Disclaimer: the song belongs to Simple Plan!

Chapter 36

Dinner and a Prophecy

The next morning came and was missed by most of the mutants in the tower. This is because it was a Saturday morning, and few of the mutant children were up to waking unless they absolutely had to. Kurt was one of those few. Due to his mutation, he had a startlingly fast metabolism. Therefore, it was imperative for him to eat a good, full three meals a day… sometimes four or five! So, as most people who are forced to rise from their beds before they want to, Kurt had the most evil habit of bringing someone with him.

"Misery loves company," he would sing to his unfortunate companion. Harry just thought his friend was a sadistic bastard, but that was most probably because Kurt seemed to pick on him more often than not. It was his own fault really. He was too soft with his best friend and should do as the others had. Threaten Kurt with the detachment of his favorite appendage. Unfortunately, Harry couldn't resort to do as the others did. Which was why he was seated at the dining table in the common room next to his blue furred friend, nearly falling asleep into his hash browns.

Kaa, his snake, was curled around his neck, Storm was at the Order Headquarters and Hank was seated in one of the armchairs, reading a wizarding newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. Logan was missing, although this was nothing new. The man had a habit of disappearing at odd intervals, often returning sometime around lunch smelling of the forest and looking a little more relaxed.

Pietro had shown up for a few seconds when he had delivered the food from the Great Hall. He ate his portion in a grand total of two seconds and then left to do his daily one hundred laps around the Hogwarts grounds.

Other than that, it had been a relatively quiet morning, except for Kurt's happy chattering as he ate his fourth helping and Harry's mumbled, "I hate you's." Harry had been pondering just how he was going to advert Kurt's attention long enough so that he could smack him with a good rainbow hex (nothing says "Ifuckinghateyoudon'teverwakemeupthisearlyagain!" like multi-colored fur). Just then, the portrait opened and Logan walked in with a most unwelcome guest.

"Hey wiz, the Headmaster wants a word with ya." Grumbled Logan, looking none to pleased with the old man beside him. "Somethin' about a personal matter."

Harry looked over to the aged wizard as Kaa slithered her way into his pocket. "What is it?"

"I was hoping that you might join me in my office? There are a few things that I need to discuss with you." Dumbledore calmly stated, looking as he always did, minus the normal twinkle in his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, Harry nodded and got up from the table, his appetite gone. Kurt offered to accompany him, but he just shook his head and politely declined the offer. He had to learn to deal with these things on his own, without Kurt or Ana on either side of him. He passed Logan who gave Dumbledore a warning look before following the Headmaster out the portrait. They traveled the halls in silence until they reached the stone gargoyle, which leapt aside as the password, 'Starbursts', was said. The inside of the Headmaster's office hadn't changed since his days as a student. 'Before I was incarcerated,' he thought glumly to himself. The little silver and gold instruments and trinkets glinted happily in the morning sun. Fawkes' perch was empty.

"Please, sit down Harry. There are many things we have to discuss."

Harry sat calmly down in one of the plushy chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk. On the outside, he was calm if not a little cold looking, but inside, his mind was going over all the things that would happen if he lost his control and let his powers loose in front of the Headmaster.

Sitting down in his own chair, Dumbledore placed a box on the table. "First Harry, I have brought you here to return this to you." Opening the box he brought out a very familiar wooden stick.

"My wand! But…why wasn't it destroyed? I thought your wand gets snapped when you are sent to Azkaban."

Dumbledore winced. "Yes that is true, but we were able to save your wand from that particular fate."

Taking the smooth polished wood in his hands, Harry looked it over. "Why?" He asked without looking up.

"You remember its connection to Voldemort's wand don't you?"

"Oh…right. I suppose that you were just saving it for the next little hero you were going to put up against Voldemort then?"

"It was a weapon we could have used against him, this is true, but I had always hoped that it might one day be returned to you. I had never completely lost hope in you-"

"Bullocks!" Harry interrupted. "If you had believed me, even the slightest bit, then you wouldn't have let them take me away!"

"Harry, I would like to apologize for my actions. I will not ask for forgiveness, even if I felt I deserved it." The man seemed to age before Harry's eyes.

Harry seriously considered telling Dumbledore to go to hell, but remembered Kurt's words from the previous night. "They never listened to your side of the story, but you might as well listen to theirs."

"…But there is more that you need to know."

Glaring at the Headmaster, Harry slouched in his seat. Whatever the old man was going to say, he wasn't going to be effected by it.

