Hello All!
Here is the next chapter! Thirty-two pages long. Apparently I just don't know when to stop;) Anyway, there comes a time when you can no longer reread a chapter and just have to hope that you didn't miss anything and that everything makes sense. This is that time. It takes a long time to proofread and re-proofread that many pages… lol!
I hope you excuse Harry's behavior in the first part of this chapter. I had an internal conversation with myself very similar to the one that Harry has with himself at the beginning of this chapter… and his was the only solution I could come up with.
Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Previous disclaimer applies. I don't own anything.
LOL! Thanks for the reply IsiwaruOfCkaloatia! I take it that means you liked it? Hehehe!
Thanks for the reply madskillzpro! I'm glad you liked the chapter!
Thanks for the reply Legoland! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter! I must say though that your replies are making me a bit nervous. That's a lot to live up to! I hope I don't disappoint! I am trying to steer away from a lot of the clichés… and I hope that you continue to like the story! Thanks again for the reply!
Thanks for the reply n1ghtwing. I'm glad you like it! Here's the next part!
Thanks TJ6! I'm glad that you like the story and yes, there has been a lot of thought going into this story! LOL! Thanks again! And about HBP: I know…
Thanks for the reply Mag! I'm glad you like it! Here's the update!
Hi tefla! Thanks for the reply! I'm glad you're liking the story!
Hi Pamie884! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! And I'm glad that you liked the Council scene… and it's not so much that Harry's exempt from the law as it is that he is the law… which can certainly make things interesting. Thanks for the reply!
Thanks for reading!
Snowie
Chapter Four
Ministry Vehicle, Almost at Headquarters…
Harry was glad that it was Remus that had come to pick him up from The Ministry. At least he'd wait until they got back to Grimmauld Place before he started scolding. Harry had a feeling that if it had been Molly Weasley, the entire Ministry would have gotten an earful before they made it out the door.
Not that Remus' silence wasn't disturbing enough in it's own way, but at least it was silent.
And it gave him time to think about what he needed to do.
He'd ended up having to spend a lot more time at The Ministry than he'd expected. He'd thought that they'd maybe charge him and then release him, scheduling the trial for another day.
As it was, it had been close to four hours since he'd given Malfoy his invisibility cloak and sent him to the flat… and he was getting antsy.
He had to get into headquarters and out again… and he had to do it fast.
He cursed softly under his breath as he tossed out one scenario after another… In the end, there was no getting around it.
He let out a short, annoyed breath. He was going to have reach inside to all those emotions that he didn't even want to think about anymore… and give them free reign.
He was going to have to throw a fit… and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Harry sighed softly. So much for all his plans for calmly and maturely discussing his 'issues' with the Order. The carefully thought out and worded lists of complaints and concerns. All that damned work wasted! That would teach him to think too much like Hermione…
Harry closed his eyes and instead let images from the past five years play through his mind. All the things that had happened. The secrets that had been kept. The stories that had been written in the prophet. Wormtail… Cedric… Umbridge… Bellatrix… Voldemort… And let the pain, anger and hatred that came with them wash over him.
He was shaken out of his thoughts as The Ministry vehicle, driven by Anderson Wood, came to a stop in front of their destination.
Harry looked up at Number 12, Grimmauld Place with trepidation. It was the first time that he'd been there, since…
He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back tears as an image of Sirius flashed before his eyes.
Damnit! He couldn't do that! Not right now! If he went in there all teary-eyed and sad, then Molly would just give him a hug and save the scolding for another time… and that just wouldn't work for him, not tonight.
He took a deep shuddering breath and stepped out of the car, not bothering to check if Lupin was following him. Kingsley had apparated ahead, probably to give the Order some warning that they were on their way. Harry and Remus had already informed Wood that he was going to have to stay in the car for a while until they could talk to Dumbledore. They didn't explain the exact problem, but they were pretty sure that he would figure it out when they entered a house that wasn't there…
Remus watched as Harry exited the car and moved slowly towards Sirius' family home. He'd been watching him in much the same manner ever since he'd entered The Ministry to pick him up…
And what he saw was making him nervous.
There was a darkness to Harry that had never been there before. A calm yet deep hatred that lived and breathed under his very skin. All the horror that Harry had seen in his young life had finally laid a permanent mark on his soul. The death of his parents hadn't managed to do it. Nor had the series of attempts on his life. Not even the death of Cedric Diggory had cut so deep.
But watching Sirius die… That had changed Harry in a way that Remus wasn't quite prepared to see.
And he wondered if the rest of The Order was at all prepared for the young man who was about to walk into their midst.
He had a bad feeling about this.
He had felt the tension growing in Harry the entire trip. They both knew what was to come when they walked in that door… but what was worrying Remus was what Harry's reaction to it would be.
He only hoped that the explosion that he felt coming wouldn't destroy everything that they'd been trying so hard to build.
Remus joined Harry at the top of the stairs and they entered the house together. They were met in the hallway by the hum of anxious voices, coming from the direction of the parlor. Harry looked over at Remus and let out a slow sigh. "Guess we might as well get this over with, huh?"
Remus nodded. "Just remember, they were all worried, myself included."
Harry rolled his eyes and Remus felt his stomach clench. Not good. Not good at all.
"Dumbledore's here, right?"
Lupin looked over at Harry sharply. There was something about the young man's tone when he said Dumbledore's name that made him nervous. He knew that the Headmaster had told Harry something important after Sirius' death… Something that neither Harry nor Dumbledore had shared with the rest of the group.
"I'm sure he is…?" His tone was questioning, but Harry ignored it.
"Good. I have some things to share with the group… and it just wouldn't be the same if he wasn't here."
Bad. This was very, very bad.
It was too late to stop it from happening though. The door to the parlor was already swinging open…
Harry stepped into the doorway defiantly, his stance practically begging for someone to yell at him. Begging for any excuse to start the knockdown, drag out fight that part of him had been itching for, ever since Sirius had died.
He didn't have long to wait.
No less than fifteen people started yelling at him the moment that he walked into the room. Not all of it was scolding… Ron and the twins seemed more interested in how Harry had managed to take down four Death Eaters on his own… but it was loud… And due to the state that Harry had worked himself into, infuriating.
In the past, he would have pushed down his feelings, taken the scolding and let his anger eat him up…making him pissy and prone to fits of anger. He knew that this tendency was one of the more annoying facets of his personality… one that had made him less than pleasant to be around at times during the last few years.
His new attitude toward life might have prompted him to try to calm the situation down, explain his own feelings… Try to make everyone understand what he had done and why…
But that's not what the situation called for tonight. Tonight he embraced the anger and let it fan his annoyance into a rage.
He let their voices roll over him, until one rose above the crowd. Mothers have a talent for making themselves heard…
"Harry Potter!" Molly Weasley exclaimed. "What on earth were you thinking?"
As her words registered, he focused on her for a split second before searching the room for the main source of his anger...
Molly froze at the cold look in Harry's eyes as his gaze fell on her for an instant before scanning the rest of the room. People stopped talking one by one as his eyes hit them, until the room was silent. Most of the Order was present, plus Ron and Hermione, the twins and Ginny. There were also a few people that Harry didn't know… Including the three girls from the alley earlier that night. That was interesting…
Harry's eyes narrowed as his gaze finally fell on Dumbledore. He answered Molly's question while glaring at the Headmaster defiantly.
"I was thinking that it's my damned life and it was about time that I made a decision or two for myself."
The sounds of surprise that rustled through the room would have been comical under different circumstances. As it was, Snape found himself quite amused, and it put him in a bad mood for the rest of the night...
