Disclaimer: OK, you really should know by now that nothing but Bryn belongs to me.

A/N: Ok, I know it might cause some of my readers confusion, but for the sake of the plot of my fic, I'm skipping some time here. Chapter 20 took place in early March, but this chapter picks up in early May. Nothing really important has happened; Blaise and Bryn continue to meet, Ron has broken up with Lavender, Ginny broke up with Dean, and Bryn has been trying to find out more about her past, without success. Lupin never wrote back about Jazlyn. His letter to Harry spoke of pretty much everything but her. I wouldn't do this except that the climax of my fic is drawing close, and the only other way to get there without this shortcut would be to write a bunch of pointless filler chapters, wasting both my time and that of my readers. So with that said, just some comments on this chapter. If what Harry does seems illogical, it's a setup for the sequel. (Yes, there will be one.) Also, if they frustrate you at the end (trust me; I wrote it that way on purpose and I want to throttle them), well, it's a move in the right direction at least. R&R!

Chapter 21 - Harry's Secret: Bryn was sitting with Ginny and Katie Bell one Sunday evening in the common room, talking about the upcoming Quidditch final, when Harry came over.

"Bryn, can I talk to you?" Bryn looked up at her friend.

"Sure." She stood and followed him out of the common room. They went to a deserted classroom, and Harry shut the door. "Harry, what's going on?" Bryn demanded.

Harry raked a hand through his messy black hair. "I need to tell you some stuff. Ron and Hermione already know, and since you hang out with us, you're bound to overhear something sooner or later. So I got permission to tell you."

"Permission from who?"

"Dumbledore."

"Harry, what's this all about?" He sighed. "Well, it's a long story. You see..."

He told her everything he'd told Ron and Hermione. All about the prophecy, about Voldemort's past, and about the Horcruxes. When he was done, Bryn sat in shock. She knew about Horcruxes; a necromancer had invented them, after all, though you didn't need to be a necromancer to make one. Thank God, Voldemort was not a necromancer.

As for the rest... "God, Harry." She was thinking mainly of the prophecy, and also of what he'd said about the fight at the Ministry before that. About his godfather, and what had happened. Bryn was tempted to tell him that Sirius Black wasn't dead, exactly, but she couldn't. Harry had trusted her with his secrets, but the difference was that necromancers were generally reviled as Dark wizards, and Bryn was afraid she'd lose her friends if they ever found out. "I don't know what to say to you. I don't know what there is to say."

"I don't want pity," Harry said roughly.

"I understand, believe me. I wouldn't either, because I know how it feels. I was younger than you, but I still hated it." He gave her an odd look.

"I forgot. I guess you'd have an idea of it, at least as far as Sirius is concerned."

"And I don't think anyone can relate to the rest of it. But if it makes a difference, I think that one day, when you've done all you can to be ready, I think you'll beat him."

"I hope you're right."

"You know, I still don't get why you'd tell me this. I mean..."

"I trust you. I don't know why; it's like you're a sister to me. I know it makes no sense."

Bryn frowned. "Actually..." She told him about the vague memory of her mother and his talking. "I have the feeling we would have been like siblings if nothing had gone wrong. We would have grown up together, at any rate."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I guess so." He frowned, suddenly getting a crazy idea. What if Bryn's dad... No. He'd have said something. No way was Sirius the type to keep that kind of secret.

Bryn had no idea of the thoughts her friend was having. She was thinking of something, of a dream she'd almost forgotten. A man lost in gray fog, looking for help. A man whose last clear memory was of a boy with messy black hair and emerald green eyes. What did it mean? Was that Sirius Black she'd dreamed about? And if so, where was the connection that was most likely there? Was it just that she had been about to befriend Harry, or something more? And if it was something more, then what was it?