Disclaimer: Sigh. As if. Still not Rowling, still not making money, and stop asking already.
The next morning saw Harry waking up after a fitful sleep. As he walked into the Great Hall, most of the other students were sitting at their benches eating breakfast. Draco was sitting at his table as well, but looked a combination of angry, pensive, and scared. He did not say a word, either to his housemates or anyone else, he just listlessly picked at his food.
All of the teachers except for Snape and Moody were sitting at the head table, which was rather unusual – usually professors, like the students, came and went for breakfast. After a few more people filtered in, Dumbledore stood up and struck his fork against a goblet, which caused people to quiet down and look up at the head table.
"May I have your attention please. Excellent, excellent. Normally announcements wait until the evening meal, but why waste time?
"The first announcement is that all of the champions other than Mr. Potter are expected to make a full recovery. They will be up and about in a few days. Our very own Healer Pomfrey is doing a bang-up job getting them ship-shape."
Most in the Great Hall applauded.
"Yes, yes, they all appreciate your support. If you wish to visit them, you may do so today, provided, of course, that Madame Pomfrey may shoo you all out at any time."
"The second announcement is that Professor Moody was found to be being impersonated by a Death Eater, and said Death Eater was caught yesterday when, for unexplained reasons, he lost the ability to perform magic. He is currently in Azkaban awaiting trial."
The students murmured amongst themselves. Moody had been a good teacher, Death Eater or not.
"The second announcement is that Professor Snape will no longer be teaching potions for years one through three."
There were cheers from said years, but boos from the upper years who would still have to be taught by him. Dumbledore raised a hand in an entreaty for silence, and eventually everyone quieted down again.
"I have agreed to take these classes temporarily. It has been a long time since I have taught, it will be nice to impart knowledge into your young brains again. Also, you can expect there to be changes in the lesson plans for fourth year and above. Your heads of house will have further details on that."
The murmuring started again, but then died down just as quickly.
"Professor Snape is also no longer head of Slytherin house. A replacement will be announced this evening."
Some of the Slytherins jumped up yelling "WHAT?", while others breathed an obvious sign of relief. Others had no reaction, as Draco had told them the night before. Dumbledore waited for the commotion to die down.
"Because two of our teachers are unable to perform their duties today, yesterday was a very eventful day, and the teachers have a lot of unexpected work to do today that does not involve teaching, I hereby inform you that all classes today have been can-"
At this the cheers were so deafening that his last word was drowned out. Dumbledore smiled and waited for the cheers to die down.
"Yes, yes... everyone loves a day off. There is one further announcement. This is a very important announcement, so please pay careful attention.
"Hogwarts was envisioned as a place where many different types of people who could perform magic could come and receive an equal education. In the days of the founders, there were serfs, lords, nobility, and peasants. Today there are purebloods, halfbloods, and muggleborns. However, Hogwarts' charter has never changed. The house system was envisioned as a way for students to have community amongst those that were most like them. It was never envisioned as a way to create artificial separation between said students. However, that is what it has turned into. Slytherin against Gryffindor, Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw – friendly rivalry is healthy and can bring out the best in anyone, but what I have seen lately has gone far beyond friendly rivalry. I am frankly alarmed at how divisive the inter-house relations have become.
"I must admit to responsibility for having allowed this to take root, and as headmaster, I will count this as one of my greatest mistakes."
The hall was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. And did, because Fred Weasley picked that moment to drop a pin.
"But the beauty of mistakes, young people, is that they can be rectified. So this morning, I am announcing a return to the founding principles of Hogwarts. Bullying will not be tolerated further. Your heads of house will be scheduling mandatory meetings with you tonight to go into further detail, but in short, treating your fellow students in any way that is not, at a minimum, respectful and professional, will be grounds for immediate discipline. And in case you have it in your head that a detention or two will be worth it, I am not talking about detentions – I am talking about calling your parents, and expulsion."
The look of fear on the faces of some of the worst bullies were something that the bullied were particularly enjoying.
"You do not have to like your fellow students. I could not require that even if I wanted to. Respectful disagreements and conflicts are to be expected. I am referring to actions such as drawing your wand on another student, using disrespectful names against them or their parents, hiding their things" - and Dumbledore looked specifically at the Ravenclaw table, where a few girls lowered their eyes - "and other similar activities meant to demean or degrade.
"Further details will be forthcoming in your house meetings tonight, and questions will be answered there. If you know of someone who is not here, please pass on what I have said this morning. I am sure they will be pleased at the lack of classes for today."
Dumbledore raised his goblet.
"Enjoy your day, students. Tomorrow classes resume."
Even though he kind of saw it coming, Harry was shocked. He just sat there with his fork halfway to his mouth, and then just put it back down, staring at Dumbledore with open astonishment. Many other students had the same reaction. Some of the bullies from every house were looking at Dumbledore with hatred, but they knew when they had been outplayed.
