Unfogging the Future

To Harry's pleasure, Percy Weasley won the Triwizard Tournament. He didn't care about Weasley as an individual – or the unit he was part of – but others did. He knew why they cared and what it meant to then that he'd won and it made Harry laugh.

"This isn't funny," Diomedes said. "We won't have good summers."

Harry wheezed.

They were in the Refectory. Weasley had appeared out of the mountains holding the trophy with a flushed face about an hour ago. Harry had howled with laughter at the looks on everyone's faces then and had barely gone five minutes without laughing since.

"Will you stop?" Terence snapped.

Harry's body shook as he shook his head. "No," he just managed to say.

The other schools left before Durmstrang released its students. Dumbledore made him an offer the night before.

"You may return with us," he said after the feast ended. "I have that power."

Harry smiled. "No, thank you. I don't what to go home just yet. I won't be allowed to leave."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Very well, Harry. Until Uagadou, then, I suppose."

Harry inclined his head. "Until Uagadou."

Harry didn't know how true that was, though. He was still hemming and hawing and uncertain of what he wanted to do.

When term ended, Harry stayed inside the castle for two extra days. He hadn't asked to stay and no one asked him why he was there. Morozov just handed him a list of books to look over on his way out of the castle.

"Enjoy your holiday, Fifth."

"You, too, sir."

Winter stopped by on his way out of the Refectory to look at the parchment.

"You're so nosy," Harry said.

Winter nodded. "These are books. Summer reading list?"

"Sort of. Just books to look over for the tourney next year."

Winter nodded then had his wand add a few more to the list. "Elemental spells. You most likely won't be able to get many, but you seem to enjoy the idea and learning the theory won't hurt."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem, Potter. See you in August."

"Have a good summer, sir."

Riddle didn't say a word to Harry, which was fine. He had nothing to say to Riddle and was glad Riddle didn't have any instructions for him.

On his way out of the castle Sunday afternoon, he stopped by the doors to wave at the remaining professors. Those who saw him, waved back. Riddle raised his pointer finger in acknowledgement.

Once down the bridge, Harry said, "Midsummer."

Harry landed in a clearing somewhere in the German countryside. A few teenagers ran around laughing and screaming with their friends and family. Others were more dignified; or more boring depending on how one looked at them. Their parents and grandparents were obviously pleased by their behavior. Harry felt they were all stiffs. What did they do at real parties?

Even now the more 'dignified' stood on the outskirts while a band played from somewhere. The less dignified danced to the music and others sang while they drank from tankards.

He wandered around with a purpose, but he didn't find what he'd been looking for. When the realization as to why hit him, he was left annoyed. He was simply a member of the crowd; no one Gellert Grindelwald wanted to see personally. He could've stayed home.

Asshole.

He would not be there next year.

After a moment, 'of course not' floated through his mind. It was entirely possible he'd be dead.

Ass. Hole.

"Hi, Harry!"

He started at the sudden appearance of Lorelei Munter.

He took a step back.

"'Lo, Lorelei," Harry said.

She smiled brightly. "Why do you look like that?"

"I didn't expect to see you."

He couldn't remember ever having seen her. Then again, he had never arrived this late nor actually walked around. But…he still would've met Munter, right? Grindelwald had been determined to see how well he could withstand the company of his oldest associates.

Harry didn't have long to contemplate the thought. Lorelei grabbed his arm.

"Let's go," she said.

Not caring, he allowed himself to be dragged away.

"So what are you doing for the summer?"

"Just staying home. My uncle usually takes me on a summer holiday, so probably that, too."

And whatever Riddle had in store for him.

"Nothing with Diomedes or the Delacour girl?"

Harry frowned. That was possible, but, "No. Why would I?"

"They're your friends, aren't they?"

Yes. At least Fleur was. "Fleur is fourteen and we don't like the same things."

She was a girl in the truest sense of the word. All girls were girls, but some were more girly than others and Fleur was the girliest of them all. He was a boy in the truest sense of the word. All boys were boys, but Harry knew that boys like Sirius and Terence had a better chance of being Fleur's best friend than him.

Lorelei led him around. She first stopped by her parents and Grindelwald. For the first time ever, Harry performed something akin to a bow. No one could say he'd been disrespectful, but they also couldn't say he'd bent his back either.

She then led him around the festival and he had to admit he had a little fun. They made flower crowns. Harry's was, of course, gold and glittery. They also drew depictions of Sól. They danced a little and ran around even more.

At last, they paid a visit to a Seer, who was inside a white tent. Giggling, Lorelei went inside. She was blushing when she returned.

"What happened?"

Lorelei shook her head. "Go in and ask a question."

Harry shrugged. "Fine."

So he entered the tent. Before he could say or do anything else, he heard, "Harry. James. Potter. At last."

Harry turned around and made to exit. However, he found the exit blocked by an invisible force. He took a deep breath and inhaled sandalwood scented smoke. It calmed him a little.

"I knew you were going to do that."

