A/N) This chapter, I'm afraid, is a bit shorter then the ones I have been posting lately, there may be a few shorter chapters from here onwards, but the majority should be long chapters. I do apologise for that. I have finally finished writing chapter 61, which I had immense difficulty in writing. I am hoping to catch up with my writing in the next few days as I've fallen behind having been stuck with chapter 61. I just finished writing that chapter before posting this one. I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction.
Chapter Fifty-Five: Acceptance
Saturday 10th October 1995
"Please, sit down, Harry," said Professor Dumbledore, waving his one good hand towards the empty chair in front of his desk. "I have summoned you here, not for another lesson, but to discuss your options."
"Options?" Harry wrinkled his nose, feeling confused. What options did he have?
"In the end this is your decision, but I believe that Mr Weasley and especially Miss Granger deserve to know the full contents of the prophecy. Miss Granger already knows some of it due to what Sirius told Voldemort; her more than anyone deserves the truth – and Harry, you will need both Mr Weasley and Miss Granger in the challenging months ahead. They need to be kept informed so that they too can be prepared for what is to come."
Harry swallowed; he didn't want to drag his friends into this! Sirius had been involved too much as it was and Hermione... he didn't want to think about what his best friend had endured just for information. "Is it really necessary, sir?"
Dumbledore inclined his head, his intelligent eyes boring into Harry's green orbs. "I think it is wise that you trust your friends with this. Sirius may not always be there for you, but your friends will be. Miss Granger may have unfortunately suffered, but she will recover, and she will want to fight back. Being by your side and understanding what you have to do will help them. Trust them; friends are your greatest ally."
"But also my greatest weakness," said Harry bitterly. It had taken all his strength to not rush out and attempt to save Sirius and Hermione when he had learned of where they had been hidden and that had been hell for him; to just sit there and wait for news from the Order.
"Love is not a weakness, Harry. It makes you human," advised Dumbledore. "And for someone who has suffered as much as you in your short life, it is remarkable that you still hold the ability to love."
He didn't know what to say, but deep down something was telling him that his headmaster was right. Love wasn't a weakness; in fact it was a very great strength. "I'll tell them the prophecy," he said, but he didn't know when he would.
"Good," smiled Dumbledore. "I suggest you tell them sooner rather than later, as we can then begin to prepare all three of you for what you may face in the months ahead."
"What do you mean, Sir?"
"You are already being tutored by me in Voldemort's past, however – and I have yet to put this to Sirius – I believe that it is prudent you are taught self-defence. Events are moving too quickly. Ideally you wouldn't have had to learn what I am teaching you this year, however it is a must. I cannot guess when the end may come, but it is coming quicker then I would have liked and you will not be ready unless we take fate into our own hands. There are a lot of spells one is not taught until NEWT level Defence Against the Dark Arts – and a lot of wizards and witches go through life with just the simplest of spells. People like Sirius know the entire range; therefore I feel it is prudent you know everything about magic as you possibly can." Dumbledore's gaze had not wavered from Harry's during the entire time he had been speaking. "I will be asking Sirius if he will tutor you, Ron and Hermione in the Auror way. It is highly illegal for someone who is not a qualified wizard or witch and not signed up to the Auror programme to learn these techniques, however I believe these may help you survive. Apparition is something you will need to learn as well, therefore Remus Lupin will also be instructing the three of you. It is imperative that you know all of this, Harry, because once Voldemort is on the move, the Wizarding World will quickly become his puppet to play with whenever he wants. You'll need these skills to stay one step ahead of him at all times."
"Do you think I stand a chance, Professor?" asked Harry. He had to know whether Dumbledore believed he could end the threat that Voldemort posed to the Wizarding Community. "Kill Voldemort, I mean?"
"I would not be teaching you what I am if I thought you were not capable. You can succeed, Harry, I do believe that you have a chance." Dumbledore clasped his hands together, leaning forward; his half-moon glasses slipping down his nose to rest at the tip of it. "It is also prudent for Mr Weasley and Miss Granger to be brought up to speed concerning our own lessons regarding Lord Voldemort's past. Sirius will also be joining us for our lessons from the next one."
Harry hesitated, biting his lip. "And when is the next lesson, Professor?"
"It is next Saturday; the 17th October at eight o clock," answered Dumbledore. "Sirius will be remaining at Hogwarts until after our next lesson. You have time to bring him up to speed regarding the circumstances surrounding Marvolo, Morfin and Merope Gaunt. He is permitted to join us because I know he will play an important role in this war; that is unavoidable. Sirius deserves to know the full truth and he just might be able to give us a different insight into what we learn on our journey of discovery. Considering he is from a dark family, he might be able to help both of us understand the choices a young Voldemort made to make him like he is today."
