Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or any of the characters in it.
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When he awoke in the morning he made a swift decision, hastily grabbing his already packed trunk he stabbed his wand into his pocket, slipped on his one pair of shoes and nearly bolted out the door. He walked back in, though, in realization he had forgotten Hedwig. He unlocked her cage and she hooted in return, he smiled lightly, giving the front entrance a once over before stepping outside for the second time.
"Come on now, girl. Fly to Hogwarts and I'll meet you there." At the command Hedwig easily obliged, flying out of site within a minute of Harry's words. He shut the door once more and headed away from the house and away from Private Drive. Though Dumbledore was sure to be mad that Harry had put himself in danger by travelling alone to the train station, at this exact moment the thought only passed through his mind without him lingering on it for more than a moment. He was to happy that he was never going to have to return and that he'd avoided giving the Dursley's any more chances to make Harry hate them.
With that thought caressing his mind he easily continued his trek toward the train station, never having been so eager to return to school. He knew it would be different this year, he knew he'd be expected to take on more training outside of his classes. With his inability to block Voldemort from his mind, he'd seen many visions over his summer 'holiday'. The Dark Lord was becoming more and more urgently and pressingly angry; Harry felt the emotion and knew that it would not be long now before everything happened.
Even if I've no idea what 'everything' happening truly is, I know as much as to prepare myself.
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As he neared platform nine and three quarters, he absently realized he was still in his pyjamas. He absently pulled his school robes out of his drunk and slid them on, being careful not to put his head fully down. He had his guard up now, realizing that if he were to be attacked today it would be now, while he was alone and many wizards were passing by. Lots of parents were Deatheaters and many saw their children off.
That thought, as well as any others that he'd had were pushed out of his mind as a dark figure shoved him against the beam that had 'platform nine' written on it.
"Potter…"
As Harry looked up he saw that the venomous hiss had come from no other than his beloved potions professor. He snickered inwardly at the thought of Snape being 'beloved', and to Harry discomfort, Snape pressed his elbow slightly deeper into his ribs and continued speaking:
"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be alone at this time?" Though the potions professor was doing his best to tower menacingly over Harry, he could not do much to really scare the boy. As it was now, the position they were in was the only thing Harry was paying any attention, and he let out a loud his in response as his ribs screamed at him.
"You're hurting me, a lot, professor." He had meant to sound at least somewhat annoyed but the pain was getting the better of him and he was sure it was obvious in his voice because a moment later the pain subsided slightly as Snape removed his weight from Harry.
"You should not be so weak, Potter. You'll have to deal with a lot more pain than that when you're fighting the Dark Lord." Harry only sighed in response, knowing full well he couldn't defend himself without telling Snape about Dudley. He decided it wasn't worth it to explain to the potions master why he hadn't defended himself against his cousin; Snape would probably kill him knowing he'd left the safety of the wards Dumbledore had put around the house without having his wand.
"Why are you here, professor?" Harry asked the question, aware it was obvious he was trying to change the subject but hoping Snape wouldn't notice, or at least wouldn't care.
The black eyes of his professor looked him over once before meeting his eyes and replying, "Like I said, Potter, it isn't safe here. Report to the Headmaster's office after dinner… Oh, and you might want to heal your nose, I'm sure your fan club will be horrified to see you like that." The snide comment seemed to role of his professor's tongue with ease, and without a second breath he turned sharply and walked away from Harry.
Though he could confidently say Snape hadn't been trying to help him he was relieved at the mockery because he had forgotten about the injury. Taking out his wand, he flicked it and whispered "Episkey"; his nose felt suddenly hot and then cold again as the bones rearranged themselves. He gripped more tightly onto his trunk and sighed once more, inwardly admitting that a meeting with Dumbledore on the first day back couldn't be a good thing he rushed forward to meet the day.
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"Harry!" Swerving to see who had called him, Harry spotted his friends in the compartment across the way and instantly headed towards them. Ducking in and placing himself beside Luna, he looked up and was met with the worried stares of his friends.
"Uh, hi there. How was everyone's summer?" His voice, he noted, had a slight edge to it, to which he wasn't sure what the cause was.
"Mine was lovely, though I missed you dearly, Harry." Harry nodded and smiled knowingly at Hermione as she added under her breath "and I already miss them." He had known of Hermione's plan to obliviate her parents and, with her words as confirmation enough, he leaned forward and held her shortly in an awkward embrace.
"Yeah, uh, mine was good. Mum and dad visited Percy in Romania, so Fred, George and I spent the summer pranking each other." While Ron's voice was filled with a childlike enthusiasm, at his words Ginny groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Harry, you look so thin, did they starve you all summer?" In response to Hermione's worried inquiry, Harry shook his head and laughed, changing the subject stealthily to quidditch he listened as Ron rambled on about the new season.
