Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the excellent reviews! I'm so glad you are all still enjoying my efforts!

In answer to one of my reviewers, I'm afraid I can't tell you whether I'm going to kill off Sirius or Remus. But I can tell you that if I do, it won't be like in canon. No falls through veils, folks. I can promise you that.

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 41: The Prophecy Revealed

As they had done the first night Harry came to stay with them, Sirius and Remus stayed by his side as he slept. The poor boy didn't sleep peacefully, either. It seemed that every few minutes, he would scream "Noooo! Cedric! Nooooo!" and wrestle with the bedcovers. It took a supreme effort for his two guardians to try to calm him each time, and every time they managed it, it was only about five minutes until it happened again. Sirius and Remus imagined that Harry kept seeing the green light rushing towards his friend, and he couldn't do anything about it.

During one of the times when he was quiet, Sirius softly said to Remus, "We've failed him, Moony."

"I know, Padfoot," Remus answered sadly. "We have."

"I mean, I'm furious with Dumbledore," Sirius continued, "but I'm furious with myself too. It's easy to have someone to blame, you know? It's easier to blame Dumbledore. But I know deep down that it was really our fault. How could we not have seen what was right in front of our eyes? I mean, we knew something was up when his name first came out of the goblet. We swore to him that Voldemort would never touch him."

"I know we did, and I despise the fact that he was taken to him right under our noses and we didn't do anything."

"How are we going to help him through this, Moony? How are we going to help him get over Cedric's death? They were best friends, like brothers. What are we going to do?"

"We can only take it one day at a time, Padfoot. one thing I've learned when people are in grief is that their moods can dramatically change from one minute to the next. He may snap at us, but you mustn't get angry with him. He already feels really betrayed by us as it is, with the whole prophecy thing."

"Didn't we tell Albus that us not telling him about it would blow up in our faces one day? But the stubborn codger didn't listen," Sirius growled, his face growing angry again. "What's it going to take for him to regain his trust in us?"

"Honestly, I don't know. We just have to be there for him, that's all we can do."

"And Lily and James," Sirius choked, his face turning to one full of sadness. "They helped him. Can you believe it? I always knew they'd look out for him, though. I can't get over seeing them again."

"I know," Remus said, his face reflecting Sirius's. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have him here with us. Thank Merlin for them, thank Merlin."

"Nooooo! Cedric! No, Voldemort, please! Don't kill Cedric!" Harry's panicky voice drew them out of their conversation. It was time for them to try to comfort him once again.

xxx

By the time morning sunlight hit their faces, Sirius and Remus had not gotten any sleep. They'd spent the entire night listening to Harry's horrific nightmares, and their emotions were frazzled. It had been heartbreaking to hear Harry's moans for his friend. There had also been times when he'd mutter things like, "Mr. Diggory, Mrs. Diggory, Cho, please forgive me ..." and tears had even trickled down his face. Therefore, when he finally began to stir, they immediately tried to soothe him awake, just like they had done the first morning he had been in their care.

Harry opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the sunlight streaming in through the window. At first he felt comforted, but he immediately got to wondering why there was a warm weight on either side of him. Sirius and Remus knew the exact moment when the agonizing, crushing grief and guilt came back to him. Harry tensed up, and his whole face went white and he began to shake. "Oh, Merlin, no," he cried. "I killed him."

His two guardians immediately tried to tell him he didn't, but Harry wouldn't buy it. Curling up into a little ball, he tried his best to stop the tears. But all the guilt weighing down on him, the horrific memory of watching his big brother die, was all too much for him. Every other person who was now going to die because of Voldemort's next reign of terror would be dead because of him, too. He had helped Voldemort return. How many people's deaths would be on his conscience by the time this war was over? Nausea exploded inside him, and he sat up suddenly, his face turning green. Sirius and Remus immediately knew what was about to happen, and Sirius conjured a bucket. Harry proceeded to throw up everything that was in his stomach. When he'd finished, his body was shaking uncontrollably and he could hardly breathe.

"Harry, please calm down, pup. You're hyperventilating," Sirius said gently, feeling helpless as the one boy he'd sworn to care for let out loud, racking sobs. He took Harry into his arms while Remus did his best to get him to take deep breaths.

