Hufflepuff Wisdom

If Harry was apprehensive when he pushed the door leading to the Room of Requirements, he was quickly relieved to see Helga waiting for him, a gentle smile on her lips.

'Good evening…' She paused briefly and added. 'I was wondering if that would be all right to call by your name?'

'Of course,' replied Harry a bit taken aback by the request.

'Then, good evening, Harry,' she studied him a few seconds. 'I hope your illness is now just a bad memory.'

'My illness?' Repeated Harry. 'Did you predict I would be gone a few days because I'd be sick?'

'Not at all,' chuckled the witch. 'I don't need to be a Seer to notice that you've been feeling unwell lately.'

'Well, I guess that staying up late on top on my studies isn't the best lifestyle for a student,' said Harry while sitting on the edge of the desk.

'Training is important, so is resting.' Helga considered the boy and asked: 'Have you made any progress concerning Voldemort?'

'Possibly,' nodded Harry. 'Although I was wondering if it would be really useful for me to make any.'

'What do you mean?'

Harry remained quiet a few seconds and stood up. He approached one of the magical windows, pondering how unwise it would be to explain to the Hogwarts Founders that the help he had found to defeat the school's threat might be… the threat itself.

'Let's pretend I discover a way to beat Voldemort,' he finally said. 'I gather enough clues to understand his weaknesses and how to exploit them to make him vulnerable and protect the school. What then?' He turned towards Helga and gazed at her. 'In the end I am just a student. I might be taught by you and the other Founders, but I don't think that months of training can match decades of experience. Especially when it comes to duelling.'

Helga frowned and shook her head. She had to ask.

'I know that very few people are on your side,' she said with compassion, 'but I feel like you don't expect any help from them. May I ask why?'

'I would put my friends in terrible danger by doing so,' replied Harry. 'It wouldn't be the first time, I'll admit it. But this time it's different. This time, I am perfectly aware of the danger I would be putting them in. Besides, I doubt a few students of Hogwarts could do anything against a Dark Lord and his followers.'

'You'd be surprised,' said Helga pensive. 'What about Albus Dumbledore?' She added. 'If I recall correctly, he believes you.'

'What do you know about Dumbledore?'

'Only what ties him to Hogwarts,' admitted the Founder. 'However I do know he is the most powerful wizard of all times, at the moment. Moreover, he already defeated a Dark Lord.'

'He did,' said Harry while briefly remembering the description of a chocolate frog card. 'He fought against Grindelwald.'

'Then why wouldn't you consider his assistance? He is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he would do anything for the school.'

'Precisely!'

'Then I don't follow you anymore,' said Helga, frowning. 'Why are you putting so much effort into training to protect Hogwarts if you are unwilling to use the available help?'

'Why won't anyone get it!?' Blurted suddenly Harry, surprising the Founder. He looked angrily at the witch and started pacing. 'Let's summarize. My family was murdered defending me against a Dark Lord. The very family that was placed under protection by an Order who had vowed to defeat the said Dark Lord. Don't you find it odd that they chose to protect this family over another? Don't you find it even weirder now that we know I am the one with the power to defeat him?' He stopped and turned towards her. 'Makes you wonder how many knew that secret already, doesn't it? And it makes me wonder why I was never told anything when I am the one who is hunted down!'

'How can you know for sure they know about this secret?'

'Oh, come on!' Sighed Harry. 'I may be fifteen-year-old, but I know how to recognize when there are too many coincidences for it to be just chance.'

Helga considered him and finally nodded. The boy was right, it wasn't by chance that his family had been protected instead of others. But then, why had no one bothered telling the boy? She reflected on what Harry had told him until then. He was obviously a lonely young man. He might have friends who he cared about. But what he had always lacked was an adult caring about him. She was astonished that in a time like this, there was none to, at least, acknowledge that there was something wrong with him and step in to offer him the guidance he needed. Well, there was someone who could have been this person, and could probably still be.

'What is the role of Albus Dumbledore in this?' She finally asked while keeping a careful study of his face and reaction.

'He led the first war against Voldemort by founding the Order of the Phoenix when he rose to power,' explained Harry. 'I may have defeated him, the night he tried to kill me, but I might never have been born if Dumbledore hadn't been there. He is the reason why there is no safer place than Hogwarts and why the Wizarding World can still live in bliss ignorance about Voldemort's return.' He didn't hide his disgust as he finished his sentence.

'And he is therefore the one that might have hidden this secret from you,' concluded Helga who was now understanding the reticence of the boy.

'It's almost as if I had been raised for one purpose only,' smiled Harry bitterly. 'Defeat Voldemort or die trying.' He had decided to not reveal his true nature.

Helga gave him a look of sadness that made him uncomfortable. He hadn't said all that to get her pity.

'I am just tired of secrets,' he finally added to break the silence. 'I am tired of this feeling I am being used for a purpose that people are keeping away from me for a reason I don't get. I deserve the truth. I deserve to be trusted!' He added, a defiant note in his voice.

A change in the light caught his attention and he turned towards the magical window. The view was now of a snow-covered mountain forest glowing softly under the crescent moon lighting the sky. The sight was beautiful and soothing.

'Does he care about you?' Asked the soft voice behind him.

Harry took a deep breath and pivoted to face her. What a good question.

'I want to believe he does,' he said after a few seconds of reflection. 'At least, I think he has good intentions.'

'A good intention is meaningless if it is not followed by a good action,' said Helga with a voice deeper than usual. Harry raised his eyes to meet her resolved gaze. 'I agree with you when you say you deserve to be trusted. Everyone does unless proven unworthy, and I don't think you are.'

'What do you suggest then?'

'You are the one who will change the course of action, not Dumbledore, as almighty as he is. It is time you start taking the decisions you see fit to help you in your journey,' asserted Helga. 'You told me that you may have made some progress concerning Voldemort. Maybe it's time you make some concerning those who would be willing to help you.'

The letter from Dumbledore felt suddenly very heavy in Harry's pocket. Though he hadn't replied to it, he hadn't thrown it away. A small smile appeared on his face.

'I can't figure out if you sound more like Gryffindor or Slytherin.'

'They are more alike than they'll ever admit it,' chuckled Helga. 'I never had any trouble with the fact that we might think alike. We could never have achieved something as great as Hogwarts if we didn't.'

Harry plunged his hand in his pocket and retrieved the crumpled parchment to look at it. Helga was right, it was time for him to visit to his Headmaster.