Harry Potter and the Unexpected Powers
Disclaimer: Not mine!!! It's JK Rowling's!!!
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Chapter 4: Of Truths revealed
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After his startling talk with Professor Snape, Harry just lay on his back for a few minutes and stared at the ceiling, his grin slowly fading. His mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts, he was slightly confused by what he had heard and still trying to understand the way Snape's and his father's minds worked. His mind was also reeling with thoughts about the TriWizard Tournament and the incredible guilt he was still feeling for Cedric's death.
Harry didn't know how long he had been lying there just staring off into space when he was suddenly brought out of his reverie by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Looking up sharply, he found himself face-to-face with none other than Albus Dumbledore, who was peering at him with worry in his eyes. Behind the headmaster there were Minerva and Professor Snape, both of whom were regarding him with similar expressions.
Harry turned his attention back to Dumbledore.
"Harry.....are you alright?" headmaster asked concernedly.
Harry blinked. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't alright, of course he wasn't. He probably wouldn't be 'alright' for quite some time. ( At least that's what he felt like now.)
Not with all those nightmares about Cedric, the guilt and those horrible memories of the third task and the Dursleys.
Harry had once heard an old man say to another: 'Death lasts during the whole life and probably ends as soon as it occurs.'
Harry almost smiled, wryly. At that time the saying had sounded horrible to him, he had got away from the men as soon as possible.
Now, though, he thought that there was a deep truth to the statement. It was a good description of how he felt right now:
Like over the years, more and more parts of his soul had died, starting with the rejection of the Dursleys for as long as he could remember, to his first year here at Hogwarts, when everybody had shunned him because he had lost 150 house points just for helping a friend, going on to second year when people had refused to even look at him just because he could talk to snakes, third year, when he had had to witness his parents' death over and over again every time he had come near a dementor, and fourth year, when almost all the students had hated him for putting his name in the Goblet of Fire (not that he had done it, mind you).
Harry still felt a pang of hurt and anger go through him when he thought of Ron's jealousy and the badges most of the students had worn: "Potter stinks". He knew he shouldn't be affected by this, but he couldn't seem to help it.
It was just that every time when everything seemed to be so perfect, it would be destroyed by something that wasn't even Harry's fault. The biggest part of him, of course, had died together with Cedric when those horrible two words had left Voldemort's servant's mouth.
Dumbledore seemed to mistake Harry's silence for confusion because he added:
"We've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes. You startled us when you weren't responding."
Harry blinked again.
"Oh.....I'm sorry. I was merely preoccupied. I'm fine." With that, and an unconvincing smile, he lapsed into silence again.
"I'm afraid there is still one more thing we need to talk about, Harry, before we can leave you to your thoughts." Dumbledore said, a hint of regret in his voice.
Harry suppressed a groan and averted his face. He did NOT want to talk about the Dursleys' treatment of him, it wasn't anyone's business but his own.
"By the expression on your face, I can tell that you know what this is about, Harry," Dumbledore continued firmly. "As much as I hate to inflict this kind of pain onto you, it has to be done. Harry, please tell us about the Dursleys."
Harry bit his lip.
"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly, surprised at his own voice, which was monotone and steady.
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temples wearily.
"Tell us how they treated you, Harry..... when did they start to mistreat you, and why?"
Harry frowned.
"As long as I can remember, the Dursleys have always treated me horribly. I- used to sleep in a small broom cupboard under the stairs. I never had any clothes other than Dudley's hand-me-downs. As soon as I could walk properly, they used me as their slave..... They made me do all sorts of chores, everything they could think of. I remember once, when I was seven, my uncle made me climb on to the roof and clean the chimney....."
Harry's frown deepened, remembering the accident.
"I ended up breaking my leg because I fell off the roof. The Dursleys were furious because they had to take me to a doctor's. They said I wasn't worth the money. They always said those things. They said I was worthless, a burden on everyone, that the world would be better off if I had just died together with my parents..... "
He sneered slightly, ignoring the outraged expressions on his listeners' faces.
"Of course, after a few years, I became immune to the verbal assaults. I formed my own world in my thoughts, a world in which anything was possible and everything was perfect. I still had my Mum and Dad, the Dursleys didn't exist. Whenever they launched into one of their tirades, I would block them out and retreat into my world. I read lots of books..... they were the only things the Dursleys would let me have, and only because Dudley didn't like them. The books helped me form my fantasy world and allowed me to slip into it- they were my sanctuary, my refuge when reality- or the Dursleys- became too hard to face.
"It all stopped when I got my first Hogwarts letter..... the Dursleys were afraid someone would come to check on me and gave me Dudley's second bedroom. Of course it was packed with his broken toys before my aunt cleaned it out last year, but still- it was a room."
Harry shrugged.
"And the physical abuse, Harry? When did that start?" Dumbledore prodded lightly.
Harry frowned again.
"It's strange, really. I had almost forgotten about this occurrence about eight years ago- like something was blocking my memory..... but now that you mention it.....
"One day, when I was seven, my aunt and uncle took me and Dudley out to get Dudley some new clothes for his birthday. They didn't want to take me along, of course, but Mrs. Figg was on holiday and they didn't want to leave me in the house by myself. They thought I would blow it up or something.
"Anyway, at the end of the day, the Dursleys went into a shop- the last one, they said- in a small alley and instructed me to wait outside on the street alone. It was already quite late, most of the shops had closed and I remember that there were no other people outside anymore.
"Suddenly, a group of strange people came around the corner. They were heading straight for me. I got scared and tried to get into the shop to the Dursleys, but the doors were too heavy for me and my aunt and uncle were at the very back of the shop and couldn't see me.
"Meanwhile, those people had come very close to me. They were really coming to me, I could see it. I tried to run, but they were quicker and surrounded me...... I was so scared, I wanted to scream for help, but somehow I couldn't get a sound out! They weren't armed, but they were all so big and grinning maliciously..... the leader of the group advanced on me, and I desperately wished to be somewhere else, anywhere else.....
"And suddenly, with a slight 'plop', I found myself inside the shop, right in front of my uncle's nose.
"Looking back, I'd say that I must have apparated away accidentally.
"My uncle, however, was not pleased. The storekeeper fainted and my aunt started to scream hysterically. When we left the shop, the strange people were gone. My uncle didn't say a single word on our way back, even when I tried to explain to him that I could not explain how I had managed to just 'beam' myself into the shop.
"When we were home, he shoved me roughly against the kitchen door and slapped me a few times, berating me for my freakishness and stupidity. My aunt and cousin cheered him on. Then, he threw me into the cupboard and shut me in for the next two days."
Harry was silent for a minute.
"From that day on, he hit me a few times..... it wasn't bad most of the time, unless something big had happened, like, one time, I accidentally apparated on to the school roof, or one time when an especially big order of drills for his business was withdrawn.
"It stopped when I got to Hogwarts, like I said- Vernon was probably afraid I'd turn him into a toad or something if he hurt me- but this summer, his business was going badly and he needed a vent, I suppose. So- that's it."
Dumbledore nodded. For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then Dumbledore asked the very question that Harry was dreading the most. "Harry, why did you never tell anyone?"
Harry averted his gaze and pressed his lips together.
