Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! It's true, Remus had a sucky life, with what happened with Julia! But at least he still has Sirius and Harry.
On another note, I'm sure many of you are wondering how exactly Snape got back into Voldemort's good graces. If you remember from chapter 39, he was ill with the wizarding flu the night of his master's return. Don't worry, all will be explained in a couple of chapters!
Chapter 45: A Bond of Brotherhood
The next morning, Harry sat in the living room with Sirius and Remus, for they said they needed to talk to him. "What's up, guys?" he asked concernedly as he made himself comfortable.
"We need to discuss something with you which you're not going to like too much," Remus warned. Harry immediately looked worried.
"We told you we'd inform you of what's going on with Voldemort," Sirius said, "and we're definitely going to keep our word. At the Order meeting last night, Dumbledore told us that Voldemort is completely obsessed with the prophecy. He desperately wants to know what it says."
"Oh," Harry said, his expression stony. "What are you going to do to try to stop him from getting the information on it?"
"A record of the prophecy is located in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry," Remus explained. "I know you're going to hate this, cub, but two members of the Order have to do nightly guard duty to protect it."
"Oh, no!" Harry exclaimed, his face going pale. "So that means both of you have to go?"
"Yeah, we have to take turns," Sirius said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But we promise we'll be careful. We know how to defend ourselves if anything should happen."
Harry looked really upset. "I wish you didn't have to go," he sighed. "Please, isn't there any other way?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Remus said gently. "But we told you before, we're going to do everything to keep you safe. And we want you to know that if anything happens to either of us, it won't be your fault at all. We know what we're getting into, Harry; we've been prepared from the first moment Dumbledore mentioned it to us."
Harry's shoulders slumped, and he took on a defeated posture. "Okay," he said softly. His two guardians held on to their adopted son's hands, doing their best to show him how completely sincere they were being.
"What's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.
"We don't know everything that's there," Sirius answered. "But we can tell you about some parts of it. The people who work there are called Unspeakables; their job is very private and they're not allowed to tell anyone what they do."
"Not even their families?" Harry asked, shocked.
"No, not even their families," Sirius said. "But we know that one of the rooms contains records of every single prophecy that was ever made."
"You mean, there've been other prophecies that have been made by other people in the past?"
"Yeah," Remus said. "Another of the rooms looks like a theater. There are a bunch of stone steps that lead to an archway, and there is a veil there. If you fall or walk through the veil, you apparently die. No corpse is left to bury, it's as though the person just disappeared."
"Really?" Harry asked, a surprised look on his face. "But why is it there?"
"So the Unspeakables can study death," Sirius answered. "Back in the old days, though, it was used for people who were executed by the law. It was their punishment, to walk through the veil into the land of the dead."
"Wow. Is there anything else?"
"Apparently, time-turners are kept in there as well," Remus stated. "One of the subjects the Unspeakables study is time; it has always been of great interest to them."
"Magic is definitely interesting," Harry said.
"There is another subject we wish to bring up," Remus said, his face growing very serious. "We need to know for sure that you want to go back to school."
"Yes, I'm sure I do," Harry declared. "Please let me go back."
"We're not going to force you not to go, kiddo, but think about it. Voldemort got to you last year," Sirius protested. "Right under Albus Dumbledore's nose."
"But how was he supposed to know that was going to happen?" Harry asked. "I know he tried to keep me safe all year. And I need to be with my friends."
Remus and Sirius reluctantly nodded, but still had extremely worried looks adorning their faces. "Okay," Sirius sighed, fiddling with his hands so that he had something to do to take his mind off his niggling concerns.
"I'd like to ask you something as well," Harry told them, looking hesitant to go on.
"Okay, pup," Sirius said, squeezing Harry's hand in a reassuring gesture.
"I've been thinking, and I think Neville has the right to know that Crouch hurt us in September," Harry said slowly. "And I think he deserves to know about the prophecy."
