Bonded Fates and Fractured Bonds

Harry followed Dumbledore through the gate of a two-story cottage and was then led to a comfortable living room. Two huge armchairs were facing the fireplace and the windows were masked by heavy red curtains. The walls were covered with tapestries embroidered with gold thread. Filled bookcases completed this very Gryffindor like decoration. The atmosphere was warm, and it was only when Harry sat in one of the armchairs that he realised he had been cold. He relaxed as the heat of the fire warmed up his muscles, but he didn't let his guard down.

He turned his head towards Dumbledore whose gaze was lingering on the dancing flames.

'What I have to tell you tonight,' Dumbledore started with a lower voice than usual, 'is something I have been postponing for too long now. Though it has never been my intention to make you feel like a pawn' – Harry felt his stomach twist - 'I understand what led you to feel this way. I was foolish Harry, I…' His voice seemed to break and he leaned in his chair to close his eyes for a brief instant. 'There are probably no excuses that could amend me, so I'll just say this.' He opened his eyes and sighed. 'At the end of last year, I stated that we would all soon face the choice between what is right and what is easy. All this time I thought I was acting in your best interest but in reality, I chose the easy way out. And for this I am deeply sorry. I should have been there for you.'

Harry had been looking intently at his former Headmaster while he was speaking. As usual, Dumbledore was looking everywhere but in his direction. He quickly recalled what had happened the last time their eyes had met.

'I'd be lying if I told you I didn't resent you for that,' he said with a frankness that almost surprised him.

'And still you don't resent me as much as you should,' Dumbledore replied almost immediately. 'There is a question I still owe you an answer to and I am sure you have many more concerning my behaviour towards you over the past months.' The blue gaze turned in the direction of Harry while avoiding the green eyes. 'You deserve to hear the truth and I am sorry… Words cannot express how sorry I am that I couldn't protect you from it.'

'Does it have anything to do with you avoiding me?' Harry asked, ignoring the tightness in his throat. 'With the fact that you've tried so hard to not look at me since the beginning of the year?' His tone wavered but he forced himself to remain calm.

'I do,' replied Dumbledore sadly. 'Sixteen years ago, the professor McGonagall and I had a serious conversation about whether we should keep Divination in our curriculum or not. Since I had an appointment already planned with the descendant of a famous and gifted Seer, I thought that I would courteously attend it but not follow up. As expected, the meeting was a disappointment. But as I was leaving, something I didn't expect happened.'

Harry heard Dumbledore recite in a deep voice:

'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ...'

And there it was! There was the reason so many efforts had been deployed to preserve his life. But…

'What is that?' Harry asked.

'This is a Prophecy that was made by the Professor Trelawney between Lord Voldemort and you a few months before your birth.'

''So… all of this, because of a stupid Prophecy?' Harry frowned.

'There is one thing about Prophecies that elude a lot of wizards and witches, Harry, even the most brilliant ones,' Dumbledore replied quietly. 'If I tell you that many Prophecies have been made over the past centuries but that not all of them were fulfilled. What could you make of that?'

'A Prophecy can lie?' Harry prompted.

'In a way,' Dumbledore chuckled. 'Fates are intertwined by Prophecies. But they might never join. Just because a Prophecy has bound your Fate and Voldemort's one, doesn't mean they had to meet.'

'Then why did it happen anyway?'

'Had I foreseen that the Professor Trelawney had any gift at all, I would have never chosen the Hog's Head for our encounter. It isn't the safest place for secrets and that day, a spy was among the pub clientele. The eavesdropper immediately joined his master upon hearing the Prophecy and told him everything he had caught. My only good fortune was that this spy had only grasped a fraction of the Prophecy. The Dark Lord is only aware of the first part.'

'Neither can live… while the other survives,' repeated Harry. 'Voldemort isn't aware that, in the end, we will have to fight?' He pushed this horrible thought away from his mind. He would be no match for the Dark Lord. 'But… wait a second… How do you know all this?! How do you know what he understood and what he missed?'

Dumbledore sighed.