"Harry, please." Dumbledore took Harry's chin into his hand and forced the boy to look into his eyes. Dumbledore's light blue eyes were piercing, as always, and Harry had, yet again, the feeling that the man could look into his very soul. They held a silent staring contest for a few more moments, then Harry had to look away. Dumbledore released his chin, knowing that he had won.
"I had no one to tell." Harry said darkly. "I never had any friends, Dudley made sure of that. I didn't know any trustworthy adults, either. Of course, there was Mrs. Figg, the old lady that would baby-sit me whenever the Dursleys went out and didn't want to take me along, which was most of the time. But I really didn't know her all that well, and she wouldn't have been able to help me anyway, I thought.
"Besides, Uncle Vernon made it clear that should I ever tell anyone about the abuse, I would be terribly, terribly, sorry.
"So I kept silent, like he wanted me to, and made up lies to explain the occasional bruise to my teachers who saw them, became concerned and asked me about them. I became quite good at it over the years. I had fallen down the stairs. My uncle had chopped down a tree and its branches had hit me in the face. My cat (not that I ever had one, though I always wanted one) had scratched me. I had been standing in front of the door right when my uncle opened it and accidentally slammed it into my face. I had tripped over a stool in the dark and crashed into the wall. You get the idea? I don't want to know what my teachers thought of me. It became a habit after a while and sometimes I didn't even notice that I was lying anymore."
"And after you came to Hogwarts?" Snape prompted.
Harry shrugged.
"Uncle Vernon stopped. Why should I have told anyone?"
The three adults stared at him incredulously.
"Why should you have told anyone?" Minerva asked incredulously. "Harry, what your uncle did was wrong! We would never have sent you back to live in such conditions if we had known, protection from Voldemort or not!"
Harry remained silent. Deep down in his heart, he knew that Minerva was right. He should have told her, because she was his head of house, or Dumbledore. But truth to be told, he had been ashamed. Still was. Famous Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, downfall of one of the darkest wizard of all times, couldn't even stand up to his muggle uncle.
There would have been an uproar, and Harry would have been even more in the centre of attention than he had been before. And he had finally had the chance to start a new life at Hogwarts, without the Dursleys there to mess up his life.
And quite frankly, he hadn't wanted anything of his past to destroy that chance, he hadn't wanted people to think that he was weak. Life had already been difficult enough with all those stares he was receiving. He didn't think he would have been able to stand it if those people had pitied him. Harry hated pity. It always made him feel helpless and worse than he had before anybody had said anything.
So Harry had told nobody, and had vowed to himself that nobody would ever find out, and that he wouldn't let his so-called family destroy his chance in the wonderful, fabulous new world that had been opened to him on his eleventh birthday.
Stumbling over his words, Harry tried to explain this to his godmother, headmaster and Potions professor.
When he had finished, there was a long silence in the room. The professors seemed to be mulling over his words in their heads.
Finally, Dumbledore nodded.
"I understand, Harry. I still say you should have told someone, but I can see why you didn't- also, Harry, this is nothing you have to be ashamed of. There was nothing you could have done against your uncle, you were just a child after all, and you still are, no matter how old you may feel. Harry, promise me that you'll never keep anything like that from us ever again. Contrary to what you might believe, we do care about your well-being very much. Please, Harry, promise that you will come to one of us here if there is ever something wrong with you again."
Harry felt touched by the pure concern and sincerity that shone in Dumbledore's eyes, as well as in Snape's and Minerva's. He had never heard his headmaster plead with anyone before- usually, Dumbledore's polite requests were more orders than anything else. So, he made up his mind quickly. "I promise."
Dumbledore smiled at him.
"Very well. And now, I suggest that you go back to sleep for a while, Harry. I will wake you again in three hours, I still have to tell you about something, and tonight there is a meeting of a group of people who would like to meet you, Harry. Sirius and Remus will be here in four hours as well, so you'll have some time to catch up before the meeting. Sleep well, Harry."
Harry nodded, yawned and curled up on his side. He hadn't even realized how exhausted he was from all that talking. What did Dumbledore want to talk to him about? And Sirius and Remus were coming! Harry smiled in anticipation. He could not wait to see his godfather and favourite (ex)professor again. Despite those exiting thoughts, Harry fell asleep quickly, the smile never leaving his face.
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Nice place to end a chapter, don't you think? *ducks flying tomatoes* Alright, alright, I'll continue!
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Harry woke up to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. Harry sat up slowly, blinking into the light. Someone handed him his glasses and he put them on. The room came into focus, and Harry recognised Dumbledore standing next to his bed. This time, though, there were no other people in the room.
"Harry, I'm sorry for waking you, but Sirius and Remus will be arriving in an hour or so and I still have to talk to you about something."
Harry yawned and blinked sleepily.
"Tha's awrigh", he said, his words slightly slurred, and started to fall asleep again.
"Harry, wait!" came Dumbledore's voice, this time sounding a bit more commanding and also distinctly amused. "You can go back to sleep later if you still wish to do so by then, though I seriously doubt it. Now, Harry, do you have any idea what this is about?"
Harry opened his eyes again, unwillingly, but a bit more awake.
"No, I'm afraid I don't have a clue, Sir." Harry answered honestly.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Well then, I'm going to give you a clue. I'm going to answer a question you asked me a little more than three years ago."
Immediately Harry's head snapped up. Dumbledore chuckled.
"I see that I got your attention. Harry, it's time for you to know why Voldemort wants to kill you."
Harry listened with bated breath. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore would finally tell him what he had wanted to know since his eleventh birthday. Dumbledore, seeing that Harry's attention was all his, continued.
"Harry, what I'm about to tell you will probably come as a shock to you. Please listen to me first, then I will answer any questions that you might have."
Harry nodded.
"Good. Harry, do you remember that I once told you in your third year that Professor Trelawney had only made two true predictions in her life?"
Harry remembered quite well.
"Yes, Professor. But what's that got to do with me?"
Dumbledore raised his hands.
"Everything, Harry, because her first prediction was about you. It happened exactly one year before you were born, Harry, on July 31st, 1979. I was visiting Professor Trelawney in her tower to ask her how things were going, when she suddenly seemed to space out. And then she started to speak in a voice that was far too deep to be her own. Luckily, I recognised the signs of a vision and had a quill and parchment with me to write her prediction down:
'Dark times are over us,
The snake has taken over the world.
Hope is lost in many hearts,
Those who fight became rare.
But not all hope is lost,
A new light will rise,
Son of the flower and the stag,
Born from a line of pride.
Powerful he shall be,
More so than anyone ever before,
The Dark Lord's downfall is near,
At the hands of a mere child.
At great cost the baby shall win,
Losing what is dear to him in the process,
Thus begins the story of the Boy-who-Lived,
Saviour of the world from great evil.
But defeated the Dark Lord shall not be,
And years later he shall return,
Dark times shall take over the world again,
In the hearts of people strike fear.
But the Son of Hope lives,
Destined to defeat the evil snake,
Achieving his powers at the age of fifteen,
In a clearing, lost and alone.
Alone he has been for most of his life,
And alone he shall free the world from evil,
When the Order of Phoenix stands again,
And the final battle is near.'
"Yes, I believe those were her words. For the coming year, I tried in vain to figure out who this son of hope would be. And then, exactly one year later, on July 31st, 1980, you were born.
"I was friends with Lily and James, Harry, even more so when the two of them entered the Order of the Phoenix right after their graduation.
