Chapter 23

Overdue Revelations

It was a strange sensation, being caught in the place between consciousness and unconsciousness. Voices faded in and out as well as sensations but they were all too muffled and too distant to worry about. There was no pain here. Time was irrelevant since nothing of consequence happened here. The only downside was the periods of partial consciousness were coming more and more frequent but he couldn't find the energy to do anything but notice the voices and emotions surrounding him. People were talking quietly, unable to hide their concern or their fear but why? It was peaceful here, wasn't it?

"I will not be spoken to like this! I have only been doing what you wanted!"

"I believe I told you to not to speak of Harry's captivity. You went too far, Severus. Once again you let your pride overpower you. Do you have any idea how difficult it has been for me to convince Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Minerva that you are still at least partially trustworthy? Sirius is prepared to remove Harry from Hogwarts unless something is done."

"And of course we must all bow down to Harry Potter's mutt. When did the world begin to revolve around what Sirius Black wanted?"

"Sirius is acting as a concerned guardian, Severus. That is certainly a stronger defense than a man who still feels the need to take out his anger on a dead man's son. All Harry did was answer a question correctly. Would you have treated anyone else the same if they had answered the question?"

"Of course not! No one else struts around this school as if they own it! Everyone here worships him—"

"—which Harry despises. You know this, Severus. I thought you had accepted that Harry was not James."

A loud sigh could be heard. "I have my reasons, Headmaster, reasons that I prefer to keep to myself."

Oblivion returned as the voices and emotions faded away only to be replaced by others what felt like a moment later.

"Why isn't he awake yet? Is something wrong with him?"

"Mr. Potter will wake when he's ready, Miss Granger. Rest is the best remedy for him now. You two better be on your way or you'll be late for class."

Someone squeezed his hand as a voice whispered in his ear, "Please wake up soon, Harry. It's not the same without you. Come on, Ron. We should go."

There was silence until another voice whispered in his other ear. "I don't think you know how many people care about you, Mr. Potter—Harry. I've never seen so many students visit. They see you, Harry. I assure you. They see who you really are—a truly remarkable young man."

Oblivion returned once again and like before it didn't last long. What was different was that someone was rubbing a cool substance on his legs and arms. Harry tried to pull away from the hands that were touching him but his limbs wouldn't obey. It took too much energy to even think of opening his eyes so Harry to resort to a groan of protest which ended up sounding like a loud breath if you were listening for it. Unfortunately, no one was and they continued on.

"What's the point of doing this?"

"It keeps Harry's muscles and joints from locking up, Sirius. It's just an extra precaution. Draco claims the Cruciatus Curse never touched Harry but..."

"Don't remind me. This family must be one of the most dysfunctional ones in the history of families. How is it possible that I'm related to people who want nothing more than to torture and kill my godson?"

"You do realize that it is possible that you are the bad egg in the family, right?"

"Oh shut up, Moony."

"Hmm, I must have hit a sore spot."

"If Harry wasn't between us right now, I'd hex you."

"You would if you could hit me. Who was it that won the last duel we had?"

"You cheated that time."

"Really? How do you figure that?"

Silence. "You just did, all right?" Silence filled the air once again. "I can't believe we're talking about this. Harry—"

"I know, Padfoot. I know. It's completely unfair that these sort of things keep happening to Harry. I think his empathy is really starting to impair his judgment. Perhaps it would be best to remove him from here."

"Er—Moony, that's usually my line. I'm supposed to be the one threatening to remove Harry from Hogwarts and you're supposed to tell me I'm overreacting, okay? Good. Now, should we try this again?"

"Oh shut up, Sirius. You can be such a git."

"I resent that! I'm not a git! Snape's a git! I, however, am a prat."

"I am so glad we cleared that up."

Voices faded into nothing. Warm and soothing waves surrounded him, protecting him. Waves of sympathy mixed in with the warmth, begging Harry to forgive something that the entity had no control over. She had asked for his help to aid one of her children but the child had been beyond help. There was nothing else he could have done. Not all children can be saved. It was a harsh truth but it was an undeniable truth. Draco Malfoy had made his choice when he refused help from Professor Snape.

The comforting waves slowly pulled back, allowing Harry to open his eyes and look around the blurry, dimly lit room. Even though he couldn't see, Harry knew he was in the hospital wing. The smell was unmistakable. He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and recalled why he was back in one of the hospital beds, something that remarkably had been an odd occurrence this year. Malfoy had tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse just like Umbridge had done over a year ago. What was it with people wanting to torture him? Why did he always allow himself to be put in that position?

Because you think you can handle everything by yourself, that's why.

