Chapter 4

Discovery

It had been a half hour since Dumbledore left them in the office and they were getting bored. Tired of sitting, Harry stood and walked over to Fawkes. "Hello Fawkes, how are you feeling?" He asked the old looking bird. Fawkes trilled weakly before vanishing in a ball of flames. Harry panicked and looked for something to stop the fire as Hermione came and watched in fascination.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" she asked him. Harry stopped and looked at her in confusion before looking back at Fawkes and seeing the baby phoenix in his place. They heard a chuckle and turned to see Dumbledore back at his desk watching them. "It's a beautiful thing to watch, the rebirth a phoenix. He's been holding on so you could watch you know." He said to them while motioning for them to sit before him.

"Harry, I wanted to let you know that you shall never return to the Dursleys. Instead I have renewed an old charter law that lets students become wards of Hogwarts. From now on you shall be staying with me in the castle." Dumbledore told him.

Harry sat there in shock. He didn't have to go back to the Dursleys? This was his greatest dream come true. He was free from them. He stood and launched himself at the headmaster to wrap him in a hug. Dumbledore smiled sadly and held him as he cried in happiness before setting him back in the chair.

"Yes, but now I have some grim news for you my boy. Last year you asked why Voldemort was after you. He was after you, my dear boy, because of a prophecy. It stated that one would be born to stop him. There were two people who could have fit this category, you and Neville. He chose not the pureblood wizard, but the half-blood, like himself. He marked you with that scar of yours." Dumbledore said to him gently.

Harry sat there and before he could say anything Hermione spoke up. "Sir, you say this was because of a prophecy? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Who would believe that?" She asked him. Dumbledore looked at before sighing. "Ms. Granger, in the wizarding world prophecies are taken much more seriously because they are real. Voldemort heard of this one and made sure to try and stop it from becoming true." Dumbledore said to her sadly.

Harry just sat there thinking. He could already guess that he was the one that would have to stop Voldemort. After all, you don't face said man who likes to rant about killing you without picking these things up. But to think it all stemmed from some stupid prophecy was absurd.

"I could already guess that it would be me to stop him. It's just stupid that it's because of some words a person said. I just want to know how I'm supposed to stop some man with years more of experience and power than me." He said dejectedly. "That's why I shall be personally training you two." Dumbledore said to them.

"You're going to train us both?" Hermione asked him excitedly. "of course I am. After all, you don't expect Harry to leave you, do you?" He asked her. Hermione blushed while mumbling something under her breath.

"So, when do we begin sir?" Harry asked, getting them back on topic. "We won't really begin until the next term, but for now I shall be training you both in the mind arts. Ms. Granger, I have taken the liberty to inform your parents of your staying here to train with us." He said to her.

Hermione sighed in relief at not having to tell her parents this news. "Thank you sir, I don't know how I would have told them this." She said while turning her gaze towards Harry with a calculating look on her face. "Besides, that means I can properly train Harry on how to be a good boyfriend." She said with an red face but didn't stutter or back down from what she said.

Dumbledore chuckled as Harry hid his face in his hands. "Don't worry Harry, I shall train on to resist these evil woman's intentions, we have an honor code to uphold after all." Dumbledore said with a serious face. Hermione looked put out at that but quickly regained her composure. "Are you sure you wish to go down that road headmaster?" She asked with an angelic smile on her face. "I can go fetch Professor McGonagall for us and see what she has to say to that." She said to him sweetly. Dumbledore paled at that thought before donning his poker face. "Why Ms. Granger, I just remembered, I'm supposed to send you to your parents for the TALK." He said while emphasizing the word talk.

She blushed intensely at what he implied. Dumbledore chuckled as he stood and walked to his bookcase. "I shall have you'll begin with this introductory book. As you proceed with it, feel free to come ask me questions regarding it." He told them while handing them the books labeled, How to Protect Your Mind for Dummies.

They took the books and stood as the headmaster led them to the door. "Now that we are done, for now, let us retire to the Great Hall for lunch." He said as they left his office. On their way to lunch they ran into Snape. "Headmaster, There is a slight altercation in the Hall that requires your presence." He said to him curtly before noticing Harry and Hermione.

"Potter, going to see the weasels off?" He asked Harry in a surprisingly civil tone. "No sir, the weasels can do what they want though I suggest that they go to your gentle care for help, sir" Harry responded in an equally civil tone. This surprised Snape, as he would have expected the boy to run off to see his friend. "You don't want to see your friend Potter?" He asked the boy with interest.

"No sir, my only friend is standing with us." He said while indicating to Hermione. Snape was genuinely stunned at this news but didn't let it show. "I see, so you wouldn't mind explaining this news to me then, would you?" He asked the boy. "Of course sir, we can tell you at the table if you don't mind." Harry told him.

Hermione seeing the promise of a friendship between the two excused herself with going to sit with professor Flitwick as they entered the hall. Dumbledore left to settle the fight at Gryffindor as Harry and Snape drew everyone's attention as they sat together at the head table. As they sat and talked, all eyes were staring at them and the hall was in silence that not even the headmaster could get them to do.

Harry was ignoring them, he was used to such attention and Snape amusingly smirked in his mind at what they were doing. He had found a chance to set things right with his memories of Lily. It had taken more than a year to reach this point but he was glad he did. From now on he would treat Potter, no, Harry, as Lily's child. As he sat and talked with the boy he was struck by his similarities to her. He may look like his father but he acted like his mother and even had her brains.

McGonagall just sat there at the table in shock as the two most emotional rivals talked and laughed together. This had to be a prank she thought. There was no way that Harry and Severus could get along. She looked to her other side and saw Hermione smiling with Filius as if nothing was wrong. She looked at the headmaster as he sat and he sent her a reassuring smile. It was a day for new beginnings.