He leaned his head comfortably against the wall as his friends continued jabbering on, a small smile gracing his lips as he noted that Neville's hand covered Luna's, fingers entwined happily.
Feeling eyes on him, he looked up and into the eyes of Ginny which, if he was not mistaken, were filled with a kind of love-like emotion. He shuddered, the look making his insides move uncomfortably he ripped his gaze away from hers, deciding the issue of her blatant feelings for him would have to wait until later to be properly addressed. For now his biggest concern was being ready in case there was an attack on the train.
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"Well Harry is already!" The upset retort came from Hermione, no doubt in response to something Ron had said.
"Sorry, what was that?" He grinned crookedly at her as she turned to him, a look of murder in her eyes.
"I was simply suggesting we change into our robes now, seeing as we'll be arriving soon!" Hermione was speaking in an exasperated tone; her breath shallow as she glared at Ron.
"What a relief…" Harry's thoughts were dragged back to his and Snape's short conversation and the subtle warning, "it's not safe…" Those words alone had made him more uneasy than he cared to admit; his assumption had been that there would be a deatheater attack on the train. Though, with Snape's mysterious words it could not be ruled out that that wasn't what the professor had thought would happen. Maybe he had simply been misinformed. Possibly that he'd fallen out of favour with the Dark Lord and he was no longer trusted?
Or maybe his sadistic nature got the better of him and he wanted to watch me sweat.
The thought didn't make Harry as upset as it should have, rather the implications that the wording of his thoughts had made him blush slightly and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Right, erm, Hermione is right. We should all get changed otherwise we'll be the last to the feast and there will be none left!" Though his logic was completely flawed by the fact that the food never ran out, his friends all dispersed to change into their robes, leaving Harry by himself. He hummed indignantly, the realization he wore pyjama's underneath his robes making his eyebrows crease. He felt the train come to a stop, though, and the issue left his mind as he stood up and readied himself for departure of the train.
I'm hungry. The realization came in the form of Harry's stomach growling; he grabbed his trunk and headed toward the carriages.
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His plate was emptied long before the feast was over and he stood, promising his friends he'd see them after his meeting with Dumbledore. He headed up toward Dumbledore's office, knowing he'd have to wait until the feast was over for the Headmaster to arrive.
Having arrived at the top of the stairs, he took a seat just outside Dumbledore's office. As he sat, waiting, he couldn't help but wonder what it was his Headmaster had wanted to speak to him about. It was no doubt that whatever it was it had to do with Voldemort; Harry thought that it was possibly to do with the horcrux's in which he'd learned about last year. He knew there were more and it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore found out where the next one was and recruited Harry to join him to retrieve and destroy it.
"Potter…" Though the usual malice was missing from his voice, as Harry looked up he saw the usual sneer on Snape's face as the man stared down at him; the black pools that were his eyes unreadable.
"Professor," he stood quickly to more evenly meet Snape's gaze. It was only once he was standing that he realized how close they were; he was practically pressed up against the wall as Snape stood cooly, unaware of their compromising position. As Snape towered over him, breathing hot against his skin, Harry flushed, his breath catching in his throat.
"I-I… Didn't know you'd be here, sir." His words seemed to wake Snape out of his trance, quickly stepping back and straightening his robes, he looked away.
"Well, as it turns out, Potter, the Headmaster needs me for everything he does." The response was surprising to Harry; he'd never before heard Snape speak ill of Dumbledore. It made him nervous to think what Dumbledore wanted to speak to him about that made Snape act out of character; something he never did.
"Harry, Severus, my dear boy's," Dumbledore's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts as he moved out of the doorway and gestured them into his office, "Won't you please join me?"
As he followed Snape and Dumbledore into the room, he heard a quiet yet concise "didn't bother to knock, Potter?" come out of Snape in a hiss. He took the available seat beside his professor and across from Dumbledore; looking up he caught the weary eye of the old man.
"Sir, what is this about?" The question came out of his lips like word vomit, sounding as uneasy and nervous as he was sure he looked at that moment.
"Harry, now that you're an official adult I feel I must tell you the truth." As Harry listened carefully at the words that came out of his Headmaster's mouth he noted anxiously that the old man had averted his gaze and was now studying a piece of parchment that sat on his desk with quite a bit of interest.
"Sir, is this… Is this about the horcrux? Have you found another one?" He sounded as though he was pleading, but for what he was unsure.