Opening his eyes again, Harry propped himself up and took another look around. It was then that he noticed a black blur at the foot of his bed. Cautiously, Harry tapped the blur with his foot and received a sleepy grunt from the thing. Reaching towards the bedside table, Harry felt around for his glasses and as relieved to find them along with his wand. Everything came into focus the moment Harry slid his glasses on, along with the familiar large black dog at the foot of his bed. He should have known that Midnight would never leave his side after what happened.

As quietly as possible, Harry slid out of bed and walked to the foot of the bed. He instantly reached for Midnight, burying his fingers in thick, black fur as he mentally debated what he should do. It was obviously in the middle of the night which meant that everyone was asleep yet he was wide awake. He wasn't about to wake everyone up and he knew he would probably send quite a few people into a panic if he went anywhere but he really didn't want to sit around in the hospital wing until sunrise which was hours away. He didn't think he could bare the boring silence without falling into insanity.

Something wet brushed against Harry's hand, causing him to jump and turn to see Midnight staring at him. Harry relaxed and, with a pop, found himself pulled into a fierce embrace. "Er—hi Sirius," he said uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to wake you—"

"—never mind that, kiddo," Sirius said softly as he stepped back and took a good look at Harry. "How are you feeling? Any stiffness? Dizziness? Headache?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine," he said and he meant it. He really felt better than he had in a while. "Er—how long have I been in here?"

Sirius ushered Harry back to bed and covered him up before sitting down at Harry's bedside. "You've been unconscious for nearly a week, Harry," he said as he took hold of Harry's hand. "For a while we were afraid that you would never wake. You had a severe concussion that caused your brain to start swelling. We were lucky Poppy stopped it when she did."

Harry let out a long breath as he took in everything Sirius said. A week. He had lost an entire week because he underestimated Malfoy's hatred and jealousy. "I'm sorry," Harry said quietly. "I was just trying to help. I didn't even know it was him. Hogwarts just asked for my help and he noticed me before—"

"—I know, kiddo," Sirius interrupted. "Myrtle told us everything. We know that Malfoy attacked you and that you were trying to avoid a fight. The fact that your wand was still in your holster also proved that you were technically unarmed. Draco Malfoy was expelled from Hogwarts and is currently at the Ministry awaiting sentencing." At Harry's surprised look, Sirius clarified. "Using an Unforgivable on another student deems automatic expulsion, Harry. The Ministry may go easy on him since he was underage but he won't be able to escape some time in Azkaban, especially considering who his father is and that we are in the middle of the war. Dumbledore thinks the Ministry may be harsh on him just to set an example."

Harry knew he should have expected that but it was still a shock. Malfoy had made one mistake in the heat of the moment and that mistake had cost him everything. Harry didn't know what to think or feel. He had never gotten along with Malfoy to say the least but he never would have wished a sentence at Azkaban on him. Although, now that the Dementors have left, it's probably the safest place for him…just like his father.

"Oh!" Sirius added. "You'll be happy to know that Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw for the Quidditch Cup. I heard the Gryffindor team tried to have the game postponed so you could play but since no one knew when you would wake up…well, I suppose you'll hear all about the match from Ron."

Harry tried to smile but had a feeling that he failed from the concerned look on Sirius' face. It was amazing how one moment could affect so many events. He couldn't imagine what the team had to go through to prepare two positions in only a matter of days. It had been a headache just to prepare Katie and she already had years of experience as a Chaser. Ginny really had no experience as a Seeker and no one else knew Ginny's position as Chaser. The only way 'Organized Chaos' worked was if the timing for all the players to be exact. It must have been a nightmare for whoever took over Ginny's role.

"How did the team do?" asked Harry.

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't go to the game, Harry," he said truthfully. "Moony and I stayed with you…just in case, you know. There were also a few rumors of Slytherins wanting to avenge Malfoy so Moony, Tonks and I have been rotating in keeping watch. Nothing's happened so far but you may want to stay on guard just in case."

Harry nodded uncomfortably. Great. Just what I need is an entire house seeking vengeance against me. "So…how much does everyone know?" he asked nervously.

Sirius looked rather uncomfortable as he avoided Harry's gaze. "Well, it really couldn't be hidden, Harry," he said evasively. "Only the most severe of offenses call for expulsion and then there was Moaning Myrtle. You know how lonely she is and—well—she likes you so she was rather eager to tell what happened to anyone who asked…which was most of the female population here."

Harry groaned as he covered his face with his hands. Great. Just great. Having a bunch of star struck girls gossiping about him as if he were some sort of hero was the last thing he needed. Wait a minute…it's been that way all year. Harry couldn't help wondering how distorted the truth was by now but, on second thought, he figured he really didn't want to know. After all, half of the school still believed that Harry and Hermione were a couple.

