Chapter 3
The Unexpected
Harry wouldn’t admit it, but he was glad to see that Dumbledore looked much better than when he last saw him back in the professor’s office. He was resplendent in his purple and green robes, standing tall and straight as he waved his wand around the room casting a silencing charm so they wouldn’t wake the Dursley’s. He looked much younger and fuller of life, much like he had before he had revealed the prophecy “ though his eyes still betrayed a hint of sadness.
“It appears as if we may need to begin harnessing this new found talent of yours sooner than I had anticipated,” Dumbledore stated sounding quite pleased.
“P-Professor..?” Harry stuttered in bewilderment. He knew he was deep trouble now. How was he going to explain this? He remembered what happened last year when he performed underage magic, at least then he was defending himself… but now?
Dumbledore quickly read the expression on Harry’s face and answered with a bemused smile,
“The Ministry has no way of tracing wand less magic Harry. Their methods are directly linked with their usage and incantations.”
Harry let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and said quickly,
“But what about just before third year “ with blowing up my Aunt and all? The ministry knew what happened then!”
“How could anyone NOT notice a rather bloated woman cursing at your Uncle and floating some hundred feet above your neighborhood?” Dumbledore answered with a continued smile.
“Well then what are you doing here?” Harry snapped sounding harsher than he intended.
Dumbledore regarded him for a moment slightly taken aback, searching Harry’s emerald green eyes before replying seriously,
“I didn’t wish to intrude upon your time of grieving Harry, but I dare say that there are several matters I wish to discuss with you. One of which I’m afraid I must insist upon as it involves life or death.”
Harry looked back at Dumbledore quite shocked and at a loss for words and started once again to grow angry. ‘He’s not even going to ask how I’m doing! I can’t believe this! I haven’t heard a thing from him since I’ve been locked up here and he just walks in here expecting me to do his bidding! Life or death!! EVERYTHING involving me is about life or death! Does he think I’m stupid? What does…?’ he began thinking before coming to a sudden stop.
“I’m quite sorry to interrupt your thoughts Harry,” though Dumbledore didn’t sound sorry at all, “I had not intended for this to be the first topic of conversation but… It is quite apparent that we must continue your Occlumency lessons. If I can read your thoughts this easily Voldemort most certainly can, and he will continue to invade your psyche to seek the information he so desires.”
“Y-You just read my mind?” Harry asked stunned, “b-but you didn’t use your wand or say Legilimens or anything!”
“That is precisely the point Harry. You are not in control of your thoughts. You are projecting them without being consciously aware of doing so, and thus become an easy target for anyone who wishes to gain access to information to which you would otherwise choose to remain hidden. That is why you must continue with your Occlumency lessons,” Dumbledore patiently explained.
“I’m not doing anything with Snape! He hated Sirius! He’s probably happy Sirius is dead!” Harry spat, taking a step away.
“Professor Snape, Harry.”
Harry started to reply derisively to this but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him.
“As I promised you those many nights ago, I will explain as much as I can. Please hear me out.”
When Harry didn’t respond, Dumbledore continued.
“Initially I was only concerned of possession by Voldemort; I’ll admit that I was worried that you would suffer his influences to the point that you would have to be destroyed. I merely wanted you to be able to block him out; I did not want him to be able to seduce you into the confusion between what he desires and what you desire, hence the visions of the Ministry and the Department of Mysteries. I was a fool on two counts; first I should have told you about the prophecy and where it was kept. I believe that if you had been properly armed with this information Voldemort would have had little success in luring you to the Ministry. Harry…I am to blame for this blatant oversight.”
Dumbledore paused and took a deep breath. He removed his half-moon spectacles, lowered his head and rubbed his temples before putting them back on. He looked searchingly into Harry’s eyes once more before he continued.
“Secondly I was also a fool to believe that you could have learned Occlumency properly from Professor Snape. But you see I had no alternative at the time because I couldn’t teach you myself for reasons you now already know. Here again I should have explained this to you last year so you would understand- and again - I didn’t.”
Dumbledore sighed heavily.
“Errors of an old man Harry… I realize now that you should have been taught by someone of whom you implicitly trusted.”
There was a moment of silence as Harry couldn’t bring himself to believe what Dumbledore was telling him. But, he was desperate for more information so he simply whispered.
“Go on.”
