Choices and Consequences

Chapter Four:

For the first time since the events in the Department of Mysteries, Harry's sleep was troubled by something other than memories of Sirius's death and the prophecy.

At some point during the night Harry once again slipped into a vision:

He was seated in an ornate throne, in the middle of a dark room that many years ago would probably have been considered fairly opulent. Now though, the tapestries were riddled with moth holes, the soft furnishings ripped apart and the inner foam strewn far and wide across the room, and even the grandfather clock in the corner of the room looked as though it had seen little sign of duster or polish for many years. The clock face was covered by so many dusty spiders' webs that it was difficult to read the hands to make out what time it had been when it had ticked and tocked for the last time.

The chandelier above his head, with just one of its numerous oil lamps aglow, was also covered in cobwebs, but provided a low eerie light that appeared to emanate from behind him.

In front of him knelt three figures in black robes, their hoods obscuring their faces, as they looked groundwards in obeisance.

"Tell me, Bellatrix," said Harry in a cruel, cold voice, "how you failed in your task to retrieve the prophecy from the shelves of the Department of Mysteries."

"I'm sorry, Master," whined Bellatrix Lestrange, "Potter did not come alone, he brought five others with him-"

Harry cut her off sharply.

"I thought my instructions were quite clear and simple. Your task was straightforward. You had a dozen trained Death Eaters at your disposal, all well-versed in murder and mayhem of various types, and you mean to tell me that you were unable to deal with six Hogwarts students? Crucio!"

Bellatrix shrieked in agony as the curse hit her.

"Master! It was Malfoy's plan-"

"I care nothing for your feeble excuses, whoever's plan it was, Bellatrix. Because of your collective failure to retrieve the prophecy and deal with those children, Lucius is not here for me to deal with.

"Since you, at least, are here, perhaps I can glean some information that will help my cause, rather than listening to your whining and blaming. Who were the other five?" he whispered malevolently.

"I - I don't know who all of them are. The Longbottom boy was one of them," she cackled in glee, "and I had the pleasure of introducing him to a taste of his parents' fate-"

Harry wasn't interested in Bellatrix's detour through the descriptions of the tortures she had inflicted. He wanted solid information.

"Enough of your reminiscing, Bellatrix. Who were the others?" the sibilant hiss of Harry's words carried easily through the room, despite the low volume at which they were uttered.

"Two were redheads, probably the Weasley brats," she spat. "One of the others was the Mudblood girl. I don't know who the other girl was. She was a blonde, that's all I can tell you."

"So, those who resist are identified," Harry sneered, thoughtfully. "Unless you have any further information for me, you are dismissed Bellatrix - begone!" he commanded.

The hooded women rose to her feet and shuffled away backwards, and out of the room, her eyes never leaving the spot on the floor at Harry's feet she had been staring at the whole time.

Harry turned his attention to the two remaining figures before him.

"Wormtail, I want to know who this blonde girl is. Find out all you can. If she's Potter's girlfriend I want to know instantly. Find out what you can about the others as well - I believe you have a history with the Weasleys. I want to know where they are most vulnerable. Same with the muggleborn girl, Granger."

"Yes, master," Wormtail snivelled, and started to rise as though to leave.

"Crucio!"

Wormtail screamed and writhed on the floor in pain.

"I did not give you permission to leave, Wormtail!" grated Harry at the prone animagus. "Now you may leave," he added vindictively.

He ignored Wormtail as he crawled out of the room, whimpering softly, and looked impassively at the final man.

"You see what fools I am forced to rely upon. I trust you will prove more useful? I understand you do not wish to join their ranks, but are prepared to assist me in ... other ways?"

"Yes, my Lord," spoke a voice that Harry did not recognise. "I believe I will shortly have an ... opportunity ... that you would appreciate. My current employers are still coming to terms with your ... status ... and I think this is a good time to ensure that their resources are thinly spread."

"Good. Then I expect to hear from you when this 'opportunity' presents itself, and you can provide me with more detail."

"Indeed, my Lord. I look forward to helping you dispose of the Potter boy."

"You may depart."

Harry awoke in a cold sweat; his scar burning horribly and his mind reeling from the impact of the Cruciatus curses cast on Wormtail and Bellatrix Lestrange. The sky was only just starting to brighten, and the alarm clock informed Harry that it was still only 4am. He needed to warn Dumbledore that Voldemort knew who four of the people were that had been at the Ministry of Magic with him, and that they were trying to find out about Luna as well.

Harry also wondered who the third robed figure had been. Voldemort's words indicated that he wasn't actually a Death Eater, but that he was prepared to support Voldemort without taking that final step. This was a risk for the Dark Lord, since he wouldn't be able to command the same level of fear, nor would he be able to summon the man or cause him additional pain by using the Dark Mark. He still had other means of intimidating and maintaining the loyalty of those who served him though, whatever capacity they did so in.