"Harry?" Hermione gasped, staring at her friend in shock. There was something very wrong here. What had happened?
"Locking me away on Privet Drive isn't going to work anymore Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, his voice holding steely determination. "I refuse to sit on the sidelines and have other people control my life any longer. I'm not going to settle for snippets of information that don't tell me anything about what's going on." Harry looked around the room again. "You know what I've been doing for the past two weeks? I've been mourning. Mourning for someone who didn't have to die. Someone who wouldn't have died had I been given all the information that I needed to have. And you want to know something else? I'm angry. I can't even begin to describe how bloody pissed off I am right now. All of you come here, making decisions, getting to have a say about what's going on… And I'm not invited… Well, one way or another, that's about to change."
"Harry Potter!" Professor McGonagall. "Whatever has gotten into you? Your actions tonight were completely irresponsible. What if you had been injured? What if no one had realized that you were missing in time?"
Harry scoffed. "Everything was taken care of by the time the Auror's showed up, Professor… And if I hadn't taken down the Death Eaters, no one would have even known that I'd left Privet Drive." He turned his head, his eyes locking with Moody's. "Isn't that right, Moody?"
Mad-Eye Moody studied Harry carefully; both real and fake eye moving over the boy slowly. "Quite," he said finally. "Mundungus and the others didn't know you were gone until I informed them… But there's no way of telling if you would have been able to sneak back in as easily as you seem to have managed to sneak out."
Harry shook his head. "Well it didn't seem to be a problem the first four times I snuck out…" But never on Moody's watch. Oh no, Harry was very careful to avoid leaving Privet Drive in the invisibility cloak when Moody was anywhere in the vicinity. "How is your Mother doing, by the way? I think it's bloody marvelous that you take the time to visit her twice a week… always on the same days… so many miles from Privet Drive…"
Harry rolled his eyes as a surprised gasp traveled through the room. Weren't they bloody tired of making that noise yet? He knew it was bugging the hell out of him.
Mad-Eye just gaped at the young man. He couldn't help himself. Then something dawned on him and he found himself smiling, quite against his will. "Someone's been talking to Arabella…"
It amazed him that he had never seen this in the boy. That he had never imagined for one moment that Harry was visiting Arabella Figg for any reason other than to escape the Dursleys for a few hours. To learn that he had been using that time to gather information on the Order… Information that he had used to escape from under their guard…
He was actually quite proud… but more than a little scared about what could have happened to Harry in that time.
"Four times…?" Hermione said softly. "Harry… Harry what were you doing? What was so important…?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know… Knowing that I could? Having the chance to be truly alone for once? Preparing myself for something that's coming closer every day? Pick a reason, Hermione. There are hundreds to choose from." He laughed slightly, showing a bit of the teenager that lurked within. "Besides, it was kind of fun to sneak by the entire Order like that… with not one of them being the wiser."
"That's bloody awesome mate!"
Hermione clucked her tongue and looked at Ron with disapproval. "Reckless is more like it," she muttered under her breath. Count on Ron to admire such a rash and dangerous action.
"We're loosing sight of the point here, Harry," Mr. Weasley said gently, trying to get the discussion back to the matter at hand. Trying to get Harry to understand why it was that they were all so upset. "You shouldn't have left your Aunt and Uncle's like that, slipping away from your guards. Everyone was scared to death!"
"How could you be so irresponsible Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked softly. "You could have been killed today! Don't you see that?"
A sound of frustrated annoyance broke from Harry as he shook his head slightly. The scolding was starting to wear on his last nerve…and he didn't have to force the anger any longer.
Besides, the only person who should have been doing the scolding wasn't there, wasn't anywhere.
It should have been Sirius…
And that was probably also the reason for his coldly flippant answer. "And that would be different from every other day, how, exactly?"
That one hit a nerve.
"Harry Potter! Don't you dare talk like that! Your life is important to us! To everyone in the Wizarding community! Don't laugh off what could have happened today like it was no big deal! Do you have any idea how terrified we were? You're not a child anymore! You have to think…"
She was so caught up in her anger and worry that she didn't notice the change in Harry's expression. The loss of patience, the growing tension...
Mr. Weasley noticed and immediately laid a hand on his wife's arm, trying to get her to stop…
"I can't believe that you're being so irresponsible about this, so flippant! Do you have any idea what you did? What you put us through…"
Harry ground his teeth, the muscles in his jaw clenching tightly as he fought back a fraction of his anger, struggled to keep it under control… Molly Weasley wasn't the source of his anger… She didn't deserve…
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Harry! How…"
And with those words, Harry reached his breaking point…
Something inside him just snapped. His exhaustion, the strain of all that had happened that night and the very real anger that had been brewing in him ever since Sirius died got the better of him. All chance at control was lost and a stream of words burst out of him in a rage-induced explosion. "STOP IT! JUST STOP! You're not my mother! There is not a single person in this room that has a legitimate right to tell me what to do! In case you've forgotten, my parents and my godfather are dead! Dead because of the same damn prophecy that's probably going to kill me! My guardians are two bloody stupid muggles who don't give a damn what I do, so long as it's far away from them! It's summer, we're not at Hogwarts, so someone please tell me what bloody right any of you have to tell me what to do? I'm almost sixteen years old for Merlin's sake! I am not a child anymore! You can't coddle and protect me forever! You tried that already and we all know how bloody well that worked out! Sirius died, now didn't he? So I'm done!" He glared around the room, breathing heavily from the force of his anger and the words that he'd spoken.
The only twinge of regret came when he saw the look of pain on Molly Weasley's face. He hadn't wanted to hurt her… Hadn't meant to say most of what he had just said… He glanced over at Ron and winced. The redhead was glaring back at him. Yeah, maybe not the best idea to yell at Ron's mother in front of him. Ron's redheaded temper exploded when his mother's eyes filled with tears.
"Back the hell off, Harry!" He exclaimed, stepping forward to put his arm around his mother. "Not everything's all about you, you know!"
Harry scoffed. "I wish you were right about that, Ron. I truly do… but you're not. When it comes to this damned war against Voldemort, it is all about me."
There was a sadness and finality to Harry's words that made Ron start in surprise. He looked at his friend questioningly. What did that mean?
Harry just shook his head at the question in Ron's eyes. A question that was mirrored in the eyes of everyone in the room. "Ask Professor Dumbledore. It seems that he gets to make all the decisions here, no matter what damage it may inflict."
Dumbledore had remained silent up to this point. He had been watching Harry silently, knowing that he was to blame for the pain and anger that was raging through the young man. Knowing that he was the only one who knew the full story behind those emotions.
When he spoke it was with profound sadness and deep regret. "I am truly sorry, Harry."
All eyes went from Harry to Professor Dumbledore. There was something here. Something that they didn't know about.
"I know," Harry said. "But to be perfectly honest, knowing that doesn't do me a whole lot of good right now. I know that you only want what's best for me, Professor… but I think that it's about time that I have a say in what's best. I'm tired. I am so very tired of this whole thing. You can't use your concern for me as an excuse anymore, it'll only get me killed… and it very nearly did." Harry shook his head slightly and took a step backwards. "I need to get out of here for a while… just…" He stopped speaking as he turned around and opened the door behind him. "Don't follow me," he said softly, but his tone left no room for argument. "Guards, Aurors, friends or Death Eaters… everyone will get the same treatment from me today, so I suggest that everyone stay here. Goodnight."
There was a stunned silence in the room as the doors shut behind him. No one moved at first, they were all too astonished by what had just happened. The young man that had just left the room seemed so very different from the boy they had all come to love.
Hermione was the first to speak. "Isn't anyone going to follow him?"