However, one student stood up slowly, and with tears with her eyes, navigated her way from the Ravenclaw table to the Gryffindor table, sat down next to Harry, and hugged him tightly while sobbing into his shoulder. Harry was gobsmacked, as the only thing he knew about this girl was her name – Luna Lovegood.
Finally she looked up at him, tears in her eyes, said "Thank you, Harry Potter", kissed him on the cheek, and walked back to her table to finish her meal.
Harry missed the barely concealed rage on Hermione's face. Ron was too busy shoveling in the food to care.
At that moment Dumbledore walked by Harry's table, and stopped next to him.
"Harry, if you have a moment, I would like to finish the conversation we were having yesterday. Are you finished with your food?"
Harry stood up. He had eaten all he was going to. Today was weird and was just getting weirder.
Scene Change
Harry and Dumbledore walked back into the Headmaster's office, and Harry sat down in his customary place.
"Headmaster, what-?", Harry blurted.
"Harry, call me Albus, please."
"A-Albus?"
"After everything you have endured due to my decisions, Harry, it is the least privilege I can grant you. However, I would appreciate if you would continue to call me by my proper name in front of your peers." Dumbledore... winked?
Harry blinked.
Yes, that was a wink. And a twinkle. A winkinkle?
"Harry, I'm sure you wonder what has changed between yesterday and today."
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore sighed. "I have made a great many mistakes in my life, Harry. Far too many. It would seem that the older one becomes, and the more influential, the more damaging the mistakes become. Yesterday, I saw a boy come into my office and tell me that he had lost the will to live, and I realized that this was entirely due to decisions I've made, for and about you."
Harry's mouth dropped open. Of all the things he could have expected...
"I have begun to rectify these mistakes, Harry. I had some very difficult conversations yesterday evening, and I have a feeling I will be having far more shortly. I have not earned your trust, Harry. In fact, I have done everything possible to destroy it. But I hope to."
There was a tear in Dumbledore's eye. It made a hot trail down his wrinkled cheek.
"Forgive an old man his mistakes, Harry?"
Harry's mouth was pretty much on the floor at this point. About all he could do was nod dumbly and say "I'll try, Prof- Albus."
"That's all I ask, dear boy."
Harry sat there, thinking about these new developments. He decided to come clean.
"Headmaster, I was going to tell you something yesterday before we got interrupted. I didn't dare the dragon to kill me. It's true that I didn't care if it killed me, but I didn't dare it. I didn't need to."
Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair.
"Apparently, Albus" (he was still trying to get used to that) "the Goblet of Fire is sentient. And seconds after I sat down, it started talking to me."
"What did it say?"
"It told me that it was exposure to the ambient magic of the castle that made it sentient, that it knew I had been entered against my will, that it was changing the magical binding to the person who entered me and removed all of their magic."
"Barty Crouch Jr.", Dumbledore said, with understanding dawning.
Harry nodded. "It also told me some things that it overheard, that's how I knew about Bagman and Skeeter. It told me that dragons could speak parseltongue. It told me that I no longer had to participate, but asked me if I wanted to have some fun with it anyway.
So I walked up to the dragon and offered to set her free. She was very grateful, and after I conjured a bag for her, she touched my scar with a talon. She told me that there was a shade of darkness in my scar. She removed it and replaced it with – Headmaster? Headmaster?"
Dumbledore's eyes were wide and he was shaking.
"She... removed.. it? Harry, She removed the darkness in your scar? Let me see!", he almost shouted, and faster than he should have been able to move at his age, he grabbed his wand and cast all sorts of spells at the scar... finally, after he was done, he sat back down, panting.
"It's gone", he said, his eyes welling up with tears. "It's gone. Harry, it's gone."
"What is?"
"Marked as his equal... neither can live... it's gone... the dragon removed it..."
Dumbledore was choking back sobs now. Harry looked alarmed.
"Are you alright, Albus?"
Dumbledore took a moment to collect himself.
"Harry, I'm afraid I owe you an explanation of quite a few things. I can only hope you don't hate me after I tell you.
Voldemort was once a student known as Tom Riddle. I watched him descend into the darkness. I gave him so many chances to redeem himself, and yet he slipped further and further down that road, and eventually went to a place from which there was no return.
There is an object, Harry, that can be used to anchor one's soul to this plane of existence. It is called a Horcrux. It is one of the darkest and foulest magicks that have ever been conceived of – for not only does it split one's soul, but it requires a cold-blooded murder to create.
Harry, I believe that Riddle created seven of them. I believe that you were one. I believe that it was an accident when he killed your mother."
Harry's eyes widened.
"I knew of no way to remove it, Harry. I only knew of one way to destroy a horcrux – and that is to destroy its container."
Understanding dawned. "You thought I had to die in order to kill Voldemort."
"Yes, harry. I knew of no other way. I could not conceive of a way in which Riddle died and you could survive."
