Author's notes: A lot of you have been complaining about Harry's attitude, especially towards Snape. I did make Harry out to be a little arrogant because, at that time, he wasn't reigned in or calmed by anyone, and he believed that people like the Durselys, Malfoys, Weasleys (minus Ginny), Dumbledore, and Snape, are all bad people and deserve punishment. Yes, he was sort of AWOL, but the whole point of that was that he started like that, then his friends, like Ginny and Hermione would make him better. If you've watched the Doctor Who series with the 9th Doctor and the episode Water of Mars with the 10th, I think that these are good examples of comparison to Harry's attitude. The Doctors let their anger get the best of them at certain stages, just like Harry, and went a little crazy (Time Lord Victorious, for example). I myself have fallen for that, and I immediately regret my actions after. I will clear this up near the end of this chapter. Don't worry, Harry will be much calmer now, with the reason why being explained, but there will still be a darkness inside him that he will need to fight against. Anyway, on with the story...

Chapter 9: Truth and Plans

The next day, Harry was still confused about what he had seen in the Mirror of Erised. What did it mean? Why the hell would he see and older version of himself and Ginny, her with a baby to boot? How was that his deepest desire? He wondered whether to tell her about this as she might have an idea about this. After all, she did have more experience than him in emotions. So, he got out a piece of parchment and wrote his letter to Ginny. Harry then went to the Owlery and gave Hedwig the letter before sending her off to Ginny. He only hoped that Ginny would be able to shed some light on this confusing matter.

A while later at the Burrow, Ginny was in her room after escaping from her mother's most recent interrogation session on Harry and who was sending her letters. She never was going to tell her mother, of all people, that it was in fact Harry who was sending her letters, as her mother would never stop asking questions or trying to read them. Although, it would be funny to watch the Weasley matriarch getting frustrated over seeing what would appear to her as a blank piece of parchment. Just then, Ginny noticed a white speck in the distance flying ever closer to her window. As the speck got closer, she noticed that it was Hedwig carrying another letter. Ginny opened her window to let Hedwig fly in before closing it again after. Ginny took the letter off Hedwig and examined it. Why would Harry send her a letter so quickly since their last exchange? Well, she guessed that she'd find out once she opened the letter, which is exactly what she did next. She pulled the string off and unravelled the parchment before starting to read Harry's latest letter.

Dear Ginny,

Something strange happened to me yesterday. I was walking around the corridors and found this room with a mirror. I learned later that it was called the Mirror of Erised. When I walked up to it, instead of seeing my reflection, I saw an older version of me. And the weirdest thing is that you were in the mirror too. Again, you were also older, and you had a baby in your arms. I don't get why I would see this. Dumbledore soon appeared and mentioned that the Mirror shows us our deepest desires. He, for some reason, believed that I had seen my parents in the Mirror. I played along, but it just made me wonder what's truly going on in that mind of his. He tried to act all grandfatherly, hoping that I would look up to him in awe at his 'vast informational resource' that was his mind, then he told me to come to him if I ever needed him. I think he's trying to get me to trust and follow him so that I become some sort of a tool for him. Anyway, I need help with understanding my apparent 'deepest desire', and I was wondering whether you had any ideas. You're better at emotions than me, so please reply back soon with your theories please. Also, do you think I should tell Hermione about Dumbledore and your family's plans for me? I'm not sure whether she'd believe me as she's still not entirely set against Dumbledore due to what she's obviously read and heard about how 'great' he is.

Reply soon,

Harry.

