The Stress of Being Harry Potter

Chapter 10

Over the next few days Hogwart's became a hub of activity as rumors of Harry's defeat of Professor Widget in Defense class spread around the school. It was no surprise to Harry that by lunch on Thursday, Dumbledore was requesting his presence in his office. Harry took a deep breath before he entered the headmaster's office, then he stepped inside to be confronted by a panel of Order members. Harry chuckled, "Well, it seems if you got most of your bird club together, old man?" He turned to Moody, "However, that doesn't explain why you're here."

Moody grinned, "Just because I have formally resigned from the Order doesn't mean that I'm not keeping tabs on them. Constant Vigilance."

This caused a bit of an uproar since Dumbledore had neglected to inform the rest of the Order about Moody quitting, or why.

Dumbledore ignored Moody and said, "I felt that the presence of the Order would make you realize the seriousness of your actions."

Harry snorted, "What actions?"

Dumbledore replied, "Your disdain for all the professors and then your showing off and playacting in defense class make it very obvious that you hold me in contempt. It is dangerous for you to show off such contempt and such abilities. You need not give Voldemort anymore weapons against you."

Harry flopped into a seat in the headmaster's office, "I don't care about giving Voldemort weapons, old man, especially since I'm giving him weapons against you not me. Quite frankly I have no immediate intentions of defying Voldemort. He can do as he pleases for all I care. I'm sure your pet has already informed him that you and I are at odds, so I see no reason for it not to be obvious."

Snape snarled, and started forward, but Dumbledore waved him off and continued becoming agitated, "Harry, you cannot be serious about leaving the wizarding world to such a fate."

Hestia interrupted before Harry could speak, "What do you mean by Harry leaving the wizarding world to its fate? I know the poor boy has been on the end of Voldemort schemes far more than any other, but that doesn't mean it's his responsibility to destroy Voldemort."

Harry began laughing, "You mean to tell me you haven't told the rest of the Order about the prophecy yet, old man?"

Moody immediately turned to Dumbledore with an incredulous look and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "What prophecy, Albus?"

Albus sighed, "I felt no need for anyone else to know. However, it seems that all of you have a right to know now. Many of you have wondered why I hired Sybyll Trelawney as the Divination Professor here. When I went to interview her for the position, she gave a real prophecy involving Voldemort. I won't go into the exact details, but basically the prophecy said that there would be a baby born with the power to destroy Voldemort. With the criteria that the prophecy gave for the baby, I concluded that Harry was the child of prophecy and took measures to protect him."

McGonagall gasped, "That's why you left him with the Dursley's." She turned to Harry and said apologetically, "Harry, I'm so sorry. I told him not to leave you with those people."

Harry shrugged, "Not to worry, all of that's over now and I won't be going back to the Dursley's."

Dumbledore cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, "We still must return to the issue at hand. Harry, you cannot go around blatantly showing disdain for your professors. Also, it's dangerous to show any advanced abilities. Voldemort would pick up on such a thing and be more prepared for you."

Harry snorted, "Voldemort is already going to be prepared for me since you've got his spy right here in your midst."

Everyone gasped and Dumbledore asked, "Do you know who the spy is, Harry?"

"Of course I know who the spy is. I've told you a thousand times." Then Harry jerked his thumb over to point at Snape.

Dumbledore sighed yet again, "Harry, you must stop accusing Snape. I told you repeatedly that I trust him."

Harry replied, "And I've told you repeatedly that I don't trust you, old man. Now, I believe this conversation is done." Harry rose to leave but stopped as Dumbledore spoke again.

"Harry, you still don't understand the ramifications of your actions."

"Then expel me if that's not to your liking."

Harry then proceeded to walk out the door slamming it behind him and leaving no room for any other argument.

The next several days were clear of confrontation for Harry as he prepared for the first DA meeting of the year. It was with something approaching joy that he entered the Room of Requirement, and prepared for the first lesson. A few moments later the DA members began arriving. As they chattered, Harry took his place at the front of the room. He cleared his throat to gain their attention, "Welcome to the new year of the D.A. I'm happy to see everyone that didn't leave Hogwart's back from last year, and to the new faces, welcome. We're going to begin this evening with working on stunning and shielding spells. Shielding will most assuredly save your life in a battle with a Death Eater. Stunning spells are extremely useful for incapacitating your opponents, however you must beware of their limitations. Any ally can simply Enervate someone you stunned. So pair off, and let's begin."

The class was going well until Draco Malfoy and his henchmen walked through the door. Harry looked up to catch Draco's eye, "I don't think so, Malfoy. You're not remotely welcome here. We have a policy against Death Eater babies."

Malfoy protested, "You can't keep us from coming here."

Harry chuckled, "I most assuredly can."

