Deathly Fate
Chapter 4 – The Talk & The Plan
"A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door." – Confucius.
Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk contemplating the recent events. He thought of Harry, the boy's predicament at this time. When he first met the boy in his first year, he looked meek and impressionable. At the time, he had thought against telling the boy the entire story of the attack on his parents. Oh! How could he burden a boy so young with the Prophecy regarding him? How could he place such a weight on the shoulders of a boy who had just started living his childhood? He knew of the suffering Harry faced at the Dursleys. It pained him to let the boy stay there. But his hands were tied. Harry needed to remain in proximity with those that shared his mother's blood for at least some time of the year to maintain the protection's effectiveness. He knew he was safe as long as Harry could refer to that place as his home. He felt strongly for the boy; he had grown close to his parents when they had joined the order. He looked upon the boy like a grandson he never had. And hence he could not bring himself to tell Harry the complete truth.
When Harry had slain the Basilisk in his second year and saved young Miss Weasley, Dumbledore was proud. The boy did show bouts of great precociousness at times. When Harry showed him the Diary with a hole where the basilisk fang had been stabbed, many suspicions found their answer for Dumbledore. Oh! How had Tom resorted to such evil magicks in his foolish quest to conquer Death? Again, he had contemplated telling the boy of the Prophecy knowing. But the revelations of Voldemort creating a Horcrux had stopped him. He had suspicions that Tom had made more than one of these abominations. The thought that worried him the most was he suspected the night Tom had cast the killing curse on Harry, the combination of Lily's protection and Tom's already fragmented soul that had been broken a number of times before had caused another fragment of Tom's soul to break off at attach itself onto the most potent source of magic in that room, Harry. He suspected Harry's scar carried a Horcrux. That thought had caused an immeasurable amount of pain for Dumbledore. He had hoped it to be false. But his scans had shown otherwise. The revelation that Harry must be sacrificed to finally end Voldemort caused him great sorrow. How could he do this to the young man he had grown to care for as a grandson? He had searched wide and far and travelled worldwide to find the answer to how he could get rid of the Horcrux without damaging the vessel. But his search had only disappointed him. He could not find a single way to accomplish what was required. Resigned to Fate, he had decided to distance himself from Harry to numb his pain.
But it had all changed the day dementors kissed Harry. When he had run his scans on the boy in the hospital wing to make some sense as to why he survived the dementor's kiss. He got results that startled him. It was as if some significant burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Somehow there was no Horcrux in his scar. He had checked twice to be sure and had the same results. He hypothesized that somehow when dementors had kissed Harry, they had not sucked his soul but Voldemort's, which had been stuck in his scar. He did not know why such a phenomenon occurred but thanked the gods that it had. His happiness knew no bounds, but he kept quiet at the moment, knowing that he could not let such information slip easily.
Now he had a choice of whether to inform the boy of the complete truth. He knew that should he choose to disclose to Harry the truth, the boy would lose all his trust in him. He had kept Harry in the dark for too long. He could not even fathom what Harry's reaction would be.
As he was thinking this, Fawkes trilled a soft melodious tune perched on his stand, staring intently at him.
"You think so to Fawkes? Perhaps I should come clean with young Harry, I know he will be angry, but alas, you can only hide the truth for so long and not worry about the consequences." Dumbledore spoke softly as he determined to tell Harry all he knew till now.
As he thought this, he felt the wards in his office ping him about the siad boy's arrival. Taking a deep breath, he called Harry in.
[BREAK]
Harry took a deep breath as he arrived at the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office. He readied himself for the conversation that was about to take place. He knew in his gut that a lot was going to happen now.
"Mars Bars," he spoke the password the headmaster had given him in the hospital wing. The gargoyle sprung open, giving him access to the stairs leading to the headmaster's office.
He climbed the stairs slowly and knocked softly upon reaching the door.
"Come in, Mr Potter," he heard Dumbledore speak softly.