The woman – dressed in all white with multiple, colored rings on each finger – laughed at her own joke.

"Come. Sit, so that we may discuss your past, present, and future."

Harry sighed and sat down. They were at a table, which was covered in a purple cloth. Incense smoked in glass containers. A crystal ball was directly between the two of them in the center of the table. A deck of cards was off to the side.

"How does someone who believes in and wishes to build on divination fear it so much?"

"I can't be concerned that you've been waiting for me?"

She hummed. "You may be concerned, but you should not be afraid. You asked for this, after all."

"Asked for what?"

"You didn't have to be here. You can only blame others so much. You made your own choices, yes?"

Harry sighed. "What would you like to discuss?"

"Many, many things, but we are only to discuss a few. I will first tell you how I brought you to me."

Harry raised his eyebrows.

She waved her hand over her crystal ball. "First, you needed to exist."

Harry watched a beautiful, teenaged girl with long, auburn hair have a conversation with a veiled woman dressed in black. He recognized part of Diagon Alley. Slug and Jigger's, he recalled. He then watched as the young woman dropped a vial on the ground and walked away as the pink potion bled into the cement.

Until that moment, he hadn't known what his mother looked like. Upon realizing who the young woman was, and the implication of her actions, he gripped the table. He inhaled and the sandalwood calmed him a little once more.

He watched Miss Jones lean forward to view tarot cards. Harry recognized Athens immediately.

"I told her you would make her dreams come true. You did."

He saw Mrs. Bagshot speak to a woman veiled in red in the square in Godric's Hollow.

"I told her you were her redemption."

He then saw Bartemius. The memory – or whatever it was – stopped and restarted multiple times in the place.

"I told him your destinies were connected across universes and time. They are," the Seer said.

Harry leaned forward and just stopped himself from pressing his face against the glass. "Is there something wrong with it?"

The seer smiled. "No, the Minister was hard to convince. Largely because he assumed I meant his future was connected to the woman you were with."

"Miss Jones," Harry said softly.

Harry squinted. No, it wasn't the same place. It was eight different places; parks in London. He recalled how he and Miss Jones went to one almost everyday and remembered how often Mr. Crouch walked past them. He always walked past them.

The seer waved her hand over the crystal ball again and the smoke inside it returned.

Harry looked up. "Grandmother?"

"I never spoke with your Grandmother. That was a fortunate happenstance. I did speak with Mr. Black," she said as she waved her hand over the ball once more. Harry saw Sirius peer into the same crystal ball. "I told him your name should be Harry as your mother would want. Surprisingly, your father hadn't needed to be convinced."

Amused, Harry asked, "Why?"

"Because your life is just right as Harry Potter. A Potter by any other name would be unsuitable."

Now Harry frowned. He could see how his cousins and brother weren't good enough for what was being asked of him, but how did his name determine his suitability?

"You could've cured werewolves of their affliction nine months ago and Gellert Grindelwald still wouldn't give you the attention he gives you now. Only Harry Potter would do."

Harry closed his eyes.

"So what of your future do you want to know?"

With his eyes still closed, he snorted. "Who will I fall in love with?"

"Oh, a few young women."

Harry opened an eye. With a little more seriousness, he asked, "Which one will I stick with?"

"That depends on the choices you make. Who are you at the end of the day? Is your own peace and pleasure paramount? How much do you believe in the old tradition? Or do you intend to win by any means necessary?"

Harry opened both his eyes as he furrowed his brow. "I don't believe in the old tradition at all."

"Don't you?"

Harry sniffed. "Why did you get me here?"

"Balance. Everyone has had a foil or a threat. No one could ever be too powerful for too long. This new force, however, had no challenger."

She waved her hand over her crystal ball. A set of red eyes attached to a unnaturally pale, snake face floated through the smoke.

Harry sat back and gripped the table. "What the hell was that?"

"Your challenge."

Harry shook his head. "That's not Grindelwald or Tom Riddle."

The Seer hummed. "It's Lord Voldemort."

Harry's mouth moved as he tried to figure out what to say. "'Choose?' I have the choice to stay away from that thing?"

"You did, but you sought him out specifically. Now you're entangled in the nest and he won't let you go."

"That was not Tom Riddle."

Again, the Seer hummed.

Harry refused to believe it. "How am I supposed to challenge a seventy year old?"

Maybe he believed it a little. How it was possible was beyond him.

"How do you challenge everyone else?"

Amused, Harry said, "By sucking up to their parents and grandparents."

The Seer raised her eyebrows.

Harry, in turn, peered over his glasses at her. That had merit. It would certainly help him with Zoltan and Egil. After a moment, he considered that it already did help him with Zoltan and Egil, but how could he ensure it for the future…

He closed his eyes again.

The Tom Riddle method.

Harry sighed.

Fine. He could do it. Try, at least, but first…

"What question do you have for me, Harry James Potter?"

"How do I win?"

She passed him a deck of cards, which Harry shuffled. His mind was racing as he did so. Had Riddle helped him decide what he wanted to do?