His two guardians looked at each other. "You're a very mature young man, Harry," Remus said proudly. "But are you sure this is the right time?"
"He has the right to know," Harry repeated stubbornly. "I hate how Crouch messed with our minds the way he did."
"In what way did Crouch hurt you in September, Harry?" Sirius asked, his demeanor growing angry just at the thought of that revolting Death Eater hurting his godson.
"Do you mind if I show you instead of tell you?" Harry begged. Telling his guardians about it would bring back the night of the graveyard and Cedric, for that was the night he'd remembered what had happened. It would also bring back the anger he felt towards his guardians for not telling him about the prophecy, which he was desperately trying to get over. He knew they'd meant well, but at times, he still had trouble with it.
"Okay," Remus said softly. Harry walked with him and Sirius into his room, and he removed the horrific memory and put it in the Pensieve. Then the two both disappeared inside it.
They watched in horror as Harry was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, and they were disgusted at the way Crouch Jr. had threatened Neville that if he didn't tell him the prophecy, he'd make Harry suffer. They saw as Crouch smirked maliciously and then changed his features so that he looked like Moody once again. They watched as he cast the memory charm on both boys, and then the memory was over.
"Oh Gods, Harry, I'm so sorry," Sirius whispered as they emerged from the Pensieve, their faces stricken. "We should have been able to protect you from this madness."
"Harry, I can't even imagine what that was like," Remus said as he embraced his charge.
"Have either of you been under that curse?" Harry asked.
"I have," Sirius replied. "It's absolutely awful. It's the worst pain in the world. I just can't believe that this happened at Hogwarts, which is supposed to be the safest place in the whole bloody country."
"Albus did tell us last night," Remus said, "that there has been a special alarm added to the wards of the school that will alert any staff member if someone performs an Unforgivable on school grounds again."
Harry looked relieved. "That's good. I don't want anyone else to have to go through that," he said, shuddering. He could remember Cedric's earth-shattering screams as Voldemort cast it on him.
"So when can I tell Neville?" Harry inquired.
"I'll talk to his grandmother through the floo," Remus said. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's a very brave endeavor to embark on. You've been through so much, cub."
"He needs to know," Harry said at once. "And he's strong. I think he can handle it."
xxx
A few days went by, and Harry was anxious for Neville's visit. His guardians continued to comfort him about the loss of Cedric, for Harry would sometimes break down in tears at the weirdest times. He would often wake up in the middle of the night screaming his friend's name, causing them to come rushing in to try to calm him down.
Neville's visit came a few mornings later. Fortunately, guard duty for both Remus and Sirius had been very uneventful the past few days.
"We'd just like to warn you that Neville's grandmother is going to be with you as well," Sirius informed Harry seriously. "She is a very no-nonsense type of woman, from the looks of it. She didn't want him to know about the prophecy at first, but Remus and I told her the reason why you feel he deserves to be informed."
"Thanks," Harry said, his green eyes showing concern. How would his friend take this? And how would he take the fact that Harry had been subjected to the same torture which had driven his parents to insanity, and in his presence as well?
A couple of minutes later, the floo burst into life, and Neville and Augusta Longbottom came tumbling out.
"Hello, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Longbottom said formally as she shook Harry's hand. "Hello, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," said Harry politely. "Hey, Nev, how are you?"
"I could be better," Neville said meekly. Harry could tell that he had been severely traumatized by the fact that he'd been taught by Barty Crouch all year. Harry couldn't blame him. This kind of revelation would send anyone into turmoil.
"Chin up, Neville," said his grandmother sternly. "You should be proud that your parents gave up their minds to keep you safe."
"I am," Neville said, his face flushing with embarrassment.
The two sat down, and Harry began to explain.
Sirius and Remus had told him a theory about memory charms. They had said that if you showed someone a memory that had been charmed so they couldn't recall it, it might trigger them to remember it. This meant that if Harry showed Neville the memory of what they had been subjected to in the DADA office, it might force the memory to come back to him.