It didn't take long for Sirius to give into his frustration and wake Madam Pomfrey. She had been extremely vocal about her annoyance until she saw that Harry was indeed awake. Evidently, Sirius had a history of waking Madam Pomfrey in the middle of the night over the past week because he thought he saw signs that Harry was waking. It was actually quite humorous to listen to Madam Pomfrey complain about everything from overbearing guardians to badgering students. From what she was muttering, Harry gathered that Sirius wasn't the only one pestering her.

Once every test was run (and some twice), Harry was released from the hospital wing and into Sirius' care until morning. Wearing Sirius' cloak over his pajamas, Harry walked with his godfather back to the Marauder Quarters. Sirius could barely contain his excitement every step of the way, something that made Harry extremely nervous. This type of mood was usually associated with pranking Remus. The only problem this time was that it was nearly four in the morning and Remus wouldn't be expecting whatever Sirius had in mind.

When they reached the Marauder Quarters, Sirius motioned for Harry to be quiet before entering. Harry could only shake his head at the eagerness pouring off Sirius. The moment the entered, the fire in the fireplace roared to life. Harry immediately took a seat in front of the fire as Sirius crept into Remus' room. He didn't have to wait long before a loud scream echoed from Remus' room.

"SIRIUS!" shouted Remus angrily. "YOU PRAT! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN HEX YOU PROPERLY!"

It was that moment that Sirius rushed into the Common Room and jumped on the sofa couch with a large grin on his face. This was the Sirius that Harry saw so rarely of, the Marauding Sirius that loved to prank Remus. "He'll be out shortly," Sirius said as he twirled his wand between his fingers.

Remus rushed into the Common Room at that moment dressed in his wrinkled pajamas with disheveled hair and his wand pointing at Sirius. Even though Remus looked absolutely alert and furious at Sirius, it was easy to see that affects of the upcoming full moon were already present. There were faint circles under Remus' eyes and his breathing was more labored than what it should be. The changes that could transpire over a week's time were amazing. A week ago, Remus was his normal good-natured self. Now, the affects of the werewolf curse seemed to overpower him.

Sirius, however, didn't seem to notice Remus' state of health. "See, Harry?" he asked happily as he glanced at Harry. "I told you Remus wouldn't mind joining us."

Remus quickly turned at stared at Harry, his eyes wide. "Harry?" he asked softly then turned at glared at Sirius. "Why didn't you tell me he was awake?"

"That would ruin the fun, ol' Moony," Sirius said nonchalantly.

Remus scowled as he moved towards Harry and quickly checked him over. "Are you sure you're all right, cub?" he asked, his amber eyes staring into Harry's. "No headaches? No pain?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine," he insisted. "Madam Pomfrey even confirmed that there is absolutely nothing wrong with me."

Madam Pomfrey's diagnosis was enough for Remus. For the next two and a half hours, Harry, Sirius and Remus talked about anything and everything…when Sirius wasn't trying to lighten the mood by cracking jokes, of course. It seemed that Sirius' way of dealing with what happened was through laughter. Harry wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. He was well acquainted with the overprotective, irrational Sirius. That had been the Sirius he had been expecting. The fact that Sirius felt the need to hide behind humor worried Harry. It meant that Sirius was either too angry at the moment or that he preferred to ignore the seriousness of the situation because it was less terrifying that way.

By the time breakfast arrived, Harry had cleaned up, changed, discarded his glasses for his contacts, and was on his way to the Great Hall with Sirius and Remus. The halls were still bare which Harry was grateful for. He knew he would probably be bombarded with questions today, something he wasn't looking forward to in the slightest. What was he supposed to say anyways? Everything had happened so fast that Harry had simply reacted just like Malfoy and look at the result. Malfoy was expelled and guaranteed time at Azkaban. In a blink of an eye, Malfoy had lost everything and Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Harry knew he should be angry with Malfoy but every time he tried, he remembered the pain Malfoy had been in. The pain and despair had been real. The loneliness had been real.

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize they had entered the Great Hall until he felt waves of excitement and curiosity surround him. Glancing around, he noticed that all of the eyes were focused on him. The few students present who had been sitting at their House tables seemed to be frozen in mid-motion while the staff seemed to have a little more tact. They were simply staring at Harry with surprised looks on their faces…well, except for Professor Snape who simply sneered.

Professor Dumbledore was the first to break the silence. "It is a relief to see you up and about, Harry," he said pleasantly. "I know you are anxious to return to classes, however, Madam Pomfrey requested that you refrain from overdoing it or she will restrict you to bed rest in the hospital wing."

Harry winced and nodded. The absolute last thing he wanted was more time in the hospital wing. He had no problem learning there but being a patient there was another story. There were just too many painful memories associated with previous stays.