Dumbledore sighed a weary sigh. "Harry, I am going to tell you something I should have told you long ago." Harry only frowned. "Where should I start?" The Headmaster pondered to himself. "Ah, I suppose the beginning would be best. Harry, do you remember telling me your third year how Professor Trelawney predicted Pettigrew's escape?"

"Yes. You said it was her second real prediction."

"Exactly Harry. Didn't you ever wonder what the first one was?" Harry only shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn't thought that much about it at all. "I first met Professor Trelawney as an applicant for the Divination position. It was during the interview that she had her first vision." Dumbledore got up from his seat, and unlocking a black cabinet near Fawkes' perch, he brought out a familiar Pensive. Hesitating for only a moment, Dumbledore prodded the surface of thoughts with his wand and a miniature form of Professor Trelawney rose out from the swirling mass.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him…Born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…(delete space) And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, will be born as the seventh month dies…"

Silence filled the office as the memory faded, its words echoing in Harry's head. "What…what does that mean?" He asked finally.

Dumbledore sighed sadly. "It describes the one individual that has the power to destroy the Dark Lord. At the time it was made, there were two children who could have been the one. There was you, and another boy, Neville Longbottom."

"S-so it doesn't necessarily have to be me then? The one…it could be Neville right?"

"You are forgetting the second half of the prophecy Harry. 'And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal.'" Harry's hand reached up of its own violation to touch the familiar lightning scar. "It leaves little doubt that you are the one the prophecy describes Harry."

Anger rose in Harry. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"I never told you before because I wanted to protect you. However, now you must know what part you must play, your importance in this war."

Harry found he could no longer look at the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He swiftly got up from his seat and mechanically walked over to one of the many shelves that lined the room and was filled with shiny moving objects. The one in front of him was made of twisted knobs and rings that twirled around each other. "So what! My whole life goal is to destroy Voldemort? To kill or be killed? Don't I get any say in this?"

"Harry I know you are upset-"

"Upset doesn't even begin to describe it!" He shouted, slamming his fist into the twirling instrument. "You hide things from me, manipulate me for four years, then you leave me in a place worse than hell for another year, and treat me like I was a murderer when I get back!" He moved along the shelf throwing the objects off and smashing them to the floor. "The whole Wizarding World put me on a pedestal and then the second someone says I'm guilty, they throw me away." He saw his vision give way to red as his anger and frustration grew. "I was fine at the Institute! I was happy! Now I'm being dragged back into this war so that I can kill the bad guy and be the tragic hero all over again! Or even better! I die at the hands of Voldemort in honor of a race that I hate!" He picked up the last standing little silver instrument and threw it at the Headmaster's head, missing only be a few centimeters. He stood there, breathing heavily, his anger radiating from his body. Kaa was hissing angrily from his pocket, aggravated that she had been shoved around with all of his thrashing.

Dumbledore had not moved. Not when his precious instruments had been destroyed, nor when Harry had shouted his words with a voice full of agony.

He strode over to the desk and placed his hands palm down on the top and looked angrily into Dumbledore's eyes. "If I was so important, how could you let them send me away?"

Dumbledore folded his hands on the desk before explaining. "You are aware of Voldemort's true identity, Tom Riddle." Harry nodded. "Tom's past is the reason he became Lord Voldemort. His muggle father abandoned him, and being raised in a muggle orphanage created his feelings of hatred. I had often thought how the two of you seemed to share so many common traits. Both orphaned and raised without a normal family…"

"I do believe, Headmaster, that it was your decision to leave me with the Dursleys." Harry interrupted icily.

Dumbledore bowed his head. "Indeed, but I had my reasons. But no matter your many common traits, you, Harry, seemed to rise above them, to look past the hatred that Tom could not. Unfortunately, my doubts took hold of me when we found you surrounded by your dead relatives, drained of magic and your wand being the caster. I- I am ashamed to say that I lost my faith in you then. The Ministry came to take you away before you could awake and I was denied access from you. At the trial that was held, I waited to hear what had happened, but when questioned you would not answer."

"I was under a silencing spell!" Harry hissed out.

"We know that now, but we didn't then." Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, we failed you, and I don't expect that there is a way to undo what we have done, but when you were committed, I had only wanted to prevent you from going as far as Tom. That is why, in the end, I allowed the Ministry to leave you in Azkaban."

Harry had to seriously fight the urge to punch the old man in the face. "So," he said quietly, "your idea of helping me was to ignore the fact that no one had even asked me what had happened that night, despite the fact that I was the only living witness, and to send me to a place where I had to listen to my parents dieing over and over?" He resisted the desire to spit on the man's desk. "Actually Dumbledore, given your past ways of 'helping' me, that seems just you're style." The Headmaster hung his head in shame, knowing what the boy in front of him said was true. Harry turned furiously away from the old man, too angry for words. Inside he was seething. He was nothing more than a pawn to these people. To fate even. Didn't he have a choice?