Eventually, he calmed, but the tears still ran unchecked down his cheeks. Cedric's lifeless body falling to the ground, his eyes staring unblinkingly up at the sky, played in his head over and over again. The image just would not stop. He put his hands over his eyes, but even that didn't help. He lay in Sirius's arms and seemed to cry forever, and all he and Remus could do was try to soothe him.

Once he had stopped, Remus said gently, "Cub, we think it would be best if you got up and tried to eat something." They knew that this was a battle that would be hard to win. When Remus had first found out about James and Lily's deaths, Sirius's imprisonment and Peter's so-called "death", he hadn't wanted to eat anything. He hadn't even wanted to get up in the morning. But he knew that in a way, it was even worse for Harry, because the boy felt that last night's events had been his fault.

"No," Harry said dully. "I don't want to."

"Come on, kiddo," Sirius tried. "It'll only make you feel worse if you lie here all day."

"Who cares anymore?" Harry mumbled miserably.

"We do," Sirius said immediately. "We care about you more than you'll ever know."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Harry muttered into his pillow. "I want to see Professor Dumbledore."

Sirius and Remus tried not to be stung by Harry's comment. "Why?" Remus asked.

"Why do you think?" Harry asked, a tinge of anger coming through into his voice. "So he can tell me about the prophecy."

"Cub," Remus tried, "are you sure you want to know right now? Last night was a terrible ordeal, and ..."

"OF COURSE I DO!" Harry yelled, wrenching himself out of Sirius's arms and sitting up. "IT's MY BLOODY LIFE! Last night was already bad enough, why can't we just get all the bad news done and over with? First Cedric is dead because of me, then I find out my parents died just because I was born ..."

"Harry, your parents sacrificed themselves to keep you safe," Remus protested. "And I know how Lily and James were. They gave their all to protect you. Not for one second did they resent having to do so."

"But they still died just because I was born!" Harry screamed. "And Voldemort returned with my bloody help! Do you know how many people will probably die now because he's back? EVERY SINGLE DEATH WILL BE MY FAULT!" Breathing hard, he glowered at his guardians. "At least tell me what my fate is, what I have to do to defeat him!"

Sirius and Remus tried their absolute hardest to get Harry to reconsider seeing Dumbledore now, but the stubborn boy just wouldn't budge. Eventually, with heavy hearts and deep sighs, they knew that the only thing to do was contact Dumbledore. After all, he had the right to know the prophecy. Waiting, in this instance, wasn't going to do any good. They had tried to get Harry to at least wait a day or two, but Harry just shouted at them that they were still trying to hide the truth from him.

Knowing that it was probably the wrong thing to do but feeling completely hopeless and at a loss of how to help their boy, Sirius and Remus went to the fireplace and contacted the Headmaster. Sirius was still furious with him, and didn't like to think about what he might do if he was left alone in a room with him. His nerves were completely on edge as the old man's head popped up in the fireplace.

He frowned deeply when he saw it was Sirius and Remus. When they told him Harry was refusing to do anything until he heard the prophecy, his frown grew even deeper. Looking sadder and older than he ever had before, he came through the fire into 804, Lawdershod Avenue.

When the three of them went into Harry's room, the boy's anger seemed to have subsided. What Remus had said about mood swings was definitely true; now he just looked defeated, sitting with his shoulders hunched and his hands at his sides.

"Harry, are you sure this is the right time for you to know the prophecy? I really hate to burden you with such a thing," Dumbledore said gently as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Harry said in a monotone. "I want to know what it is."

"Sirius, Remus, since you are his guardians now," Dumbledore said somberly, "how do you feel about learning the entire contents of it?"

"Please tell us, so we can do everything possible to help Harry prepare," Sirius said.

Harry looked at Sirius with haunted eyes. "But if you two know it," he said, his voice getting panicky again, "what if Voldemort tries to get it out of you? He'll kill you if you don't tell him, but not without torturing you first!"

"Harry, we are your guardians, cub," Remus said softly. "It's our responsibility to keep you safe. And Sirius and I don't regret having that responsibility for a second. We'd rather get hurt ourselves than see you hurt."