Shaking the train of thought out of his head, Harry followed Sirius and Remus to the Gryffindor table while trying to ignore those who were still staring at him. He considered himself lucky that there was no one currently in the Great Hall who knew him well enough to even consider approaching, especially with Sirius and Remus sitting next to him. Harry wasn't fooled. He knew that Sirius and Remus were sitting by him for that very reason and was grateful for it.

It wasn't long before more and more students arrived for breakfast which meant more and more people noticing Harry's presence. Cho was the first person who had the courage to approach Harry and welcome him back which snapped everyone out of their stupor. Council and D.A. members followed suit then returned to their tables to inform those sitting around them what they learned. Thankfully it didn't last long and Harry was able to return to his breakfast…just in time for Ron and Hermione to arrive with the rest of the sixth year Gryffindors.

Surprisingly, everyone simply wanted to know how he was feeling. No one brought up what happened although Harry could feel the curiosity pouring off of them. They wanted to know if the rumors were true but someone convinced them to remain silent. His first guess was Sirius but after catching the protectiveness flowing off Ron and Hermione, Harry wasn't so sure. Everyone had listened to them before, why not now?

The day had passed slowly for Harry. Hermione continuously tried to inform Harry on everything that he had missed academically while Ron kept interrupting to give Harry the play-by-play of the recent Quidditch game which had actually been quite a close game. Gryffindor had won by 170 points when Ginny had caught the Snitch just before Cho. Katie had taken over as Captain and the game had been played in Harry's honor. Harry couldn't hold back the pride he felt towards his team. They had really banded together to pull of an impossible feat considering a few members had been at each other's throats for the majority of the season.

The rest of the week passed quickly with Harry trying desperately to catch up in his classes even though he was being called to Professor Dumbledore's office to give statements regarding the 'confrontation' with Draco Malfoy at least twice a day. His story had to be altered slightly since no one could know about his connection to Hogwarts which made it difficult to convince the representative from the Ministry that he didn't intentionally seek Malfoy out. After all, the bathroom hadn't exactly been on the way to the Great Hall.

In the end, Harry's reasons for entering the bathroom didn't matter. The arrival of the weekend brought the decision Malfoy's sentencing. Since Malfoy was underage, some leniency was taken although not as much as some may have hoped. It was believed that Malfoy had been acting out in duress and was only sentenced to two years in Azkaban in a low security wing. He would be allowed to study magical theory under supervision only. After his release, Malfoy would be placed on probation with non-removable charms placed on him to monitor his magic. Any use of dark magic would result in a one way ticket back to Azkaban.

It had been a rude awakening to many at Hogwarts. No one, not even underage witches and wizards were safe from the cells of Azkaban. The Ministry was making their statement clear. Dark magic would not be tolerated. Some believed that the Ministry was going too far but they knew better than to voice their opinions in front of the wrong people. Despite their feelings, no one was about to risk their freedom for Draco Malfoy and that was probably the harshest blow there could be. Malfoy really was on his own.

The passing weeks brought back some sort of normalcy at Hogwarts. There was still tension, especially between the Slytherins and the rest of the houses. Those who had been close to Malfoy had secluded themselves even more from everyone else. They didn't necessarily cause any problems but they certainly weren't friendly towards anyone outside their circle either. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that leaving the group to their own devices was the best course of action. They ignored you if you ignored them.

Harry was once again constantly surrounded by people who felt it was their duty to protect him. Whenever he was outside the Gryffindor Tower, the entire D.A. seemed to swarm around him. They tried to be discrete and hold conversations with other members but Harry could see the occasional gazes and the sudden movements when a Slytherin walked by. Harry tried to protest the new 'protection' but Ron and Hermione insisted that the D.A. just wanted to help. It seemed that the only time Harry could escape the madness was when he visited Sirius and Remus once again. Sirius was still resorting to humor which was starting to make Harry extremely nervous. It was almost like Sirius was in some sort of denial.

The arrival of June shifted the focus to the upcoming end of year exams. Ginny was doing everything in her power to prepare for her O.W.L exams with the rest of the fifth years while Cho, Katie and the rest of the seventh years desperately tried to prepare for the N.E.W.T. exams. Like last year, the D.A. meetings were transformed into intense study sessions to help those who needed it the most. It felt so strange for Harry not to be one of those who needed every moment possible to absorb every ounce of information. The end of year tests for the sixth years weren't exactly a walk in the park but at least he didn't have to remember everything from his previous years at Hogwarts in addition to the material covered this year.