After reading Harry's letter, Ginny was completely stunned. Harry had seen older versions of themselves, with a baby, in a mirror that showed a person's deepest desire?! He had seen them as a family! While he obviously didn't understand it yet, he too had feelings for her, just like she had feelings for him. Long gone was her crush on 'Harry Potter', but what replaced it was a deep affection for the real Harry, the boy who befriended her and never gave her up for her brothers or anyone else. However, she knew that he had problems dealing with his emotions. After explaining his childhood before he stood up to the Dursleys, it wasn't a surprise that he lashed out all of the time. He had never received the love and companionship that a young child was supposed to have, so what did he do? He put his head into his studies, magical control and protection, and physical protection via martial arts. She struggled to decide whether to tell Harry what his desire meant, or whether not to. If she did, he might consider her crazy, reject her, and break their friendship up, but if she didn't tell him, he might think that she's lying to him, so will break their friendship up based on lack of trust. Ginny thought long and hard about her answer to that question, but in the end, she settled for the half truth. She'd say that she had theories, but that he would have to figure it out for himself as she didn't want to influence him in any way. As to whether to tell Hermione the truth about their findings and suspicions, she believed that the girl had proved herself and deserved to know. After all, another ally on their side would be good for them. She got her own piece of parchment and wrote her letter before giving it to Hedwig. Ginny then opened to window to let Hedwig out, hoping that Harry wouldn't be too upset or confused by her answers.

A while later, Hedwig returned to Harry in his dormitory and entered through the opened window before landing on Harry's shoulder. He took the letter off Hedwig before she rubbed his cheek and flew out of the window, back to the Owlery. He unravelled the parchment and read Ginny's letter, intrigued to know what her theories were.

Dear Harry,

To say that I was shocked by how quickly you wrote to me since last time would be an understatement. It's difficult to try and explain to you what you saw, as no-one normally gets to see their deepest desire standing in front of you. Imagine my shock when you said that you saw us older, and me with a baby. I have my theories on what it might mean, but I don't feel as though it's right for me to tell you. I don't want to influence you in anyway, so I think it's best if you figure it out for yourself. As you get older and more in tune with your emotions, you'll understand, I'm sure. As for telling Hermione everything, I think that you should. You said that she's a very intelligent girl, second only in classes to you, so she could become a great ally to us. I'm sure that she'll believe you when you tell her. You are her only friend, if what you, and Ron to a lesser extent, have told me, and I highly doubt that she would think of you as a liar or insult you for your 'accusations' as she'd know that she'd lose your friendship, something I would never want, and I'm sure that she wouldn't want either. Please don't be mad at me for what I've told you. Remember to look at it from an unbiased point of view like I've told you, and hopefully, you'll see my reasoning.

Love Ginny.

Harry finished reading Ginny's letter and felt his temper rise at her failure to answer him properly. However, her last sentence made him remember one of her earlier letters on his temper, so he calmed himself and re-read her letter. Soon, he saw that she knew that whatever she said would influence his views as he would believe her on this subject due to his lack of knowledge on it, so he didn't blame her for it. However, he was still a little frustrated. He still had no idea what the meaning of the image in the Mirror of Erised was, and he was nowhere nearer to finding out. He did agree with Ginny about Hermione, though. He wanted to tell her the truth, but wanted a second opinion on this, more specifically Ginny's opinion. So, he decided that once Hermione returned from her holiday, he would tell her everything.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Harry to wait as the Christmas holidays ended soon after he had made his decision, and Hermione had returned for the new term. He greeted her warmly before taking her aside to finally tell her everything.

"What's wrong, Harry? You've got that thoughtful look on your face. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" Hermione asked with concern. Same old Hermione, always worried about him.

"Well, there's something I've got to tell you. You might not like it, but I swear on my magic that it's the truth. You've got to believe me, alright?" Harry answered firmly, hoping that Hermione would believe him as he didn't want to lose his only friend in Hogwarts at the moment.

"Of course I'll believe you, Harry. You're my best friend, after all. Now please, tell me what's bothering you," Hermione said, gesturing for Harry to continue.

"Alright. Well, remember what I told you about my friend, Ginny?" Harry asked, and at Hermione's nod, he continued, "Me and her have found out that her family had deliberately acted the way they have, trying to befriend me and 'show me the ropes' because they are trying to find a way to control me and make me the 'perfect Light warrior', if you will. What's even more disturbing is that we found out, and from something that Ginny's mother herself said, was that Dumbledore is orchestrating it all. Just before the Christmas holiday ended, he tried to be helpful and acted grandfatherly towards me, but I could see that in his eyes, there was something more sinister at play in his attitude. They also tried to turn Ginny against me by saying that I didn't want her as a friend, or anything else for that matter, but I was able to read Ron's letter and send my own off to contradict him, saving Ginny from their plot against us. I'm telling you this because you're my friend, and you deserve to know. Please believe me on this. I know that you think that Dumbledore is a 'great' man, but he isn't. Something's not right with him, and it concerns me..." Harry explained, not missing out any details.