Harry flinched violently. "That's what Cedric said too," he whispered defeatedly. "But I guess I should get used to people suffering or dying because of me."

The three adults remained quiet, hoping that one of these days, Harry would stop thinking that. Remus knew that in the future, intense therapy sessions would be needed. It seemed like the entire world had shattered around Harry's feet. If the werewolf didn't do something about it, Harry might do something rash. Remus remembered when James had gone into his deep depression after accidentally killing Dennis Booth, and he never wanted to see Harry like that. Maybe the thing that would make him feel better would be to see people like Cho or the Diggorys. Harry would probably refuse violently, but if they told him again and again that Cedric's death wasn't his fault, it might finally sink in. Dealing with something of this magnitude was going to be extremely difficult.

"There's nothing I can do though, is there?" Harry sighed. "I know I won't be able to argue with you. I guess you'll just have to know it."

"Harry, we love you, kiddo," Sirius said, holding Harry's left hand while Remus held his right. They held their breath, wondering how Harry would respond, but the boy did absolutely nothing.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said quietly. "We're all here for you. Once you learn this prophecy, we're going to do everything we can to help you prepare. I know you feel helpless, alone, sad, depressed, and angry right now, and I know that me telling you that last night wasn't your fault isn't going to get through to you right now. But at least know that we're going to try to help you smile again. All right?"

Harry just nodded numbly, his eyes gazing fixedly upon Dumbledore's wizened face.

"If you're ready, then, I shall begin," Dumbledore said tiredly, and Harry felt a squeeze on each hand from his guardians.

"A few months before you were born," the Headmaster explained, "I had an appointment with Sybill Trelawney. I have never been much of a believer in Divination, but the school governors believe very strongly that that subject needs to be taught. My meeting with her had just finished, and I did not recognize any extraordinary gift in her.

"But suddenly, as she was leaving, her face changed," Dumbledore went on. "And she began speaking in a voice that wasn't her own. Are you ready, Harry?"

The boy nodded.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches," he said slowly. "Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. That first half of the prophecy was told to the Order and to Voldemort and his supporters."

"Yeah, Crouch told me," said Harry.

"Yeah, because Snivellus just happened to hear it," Sirius snarled.

"Sirius." Dumbledore gave him a warning look. "The second half of the prophecy is what no one besides myself, your parents, and Neville's parents know."

"Why Neville's parents?" Harry asked.

"Because," Dumbledore answered, "there were two potential babies born at the end of July whose parents had thrice defied Voldemort."

"And that ... that other baby was Neville?"

"Yes."

"Well, why can't the prophecy be talking about Neville, then?" Harry asked.

"Because of what the second half says, Harry," the Headmaster said gently. "It says: And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall 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. When Voldemort gave you that scar, Harry, he marked you as his equal. And I believe the power that you have that Voldemort knows not is your capacity to love."

The three others in the room remained silent, taking in what Dumbledore had said. Finally Harry whispered, "Does that mean ... does that mean Voldemort has to kill me, or I have to kill Voldemort for this war to end?"

The look on Dumbledore's face said it all, and Harry's expression became even more blank. "I have to train," he suddenly said.

"Harry ..." Sirius started.

"No, Sirius," Harry said, his voice growing louder and his face finally taking on a fierce expression. "I have to train. I won't let anyone else die because of me. I have to learn new spells. I always somehow knew that I had to be the one to kill Voldemort. I guess this just confirmed it."

"Harry, are you okay, cub?" Remus asked, trying to put his arm around him, but Harry flinched away from the touch.

"I guess I'm fine as anyone could be who learns they have to murder or be murdered," Harry sighed.

"Harry, my boy, I am terribly sorry," Dumbledore said sadly. "I know this is an enormous, heavy burden for you to bear. This is the last thing I ever wanted to tell you."

"How long would it have been before you told me?" Harry asked, looking up at Dumbledore. "If Crouch and Voldemort hadn't told me about it, when would you have said anything? The day of the final battle?"

Dumbledore looked at the boy solemnly, the boy who he loved as his own grandson. "We only wanted to give you a childhood," he said gently.