He pushed open the door and walked in, looking at the headmaster's office. The office looked the same as that of his last visit. Only a few more odd instruments had seemed to find their way on the desks that lined the walls. Fawkes was perched on his stand near the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore sat at the desk and appeared to be banishing the paperwork at his table to a side in a neat pile. The headmaster looked towards and spoke softly –
"Please sit, Harry; hope you have recovered well?"
Harry sat in one of the well-cushioned chairs before the headmaster's desk and said, "Yes, I am doing well, sir. I feel quite good. Madam Pomfrey has allowed me to finally leave the hospital wing. She has given me a few potions for the next few days to aid my recovery."
Dumbledore nodded his head, smiling gently. "Good"
"What did you want to talk about, Professor," Harry asked straight out, not wanting the business of small talk to get in the way of the matter at hand.
"I just wanted to enquire about the nights happening; perhaps you could shed some light on them."
"What happened is quite simple, sir, and I am sure Hermione must have told you all of it. What actually matters is Sirius is innocent, and I hope that he will be a free man soon."
Dumbledore was taken aback by Harry's straightforward, confident answer. Steadying himself, he replied,
"Yes, Miss Granger has given me the entire account of the night's happenings. I understand that great injustice was done against Sirius all those years back. I know you want your godfather back, but please listen to me. When we found you in the clearing, there was no sign of Sirius or Peter Pettigrew. I tried to convince Minister Fudge of Sirius's innocence, but he didn't sway. Sighting the lack of direct evidence except for Miss Granger's verdict, there is no way to prove Sirius's innocence without capturing Peter. Though I persuaded the Wizengamot to remove the dementors from the search after what happened at the clearing came to light. I know you must be angry, but I want you to understand that there is little we can do without evidence to prove Sirius's innocence. Rest assured, I am trying my best to gather evidence and allies to put forth a trial for Sirius in the upcoming Wizengamot meeting."
"I understand, Sir," Harry replied. He was disappointed at the foolishness of the Minister for not believing the truth even if it was in front of his eyes. He felt angry but knew that expressing that anger now at Dumbledore would be useless. He noticed he had been in much better control of his emotions after removing the Horcrux from his scar. His mind felt clearer, and he was much more quickly able to focus on what was needed to be done and not just glide on his emotions. He knew he had to contact Sirius and decide to find some way as soon as he was done talking with Dumbledore. He didn't know where he had disappeared that night and only hoped wherever he was, he was safe.
Again, Dumbledore was surprised by Harry's control of his emotions. He had half expected Harry to blow out angrily at him, unable to do something for Sirius.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss, Sir?" Harry questioned.
"Yes, I know it might not be the right time to ask, but do you remember what happened when the dementors kissed you?" Dumbledore asked, hoping that Harry's viewpoint would shed light on how he survived the kiss.
Harry took a deep breath. He knew he could not tell Dumbledore the entire truth, nor did he want to. Deciding on what to say, he spoke –
"All that I remember is the fear, despair, and cold when the dementors tried to kiss me and a bright light later when I tried to cast my Patronus. After that, all went dark, and the only thing I remember next is waking up in the hospital wing."
Dumbledore nodded sadly; he knew little could be gained from what he had just learned.
"That was some exceptional piece of magic, Harry. Even I was left spellbound looking at the patronus you had cast. It is unheard of to cast a corporeal patronus at such a young age and that to one that could drive away a hundred dementors. I doubt if even I could do it." Dumbledore spoke proudly with a smile on his face.
Harry smiled, for the first time feeling proud.
"You say it was a corporeal patronus, sir; I have read it means a patronus that can take a form of a guardian to protect, usually some form of animal or bird. What was the form did mine take, sir?" He asked, trying and failing to keep his curiosity in check. This was something new he had noticed. After the ordeal with Death, he found himself questioning how the magic around him happened. He also noticed that keeping his curiosity in check was becoming quite challenging, something he effortlessly did in the past. Perhaps it was his determination to not hold back anymore that was shaping this change in him.
