Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I associated with anything to do with Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, or any of the cast members of the movies.
Once all were within the protection of the walls, more students noticed the absence of their peers, just as Harry did. As the students walked into the Great Hall, the facts really hit them hard: there had to be less than half of the students the previous year at this time. Every student sat close to the teacher’s table, filling up as much space as possible. The table with the most students was Slytherin, which had at least three-fourths of its students present. Gryffindor was the second largest group, with roughly half of its students. Ravenclaw was third, and Hufflepuff was last, both with about as much as Gryffindor combined. Overall, there were 157 students sitting at the tables, compared to the 400 or so from last year.
At least the first years are still coming, thought Harry. While they wouldn’t be great in number, they would still fill in some of the gaps. He and his friends looked for some of the others. Dean and Seamus were there. Ron noticed that Luna was not at their table. He turned back with a worried look on his face, hoping that she was alright. Harry, hearing about Luna, turned to look at Ravenclaw, looking for one person in particular. Then he remembered that Cho finished schooling before the summer. He breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to the table. Hermione noticed Zacharias was also gone, as was Romilda Vane and several others.
Many students carried on conversations, but in hushed voices. The room was quite silent, truth be told. Even the professors were quiet. Absent from the table for obvious reasons were Snape and Dumbledore. The rest of the staff, however, remained intact and present. Moody was there as well, for reasons Harry couldn’t figure out. Did the Order of the Phoenix want more security at Hogwarts, or was there something they weren’t telling him? After all, no teacher was able to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts more than one year, as the position was cursed. Harry was confused by this. His eyes traveled back to Hagrid, who smiled slightly at him before breaking eye contact. If Hagrid’s here, thought Harry, then where are the first years? So many questions needed answering.
Minerva stood up and excused herself from the teacher’s table to stand at the podium Dumbledore would always stand by. Her mood was solemn and she looked much older than she did the past few years. The worries of her age showed in the lines in her face as she looked over the vastly smaller group of students before her. She gathered her thoughts before speaking.
“Here we are again, students,” she began. “I’m sure many of you have questions that you would like the answers to, and I will heed these inquiries after our meal is finished. For the time being, enjoy the feast, and please feel free to talk amongst yourselves. Let’s have this place be a little more festive.”
With that, food magically appeared on the plates of the students sitting at the tables. The mood lifted to one of earlier times as the students started eating. Most discussed their summers to those who they’d been out of contact with for that duration of time. Harry watched as Ginny talked animatedly to her friends, the smile having returned to her face. He was happy for her. He wanted her to be happy, even though he wouldn’t let her get close to him. He turned to Hermione and Ron, who were eating silently. They all exchanged glances and continued eating. All that was to be said by them was being spoken by those around them. The feast concluded a few moments later. As there were fewer students present, it only made sense the feast would end sooner. Minerva once again made her way to the podium, the same weathered look on her face. She held up her hands for silence, as Dumbledore did before her. As every student seated knew what this meant, the room quieted quickly.
“Now, as most of you have gathered, there are quite a few less present than before. Allow me to explain. As a whole, the professors of Hogwarts and the parents of those students who were to be first years here, we decided it was best for them to wait until this tension has subsided a bit before we allow first years at Hogwarts once more. This keeps the students safe at home, where their parents know their whereabouts at all times. While it may seem meaningless to some of you, to a parent, it means a lot. With no first years, however, there is no song from the Sorting Hat.”
This comment was met with some groans, as several students looked forward to the hat’s new song, Harry included. Minerva waited a moment for the groans to cease before she continued.
“Not only first years are gone this year, but so are several other students in other years, from second to seventh. They are absent for similar reasons as the first years. Some parents believe it is simply too dangerous to allow their children out of sight. As some of you may know, this castle is protected by some of the most powerful spells known in the wizarding world, so you are safe here.
“Something else that was new this year was the situation with your books. Every student was sent their books this year, and not required to pay. Once we knew how few were returning this year, the professors bought the books we were to use ourselves and sent them to you. That is a gift from us as a nod of gratitude for your attendance here this year.
“There is also a new teacher present: Mr. Alastar Moody. Some of you may remember when he was here a few years ago. The man who taught the classes was an impostor, so the real Mr. Moody has agreed to teach this year. He is here as a precaution and to help us teach a new curriculum of Defense Against the Dark Arts. His classes begin next week, as he has a few things in need of attention prior to the start of his term.”
Minerva choked up a little before continuing with what she was to say next.
“I would also like to take this time to pay respect to Professor Albus Dumbledore, our late Headmaster. It will be a very challenging position to fill in for, but I will do my best. Now if you would all remain silent for a moment to pay respect for Professor Dumbledore, I would greatly appreciate it.”
