A/N: All of the characters contained herein belong to Ms. Rowling. FYI... Harry is slightly out of character in this chapter but he's dealing with alot, and kind of in shock, so in a way, it makes sense for him to not be acting like himself.
Harry sat nervously in his bed, where Remus had insisted he stay, waiting for his guardian to return with the Weasleys and Hermione. He had decided to tell them all at once and just be done with it, although he still wasn't exactly sure what he would say. He supposed it would just be best to begin at the beginning. The problem was, Harry was not sure exactly what the beginning was. He knew the last year had been hard on everyone, particularly those closest to him. He knew he had not been a pleasant person to be around, and yet they had stayed, they had not given up on him. Harry sighed and rubbed his scar.
Just then Remus poked his head in the door. Looking gravely at Harry he asked, " You sure you are ready for this?"
"Yeah Remus. I need to do this. I can't keep it all in anymore."
Remus nodded, and opened the door the rest of the way. The room was suddenly filled with people, all voicing their concern, all worried about him, despite what he had done earlier. Harry looked around at the familiar faces, this group of people who had become his family when he had none. He knew then with absolute clarity that he had to tell them, no matter how hard it would be.
"Remus said you had something you wanted to tell us dear, but you look exhausted. Are you sure this can't wait?" said Mrs. Weasley hugging Harry to her fiercely.
Harry shook his head. "No Mrs. Weasley. It really can't wait anymore."
Harry waited until everyone had found a seat, then looked around nervously clearing his throat.
"Well... um..." Harry began. "First I want to say thank you, to all of you, for putting up with me lately. I know I haven't been exactly easy to be around."
Ron snorted, "You've been a real git Harry."
"Ronald!" Mrs Weasley and Hermione said simultaneously, giving Ron eerily similar glares.
"No... it's ok. He's right. I have been. I asked you all in here to explain to you why. You all deserve that," Harry took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than he thought.
"I guess it all started with Cedric's death. When he died, and Voldemort came back, I think I felt responsible for it. I felt like I should've done something to save Cedric, done something to stop Voldemort's return. At the time, I didn't know why I felt that way exactly. I just know that I did."
"Harry, that's ridiculous. There is nothing you could've done," said Hermione trying to comfort him.
Harry just smiled sadly at her. He knew that this is where things would begin to get to get truly uncomfortable for him. He was not used to sharing so much of himself with other people, even Ron and Hermione, and he was about to reveal the darkest of his secrets to a room full of people.
"There was more than just the guilt though. I kept getting these glimpses into Voldemort's mind, usually when I was asleep. Even worse, I could do more than just see his thoughts. I could look through his eyes, feel what he felt." Harry stopped to gather his thoughts, afraid to look up and see what was in their faces.
"It was almost like a part of me was becoming him. When... when Mr. Weasley got bitten, I didn't just see it, I was in the snake. I felt it, I tasted it." He heard the sharp indrawn breath of Mrs. Weasley. Tears rolled unnoticed down his face, his eyes jewel bright. He had to go on, no matter how much it hurt.
"I started taking occlumency with Professor Snape, but it only made things worse. The dreams became more intense. I started dreaming about the Department of Mysteries almost every night. I thought that if I could just get to that door, just see what was beyond it, I'd understand what was happening to me. I'd understand why I felt the way that I did." Harry swiped at his tears and took a deep breath.
"Then I had the dream about Sirius, and I did something I will regret forever. I went to the Department of Mysteries and, well you all know what happened then." Harry paused, remembering himself, seeing again the images of Bellatrix and Sirius, of the danger he put his friends in. He would not let that happen again. He had to go on, had to let them know what he was, what they faced by standing with him.
"Afterwards, Dumbledore took me to his office. I was so angry with him. In my mind, he'd ignored me, shut me out, and kept me in the dark for an entire year, and now Sirius was dead. I threw a right fit... destroyed his office, cursed, and screamed. When I finally stopped to listen, he told me he was sorry, told me why he had treated me the way he had, why Voldemort just can't leave me alone. I finally understood, but now that I know, I wish that I didn't. " Harry looked up then. He had to see their faces when he told them.
"I know what the prophecy in the Ministry says... all of it. It's about me... me and Voldemort." Mrs. Weasley shook her head, tears streaming down he pale face as Mr. Weasley tried to comfort her. Ron was holding Hermione, tears in both of their eyes as they listened to Harry speak. Fred and George, more serious then he had ever seen them, sat on either side of a shocked looking Ginny, supporting her. Lupin sat near Harry, his eyes filled with pain and compassion for the boy who was like a son to him. Harry stared ahead, forcing himself to continue, and for the second time since he'd heard it, he repeated the prophecy.
"No!" Ron was the first to react, his voice choked. "That... that can't be right Harry. It can't mean what it sounds like."
"I'm afraid it is mate," said Harry smiling sadly at him, curiously detached as if this were happening to another person. "In the end, it comes down to me and Voldemort. I have to either kill or be killed."
"No Harry! Divinition and prophecy... They're both very wooly. This... it sounds like a bunch of nonsense," Hermione said her voice high, slightly panicked as she tried to make sense of it, find a logical explanation.
"'Mione... don't," he said simply, reaching out and grabbing her hand. She looked down at him then, tears filling her eyes.
"Oh Harry!" she said breaking down, and throwing herself on him sobbing. He held her for just a moment before releasing her to Ron.
Harry looked around once more at the shocked and dazed expressions of his friends. "I know that this is alot to take in all at once. I need to make you understand though. Just being here with me, being seen with me puts you all in danger. He won't hesitate to use you the way he did Sirius. I will understand Mr. and Mrs. Weasley if you want to take your family and go. I'll understand if anyone wants to leave."
"Harry James Potter!" Mrs. Weasley said in the voice that she usually reserved for Fred and George at their very worst. "How dare you! Arthur and I think of you as one of our own. We would no more desert you then we would any of our children. We knew there was danger for us when we joined the Order. The danger may be greater here with you, but the fight is so much more important to us."
Mr. Weasley spoke then, his normally jovial visage grim, "Harry, you will always be a part of our family. This does not change that. We would die for you just as we would the others."
"We love you Harry," said Mrs. Weasley simply, sitting down next to him and putting her arms around him.
Harry finally broke then, buried his face in Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and cried. He felt the walls he had built around himself crumbling, his tears leaking from his eyes like poison from his wounded heart. He cried for all of the things he'd lost, for all that he was, and all that he could never be. He was dimly aware of the others leaving until it was just Harry, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley. In those few minutes that Harry allowed himself this weakness, which he usually fought so hard against, he finally accepted who and what he was. It was as if saying it, telling them, had made it real. He was Harry James Potter, the Child of Prophecy. He was the Boy Who Lived. He was the man who would defeat, had to defeat, Voldemort.
Thanks for reading. I know this chapter is emotional, but it had to be done to move on with the story. Thanks for all of the nice reviews guys. Please keep them coming!