Harry nodded; it would be good to have Sirius with him, at least he'd have someone to confide in with, someone he could trust other then Ron and Hermione. In the dark road that lay in front of him, there was at least a speck of light on it. He wouldn't be alone to deal with the prophecy, and Harry couldn't help but feel grateful for that.
Sunday 11th October 1995
Since Hermione's parents had arrived at the school, she had become a lot more open with Harry and Ron, though there was still darkness to her eyes that told them that she was still suffering from what she had been subjected to. They didn't expect that to go away quickly. It was as if talking to her family had taken a weight off her shoulders. She had even started on catching up on the work she had missed.
However, today they were playing Exploding Snap, which Ron had brought along with him; even though Hermione wasn't a fan of the game, she obligingly played; winning quite a few hands in a row before realising that Ron was letting her win. After that, she had stubbornly refused to play.
Harry felt it was as good time as any to mention the Prophecy to them. He took a quick glance around and found Madam Pomfrey in her rooms, the door closed. "I have something to tell you two," he began, his voice wavering in hesitation. "It's... about the prophecy..."
Hermione's eyes found his. "You're going to tell us, aren't you?" she asked wearily.
"Professor Dumbledore believes I should," explained Harry, lowering his gaze. "He told me that I will need you both by my side; that you will need to be prepared for what I have to face..." He locked gazes with Hermione. "But..."
"But you don't want to involve us," replied Hermione, her expression sad. "I want to fight back, Harry, and if I have to stand by your side to do that, then I will. I would never abandon you."
"Same here, mate," said Ron quietly, grasping Harry by the shoulder.
"Thanks." Harry sighed, sitting back in his chair; hands limp on his lap in front of him. He told them exactly what the prophecy said. By the time he had finished, both their faces were white with shock.
"Harry..." Hermione reached forward, words struggling to tumble from her mouth. "It's... it's..."
"It's ok, Hermione," he said slowly, "I know it is a shock to hear that your best friend must become a murderer."
"Aren't you scared?" Her voice was trembling.
Harry shrugged. "A little. I don't really know what the prophecy really means other than that one of us has to kill the other ... there are some parts of it that even I don't understand."
"You don't want to know?" asked Ron, his voice high.
Shaking his head, Harry replied: "Not yet. I don't have a choice in fighting him; he'll always seek me out because of this prophecy, but I'm not ready yet, to know everything. I didn't tell Sirius this, but I knew Professor Dumbledore was keeping something from me when he told me the prophecy. He knows more, but he isn't saying, and at the moment, I don't want to know. He'll tell me when he has to."
Hermione and Ron exchanged silent looks; this was not a burden they wanted their friend to have. At the moment it made Hermione realise that her own problems were minuscule compared to Harry's. She was not the one who had to fight the most evil wizard of all time and defeat him.
"You know we will be there for you, right?" said Ron gently.
Hermione nodded fervently, adding: "Both of us, no matter what."
A small smile crossed Harry's face. I don't want to involve them. Hermione has already been hurt just because she's my friend... She doesn't deserve anymore pain and staying with me will mean she will. But he didn't have the heart to tell them that.
"I feel like I should apologise to you," said Sirius.
Hermione glanced up at him. Unlike her, he had just been checked out of the hospital wing: she would be staying in until next week at least before rejoining lessons. "Why would you need to apologise? You've done nothing wrong."
"My family has," he replied, bitterness in his voice, "and I am still a part of it, no matter how much I deny that fact."
Realisation dawned to her. He felt bad about what his cousin had done to her; had forced her to go through. Sirius, somehow, felt responsible for what had happened to her. "It wasn't your fault," she began. "You can't help what members of your family choose to do. I accept that. Besides, I'm glad you are on our side."
"I could have stopped them from hurting you in the first place... you shouldn't have had to go through that!"
Hermione levelled her gaze at him, daring him to disagree with what she was about to say. "But I did, and they chose to do that to get to you. I may be hurt, and may never be the same again, but it's made me want to fight back, even more then I did before. If there is one thing I am going to do in this war – and this is a promise, Sirius, - I am going to bring Bellatrix Lestrange down for what she did to me. I won't let her think she's beaten me, made me fear her. All she's done is increased my belief to prove that I do have the right to live in the magical world. And if she won't accept that everyone like me is not a disease, then people like her don't deserve to be in this society." There was hardness to her voice as she had spoken.
Sirius was glad that she had not pronounced a desire to kill Bellatrix, but he wouldn't have blamed her if she had. His cousin was not someone who should even be allowed in a civil society; she hadn't been suitable for one before she had been sentenced Azkaban either. Constant exposure to Dementors over the years had just made her worse. He sighed, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "Just promise me you won't do anything rash when it comes to Bellatrix? I don't want her to hurt you more then she already has done."