"You truly do surprise me with your precociousness and resourcefulness at times, Harry; why don't you cast the spell for yourself and see. I have found it is quite a wonderful and enjoyable spell to cast." Dumbledore replied, smiling at the boy.
Harry slowly removed his wand. As he grasped it, he felt the strange feeling return. He knew something was wrong with his wand. He thought he should talk about it to Dumbledore but decided against it, not knowing how much he trusted the man now. He decided to get his wand looked at by Ollivander when he visited Diagon Alley this holiday, as he had planned to go to Gringotts. Shaking his head and bringing back the happy thoughts and sensation in his mind at hearing his parents speak of him proudly, he cast Expecto Patronum.
As he spoke, a warm feeling spread throughout him. His wand grew warm. Mist started to form out of his wand and began to take shape.
As the mist formed into a shape, Harry felt warmth engulf him. As he looked upon the shape his patronus had taken, he felt happiness like he had never felt.
The patronus formed out of the mist and took the entire surrounding as if looking for threats. Seeing none, it slowly walked towards Harry and nuzzled him.
A Stag.
That was the form his patronus had taken. Dad, he thought. The animagus form of his dad, as Sirius had told him. His dad had protected him and Sirius. Emotions overwhelmed him, and with great effort, he kept his tears from falling from his eyes.
Dumbledore smiled proudly as he looked upon the patronus. The light emitting from it was so bright that it bathed the entire office in white light, filling it with feelings of warmth and happiness.
As Harry finally got a hold of his emotions, he waved his wand again, dispelling the patronus.
Dumbledore looked at the boy now sitting in front of him, smiling.
He knew he had yet to tell the entire truth to the boy. With great difficulty controlling his emotions, he decides to speak before the courage leaves him.
"Harry, before you leave, there is something more that I need to tell you. I know I have been keeping this information from you for a long but believe me, I had your best interest in my heart. I know you will be angry at me after you hear it. But please listen to this old man out." Dumbledore said in a sombre tone.
Harry knew not what Dumbledore was about to say. After his conversation with Death, he knew that Dumbledore must have had some idea about the Horcrux in his scar. Was it this Dumbledore wanted to tell him about or more. What was it that Dumbledore thought would make him angry? Knowing that he could do nothing but hear now and decide later, Harry slowly nodded his head.
Seeing Harry's positive response, Dumbledore readied himself and spoke.
"Harry, there is something I have suspected since the beginning, but when you brought me the Diary that had possessed young Miss Weasley, my suspicion was cemented into firm truth. Tom Riddle had always been quite a curious and precocious boy, but his delusion for power where the bane of him. In greed of gaining more power, Tom tried to find a way to become immortal, to conquer Death, and in his pursuit, he turned to the darkest of the dark arts. He found a way to split his soul into two parts and anchor one permanently to this world by holding it into a vessel, making what is called Horcrux. It is one of the vilest and darkest pieces of magic, Harry because one has to commit an innocent murder remorselessly. An act that causes such a strain on one's soul that it cracks and splits. One can then contain one of the broken parts of the soul in an object anchoring one's soul to earth, thus granting the person immortality. This kind of magic is frowned upon by even most of the practitioners of the Dark Arts. I am telling you all of this because I have reason to believe Tom made more than one of Horcruxes in his bid for power. I do not know how many he made, and I am still trying to find out. Now listen to me patiently, Harry. When Tom cast the killing curse at you that night after murdering your mother, the condition for creating a Horcrux was met, perhaps even unknowingly to Tom himself. When he cast the curse at you, his soul split. The curse rebounded off you and hit him, destroying him of most of his power and turning him into nothing more than a shade. The part of his soul that split latched on to the only living being in that room. The piece of Tom's soul lodged itself into your scar." As he said this, Dumbledore looked at Harry to see how he was taking this all in.