Walking back to the Gryffindor Tower from another study session in the Room of Requirement, Harry tried to ignore the bickering from Ron and Hermione about tormenting the fifth years on how difficult the O.W.L. exams actually were. Ron didn't see anything wrong with teasing the current fifth years while Hermione insisted that he wouldn't feel the same way if someone had acted that way to him last year. Thankfully they seemed content without dragging Harry into it regardless of how pointless the argument was. No one really believed anything Ron said anyways.

Entering the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry instantly moved for the stairs leading to the dorms when someone shouted his name. He turned and came face to face with Jimmy Peakes, who was holding out a familiar looking scroll of parchment. Harry bit back a groan as he thanked Peaks and unrolled it.

Harry,

I know this is short notice but I would appreciate it if you could come to my office as quickly as you can. I believe you already know the password.

Albus Dumbledore

Letting out a tired sigh, Harry stuffed the parchment in his schoolbag, bid farewell to Ron and Hermione and left for Dumbledore's office. There was only fifteen minutes left until curfew so the halls were rather bare, except for Peeves but he was thwarted easily enough. He quickly turned the corner to take the familiar path towards the staircases, nearly running into Professor Trelawney in the process.

Professor Trelawney let out a startled shriek, swaying where she stood. Harry quickly grabbed her by the arms and steadied her. The stench of liquor flooded his nostrils, causing Harry to cough and step back. There was no question about it. Professor Trelawney was intoxicated and the loud hiccup only confirmed the theory.

"W—where you goin' in such a rush?" Professor Trelawney demanded angrily. She took a closer look at Harry and scowled. "You're goin' to see Dumbledore, aren't you? He always has time for you…never for me. He doesn't understand that the nag—sorry, centaur really has no talent for cartomancy."

"You don't say," Harry said dryly but Professor Trelawney paid no attention.

"It wasn't always this way, you know," Professor Trelawney continued dreamily, her drunkenness apparently slowly fading away. "I remember when Dumbledore first interviewed me. He was so impressed with me. We met in the Hog's Head. He questioned me and I must confess that I that I…well…I thought Dumbledore would deny me the position. He didn't see the importance of Divination, like most people. Then…I remember I started to feel a little odd…I didn't eat much that day. I was so nervous…" She seemed to snap out of her dreamy state with her anger returning, "But then we were rudely interrupted by Severus Snape!"

Harry stared at Professor Trelawney with wide eyes. Snape? Snape was there that night? Harry had thought that only Dumbledore had heard the Prophecy that night. If Snape knew…"W—what?" Harry asked quietly.

Professor Trelawney let out an annoyed breath then continued. "There was a commotion outside the door," she clarified. "The door flew open and Snape was standing there with the barman. Personally, I thought Snape was caught eavesdropping on my interview since he was also seeking a job at the time. After that, Dumbledore was much more willing to give me the job…"

Harry stopped listening as his mind tried to process everything. Professor Snape had been listening in when the Prophecy had been made. That could only mean one thing. Snape had been the one to inform Voldemort that a Prophecy had been made concerning him and a baby born at the end of July. Because of Severus Snape, Voldemort had gone after Lily and James Potter, killing them and cursing a baby to a life no one would want to live.

Before Harry knew it, his legs were moving as he ran to Professor Dumbledore's office. He needed reassurance that what he had just heard was not what he thought he heard. Professor Snape couldn't be the one who…Dumbledore wouldn't…this was just a big misunderstanding. It had to be. Harry couldn't believe that the person who had revealed the crucial piece of information that would alter the war without a second thought of who it would affect had been teaching him for six years.

Hogwarts seemed to understand the urgency Harry felt because the gargoyle protecting the path to Dumbledore's office jumped out of the way. Harry ran up the stairs, taking two or even three at a time. The moment he reached the top of the stairs, the door to Dumbledore's office flew open, allowing Harry to hurry in and come to an abrupt halt in front of Dumbledore's desk. Fawkes let out a worried trill from his perch, causing Dumbledore to turn from staring out the window and look directly at Harry.

"Harry?" Professor Dumbledore asked cautiously as he set the black traveling cloak he had been holding down on a nearby chair. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"Tell me it's not true!" Harry demanded; his eyes stinging with tears. "Tell me it wasn't Snape who told Voldemort the Prophecy! Tell me it wasn't Snape who condemned my parents to death and me to a cursed life!"

Dumbledore let out a long sigh as his face seemed to pale in contrast to the setting sun rays coming through the window. He retuned his gaze to the window, suddenly looking significantly older and tired. "I see Professor Trelawney has been strolling the halls again," he said softly then bowed his head. "Harry, I need you to listen to me. Professor Snape made a mistake, one which he sincerely regrets."