No one, not even the Slytherins, dared to speak during the moment that followed. Dumbledore was a wizard respected by all, even Voldemort, who feared and hated him. The room was very still as the memories of previous encounters with the former Headmaster were recalled by each student. Harry remembered the entire year he had with Dumbledore and everything he told him. He also remembered their conversations at the end of each year, especially his fifth. Harry vowed in this moment to guard and uphold the goals and aspirations of Dumbledore with every fiber of his being. As long as he was breathing and his heart was beating, he would fight for what Dumbledore stood for, and for his friends that still remained at his side. After this moment of silence, Minerva cleared her throat and concluded the opening speech.
“For those that do not know, the new Head of Slytherin is Professor Slughorn, and for Gryffindor, it’s Professor Hagrid, so you will follow them afterwards. This year will be more different than in past years. Classes will still be required, as will your dedication and hard work towards them. You all know the rules, so please follow them. Also, as the Sorting Hat always states, work on unity. If the school is united in this war against the dark powers that are rising, we can overcome it. We just need to believe in ourselves, and hope that we are strong enough to overcome the most perilous odds facing us.”
The last comment she said, she locked eyes with Harry, and the entire room knew why. For the past couple years, it was said he was the “Chosen One,” and quite a few students believed this statement. After the opening speech by Professor McGonagall, the Slytherins guffawed at the closing statement and pushed their way out of the room. Theirs was the largest group of the four; therefore, they felt they could command the rest more. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors held their tongues as the Slytherins passed, followed by the Ravenclaws. Once outside, the conversations started to escalate.
“Professor McGonagall wasn’t joking when she said there were a lot of surprises in store when we got back,” Hermione said as the trio pulled off to one side of the corridor. “I mean, this is the first time in the history of Hogwarts there have been no first years.”
“Yeah, not to mention that Slytherin is the size of us, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff combined,” said Ron glumly.
“While that’s true,” Harry said, “maybe this year will be a little better after all.”
Both Ron and Hermione stopped walking and stared at Harry, unsure whether or not he was in a daze or speaking without knowing it. A comment such as that was not usual for their friend.
“Think of it this way. If we are to ever truly unite the school, this is by far the best way. Look around us! There’s so few of us that it wouldn’t take much to take out one group of us. But if at least the three groups join together, that’ll make us that much stronger.”
“Wow, Harry,” exclaimed Hermione. “That was brilliant! I never thought of it that way.”
Ron was still trying to figure out what he missed as they continued walking to their dormitories. Just then, Harry heard his name being called and turned to see who wanted him. Professor McGonagall walked towards him and his friends with a stern look upon her face.
“I need to speak with you straightaway, Mr. Potter. It’s a matter of the Order, so you must come. Professor Lupin, Professor Moody, and the rest are there, as well as the staff. So if you’ll follow me...”
Not leaving any time for questioning, Professor McGonagall turned and started walking away. Harry looked helplessly at his friends before following the Headmistress. The two walked through the many corridors before coming to a very familiar gargoyle statue standing tall and proud against a wall.
“Pesky Pixies,” said Professor McGonagall, and the gargoyle sprang to life, leaping out of the way to reveal the spiral stairwell leading to Dumbledore’s old office. Once there, it was a crowded scene. Not only were Remus and Mad-Eye there, but so was Tonks, Kingsley, Slughorn, Bill and Charlie, Hagrid, and all the other professors of Hogwarts. This meeting must be important, thought Harry.
Minerva walked up to the desk, and the loud chattering of the adults slowly ceased. She looked out and motioned that Harry take a seat, which he did. Again she looked over the desk to see all those present, taking a deep breath before starting.
“I’ve gathered you all here for a number of reasons. The Order of the Phoenix is something you all have heard of, and many of you are a part of. I will not force you to do anything you feel is unfair or not necessary, but our numbers have been dwindling for quite some time, and we could really use some more help. Harry Potter is here, as you can see, because he is the only student who is in this organization, and for good reason, too.”
Minerva continued by briefly discussing what was talked about in one of the last Order meetings. She talked about the Horcruxes, the Prophecy, and the danger that was sure to come. When she finished, all eyes looked upon Harry, who shifted in his seat and looked, nervously, at the floor.
“With that being said, I would like for all of you to become members of the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore was, as you know, the head of the Order until...well...he used to be the leader. I will try my best to take his place, but I need as much help as I can get. Now, to turn the attention back to Potter. He has permission by me to leave school grounds, on the condition that he tells either myself or another member of the Order. If any of you has a clue as to the whereabouts of any of the mentioned items as Horcruxes, you will tell the Order and you will tell Potter. He will need to be accompanied on these exploits, so we will also need volunteers to go with him.”