What? I had a piece of Voldemort's soul lodged in my scar!" Harry exclaimed, standing up from his chair suddenly. Harry knew he had to act surprised. He could not tell Dumbledore that he was already aware of the fact and that the piece had been removed. He had to keep up a pretense. Knowing where the conversation was heading, he decided to play along. Perhaps there might be more to it.
"But you need not worry, Harry; the piece of soul no longer inhabits your scar. Calm down. Tom's soul was sucked when the dementors kissed you. I still have no answer to why it was the Horcrux and not your own soul or both that the dementors fed on but the results of that unfortunate happing are somehow beneficial to us." Dumbledore said, trying to placate Harry.
"How can you be so sure, Professor?" Harry asked.
"I have already checked twice, Harry, but the fact that you seem to be much more in control of your emotions and magic proves that your body is free of that abomination. I had always hypothesized the soul having some form of impact on your emotions and behavior. Your sudden changed demeanor justifies it. Harry, have you felt any differences since that night?"
Harry paused, attempting to think for a movement, and spoke.
"You might be right, sir; my mind seems clearer and calmer since that night. It is as if a great burden has been lifted off it. Also, I feel energized, and my magic seems more controlled and available." He said, compiling his thoughts very carefully. He knew there was no harm in sharing this information with Dumbledore; after all, it would soon be very evident.
"I had expected as much; it all will greatly benefit you," Dumbledore said.
"Sir, but I still have a question: why did Voldemort choose to kill me, just a baby then, that night. What would he have gained from it." Harry asked, finding it difficult to keep his curiosity in check now that he was getting his answers.
Dumbledore had dreaded this question, he knew he would no longer hide the truth, but it didn't change the fact that it pained him much to tell it. Knowing he might never have the courage to say it if he waited any longer, he spoke softly.
"Harry, whatever I have told you till now is all the truth. Now that you have asked the question I much dreaded answering in our meeting tonight, I will again ask you to try and remain calm. Trust me, I will no longer hide the truth from you. Also, be patient while I explain; you can ask any questions after I am done speaking.
Harry knew not what Dumbledore was about to tell him, but a cold heavy feeling settled in his stomach. Slowly he nodded his head.
"Harry, a prophecy was made a few months after you were born. I was conducting interviews for a new Divination professor at Hogs Head when the then-candidate, Sybill Trelawney, suddenly went into a trance and spoke a true prophecy to me. You have to understand that those times were dark. We almost lost against Voldemort, whose strength and allies were continuously growing. When I heard the Prophecy, I knew it was the path to ensure the safety of the wizarding Britain. The Prophecy stated -
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... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will 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... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.
When I analyzed what the Prophecy had said, I concluded that it could only refer to two children. One Harry Potter and the other Neville Longbottom. You may ask why so; the answer is simple: your parents were the only couples to have defied Voldemort thrice, and you both were born at the end of the seventh month, i.e., July. Knowing this, I advised the Potters and the Longbottoms to hide under the Fidelius charm. Both did so. But what had escaped my notice was that when the Prophecy was recited to me, one young man had overheard the beginning part of it. The young man who had just been inducted as a death eater rushed back to his master, thus informing Tom of the incomplete Prophecy. In his hubris, Tom decided to end the ones prophesied to destroy him. Hence, Voldemort attacked the Potters on that Halloween night while sending his lieutenants to attack the Longbottoms. I knew not why he chose to attack you, but when he cast the killing curse on you, which couldn't kill you but gave you your infamous scar. In doing so, Tom had unknowingly marked you his equal. I knew the Prophecy had been played. But also knew Tom had not been finished for good on that unfortunate night. Something in my gut told me he would return and strike back at you, and hence I decided to take you and leaven you in your aunt's care so that the protection your mother had blessed you with could stay strong."
As Dumbledore finished his retelling of the Prophecy, he looked upon Harry.
Harry's eyes were flashing bright green. It was as if there was a fire lit in them. The bright green eyes eerily reminded him of the killing curse.
Suddenly he felt the air in the office grow colder.