"I would like to return to wizarding classes." He said finally and turned back to see Dumbledore looking sadly at him. "If I'm to destroy Voldemort and save the world, I suppose it would be best to have something more than a fourth year education." He saw, to his horror, a tiny twinkle in the corner of the Headmaster's eyes and he dashed to put it out. "Only if I can take the classes with Ana Probert, and I refuse to be taught be certain professors. Professor McGonagall for starters." The twinkle disappeared and Harry almost grinned.

"I understand. I will see to the necessary arrangements. Perhaps Remus and Sirius would be willing to come and tutor you as well."

"Thank you." Harry said evenly, not wanting to show his excitement over being taught by his Godfather and Remus. "If that is all Professor…" Harry turned to leave.

"There is one more thing that we need to discuss." Came Dumbledore's voice and Harry turned back around to face him. "Since you have been cleared, all of your previous restrictions have been dropped."

"Yes I know."

"That also includes your ban from the Great Hall."

Harry blinked and then realized what the Headmaster was saying. "You want us to start eating in the Great Hall."

"There is no reason for you to eat else where."

Harry fisted his hands as he listened to Kaa whisper soothingly.

"Please consider it Harry." Dumbledore continued, "I'm afraid that this business has bruised the relationship between the Wizarding World and Mutants."

Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep as much venom out of his voice as possible. "Only if that's where the others want to eat. If that is all…" He took one last glance at the trashed office and then left the office without another word. He stormed through the hallways, not sparing a glance at the students he passed, nor caring that he looked the part of a convicted murderer. He past through the doors leading outside and headed towards the lake and only began to slow down when he neared a tree not far from the shore. Not caring that the ground was still soggy, he sat down and leaned back against the trunk, resisting the urge to smack his head on it in his frustration.

He sat there for a while, stewing in his thought, as Kaa slithered around in the short grass. 'What would the others want to do?' He thought to himself. He knew that he was perfectly content to continue having his meals in the mutant common room, but the others might not feel the same way. It was crowded and with a few dozen mutants all gathered at once, using their powers liberally, room was always a necessity. In the Great Hall, they would be stared at, and on one level he felt that he would be giving in to Dumbledore. Then again, Dumbledore was right. With all the business concerning him, they had failed to make a friendly relationship between the Mutants and the Wizarding students. Who was he to stop them from fixing the rift he had created? The Wizarding World could be a safe haven for Mutants from the muggle community, especially for mutants like the Morlocks who lived in the sewers to hide their powers.

While he pondered, he made sure to steer clear of any thoughts relating to the prophecy. He just wasn't ready to deal with that or its implications yet. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the sound of imploding air nearby.

"Oh boy!" Harry snapped his head up at the sound of Kurt's voice. "Why is it that every time he comes back from talking to a wizard, he gets in one of these moods?" Kurt asked Ana. The two of them were floating in the air, courtesy of Ana's gravity powers. Harry just grumbled and looked away from them.

"Lighten up Jack!" Ana exclaimed playfully and Harry felt the familiar feeling of his hair and clothes becoming weightless. Still not quite up to letting go of his bad mood, he pushed off the ground and sent himself floating into the thick branches of the tree. He saw Kurt and Ana looking worriedly at him through the branches.

"What happened?" Kurt asked.

Harry just shrugged and looked away. He heard the rustling of leaves and turned to see Ana coming toward him, using the branches to pull her way to Harry. "Come on Jack, you can tell us…" she frowned worriedly when he didn't meet her eyes. "Jack?"

"Its nothing." He answered finally. "Just Dumbledore letting me know that I can eat in the Great Hall again."

Ana turned and look at Kurt. They both knew that there was no way that was it. "Do you want to?" Kurt asked.

Harry shrugged again. "It doesn't really matter."

Ana pushed back from the tree and floated upside down, her long black hair flowing around her like smoke. "Actually that would be kind of fun." Both boys turned to look at her for an explanation. "Well, you could show them how happy you are with us, and we would get a bit more elbow room. Besides, I feel bad for making the house elves do all that extra work of taking the dirty dishes from the common room without us noticing."

However, Kurt wasn't to be fooled. There was something more. "Vhat else happened?"

"Nothing."

"If it was just about the eating arrangements, he vould have asked you right there in the common room."

"He gave me back my wand. They never snapped it like I thought they did."

