Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Tonks tripped on her way to the sofa and it was only Harry's reflexes that kept her from landing on the slate flooring. She blushed a little and gave him a kiss as thanks for catching her.
Unfortunately Dumbledore picked that moment to appear in Harry's tent and his booming voice interrupted their kiss. "NYMPHADORA TONKS, just what do you think you are doing?"
His yelling at Tonks and interrupting their kiss ticked Harry, who was still mad at Dumbledore for everything he had done to him. "DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT HER! YOUR MEDDELING HAS ALREADY CAUSED ENOUGH DAMAGE TO MY PERSONAL LIFE AS IT IS, SO STAY OUT OF THIS. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SCREW MY LIFE UP AGAIN!"
It took Dumbledore's considerable skill not to show his surprise of being yelled at by Harry. His words had the desired effect however, and Dumbledore calmed down, reminding himself that he needed to be on good terms with Harry. "What do you mean by again Harry?"
"HERMIONE!"
"Before last summer I was the one she talked to, I was the one she showed affection, and I was the one that she kissed at Kings Cross. Then you had to go and interfere! You put them in the same house together for the entire summer while you abandoned me here! You're the one that made sure that they could only write vague letters to me and couldn't tell me anything! You're the reason why they got closer while I was pushed further away. You're the reason why I was so jealous of them, they were together getting closer, with people that cared and took care of them. While I was stuck here alone, left to dwell on the Cedric's death, becoming depressed, feeling abandoned by the people that I had thought cared, stuck with the Dursley's, whom despise me and do anything they can to make my life worse! When I finally did get out of here, Ron and Hermione were already used to being together, just the two of them. Instead of being the three of us, I was now the outside person! Sure, they would try and involve me in whatever they were doing, but it was Ron and Hermione, with me just joining in. They knew what was going on and could laugh at there little inside jokes or talk about things only they would know about, while I had to keep asking for them to explain it to me, or put up with not knowing what they were on about."
"As if that wasn't enough, you just had to go and give Ron my Prefect's position! I should have been the one that Hermione was proud of; I should have been the one that was with her for the meetings and all the patrols! Which, incidentally, is exactly how they got together! But you had to go and give my position, which I EARNED, to Ron!"
"I don't care what you have to say Dumbledore, you are not going to mess this up! So stay out of it or leave."
Harry wasn't sure what made him bring all that up; it's not like he really liked Hermione in that way, he didn't think he did at least. Thinking about it he doubted that he would even want to go out with her, she was definitely pretty and they were really good friends, but didn't think they would work well together as anything other than friends. She's just to bossy and nosey, he told himself, It doesn't matter what I say anyway, it's just to prove Dumbledore wrong.
Dumbledore's face remained impassive as he walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. He stayed silent a few moments and then said, "I have never meant to cause you any pain Harry." He sighed and closed his eyes a moment before continuing, "Though it seems many of my decisions have inadvertently done just that. I can not say that I do not have a few reservations about this. However, I am glad that you have found some way to be happy Harry and will not voice my concerns for the moment. I fear that after we have this discussion you will need that happiness in your life."
"When I told you the Prophecy I knew we would have to have a much more thorough discussion about it. As such, I have cleared my schedule for most of the day so I may speak with you about it and answer any questions you may have. As you have requested, I will also be speaking to you about Voldemort and what he is doing. But before we get into either of those, I believe it would be best to get the information about your upcoming meeting with the ministry out of the way. You wish to be treated as an adult and be informed of everything, so I will be more direct than I would usually choose to be with this. As I have much to speak of today, I do ask that you let me finish speaking before you ask any questions that I know you will have."
Seeing Tonks was still near Harry, Dumbledore asked, "Will you be joining us for this conversation Miss Tonks?"
"Well, I have to be at the ministry this afternoon, so I may not be able to be here for the full thing. I would like to be here for what I can though, if that's alright with you Harry?"
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at that, she had not asked him if it was okay, but instead only asked Harry.
"Of course Tonks, I think I'd prefer you to be here anyway." Harry replied as he smiled at her and motioned to the couch he was on.
Tonks sat close to him, took his hand in hers and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks."
