Harry Potter stood outside the Headmistress Office, the stone gargoyle guarding the office. He took a deep breath to clear his mind from all the distractions. He will decide later on how to proceed by leveraging the information regarding his being able to marry multiple women.
"I have a meeting with Headmistress, please tell her to grant me entry", he spoke to the gargoyle. He was sure, Professor McGonagall would not have any inane passwords related to various sweets from the Muggle and Wizarding world.
After waiting a few seconds, the stone gargoyle slid to the side. Harry climbed the stairs and knocked on the door to the office. He could hear multiple voices quieting down at his knock.
"Enter, Mr. Potter", came the reply.
Harry opened the door and entered the room. The office had changed from the last time he had been here, he could see that McGonagall had removed all the various knick-knacks which used to be littered throughout the office and the headmaster's desk. The desk looked clean and organized, a stack of documents occupied the corner. He could see a photo of their Quidditch team when they had won the Quidditch House Cup. Overall, the office looked like it belonged to the new Headmistress.
The headmistress looked stern; she was sitting behind the desk on her chair. Kingsley had a small smile on his face and Mr. Weasley looked pensive. They both occupied the chairs in front of the table. Bill and Neville were smiling wildly while lounging on the sofa to the side.
Their eyes followed his entry, He greeted everyone. "Good evening, thank you everyone for meeting me on such short notice."
He conjured a comfortable chair with a motion of his wand and sat on it. The chair allowed him a view of everyone in the room.
Headmistress McGonagall had a small smile on her lips, she looked proud of his conjuration. "I can speak for everyone here, Mr. Potter that no one here would have denied you the meeting even if we were busy. This is the least we can do in thanks for ending that monster's life."
Her visage changed back to her stern countenance, and her back straightened. She continued, "Now, I understand that you wanted to meet all of us regarding the mission Dumbledore had assigned the three of you before his death. You can share what you feel is necessary."
"Yes, I had decided that the people in this room would need to know everything, what me, Hermione, and Ron had to do to end the Dark Lord. I would not ask for any oath or vow to share the information outside of people in this room. But I would like to impress on you the need for secrecy, the information is related to the darkest of magic ever done by magical kind. Even knowledge is limited in the darkest of books, and it can be catastrophic if it spreads outside."
Harry took a deep breath; everyone had sat up straight up by the time he finished speaking. Everyone understood the gravity of what he was about to mention.
"Have you ever heard of the word, Horcrux?
He looked everyone one by one in the eyes, expecting them to not know about it except for one person. To the surprise of others, Bill cursed loudly and stood up. He started ranting and gesturing with his hands, "Of course, it all makes sense now. How the bastard never died and was able to return. The Dark Lord would have made a Horcrux. The knowledge of such magic would have enticed a person like him. A person with God complex and goal of immortality"
"What is a Horcrux Mr. Potter? With the way Bill is reacting, I am sure that it is nothing good," Kingsley said bringing the room back in order.
"I had expected that Bill might know about them. The pharaohs were obsessed with immortality, so the knowledge would have been necessary for a curse breaker working in Egypt."
Harry took a deep breath and spoke, "A Horcrux is an extraordinary and malevolent magical creation. It serves as a vessel in which a Dark wizard or witch hides a detached fragment of their soul. The purpose? Immortality. As long as the receptacle remains intact, so does the soul fragment inside it, anchoring the maker to the world of the living—even if their body suffers fatal damage" At their horrified reactions, he continued "The process of creating a Horcrux is deeply sinister. It involves committing murder, the supreme act of evil, which tears the soul. Herpo the Foul, an ancient wizard from Greece, is credited with creating the first known Horcrux."
He looked into the fireplace in the office, letting everyone digest the information. There was no need for him to look at them, he knew they were as disgusted by the depravity and depth Lord Voldemort went to achieve his goals. Bill was the first one to speak, he already knew what a Horcrux was, so it was easier for him to digest it.
"So, you guys were looking for Dark Lord's Horcrux? What was the Horcrux? And how did you destroy it? Because to destroy a Horcrux required Fiendfire, Basilisk venom, or an elaborate ritual for cleansing. None of which are easy to obtain or perform."
Harry looked at him, he never knew about purification ritual. It just went to nail in the point that Dumbledore's need for secrecy had unnecessarily increased the difficulty of their mission.
"We had no idea that there was a possibility to purify the object. And no, the Dark Lord didn't create a Horcrux" At their confusion, he clarified, "He created 7 horcruxes, 6 were deliberate and the last one was not"
Bill's eyes bugged out of his skull. The shocked expression on everyone's face didn't come as a surprise to him. They realized now how difficult the mission was, and how unlikely the odds they had played against to kill the Dark Lord.