He felt magic of great oppressive strength settle in the room, making it difficult to even catch a breath.
There were flashes of lightning and crackles of air around Harry.
Power rolled off him in great tides, the power so strong that even Dumbledore was astonished.
Never had he seen such immense power roll off a wizard or witch.
Harry was angry; he was furious.
He knew he had to calm Harry before Harry destroyed the entire of his office in a bust of uncontrolled magic.
"Harry, I knew you would be angry on hearing this, but you must calm down; please listen, Harry. I did whatever I did with your best interest in my heart."
Harry was angry. Yes, the revelation of the Prophecy had greatly angered him. He had been used like a pawn, his own life and opinion not cared for. But the Prophecy was not the cause of his anger; his conversation with Death had already made him aware of Fate's deep interest in his life. The Prophecy was just an addition. He had already made a choice to fight. Prophecy or not, he not cared. Fate had already mapped his destiny. He knew trying to change it would do him no good. Hence he had chosen to not only accept it but best it too. No, there was something that angered him more. Someone that had been the cause of his being orphaned. Staring at Dumbledore, he asked in a strong cold voice.
"Who was it? Who was it that leaked the Prophecy to Voldemort, and is the reason I am an orphan?"
Dumbledore knew it would be foolish to give Harry this answer in his present state. But he also knew that the only way to placate Harry would be to answer him, so he answered in a slow, soft voice.
"It was Professor Snape, Harry."
Hearing the name Harry bellowed, his eyes flashed a murderous green, almost looking as if the killing curse would be cast out of them any moment. Suddenly many silver instruments in Dumbledore's office bust, giving out white smoke. The walls trembled.
"Snape, that greasy bastard. How dare he? And how dare you, Dumbledore? How dare you give that traitor a place at Hogwarts? I will put his sorry excuse of an existence to end," Harry bellowed, a murderous glint in his eyes.
"Harry, you must know that Professor Snape truly repents his actions. He has my trust. Later in the war, he changed sides and has been of great help to the light. He provided a lot of inside information on Voldemort's forces allowing us to bring them to justice. You must believe me, Harry; please calm down. Anger clouds one's judgment. Believe me, Professor Snape regrets the day he told Voldemort of the Prophecy more than anything else."
"I don't care what you say, headmaster; I will kill him. He is as much responsible for my parent's murder as Voldemort." Harry spoke in rage.
"You will not do such a thing, Harry, and if you choose to, I will have no option but to stop you. Please calm down; you have nothing to gain from killing Professor Snape. Please, I request you to think this through before you take any actions you may regret later."
Just then, Fawkes trilled a soothing melody trying to placate Harry.
Harry knew that, at present, there was no way he could get away with killing Snape. He wanted revenge but realized that it would have to wait. Fawkes's song brought back clarity and calm to his mind. Yes, he would have his revenge, but as of now, he had to wait or risk confronting Dumbledore; though he knew he had power, presently, he was no match for Dumbledore's experience and knowledge of magic. First, he would have to get better, to train. He calmed slowly and sat back in the chair, taking in all the destruction he had caused. The lighting disappeared, and the environment in the office settled back to normal. Slowly he gathered his thoughts and spoke.
"Headmaster, as of now, you have lost all the trust I have in you, and it is only out of respect for you that I choose to stay quiet."
Dumbledore shook his head sadly and spoke, " I had expected as much, Harry. The only thing I ask of you is to think all this through calmly. I know you are an intelligent boy and won't make any rash decisions. I can only hope I can regain your trust in the near future."
"Also, as much as it pains me to say, even though the Horcrux is gone, your mother's protection stays. And knowing from the past few years' activities, Voldemort and his death eater are still trying to get you. So for your safety, I ask you to at least spend a month of your holidays back at your relatives, allowing your mother's protection to recharge. After that, you can stay at the Weasley for the rest of the summer. I am sure Molly will be quite happy to have you."