Though Dumbledore showed no change on his face, he was quite curious as to the relationship between Harry and Tonks. Dumbledore had though that Tonks was the best person to have deliver the package to Harry because he had mentioned in the letter that she had already broken the rules to help him. He however, never expected things to turn out like this, but would this change for the best in the end? He wasn't sure, but he could already tell that Harry had already changed in just the short time they had been together. The Harry he knew from a few weeks ago would have been extremely nervous and blushing at displaying such affection in front of someone. Perhaps Tonks will be good for him after all. It was a comforting thought to have. Though, he thought to himself, when it is found out that they are a couple things will become far worse, not only will the public see Tonks as being to old for their hero, she will be in considerable danger from Voldemort. How would Harry take the loss of his girlfriend? He knew Harry would blame himself if something ever happened to her, and the pain of loosing another person that he cared so much about could be devastating to him. Sighing to himself Dumbledore realized that he now had to come up with a way to keep Tonks safe and away from danger, not the easiest task considering she's an Auror.
"As I know you had your subscription to the Daily Prophet canceled, am I correct in assuming you have not read or heard about what has been published by them since the end of term?"
Harry nodded and wondered just what they had been saying now.
"After the events at the Department of Mysteries, the Ministry started an investigation into what happened that night. I informed them of what I knew and they have already spoken to your friends about their versions of what happened. Though they wished to meet with you as well, I strongly urged them to allow you some time to grieve before they questioned you and they agreed. The investigation may not yet be complete, however based upon the information they received the investigators have already turned in a preliminary report of what happened that night."
"Public opinion of the ministry has been extremely low since they admitted that Voldemort was back. To help fix this problem the ministry chose to release an edited version of events about what happened on the night of the 12th. In the press release last week they said you learned that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were going to break into the Department of Mysteries. You tried to contact several adults that could help, however due to several unforeseen events, were not able to reach anyone. You and a five of your friends took it upon yourselves to try and stop him. The six of you fought eleven Death Eaters, defeated several of them and kept the others busy for nearly an hour, until help arrived. It mentioned that you fought both Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort, delaying them long enough for myself to arrive and for the rest of the ministry to see that he was really back. Ten of the Death Eaters were caught and interrogated, providing a great amount of information. Also, it mentioned that Sirius Black was one of the first people to arrive to help and that he died fighting against the Death Eaters. The minister announced they were currently investigating claims, the first being made by you at the end of your third year, that he was innocent and that it was Peter Pettigrew that betrayed the Potter's and killed thirteen people all those years ago."
"In two weeks time you have the meeting with the ministry officials, in which we should be able to give them the evidence they require about what happened that night and hopefully be able to finish clearing Sirius' name. To do so however, we will have to view several of your memories in a specialized pensive. They will include what happened the night you found Sirius and Peter, as well as the memories of what happened the night of the Department of Mysteries. To clear the record of several other events over the last five years, it would be best if we also show what happened with the Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, and the night of the third task."
Harry was visibly shaking by what Dumbledore had just told him, he still had nightmares of most those nights and now he not only had to relive it, but show it to the ministry.
"I believe it would work to our advantage if we had a reporter there as well, to publish an edited version of what has happened to you these past few years."
"What!" Harry nearly shouted.
Dumbledore waited a moment then continued once Harry had had calmed down, "I know that you dislike your fame and that you have always wanted to be normal. You, however, are not normal Mr. Potter, your fame has increased dramatically since the ministry admitted Voldemort's return and it will only increase more as time goes on. You have been a symbol of hope for our world since you were a baby, it will just be more prominent now that we are at war."
"Voldemort's greatest weapon is fear, if the fear returns to how it was fourteen years ago, Voldemort will have a significant advantage against us. We can not afford for him to get to many more advantages or we will be hard pressed to resist him. You can already be a great help in this war Harry, and can do much more for it than just learning how to fight. By becoming a figurehead, a symbol of resistance against Voldemort, you can give the world something far more powerful than the fear caused by Voldemort and his Death Eaters; you can give them hope. Do not underestimate hope Harry, entire wars can be won or lost by the balance of hope. But they need someone to look up to; they need the hope you inspire in order to fight Voldemort. They need to feel like they can go on with their lives Harry, and you have the power to give them that. I can not force you to do this, but I ask and advise you to help us take advantage of this situation to fight Voldemort."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he chuckled softly as he added, "This would also clear any misconceptions that you are a deranged, attention seeking, demented, murderer."