"So, naturally, I visited Lily in the hospital, the day after you were born. When I came, you were awake, though your mother was still sleeping. Miraculously, you didn't make a sound, you just looked up to me with those impossibly green eyes of yours. That's when I noticed that there was something very, very special about you. There was an aura of power all around you that even fully trained wizards don't usually achieve.
"I remembered the prophecy, and it started to make sense. Lily, obviously, was the flower, and James was the stag, for reasons that were not clear to me for many years. That meant that you, my dear boy, were the son of hope the prophecy was talking about.
"When Lily was allowed to leave the hospital three days later, I went to her and James's house and told them about the prophecy and my suspicions regarding you.
"Lily and James, of course, had already noticed that there was something unique about you- you were already using magic at such young age. Even if it was only to summon your toys, it was unmistakably magic. We decided, for your own protection, that we would use a spell to keep most of your powers at bay. They will return to you on your fifteenth birthday, together with the powers the prophecy spoke of.
"Meanwhile, we did our best so that nobody would find out about you or the prophecy. But then, I'm sorry to say, Harry, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
"I called in a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix Council and told them about the prophecy, about you being the son of hope, so that they would help to protect you, Lily and James.
"Unfortunately, Wormtail was also part of the Order. He must have told Voldemort, because not a week later we received news from Severus that killing the Potters was now Voldemort's first priority. He had been after them before, of course, not only because James and Lily were two of the best Aurors of the time, but also because it had come to Voldemort's attention that James was the heir of Gryffindor. Voldemort, being the heir of Slytherin, was afraid that James would be a real threat to him, so he decided to..... eliminate the Gryffindor lineage, and with that, you.
"Of course, what Voldemort didn't know, was that Lily wasn't really a muggleborn, either. Both Lily and Petunia were adopted, Petunia is a squib, that is why she hates magic so much, she is bitter. I'm not sure if either of them ever knew this, but like the Potters, the Evans family is one of the oldest wizarding families in existence- and they are direct descendants of both Merlin and Rowena Ravenclaw herself. Making you, my dear boy, the most powerful wizard that has ever lived: You, Harry, are the heir of Merlin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
"You know the rest of the story, Harry. One year and almost three months after you were born, Lily and James decided to go under the Fidelius Charm. Wormtail's betrayal ended up being the Death of your parents. You, a mere baby, defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort and became famous all over the wizarding world. You were sent to live with your muggle relatives because of the blood ties you, Petunia and your cousin are sharing. Three weeks ago, Voldemort returned. The prophecy has come true, at least the first and second part of it. Am I correct in assuming that your birthday is in two weeks?"
Harry, still too shocked to do anything else, nodded dumbly.
"You will receive your powers in two weeks, then. It will probably come as a shock, even hurt. I hope that you are prepared."
A long silence filled the room after Dumbledore had stopped talking. Harry's brain tried to process all that he had just heard and failed miserably. It was just too much, too unbelievable!
After a few minutes of silence, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Harry, are you alright?"
Harry shook his head dazedly and blinked to clear away the fog that seemed to penetrate his brain.
"Professor Dumbledore," he managed to get out, "It can't be. It can't be me. I'm not powerful, I'm not even all that good here at school, it has to be someone else, you..... you must have made a mistake....." he trailed off, realizing that he was rambling.
"Harry, calm down. I assure you that I have made no mistake. It really is you the prophecy is talking about. And believe it or not, your grades are quite good. I must say, we, the professors that is, were pleasantly surprised when you got such good grades. We thought you would have a lot more trouble with school, after all we took away most of your powers. Trust me, Harry, it's you."
Harry sighed as he looked down on to the bed sheets. Deep down, he knew that Dumbledore was right. But that did not mean that Harry liked the idea of having to defeat Voldemort on his own any better. Shoving that thought aside for a while, Harry realized that there were still a few questions on his mind that he couldn't find the answers to.
"Professor Dumbledore, what did that part of the prophecy mean where it said that I would achieve my powers 'in a clearing, lost and alone'? Harry quoted.
Dumbledore sighed.
"That, Harry, is a question I cannot answer, I'm afraid."
"But why not?" protested Harry. "You told me about the prophecy. Don't I have a right to at least know what it means?"
Dumbledore shook his head, smiling slightly.
"Don't get me wrong, Harry. I would answer your question if I knew the answer. But, to be perfectly honest with you, I don't have a clue about what that part of the prophecy means, either. You'll just have to wait and see, I guess."
Harry nodded, slightly embarrassed at his earlier outburst.
"Um, Sir, I have another question." Harry said tentatively.
Dumbledore nodded at him, still smiling, the twinkle in his eyes ever- present.
"Fire away, Harry."
Harry didn't know why he was feeling so hesitant to ask this simple question, but somehow he did.
"Professor, I was wondering, what exactly is the Order of the Phoenix you and the prophecy were talking about?"
"Ah," Dumbledore said, "I was wondering when you'd ask. The Order of the Phoenix, Harry, is a secret group of people fighting against Voldemort. And not just him.
"The Order was founded by none other than Merlin himself, your ancestor. In the time he founded it, which was well over 10000 years ago, there was a very powerful dark witch called Nimue. She was gathering followers all around her, and the people or creatures that did not want to fight, she either killed immediately or tortured until they gave in to her.
"Merlin, while being one of the most powerful wizards of all time, could not fight a whole army on his own. So he started to gather followers as well. Not only wizards or animals, but also muggles. Most living beings had already heard of Nimue's terror and agreed to help Merlin gladly. Merlin tested each follower's loyalty by letting him or her look into his phoenix's eyes. Then he questioned them about their loyalties. No one can lie, Harry, while looking into a phoenix's eyes. And so Merlin's group became known as the Order of the Phoenix.
"Merlin's closest and most powerful allies were in the Order's council, Merlin himself was, of course, the head of it.
"After many years of desperate fighting and huge losses on both sides, the Order of the Phoenix finally managed to defeat Nimue. Her followers were forgiven and the Order stopped meeting after swearing that they would come together once more should there ever be a dark wizard or witch trying to take over the world again.
"Well, of course there were plenty of them. Though it had been such a long time, people remembered the Order of the Phoenix. The Order reunited countless times over the centuries, always with different leaders and warriors, but never breaking the tradition of the Phoenix-initiation- ritual, and never, not even once in the past, have they failed.
"When Voldemort tried to take over the world almost twenty years ago, the Order of the Phoenix stood again. I was the head of the Order, Fawkes was the Phoenix testing people's loyalty.
"Shortly before Voldemort's downfall, the council consisted of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinistra and Vektor, and Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Mad-Eye-Moody, Dedalus Diggle, Marlene McKinnon, Emmeline Vance, Benjy Fenwick, Sturgis Podmore, Caradoc Dearborn, Elphias Doge, my brother Aberforth, Dorcas Meadowes, Arthur Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Lily Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Edgar and Jessica Bones and Gidgeon and Fabian Prewett." Dumbledore paused for a while, seemingly lost in memories.
"Many of them, Harry, met their fate. Voldemort targeted every Order of the Phoenix member, and even more so, the Order Council.