Mad-Eye Moody laughed slightly, the sound holding little humor. "You heard the lad, Hermione. It wouldn't do to underestimate him. He has quite the repertoire of spells up his sleeve… and I'm quite sure that he won't hesitate to follow through on that threat."
"Albus," Molly said softly, her eyes trained on the headmaster intently. "Albus, what did Harry mean… when he said that when it comes to the war with You-Know-Who, it's all about him?"
She needed to know. Needed the answer to that question. Something that would explain not only Harry's comments and anger, but would also explain why it was that Voldemort had entered that little house in Godric's Hollow all those years ago. Why he had set out with the intention of ending a life that had barely begun.
"The prophecy that Voldemort was after, it pertains to Harry," Dumbledore said slowly… He could allow them that much information… but not the prophecy. The prophecy was Harry's alone. "If Harry had known that, if he had known how badly Voldemort wished to see that prophesy… If he had known that Voldemort needed Harry to go to the Department of Mysteries to get it, then…" Dumbledore paused.
"Then Harry most likely would not have been tricked into going to The Ministry," Remus finished for the Headmaster, suddenly understanding so much more… Finally understanding what it was that Professor Dumbledore's silence had cost them. "He would have investigated further when he learned that Sirius was in trouble. He wouldn't have gone and Sirius… Sirius wouldn't have died."
"I'm afraid it goes far deeper than that, Remus. Voldemort was not able to fool Harry merely because of what was told to him by the house-elf. Due to the connection through Harry's scar, Voldemort sent images of Sirius in danger to Harry. If I had not been afraid of letting him too close… Of letting Voldemort see how important Harry is to me, through that connection… I would have taught him Occlumency myself, instead of giving that job to… another."
"Yeah," Ron said, glaring at the potions master. "'Another' who weaseled out of the deal when it got a little rough!"
"Ronald!" Molly admonished, though she looked at Snape askance.
"No, my boy," Dumbledore said, shaking his head slightly in Ron's direction. "Do not lay this at Professor Snape's feet. It was my poor judgment that brought us to this end. Mine alone."
"I still don't understand," Ginny said, going back to something that Dumbledore had said earlier. "Why did You-Know-Who need Harry to take the prophecy?"
"Only one of the people mentioned in the prophecy can remove it from the Department of Mysteries," Professor Dumbledore said. "Voldemort could not very well take it himself. He was, after all, still believed to be dead… and he wanted it to remain that way."
"What does the prophecy say?" Hermione said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"That is, perhaps, Harry's story to tell. Of course, that may have been the problem all along. For it has been his story from the beginning, yet he did not know it. I kept it from him for far too long and because of that oversight… because of my fondness for him, Sirius paid the ultimate price and is lost to us. Harry's anger with me is justified. So too, perhaps, is his anger with everyone here. In seeking to protect him, we have left him without one of his greatest weapons for the fight ahead. Knowledge. I do believe that it is time to rectify this problem. When he returns…"
"If he returns," Ron muttered darkly.
Dumbledore sighed. "Of course he will return, Ronald. For all his angry words tonight, you are his family." In fact, the amount of anger that Harry had spread around had surprised Dumbledore. It was as if he held so much anger about what had happened to Sirius that he couldn't contain it… In fact, it seemed that anything would have set him off…
"But you still haven't explained, Albus," McGonagall said. "Why is it Harry's war? What does the prophecy say?"
Dumbledore looked at her sadly. "That I can not tell you. I rather think that I have taken it upon myself to make far too many decisions for Harry as it is. I shall not continue to do so. If Harry feels that people should know the answer to that question, he will tell them himself. I cannot."
Mad-Eye Moody had been watching the conversation with interest, his mind carefully mulling over the sudden mystery that was Harry Potter and everything that the boy's actions were saying. There was a puzzle there. Something…
When at last he figured it out, a bark of laughter echoed through the room.
All eyes were on him instantly. Some questioning. Some amused. Some exasperated.
Albus Dumbledore just sighed. Leave it to Moody to figure this out. "What is it Alastor?"
"He's a crafty one, that boy. James would be right proud of him."
"What is your point, Moody?" McGonagall asked tiredly.
"Well here we are. Upset, bemoaning all we've done wrong. Talking about everything in the world except what we should be talking about."
"Which is?" Remus asked, shifting slightly in his chair. "It seems to me that our concerns are justified and warrant discussion."
"They are and they do," Moody agreed. "I'm not discounting that. I'm just saying that it may not be what we should be discussing just now. In fact, it was in order to keep us occupied that young Mister Potter set this discussion in motion in the first place. Where is Harry right now, Remus? Where is he that is so important that he had to leave almost as soon as he arrived? Why is it that he insisted that he go alone? That he went so far as to threaten to hex anyone who followed him, including his friends?"
What Moody was saying hit the room like an explosion. Mouths dropped open, certain professors were seen to start sputtering indignantly… and an Auror or two snickered.
Remus just sighed, rubbing his head tiredly. So like James… So impossibly like James. "I don't know."
"Exactly," Moody said, looking somewhat satisfied, but also worried.
"Something else happened," Dumbledore said. "Beyond what Harry told us. Something to do with the Death Eaters… But what?" He shook his head slightly. "He used the Memoriae… How could we… so blind! The Memoriae so they wouldn't know it was him that cursed them! The Memoriae for that? No, Harry would not be so foolish as to use such a spell for something so… simple. There was something more. Something that they knew that he doesn't want anyone to know… But what?"
"That is the question," Moody said. "But I wouldn't expect him to answer it, not with all the trouble he went to in order to hide it. He'll tell us when he's ready." Moody turned to the others. "I suggest that no one here take anything that Harry said tonight too personally. It was not meant as anything but a distraction… Remember that when he comes to you and apologizes, as I'm sure he will. Beyond that, I believe that whatever it was that prompted this outburst may be far more important to our final goal than we can imagine at this point in time. Harry Potter is no fool. He would not behave in such a manner lightly. I, for one, am going to trust him. I believe that he has earned that right over the past few years. Besides, us worrying and sniping at each other will not bring him home any sooner."
"Yes," Dumbledore said quietly. "I do believe that Alastor is right… Please, all of you, go back to what you need to be doing. We must have faith that Harry will return to us alive and without injury. We cannot 'protect' and 'control' him any longer."
"You're not thinking of taking away his guard are you?" Molly asked, aghast. "Albus…!"
"No," Dumbledore said. "That's not what I meant." Dumbledore suddenly looked very tired… and very old. "I would keep him safe forever if I could, Molly… Hide him away from the world, from Voldemort… but that is not meant to be. Too many people would suffer, Harry included. The guard will stay in place." He turned to Lupin. "Remus?"
Lupin nodded. "I'll speak with Harry about it. I think now that he's here, he'll be a little more accepting… Because we're not sending him back to Privet Drive, are we?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Never again, if that is Harry's decision." He looked over at two of the Aurors. "Tonks, Kingsley, if you would be so kind as to join Alastor and Remus in taking Harry to Privet Drive tomorrow to retrieve his things?" The two nodded and Dumbledore turned his attention back to the group as a whole. "Harry is a full member of The Order as of tonight."
"Albus, no!" Molly exclaimed.
"It's time, Molly. Harry was right. We should have let him in long ago. We are all targets of Voldemort… but Harry is the target, the prize… Killing him would be Voldemort's greatest victory. I will have no arguments about this. As of tonight, Harry is a member of The Order." He looked at Molly sympathetically. "You did not honestly believe that we could keep him out, did you? Not after tonight. With all the faith that The Council has put in him, can we, his family, show him anything less?"