"As everyone here knows, there was a prophecy regarding Voldemort in the Hall of Prophecies. The Order of the Phoenix was responsible for guarding it. When Voldemort gave me the fake vision of Sirius' capture, Neville and a group of my friends had gone there to rescue him."
"Yes, you destroyed the prophecy in front of us and the Death Eaters," Neville replied.
"I had destroyed the prophecy, but later Dumbledore told me that the prophecy was made to him. He already knew the whole prophecy; it was made to him when he interviewed the new Divination professor in the Hog's Head."
"Sybill Trelawney", McGonagall whispered shocked by the revelation.
"Yes, Sybill Trelawney made a true prophecy. Unfortunately, the prophecy was partially heard by a young Death Eater, who later relayed it to Lord Voldemort."
"The prophecy was, '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. The Dark Lord will mark this individual as his equal, but the chosen one will possess a power the Dark Lord knows not. Either the Dark Lord or the chosen one must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.'"
"The conditions mentioned in the prophecy were fulfilled by two prominent family. Both were prominent families, sharing an alliance from the creation of Wizengamot." Harry looked into Neville's eyes, who paled. "Potter and Longbottom families both went into hiding. Their heir was expected to be born at the end of July, and both families had escaped from the Dark Lord 3 times. They had dealt a substantial blow to his force."
Neville looked Harry in the eyes, his fists clenched tightly. "Ultimately, the Potters trusted the wrong person. They made Peter Pettigrew their secret keeper, and Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow. Making me the Boy-Who-Lived, and marking me as his equal." Harry removed his bangs to show his lightning-bolt-shaped scar.
"After his defeat spread, his top lieutenants didn't believe that the Dark Lord could be dead. So, they attacked the 2nd family which was to be targeted. They didn't know why the Dark Lord was after the two families, but they attacked the Longbottom family to exact their revenge. You already know the chain of events that happened after that."
The revelations blew up everyone's mind. All of it started to make sense now, Dumbledore's actions. The Dark Lord's fixation on Harry Potter and Dumbledore's insistence on his importance for the upcoming fights. Neville was especially angry, the realization that Harry was burdened by fate which was out of his control. They both suffered unnecessarily because of a prophecy. The Dark Lord in his desperation started a chain of events, which led to his demise.
Harry then started explaining everything else to them, from Dumbledore's lessons for him that started in 6th year. He went chronologically so they could understand on how little of the information they were working on. The sheer difficulty of the mission, and Dumbledore's hubris in making all the decisions by himself. His voice was hoarse by the time he finished telling them everything.
"Kreacher"
"Yes, master." Kreacher apparated with a pop to his call.
"Can you bring sandwiches for all of us? and please bring me something to drink"
Kreacher popped away after I finished my order. The room was silent, only the crackling of firewood could be heard from the fireplace. Everyone was digesting the earth-shattering revelations. The food and tea suddenly appeared in front of everyone, snapping them out of their stupor.
"Let's eat first, I am sure everyone is famished. We can talk after filling up our stomachs," said Harry.
As everyone started eating, Harry broached a different topic with the headmistress. "There was something else I wanted to talk with you, headmistress."
When her focus shifted to him, he continued, "I was hoping to complete the 7th year of my schooling when the next term begins. I am pretty sure; I can get most of the current 7th-year class to attend the classes. All of our NEWTs are in shambles, it will also be a signal for everyone in hiding to see that Harry Potter is back at Hogwarts. It will provide a measure of security and reassurance for the future."
I spoke slowly, explaining my reasoning to everyone. Everyone was finished with the food by the time I ended, and they were listening to me while sipping a cup of tea. Headmistress McGonagall had a proud smile on her face. Mr. Weasley was thinking deeply about my words while Kinglsey, and Bill were grinning broadly.
Neville was the first to reply, "I think it is the same for me. A normal year after everything that we all have suffered would be good. We can set an example to every student who was thinking of not attending Hogwarts."
"I was hoping you would join the Aurors, Mr. Potter. But I can understand your reasoning, restarting Hogwarts schooling with Harry Potter as a student would go a long to reassure the public. The parents would be relieved that their children can attend school again. It would have a positive impact on the rest of the public. It would also give me time to rebuild the Ministry and catch all the escaped Death Eaters and snatchers", said Kingsley.
Headmistress McGonagall followed up, "I am extremely proud that you are trying to focus on studying, Mr. Potter. Your parents would have wanted you to excel in your studies."
She continued sorrowfully, "You should enjoy a peaceful year; it is our failure that we couldn't even provide you with a single year without any threats on your life."
He nodded in acceptance, happy that they agreed. Then he informed them of his decision to take a vacation till the next school year starts and take his seats in the Wizengamot. All of them were very happy with his decision to rest and relax for a while. Kingsley was especially happy to welcome his future entry in the 'mot.