"Marlene McKinnon was killed by Deatheaters, together with her whole family. Benjy Fenwick, too was killed..... we found most of his body eventually..... it was not a pretty sight, Harry..... Edgar Bones..... such a great wizard..... yet he, too, was victim to one of Voldemort's Deatheater raids..... Caradoc Dearborn vanished without a trace..... The Prewetts were killed in a Deatheater attack, they fought bravely..... Dorcas Meadowes, the poor dear, she was killed by Voldemort personally..... Your parents..... The Longbottoms, as you know, were tortured to insanity about Voldemort's whereabouts after his downfall....."
Dumbledore trailed off. Harry hardly dared to breathe. All those poor people had died..... all because of Voldemort. Voldemort had killed so many..... and he, Harry, was expected to defeat him? It seemed ridiculous. What could an almost-fifteen year old boy do against the greatest dark wizard of the century? Even more than a century, Harry mused. After all, Trelawney had predicted that Voldemort would rise again, greater and more terrible than ever before. Harry shuddered.
"My apologies," Dumbledore, who had been watching Harry, said quietly. "I should not have burdened you with the details. Forgive me, Harry. Let us return to the task at hand."
The twinkle in his eyes, which had dulled briefly during his description of the Order members' deaths, returned a little.
"When you, Harry, told me about Voldemort's return three weeks ago, I immediately took action. The remaining people of the Order Council of fourteen years ago in addition to a few others agreed to join the Order again. The council now consists of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinistra, Vektor and Snape, and Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Mad- Eye-Moody, Arthur Weasley and his two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie, Dedalus Diggle, who is currently on recruiting duty down in Kent, Emmeline Vance- she, too, is on a mission- Sturgis Podmore, Elphias Doge, my brother Aberforth- all of whom are contacting foreign ministries as we speak- and two Aurors Arthur has managed to convince, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks.
"At the moment we are gathering followers all over the world, people willing to fight against evil, stand up to Voldemort. Currently we count 87 members and more are joining every day, though it is going slowly, too slowly......
"Tonight, there will be an Order of the Phoenix Council meeting I would like for you to attend. Do you feel up to it, Harry?"
Harry nodded eagerly, he wanted to know more about this group his parents had once been part of. Dumbledore, seeing Harry's enthusiasm, smiled.
"Good then. Do you have any questions, Harry?"
Harry, already starting to shake his head, stopped himself just in time.
"Actually, Professor, yes, I have. You remember how you told me that it is impossible to lie while looking into a phoenix's eyes, and that each member of the Order was questioned about his or her loyalties under these circumstances?"
At Dumbledore's nod, Harry continued.
"Then why, Professor, did Peter Pettigrew ever become part of the Order?"
Dumbledore looked down at his hands and sighed.
"Harry," he said very quietly, "What you must understand is that Peter Pettigrew was not always bad. When the Marauders and Lily entered the Order right after their graduation, he was as faithful to the light side as you and me. That's why he passed the Phoenix's test with flying colours. I don't know what made him go over to the dark side, Harry, and I probably won't ever know. I'm sorry to say that at that time we hadn't thought of the possibility of someone in the Order Council leaking information to Voldemort.
"We knew that there had to be a spy in the Order, of course, because Voldemort always seemed to know about our defence plans before we took action. We tested the warriors' loyalty, but all of them were faithful. Not once did we think of testing the Council as well. It was another big mistake we made, but nothing can change the past, and you shouldn't dwell on it either, Harry. Heaven above, if I tried to list all 'what ifs' in my life, I'd probably die before I was halfway through!"
Harry smiled slightly. It was good to hear Dumbledore joke, that always made Harry feel like there was still hope, even when something had looked like a lost cause before.
Then Dumbledore got serious again. He laid a warm hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Harry, I'm very sorry for any past mistakes that have caused you pain. Not only your parents' death, but also leaving you with the Dursleys. I should have checked on them before I ever left you at their house, I should have sent someone to check up on you every once in a while. It never occurred to me that your relatives might be treating you as anything but their loved nephew. I am really sorry about that, Harry, and I want you to know that if you ever need anything, or even just someone to talk to, I'll always be there for you, just like your godparents, Remus or even Professor Snape."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which made both Dumbledore and Harry look up, and which saved Harry from answering, for which he was eternally grateful.
"You can come in!" Dumbledore called.
The door opened, and in stepped the two people Harry had wanted to see more than anyone else. His face quickly broke into a large smile, as he cried:
"Sirius! Professor Lupin!"
The two men came over to the bed quickly, and Sirius immediately hugged Harry.
"Harry! Minerva told us what happened. Are you alright?" Sirius released Harry, and was shoved aside by one certain ex-Defence against the Dark Arts- Professor.
"Harry!" Remus said in his usual jovial and cheerful manner, as he, too, grabbed Harry into a hug, surprising him. "It is good to see you again!"
Harry grinned even more broadly.
"You too, professor. You too!"
Remus shook his head, still smiling.
"Harry I'm not your professor anymore.....yet. Please call me Remus."
Harry's eyes widened.
"Yet? Does that mean that you're coming back to teach Defence?"
Remus nodded. Harry beamed at him.
"That's wonderful! Oh, Ron and Hermione are going to be so happy to hear....!" Remus laughed, looking embarrassed.
"You may tell Ron and Hermione, but no one else, Harry. We can't spoil the surprise for all of the students!"
Harry looked at him questioningly.
"All of the students? Who knows about it?" Harry asked curiously.
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, other than you, Hermione, Ron and probably the rest of the Weasleys, and the other teachers of course.....only Rhia does."
Harry frowned. He was quite sure that he didn't know whom Remus was talking about.
"Rhia? Who's that? I'm quite sure that I've never met anyone with that name before." he said, fixing his (extremely curious) gaze on Remus. Remus smiled softly.
"Rhianna is my daughter, Harry."
Harry blinked. That was certainly unexpected.
"I didn't know you had a daughter. How old is she?"
Remus smiled again.
"She's almost fifteen, Harry, just like you. She will be transferring to Hogwarts this year."
Something in Remus's tone told Harry not to ask further questions on the subject, so he simply said:
"I'm looking forward to meeting her."
After that, the three of them (Dumbledore had left to prepare for the meeting) chatted about various things. Harry was glad that neither Sirius nor Remus brought up the subject of the Dursleys again, he really didn't want to talk about it another time so soon.
But throughout the whole time Harry couldn't help thinking about the mysterious Rhianna Lupin. There was something strange about Lupin's daughter, even though he had never even met her. She was his age, so why hadn't she gone to Hogwarts before? And another thought struck him. Though he wasn't completely sure, he could have sworn that he had heard Hermione say once that lycanthropy was heritable. So was Rhianna Lupin a werewolf? He would have to look it up in the library.
Suddenly, Harry was jolted out of his thoughts by Remus crying:
"Good lord! Look at the time! Harry, go take a shower, the bathroom's just down the hall, you'll find some clothes on a stool beside the tub, I told the house-elves to put them there earlier. Hurry, or we are going to be late for the meeting!"
Harry nodded and got up quickly. Dashing down the hall and reaching the bathroom in no time he concentrated solely on showering and dressing as quickly as possible, all thoughts of Rhianna Lupin temporarily erased from his mind.
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A/N: Well! What do you think? This was a long chapter, my longest yet by far! *collapses from exhaustion*
Rhianna Lupin is mine, though she won't play an important oar in this story for another few chapters. Don't worry, you'll like her! And don't worry, Harry isn't going to stay miserable for too long. He's just still depressed about the TriWizard Tournament!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
Until next time,
Felinity ^_^
Disclaimer: Not mine!!! It's JK Rowling's!!!