“Now however, it is imperative that you learn to control the projection and intrusion of your thoughts. You are a special case because your scar directly links you to Voldemort. You know the entire prophecy; we must not allow the contents to be discovered by him. Should he learn that you have the knowledge he seeks, I’m afraid he will stop at nothing to obtain it. However, I do think that we have some time before we need to worry ourselves as he assuredly believes that it was destroyed that night during the battle.”
“That being said “ I am right in assuming that I must work to regain your full trust?”
More a statement than question, Harry simply nodded.
“I thought as much. That is why I have already taken the liberty to train Ms. Granger... or rather she demanded that I train her, so that she could pass the lessons on to you. Do try to work with her on this Harry. If I interpret her letters of chastisement correctly,” Dumbledore chuckled briefly at that, “she has your best interests at heart… all your friends do.”
“Don’t shut them out Harry; they can be a great source of comfort if you let them,” he added seriously.
Harry maintained a look of stoicism but he secretly marveled at the fact that Hermione would dare scold the Headmaster. He found himself wondering what exactly it was she could be mad at him for… and what about Ron? Surely he needed to be trained as well, Voldemort would definitely try to get information from him too “ it was common knowledge that he was his other best friend. His musings were interrupted once more when he felt Dumbledore’s concerned gaze.
Harry rapidly became self-conscious of the fact that he hadn’t showered, eaten, changed or slept properly in days and he looked every bit the worse for it. His appearance was in sharp contrast to his room because he hadn’t bothered to unpack since his return and thus, with the exception of the desk that was now dust and the unmade bed, his room remained uncluttered and relatively clean.
He quickly brushed the uneasy feeling in his stomach away reasoning that it was his right to mourn in anyway he saw fit. He returned a defiant glare but Dumbledore just seemed pensive and spoke again.
“Allow me to allay your concern for Mr. Weasely, If I am not much mistaken; he is completely immune to Legilimency.”
Harry was astonished to say the least; he left his mouth open after muttering a bewildered,
“What? But how…?”
“It seams that the attack on him by ‘the brain’ at the Ministry forced his mind to regroup into itself, to protect its ‘self’, as it were, against the foreign thoughts and emotions of the other,” he answered gravely.
“So yes, he still has some emotional scarring but he will heal in time and because of this singular event his mind now as the innate capability to completely shield itself against any outside attack.”
Harry couldn’t look at Dumbledore anymore and dropped his gaze to the floor. The troubled feeling in his stomach returned when he realized that he had forgotten all about Ron’s injury. He once more became so guilt stricken for almost getting his friends killed that his knees shook and he worried that he might collapse. He quickly sat hunched over onto the edge of his bed, buried his head in his hands and let out a growl of frustration before he took another ragged breath and exhaled slowly.
“So you’ve come here tonight to remind me of how stupid I was to drag my friends into a trap,” Harry bluntly alleged.
Dumbledore let out a sigh and broke his gaze from Harry. He waved his wand around and conjured a plush chair. As he sat he returned his stare to the boy who had become a broken young man and it pained him greatly. He hoped it wasn’t too late for save Harry from himself.
“Harry… your friends made a choice. Would you have allowed any one of them to go into a potentially dangerous situation without following?”
Harry didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He knew Dumbledore would just twist the truth…somehow make him less to blame…
Harry stared intently at the blood droplets that were now black on the carpet floor and his shoulders drooped a little more in a sense of hopelessness. The cuts in his palm stung and he derived a sense of satisfaction from the pain. He felt it was the least of what he deserved.
He looked back up at Dumbledore and asked without expression,
“What else? You said that there was a matter of life or death?”
The Headmaster gave him a look of resignation and sighed once more not wanting to push the issue of the night at the Ministry.
“I see that you have not yet opened the letter from Gringotts. Perhaps you should do so now. What I’m about to ask of you wouldn’t make sense otherwise,” Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly as he nodded towards the pile of unopened letters on the floor.
‘What did Gringotts have to do with life or death?’ Harry wondered as he bent and picked up the shiny blue and gold wrapped envelope. It was addressed:
Mr. Harry Potter
Smallest Bedroom, Second floor
Number 4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging, Surrey
Harry turned the envelope around and broke the Gringotts wax seal then pulled out and unfolded the crisp brownish parchment. A sudden tingling sensation overcame his hands and just as quickly disappeared.