Harry thought for a moment. "Were you going to kill me?"
"Oh heavens no!", Dumbledore said, scandalized at the very thought.
"Then how..."
Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know. I was hoping for the best."
"... but preparing for the worst."
"I was hoping to protect you from it for as long as possible."
"... that's why you sent me to the Dursleys."
Dumbledore nodded. "The blood wards would protect you, and I was hoping that your relatives would come around."
"They didn't."
"I'm sorry, Harry."
"The dragon said she replaced it with something called the 'Mark of the Dragon'".
Dumbledore fainted dead away.
Scene Change
After calling Poppy and helping to levitate the aged Headmaster to the hospital wing, where Harry was assured that he would be up and around in no time (but she was taking no chances due to his age), Harry decided to take a walk outside. It was a beautiful day – the BeethovenBird had changed to whistling the four note motif of the fifth symphony over and over again in different keys, strangely enough managing to put together something not entirely unlike the real fifth symphony, a MozartBird had taken up residence nearby as well and kept singing the first few notes of the Marriage of Figaro overture, and a WonkaBird kept saying "Rachmaninoff! Rachmaninoff!".
And of course, there was a RachmaninoffBird, which kept singing about how much it missed home in slow, minor key dirges.
All in all, it was a busy day for magical, musical birds.
And students, too. Having the day off, and it being a nice day out, a fall bite in the air but still sunny and beautiful, children of all years could be seen walking all over the place, Ravenclaws lounging around with a book on the well-manicured lawns, Hufflepuffs finding more things to be loyal to, Gryffindors jumping into the lake without a care in the world, and Slytherins cunningly hiding their clothing. Apparently, the Slytherins were going to test the limits of Dumbledore's new edicts, hoping that simple pranks would fly under his radar.
They were probably right, too. As long as they didn't actually take the clothing, they would likely get away with it. Of course, once the Gryffindors caught on, the Slytherins found themselves in the water too. And soon, with the splashing, squealing, and swimming, all was forgotten.
They may be Slytherins, but they were also children.
The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were also taking the opportunity to explore the lawns, and, in some cases, apparently, each other.
Harry decided to find a tree to sit under, and after scouting out a tree with the perfect requirements (the number one requirement being that it must be a tree) he proceeded to do just that. He listened to the BeethovenBirds, the MozartBirds, the WonkaBirds, the RachmaninoffBirds, and was that just a hint of a BerliozBird? He had just dozed off when he became aware of someone sitting beside him.
He looked to his left, and there was Luna Lovegood. The way she was sitting, the sun was glinting off her blond hair and silvery eyes. She was wearing a pretty off-white sundress, and had her knees up to her chin with her arms wrapped around them. She looked a little bit like an angel.
He closed his eyes again and they sat in companionable silence. Until she finally spoke up, with an ethereal, dreamy voice.
"They took my things."
He didn't open his eyes again, but said, "who?"
"My roommates. Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe. They would take my things and hide them all over the castle."
"Why did they do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe just because they could. Because Looney Lovegood would never tell. And who'd believe her, anyway?"
"I would."
"I know, Harry Potter. They are infested with wrackspurts. You don't have wrackspurts. Wrackspurts hate you. You are far too pure."
They sat in silence for a while.
"The nargles told me that it was you. You were the reason all of my things came back last night. You were the reason my roommates are leaving me alone. I'm not Looney anymore. I'm Luna again."
She reached over and took his hand. She turned his palm right side up and caressed his palm with one finger, tracing each line gently. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but there was something oddly tender about the gesture. He closed his eyes for a moment at her touch, it was very gentle. After a moment, he turned to look at her, and could see her eyes closed as well, her lips slightly parted.
Finally, her eyes flutered open, and she turned to him, and smiled. "You gave me my name back, Harry Potter."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, and five minutes later, both of them were asleep, the breeze gently wafting through their hair
A/N This is a good place to leave it. Is it H/HR? Is it H/LL? I don't know. But I have said that I found Luna delightful, and she really is a joy to write. Such a beautiful soul.
I read every review, and I take them seriously. Several reviews have shaped the direction of this story. I do not take specific direction, saying "you should make Harry date Pansy" might get you laughed at (or not), but bringing up things you like or don't like are immensely helpful to me. I might disagree. And in some cases, I may agree strongly. I don't do polls, I don't do "give me ideas", but I do do "this is a collaborative effort between me and my reviewers". I like that idea a lot. Just please don't get butthurt if I pass over your idea. Ultimately, it is my story, and I'm getting a better feel for where I want it to go as I write.
So Read? Like? Review.
Also, please don't expect daily updates. If I need a break, I will take one. So far the muse has been kind to me.
Update 7/23/16: Added some descriptive detail to the scene with luna, fixed quotes, added announcement that the other champions were going to be fine (That stuck in my craw).