Harry got up early on Saturday morning, careful not to wake anyone
else in the dorm. He had something to do and the best place to go and think
without anyone disturbing you was when you were soaring fifty feet high in
the air and going roughly 70 miles per hour or so.
Here he was free. Free to think. And he certainly had enough to think about.
He thought back to the Prophecies he'd learned about. He repeated them to himself now, "The Prophecies of the Boy to Destroy the Dark Lord, the Man Reborn. The Dark Lord can only be destroyed by an inferior with something more. A young man with wisdom beyond his years, gone through too much heartache to know fear, heard too much to be able to still hear. The Boy to fight will be called the Lion's Warrior and the People's Protector. Not yet of an age with manhood he is a boy to destroy. Only with companions 5 can he remain alive though he resist help to the bitter end. 1 of the 5 will be lost forever before the end. An orphan young he was born to die, as were his parents, but he must survive, else all will die. Parents, Protectors of the Night, gave their lives in the line of duty knowing they would save us all. The Boy to Save us will be Crowned King of all if he wins and lives to tell the tale, but doomed to torment eternally if he does not." Harry sighed. If this was him, he was not looking at a happy future. What happened to a peaceful life?
He meditated on this as he flew around in loops and circles. The closest thing to a "peaceful" or "normal" life would be between ages 1-10. When he turned eleven he got his Hogwarts letter and it was from that moment on that his life was upside-down. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he wouldn't lose the past seven (well now it's seven) years at Hogwarts for anything. It was here that he made his first friends. Here that he learned about who he was. Here that he'd nearly died several times. Here. It was all here and he didn't want to leave.
But what was he going to do when the final battle came? Could he kill someone? Even if it was Voldemort? Death was forever.
He grew angry. His parents were dead for forever. Hagrid was dead for forever. For their sake, if no one else's, when the time came he knew he'd do what he had to do.
He did a couple more lazy laps around the field. The Quiditch team should be pretty good this year. No new players. He'd be taking the N.E.W.T.s in June.
He wondered too why someone had wanted to kill a bat like Trelawney.
Dumbledore's class. That was something else. He hadn't been expecting anything like that. His hand went to his throat where the little hunting horn whistle hung on its chain.
He spied a figure far below him on the field, as he'd been circling he'd gain altitude. He made a gentle descent from a hundred feet up in the air and landed beside her. Even from a hundred feet in the sky, he'd known it was Renata Delano. She always seemed to know where he was, how he was feeling, and what he was thinking.
"Hey," he said, leaning on his broom.
"Good morning."
"How'd you find me?"
"I don't know. I just knew you'd be here and sure enough." she shrugged. "I know. I just always know."
"You've been thinking about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah."
They were silent. Harry looked at Renata and he knew that he wouldn't trade his years at Hogwarts for anything. He said suddenly, "I don't want you to die."
"What?" she blinked.
"I don't want you to die. When people hang out with me they die."
"Ron's not dead and you've been friends with him for seven years now," she laughed.
"Yeah, but."
"I'll be fine, Harry." She patted him on the shoulder and froze. "You were thinking about the Prophecy, weren't you?"
He nodded. She knew. She always knew.
"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"I worry anyway. The last battle is coming. I'm going to have to face him, you know."
"I know. The worry is all over your face. You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I am, though."
"We're here for you, Harry. You don't have to do this alone. We'll always be here for you. Never forget that."
"I know." He was lying, there was no way he'd let his friends get hurt trying to help him, but at the same time he knew that they would be there for him no matter what. Just as they'd always been there for him.
Renata chewed lip nervously. "Are you going to stand there all day?"
"What?"
"I asked if you were going to stand there all day. It's high time for some breakfast! I'm surprised you haven't heard how loud my stomach's been growling." She led him back inside the castle to where Ron and Hermione were eating their breakfast and had saved them seats.
"Why did Trelawny get killed?" asked Harry, his brow furrowed.
"I haven't the foggiest idea."
"Maybe she knew too much," said Harry.
"Maybe."
"Well, Harry, maybe you should ask Dumbledore. That'd be the logical thing to do, wouldn't it?" said Hermione, in a reasonable tone.
"Yeah. I guess."
"So ask him after the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
"Maybe I will."
"Where were you all morning anyway, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Thinking."