The parchment was blank. Harry was going to question this when words gradually appeared:
Identity verification complete…
Now decoding…
‘Well that explained the weird feeling in my hands. I’ve never gotten a letter from Gringotts before. I suppose they all come that way?’ he wondered.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We regret to inform you during your time of loss that your presence is required in the Department of Possessions, as mandated by law and the will of Sirius Black, to finalize the transference herein named:
Number 12 Grimmauld Place
Kings Cross, London
Contents therein
Black Family Vault #711
You have already been authorized access to said items. Please come in at your earliest convenience. Officer Glakkmer will be happy to assist you with the binding process and any other needs you may have.
Signed,
Horad Wellsheild
President- Gringotts Council
Harry was astounded! He hadn’t expected this at all. He re-read the letter in his shaking hands just to be sure of what it said. Sirius had left him everything! But he didn’t want any of it… he only wanted his God-father back. He continued to sit and stared unblinking at the letter, no longer focused on it. He didn’t know how to react or what to say. He just felt numb.
“Harry?” Dumbledore asked uncertainly.
“Yes Professor?” Harry slowly replied as he returned his gaze to Dumbledore.
“Your house has sealed itself and is waiting for its master. It won’t allow anyone in without your permission and regretfully it can’t be given here. You must physically enter the house and let your wishes be known.”
“B-but I don’t want the house! I don’t ever want to go back there!” Harry sputtered.
“There’s an old friend of yours still in that house that needs you Harry. If he’s not seen soon I’m afraid he will die.”
Harry rose quickly of the bed and stood yelling at Dumbledore once more.
“Kreacher’s not my friend! He betrayed Sirius! He betrayed us all! Let him die! Better yet I’ll kill him myself!”
When the Headmaster tried to speak Harry became so furious that he turned his back to him and faced the nightstand.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing! How could Dumbledore ever expect him to go back to Grimmauld Place, let alone save that wretched creature!
Dumbledore rose from his seat and tried to put a consoling hand on Harry’s shoulder, but he pulled away as if Dumbledore’s touch would have burned him.
The Headmaster lowered his hand in resignation and returned to his seat.
“Not Kreacher Harry - Buckbeak.”
Harry’s defiant stance relaxed in confusion.
“…Buckbeak?”
“As I’ve said, the house has not let any of us in since ‘the night’ at the Ministry. I have attempted on multiple occasions to gain access for the sole purpose of attending to him but I have yet to be successful. The house is quite ancient and powerful in its defenses. Many wards and protections have been placed on it through the times. That’s one of the reasons we had chosen it as the Orders’ headquarters last year. I assure you that I had no intention of asking you to return to it so soon, but under the circumstances… I know the house will harbor many ill memories, but your friend needs your saving once more.”
Harry noticed that Dumbledore had avoided saying ‘Sirius’ death’ and instead said ‘the night’, deep down he was grateful for it. It showed that though the Headmaster may not understand Harry’s feelings, at least he was mindful of them. He turned to face Dumbledore.
“What am I to do?” Harry asked determinedly.
“Since I see that you are already dressed…” Harry shifted uncomfortably as Dumbledore gave him another concerned look, “grab your invisibility cloak and your wand “ for safety.”
Harry was slightly surprised to feel somewhat excited. ‘I’m finally doing something,’ he thought as he slid his wand out from underneath his pillow and shoved it unceremoniously into the waistband of his jeans.
He quickly opened his school trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. He only paused once when he saw the tied mess of Uncle Vernon’s old sock in the left hand corner. He remembered breaking the mirror Sirius had given him and placing the pieces into it. He suppressed another twinge of guilt and quickly closed the lid. He threw the cloak around his shoulders as the Headmaster stood and made his chair disappear.
Dumbledore then pulled an old box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans out of one of his robe pockets, pointed his wand directly at it, and whispered “Portus.”
The box glowed blue then shook briefly - Harry recognized the Portkey spell.
Dumbledore returned his wand to his robe pocket and held the box up for Harry to reach it.
“Cover yourself completely and touch the corner of the box when you’re ready Harry. Alastor, Nymphadora and Remus should have already secured the area and will meet us there.”
Dumbledore was rather surprised when Harry walked up to him; he now stood eye to eye with the old Professor. He gave a slight grin as he fondly recalled just how young and wide-eyed Harry once seemed. ‘He’s looking more and more like his Father…Time passes too quickly for the old’ he mused.
Harry made sure his invisibility cloak was wrapped around properly and touched the proffered corner of the box-made Portkey. He felt the all too familiar tug at his navel as the room began to swirl violently away.