Molly looked in the direction of her younger children and Hermione desperately, knowing that her last chance of keeping them out of this war was gone.
What Harry knew, they would know.
"Yes, Molly," Dumbledore said, nodding slightly. "If you will allow it, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Ginny will be allowed into The Order as well."
"But they're children, Albus…" They were her children, all of them, Harry and Hermione included. She knew that it had only been her protests that had kept Fred and George out of the order for so long. She had resigned herself to the fact that they would soon join despite her protests. They were of age after all. But Ron, Ginny and Hermione… They were so young. Too young for this war.
Arthur Weasley put his arm around his wife. "This war has made them grow up too fast, Molly. I know… But they're not children anymore. They're involved in this whether we want them to be or not. Personally, I'd rather know that they were prepared…"
"Do not think that Voldemort is above using children in this war, Molly," Albus said, looking at her sadly. "In fact, I fear that there will be Death Eaters within Hogwarts this very year… There is nothing that I can do to prevent it, not unless they blatantly flaunt it… and we all know that they will never blatantly flaunt it."
Molly was silent for a moment, but finally nodded her head in consent. "I won't stand in the way. If you think it's best…"
The five teenagers had remained silent during this part of the discussion, but now they looked at each other, their faces a mixture of fear and excitement. They were going to be let into The Order! They hadn't thought that Molly would ever allow it.
Dumbledore moved on to his next point. "I will take over teaching Harry Occlumency." He looked around the room, his gaze finally falling on the group in the corner. "Ah, yes. Miss Rosenberg."
"Huh, what?" Willow said, looking at him in surprise. "Me?"
Willow, Buffy, Xander, Faith, Dawn and Giles had retreated to the far corner of the room when Harry had entered the room and the yelling had started. They had decided that it wasn't something that they needed to be there for, but since Harry was between them and the door, it wouldn't have been possible to escape. They had decided that hiding was their best bet. They had kept mostly silent throughout the conversation, making whispered comments to each other from time to time.
"Yes, you," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling for the first time that night. "I think that Harry might benefit from the more Wiccan side of magic… Meditation, concentration, learning about the connections between himself, the magic and the earth. I was hoping that you would consent to work with him this summer."
"Ah," Willow glanced at Buffy, her eyes a little wide. "I… I guess so. If he wants me to."
"Relax, Miss Rosenberg," MacGonagall said. "I assure you that Harry isn't usually like that."
That wasn't what Willow had been worried about. "It's not that… And he saved my Dawnie, so he could be as big of a sourpuss as old Sevvie over there." Snape glared at her. "And I'd still help him… I was more on the wiggin' side of the whole teacher thing, actually. But if he's willing, then so am I."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, smiling at her. "I do believe that he would benefit from some hand to hand combat training as well… maybe some weaponry… Miss Faith? If you would be so kind?"
"Me?" Faith asked in surprise. "That's really more up B's alley…"
"I fear that Miss. Summers will be quite occupied with getting The Watcher's Council up and running… That is her responsibility, is it not?"
As the unofficially official head slayer, it was Buffy's responsibility to make sure The Watcher's Council was up and running and making sure the new slayers were found.
"It's up to you, Faith," Buffy said with a smirk. "One teenager or a couple hundred."
Faith sighed. Like there was any decision to make there. "I guess I'll be teaching anger-boy some moves then, cause we all know how well it turned out last time I tried to be you!"
"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "Now…"
"Wait a minute," Tonks interrupted, suddenly realizing that there was someone missing. "Remus, where's Wood?"
Lupin's eyes widened. "Oh bloody…" he muttered darkly. "Albus, Anderson Wood is sitting outside in Harry's Ministry vehicle."
Tonks looked as Lupin aghast. "You left him in the car?"
Lupin shrugged. "I couldn't tell him where we were going. Nor could Harry."
"Harry has a Ministry vehicle?" Ron asked.
"I think it's time for you kids to get off to bed," Molly said.
"Ah Mum!" George said. He'd known her agreement to let them into The Order had been too good to be true. God, did she even realize that he and Fred were eighteen? Already legally adults? To be sent off to bed like four-year olds…
"Not to worry, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'm sure that Harry will be happy to fill you in on the details." The Headmaster winked at the students. "And I do believe that the sitting room is free at the moment…"
The small group of teenagers exchanged a quick series of looks and then took their leave of the parlor without another argument. The 'grown-ups' weren't the only ones with things to discuss.
Buffy looked at her friends and nodded towards the door. They had some things to discuss themselves… without twenty people they didn't know listening in.
As the crowd in the parlor thinned, Dumbledore made his way to the door. "I'll go inform Auror Wood that he can enter. Since he is to be among Harry's guard, we must ensure that he is trustworthy… as I believe he is. Please prepare to question him."
"So we're going to let him into Headquarters and then decide if he's trustworthy?" Snape intoned snidely. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"No need to worry, Severus," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "If you manage to prove him untrustworthy, we can just have Harry use the Memoriae on him…"
Minerva clucked in disapproval. "Albus! Don't even joke about that!"
"And why would you think I'm joking?" Dumbledore said. "I happen to be quite serious, Minerva. A dangerous curse, yes… but useful in times of such uncertainty."
Harry's Flat, Somewhere in Muggle London…
Harry sighed in relief as the familiar form of his apartment building came into sight. One last thing to do tonight and then maybe he could get some bloody sleep. It had been a hellishly long night… and he couldn't help but wish that this part of it was already over.
He had left Phoenix Headquarters ten minutes after the end of the argument… Ten minutes later than everyone had believed. This decision had been made for one simple reason. He needed some things before he left.
Namely, Sirius' invisibility cloak, which his godfather had kept in a trunk in his room, and a multitude of potions… not all of which were designed for healing.
Tonight he was going to find out just who Draco Malfoy really was… no matter what it took.
Harry entered his flat cautiously, his wand held at ready. He might have seen a different side of Malfoy in that alley, but he wasn't about to trust the guy. Not without a hell of a lot more proof than he had at this point.
'Course, he wasn't even sure that Malfoy would be there.
And yet he was, laying there on the sofa in Harry's living room… And looking to be in just about the same state he'd been in when Harry's last seen him. Torn robes, abrasions, some good sized cuts… Harry's eyes narrowed. A couple of which were still leaking blood…
Harry sighed. "Stupid Slytherin git!" He muttered rather loudly in annoyance. Probably hadn't taken any of the potions either. Lucky he hadn't arrived to find the idiot dead from internal injuries… or terminal stupidity.
Draco sat up straight at the sound, his hand going automatically to his wand. He relaxed only slightly when he realized that the figure standing over him was none other than Harry Potter. "What was that, Potter?" He muttered, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind.
Harry shook his head in annoyance. He was not concerned about the ferrety-git! Not in the least… But still… "Damnit Malfoy!" He exclaimed. "You're bleeding all over the sodding furniture! It's rented you prat! Don't you know anything about binding wounds and such? You think it's a good idea to just sit around and bleed?"
Malfoy glared at him darkly. "Happens I was too weak from blood-loss to worry about much besides passing out, Potter. Sorry for ruining your precious sofa!"
Harry snorted. Yes, this was going so well already. He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a potion. "Here," he said, handing it to Draco. "Take this."
Draco looked at the potion uncertainly. "What is it?"
"Healing potion," Harry said wryly. "It'll take care of any pesky internal injuries…" He paused as Draco continued to study the potion uncertainly. "If I was going to kill you, I'd have just let your father do it. Would have saved me the aggravation…"
Draco glared at him, but uncorked the potion, swallowing it with a look of disgust. Harry pulled out his wand and took a small step forward...