Tonks, who had been silent up to this point, took Harry's hand and said, "I hate to say it Harry, but he's right. You really can do a lot of good by doing this."
He looked at Tonks for a moment, then down at the floor again and nodded, "Okay then"
"Very good. Now that we have the ministry out of the way, let us move on."
"Let me first start with the Prophecy, though I am sure you have thought much about it, I believe there are some implications that you may not have realized. First, I would like you to know that though it specifies you are the only one that can destroy Voldemort, you do not have to do this alone. In the 160 years that I have lived, I have assisted in the defeat of seven Dark Lords throughout the world. A few of those Dark Lord's I never physically fought against but have aided in others ways, such as information and advice."
"While I may head the Order and use it to oppose Voldemort and bring about his destruction, its members are not the only means I use to do so. Over the years I have made many acquaintances, several of who respect me or consider me a friend and colleague. Though Voldemort is based out of England, he strongly affects all of Europe, and many other locations around the world."
"The Order is not the only such group in existence, many people that align themselves with the side of the light have formed similar groups. Some of these are specific to a location, such as England, or a specific Dark Lord or Light Lord, such as Voldemort or myself. The Order of the Phoenix is specific to England. I have resurrected it twice now, when there has been a Dark Lord threatening England. The creator of the Order of the Phoenix was my mentor, Raseir Abbott. I was originally a member of the Order during the late 1800's, then again in the late 1930's when I fought against Grindewald. There are other groups however, that operate with the wider goal of protecting the light no matter where or who that threat is, they assist in defeating anyone who threatens the light. I, myself, am a member of several of these groups. This past year I have spent a great deal of time contacting people and groups I know around the world and alerting them to our situation."
"While you may be the one that has to destroy Voldemort, I hope you are starting to realize that you are not alone in this fight. I will help you with your burden in any way I can Harry, and I am quite sure that you will find your friends will also be there for you, no matter what."
Dumbledore summoned a kettle of tea and a few cups onto the table. He offered some tea to Harry and Tonks, who politely refused, and then poured a glass for himself. While drinking the tea Dumbledore paused a moment to consider his words.
"There is such a thing as destiny Harry. Though each person has free will to make decisions, some events are destined to happen no matter what choices you make. Seers have the ability to foresee these events and sometimes make prophecies about them. Regardless of whether you knew the prophecy or not, you would still be the only that is able to defeat him."
"Through out the ages there has been the side of good and the side of evil. The forces of Good and Evil continuously clash for dominance, the result of this is that every so often Dark Lords or Light Lords arise to try and overthrow whichever force is currently dominant. I like to think of it as the universe fighting for balance. You and Voldemort are the current instruments of this clash. Myself and Grindewald were the instruments in the 1930's and 40's."
Harry opened his mouth to ask a question when Dumbledore put his hand up to forestall it.
"Yes Harry, there was a prophecy regarding Grindewald and I. As there has been for a great deal of the Dark Lord's through out the ages. Sometimes the one who brings about their downfall knows of the prophecy, other times they will not know it. As you may have noticed prophecies are not always easy to decipher, with some we do not understand whom it meant until after the event has taken place. Though I knew of the prophecy concerning Grindewald, I did not understand that the person it was speaking of was me until after the death of my mentor, exactly two years before I killed Grindewald."
"I think next we should discuss why I believe it is best that you learn to deal with your fame now. I do not know if you truly understand just how famous you currently are Harry. Perhaps I should start by telling you a bit about Voldemort and his reign of terror, that may help with understanding just what you mean to the wizarding world."
"There have been many Dark Lords that have risen and fallen throughout the world Harry. Even at the height of Grindewald's reign, people did not fear to speak his name. Voldemort is one of the few throughout history that has succeeded in scaring people so much that they can not bear to even speak his name. Do you know why that is Harry?"
"Fear?"
"Yes, it is indeed fear, but can you tell me why they fear this one particular Dark Lord more than others? Last year people turned against their saviors rather than believe he was back. Do you know how one man could make them fear so much?"
Harry just shook his head, he had never thought of it like that.
