A/N: I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. I wanted to wait until finals were over. Now, I have about a month off until the next semester starts. I will try to update every now and then. I probably won't respond to every review that I receive unless you have a specific question, but I still want you to review. Your reviews let me know that you are still interested in the story. When no one is interested in my story anymore, that is when I won't bother to update. Thanks for all the reviews that I have gotten. I really appreciate them.


Harry spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house. He tried to keep his mind off of the Death Eater attack that was going to occur later, but his thoughts kept returning to it. The Headmaster seemed to know what Harry was thinking, so he tried to keep Harry entertained with stories and card games. Harry appreciated the effort that Dumbledore put into keeping him occupied; however, it didn't always work.

"If you have work that you need to do," Harry said, "you can go do it. I can find something to do by myself. Not that I don't like spending time with you, but I'm sure that you have more important things to do."

"Nonsense. You are important to me as well. I have all summer to finish my work. Besides, I was working while you were outside flying," Dumbledore replied.

Harry tried to stifle a yawn around eleven o'clock. He knew that he would have to go to bed soon, but he was afraid of what he would see. His eyes had been growing heavier, and he realized that he wouldn't last much longer. The Headmaster, seeing Harry's struggles, got up and gently pulled Harry to his feet.

"Come on, Harry. I know that you don't want to sleep, but your body needs rest."

Harry gave a weary nod as he trudged to his room. Dumbledore left him alone as Harry got ready for bed. Once Harry had crawled under the covers, Dumbledore came and sat beside him.

"I will be staying up tonight while waiting for Severus to report back to me. I will check in on you during the night and see how you are doing. If you have a nightmare, I will wake you up. If you have a vision, I will bring you some potions to help you," the Headmaster said.

"I hope that you aren't just staying up because of me," answered Harry, guilt creeping into his voice.

"No, I'm not. I used to stay awake a lot during Voldemort's first reign. Don't worry about it. I've gone plenty of nights without any sleep. What's one more?"

When Dumbledore finished talking, Harry sleepily said good night before quickly falling asleep. The Headmaster sat on the edge of Harry's bed for a few more seconds. He softly brushed Harry's bangs off of his forehead.

"I wish that I could save you from this pain. No fourteen-year old should have dreams about death and torture," Dumbledore whispered before quietly leaving the room.


Harry found himself in a huge stone room. The torches on the wall cast flickering shadows around the area. An elaborate throne sat squarely in the middle of the room. Cobwebs filled the corners of the room, and the floor was very grimy.

Harry wondered why he was in this room, but he didn't have to think about it for long. One of the wooden doors creaked open, and Voldemort walked in with his pet snake Nagini. Voldemort lazily sat down on the throne while Nagini lay curled up at his feet.

"The plan is working out perfectly, Nagini. Everyone will soon see the awesome power of Lord Voldemort. Potter may have gotten away, but he can't stay hidden forever. The wizarding world will be lost with their symbol for the light gone," Voldemort hissed with a twisted smile on his face.

A sudden knock interrupted Voldemort's conversation with his snake. Voldemort's red eyes flashed angrily, and he gave a hiss of annoyance. He pulled out his wand and slowly twirled it with his fingers.

"Enter," Voldemort replied to the visitor.

A Death Eater hesitantly entered the room. He was in full costume, so Harry was unable to figure out who it was. The figure walked over to the throne and lowered himself to one knee while bowing his head. Voldemort silently waited for the Death Eater to announce why he had come.

"My Lord, I have some good news for you. I will have it completed by tomorrow."

Harry was puzzled by what the Death Eater had said, but Voldemort seemed to understand. A look of triumph quickly flashed over Voldemort's face.

"You have done well and will be rewarded. Is everyone else ready to complete their part of that plan?" Voldemort's voice held a bit of a warning as if daring the man to say no.

"They are, my Lord."

"Good. Now come over here and give me your arm," Voldemort said.

The Death Eater hurriedly complied with the command. He pushed up the sleeve of his robe and exposed the Dark Mark. Voldemort stared hungrily at the mark before placing a finger on top of the brand. Harry's scar exploded in pain, and he tried to keep from screaming. He became aware of Death Eaters apparating into the room before he opened his eyes and saw the Headmaster beside his bed.

"Are you alright? What did you see?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself. He had to take a few deep breaths and slow his quickly beating heart. The pain from his scar was gradually dulling down.