Ana joined in the argument. "Why couldn't he have given it to you in the common room? Something else happened. I know it. Why can't you tell us?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does if it's bothering you so much!"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"Because I don't!" He shouted, and felt a small twinge of guilt afterwards.

Neither of his friends seemed to be affected by his anger, and Kurt only shook his head. "We are just vorried about you. Vhatever the Headmaster said to you has gotten you spooked and we just vanted to make sure that you were alright."

"You don't have to tell us what it was. Just let us know if you need help." Ana said sadly.

Harry sighed and let himself float deeper into the tree, letting the thick branches block him from view. "He told me something about Voldemort, and some stupid prophecy made a long time ago."

"Prophecy? Like from an oracle or something?" He heard Kurt ask.

"Or a Divination teacher." He grumbled.

There was a long silence before, "What was the prophecy?" Ana asked softly.

He didn't answer for a long time.

"Harry?" Came Ana's worried voice.

"It said that I'm the only one with the power to kill Voldemort, and that either I kill him or he will kill me." He said quietly.

No one said anything for a long time.

"Are you sure that's what it meant?" Kurt asked tentatively after a while.

"Yes."

More silence.

"Harry, please come out?" Ana asked him and he reluctantly complied. When he emerged, he saw his two friends watching him with worried faces. Ana sighed and, with the help of her mild telekinesis, she floated forward. "Jack, I don't know much about prophecies, or if this one will come true. But if it does, and you are facing Voldemort, you won't be alone. I will not allow it."

"Ja. Ve will be there with you. That is vhat friends are for, right?"

Harry found it hard to meet their gaze. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Kurt dismissed him with a wave of his three-fingered hand. "We have been in bad situations before. Trust me, you aren't facing him alone."

He allowed a small smile to show on his face. "Thanks."

Kurt smiled back and Ana rolled her eyes. "Gawd." She said in a very good impression of Rogue and then grinned wickedly at the two boys. Suddenly, they both felt gravity embrace them and, as one, fell to the Earth. Harry landed hard on his bottom. He got up rubbing it and cursed Kurt who had, as usual, landed gracefully on his feet. Ana allowed herself to float downward lazily, grinning madly at Harry. "Oh come on. You both were being all sappy. Hey! I'm hungry. Lets go see if anyone saved anything for us from lunch, and we can talk to the others about eating dinner in the Great Hall as well!" Ana started to walk up the path towards the school and only turned around when she heard Kurt clear his throat.

Harry had an arm around Kurt's shoulders, Kaa in his other handand they both waved at her happily before teleporting to the common room. They landed in a less used corner laughing. "Serves her right for dropping us." Harry said chuckling.

Kurt nodded and looked like he was going to comment, but his nose suddenly twitched and his head twisted around to face three covered plates sitting on a nearby table. Letting out an evil cackle, he lunged at the food with gusto. Harry just laughed and went to join him. They were both joined later by a slightly ticked Ana who said in a dark, creepy voice, "Don't ever be alone," With a wicked gleam in her eye, Ana tucked into her meal.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

After their meal, the three had gathered as many mutants as they could and told them of the Headmaster's request. After much debate and inquiries about Harry's opinion, they finally agreed to try it out for dinner that night. If anything happened, they would return to dining in the common room. With that settled, Harry tried to occupy his time with some reading, but no matter how hard he tried, he just wasn't able to concentrate. Finally, he tossed the book aside and surveyed the common room.

Lance and Kitty were sitting together on the other couch (read: Kitty sitting on him) looking pleased and content respectively. Scott was sitting at a nearby table going over lesson plans and occasionally giving a disapproving glance at Lance. Gambit was lounging in a corner, playing a game of solitaire with his ever present deck of cards while Rogue was nearby working on homework. At least that was what she was pretending to do. Harry could see her shoot dark looks at the Cajun every now and then, and he knew that Remy had seen them too. Rogue had yet to learn how Gambit had touched her without falling victim to her powers, and Gambit seemed content to leave her in the dark. He would give her one of his sly grins whenever she cornered him, which of course only infuriated her more.

A bunch of the new mutants were huddled around another table, and although he knew it was dangerous to do so incase they were plotting something, he allowed his curiosity to take over and he went to see what was going on. Making his way over to the table, he saw a small portable stereo in the center of the group, with Ray grasping the electrical cord and shooting power into the thing. He felt his eyebrows rising. They were trying to get a muggle appliance to work inside Hogwarts? He was surprised to even see the stereo.