She maintained eye contact with him as she pulled a single card from the deck. "The Lovers," she said.

Amused, Harry said, "I win with a lover? So I need to find the Grindelwald to my Dumbledore?"

"Is all love romantic?" the Seer mused.

Harry tilted his head.

"Divination, as you know, isn't always or – rarely is – so straightforward. Yes, it can mean you and another force take the world by storm, but – again – such an outcome depends on who you are as a person. Peace and pleasure? No. The old tradition? Yes. Glory by any means necessary? Maybe."

Harry blinked. "Err…what's the indirect answer?"

"What are the ways you can love another? Friendship and family, yes? How can you love them? But, also, the word love itself is too literal. Here the card depicts two people in a relationship. How do you have a healthy relationship with another? With commitment, loyalty, trust, honesty, open communication, yes?" She touched the card again. "All things considered, you win with love and all that love encompasses." She placed the card on the bottom of the deck. "Anything else?"

He hesitated but then nodded. "Yeah."

So, she, again, asked, "What question do you have for me?"

"I'm at a crossroads…"

"Yes?" she prompted.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I guess…which path should I take?" He shook his head again. "No. What happens down the road of darkness?" He frowned. "How do I find my way through the darkness? Besides friendship."

Who did the dark eyes belong to, he asked himself.

She gave him the cards and he shuffled them again.

She took the stack in hand and laid out six cards. "The emperor," she said as she placed the first card on the table. "The Magician," followed. "The tower," was placed above the magician. "The Chariot," went next to the magician. "Reversed Death," went above and in-between the Chariot and the Magician. "Reversed Strength," went below them. "How interesting."

Harry blinked at the cards. He needed to study divination as he had no idea what any of them meant.

The Seer placed her finger on the Emperor. "This is your past and a little of your present. The Emperor represents authority, control. Fatherhood. You are surrounded by such men. Everywhere you turn there is one, but we, again, can't be too literal for your grandmother qualifies, too. She was the first authority in your life. She shaped and molded you more than almost everyone else."

Harry swallowed.

She moved on. "The magician. Desire and manifestation of your desire. Your present." She tapped the tower. "Destruction and change. Our present. The tower is inevitable. The magician is ready to be embraced."

"Huh?"

"The destruction and the change it'll bring was foretold long before you were born. We are growing ever nearer to that time. Your reaction to your changing circumstances isn't inevitable. You're still indecisive…you're afraid to embrace the desire. You're afraid to become the chariot. Be not afraid, Harry. Embrace your desire and potential. Hone your skill. Be the change you want to see," the Seer said.

Harry snorted.

She tapped the chariot. "The victor. In determination and willpower, but also control. Glory and all that you desire are possible, but…" She tapped reverse strength and reverse death. "Your fear."

"Why would I fear reverse death? Or am being too literal?"

The Seer smiled. "Too literal in your interpretation of Death. You fear it – in the literal sense – but not your death…huh. It's all connected, isn't it?"

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"You miss your grandmother," the Seer said. "Your first parent. She was the first death and now you fear the rest." She nodded. "You have a firm understanding of who your mother is even if you don't know her. You've guessed what life would be like had you been left to her and your father. You're thankful she and your cousin stood – and still stand – in their way."

Harry maintained eye contact with the Seer.

"But they could not – and can't – stand in everyone's way. They can only take you so far: to the edge of darkness; manhood. You understand it, but you don't want it. Figuratively and literally, you are afraid to let them go. You fear the change that'll bring and – reverse strength – you are full of self-doubt. Insecure in the thought you will never be Henry Potter. You won't," the Seer assured, "for you are Harry Potter."

"Ha!"

It was time, he supposed, that someone used that against him.

Amused, the Seer said, "That wasn't a joke. You cannot walk the path your great-grandfather walked. You cannot be him. You will only ever be a product of him. You will only ever be a student of Albus Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and Gellert Grindelwald. You'll never be them. Embrace the darkness, so that you may become your own man; your own legend to sings songs about."

Harry licked his lips.

"Your fathers, teachers, mentors, and your grandmother have led you to the edge of darkness. They've given you the tools to find your way," the Seer said. "Now you must walk the unbeaten path."

"Ok, but one more question: what's the difference between the magician and the chariot?"

The Seer tapped the cards. "Look at the cards. The Magician is on stage performing his tricks with items of creation. The Magician is an entertainer and a creator. Look at the Chariot. His focus is on controlling the sphinxes. Determined to bring them under his control. He's donned in armor and the purpose of the chariot is to get the rider from one place to another. The Chariot is a master and a warrior in full control with a destination in mind. Do you see the journey yet?"

Harry was confused. "Journey?"

"Yes." The Seer placed on pointer finger on the Emperor and the other on the Chariot. She tapped the emperor. "A child under the complete control and guidance of his parents, teachers, and mentors." She tapped the Chariot. "A man who is master of himself, his destiny, and his subjects."

"Ah," Harry breathed.