'You know who the eavesdropper is,' Harry stated, livid.

'I know who that person is indeed,' the Headmaster answered. 'But I dealt with them personally as soon as I found out,' he continued with a tone that did not allow for any reply. 'This is why I was able to organize the protection of the families which had a child born at the end of July.'

Harry remained quiet. He knew about that part of the story. Pettigrew had betrayed his parents and was the only one to blame for their death.

'So, all this time, you knew I would have to fight him?'

'I hoped you would never have to,' Dumbledore responded. 'I wish we had more time.'

'You can't say that!' Harry blurted angrily. 'What about all the time you spent ignoring me?'

As soon as he finished his sentence, Dumbledore raised his blue electric gaze and their eyes finally met. Harry had braced for this but still, the brutality with which his hatred poured into his veins disarmed him. And the pain... This unbearable pain that couldn't compare to the one he was feeling when his scar was hurting. He had already endured this impression of having his forehead being pierced by an arrow of molten steel in the graveyard at the end of his fourth year and then, there was nothing he could do about it. But here, he could. If he gave in to his impulses, the pain would go away. All he had to do was to lunge at the old man sitting quietly a few inches from him.

He groaned out of sorrow, but he stood against the wave of rage overwhelming his instinct. Almost out of habit, his training with Salazar kicked in. Letting go became more meaningful than ever. His mind was battered in a flow of corrupted feelings. He just had to step aside and empty his mind. The storm could then go on, but if there was nothing to destroy, it would become meaningless.

In only a few seconds Dumbledore witnessed the green eyes shine with pure hatred and then fade to a calmer glimmer. Somehow the boy had learned to control his emotions at a rate that impressed him. It was very unlikely for someone to be able to master the fundamentals of the magic of the mind so quickly, and as far as Dumbledore was concerned, Harry hadn't received any mentoring whatsoever concerning such magic. And yet…

The monster laid down, tamed, but the pain was still burning. It had been easier to fight it this time, but Harry was feeling degraded. Why was it so easy for Voldemort to get to him? He feared the Horcrux within him wasn't as dormant as Tom had explained to him.

He took a deep breath. Knowledge was power and right now he needed to be sure of what Dumbledore really did know about his condition.

'This feeling,' he said a bit hesitant, 'it is not the first time you're trying to trigger it, isn't it?'

'No, it's no,' Dumbledore replied. 'In fact, I have been wanting to discuss this matter with you for a few days now. Unfortunately, we were interrupted before I could provide you any explanation the last time I tried. But tonight, I am quite confident that we will not be disturbed.' He took a deep breath. 'It seems that there is a connection between Lord Voldemort and you, a connection he can exploit to get to you. And he does so through your emotions.'

'What to you mean?' Harry replied while repressing a whimper. He would have given a lot to plunge his head in a bucket of snow.

'This connection is from a branch of magic I am still attempting to decipher,' Dumbledore admitted. 'But you can see it as a bridge between his mind and yours, and this is the reason why I have kept my distances with you this year.'

'You are afraid He might cross the bridge to use me against you,' Harry reformulated with a tense face.

'That is one point,' Dumbledore nodded. 'But I also think that every time he accesses yours, he gains knowledge about you. He learns about your strengths and weaknesses.'

'Oh well, then thank you for your protection!' Harry yelped. He buried his head in his hands and closed his eyes. The pain was still sharp and for a while he wanted to close himself off from the outside world until it passed. A soft hand gently pressed his forehead and the pain disappeared as it had been washed away by a wave of cool water. Sensing the boy's relief, Dumbledore was about to remove his hand when he felt Harry's head pressing back against it. So, he left it there.

For the few seconds they stayed like this, Harry felt the safest and most serene he had ever felt in his life. This was everything he had craved for the last few months. In this soothing moment, he found himself dreaming of a time where he could have gone through this with Dumbledore at his side. He knew he could have accepted any burden then.

This wasn't easy to write for multiple reason and their discussion is still not over... All right I'd better get back to work if I don't want you to wait another 2 months for delivery.

Let me know what you think about it :)