Harry stared at Dumbledore completely flabbergasted. "A mistake?" he asked. "Answering a question wrong is a mistake. Running into someone is a mistake. Accidentally cursing someone is a mistake. Telling Voldemort half of the Prophecy that led to the deaths of my parents is not a mistake! Snape knew what he was doing!" Dumbledore opened his mouth. "DON'T YOU DARE CORRECT ME! HE'S THE REASON VOLDEMORT KILLED MY PARENTS! HE'S THE REASON VOLDEMORT'S OBSESSED WITH ME! THERE'S NO WAY I COULD EVER FORGIVE HIM FOR THAT!"

Dumbledore turned to Harry once again and stepped forward, stopping when Harry took a step back. "As difficult as it may be to believe, Harry, I—"

"—you what?" Harry interrupted angrily, not caring about the tears that were slowly falling down his face. "You promise he's on our side? You know that he's sorry? Snape hated my dad! He hated me because of my dad for years! How can you honestly believe that he feels anything other than hatred towards any of the Marauders? Snape probably danced for joy the night my dad died!"

"I can assure you he did no such thing, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said firmly. "Please, just listen to me. When Professor Snape overheard the first half of the Prophecy, he was still in Lord Voldemort's employ. Since it involved his master, he told Voldemort without a second thought. Professor Snape had no way of knowing which boy the Prophecy referred to, Harry."

"But he knew Voldemort would seek out a child!" Harry countered. "He didn't care that an innocent child would most likely be killed! He didn't care that some family would most likely be destroyed!" Harry turned away and let out a shaky breath. He didn't know what to do. Since Snape was still breathing, Harry had a feeling that Sirius and Remus didn't know yet. This is going to send Sirius over the edge. I know it.

"We all have regrets, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said gently. "I know you probably do not believe me but I trust Severus Snape completely. He may be irritable and short tempered but he now understands there are consequences to every choice he makes. I realize that Severus has made more drastic mistakes than many but consider what he is currently doing to pay for those mistakes. Every day he is at risk from being discovered by Voldemort."

Harry just shook his head and moved to leave. He didn't want to listen to Dumbledore attempt to excuse what Snape had done. There was no excuse. Nothing Dumbledore could say would make the pain, anger and hatred go away. This was just another truth that had been hidden from him, like the Prophecy. What else had Professor Dumbledore kept from him?

"Harry, please don't leave," Dumbledore urged, his tone slightly pleading. "I can understand your anger but acting on it will accomplish nothing."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore over his shoulder. "I can't say Sirius and Remus would agree," he said coolly. "I think you know how they feel about Snape at the moment."

"That is why you cannot tell them," Dumbledore said quickly. "Harry, I realize that it is extremely difficult to see the larger picture with something like this but you have to trust me. I would never let Severus anywhere near you unless I was confident he was trustworthy. I do not expect you to forgive him, Harry. I know you will confront Severus sooner or later. I only ask that you to wait until you have calmed down."

Harry turned and stared at Professor Dumbledore in disbelief. "Calmed down?" he asked. "You expect me to be calm about this?"

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh as he sat down behind his desk. "What do you plan to do when you confront him, Harry?" he asked. "Curse him? Attack him physically? Kill him?"

Harry remained silent. He didn't know what he was going to do. He just knew that he had to do something. He couldn't let this go. Could he curse Snape? Very likely. Attack him physically? That was highly possible. Kill him? Harry hesitated. He wanted Snape to pay but could he really go that far? What would Mum and Dad say? Would they want me to become a killer? Closing his eyes, Harry let the mental battle continue in his mind. He didn't know what his parents would say to this and it was because of Snape, Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew.

Slowly, Harry opened his pain-filled eyes and looked back at Dumbledore. "You should have told me," he said quietly. "This is my past—my parents' past and you hid it from me."

"I wanted to spare you the pain knowing this would cause," Professor Dumbledore said sincerely. "We can't change the past, Harry. Hurting or even killing Professor Snape will not bring your parents back, nothing will. Professor Snape is not the same person he was back then. I give you my word."

Harry shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, sir, but I just can't believe that," he said firmly. "You may trust him but I never will, not anymore."

Dumbledore stared at Harry sadly before nodding. "Very well," he said softly. "I suppose that will have to do. Shall we leave it here for tonight or do you wish to know why I called you here?"

Harry reluctantly sat down in front of Dumbledore's desk and looked at him expectantly as he set his schoolbag down on the floor. Truthfully, he really didn't care what Professor Dumbledore had to say at the moment. He just wanted to go back to the Gryffindor Tower and try to work through the overwhelming thoughts raging through his head. Was that too much to ask?

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat awkwardly. "If you remember, Harry, I promised that you could accompany me when I discovered the location of a Horcrux," he said cautiously. "I am not sure which one it is but I believe it is hidden in a cave quite a long ways from here. It is the cave which Tom Riddle terrorized two children from his orphanage so many years ago. The question is, do you feel up for this tonight? Can you focus on this task? I assure you it will be dangerous."