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Chapter 4: Of Truths revealed
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After his startling talk with Professor Snape, Harry just lay on his back for a few minutes and stared at the ceiling, his grin slowly fading. His mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts, he was slightly confused by what he had heard and still trying to understand the way Snape's and his father's minds worked. His mind was also reeling with thoughts about the TriWizard Tournament and the incredible guilt he was still feeling for Cedric's death.
Harry didn't know how long he had been lying there just staring off into space when he was suddenly brought out of his reverie by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Looking up sharply, he found himself face-to-face with none other than Albus Dumbledore, who was peering at him with worry in his eyes. Behind the headmaster there were Minerva and Professor Snape, both of whom were regarding him with similar expressions.
Harry turned his attention back to Dumbledore.
"Harry.....are you alright?" headmaster asked concernedly.
Harry blinked. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't alright, of course he wasn't. He probably wouldn't be 'alright' for quite some time. ( At least that's what he felt like now.)
Not with all those nightmares about Cedric, the guilt and those horrible memories of the third task and the Dursleys.
Harry had once heard an old man say to another: 'Death lasts during the whole life and probably ends as soon as it occurs.'
Harry almost smiled, wryly. At that time the saying had sounded horrible to him, he had got away from the men as soon as possible.
Now, though, he thought that there was a deep truth to the statement. It was a good description of how he felt right now:
Like over the years, more and more parts of his soul had died, starting with the rejection of the Dursleys for as long as he could remember, to his first year here at Hogwarts, when everybody had shunned him because he had lost 150 house points just for helping a friend, going on to second year when people had refused to even look at him just because he could talk to snakes, third year, when he had had to witness his parents' death over and over again every time he had come near a dementor, and fourth year, when almost all the students had hated him for putting his name in the Goblet of Fire (not that he had done it, mind you).
Harry still felt a pang of hurt and anger go through him when he thought of Ron's jealousy and the badges most of the students had worn: "Potter stinks". He knew he shouldn't be affected by this, but he couldn't seem to help it.
It was just that every time when everything seemed to be so perfect, it would be destroyed by something that wasn't even Harry's fault. The biggest part of him, of course, had died together with Cedric when those horrible two words had left Voldemort's servant's mouth.
Dumbledore seemed to mistake Harry's silence for confusion because he added:
"We've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes. You startled us when you weren't responding."
Harry blinked again.
"Oh.....I'm sorry. I was merely preoccupied. I'm fine." With that, and an unconvincing smile, he lapsed into silence again.
"I'm afraid there is still one more thing we need to talk about, Harry, before we can leave you to your thoughts." Dumbledore said, a hint of regret in his voice.
Harry suppressed a groan and averted his face. He did NOT want to talk about the Dursleys' treatment of him, it wasn't anyone's business but his own.
"By the expression on your face, I can tell that you know what this is about, Harry," Dumbledore continued firmly. "As much as I hate to inflict this kind of pain onto you, it has to be done. Harry, please tell us about the Dursleys."
Harry bit his lip.
"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly, surprised at his own voice, which was monotone and steady.
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temples wearily.
"Tell us how they treated you, Harry..... when did they start to mistreat you, and why?"
Harry frowned.
"As long as I can remember, the Dursleys have always treated me horribly. I- used to sleep in a small broom cupboard under the stairs. I never had any clothes other than Dudley's hand-me-downs. As soon as I could walk properly, they used me as their slave..... They made me do all sorts of chores, everything they could think of. I remember once, when I was seven, my uncle made me climb on to the roof and clean the chimney....."
Harry's frown deepened, remembering the accident.
"I ended up breaking my leg because I fell off the roof. The Dursleys were furious because they had to take me to a doctor's. They said I wasn't worth the money. They always said those things. They said I was worthless, a burden on everyone, that the world would be better off if I had just died together with my parents..... "
He sneered slightly, ignoring the outraged expressions on his listeners' faces.
"Of course, after a few years, I became immune to the verbal assaults. I formed my own world in my thoughts, a world in which anything was possible and everything was perfect. I still had my Mum and Dad, the Dursleys didn't exist. Whenever they launched into one of their tirades, I would block them out and retreat into my world. I read lots of books..... they were the only things the Dursleys would let me have, and only because Dudley didn't like them. The books helped me form my fantasy world and allowed me to slip into it- they were my sanctuary, my refuge when reality- or the Dursleys- became too hard to face.
"It all stopped when I got my first Hogwarts letter..... the Dursleys were afraid someone would come to check on me and gave me Dudley's second bedroom. Of course it was packed with his broken toys before my aunt cleaned it out last year, but still- it was a room."
Harry shrugged.
"And the physical abuse, Harry? When did that start?" Dumbledore prodded lightly.
Harry frowned again.
"It's strange, really. I had almost forgotten about this occurrence about eight years ago- like something was blocking my memory..... but now that you mention it.....
"One day, when I was seven, my aunt and uncle took me and Dudley out to get Dudley some new clothes for his birthday. They didn't want to take me along, of course, but Mrs. Figg was on holiday and they didn't want to leave me in the house by myself. They thought I would blow it up or something.
"Anyway, at the end of the day, the Dursleys went into a shop- the last one, they said- in a small alley and instructed me to wait outside on the street alone. It was already quite late, most of the shops had closed and I remember that there were no other people outside anymore.
"Suddenly, a group of strange people came around the corner. They were heading straight for me. I got scared and tried to get into the shop to the Dursleys, but the doors were too heavy for me and my aunt and uncle were at the very back of the shop and couldn't see me.
"Meanwhile, those people had come very close to me. They were really coming to me, I could see it. I tried to run, but they were quicker and surrounded me...... I was so scared, I wanted to scream for help, but somehow I couldn't get a sound out! They weren't armed, but they were all so big and grinning maliciously..... the leader of the group advanced on me, and I desperately wished to be somewhere else, anywhere else.....
"And suddenly, with a slight 'plop', I found myself inside the shop, right in front of my uncle's nose.
"Looking back, I'd say that I must have apparated away accidentally.
"My uncle, however, was not pleased. The storekeeper fainted and my aunt started to scream hysterically. When we left the shop, the strange people were gone. My uncle didn't say a single word on our way back, even when I tried to explain to him that I could not explain how I had managed to just 'beam' myself into the shop.
"When we were home, he shoved me roughly against the kitchen door and slapped me a few times, berating me for my freakishness and stupidity. My aunt and cousin cheered him on. Then, he threw me into the cupboard and shut me in for the next two days."
Harry was silent for a minute.
"From that day on, he hit me a few times..... it wasn't bad most of the time, unless something big had happened, like, one time, I accidentally apparated on to the school roof, or one time when an especially big order of drills for his business was withdrawn.
"It stopped when I got to Hogwarts, like I said- Vernon was probably afraid I'd turn him into a toad or something if he hurt me- but this summer, his business was going badly and he needed a vent, I suppose. So- that's it."
Dumbledore nodded. For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then Dumbledore asked the very question that Harry was dreading the most. "Harry, why did you never tell anyone?"
Harry averted his gaze and pressed his lips together.
"Harry, please." Dumbledore took Harry's chin into his hand and forced the boy to look into his eyes. Dumbledore's light blue eyes were piercing, as always, and Harry had, yet again, the feeling that the man could look into his very soul. They held a silent staring contest for a few more moments, then Harry had to look away. Dumbledore released his chin, knowing that he had won.