"Power Harry, Voldemort is not just a normal Dark Lord, he has undergone so many dark rituals, so many transformations that he is no longer even recognizable as the man he once was. Can we even consider him a man anymore? One of the main reasons why Voldemort is feared so much is because he commands so much raw magical power that he can destroy the wards protecting most houses. He did not need to waste time using curse breakers to slowly try and wear the wards down. He could destroy all the magical wards protecting the house before the occupants even knew he was attacking, his Death Eaters would then enter and torture, rape or murder everyone in it."
"Though Voldemort has an incredible amount of power and an extreme amount of knowledge of the Dark Arts, he has never believed it is enough. He has always spent a great deal of time gaining more knowledge and undergoing more rituals; during his reign rare books were stolen from most collections through out the world. He gained many ancient works that were long thought lost, scholars would even willingly give him their most precious works when he, or a death eater, came to them. To say no to Voldemort not only sentenced yourself to death, but sentenced your family, friends and loved ones to torture and a very slow and painful death."
"Those conditions allowed him to work freely through out the world, and gave us a significant disadvantage of who to trust. It is not too difficult to say no to someone even if it means your own death, but to be able to deny what he is asking when it means the torture and death of everyone you care about? That is much harder. As you have learned Voldemort is a master Legimens; even if you were to lie to him he would know it and would break your mind to find the truth. He made sure that it was well known that if you were to lie to Voldemort the repercussions would be even worse than fighting against him."
"This happened not just in England, but through out all of Europe and many other countries around the world. That was another reason the fear was so extreme, he did not settle for power in one area, he took it everywhere. There was no safe haven you could flee to; he could attack anywhere at any time. In the mornings people would sit at home and wait for the news of where had been attacked and who had been killed the previous night, wondering if one of their family, friends, or loved ones had been attacked. He was known and feared by every witch and wizard in the world. Even other dark wizards, murderers, assassins and other such unsavory characters feared him. If you were not one of his Death Eaters, you were an enemy. He killed several up an coming Dark Lords, one of the reasons why we had such an extended period of peace after his downfall was because he had destroyed any dark wizard that could become a threat to him."
"So many people were under his influence that you could not know who to trust, you dare not speak against him publicly, for fear of word getting back to his Death Eaters. It was not just Death Eaters or people under the imperious curse that they were afraid of, it was the informants as well, and they could have been anyone. If you gave Voldemort worthwhile information, the Death Eaters would spare you, and you're loved ones for a time. However, you had to continue to feed them information to gain that protection."
"By the look upon your face, I believe that you can now begin to understand just why they feared him to such an extent. Fourteen years ago he disappeared after attacking you and your family. That day you were celebrated, not only in England, but also through out the entire wizarding world. When you came back after the Third Task last year people had two choices; they could either believe that we were telling the truth and that he had really come back, or believe you were lying. Unfortunately, due in part by Fudge's control over The Daily Prophet and the amount of slander already published about you, it was easier to believe that you were lying. After your interview in The Quibbler people were not sure what to think, and more people began to believe the truth, that he had returned. Once our ministry admitted that you were telling the truth and he had in fact returned, most the world began to accept it. All the fear from years ago returned and they needed someone to turn to, someone to put their hope in. That person is, of course, you."
"Though the public does not know the prophecy they are putting their trust in that you will once again defeat Voldemort. To the public you are more than just a famous name, more than a celebrity, and more than a child hero. You are their only hope. That alone is a horrible burden, one I am terribly sorry to have to inform you about."
"Throughout this war your fame will be unrivaled. There are many benefits and disadvantages to being famous Harry. One of the disadvantages is that you will have a hard time in knowing who is truly your friend and who is merely acting like your friend because you are famous. Another disadvantage is the lack of privacy, everything you do in public, every word you say, and everywhere you go will be written about in the newspapers throughout the world. You will have to be careful of your wording when asked questions, and you will have to become an expert in evasive answers and politics. As I have considerable experience with those, I will do my best in teaching you about it. I may consider offering a specialized class in International Relations next year, where I could teach you to deal with such situations. With your considerable fame comes many opportunities, many companies would pay handsomely for having you help market their product with ads for newspapers or on the wizarding wireless. Though I rarely do so anymore, I once took great advantage of such opportunities."