"I understand, Professor. In fact, I would not mind staying with my relatives for the entirety of the summer vacation. I need some time to think the recent happenings through. Though I know the Weasleys will be welcoming, I doubt I will have much personal space with them to come to peace with all this new information." Harry stated calmly. Though he wanted to get as far away from his relatives as possible, he knew if he wanted to enact his plans and figure out answers on his own, staying at Weasley's would be a significant hindrance.
Dumbledore nodded his head in understanding.
"Now I think we are done discussing for tonight. Remember, Harry, I will always be available if you need any help. I know you have missed your dinner, but I am sure the house elves in the kitchen will be able to fix something for you. Something tells me you will easily find your way there." Dumbledore spoke, his eyes twinkling.
Harry nodded, got up, and walked out of the office.
As Harry left the office, Dumbledore looked up to Fawkes and spoke.
"He is a good boy, and my heart tells me he will soon grow into a great man, Fawkes. I can only hope I regain his trust back. Perhaps now that he has gotten rid of the Horcrux, I could start training him next year; I know I have distanced myself from him to be impartial to all my students. But something tells me he is going to need it. The wizarding world is going to need him."
Fawkes trilled in agreement.
[BREAK]
As Harry exited the headmaster's office towards the Hogwarts kitchen, he contemplated all the new information he had just received. He soon had to figure out a plan of action. He internally cursed Fate for binding him in a prophecy. He knew that for as long as the Prophecy loomed over his head, someone over the other would always try to meddle with his life, trying to influence the outcomes. But first, he was famished.
He was angry, angry at Dumbledore, angry at Snape. He had calmed down in Dumbledore's office and relented to not rushing off to kill Snape at Dumbledore's saying. But the anger had not been truly placated. He would have his revenge on Snape and make him pay for his parent's misfortune. He knew he could not touch Snape as long as Dumbledore trusted Snape. Knowing this, he resolved his decision in the headmaster's office to wait for the right moment. Just like a snake hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike its prey, he would wait, and when the moment presented it, Snape would know. Justice would be served. Firm in his resolve, he proceeded towards the kitchens.
Soon he found himself in front of the painting of the bowl of fruits. He had once found the entrance to the kitchens while studying the Marauder's map. He had located it under the great hall near the Hufflepuff dorms. He tickled the pear as instructed on the map. On tickling the pear, it started giggling and turned into a giant green door handle. Harry grabbed it and turned it to open the door.
When he opened the door and looked inside, an enormous high-ceilinged room was inside. Columns and columns of pots and pans were stacked around the walls. House elves were busying around. There were four tables lined parallel to each other with one other table in front of them horizontally; they were arranged like the house and teacher's tables in the great hall. At present, they were all empty. There was a large fireplace at the other end. When he entered, he observed the house elves; all were wearing clean white towels, like a toga with the Hogwarts crest on them; they were hurrying about cleaning the kitchen and preparing it for breakfast tomorrow.
Suddenly he heard an excited scream,
"Master Harry Potter sir decides to visit Dobby" he heard as a house elf wearing an odd assortment of clothes excitedly jumped and grabbed his legs.
Harry looked in surprise to see a much healthier-looking Dobby.
"Dobby, calm down, please."
"Master Harry Potter sir, request Dobby, to calm down; Master Harry Potter sir is such a great wizard," Dobby exclaimed.
Harry knew that there was no way he could placate the excited elf.
"Dobby, what are you doing here," Harry questioned.
"After Master Harry Potter sir freed Dobby from the clutches of his previous evil master, Dobby tried to look for work. But no one would give work to a free elf. No one agreed to my demands to be paid. Finally, Dobby approached Headmaster Dumbleydore, who agreed to give Dobby work in the Hogwarts kitchen. He decided to pay me 7 gallons a week and every Sunday off, but Dobby's not greedy; he asked for one gallon a week and one Sunday each month off. Dobby be very happy working for headmaster Dumbleydore. Now Dobby can live on as a free elf living off Hogwarts magic. Dobby also gets to buy the clothes he likes off his salary." Dobby explained proudly.