"Well, that ended when my uncle did what he did to me," Harry said, the haunted look still prominent in his eyes. "And last night I had to watch Cedric die."

"I know, and I cannot apologize enough for how negligent I was about not seeing that something was terribly wrong at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"You can't have known," Harry said.

"Harry, he's supposed to be looking after you while you're in his care!" Sirius said angrily.

"He still couldn't have known," Harry argued. "I wish you had told me I have to kill one of the most powerful wizards in the world, though."

There was nothing the three of them could say to console him. All Dumbledore could do was lock eyes with the terribly burdened boy in front of him.

Finally, Harry mumbled, "Why did you let Snape teach at Hogwarts?" His facial expression was now one of betrayal.

"Harry, I think it is best that I do not explain the full story right now," Dumbledore said gently. "I know you won't believe it at this moment, but all I can say is that Severus made a terrible mistake, and he feels incredible remorse for his actions." Sirius snorted at this remark and Dumbledore gave him a pointed look.

Harry sighed miserably, wanting to argue, but he didn't have the energy.

Then, Dumbledore said heavily, "I know you won't want to hear this, my boy, but it is my duty to tell you. Cedric's funeral will be next Sunday."

"Oh," said Harry glumly. "I'm guessing the Diggorys won't want the boy who killed their son there?"

"Harry, you didn't kill him!" Sirius said pleadingly.

"I might not have cast the curse, but I still killed him," Harry said stubbornly. "If only I'd taken the cup alone, he wouldn't be dead."

"You were only trying to be fair," Dumbledore said soothingly. "And of course the Diggorys want you there. They are full of grief about losing their son, but they do not blame you, my boy. They are grateful that you brought his body back to them."

Harry looked shocked. "They want me to come?" he said in a small voice.

"They said it wouldn't be right if you didn't," Dumbledore assured him. "After all, they said Cedric talked about you all the time. They knew how close you two were."

Harry sighed. "I guess I have to go then," he muttered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Another thing I must explain to you, Harry, is what happened with yours and Voldemort's wands last night."

Harry shuddered at the new batch of images that flooded his brain: Cedric, Bertha, the old man from his dream, and his parents' ghosts coming out of the Dark Lord's wand and helping him escape.

"What occurred is called Priori Incantatem," Dumbledore explained softly. "You and Voldemort have brother wands. When both wands cast a spell at the same time, this will be the result."

Dawning comprehension flashed in Harry's eyes. "Mr. Ollivander," he said. "He said something about our wands being brothers."

"Yes," the Headmaster said. "Also, I must tell you that the Minister does not believe Voldemort's return."

"Oh God," Harry cried, his face growing white. "Does he believe I killed Cedric? Am I on the next boat to Azkaban?"

Dumbledore stared at the grief-stricken boy sadly. "No, child, he believes that you were captured by Death Eaters, but he does not think Voldemort was able to return to full power," he said solemnly. "I even offered to show him the memory, but he refused to see it. You see, there is a way that memories can be tampered with. Usually, one can tell when this has happened, but over the years, it has become more difficult to tell because of the advancement in spells and potions." Seeing Harry's expression of continued misery, he reassured, "But I need you to know that I believe every word you said last night. Sirius, Remus, myself, and your friends know that you were not lying."

Harry sighed, head in his hands. "Do you think the Minister will ever believe me?"

"There will come a day," Dumbledore said, "when the truth is known. But until then, please know that the ones that care most about you are on your side, all right?"

Harry nodded glumly, sighing again.

"And now, I must go. You have taken in a lot of information today, Harry, and I must tell you once more how utterly sorry I am that you have to bear this. But you're not alone, my boy. We'll all be there to help you."

Without being able to help it, tears came to Harry's eyes once again. Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus embraced him while he sobbed against them. Then the Headmaster left him in the care of his guardians, hoping that the boy would mend. As sad as Cedric's funeral would be, he hoped Harry would learn that the Diggorys, Cho, and his other friends didn't blame him. They were grief-stricken, yes, but they understood Harry's pain as well, and were going to do all they could to help.

"Merlin bless you, Harry Potter," Dumbledore whispered as he picked up a pinch of floo powder and travelled back to the sad and subdued Hogwarts.