"I know," she replied softly. "I will fight her, but I won't be rash." A small grin crossed Hermione's face. "I can promise you that, Sirius."
He returned her smile. "Good."
"So, your illustrious Headmaster tells me that he'd like me to teach you two in the 'Auror' way as he so delicately put it," said Sirius, leaning back against the Gryffindor Common Room portrait hole that he had just clambered through. It was just after midnight and he had been lucky enough to find both Harry and Ron still up, attempting to finish a rather dastardly essay that Snape had set them for Potions.
Harry laid his quill down on his piece of parchment. "Yeah, he did," he glanced at Ron, "but I forgot to tell Ron."
"I did wonder why Mr Weasley was looking at me like I was mad," grinned Sirius, walking over to the red plush chair in front of the fire and plonking himself down upon it.
"What do you mean teach us in the 'Auror' way?" asked Ron, swinging round in his chair to stare at Sirius, who had his legs now spread across two of the armchairs.
"He says that it will help you to survive the coming battles. I do agree with him on this point; you do need to be prepared and since you won't abandon Harry, then you and Hermione will also need to be taught. The techniques that I will be teaching pertain to Auror candidates and a lot of the spells you will be taught are not even taught at this school, not at N.E.W.T level either. Most of these spells a lot of witches and wizards don't need, but Professor Dumbledore believes that you might find use of them."
"I'm guessing that mum won't know, will she?" Ron traded a look with Harry. One thing was certain: Molly Weasley would not want her underage teenage son to be fighting in a war and she would do everything in her power to stop them.
"Considering your mother would object then I'd advise to keep it from her, unless the Headmaster feels it is wise to inform her," suggested Sirius. "Believe me, when she hears it's me teaching you two this stuff, she'll be coming to find me and even then I won't be able to defend myself against her." He said this so seriously that both Ron and Harry burst out laughing, having to stifle their laughs with the back of their hands.
"So, what exactly are we going to learn?" asked Harry, curious as to what one did learn in Auror training.
"Oh, basic survival skills in battle, and a variety of spells and curses that are very useful," explained Sirius, "however we will need a test dummy so you can practice on someone – and no, that won't be me! I'm trying to get Moony to come and help, though he probably won't take kindly to being cursed. But I haven't thought up a detailed plan yet, so you'll have to ask me when the first lesson is."
"And when is the first lesson?" prompted Ron.
"The day after Harry's next lesson with Dumbledore," beamed Sirius, "so the 18th October."
"I've just thought of something," said Harry slowly, "how are Ron and I supposed to be practicing for Quidditch on top of these lessons? We also have homework; I have two sets of lessons –"
"Three actually," interrupted Sirius. "Remus will be teaching you on the sly how to Apparate. Dumbledore's instructions, so that's three set of lessons you have, though two for Ron and Hermione."
Harry groaned, leaning back in his chair. "This is going to be one hard year."
"You're telling me, mate," growled Ron.
Sirius, however, merely grinned.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Next chapter: The Secret Riddle - in which Sirius joins Harry for his lessons with Dumbledore. This chapter will be slightly different, but it will use a lot of text from Half-Blood Prince. However with Sirius there, I have managed to include comments from him, which I hope will make the chapter less of a chore to read that way as it is written from his perspective rather then Harry's, as the previous memory was.
Because of the nature of the next chapter, I am unable to do a preview of it, HOWEVER, to wet your appetites for what is coming up in chapters 57 and 58, here are a few extracts from them - they are in no particular order. Remember, these previews are NOT from the next chapter. :)
"The wards are failing," muttered Molly, glancing around at her children. They had to leave!
"This is just a hunch, but I think we might have just found our traitor," whispered Remus into Sirius' ear, removing his hand from his friend's mouth.
Remus had laughed. "I was the good boy, who would suspect me of any wrong doing?"
Remus shook his head. "No, Kingsley did it for me. He told me to keep an eye on that mangy mutt over there."
"You are close to Black through the Aurors. You can make an excuse to talk to him. No one suspects your true allegiance; getting to him won't be a problem for you. You are an expert torturer; you know how to break a man. He already caved in before, he'll do so again."
"What about Sirius?" asked Harry, fear embedding itself in his gut.
"I don't know," said Molly gently. "I think they were all still fighting when the Lestranges broke into the house."
"Surely you haven't forgotten what happens when you let a werewolf go hungry?"
"Why did you join Voldemort's ranks?"
"Because of you!"
Andromeda laughed. "Because I know you, Sirius. You are loyal; you would never give anything away to anyone. You would never betray your friends or your family, and by family, I mean your godson."
"We were told that..." whispered Paul, "we won't be able to see Hermione?"
That's all folks!
Some tantalising hints there for chapters 57 and 58. :)
Chapter 56 will be updated on Thursday.
Until then,
the-writer1988