"I'm okay. I had a vision, but it wasn't of the attack. I saw Voldemort and another Death Eater talking before Voldemort called the others. This Death Eater was doing something for Voldemort, but I don't know who it was or what he was completing. He said he would have 'it' done tomorrow, whatever that means. Voldemort was happy about that. I'm sorry that I don't have any definite details to tell you."

"That's alright, Harry. I know that you did your best. I'm just glad that you didn't see the raid tonight. Why don't you stay up with me while I wait for Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Okay. I didn't want to go back to sleep anyway."

Harry and Dumbledore made their way into the living room and sat down. Harry glanced at the Headmaster out of the corner of his eye. Dumbledore had circles under his eyes, and he looked very weary.

"Why don't you go to sleep, sir?" asked Harry worriedly. "I can wake you up when Professor Snape gets here. It might be a while."

Dumbledore gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your concern, Harry, but I will be fine. I wouldn't want to leave you in here alone. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? I have some potions that you can take if you need to."

"My scar did hurt earlier, but it is manageable now. I don't want to take anything."

Harry and Dumbledore continued to sit and make small talk until the sun began to come up. The rosy light filtered in through the window and lit up the room. The fireplace suddenly flamed up and Snape stepped out. He didn't look surprised to see Harry and Dumbledore sitting there waiting for him.

"How are you feeling, Potter?" Snape questioned. He paused before continuing to talk. "Did you see what happened?"

"Hello, Professor. I feel good now. I didn't see the raid, but I did see what happened before the attack."

"What exactly would that be?"

Harry once again explained what he had witnessed in his vision. A confused look passed over Snape's face as he tried to puzzle through what Harry had told him.

"I guess the look on your face means that you don't know what they were talking about either," Harry said.

Snape scowled before answering. "The attack that just occurred was the only plan that I was aware of. I don't think that the Dark Lord informs all of the Death Eaters about all of his plans though. Did you realize who the Death Eater was?"

"No. I couldn't see his face, and I didn't recognize his voice."

"Well, I guess that we won't know for a while then. Albus, I am ready to give my report. Potter, if you will excuse us," said Snape.

"Actually," Dumbledore interrupted, "if Harry wants to hear your report, I will allow him to stay."

Harry had gotten up in order to leave, but the Headmaster's words stopped him in his tracks. Both Harry and Snape were surprised and speechless for a few moments.

"Albus, I don't…"

Dumbledore interrupted Snape. "Well, Harry? What do you say?"

"I'll stay," Harry quietly replied, bewildered by the turn of events.

The Headmaster sensed the confusion in the room. "I just thought that Harry has earned the right to hear about what is going on. Please continue with your report, Severus."

"Well, the Dark Lord called us at about midnight. We went to some Muggle town. I didn't catch the name of the area. The Dark Lord had apparated to the town before us, and we just apparated to where he was. The new recruits had to torture and kill several Muggles in front of all of the Death Eaters in order to test their loyalty and courage."

Snape paused as if remembering the events all over again. "Once that…spectacle was over, the Death Eaters were set free to do whatever they wanted. I managed to separate myself from the rest of the group. I tried to warn any Muggle that I saw about what was going on, but Voldemort seemed to be carefully watching everything. Aurors showed up within a few hours; however, the Death Eaters had enough time to escape. Several people were killed before help arrived though, and a lot of the town was destroyed."

There was silence for a while as everyone tried to digest the story. Harry stared blankly into the flames of the fireplace. He knew that Snape had toned down the story because Harry was listening. Harry was glad because he didn't think that he wanted to hear all the grisly details of the attack. He vaguely realized that the Headmaster had put an arm around his shoulders.

"Are you okay, Potter?" Snape asked.

Harry jumped in his seat when he heard Snape's question. He hadn't been paying a lot of attention to what was going on once the story ended, so he hadn't seen the glances that the Headmaster and Snape had been giving him.

"I'm fine. I just don't see how anyone can enjoy doing that. When will all of this end?"

Neither Dumbledore nor Snape knew how to reply to that question, so they remained quiet. Words seemed inadequate in this situation. The Headmaster slowly ran his hand over Harry's back in a comforting gesture. Harry gave him a grateful smile.

Snape began to stand up after a moment. "I don't really have anything else to report. When we got back to the Dark Lord's lair, he complimented everyone on a job well done. He didn't say when he would call us again. I will return when I have more news for you."

After Snape had left, Harry and Dumbledore turned to each other.

"Everything will be okay, Harry," Dumbledore said although he had a hard time believing it himself.