"Are you okay, Nev?" Harry asked in concern as he finished explaining. "Are you sure you want to see this?"
"Y-Yes," Neville stammered, his face looking upset but determined. "I want to know what that monster put us through."
Harry looked at him with a gentle smile, and they walked into Harry's room. Although Harry absolutely despised this memory, he'd do whatever it took to comfort his friend, so he decided to dive into the Pensieve with him. Sirius and Remus immediately grew worried, fretting that this wouldn't be good for him, but Harry insisted. His two guardians felt their hearts clench as they understood just how far Harry was willing to go to look out for other people's welfare.
"Ready, Nev?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," said Neville slowly. Squeezing each other's hands, they plunged their heads into the Pensieve.
Harry watched Neville's face through the whole ordeal. The other boy had tears in his eyes as he watched his memory-self lying, paralyzed, on the floor, Harry only a few feet away. His face grew white as he watched Harry being tortured, and Barty Crouch taunting about a prophecy.
"I ... I ... remember," Neville muttered slowly as comprehension dawned. "It worked, Harry. I remember."
"You do?"
"Yeah," he said, his countenance going even paler as more little snippets of the memory came flooding back to him. At one point it looked like he was going to collapse, but Harry held on to him so he wouldn't fall.
When they came out of the Pensieve, Neville was shaking.
"Did it work?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, looking her grandson up and down.
"Yeah," Neville said weakly. "I remember everything now. I can't believe he did such a foul thing. What's with this prophecy, though, Gran? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were too young to know yet, Neville," said Mrs. Longbottom sternly. Neville adopted a hurt and betrayed expression, and it looked like he was going to protest. "Don't look at me like that," the woman added, glaring at him. "Albus and I only had your best interests at heart."
"What does the prophecy say, and what do I have to do with it?" Neville asked as he and Harry sat down on the bed.
"well," said Harry, "you don't really need to be concerned about it, Nev, because this prophecy is about me, not you. But when Professor Trelawney first made it ..."
"Trelawney?" asked Neville in amazement. "I remember Crouch saying that, but is it really true? Professor Trelawney actually prophesized something?"
"Don't interrupt, young man," said Mrs. Longbottom, glaring at him again.
"It's all right," said Harry.
"No, it's not. I require my grandson to have the proper manners. Apologize this instant, Neville."
The boy looked totally embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"It's okay," said Harry, smiling at him consolingly. "But yeah, Professor Trelawney did actually predict something. Dumbledore told me that she spoke in this weird voice and started saying what I'm about to tell you. Are you ready for this?"
Neville just nodded mutely, gazing at Harry with rapt attention.
"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," Harry said softly. "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."
Neville stared at his friend in stunned silence. "But what does that have to do with me?" he said, his voice just above a whisper.
"Apparently, we were born in July to parents who defied Voldemort ..." Neville shuddered at the name, "three times. Professor Dumbledore told both mine and your families what the prophecy was. He told me that when Voldemort gave me that scar the night he tried to kill me, he marked me as his equal."
"So that's why ..." Neville said, his voice shaking a little. "That's why You-Know-Who killed your parents?"
"Yeah," Harry said miserably. "The prophecy was either about me or you. But Voldemort only learned the first half of it. He only heard the part about us being born in July and our parents defying him three times."
Neville's face grew red with anger. "Who told him?" he bit out. "Who told You-Know-Who that part of the prophecy?"
Harry looked at Sirius and Remus, asking them permission as to whether he could tell him. They gave him looks which clearly said, "Whatever you want to do." Knowing that Snape wouldn't be around next year anyway, Harry decided to just tell him.
"It was Snape," Harry said quietly. "He overheard it."
For a moment, Neville said nothing. Then he shouted, "SNAPE? IT WAS SNAPE? I'LL KILL HIM!"
"You will stop that this instant, Neville Longbottom," his grandmother snapped. "That is a terrible thing to say. You are not going to kill anybody."