Draco was on his feet in an instant, pulling his wand. "What are you doing?"
Harry snorted. "Put that thing away before you hurt yourself," he said snidely. "I'm just going to stop the bleeding, you prat!"
"They didn't confiscate your wand then?" Draco couldn't help but ask. 'Of course not,' a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. 'He was Harry effing Potter…' "Memoriae curse and all…"
Harry sighed. Well, it would probably be in the prophet within the next few days anyway… "Got immunity… for pretty much everything from now on… Now put your bloody wand away and let me take care of those damned cuts!"
Draco complied slowly, though he still watched Harry with no small amount of distrust. Immunity? Like the guy didn't get away with murder as it was… Murder… Yeah, best not to think of that right now…
Harry made a motion with his wand over one of the cuts. "Expurgo!" Draco hissed in pain as the cleansing spell washed over the cut. "Adoperio!" Harry said and the wound closed over, almost as if it had never been there. It was a good thing that he'd spent the past few weeks studying, healing charms could come in handy… He applied the same spells to the worst of the wounds, with similar results.
"Any others?" He asked.
Malfoy sighed and then winced as he opened his robes to reveal a long, nasty looking gash on his chest. He hissed as he eased the fabric of his undershirt away from his skin.
Harry shook his head. Well, that looked damned painful. He raised his wand. "Expurgo!" This time it was all Draco could do not to scream in pain and Harry found himself wincing sympathetically quite against his will. "Adoperio!" Harry continued, closing the wound. He then finished with "Tergeo!" siphoning the dried blood off Malfoy, his clothes… and finally the sofa.
"Better?" He asked.
Malfoy sighed, shrugging his robes back into place. "I guess." He sat back down on the couch gingerly, still feeling the bruises and the ache of fatigue.
Harry pulled another vial from his pocket and handed it to Draco. "For bruising and pain."
Draco nodded and quickly downed the potion. Harry studied him carefully, not really sure where to start. Finally he just asked him point blank.
"So what was that, Malfoy?"
Malfoy froze. He knew exactly what Harry was referring to, he just had no idea how to answer such a question. What the hell was that? "I don't know," Malfoy said, wincing as he shifted slightly on the couch. "Moment of weakness?"
"If that's all it was, then you can leave now," Harry said coldly.
Damn but Potter was in a mood! Not that he really blamed him… Draco remained silent for a moment, having realized quite clearly when Harry spoke that he wasn't going to be able to resort to his normal blasé attitude and survive this. He was going to have to take down the walls… and tell the truth… to Harry Potter. Damned if his life didn't suck…
"That's not all it was," Malfoy managed to choke out, his voice soft.
Harry studied him for a moment before speaking. "I have to tell you Malfoy, I'm far from trusting you. You've been a complete arse ever since the first time I met you… and yeah, I pretty much hate your guts. You helped make last year hell for me. You've attacked my friends on numerous occasions… My friends, who are all the family I have. But today you risked your life to save a Muggle. I don't know how or why. What I do know is that your actions tonight are the only reason that you're sitting here instead of being on your way to Azkaban. If it was a fluke, a one-time deal, or a trick, then you will not remember that this meeting took place… Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly," Malfoy said, understanding the implied threat instantly. His face was carefully blank, but he was having a hard time maintaining his expression. He felt like he had missed something important in the past few weeks… When the hell had Harry Potter gotten so scary?
"When I look at you, I see the Prince of Slytherin, a miniature version of your father, lapdog to evil incarnate. And Voldemort… well, let's just say that he can live up to his promises. He can give you more power than you can imagine." Harry's eyes narrowed. "The power to hurt, to maim, to kill. He can give you the power to tear lives and families apart and take pleasure in that, evil bastard that he is." Harry shook his head. "He once told me once that there is no good or evil, only power. But he was wrong! And if you don't believe that, if power is what is important to you, than there's nothing more to say. But if you believe that some things are right, some things are wrong, some things are good and some things are evil… and you want to do the right thing… the good thing, then convince me."
There was silence in the room for a moment as Draco mulled over what Harry had said. As he thought back over all that had happened during the past few weeks… As he came to the most important decision of his life.
"I couldn't just let it happen any more," he said finally. "I've lived my life perfectly content to be Draco Malfoy, my father's son. And I've always known who my father is, what he does… But I never understood. And then, a week ago, I watched as my father and his friends attacked and violated a muggle girl. I sat by and did nothing as they tortured her and killed her." Malfoy shook his head in disbelief. "I just sat there with a smirk on my face, fighting down the bile as best as I was able… And when I was home and alone, I let what had happened replay in my mind… over and over… and I thought that I was going to die." Malfoy looked down at his hands, his face pasty and green. "So, you see, there's a difference between knowing and seeing, Potter. I knew what being a Death Eater meant… but I didn't understand it… I hadn't seen what it meant. I'd never watched someone in that much pain. It made me sick. And they liked it. They…" Draco took a deep breath. "I don't ever want to be that person. I don't."
Harry was silent for a moment and then nodded. "Strangely enough, I want to believe you… I just don't know if I can. There has just been so much…" Harry shook his head. "All I can see is Draco bloody Malfoy, Slytherin Prince. That's the only face that you've ever shown me. It's hard to push all of that away now… But if that's truly not who you are, now is the time to prove it… cause I have to tell you… all bets are off this year."
Draco sighed. "And how the hell am I supposed to prove it, Potter? I can't make you believe…"
"Sure you can," Harry said, pulling a small vial out of one of his pockets.
Draco stared at it in disbelief for a moment. He knew what it was instantly. Nothing else could look so innocent while being so dangerous… well, almost nothing else… "Veritaserum…" He breathed, still unable to believe it. "Where…?"
"Come now, Malfoy. Certainly by now you realize that I have a few tricks up my sleeves? Happens that Snape will likely miss this at some point, but it's not likely that he'll ever know for sure that I was the one who took it. Serves the nasty git right if you ask me." Even more so if a bit of the damned potion found it's way into Snape's pumpkin juice… and made him spill every awkward and painful secret he had… Harry shook his head. Getting distracted again…
"I may be somewhat impulsive, Malfoy, but I'm not an idiot. Even though there is very little chance that anyone could have known I'd be anywhere near that alleyway tonight, I still have no reason to trust you. This is the only way I can see to resolve this. So the only question that remains is… do you dare?"
Draco was still for a moment and then he nodded slightly reaching for the vial. Harry shook his head, putting the Veritaserum aside for a moment, pulling another vial from his pocket.
"What's that?" Draco said, distrustfully.
"Dissuteum," Harry said. "It counteracts…
"Oppeloveritas. I know," Draco said. And he'd thought that he was paranoid! He nodded slightly. "To make sure that I haven't blocked the effectiveness of Veritaserum. Fine." He held out a hand and took the vial, downing it quickly. Harry then handed him the Veritaserum.
Draco let three drops fall on his tongue and a slack look fell over his features.
"All-right then," Harry said. "Where to start?" He looked over at Draco. Might as well start with an easy question. "What's your name?"
When Draco replied, it was in a flat emotionless voice… more than a little creepy.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy."
Harry snorted. Figured.
"Why were you in London with your father tonight?"
"My father is searching for the Wandless Witch. We were to capture and question one of her friends in order to get information on where she was. We succeeded in capturing one of them. My father questioned her. She would reveal nothing."
"What happened then?"
"My father started torturing her. The Cruciatus curse, the Pugnus Cruentum curse. She screamed. I stepped in front of her. I was hit by a Cruciatus…"
"Why did you step in front of her? What did you hope to gain?"