“I’ll go with him when I can,” said Mad-Eye, turning to Harry with a look of fondness.
“I, too, will go with him when I’m able to,” said Remus. Slowly but surely, a few other members volunteered. Harry, while not wanting to put someone else’s life in danger, knew he wouldn’t stand a chance by himself, and was grateful.
“Alright, that’s about it for the meeting, then. Please note that all further meetings will be held in this office. You will all receive a message telling you the time with OP next to it, designating the time and nature of the meeting. With that, the meeting is dismissed.”
When the many adults got up to leave, Harry sat there in stunned silence for a moment. It was becoming a regular thing for him. Now he was fully aware of the danger ahead of him, as he had been the previous night. He did not want to be the Boy Who Lived any longer. He didn’t even want to be known at all as anything but normal, which he was obviously not. He also thought about the Horcruxes again: a thought that had not crossed his mind for some time. If Dumbledore, powerful as he was, lost his hand to one of these contraptions, what would it take to destroy the rest? He didn’t know, but he knew he did not have the knowledge of how to destroy them. This was a frightening thought.
“Harry?”
Hearing his name called brought him out of this confused state. He looked up and saw Remus, Mad-Eye, and Minerva were all that were left, and they all sat in front of him.
“What are you thinking now, boy?” asked Mad-Eye.
Harry did not answer. He felt he didn’t have the strength. The adults could see that the boy was troubled, so they did what they could to comfort him.
“You know, Harry,” began Remus, “you’re going to be surrounded by the best witches and wizards around when you are here, as well as when you leave for your missions. I know you don’t want to risk any lives other than your own, but you need protection, and that’s what we’re here for.”
Harry looked up again and saw the comforting smile on his former professor’s face. He returned it slightly before asking his first set of question.
“What will happen if I can’t do this? I don’t know how to destroy a Horcrux! It was hard enough getting the one with Dumbledore that evening last year! How do I even find them? That last one was buried so deep in the caverns that I would’ve never known how to get at it.”
“Harry, calm down,” said Minerva gently. She knew these questions were coming, and she had a few things to tell Harry that the Order had been working on over the summer since their meeting about the Horcruxes: things that Harry was not told in order to spare his already tormented mind any more punishment.
“You will be able to do this,” she began. “If that Prophecy means anything, it says that you are capable of killing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That means that you have the power and ability to accomplish this task. These Horcruxes are a part of his soul, which means that they are a part of him. You will be able to destroy these, Harry. Though we don’t know the exact way of doing so yet, we will find it. Now, we’ve located two of them for you over the summer.”
Harry looked at her in shock. They found two already?
“The first is the locket of Slytherin, which you had a duplicate of last year.”
“Yeah,” replied Harry. “It had a note saying that the real one was stolen by someone named R.A.B.”
“Do you know who that is, Harry?”
Harry shook his head. He’d spent time thinking about who it could be, but never could come up with anyone whose name had those initials.
“Regulus Alphard Black was the man’s name.”
“Sirius’ brother?”
“Yes,” continued Remus, picking up where Minerva left. “While he was the pride of the family and Sirius the black sheep, Regulus always wanted to be on top: the best. Hence when he found the Horcrux, he took it as a way of destroying Voldemort. It was his way of beating the best. He knew he would be killed for it, and so he was, more than sixteen years ago. I think Sirius talked him into turning against Voldemort, and that’s why he grabbed the Horcrux. He knew no one else could do it.”
“But then why was everything reset if it was just a fake? And did he destroy it?” The questions just kept coming to Harry, and he was finally getting some answers.
“He did not destroy it,” Mad-Eye said, “and I’ll tell you how I know that. I was talking to Arthur the other day, and he told me there was something suspicious about Lucius I should look into. So I grabbed my invisibility cloak and walked into Malfoy’s department. I spied on Lucius the rest of the day at the Ministry, and nothing happened. I followed him home to see if perhaps something strange was going on in the Malfoy Mansion. He walked through several different passageways before losing me, but I waited for him to come back. He told his weasel of a son that ‘it was safe,’ and I assume it could only be one thing: the Medallion of Slytherin.”
“So the Malfoys have it?”
“I’d bet my other eye on it. You may want to ask someone else you know for verification before you tear off into that Mansion, however. The Malfoys are powerful and overly cautious when it comes to things of value to them, not to mention that the devise is hidden rather well.”
“What do you mean, someone else I know?” Harry asked.
“Think about it, Potter, and you’ll figure it out.”
Harry thought hard, but could not come up with anyone who had been inside that mansion before, other than Draco. There was no way in the world he would betray his father.