"I had no one to tell." Harry said darkly. "I never had any friends, Dudley made sure of that. I didn't know any trustworthy adults, either. Of course, there was Mrs. Figg, the old lady that would baby-sit me whenever the Dursleys went out and didn't want to take me along, which was most of the time. But I really didn't know her all that well, and she wouldn't have been able to help me anyway, I thought.
"Besides, Uncle Vernon made it clear that should I ever tell anyone about the abuse, I would be terribly, terribly, sorry.
"So I kept silent, like he wanted me to, and made up lies to explain the occasional bruise to my teachers who saw them, became concerned and asked me about them. I became quite good at it over the years. I had fallen down the stairs. My uncle had chopped down a tree and its branches had hit me in the face. My cat (not that I ever had one, though I always wanted one) had scratched me. I had been standing in front of the door right when my uncle opened it and accidentally slammed it into my face. I had tripped over a stool in the dark and crashed into the wall. You get the idea? I don't want to know what my teachers thought of me. It became a habit after a while and sometimes I didn't even notice that I was lying anymore."
"And after you came to Hogwarts?" Snape prompted.
Harry shrugged.
"Uncle Vernon stopped. Why should I have told anyone?"
The three adults stared at him incredulously.
"Why should you have told anyone?" Minerva asked incredulously. "Harry, what your uncle did was wrong! We would never have sent you back to live in such conditions if we had known, protection from Voldemort or not!"
Harry remained silent. Deep down in his heart, he knew that Minerva was right. He should have told her, because she was his head of house, or Dumbledore. But truth to be told, he had been ashamed. Still was. Famous Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, downfall of one of the darkest wizard of all times, couldn't even stand up to his muggle uncle.
There would have been an uproar, and Harry would have been even more in the centre of attention than he had been before. And he had finally had the chance to start a new life at Hogwarts, without the Dursleys there to mess up his life.
And quite frankly, he hadn't wanted anything of his past to destroy that chance, he hadn't wanted people to think that he was weak. Life had already been difficult enough with all those stares he was receiving. He didn't think he would have been able to stand it if those people had pitied him. Harry hated pity. It always made him feel helpless and worse than he had before anybody had said anything.
So Harry had told nobody, and had vowed to himself that nobody would ever find out, and that he wouldn't let his so-called family destroy his chance in the wonderful, fabulous new world that had been opened to him on his eleventh birthday.
Stumbling over his words, Harry tried to explain this to his godmother, headmaster and Potions professor.
When he had finished, there was a long silence in the room. The professors seemed to be mulling over his words in their heads.
Finally, Dumbledore nodded.
"I understand, Harry. I still say you should have told someone, but I can see why you didn't- also, Harry, this is nothing you have to be ashamed of. There was nothing you could have done against your uncle, you were just a child after all, and you still are, no matter how old you may feel. Harry, promise me that you'll never keep anything like that from us ever again. Contrary to what you might believe, we do care about your well-being very much. Please, Harry, promise that you will come to one of us here if there is ever something wrong with you again."
Harry felt touched by the pure concern and sincerity that shone in Dumbledore's eyes, as well as in Snape's and Minerva's. He had never heard his headmaster plead with anyone before- usually, Dumbledore's polite requests were more orders than anything else. So, he made up his mind quickly. "I promise."
Dumbledore smiled at him.
"Very well. And now, I suggest that you go back to sleep for a while, Harry. I will wake you again in three hours, I still have to tell you about something, and tonight there is a meeting of a group of people who would like to meet you, Harry. Sirius and Remus will be here in four hours as well, so you'll have some time to catch up before the meeting. Sleep well, Harry."
Harry nodded, yawned and curled up on his side. He hadn't even realized how exhausted he was from all that talking. What did Dumbledore want to talk to him about? And Sirius and Remus were coming! Harry smiled in anticipation. He could not wait to see his godfather and favourite (ex)professor again. Despite those exiting thoughts, Harry fell asleep quickly, the smile never leaving his face.
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Nice place to end a chapter, don't you think? *ducks flying tomatoes* Alright, alright, I'll continue!
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Harry woke up to a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. Harry sat up slowly, blinking into the light. Someone handed him his glasses and he put them on. The room came into focus, and Harry recognised Dumbledore standing next to his bed. This time, though, there were no other people in the room.
"Harry, I'm sorry for waking you, but Sirius and Remus will be arriving in an hour or so and I still have to talk to you about something."
Harry yawned and blinked sleepily.
"Tha's awrigh", he said, his words slightly slurred, and started to fall asleep again.
"Harry, wait!" came Dumbledore's voice, this time sounding a bit more commanding and also distinctly amused. "You can go back to sleep later if you still wish to do so by then, though I seriously doubt it. Now, Harry, do you have any idea what this is about?"
Harry opened his eyes again, unwillingly, but a bit more awake.
"No, I'm afraid I don't have a clue, Sir." Harry answered honestly.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Well then, I'm going to give you a clue. I'm going to answer a question you asked me a little more than three years ago."
Immediately Harry's head snapped up. Dumbledore chuckled.
"I see that I got your attention. Harry, it's time for you to know why Voldemort wants to kill you."
Harry listened with bated breath. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore would finally tell him what he had wanted to know since his eleventh birthday. Dumbledore, seeing that Harry's attention was all his, continued.
"Harry, what I'm about to tell you will probably come as a shock to you. Please listen to me first, then I will answer any questions that you might have."
Harry nodded.
"Good. Harry, do you remember that I once told you in your third year that Professor Trelawney had only made two true predictions in her life?"
Harry remembered quite well.
"Yes, Professor. But what's that got to do with me?"
Dumbledore raised his hands.
"Everything, Harry, because her first prediction was about you. It happened exactly one year before you were born, Harry, on July 31st, 1979. I was visiting Professor Trelawney in her tower to ask her how things were going, when she suddenly seemed to space out. And then she started to speak in a voice that was far too deep to be her own. Luckily, I recognised the signs of a vision and had a quill and parchment with me to write her prediction down:
'Dark times are over us,
The snake has taken over the world.
Hope is lost in many hearts,
Those who fight became rare.
But not all hope is lost,
A new light will rise,
Son of the flower and the stag,
Born from a line of pride.
Powerful he shall be,
More so than anyone ever before,
The Dark Lord's downfall is near,
At the hands of a mere child.
At great cost the baby shall win,
Losing what is dear to him in the process,
Thus begins the story of the Boy-who-Lived,
Saviour of the world from great evil.
But defeated the Dark Lord shall not be,
And years later he shall return,
Dark times shall take over the world again,
In the hearts of people strike fear.
But the Son of Hope lives,
Destined to defeat the evil snake,
Achieving his powers at the age of fifteen,
In a clearing, lost and alone.
Alone he has been for most of his life,
And alone he shall free the world from evil,
When the Order of Phoenix stands again,
And the final battle is near.'
"Yes, I believe those were her words. For the coming year, I tried in vain to figure out who this son of hope would be. And then, exactly one year later, on July 31st, 1980, you were born.
"I was friends with Lily and James, Harry, even more so when the two of them entered the Order of the Phoenix right after their graduation.