"Gran, he's the reason my parents are the way they are!" Neville roared. "I bet you that's why they were tortured! I bet anything that they weren't only hurt because You-Know-Who's supporters were trying to locate him, but also because they knew the prophecy!"
"Neville, if you don't calm down, we will be leaving," Mrs. Longbottom snarled. Neville glared at his grandmother, but then his face crumpled and he broke down into tears. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around him, knowing exactly what he was going through. Mrs. Longbottom looked at the two disapprovingly.
"Your parents gave their sanity for you, Neville. Stop your blubbering and be proud of them," she snapped angrily.
"With all due respect, Augusta, Neville just found out something that is unsurprisingly very difficult to take in," Remus said, while Sirius gave the woman a nasty look. Mrs. Longbottom had nothing to say to this, but she kept staring at Neville with a look of disappointment etched across her face.
Neville tried to get himself under control, and after about a minute or so, he finally stopped crying. "I'm sorry," he said, his face going crimson. "I-I didn't mean to go off like that."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Neville," Remus told him gently. "I think you're a very brave boy."
"Yeah," agreed Harry, managing to smile at him.
"I don't want to go back to Hogwarts," Neville said miserably. "Not if Snape's going to be there. And what is he doing working in a school if he was a Death Eater?"
"He is now a spy working for the light side, or so Dumbledore thinks. But don't worry, Nev, he's not coming back," Harry said. He then explained what would be happening to the Potions Master in the coming year, and informed him that Horace Slughorn would be his replacement.
Neville nodded, looking relieved but still overwhelmed by everything he had heard and taken in that day. "Gran," he said, sniffling, "I want to go home." He turned to Harry. "No offense, mate."
"None taken," Harry reassured him. "I'm sorry I had to tell you all this."
"Thanks for telling me, though," sighed Neville, getting up from the bed. "I really appreciate it. But how do you feel about ... about the fact that you have to be the one to kill You-Know-Who?"
Harry looked uncomfortable. "I don't like it," he said quietly. "But I know I'll have to train. I don't want any other things to happen to anyone, I don't want people to die like Cedric did."
Neville gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I miss him too," he said sincerely. "But I know he wouldn't blame you, and neither do I."
"Thanks. But Nev, before you go, can you promise me something?"
"Yeah. Anything."
"Please don't tell anyone else about this yet. I figured I'd tell you first because the prophecy could've been about you. But I'm not ready to tell the others just yet."
Neville stared at him solemnly. "I promise," he said with all the conviction he could. "Shall we shake on it?"
"Sure," Harry replied, and the two boys shook hands. They felt closer to each other now than they'd been yesterday; after all, they shared a bond of brotherhood, for the prophecy had concerned them both.
"Time to go, Neville," said Mrs. Longbottom. Everyone walked into the living room.
"Goodbye, Nev. Thanks for coming," Harry said, embracing his friend one more time. "Maybe I'll see you later this summer, okay?"
"Okay," Neville agreed. "Thanks for everything, Harry."
"No problem. Goodbye, Mrs. Longbottom. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Goodbye, Mr. Potter. Have a good day. And that goes for you too, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin."
The two nodded their thanks, and the two Longbottoms, one looking stern and the other still looking shocked by the events of the day, travelled back to their house by floo.
"Well done, cub," Remus said as Harry sighed in relief. "We don't know what to say in order to tell you how proud we are of you."
Harry blushed. "Thanks," he mumbled. "I'm just glad he knows now."
"You did the right thing, kiddo," Sirius said, smiling at Harry and ruffling his hair affectionately. "You definitely did the right thing."
Harry smiled, gazing at his guardians. Even though it was still hard sometimes to get over his anger with them, he knew, as he'd admitted to himself before, that they'd meant well. And how could he stay angry at two people who had given him a home, and showed him what love and affection truly felt like? He knew they loved him, and as he continued to stare at them with a small smile, he knew he loved them just as much.