"Gain?" Malfoy questioned. "Her life. Maybe my soul."
Harry's eyebrows rose at this statement. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"No. Not yet."
"So you're what? In training?"
"Yes."
Harry nodded. "And there are others like you? Other Hogwarts students who have either joined Voldemorts ranks or are being trained to?"
"Yes."
"There will be Death Eaters in Hogwarts next year?"
"Yes."
Damn that sucked! Voldemort hadn't screwed with enough of his life? He had to have minions in Hogwarts now? Harry turned his attention back to Malfoy. "Do you want to be a Death Eater?"
"No."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I can't be a Death Eater. There is no choice there. I simply cannot stand by and watch people die. I've found that it doesn't sit well with me." Harry rolled his eyes. The guy could somehow manage to be a arrogant pillock while under truth serum… "I fear that this means I must join the fight against the Dark Lord."
Harry snorted. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is. It means that I would have to fight at the side of Harry Potter, that entitled, arrogant, self-important prat…"
Harry snorted again, but ignored Malfoy's insults. "Is that what you plan to do? Fight against the Dark Lord?"
"Yes."
"Can you be trusted in this fight? Or will you betray those who fight him and return to your family?"
"I can be trusted. My family has betrayed me and I can no longer in good conscience fight at their side. I have made my choice. I will not turn my back on it."
"You will fight the Dark Lord?"
"I will fight him, to the death if I must. There is nothing else to be done."
"Who is the Wandless Witch?"
"I don't know," Draco said. "My father would not tell me."
Harry nodded, finally satisfied. He pulled another vial from his robes and pried Malfoy's mouth open, dropping a few drops of the new potion on his tongue.
Malfoy blinked and shook his head. "Yeah, don't recommend that," he said wryly.
"You remember anything?"
Draco nodded. "Everything." He looked at Harry warily. "Not mad about the 'entitled' crack are you?"
Harry shrugged. "Hey, I shudder to think what I would say about you under truth serum, so who cares? We don't have to like each other in order to work together, Malfoy."
"What exactly do you have in mind, Potter?" Draco asked. He barely knew the guy and he could tell that Harry had some kind of plan already in motion. Probably had since the moment that he'd sent Draco to the apartment… and knowing that was actually kind of unsettling.
"That's up to you," Harry said. "But I do know that from a war standpoint, the best thing to do would be to keep your new, shall we say, attitude, secret."
Draco looked at him uncertainly. "And what would that do?"
Harry shrugged. "Allow you to spy on the Death Eaters and soon to be Death Eaters that will be in Hogwarts next year."
"What?" That was crazy with a side of suicidal!
"I know it would be dangerous. Probably the most dangerous thing that you could ever attempt. If they found you out, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. 'Course I plan to do my damnedest to make sure that nothing like that happens… If you think you're up for the challenge."
Draco bristled. Harry could see the angry retort forming and held up a hand. "And don't do it just because I can't resist baiting you."
Draco was silent. He had been just about to tell Potter he'd be a damned spy out of anger. Probably not the best way to start.
"No one could know," he said finally. "You and me, nobody else."
Harry started slightly. "But surely Dumbledore…"
Malfoy shook his head. "No one else. We can't have anyone acting strange around me. It would get me killed."
"But Dumbledore wouldn't…"
"Sure, he could pull it off, but he'd probably want to tell other people. Just, no, okay?"
Harry nodded finally. "So you think I can be trusted not to act strange around you?"
Draco shrugged. "I think we both know that we hate each other enough to pull this off."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at that. Malfoy was probably right on that one. "So you'll do it? You'll spy on your house? Your friends?"
Draco sighed. Could he do that? For their own good and his own, he would certainly try. Draco shrugged and then nodded. "Yes. I will."
"Okay," Harry said, nodding. "There's some food in the pantry if you're hungry. Bedroom's through there." Harry pointed to one of the doors out of the living room. "There should be some clothes in the dresser for you to change into. Bathroom's there." Harry pointed to another door.
Draco nodded slightly, a puzzled expression on his face. That was it?
"You should get some sleep. We have a lot of planning to do over the next few weeks. You can stay here until we figure out a way for you to spring your father from Azkaban…"
Draco gaped at Harry in shock. "Do what, now?"
"Spring your father from Azkaban…" Harry repeated. "Well, maybe not… We'll think about it. It would certainly get you in good with Voldemort and your father. Besides, if he's going to escape anyway…" Harry shrugged. "We might as well benefit from it. How's your father at Legilimency, by the way?" Draco shrugged. "We should prepare you somewhat anyway. There might even be a potion…" He'd have to ask Hermione about that later. "Anything you need before I go?"
Draco shook his head slowly. Not that he could think of anyway. As a matter of fact he'd rather given up on thinking for a while. Hadn't quite been able to manage a clear thought since Harry had mentioned the possibility of freeing his father from prison.
Bloody nutters, that's what the guy was.
And maybe, just a tad bit, brilliant.
"Good," Harry said. "Get some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Alone." After a very long serious talk with his bloody armed guard.
Harry shook his head slightly. Time to go back to Headquarters and start making some apologies. "Good night," Harry said, heading for the door.
He had just reached it when Draco's voice stopped him. "Potter?"
"Yeah?" Harry asked, turning to look at the other boy.
"Thank you." It hurt to say it, but at the same time, it had to be said.
Harry looked at him for a moment and then nodded. "You're welcome." He left without another word.
Draco sighed and looked around the apartment before heading to the bedroom to grab some clothes. Shower, food and then bed. He had a feeling it was going to be a long bloody summer.
Library, Order Headquarters…
The Scoobies exited the parlor and made their way to the library. When the door was closed behind them Buffy flopped down on a sofa. "Well that was interesting."
Everyone laughed slightly, thinking back on the past few hours. The panic that had run rampant through the house when everyone had found out that Harry had snuck past his guards and gone to London. That he had happened across the Death Eater attack on Buffy, Faith and Dawn… and that he'd taken out four of them before the Aurors had arrived. Waiting for Remus to pick him up and bring him back to Headquarters. The long and loud argument that had followed…
Buffy had winced the moment that Harry had walked in the door. It wasn't at all surprising how quickly the conversation had gone downhill from there.
No one likes being ganged up on.
"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I certainly learned a lot," Giles said. "There is nothing that gets you information faster than watching a good fight between friends."
Xander rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
"And I thought you were strict," Dawn said jokingly, elbowing her sister in the side. "Poor guy has twenty of you looking over his shoulder." She'd certainly felt sorry for him, though some of the things he'd said had made her wince… He hadn't held much back, that was for sure.
"Yes, well," Giles started. "He seemed a bit more… angry and irrational than I'd expected him to be…"
Buffy laughed. "Giles, you of all people should understand where he's coming from… I mean, you've only been my watcher for what? Seven years? And I think that we've had more than one blow out along those very lines!"
Giles sighed. That was true. Harry was, after all, a teenager. "Quite."
"What do you think, Wills?" Buffy asked.
Willow was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to express herself. She had watched Harry carefully throughout the whole argument and felt like she'd gotten a pretty good read on him. "He was very angry, but he wasn't irrational, Giles. He could have held all of that in. He wasn't even all that angry with anyone but Albus… Though Molly did hit a sore spot with her scolding. Not sure what that sore spot was exactly, but I got the feeling that he just let everything go at that point…" She shrugged slightly. "And I think that 'Mad-Eye' guy was right… He needed to get out of here and that was the fastest way."
"I agree with Red," Faith said. "Angry, but not irrational. He was letting the anger drive, sure, but only 'cause he wanted out of here."