"So, naturally, I visited Lily in the hospital, the day after you were born. When I came, you were awake, though your mother was still sleeping. Miraculously, you didn't make a sound, you just looked up to me with those impossibly green eyes of yours. That's when I noticed that there was something very, very special about you. There was an aura of power all around you that even fully trained wizards don't usually achieve.
"I remembered the prophecy, and it started to make sense. Lily, obviously, was the flower, and James was the stag, for reasons that were not clear to me for many years. That meant that you, my dear boy, were the son of hope the prophecy was talking about.
"When Lily was allowed to leave the hospital three days later, I went to her and James's house and told them about the prophecy and my suspicions regarding you.
"Lily and James, of course, had already noticed that there was something unique about you- you were already using magic at such young age. Even if it was only to summon your toys, it was unmistakably magic. We decided, for your own protection, that we would use a spell to keep most of your powers at bay. They will return to you on your fifteenth birthday, together with the powers the prophecy spoke of.
"Meanwhile, we did our best so that nobody would find out about you or the prophecy. But then, I'm sorry to say, Harry, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
"I called in a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix Council and told them about the prophecy, about you being the son of hope, so that they would help to protect you, Lily and James.
"Unfortunately, Wormtail was also part of the Order. He must have told Voldemort, because not a week later we received news from Severus that killing the Potters was now Voldemort's first priority. He had been after them before, of course, not only because James and Lily were two of the best Aurors of the time, but also because it had come to Voldemort's attention that James was the heir of Gryffindor. Voldemort, being the heir of Slytherin, was afraid that James would be a real threat to him, so he decided to..... eliminate the Gryffindor lineage, and with that, you.
"Of course, what Voldemort didn't know, was that Lily wasn't really a muggleborn, either. Both Lily and Petunia were adopted, Petunia is a squib, that is why she hates magic so much, she is bitter. I'm not sure if either of them ever knew this, but like the Potters, the Evans family is one of the oldest wizarding families in existence- and they are direct descendants of both Merlin and Rowena Ravenclaw herself. Making you, my dear boy, the most powerful wizard that has ever lived: You, Harry, are the heir of Merlin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
"You know the rest of the story, Harry. One year and almost three months after you were born, Lily and James decided to go under the Fidelius Charm. Wormtail's betrayal ended up being the Death of your parents. You, a mere baby, defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort and became famous all over the wizarding world. You were sent to live with your muggle relatives because of the blood ties you, Petunia and your cousin are sharing. Three weeks ago, Voldemort returned. The prophecy has come true, at least the first and second part of it. Am I correct in assuming that your birthday is in two weeks?"
Harry, still too shocked to do anything else, nodded dumbly.
"You will receive your powers in two weeks, then. It will probably come as a shock, even hurt. I hope that you are prepared."
A long silence filled the room after Dumbledore had stopped talking. Harry's brain tried to process all that he had just heard and failed miserably. It was just too much, too unbelievable!
After a few minutes of silence, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Harry, are you alright?"
Harry shook his head dazedly and blinked to clear away the fog that seemed to penetrate his brain.
"Professor Dumbledore," he managed to get out, "It can't be. It can't be me. I'm not powerful, I'm not even all that good here at school, it has to be someone else, you..... you must have made a mistake....." he trailed off, realizing that he was rambling.
"Harry, calm down. I assure you that I have made no mistake. It really is you the prophecy is talking about. And believe it or not, your grades are quite good. I must say, we, the professors that is, were pleasantly surprised when you got such good grades. We thought you would have a lot more trouble with school, after all we took away most of your powers. Trust me, Harry, it's you."
Harry sighed as he looked down on to the bed sheets. Deep down, he knew that Dumbledore was right. But that did not mean that Harry liked the idea of having to defeat Voldemort on his own any better. Shoving that thought aside for a while, Harry realized that there were still a few questions on his mind that he couldn't find the answers to.
"Professor Dumbledore, what did that part of the prophecy mean where it said that I would achieve my powers 'in a clearing, lost and alone'? Harry quoted.
Dumbledore sighed.
"That, Harry, is a question I cannot answer, I'm afraid."
"But why not?" protested Harry. "You told me about the prophecy. Don't I have a right to at least know what it means?"
Dumbledore shook his head, smiling slightly.
"Don't get me wrong, Harry. I would answer your question if I knew the answer. But, to be perfectly honest with you, I don't have a clue about what that part of the prophecy means, either. You'll just have to wait and see, I guess."
Harry nodded, slightly embarrassed at his earlier outburst.
"Um, Sir, I have another question." Harry said tentatively.
Dumbledore nodded at him, still smiling, the twinkle in his eyes ever- present.
"Fire away, Harry."
Harry didn't know why he was feeling so hesitant to ask this simple question, but somehow he did.
"Professor, I was wondering, what exactly is the Order of the Phoenix you and the prophecy were talking about?"
"Ah," Dumbledore said, "I was wondering when you'd ask. The Order of the Phoenix, Harry, is a secret group of people fighting against Voldemort. And not just him.
"The Order was founded by none other than Merlin himself, your ancestor. In the time he founded it, which was well over 10000 years ago, there was a very powerful dark witch called Nimue. She was gathering followers all around her, and the people or creatures that did not want to fight, she either killed immediately or tortured until they gave in to her.
"Merlin, while being one of the most powerful wizards of all time, could not fight a whole army on his own. So he started to gather followers as well. Not only wizards or animals, but also muggles. Most living beings had already heard of Nimue's terror and agreed to help Merlin gladly. Merlin tested each follower's loyalty by letting him or her look into his phoenix's eyes. Then he questioned them about their loyalties. No one can lie, Harry, while looking into a phoenix's eyes. And so Merlin's group became known as the Order of the Phoenix.
"Merlin's closest and most powerful allies were in the Order's council, Merlin himself was, of course, the head of it.
"After many years of desperate fighting and huge losses on both sides, the Order of the Phoenix finally managed to defeat Nimue. Her followers were forgiven and the Order stopped meeting after swearing that they would come together once more should there ever be a dark wizard or witch trying to take over the world again.
"Well, of course there were plenty of them. Though it had been such a long time, people remembered the Order of the Phoenix. The Order reunited countless times over the centuries, always with different leaders and warriors, but never breaking the tradition of the Phoenix-initiation- ritual, and never, not even once in the past, have they failed.
"When Voldemort tried to take over the world almost twenty years ago, the Order of the Phoenix stood again. I was the head of the Order, Fawkes was the Phoenix testing people's loyalty.
"Shortly before Voldemort's downfall, the council consisted of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinistra and Vektor, and Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Mad-Eye-Moody, Dedalus Diggle, Marlene McKinnon, Emmeline Vance, Benjy Fenwick, Sturgis Podmore, Caradoc Dearborn, Elphias Doge, my brother Aberforth, Dorcas Meadowes, Arthur Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Lily Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Edgar and Jessica Bones and Gidgeon and Fabian Prewett." Dumbledore paused for a while, seemingly lost in memories.
"Many of them, Harry, met their fate. Voldemort targeted every Order of the Phoenix member, and even more so, the Order Council.