Dumbledore paused for a moment and Harry saw a bit of his twinkle return to his eye. "Another advantage, or disadvantage depending on how you look at it, is that you will never have a problem finding a sexual partner in the future. I have no doubt that a large portion of the wizarding world, both male and female, single or married, and aging from several years younger to perhaps three or four times your age, would agree to have such relations with you. Some would do so merely because you are famous, others to comfort you in your time of need or be comforted by you in their time of need, and yet others would do so as a way to help you win this war. I do believe even many dark witches or wizards, whom despise you, would have such relations with you."
Harry was completely stunned by what Dumbledore had said, he had only been on one date and that only lasted a few hours. He noticed that Tonks was not looking very happy at all about what had been said by Dumbledore. Harry was about to interrupt when Dumbledore held up his hand to forestall the interruption again.
"I mean no disrespect to you, Miss Tonks as I sincerely doubt you are with Harry for his fame. I also do not know how far your relationship has gone, nor is it any of my business. I, however, can say that you have found a way to deal with the pressures of life Harry. I have fought many battles throughout my years, fighting for both wizard and muggle causes, and have killed seventeen enemies in that time. I am also responsible for the death of many more, both enemy and ally."
Dumbledore took off his glasses a moment and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That, is one of the worst parts of being a leader, having to give orders that oftentimes results in death. There have been many times that I have sought solace in the arms of a woman after such events. Though it is not a true cure, for some of the pain will always come back, the touch of a woman can be the pick me up you need when everything becomes to much."
"However, I am off topic once again, I do seem to do that a lot these days. There are other advantages to having fame, you will be treated special and with great respect everywhere you go in the wizarding world, and to some extent the muggle world as well. Though you might not like being treated special, I can assure you that it does have its uses and that you will become used to it in time. I, myself, have never had to wait in lines at any candy store in England due to my fame." He chuckled to himself and added, "or perhaps it is due to my notoriety among candy merchants."
"When you destroy Voldemort, and let me assure you Harry, I have no doubt that you will destroy him, and that you will live through the encounter. If it had been anyone else I would have reservations about saying such a thing. However, after watching you these last years, and I have watched you closely these past five years, I have complete faith in you Harry."
Harry couldn't help but be a bit proud by what he had said, that one of the most powerful and well-respected wizards in the world had faith in him. A part of Harry wanted to hate the old man in front of him, for deceiving him, ignoring him and hurting him so badly last year, but another part of him knew that he could never really hate him. He may get mad at Dumbledore but Harry knew that he would always think of him as a sort of grandfather.
"I believe it is obvious that when you defeat him you will become even more famous than you currently are. Indeed, as you are already the most famous wizard of our time, I have no doubt that you will continue to be so for many years to come. However, this of course has an even higher price than I have mentioned so far. By defeating Voldemort you will become a target for not only death eaters seeking revenge, but also for every up and coming Dark Lord in the future. They will wish to make a name for themselves and what better way than by defeating Harry Potter? There are many ways to protect yourself, and I will help you as much as I can, but I fear that you will have many more fights ahead of you."
"I know this is not what you expected, or ever wanted, and I would remove these burdens from you if I could Harry. Alas, that is one power that I do not have." Pausing a minute Dumbledore added, "Perhaps now you can begin to understand why I had such a hard time informing you of the prophecy and begin to forgive me for my mistakes."
"Well, I think that this is enough depressing talk for the moment!" Tonks interjected happily, though Harry could tell from looking at her that she didn't truly feel it. "Harry and I were talking when we were waking up the other morning and I think we found something that will really help him, especially with the whole fame thing. Come on Harry, let's show him!" Harry barely suppressed a small groan as he saw Tonks was truly excited about him being a Metamorphmagus again. He knew that she was trying to help him and make the mood happier, but at the moment he didn't really want to be happy.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrow when Tonks mentioned waking up with Harry, but said nothing, as he was interested in what they had found.
Harry saw that the eyes of the other two were on him and sighed to himself, he'd have to show him. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute. Slowly his hair started to lighten from black to a deep brown; when he opened his eyes again he saw that Dumbledore was shocked by it. Smiling to himself he closed his eyes once more and concentrated for another minute until he felt his hair touch his shoulders. When he opened his eyes again Dumbledore had gotten over his shock and was smiling broadly, looking happier than he had since he had arrived there that morning.