teacher.

"We had this conversation before, Harry, it has made all the difference. Sirius and his loved ones knew of his innocence, and that was enough. But he wanted to show the world who he was, and you helped do that, yet again you helped set him free"

Harry thought this over but didn't share his true feelings.

"Professor, earlier today I got very angry when I was watching the news, and Voldemort entered me again…like he did in the ministry head quarters"

Dumbledore's look changed completely. His face had gone from being soft and passive to showing awareness and interest.

"What did he do while in you, Harry? What did he ask you"

Dumbledore had taken his hand off Harry's shoulder and was looking him in the eye.

" He tried to make me show him where I was, where the house is. He kept telling me to open my eyes"

"Did you tell him anything? Did you open your eyes?" Dumbledore asked, still looking Harry directly in the eyes

"No. I kept my eyes closed and refused to speak, he kept urging me to tell him, but I didn't" He explained.

Dumbledore straightened and some sort of tenseness left him.

"We have been very fortunate when it comes to Voldemort and his conquests. It seems know that Voldemort can enter you when your feeling strong emotions" Dumbledore seemed to be saying this more to himself than Harry. He looked at Harry and gave a slight, but meaningful smile.

"When you come to stay with us, we will have a talk about your emotions and occlumency"

Dumbledore held up his hand as Harry was about to protest.

"Professor Snape will not be teaching you this year, Harry, I will. Now I must be going. Write if you need me, you know where I am"

Harry nodded, feeling slightly better after seeing his Headmaster.

"I'll be in touch" He winked, smiled and laid his hand on Harry's shoulder then disaperated.