Before they had come here, Harry had told them all, much to their dismay, that electricity would not work inside the wizarding school, and so it would be useless to bring things like CD players, portable TV's, and (to several girls' horror) hairdryers. Now it would seem as though someone had brought the stereo anyways, and in their desperation for anything muggle like, they were trying to force the thing to work. Harry chuckled, drawing their attention.

"Shut up." Ray said shortly as he continued to push electricity into the machine.

Jubilee turned to Harry. "We put some batteries in and we thought that all it needed was a jumpstart. It hasn't worked yet though."

"It won't work at all, magic disrupts the electricity. Putting more in won't change that."

"Can't you stop the magic?" Came Jamie's voice from the end of the table and everyone turned to look at Harry.

He blinked. 'That…might actually work.' He thought to himself and then closed his eyes in concentration. The mutants held their breath, not even daring to create noise that might distract their newest opportunity. Suddenly, the stereo crackled to life and the lyrics of Linkin Park's "Numb" filled the room. Everyone erupted in cheers, slapping Harry on the back and carefully shaking Jamie's hands.

"This is excellent!" Bobby cried.

"It's a shame we can't listen to it at dinner though." Added Sam.

"Can't we ask the Headmaster if we can listen to it this once? It can be a culture lesson!" Suggested Amara much to the approval of the mutant children.

Harry only smiled, glad to have been able to help.

When it was finally time for dinner, Logan and Hank led the students to the Great Hall. Upon entering, they smirked at the Hogwarts students' looks of surprise to see them all gathered there. The food had yet to appear on the golden plates and without making much eye contact, the group made their way to the table set in front of the raised Head Table. They took their seats, with Ana and Kurt taking a seat on each side of Harry. He gave them a smile of thanks before Dumbledore rose from his own seat.

"Although this is a little belated, I would like to welcome the students of Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters, and their friends." He added the last part after seeing the horrified looks on the Brotherhood's faces. "I hope that we can forge a new alliance between our two kinds." There was some scattered applause from the other tables and Harry saw a few mutants roll their eyes. "As a form of celebration, for tonight's meal we have prepared a variety of foods that are more native to yourselves. Enjoy!" With that he sat back down and the golden plates were suddenly filled with delicious smelling food.

Harry looked down at the dish of pizza in front of him with a grin. Looking up and down the table he saw that there was a huge variety of a muggle food. Kurt squealed girlishly as he lunged at a plate piled high with big, juicy hamburgers and Ana smiled as she filled her plate with Chicken Lo Mein. He laughed out loud when he heard Jamie yell out, "O' HOLY KRAFT DINNER! YES!" He even noticed that Gambit was looking pleasantly at a plate full of Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo. He looked out to the other tables and saw that they all had the same foods. He laughed as Malfoy looked appalled at the large bowl of neon orange macaroni.

It was then that the others remembered the stereo that they brought and went up to the Head Table. The Headmaster looked a little surprised about the stereo, but accepted their explanation that Ray's powers allowed it to work. He gave them permission to listen to it that one night during the meal, and grinning evilly, Bobby shot a quick look at Harry before loading a CD and pressing 'PLAY'.

Everyone went back to their meals as the music started. Harry's head shot up when he heard the first few lines, and then grinned behind a fork full of Kraft Dinner.

The words of Simple Plans's 'Welcome to my life' filled the Great Hall and Harry watched as the lyrics began to make a connection in his old friends heads.

Silence reigned over the Great Hall as the song ended, and Harry chanced a glance at the Gryffindor table where his former friends looked pale and some on the verge of tears. Satisfied, he returned to eating. He would have to thank Bobby for that one later.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZz

DONE! Its DONE! I' am sooooooooooooooo happy! This chapter took forEVER! Did you all like my tragic attempt at Kurt's stupid accent?

Anyways, the next chapter is already done, just needs to be beta read (Many hugs and kittens to Te for being such a freaking amazing beta reader!)

Also, as some of you already know, a fellow fanfiction author, Quillian, who wrote The Company we Keep, Had his fic deleted not long ago. It was removed under the explanation that it was plagiarizing my Of Slings and Arrows. This is not true, and I am very sorry that his story was taken off.

REVIEWS!

Gorion: Thanks! Actually, if its alright, should I put more German phrases in the story, would you mind if I mailed them to you first to see if their right?

Me: is ginny still connected to Voldemort of is she a spy?... neither, and she will be in the next chapter to explain herself more…. But there IS something going on with her, but I doubt anyone is going to guess it

……… that's pretty much it!

Thanks to all the new readers! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter. I hope this one is as successful! It was a Bitch to write let me tell you!

Expect to hear from me soon!

The Original Pe

(I would really appreciate reviews telling me what they thought of the prophecy scene) Bottom of Form