Harry didn't know what to say. "What about Sirius and Remus?" he asked.

Dumbledore looked at Harry compassionately. "They are waiting in their quarters for your decision," he said. "They are understandably hesitant to let you leave Hogwarts but they know this is something you need to do."

Harry stared at Dumbledore skeptically. "How much Calming Draught did Remus give Sirius?" he asked nervously.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Two vials, I believe," he said. "What do you say, Harry? Do you wish to come along? If we are to leave, it should be soon."

Harry ran a hand over his face. Did he want to? Not at the moment. Should he go? If I want to know what awaits me, yes. "I'll go, sir," Harry said as his eyes met Dumbledore's. "I'll do what I can to help but I prefer to know what we are walking into so I can be completely prepared."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, smiling slightly. "I honestly do not know what awaits us, Harry," he said. "I only know there is a residue of magic where there should be none. It is highly possible that there are protections that could be rather dangerous but I don't expect that anyone will be waiting for us."

Harry sat back in his chair as he tried to mentally run through possible scenarios. He didn't like the situation but there was little he could do about it. He would have to be prepared for anything, if that was possible. "May I use you fireplace, sir?" Harry asked as he picked up his schoolbag and rose to his feet. "I should speak with Sirius and Remus first."

"Of course, my boy," Dumbledore said as he also rose to his feet. "I shall be waiting for you…oh, and please bring your invisibility cloak."

Without another word, Harry flooed to the Marauder Quarters, only to be caught by Sirius and Remus before falling flat on his face. Waves of nervousness and concern swirled around Harry as he regained his balance and took a good look at his guardians. Not a word was said. Nothing needed to be said. Acceptance and understanding mixed in with the nervousness and concern. Sirius and Remus knew Harry would go with Dumbledore just like Harry knew Sirius and Remus would let him go.

Remus was the first to pull Harry into a fierce embrace. "Be careful, cub," he said softly as he stepped back and smiled reassuringly. "If it becomes too dangerous, use one of the portkeys."

Sirius took the opportunity to pull Harry into another embrace. "I still don't like this," he said grudgingly. "I think it's too risky but Dumbledore assures us that he'll protect you. Protect yourself, kiddo. Follow your instincts even if they don't agree with what Dumbledore says. They've never been wrong before."

Harry nodded as he pulled away from Sirius. "I'll be all right," he said, hoping that he sounded more confident than he felt, "but I need you two to do something for me while I'm gone. I need you two to let Ron and Hermione know what's happening. They've probably finished their argument by now and are wondering where I am."

"Do we even want to know what it was this time?" asked Remus.

"Probably not," Harry said offhandedly as he set his schoolbag down and pulled out his invisibility cloak. It took every ounce of self control not to blurt out what he had learned. He wanted to tell them about Snape. He wanted to be honest with them but he couldn't bring himself to reveal the one truth that had been hidden from them for so long. This would be the final nail in the coffin for Sirius in the quest to prove that Snape should be shipped off to Azkaban, if there was anything left to be sent there. "I should be going. Dumbledore's waiting for me."

"Right," Remus said cautiously. "We have to patrol the halls tonight with members of the Order so come and find us when you get back."

Harry nodded, bid a nervous farewell and flooed back to Dumbledore's office, this time catching himself before he lost his balance. Dumbledore had already put his traveling cloak on and was waiting by the door. There was a look of compassion in his eyes that meant one thing: Dumbledore knew that Harry hadn't told Sirius and Remus the truth about Snape. I haven't told them yet but that doesn't mean I won't.

"We should be on our way, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said as he opened the door. Once we reach the Entrance Hall, put on your invisibility cloak."

"Do you expect trouble, sir?" Harry asked as he approached. "Remus mentioned there would be Order members patrolling tonight."

Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "I always have some extra security present when I leave Hogwarts," he said as he motioned for Harry to lead the way. "I believe Bill Weasley and his fiancé are scheduled to patrol tonight with Sirius, Remus and Nymphadora. I am curious to the state they will be in when we return. As I am sure you know, Sirius and Nymphadora have a history of relying on magic to end an argument."

Harry walked out of the office with Dumbledore following him, their steps echoing in the small staircase. He knew that Professor Dumbledore was trying to lighten the mood but Harry had too much on his mind to accept the gesture. He hated keeping secrets from his guardians. He hated that he knew this secret and didn't know what to do about it. He had originally thought that Dumbledore would have denied Trelawney's claim. And I would have believed him. He could have lied to me and I would have believed him.