Buffy studied her sister slayer carefully and suddenly grinned. "And you thought it was cute!"
"What?" Faith exclaimed. "Did not!"
"Oh, you totally did!" Buffy said. "You thought he looked damned hot while throwing that tantrum! Don't deny it!"
Faith smirked and gave in with a shrug. "Well, you gotta admit, anger looks good on the boy…"
"Eww! Faith!" Willow exclaimed. "He's like sixteen!"
"And I'm what? Dead? I'm only nineteen, not ancient like you!"
Willow made an outraged sound. "I'm only twenty-two!"
"And how old was Kennedy when you two started rocking the house? Only seventeen, now wasn't she?"
"You're not actually going to go after him are you?" Buffy gasped.
"That's not what I'm saying," Faith said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'm merely defending my right to call the guy hot, that's all."
Giles cleared his throat. "As relevant as this conversation is, may I suggest that we get back to the matter at hand?"
They all looked contrite, but there were mischievous looks on their faces as they chorused, "Sorry Giles!"
Giles shook his head at the chorus of apologies. "All right then, what's next?"
Faith shrugged. "You and B get the Council up and running while Red and I do what we can to train anger-boy… yes?" She shook her head. "What's Dumbledore thinking…"
"Faith, you'll do fine," Buffy said. "Besides, Dumbledore seems like a shrewd and tricky old guy to me. Bet he has some reason for wanting you and Willow to train Harry."
"I do believe you're right," Giles said. "He does seem to have some sort of plan in mind for you two."
"Great," Willow said with a sigh. "I just hope he's not planning on me teaching Harry how to flay Voldemort alive, cause it's not gonna to happen."
"And on that note, who's for a snack?" Xander said jokingly.
"Ooh, me!" Dawn said. The others looked at her and she shrugged. "What? I'm hungry."
"Me too," Faith said. "Let's go find some grub."
"You guys go ahead," Buffy said. "Giles and I have some things to go over."
"Sure," Willow said. She followed Faith, Dawn and Xander out of the room.
Buffy turned to Giles. "So what's the latest on the Council?"
Sitting Room, Order Headquarters…
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George made their way into the sitting room and shut the door behind them. They were silent for a moment, thinking about what had just happened.
"Dumbledore said Harry used the Memoriae on the Death Eaters," Fred said suddenly. "Where do you reckon he learned that one?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't know where he learns half the spells he uses."
Hermione sighed softly. "He struggles with something like Accio, yet he throws around the Memoriae like it's nothing."
Ginny snorted. "I doubt that he used it like it was nothing Hermione. You know as well as I do that he'd only use that curse with a very good reason. I just hope that he tells us what it is."
Hermione sighed. "I wouldn't count on it."
"What I want to know is why You-Know-Who needed that prophesy so much," Ron said, turning the conversation away from Harry's likely secrecy. "What do you think it said?"
Ginny shrugged. "Something to do with Harry and the war, obviously. Don't know what. As for why You-Know-Who would want it…." Ginny shrugged again. "Guess he was hoping to figure out how to kill Harry."
"Yeah," George said. "Since that seems to be the focus of his life."
"Poor Harry," Fred said, shaking his head. "Having a Dark Lord obsessed with killing you has got to suck…"
"There's more to it than that," Hermione said. "Weren't you listening to what Professor Dumbledore was saying? Honestly, sometimes I just don't know…"
"Oh, get on with it," Ron said with annoyance, not in the mood to listen to her talk about their lack of perception. "Stop prattling on about how much smarter you are than us and tell us what you noticed!"
Hermione glared at him, but relented. "Dumbledore said that Voldemort…" Everyone in the room flinched, but Hermione forged ahead stubbornly. "Needed Harry to take the prophecy because he couldn't go into The Ministry without the Wizarding World becoming aware that he was alive."
"Yeah, heard that, Hermione…" George said sarcastically. "I may be a little slow, but I do understand English."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's not the point! He also said that one of the protections on prophesies is that only the people who it pertains to can take it from the prophesy room… But Dumbledore didn't say that Voldemort couldn't take it himself for that reason. He said that he couldn't take it because he didn't want anyone to know he was alive, meaning that if he had gone to the room himself, he could have taken it. The prophecy isn't only about Harry, it's about Voldemort. In fact, I would guess that the prophecy is probably the reason that Voldemort tried to kill Harry in the first place."
"Damn!" Ron said, his face pale under his freckles. "Harry even said it. The prophecy killed his parents and Sirius… and that it would probably kill him."
"Prophecies don't kill you."
The group of Weasley's plus Hermione turned towards the door at the sound of Buffy's voice. They hadn't realized that she'd entered the room until she spoke. Her voice was quiet, but firm.
She stepped closer, joining them in the middle of the room. "Don't give it that much power… Don't let Harry give it that much power. It's not the prophecy, it's the way that you react to it that matters."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
Buffy looked at the group gathered before her. She'd only known them for a few weeks, but she had been impressed by not only their attitudes, but also stories of their bravery. She could trust them with this story, as hard as it still was for her to tell. "Have a seat," she said, pointing to the sofa and chairs. They all sat, Buffy perching on the arm of one of the sofas. "This might take a while."
Buffy looked around at the gathered group and took a deep breath. "When I was sixteen, there was a prophecy that stated that I would face the Master, who was the big bad of the time… an ancient vampire… and that I would die…"
Over the next hour Buffy told a lot of stories from her times in Sunnydale, explaining all the prophecies that she had faced. What they'd said and how they'd actually turned out.
When she had finished the last story, she looked at each person in turn. "So you see, you can't take prophecies at face value. I was prophesied to die… and I have, twice… and yet here I am, walking around, fit as can be. That's the thing about prophecies. They have a tendency to be self-fulfilling and they're almost impossible to truly understand, except when they've already been fulfilled…"
"You have a lot of insight on prophecies, do you?"
Everyone in the room started and looked around at the sound of the voice. Harry was in the room… somewhere…
There was a swish of material and Harry was suddenly revealed walking towards them from the direction of the doorway.
"Wicked!" Buffy murmured, staring at him in awe.
He looked tired. His clothes were wrinkled and covered with dirt and… was that blood? They hadn't noticed the blood the last time he was here…
"Harry!" Hermione launched herself off the couch and into Harry's arms. "Are you okay?"
Harry laughed. "Now that's more like it," he said, hugging her tightly. "Missed you 'Mione."
"Missed you too," Hermione said, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt. "We were worried."
Harry sighed and stepped back from her embrace. Not that again. "Now Hermione…"
Hermione held up her hands in surrender. "No scolding. Honest. Just, we were worried…"
"Yeah, mate," George said, stepping forward and slapping Harry gently on the shoulder. "People were going nuts…"
"But not us," Fred said, winking at Harry. "We knew you'd come out of it alive…"
"Maimed perhaps…"
"Even mutilated…"
"But we reckoned you're too damn stubborn to die…"
"Thanks… I think," Harry said with a short laugh, shaking his head.
He turned his attention to the two remaining people in the room… Both of who were oddly silent. "Ginny?"
Ginny was looking slightly torn. Finally she walked over to Harry silently and gave him a quick hug. "Good to see you Harry."
Harry returned the hug. "You too, Ginny."
"But don't ever talk to my mother like that again."
"I know," Harry said softly, his voice contrite. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" Ron exclaimed. "That's it?"
"No, that's not it, Ron, but what do you want me to say? I was wrong, but so was she!"
"But you can't just go talking to my mother that way, Harry," Ron said, still peeved at his friend. "You just can't!"