“Now Harry, I have a different sort of question for you,” Remus said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that spell in the Department of Mysteries: the spell that killed Sirius. Do you remember anything about it?”
“Only that it was red, and that it hit him right in the chest,” said Harry, not wanting to be reminded of the moment his Godfather was murdered.
“Do you remember any incantation that was said?”
Harry shook his head. He only saw it, though, for a split second. There was so much going on around him at the time that he didn’t remember any spell being said. Mad-Eye and Minerva looked strangely at Remus, who shied away afterwards. There was another question that Harry wanted answered.
“You said you knew the location of two Horcruxes...what’s the second?”
“The second is a bit more complicated than we expected,” said Minerva nervously. “Dumbledore was right about Nagini, the snake. She is another Horcrux. But while Professor Lupin was researching, he came across a fact that we can only fear is true. She is almost completely magical, and she will have so many spells surrounding her that she cannot be killed. There is no spell that can penetrate these. I don’t know what to tell you, Harry, but this is truly an impossible mission...”
“Didn’t you just tell me that I could do it?” said Harry exasperatedly.
“The rest will be easier, Harry, but we can’t find a way to kill the snake. She’ll have to be the last one you go after. Maybe if all of us can corner her, we can do some damage to the spells protecting her, but I’m not sure what else we can do.”
If Harry was starting to cheer up with the news of the location of the first Horcrux, he was instantly brought down by the knowledge that the last one could not be killed. He didn’t know what he was going to do anymore. He felt at that moment as if his spirit had left his body and flown off in the distance. His shoulders moved forward and slumped as he collapsed out of his chair. The adults were scared by this, so they carried him to his bed and sent Madame Pomphrey to his side to check on him. He was alright, just in shock. Minerva walked out of the Gryffindor commons room shaking her head.
“I can’t believe all this has to rest on his shoulders. He didn’t ask for this, and now the weight of the world is on his back! I wish there was something we could do for him, or at least one of his friends could do for him.”
“We all do,” said Remus, “but unfortunately this is something he has to do alone, like he’s been saying for some time now.”
The three adults left Gryffindor tower in a deeply sorrowful state, hoping against hope this would all be over soon, if only for the reason that Harry could rest his mind without the pressure of being the hero on his shoulders. Moody left later that night, and all had their thoughts on Harry, not sure how much longer he would be considered the Boy Who ‘Lived.’
Harry heard screams all around him as he ran. He didn’t know where he was or his destination. All he knew was that he had to keep running. The screams continued. Some screamed in pain, others in fear. Some screamed his name in such a way it broke his heart. He had failed all those he cared about. He saw Ron and Hermione fall to the ground. Ginny was already gone. He saw Moody fighting Voldemort, and ran towards them. Nearing their location, he saw Moody hit with a green light and fall to the ground amongst the mess of bodies twisted around each other. The Dark Lord turned to Harry and laughed, his wand out and his body covered in sweat.
“The Boy Who Lived, is that right? How about the Boy Who Failed! This is your end, Potter!”
With those eyes glistening with hatred and malice, Voldemort pulled his wand back and screamed with every fiber in his evil being the Killing Curse, then hurled it straight at Harry.
Harry’s world turned green for a moment before he awoke screaming. His eyes flew open to see Ron, Seamus, Neville, and Dean holding him down to keep him from moving. He struggled for a moment, the nightmare still too close and to recent to forget. His heart felt on fire, like it was bleeding openly for the world to see. After the initial shock passed, he settled down before collapsing again.
A moment later, he awoke to the shaking of his body by his friend Ron. He felt a huge feeling of relief that Ron was alive, and not dead as in the dream. His friend looked at him with concern and confusion.
“What the bloody hell was that about, Harry?” Ron asked.
“I don’t know,” Harry answered honestly. He had no idea why he would have such a dream. With the cumulative amount of knowledge forced into his brain these past few days, it was a wonder he was still not in a coma.
“What happened in your dream?” Ron pressed. “Was it another one where you were Voldemort?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. My scar isn’t even hurting at the moment. It was just my fears played out to a conclusion I hope I never see.”
“So what exactly did you see?”
“I saw...the end of the world,” Harry replied with a sense of gravity. The two best friends looked at each other from either side of Harry’s bed before deciding to go back to sleep. This last comment made them both fearful of what could happen. Harry wanted to pretend this dream never happened, but it stayed in his mind the rest of the night, as if a movie projector was replaying it on his eyelids.
Harry Potter & The Silhouette Of Eternal Benevolence by JourneyJosh
Chapter Notes: The students of Hogwarts learn the full extent of the changes to their school. After the drastically different opening feast, Harry is pulled into an impromtu Order meeting, where more is revealed about the Horcruxes, making Harry's worst fears come true.