Hermione looked at Harry with a shocked expression on her face. He was telling her that the man who everyone looked up to, the leader of the Light, was actually bad? Why would he say this? Then she remembered some things. She remembered how the Headmaster would seem to be watching Harry at breakfast, lunch, and dinner like a hawk would when stalking its prey. And the look in his eyes worried her. Harry's words also sounded sincere, and the look in his eyes also backed up his sincerity. This was her best friend, Harry Potter. Why would he lie to her? What could he possibly achieve? All that would happen, if he was lying, was that she would leave him, and he'd be alone all over again and devolve back into an arrogant, cruel shell of the boy he was now.

It had taken a while, but she and Ginny had got through to him after the first 'Snape incident' as they all called it. No longer did he let his anger get the better of him. He had told Hermione that he was actually distressed and ashamed of himself after the 'Snape incident', and after Ginny had told him off and to act better than the greasy-haired git, he calmed down considerably. Once he and Hermione became friends, he calmed down further. Sure, he still could get angry, and he'd certainly tell people like Ron and Malfoy where to go, but that was due to what they, and their families, had done to him, so you couldn't blame him for his anger at their continuing attempts to try and trick him into being friends with them. However, the main point is that thanks to Ginny and Hermione, Harry was a better person, but that still didn't mean that he wouldn't let Snape or Dumbledore walk over him or rape his mind just because they were in positions of 'authority'. Seriously, if people knew that the Headmaster and Potions Master routinely used Legilimency on students illegally, they would have had a one-way ticket to Azkaban years ago. Until then, Harry would continue to play their game, and also ruin it for them by throwing them out...hard.

Back to the present, Hermione came to a decision. She did believe Harry, and she had seen proof of his suspicions in her own observations of Dumbledore. Now it all made sense, and she wasn't going to stand by and let someone try to use her best friend as nothing more than a weapon. He was Harry Potter! A person, not some tool of war! She would stand by Harry's side, no matter what.

"I believe you, Harry. I've noticed the Headmaster act strangely around you also, and this makes sense. Didn't you also say how he had left you at the Dursleys? He must've wanted you to grow up unloved so that you'd consider Hogwarts and Dumbledore salvation and a hero to you respectively. Once he saw that you were confident, not at all the shy boy he probably expected, he started to watch you closely in case you steer away from the 'correct' path in his eyes. I'll stand by you, Harry, as will Ginny once she gets here. You can count on that," Hermione said confidently, hoping that Harry would see her commitment.

Harry couldn't believe how this had gone. Hermione believe him! She really did! She didn't cast him aside and say that he was crazy! Instead, she even provided some of her own observations to back up his suspicions! Ginny was right, Hermione was smart, and would make a powerful ally with her intelligence and perception. This certainly put Harry's mind at ease, but for a split second, the child that should've existed appeared at Hermione's commitment as his friend, and she saw the small boy who longed for friendship and compassion. Hermione gave Harry a hug to comfort him in his thoughts. He stiffened, but she didn't break her hold on him. However, she didn't understand the significance of her actions at all. You see, Harry had never been hugged before in his life. Whether it was out of anger, spite, or fear, the Dursleys never hugged him, or showed him any compassion, yet here was Hermione, a friend he had only known for a year, and she was giving him more than his own 'relatives' ever did. Hesitantly, he put his arms around her, trying his best to mimic her actions. To her though, it didn't matter that his hug was awkward, it was the fact that he was hugging her at all and letting her see a side to him that he never showed in public, a side that only she, and probably Ginny, would ever see. This was the real Harry Potter. The boy who should've existed from the beginning was finally coming out. The darkness in his heart was slowly being eaten away by Ginny's love (albeit unknown to Harry at this time), Hermione's compassion, and both girls' friendships.