"Thinking? Don't you get enough of that during class?" asked Ron.
Harry just laughed. He needed to laugh or his head was going to burst.
Here he was free. Free to think. And he certainly had enough to think about.
He thought back to the Prophecies he'd learned about. He repeated them to himself now, "The Prophecies of the Boy to Destroy the Dark Lord, the Man Reborn. The Dark Lord can only be destroyed by an inferior with something more. A young man with wisdom beyond his years, gone through too much heartache to know fear, heard too much to be able to still hear. The Boy to fight will be called the Lion's Warrior and the People's Protector. Not yet of an age with manhood he is a boy to destroy. Only with companions 5 can he remain alive though he resist help to the bitter end. 1 of the 5 will be lost forever before the end. An orphan young he was born to die, as were his parents, but he must survive, else all will die. Parents, Protectors of the Night, gave their lives in the line of duty knowing they would save us all. The Boy to Save us will be Crowned King of all if he wins and lives to tell the tale, but doomed to torment eternally if he does not." Harry sighed. If this was him, he was not looking at a happy future. What happened to a peaceful life?
He meditated on this as he flew around in loops and circles. The closest thing to a "peaceful" or "normal" life would be between ages 1-10. When he turned eleven he got his Hogwarts letter and it was from that moment on that his life was upside-down. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he wouldn't lose the past seven (well now it's seven) years at Hogwarts for anything. It was here that he made his first friends. Here that he learned about who he was. Here that he'd nearly died several times. Here. It was all here and he didn't want to leave.
But what was he going to do when the final battle came? Could he kill someone? Even if it was Voldemort? Death was forever.
He grew angry. His parents were dead for forever. Hagrid was dead for forever. For their sake, if no one else's, when the time came he knew he'd do what he had to do.
He did a couple more lazy laps around the field. The Quiditch team should be pretty good this year. No new players. He'd be taking the N.E.W.T.s in June.
He wondered too why someone had wanted to kill a bat like Trelawney.
Dumbledore's class. That was something else. He hadn't been expecting anything like that. His hand went to his throat where the little hunting horn whistle hung on its chain.
He spied a figure far below him on the field, as he'd been circling he'd gain altitude. He made a gentle descent from a hundred feet up in the air and landed beside her. Even from a hundred feet in the sky, he'd known it was Renata Delano. She always seemed to know where he was, how he was feeling, and what he was thinking.
"Hey," he said, leaning on his broom.
"Good morning."
"How'd you find me?"
"I don't know. I just knew you'd be here and sure enough." she shrugged. "I know. I just always know."
"You've been thinking about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah."
They were silent. Harry looked at Renata and he knew that he wouldn't trade his years at Hogwarts for anything. He said suddenly, "I don't want you to die."
"What?" she blinked.
"I don't want you to die. When people hang out with me they die."
"Ron's not dead and you've been friends with him for seven years now," she laughed.
"Yeah, but."
"I'll be fine, Harry." She patted him on the shoulder and froze. "You were thinking about the Prophecy, weren't you?"
He nodded. She knew. She always knew.
"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"I worry anyway. The last battle is coming. I'm going to have to face him, you know."
"I know. The worry is all over your face. You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I am, though."
"We're here for you, Harry. You don't have to do this alone. We'll always be here for you. Never forget that."
"I know." He was lying, there was no way he'd let his friends get hurt trying to help him, but at the same time he knew that they would be there for him no matter what. Just as they'd always been there for him.
Renata chewed lip nervously. "Are you going to stand there all day?"
"What?"
"I asked if you were going to stand there all day. It's high time for some breakfast! I'm surprised you haven't heard how loud my stomach's been growling." She led him back inside the castle to where Ron and Hermione were eating their breakfast and had saved them seats.
"Why did Trelawny get killed?" asked Harry, his brow furrowed.
"I haven't the foggiest idea."
"Maybe she knew too much," said Harry.
"Maybe."
"Well, Harry, maybe you should ask Dumbledore. That'd be the logical thing to do, wouldn't it?" said Hermione, in a reasonable tone.
"Yeah. I guess."
"So ask him after the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
"Maybe I will."
"Where were you all morning anyway, Harry?" asked Ron.
"Thinking."
"Thinking? Don't you get enough of that during class?" asked Ron.
Harry just laughed. He needed to laugh or his head was going to burst.