Harry smiled at the elf, but the sound of his grumbling stomach reminded him of his hunger. He asked,
"Dobby, if it does not trouble you, could you bring me something to eat? Anything is fine."
"Sure, Master Harry Potter sir; Dobby be glad to serve dinner to Master Harry Potter sir," Dobby said, directing Harry to one corner of the kitchen. Reaching there, he snapped his fingers and a small table with a single chair. He asked Harry to sit and soon came levitating a wide variety of dishes he laid on the table.
"Thank You, Dobby," Harry replied.
"There is no need to Thank Master Harry Potter Sir, Dobby is always happy to serve you; please call me if you need something."
Nodding, Harry dug into the delicious food in front of him, happy to finally satiate his hunger.
Soon Harry had finished his meal and called Dobby to take off the dishes.
"Dobby, could you get me some parchment and a quill," Harry asked, deciding that now as he was fed well, he could focus on the tasks at hand. He chose to outline his tasks so that he could think clearly.
Dobby nodded, snapped his fingers to produce the required material, and hurried off to complete his kitchen work.
Harry picked up the quill and thought about what he must do next.
He wrote,
Visit Gringotts and find about what Death had asked of him.
Find more about his ancestors and the Peverells (look at Gringotts and the Hogwarts Library)
Find more about the gifts of Death to the three brothers and locate their present status. (Should definitely get a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.)
Get hands on books of advanced magic and start learning and training. (Hogwarts Library, bookstores in Diagon Alley)
Get his wand checked (ASAP!)
Find a place to train at Hogwarts the next year. (One place already thought of in mind but need to have a look at its state.)
Start living a real life and enjoying it.
Harry looked at the list and was happy to have everything lined up and ready to be executed. Now he needed to start training. As he thought about it, he really needed to find a way to train at his relatives. He couldn't just waste his entire holidays doing nothing. He also needed a way to travel to Diagon Alley undetected. There was no way he could apparate or floo, and the Knight Bus was out of the question, it being too easy to find out if he had used it from the overexcited conductor and driver. As he pondered, he also needed to find a way to buy books from Diagon Alley; he knew he could owl post his orders, but again it was easily detectable, and he wanted to keep his decision to train under wraps. He knew he had to find a way soon.
Sitting there at the table in the kitchen, he formulated a plan. He thought of how he would execute it. He thought hard, trying to make sure he had left no stone unturned and there was nothing he had not thought of that would hinder his plan. Theoretically, he was ready. The execution would soon follow. As he came to the conclusion of his thoughts, he yawned. The activities of the day had caught up to him. Remembering his promise to Madam Pomfrey, he grabbed the mentioned potions from his bag and downed them bitterly. He felt tired after all the thinking, so deciding to get some rest before beginning to act, he called Dobby,
"Dobby, could you please pop me to my bed in Gryffindor dorms?"
Dobby replied positively, grabbed Harry's arm, and popped him in bed. After Harry thanked him for it, to which Dobby replied by singing Harry's praises, Dobby left.
Harry looked around; everybody was asleep. It was quite the late hour. Slowly without making any noise, he drew the curtains around his bed and fell into the bed, too tired to even change his clothes. Soon sleep caught him, and he slumbered back to the land of the dreams.
[Break]
As Harry woke up, he felt rested and ready to go. Today was the day they would be leaving Hogwarts for the holidays. He got out of his bed and opened the curtains surrounding it. As he looked, he noticed the dorm was empty. Even Ron, quite the late sleeper, was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he would find Ron and Hermione in the common room, thinking he went about his morning ablutions. After getting ready and packing up his trunk, he made his way to the common room.
As soon as he climbed down the stairs, he heard his name being shrieked.
"Harry!" Hermione loudly exclaimed as she rushed to hug him halfway down the stairs; Ron followed.
"Hermione, let me breathe," Harry said, trying to steady himself.