Perhaps that was what hurt the most. He had trusted Dumbledore to be truthful and aid in his protection from those who had caused him harm yet the very person who had set the chain of events into motion had been teaching him, taunting him and making his life difficult for nearly six years. Snape wasn't sorry. If Professor Snape had been sorry, he wouldn't have singled out the victim of his 'mistake' like he always did. No, Snape was bitter. There was nothing else to it. The only question that remained was why was Snape bitter? Was it because of what revealing the Prophecy had cost him? Or, was it because he had to face a constant reminder of his 'mistake' every day at Hogwarts?"

Waves of concern, sympathy and regret surrounded Harry as they reached the Entrance Hall. Without even glancing at Dumbledore, Harry disappeared underneath his invisibility cloak and waited. Dumbledore cast Harry a sympathetic glance before he turned and set off down the stone steps. Harry followed as he desperately tried to push all of Dumbledore's emotions out of his mind. He had enough to sort out without someone else's emotions interfering with his own.

The evening sky had arrived as they approached the large black gates, Harry was suddenly hit with powerful waves of compassion and protectiveness mixed with a hint of anger and fear. There was no question where these waves were coming from. Unable to handle the strain, Harry fell to his knees and grabbed his head while mentally begging Hogwarts to calm down. It seemed that she was putting her foot down, in a matter of speaking. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to keep him protected here, at Hogwarts.

"Harry?" Professor Dumbledore asked urgently as he knelt down and pulled off the invisibility cloak.

Slowly, the overwhelming waves decreased to a more manageable level allowing Harry to open his eyes and meet Dumbledore's worried gaze. "Hogwarts doesn't want me to go, sir," Harry said shakily as he sat back on his heals and let out a long calming breath. I'm sorry but I have to go. I need to do this. Waves of reluctance pushed away the waves of protectiveness, anger and fear. Hogwarts still didn't agree but she was accepting Harry's decision to go. I promise I'll return but until I do, I need you to protect everyone. Lock the gates behind us and don't let anyone in.

The emotions slowly vanished allowing Harry to return his attention to Professor Dumbledore who took that as a sign to help Harry to his feet. "Judging from the lack of magic surrounding you, I would say you to have reached an agreement," Dumbledore concluded.

Harry nodded as he stepped back, out of Dumbledore's reach and picked up his invisibility cloak. He couldn't think about this entire mess anymore. He needed to focus on the now or he would put this entire quest in danger. He could work out his anger and confusion later. Focus on the matter at hand and not the matter that is to come. It would have to do, for now. "We should move, sir, before someone sees us," Harry said at last before vanishing underneath his invisibility cloak once again.

Professor Dumbledore's arm slowly lowered to his side as he nodded, turned and continued on his way with Harry following him. The moment they walked past the gates, a loud creaking could be heard as the gates started to move. It was if two large hands were carefully pulling the large black gates at a slow but constant pace. No one could have stopped them no matter how hard they tried. Both Harry and Professor Dumbledore turned to watch as the gates closed and locked with a loud click.

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow and a twinkle in his eye but remained silent as he turned and continued on his way to Hogsmeade. Harry followed suit down the deserted lane. The only noises that could be heard were some distant shouts from the Three Broomsticks but even they died down soon enough. Harry kept all of his senses on alert as he continued to follow Professor Dumbledore past the Three Broomsticks and towards the Hog's Head, which seemed to be completely empty.

Just before they reached the shady pub, however, Dumbledore abruptly stopped and turned to face Harry. "This is our spot, Harry," he said quietly. "You may remove your cloak."

Harry complied. He kept glancing back the way they came as he flicked his wrist to arm himself and silently shrunk his invisibility cloak. Once he had safely pocketed it, Harry discreetly waved his wand over himself, silently transfiguring his clothes to something more comfortable and less recognizable. He was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark long sleeved shirt that was hidden underneath a dark jacket. Re-holstering his wand, Harry turned his attention to Dumbledore who smiling at him with an amused look on his face.

"From here, Harry, we must Apparate to our location," Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "I know you haven't had much practice outside of Hogwarts so, if you would grab my arm, I shall guide you towards our destination." Harry did as he was told. "On the count of three, Harry. One…two…three…"

Harry closed his eyes, turned on the spot and immediately felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a thick rubber tube. He couldn't breathe as it felt like every part of him was being compressed to an impossible size only to have it all vanish a moment later. He inhaled deeply, instantly noticing the high salt content as he opened his eyes to see a moon-lit sea underneath the cliff of dark rock he was currently standing on and star cluttered sky above him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Dumbledore turn around to look at what was behind them. Harry followed and saw a towering cliff. There were a few large outcrops similar to the one they were standing on but most of the cliff was a steep drop.

They had reached their destination.