Chapter 4: Harry Loses His Head, As Usual

Dumbledore turned away and strode off toward another room in the house. I immediately followed, intending to stop him before revealing too much. Hesitantly, Mum and Dad followed too. Looking extremely concerned, Sirius also followed.

When Sirius reached the door, he looked inquiringly toward Dumbledore. To my surprise, Dumbledore turned to me, as if asking my opinion. Slightly taken aback, I shrugged, motioning for Sirius to come as I entered the room. Once everyone was inside, Dumbledore shut the door.

"This room is spelled to prevent eavesdropping. Whatever is said stays in this room," Dumbledore said.

I cast a trained eye around the room. One of the first things I learned after...it, was how to identify magic. After the cave, I realized how beneficial it would be. Every bit of the room was spelled to absorb sound past the walls, ceiling, and floor. There were no windows. The only light came from four floating orbs, one in each corner, that Dumbledore had conjured upon entering. I saw that the room absorbed light as well; no lip reading, good for them. The door was magically locked and was spelled against Alohamora. Anti-Apparition and Anti-Electronic spells as well. I laughed at how many spells there were and how pathetically easy it was for me to think of several ways to circumvent them.

"The spells are very good, but they're in the surfaces of the room. Anyone who found a hole would have easy access," I scoffed.

Dumbledore peered at me, "And where do you see holes?"

I pointed at the door, "The keyhole, the cracks around the door. If you got mouse holes, it would be easy for a Death Eater who's an Animagus to get in. Someone could even destroy part of the wall and put up an illusion and you wouldn't even know it with all the other spells on them."

Dumbledore blinked, startled that he had overlooked this simple solution. Immediately, he Imperviused the room and cast some simple alarm spells.

"You are James' son," Sirius said, nodding approvingly.

"Now that this room is completely eavesdrop-proof..." began Dumbledore.

"...I'm not saying anything," I interrupted, "and neither should you."

"I would have told them anyway, whether or not you were here."

"But I am here. It could change everything if you told them now, and as much as I would like it, the future can't change."

By now I was breathing heavy and was close to bursting. One wrong word from any of them and I don't want to think of what will happen. Mum realized this and tried to be supportive, although it was hard since she didn't know what Dumbledore and I were talking about.

Then Dumbledore said softly, "I understand."

That set me off, "NO, YOU DON'T!" I bellowed, "YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IN THE FUTURE, SO HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY NOW?"

All of them looked terrified now.

"You are Lily's son, too," Sirius mumbled weakly.

"Didn't?" whispered Mum. I sobered up quickly, then, and managed to get calm again.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and bowed his head, as if accepting the news of his death, then spoke:

THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES.
BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES
AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT
AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES.
THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES.

All my anger turned to weariness as I sank into a chair and muttered, "Dammit, you're just making this harder for me. Do you have any idea how much I'm restraining myself?"

A long, uncomfortable silence followed. I could tell they were all looking at me, amazed and concerned, but I didn't look back at any of them. The last thing I wanted to happen was for one of them to try and comfort me. My resolution was stretched thin and that would shatter it.

Mum finally broke it, "Are you sure about this?" she seemed to be pleading with us, hoping that one of us would tell her that her son couldn't possibly be the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord, the one who had to kill or be killed.

"Surely this is a mistake, Albus," Dad said, his voice shaking slightly, "Alice has a boy due around the same time, doesn't she? And she and Frank have escaped him three times. We've only escaped him twice."

"I hardly call this a mistake," I spat bitterly, pointing to my scar.

While Dad and Mum absorbed all this, Sirius looked as if he thought he ought to say something, but couldn't think of what. Trying to smile, he said half-heartedly, "Some prophecy."

I was grateful for Sirius trying to lighten the mood, try and turn it into a joke, but my reply burst out of me before I could stop myself, "I don't give a damn about the bloody prophecy. It doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know."

Cursing myself, I looked around quickly to see what reactions my outburst had caused. They all seemed to have guessed the one thing I was trying hardest not to say. Worst of all, tears had started streaming down Mum's face. Suddenly, a wave of grief swept over me and I couldn't hold it in any more.

"You want to know where I got this?" I wailed, jabbing at my forehead again, "I got it when Voldemort tried to kill me, when the Killing Curse he cast backfired. I was one. You want to know why it backfired? Because you both had already given your lives to save me. All of you are dead and even though I could prevent it, I CAN'T DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT WITHOUT RUINING THE FUTURE!"

I ran then, out of the house, to the woods and Disapparated.