Hermione quickly intoned a sorry and fired questions at Harry, asking him how he was, how he felt, did the dementors have any lingering effect, where he was all the time, and when he got to the dorms saying even Ron didn't know about it. All the while trying to console him about Sirius and berating him for being so reckless.
All Harry could do was just stare at her as she continued her questioning and ranting.
Harry shook his head, trying to clear it. He knew Hermione cared, but sometimes she was too much to handle.
"How are you, mate? Where have you been?" Ron asked loudly, having enough of Hermione's continuous talking.
"Hermione, calm down; let me talk," Harry said.
Hermione blushed and nodded to Harry to continue.
"I am quite well; Hermione and Madam Pomfrey were sure there are no lingering effects. As to where I have been, well after leaving the hospital wing, I had gone to talk to Dumbledore about the events. I am sure you want to know it all, but not know, not here; we will talk on the train where we will have more privacy." Harry said, making it clear that no more questions were welcomed. He was still unsure how much he should tell his friends, sure they had always been there for him, but he also knew the information he had was quite sensitive, and it would do no good to just give it away. He had already decided to not inform them of the Horcruxes and the Prophecy; it would only add to their worries. He would tell them of it later when he was ready to explain it and had his answers. He knew telling them of it now would have them ask even more questions he had no answer for and unnecessarily cause them to worry and interfere with his actions. He had already decided on a cover-up story included in his plan.
"Ok, Harry, if you think it's right," Ron said, ending the conversation.
As the three were about to male way for breakfast, Harry asked
"So, anything happened while I was out that I need to know about? "
"Oh! No, I just forgot," Hermione exclaimed as she ran back to her dorms and returned to them, hurrying with a package in her hand.
As she came to them, she spoke,
"Harry, Professor Lupin asked me to give this to you; he said it's charmed to only be opened by you and that you should open it privately. He gave this to me when he visited you in the infirmary after recovering himself."
Harry pocketed the package, deciding to open it later, either on the train or back at his relatives. He wondered what the package contained and why Remus didn't give it to him himself. After all, he should be at school now, having recovered from the last full moon. Wondering, he asked,
"Why did he give this to me himself? I will go and talk to him and ask if he is doing well. I suppose even he must have been shocked by the turn of events." As Harry said this and was about to meet Remus, Hermione held his hand and stopped him.
"Harry, stop; Professor Lupin is no longer present in Hogwarts," Hermione said softly.
"Why, what happened, Hermione? Where is he?"
"Mate, somebody let out that Professor Lupin is a werewolf, probably Malfoy, and the governors decided that he might be a threat to continue teaching children and fired him asking him to immediately leave Hogwarts," Ron said, a bit of anger in his tone.
"We don't know it was Malfoy, Ron. And couldn't you be a little less direct about saying it? Anyways it is true, Harry." Hermione added.
"What! But he was the best defense teacher we had till date; how could Dumbledore allow it to happen?" Harry exclaimed.
"I know, Harry, but I doubt even Dumbledore could stop it. The Board of Governors voted with a majority to out Professor Lupin. He wanted to talk to you, but you were still unconscious, and Madam Pomfrey won't allow any to come close to your bed. Even he agreed that his leaving the school will be good for all." Hermione stated.
Harry sighed; he knew there was no benefit in debating Hermione, and there was nothing he could do now; time had long gone. He decided to write Remus a letter after opening the package he got.
"Fine, I will write him a letter afterward. Now, let's hurry up and have our breakfast, or we might miss the express." He said, making his way to the great hall.
Soon all three of them had their breakfast and made their way to board the Hogwarts Express to leave for the holidays.
A/N –
Fourth chapter is done and so is the talk between Harry and Dumbledore. Now what will follow is Harry finding out more stuff at Gringotts and beginning to train.
Stay tuned to find out what is Harry's plan and how he executes it. The next chapter will have Harry's Gringotts visit and more on Peverell history.
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Thanks for reading,
lordgreencryztalz