Malfoy drew his wand, and prepared to cast a curse. Harry, however, was far quicker and flattened him with a Stunning Spell, before Draco could even take proper aim.

At that moment Snape and Dumbledore stepped through the door directly behind Draco and the other Slytherins, "I'm afraid that you will have to let Draco and the others enter. You can't exclude people from the club based on their house affiliation, and that will be a detention for assaulting another student."

Harry laughed and pointed, "As you can see there are Slytherins in the room. So my exclusionary principles have nothing to do with their house affiliation. I simply don't want them here because they're slimy snakes who lick Voldemort's boots. I might add if the little ponce keeps antagonizing me, I might have to finish him one of these days."

Dumbledore sighed, "That was completely unnecessary, Mr. Potter. I'm afraid you have no choice in this matter."

Harry snorted, "I'm afraid you don't realize that I most assuredly do have a choice. So I suggest you find someone else to lead the DA because if he's involved, I won't." Then, Harry simply walked from the room with the rest of the D.A. following him, each of them passing Dumbledore, Snape, and Draco with a look of scorn on their faces.

Dumbledore followed Harry into the hall, and said, "I have had enough of your attitude, Harry. I am the Headmaster, and you will show me the respect that I deserve."

Harry snorted, and said, "I have been showing you the respect you deserve, none. What have you done that would make you deserve any respect from me? You favor Death Eaters and Death Eater wannabees more than you worry about the safety of the students in your charge. That doesn't sound like someone that is worthy of respect to me. You have built up this aura of infallibility and the wizarding world has bought into it for the last thirty years, but I'm tearing the blinders off, and I'm going to show you for what you really are, at best a delusional fool that cares more about redeeming the bad guys than protecting the innocent, at worst a benign version of Voldemort."

At that accusation, Snape drew his wand, with Draco and his cronies quickly following his lead, while Dumbledore stood there in flabbergasted shock. Harry's allies in the D.A. quickly drew their wands as well, and it looked as if a full blown fight would erupt right there in the corridor, until McGonagall shouted, "All of you lower your wands, now."

This seemed to snap Dumbledore out of his surprise and he reached out and pushed Snape's wand down. Seeing the array of wands leveled against them Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle lowered theirs, as well. The DA looked to Harry for confirmation, and upon his nod, they put their wands up as well. McGonagall surveyed the people in the corridor and said, "Mr. Potter, I believe that you had a DA session scheduled for right now. You may go ahead and continue with it. Mr. Malfoy, I suggest that you and your friends find somewhere else to be as you are not members of the DA. Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, come with me."

Dumbledore seemed about to protest, but a stern look from McGonagall made his words die on his lips. The two men followed her, Snape hiding a smile, as he knew that the intent of trying to insert Draco into the DA had never been about spying, but as something more to drive a wedge between Dumbledore and Potter. His master's plan was working perfectly. The three of them arrived at Dumbledore's office, and settled into seats.

McGonagall began, "Albus, I warned you what would happen if you continued to antagonize the boy. He has made it clear that he holds you in contempt, and each time you confront him, you come off as the one looking bad as a result of the confrontation. By your actions you have given him the moral high ground, something that you have always claimed. So, what were you thinking with your attempt this evening?"

"Severus felt that inserting Mr. Malfoy and his friends would give us an eye into what was going on in the DA, while at the same time making certain that Harry would not teach anything that I wouldn't approve of, since he would be monitored more closely. I agreed since it would also give Mr. Malfoy a chance to turn from his father's path."

"That was your first mistake. Why would you ever accept advice about how to deal with Harry from Severus? He has made it plain that he dislikes the boy for being James' son time and again. While he will do his duty, his attitude isn't conducive to creating a good relationship with Harry. If you attempt to interfere in such a way again, I will take the complaint to the Board of Governor's myself." With that she stalked from the room.

Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Well, that didn't work out so well. What do we do now, Severus?"

"The same thing I said last time. Wait the boy out. He's an impatient teenager. He will eventually need your help. You just have to keep inserting yourself into his life, and wait until he gets into a situation that he can't get out of."

After thinking for several moments, Dumbledore nodded, "I suppose that is for the best."

The next day at breakfast, Harry received a note detailing his detention that would be with Snape. He immediately went to the Head table and presented the note to Professor McGonagall. He began, "I received a detention from the Headmaster last evening, but I refuse to serve the detention with Snape. I request that the location and observer be changed or I will not be attending the detention, and I will file a formal protest with the Board of Governors."

McGonagall replied after reading the note, "You can rest assured that I will take care of this and you will receive alternate detention criteria later today, Mr. Potter."

Harry bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

Minerva looked over at Dumbledore after Harry had walked away, and said, "This will be changed. Harry Potter will not serve a detention with Severus ever again."

Dumbledore appeared to think a moment, and then nodded in acquiescence.