"Marlene McKinnon was killed by Deatheaters, together with her whole family. Benjy Fenwick, too was killed..... we found most of his body eventually..... it was not a pretty sight, Harry..... Edgar Bones..... such a great wizard..... yet he, too, was victim to one of Voldemort's Deatheater raids..... Caradoc Dearborn vanished without a trace..... The Prewetts were killed in a Deatheater attack, they fought bravely..... Dorcas Meadowes, the poor dear, she was killed by Voldemort personally..... Your parents..... The Longbottoms, as you know, were tortured to insanity about Voldemort's whereabouts after his downfall....."
Dumbledore trailed off. Harry hardly dared to breathe. All those poor people had died..... all because of Voldemort. Voldemort had killed so many..... and he, Harry, was expected to defeat him? It seemed ridiculous. What could an almost-fifteen year old boy do against the greatest dark wizard of the century? Even more than a century, Harry mused. After all, Trelawney had predicted that Voldemort would rise again, greater and more terrible than ever before. Harry shuddered.
"My apologies," Dumbledore, who had been watching Harry, said quietly. "I should not have burdened you with the details. Forgive me, Harry. Let us return to the task at hand."
The twinkle in his eyes, which had dulled briefly during his description of the Order members' deaths, returned a little.
"When you, Harry, told me about Voldemort's return three weeks ago, I immediately took action. The remaining people of the Order Council of fourteen years ago in addition to a few others agreed to join the Order again. The council now consists of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinistra, Vektor and Snape, and Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Hagrid, Mad- Eye-Moody, Arthur Weasley and his two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie, Dedalus Diggle, who is currently on recruiting duty down in Kent, Emmeline Vance- she, too, is on a mission- Sturgis Podmore, Elphias Doge, my brother Aberforth- all of whom are contacting foreign ministries as we speak- and two Aurors Arthur has managed to convince, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks.
"At the moment we are gathering followers all over the world, people willing to fight against evil, stand up to Voldemort. Currently we count 87 members and more are joining every day, though it is going slowly, too slowly......
"Tonight, there will be an Order of the Phoenix Council meeting I would like for you to attend. Do you feel up to it, Harry?"
Harry nodded eagerly, he wanted to know more about this group his parents had once been part of. Dumbledore, seeing Harry's enthusiasm, smiled.
"Good then. Do you have any questions, Harry?"
Harry, already starting to shake his head, stopped himself just in time.
"Actually, Professor, yes, I have. You remember how you told me that it is impossible to lie while looking into a phoenix's eyes, and that each member of the Order was questioned about his or her loyalties under these circumstances?"
At Dumbledore's nod, Harry continued.
"Then why, Professor, did Peter Pettigrew ever become part of the Order?"
Dumbledore looked down at his hands and sighed.
"Harry," he said very quietly, "What you must understand is that Peter Pettigrew was not always bad. When the Marauders and Lily entered the Order right after their graduation, he was as faithful to the light side as you and me. That's why he passed the Phoenix's test with flying colours. I don't know what made him go over to the dark side, Harry, and I probably won't ever know. I'm sorry to say that at that time we hadn't thought of the possibility of someone in the Order Council leaking information to Voldemort.
"We knew that there had to be a spy in the Order, of course, because Voldemort always seemed to know about our defence plans before we took action. We tested the warriors' loyalty, but all of them were faithful. Not once did we think of testing the Council as well. It was another big mistake we made, but nothing can change the past, and you shouldn't dwell on it either, Harry. Heaven above, if I tried to list all 'what ifs' in my life, I'd probably die before I was halfway through!"
Harry smiled slightly. It was good to hear Dumbledore joke, that always made Harry feel like there was still hope, even when something had looked like a lost cause before.
Then Dumbledore got serious again. He laid a warm hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Harry, I'm very sorry for any past mistakes that have caused you pain. Not only your parents' death, but also leaving you with the Dursleys. I should have checked on them before I ever left you at their house, I should have sent someone to check up on you every once in a while. It never occurred to me that your relatives might be treating you as anything but their loved nephew. I am really sorry about that, Harry, and I want you to know that if you ever need anything, or even just someone to talk to, I'll always be there for you, just like your godparents, Remus or even Professor Snape."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which made both Dumbledore and Harry look up, and which saved Harry from answering, for which he was eternally grateful.
"You can come in!" Dumbledore called.
The door opened, and in stepped the two people Harry had wanted to see more than anyone else. His face quickly broke into a large smile, as he cried:
"Sirius! Professor Lupin!"
The two men came over to the bed quickly, and Sirius immediately hugged Harry.
"Harry! Minerva told us what happened. Are you alright?" Sirius released Harry, and was shoved aside by one certain ex-Defence against the Dark Arts- Professor.
"Harry!" Remus said in his usual jovial and cheerful manner, as he, too, grabbed Harry into a hug, surprising him. "It is good to see you again!"
Harry grinned even more broadly.
"You too, professor. You too!"
Remus shook his head, still smiling.
"Harry I'm not your professor anymore.....yet. Please call me Remus."
Harry's eyes widened.
"Yet? Does that mean that you're coming back to teach Defence?"
Remus nodded. Harry beamed at him.
"That's wonderful! Oh, Ron and Hermione are going to be so happy to hear....!" Remus laughed, looking embarrassed.
"You may tell Ron and Hermione, but no one else, Harry. We can't spoil the surprise for all of the students!"
Harry looked at him questioningly.
"All of the students? Who knows about it?" Harry asked curiously.
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, other than you, Hermione, Ron and probably the rest of the Weasleys, and the other teachers of course.....only Rhia does."
Harry frowned. He was quite sure that he didn't know whom Remus was talking about.
"Rhia? Who's that? I'm quite sure that I've never met anyone with that name before." he said, fixing his (extremely curious) gaze on Remus. Remus smiled softly.
"Rhianna is my daughter, Harry."
Harry blinked. That was certainly unexpected.
"I didn't know you had a daughter. How old is she?"
Remus smiled again.
"She's almost fifteen, Harry, just like you. She will be transferring to Hogwarts this year."
Something in Remus's tone told Harry not to ask further questions on the subject, so he simply said:
"I'm looking forward to meeting her."
After that, the three of them (Dumbledore had left to prepare for the meeting) chatted about various things. Harry was glad that neither Sirius nor Remus brought up the subject of the Dursleys again, he really didn't want to talk about it another time so soon.
But throughout the whole time Harry couldn't help thinking about the mysterious Rhianna Lupin. There was something strange about Lupin's daughter, even though he had never even met her. She was his age, so why hadn't she gone to Hogwarts before? And another thought struck him. Though he wasn't completely sure, he could have sworn that he had heard Hermione say once that lycanthropy was heritable. So was Rhianna Lupin a werewolf? He would have to look it up in the library.
Suddenly, Harry was jolted out of his thoughts by Remus crying:
"Good lord! Look at the time! Harry, go take a shower, the bathroom's just down the hall, you'll find some clothes on a stool beside the tub, I told the house-elves to put them there earlier. Hurry, or we are going to be late for the meeting!"
Harry nodded and got up quickly. Dashing down the hall and reaching the bathroom in no time he concentrated solely on showering and dressing as quickly as possible, all thoughts of Rhianna Lupin temporarily erased from his mind.
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A/N: Well! What do you think? This was a long chapter, my longest yet by far! *collapses from exhaustion*
Rhianna Lupin is mine, though she won't play an important oar in this story for another few chapters. Don't worry, you'll like her! And don't worry, Harry isn't going to stay miserable for too long. He's just still depressed about the TriWizard Tournament!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!
Until next time,
Felinity ^_^