"You are the kind of person we need to kick those old fossils from their high chairs in Wizengamot, Harry. When you start to research the current seat holders, then you will realize my reason for excitement. The Family representatives in the Wizengamot are all old fossils, it takes them weeks to pass a single bill. They have become so comfortable in their positions, that they will not do anything to rock the boat. The status quo is more important to them than anything else. So, I can understand your grievances with Dumbledore who did the same regarding Hogwarts schooling."
Neville chimed in his agreement with Kingsley.
"Don't worry, Kingsley. I have a plan for Wizengamot, but I need to perfect it. My understanding of the ruling body is still shallow. Also, I need to research my family's past votes to understand their position.", said Harry.
"Now, let's talk about why I wanted this meeting. I want to discuss the story we would need to tell the public. We could reveal the prophecy, even show the darkening of the prophecy orb to verify its fulfillment. That would ensure that the public wouldn't worry about Voldemort's resurrection happening again."
Everyone nodded in assent. Mr. Weasley followed the line of thinking, "We should also definitely reveal Voldemort's ancestry. It will be a huge blow to the pureblood elites' ego, and would also make the remaining Snatchers and Death Eaters hesitate in their future actions"
"We should also mention that Peter Pettigrew was responsible for his resurrection, and Sirius Black was innocent. We shouldn't tell the whole ritual, but we can mention it was a ritual that required Tom Riddle Senior's bones. That will add a second layer of protection against resurrection attempts. The Death Eaters would realize that without his father's bones, the Dark Lord cannot be resurrected again." Neville gave his input.
Harry nodded to everyone's advice, then added, "Instead of mentioning Horcruxes, we could say that the Dark Lord had created dark artifacts responsible for empowering him. So, we hunted down these artifacts and destroyed them to weaken him. It will also provide us, a convenient excuse for why we broke into the Ministry and Gringotts."
"Is there anything else you guys think, we would need to talk to the public? I want all of us to be on the same page. I would also like to end this discussion by telling you that I would not try to lie about anything related to Dumbledore."
"Why would you even need to do that, Mr. Potter? Albus has always been on our side, he was a key figure fighting against Voldemort," questioned McGonagall.
Harry gave her a hard stare, she flinched at his look. "I may have forgiven the teachers and members of the orders. But don't think I have forgotten. Adults should have won this war, children are not supposed to fight wars, but all of you dropped the ball. You knew how much I suffered, but not once any of you tried to offer a word of comfort. I was dropped like a bottle of milk at my relatives' doorstep, with just a letter. Why would Petunia not be angry with the Wizarding world? Her sister's death was told to her through a letter. Then compounding on that no contact was allowed with any of my father's or mother's friends or acquaintances."
Harry was angry at the hypocrisy shown by these people, he continued shouting angrily, "Then when all the shit that happened to me at Hogwarts, not a single teacher stopped the numerous bullying. Malfoy could saunter to the Gryffindor table and make fun of my mother's blood and not one of you ever tried to stop him. Are you supposed to be a teacher or an accessory to my bullying? Then after the 4th year, when Cedric died in front of me, not a single Order member tried to talk with me. How could you allow a 15-year-old to cope with a murder that happened in front of his eyes? By isolating him from his friends and shuttling him off to the one place where he hates to live. All of you are mindless sheep, following Dumbledore's orders like a good little soldier. So, don't even try to justify Dumbledore's actions, to me he was a Dark Lord no worse than Voldemort. Raised like a pig for slaughter, as Snape aptly described."
Harry's magic was roaring wild around him, the wood panels of paintings creaked, the headmistress cracked with pressure and shelves started to splinter. His eyes were glowing with power, and the occupants in the office were fighting valiantly against falling unconscious. He turned and stalked out the door; the exit disintegrated as his steps faded.
The occupants were taking huge gulps of air. Their vision was clearing up slowly. The pressure exuded by Harry horrified them. They looked at each other, a realization washed over them. They were the top combatants who had fought against Voldemort, and not a single one of them could stay perfectly conscious in Harry's magical aura.
Neville was the first to speak, "All of you need to realize that Harry was right. No matter how you try to justify your actions, you failed him. The burden he had to bear to fight Voldemort was already immense. He knew from the first year, he would have to defeat the Dark Lord. But all of you created an environment around him where all he was allowed to do was endure. You should be grateful he is such a kind person, anyone else in his place would have turned Dark by now."
Neville got up and left after finishing his piece. Bill looked at each person in the room before he followed them. McGonagall supported her head atop her desk with her hands. She was sobbing silently, thinking she had failed Harry's parents. They were some of the closest students she had. Kingsley stared at the fireplace, thinking deeply about the Order's actions towards Harry. Arthur was the one who felt the most remorse, he considered Harry his 7th son. He remembered the times his sons had brought up Harry's treatment by his relatives. The times he had told Molly and Albus, and was brushed off by saying it was a kid's imagination.