"I know, Ron," Harry said calmly. "And really, I appreciate everything that your family has done for me the past five years. It's meant more to me that I can begin to explain… But she has to remember, has to realize… that she's not my mother… and even if she were, she couldn't protect me from this. None of them can. It just is. It's who I am, who I need to be. If they're keeping things from me, than they're in the way. I can't defeat Voldemort if I'm hidden away on Privet Drive waiting for him to figure out how to kill me. If they don't realize that, then Voldemort's already won…"
"They realize it now, Harry," Hermione said softly. "Dumbledore's already said that you're to be made a member of The Order, us too, since they figured you'd tell us everything anyway. He's going to be teaching you Occlumency and if you want, Willow's willing to help you too."
"Willow?" Harry asked in confusion. He'd never heard that name before.
Hermione nodded. "Willow Rosenberg. She's a Wicca. She's here with Buffy," Hermione nodded towards the petite Slayer.
Harry looked over at her, starting slightly. He had almost forgotten she was in the room. Looking at her now, he got a hint of the same feeling he'd had upon first seeing her in the alley. The feeling that there was something a bit off about her… He pushed the thought aside as he realized that he was staring…
"I'm sorry," Harry said suddenly, blushing slightly. "How rude of me! We didn't have the chance to be properly introduced in the alley, what with the hugging and me being scolded and whisked away like a naughty child… I'm Harry Potter." He held out his hand to her.
Buffy grinned as she took it. "Buffy Summers." Aw, he was blushing again! That was so cute! She finally understood what Hermione meant when she said he was charismatic when he wasn't in a pissy mood. Buffy had liked him well enough when he'd been screaming. Now that he was all shy and polite and blushing she decided that he was absolutely adorable.
Especially considering the fact that he'd saved her sister.
Yeah, big points there.
But her thinking him adorable wasn't to say that he seemed weak. No, Buffy knew power when she saw it, and this boy had power.
And she had recently decided that it was part of her mission to make sure that he was ready and prepared to use it.
"So what's this prophecy that you and old Dumble are so worried about?"
Harry looked at her silently for a moment. There was something about her that made him want to trust her… as his friends obviously did… but he couldn't. He'd learned that much over the past five years.
"Why should I trust you with something so important?" Harry asked, his voice suddenly cold. "I don't even know you."
"Harry!" Hermione gasped, but Buffy just laughed.
"Yeah, they really don't give you enough credit, do they?" She said, smiling at him. "You may be young, but you're not a child…not anymore… But take my advice, Harry. Hold on to as much of your childhood as you can, don't let go of it entirely. Take what moments you can get, live life to the fullest… cause tomorrow, you might be dead."
"Ack!" Willow said as she and Xander entered the room, catching the tail end of Buffy's statement. "Not the Buffy 'seize the day' speech! Are we forgetting how it almost got me killed?"
Buffy laughed again. "Hey guys. Where are Dawnie and Faith?" She knew where Giles was. She'd left him muttering over some old text or another not long before.
"Someone say my name?" Dawn asked, bouncing into the room with Faith trailing behind her.
"So this is where the party's at," Faith said, taking in the group of people in the room. "I was wondering why Dawn and I were all alone in the kitchen with creepy-eyed guy." She caught sight of Harry. "I see anger-boy's back. What's the sitch?"
Harry was fast becoming overwhelmed. Who the hell were all these people? Sure, he recognized the other two girls from the alley, but that in no way explained what they were all doing here!
"I was just about to tell Harry all about us," Buffy said. "Because he asked a very good question."
"Oh?" Xander said. "And what question was that?"
"Why he should trust us… or more specifically, me," Buffy answered. "I thought a little of the life story might help him out some…" She paused for a moment, thinking back on how Harry had entered the room. "But first I want to know how the hell he appeared out of nowhere!"
"Well, duh," Xander said. "Don't Wizards apparate all the time?"
"No popping," Buffy said. "Just swishing as he took off that cape thingy over there." She pointed to where Harry had laid the invisibility cloak.
Hermione laughed. "It's an invisibility cloak. They're very rare." She glanced at Harry. "It belonged to Harry's dad."
"Actually," Harry said, his eyes twinkling slightly. "That one there belonged to Sirius. I snagged it before I left here earlier." He drew another cloak from his robes and tossed it onto the chair beside the first. "That one belonged to my father…"
"Harry!" Hermione whispered, her eyes wide with amazement. "What…?"
Harry shrugged, wishing that he'd resisted the temptation to tease her. "Not important. I believe that there was about to be a story?"
"Are you sure now's the best time for that?" Faith asked, her eyes studying Harry intently. "You look like you're about to drop."
At her words everyone focused on Harry, suddenly realizing just how tired he looked. He squirmed slightly under their sudden attention, but couldn't help but admit that the girl was right.
"Oh yeah," Buffy said. "Probably right Faith. He looks like he's about to fall asleep on his feet." She looked at her watch and her eyes widened. "Likely because it's almost two. Dawnie! What are you doing up? No research means early to bed!"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like when you were my age this wasn't your 'going out' time rather than your bedtime."
"It was my destiny!" Buffy exclaimed. "Yours involves normal things… like bedtimes!"
Harry focused on the two girls and then smiled slightly at Dawn. "So you're feeling all right then?" He asked. "Last time I saw you, you were barely conscious."
Dawn beamed at him. "Never better," she said, starting to speak very quickly. "Molly patched me up, gave me some potions." She bounced slightly on her feet. "Oh, and thanks for saving me and all! Course, I don't actually remember that part. It's pretty much a blur from the moment that first curse hit me, but everyone says you pulverized those icky death guys..." Here she took what appeared to be her first breath since starting.
Ginny snorted slightly, watching the girl with amusement. "Yeah," she said. "But if we ever have to heal you again I'm going to tell Mum to take it easy with the Pepper-up potion."
Everyone laughed and Dawn blushed.
"Yup," Xander said with a grin. "Our Dawnie doesn't have much need for artificial perkiness…"
"Yes well," Dawn said. "Off to bed then. See you all in the morning."
Everyone laughed again and started for the door.
"Before we go," Fred said, causing everyone to stop. "I just gotta know, Harry. Why the hell do you have a Ministry car and a security detail now?"
Harry couldn't help but laugh slightly, but then he sighed. Like that explanation wasn't going to take all night. So much for sleep… "The Council passed something called Proeliatoris Immunitatis." Hermione gasped and Harry brightened. "And apparently Hermione can explain what that is. Just as well. I don't think I quite understand it yet myself."
"Tomorrow," Hermione said, seeing just how tired Harry was. "He has immunity," she said, as Ron started to protest. "He can use his magic whenever he wants to, whatever spell he wants to and no one can touch him. All right?" She ignored the shocked looks and stuttered questions from the group, as did Harry. "We can talk about the rest of it in the morning."
"Yeah," Buffy said, nodding. "We definitely have a lot to discuss tomorrow. Good night everyone." Everyone returned her goodnight and the wizarding teens turned to go. "And Harry?" Harry stopped, looking back at Buffy, a questioning look on his face. "I know that in your world, it's a lot harder to tell the good guys from the bad guys than it is in ours… but we are on your side in this. And thank you again… for Dawn."
Harry nodded slightly. "You're welcome… and I'll think about that…"
Buffy smiled at him. "Good. See you in the morning."
Harry nodded and followed his friends out the door.
As Harry headed off to bed with his friends, the Scoobies could hear Ron and Fred filling him in on Willow and Snape's confrontation earlier that day. The last thing they heard as the teenagers disappeared up the stairs was Harry saying, "And none of you thought to take a picture? You call yourselves my friends!"