"Yes, my dear boy, it has everything to do with that. But, I'm afraid, it's much more personal than I'd ever wish it," his Headmaster paused once more before hastily continuing, "You see, Harry, the night Voldemort killed your parents, a part of his soul was cast into you, making you his final, though accidental, horcrux." Harry let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, feeling more confused than he ever had before.
"So… I'm a horcrux? But, you said… You said we had to destroy all the horcrux's in order to kill Voldemort once and for all?" Dumbledore's nod confirmed the thought and Harry blanched. "So, I'm going to have to die in order for Voldemort to die? What about the prophecy? I thought I had to be the one to kill him?" He sounded hopeful, he knew, and bordering on pathetic, but he looked up pleadingly into his Headmaster's eyes.
"Well, Harry, the prophecy can be interpreted in many ways. What I think it means, in reality, though, is that you will be a direct cause to Voldemort's death, even if he does not die at the end of your wand. You'll help to destroy the horcrux's up until the moment where you give yourself over to him-"
"Sorry, sir, what? Why am I going to 'give myself over to him'?" He knew his voice had anger in it, but he couldn't help the feeling as confusion overwhelmed him.
"Harry, it is only by his hand that the horcrux inside of you will be destroyed. I'm sorry, dear boy, but this is what the fates have in store for you." Harry sighed as he saw a glint of sadness in Dumbledore's eyes.
"Well if it's what has to be done to destroy the bloody bastard then so be it, as long as he dies I can accept it. How long do I have, sir?" He sounded so strong, for a moment he felt jealousy at his own voice because of the pain and fear he was feeling on the inside.
"That, my boy, is entirely dependent on Voldemort. We will try, though, to get all the other horcrux's before your times up." Harry nodded in response and suddenly, remembering Snape was also present, he shifted his eyes to the man. Not surprisingly, Snape was looking at Dumbledore, icily and emotionlessly as if waiting for a command.
"So, have you known, all this time, sir?" Harry asked this as he turned back toward Dumbledore, who shook his head lightly.
"No, Harry. I suspected something of the sorts when I learned you were a parseltongue, but my fears were confirmed when I realized your mind was linked with his. Speaking of that, Harry, now that you know about this, it is more important than ever that you know how to shield your mind. You and Severus will have to resume your occlumeny lessons, I'm afraid. Hopefully it will turn out more successfully than it did the last time." Harry nodded, absently acknowledging the best news he'd heard from Dumbledore all day.
"Who else knows?" It was a demand, Harry realized as soon as it left his lips, but he deserved to know, that much he understood.
"No on that isn't in this room right now. And, as you probably have already guessed, my boy, no one else can ever know." Harry slumped down in his seat at the words, though he supposed it was obvious, it still hurt to have it confirmed he no longer had anyone. The only two people that he would be able to speak freely to were his professors; one which was a manipulative puppet master, and the other whom hated Harry more than he hated anyone else. "Don't worry, though, my boy, once he's defeated I'll personally make sure to it that everyone knows how much of a hero you were and how much you truly sacrificed." At his reassuring tone, Harry couldn't help but openly scoff.
"I can assure you, sir, that I've had enough praise for a lifetime. If I have to die for this cause, let me die in peace." Dumbledore looked outwardly opposed at the reply, but at this point Harry couldn't care less. "Anything else, sir? It's been a long day and I need sleep to process all these stupid feelings."
"Well we need to decide which days will be best for occlumency!" It was nearly a sputter, and Harry couldn't help but smile. Though he cared about Dumbledore he couldn't help feeling slightly betrayed by the old man, and in turn he was quite happy he was capable of upsetting him.
Harry turned, quite suddenly, toward his professor who had sat silently for this entire time, "Professor? Whenever works for you works for me."
Snape looked at him for the first time since they'd walked into the office; his black eyes held the smallest amount of compassion, more than Harry though was possible. "Weekends work best for me, Potter, if you truly are completely open?"
Harry chuckled lightly and nodded, "Well I've nothing better to do, now do I? Don't think I'll be having fun with my friends in Hogsmeade again in this lifetime."
"No need for the dramatics, Potter. Saturday and Sunday then, in my office right after dinner." Harry nodded and stood, slowly making his way towards the door.
"Harry, I told you the truth in hopes that you'd be able to enjoy the remainder of your life." Dumbledore stood as he spoke, making Harry sneer at him.
"It's too late for that, sir." And with that last comment, Harry turned and walked calmly out of the office, feeling the need to run as far as his leg would carry him.
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Hope you enjoyed this; I'll be sure to get the next chapter in the next couple of days!
P.S. Thanks for the reviews, hope to read more!