Remembering that he was due to meet Dumbledore at 9 o'clock anyway, Harry figured that the information he had would wait for a few hours, and decided that he would try and get back to sleep. He worked on clearing his mind once again, and soon returned to a, thankfully, dream-free sleep.

* * *

Waking slowly, Harry recalled the previous night's vision with a grimace, and considered whether he needed to write any of it down. A glance at the clock, however, informed him that it was nearly nine o'clock already, and he would need to hurry if he were going to be on time to meet Dumbledore.

Quickly washing and dressing, Harry made his way down to the kitchen, where he was able to enjoy a brief breakfast. There was no sign of Aunt Petunia or Dudley, and by this time of the day Uncle Vernon was at work, so Harry was able to enjoy the peace and quiet of his uninterrupted meal.

As he made his way across the street, Harry noted that the weather was turning slightly cooler, and there might be rain in the air. The sky was still bright, but with white clouds, rather than the burning sunshine and azure sky of recent days. It looked as though the local vegetation might finally be getting a well-needed watering.

Harry knocked on the door at Mrs Figg's house, and was once again greeted by Dumbledore.

"Ah, Harry, just on time," he said with a smile. "Please join me in the living room."

Harry walked through to the living room and sat in the same comfortable seat as the previous meeting with the Headmaster. Dumbledore followed him in, and took a seat directly opposite him.

"Good Morning, Harry," Dumbledore began. "I trust you are well?"

Harry thought that he'd better outline his vision from the previous night, and detailed it to Dumbledore, who looked thoughtful as Harry spoke.

"Was there any indication who this third man was?" he asked.

"No. I never saw his face, and I didn't recognise the voice," Harry advised. "It didn't seem to be a Death Eater though," he added.

Dumbledore sat silently for a few moments while he considered the information that Harry had supplied then suggested that Harry not worry about it for a while. He indicated that the Order would have to find out more to try and identify the mystery man.

He asked Harry about his progress with the book on clearing the mind, and Harry outlined how helpful it had been, even though he had originally thought it was going to be more directly related to the actual act of Occlumency.

"Ah, but Harry, it is as vital to be able to concentrate and to clear your mind, so that you are in the right mental state, as it is to develop the skills that will enable you to better protect your mind. The exercises in that book should also help you to concentrate on other topics as well, so it should be useful in your wider education, not just for learning Occlumency.

"Anyhow, I have spoken to Professor Snape about your previous Occlumency lessons, and I agree with your original assessment that it would not be appropriate for you to continue those lessons with him. I think it would be counter-productive, bearing in mind your mutual dislike, and to benefit from the lessons you need to trust your tutor more than I believe you would be capable of trusting Professor Snape. Therefore, I have made other arrangements for you."

Dumbledore didn't enlighten Harry about the reasons he'd discovered for his difficulty in learning Occlumency from Professor Snape, leaving him to assume that he had agreed with Harry's own conclusion that it just wasn't possible for the two of them to work together.

However, Harry was very pleased to hear that he would have a different tutor in the subject, although he waited with some remaining trepidation as he waited to find out who he would now be receiving lessons from. However, Dumbledore didn't offer any further information at this point. Instead, he pulled two more books out from under his voluminous robes and passed them to Harry.

Harry looked at the cover of the first one; it was a golden yellow colour with black writing and was entitled "Defending your mind".

"That one is more or less a follow on from the book I gave you earlier in the week, Harry," Dumbledore said by way of explanation. "Once you have finished the book on clearing your mind, I would like you to start on this one to give you some preparation before having practical lessons in the subject. The other book is one that I purchased from a Muggle bookshop a few years ago. I'd like you to use it to help build up some of your physical skills."

Harry looked at the book Dumbledore was now referring to, and realised that it appeared to be a "keep-fit" manual.

Harry idly flicked through the pages and read a few sections, which provided explanations of exercises to perform to build up different groups of muscles, and had helpful illustrations to supplement the written text.

"Thank you, sir."

"For the moment, I hope these are sufficient to keep you occupied, Harry. Once I have located the person I have in mind to continue your Occlumency lessons, I will let you know. Meanwhile, I believe we have plenty of other things to discuss."

Harry nodded, thinking of the hundreds of unanswered questions he still had.

"First of all, I want to talk about the prophecy, Harry. You asked a number of very good questions in your letter to me: should you withhold the information or share it? Does the prophecy necessarily mean that one of you must kill the other? Are there any other outcomes that would also fulfil the prophecy? How reliable are such things? I shall begin with the last of these, since it informs our decisions regarding the other questions.

"All prophecies are fated to be fulfilled in one manner or another. In some cases though, it is not until fulfilment occurs that it is clear what the prophecy in question actually meant. Some prophecies are extremely ambiguous or vague; others have interpretations that weren't clearly evident until after the matter.

In this case though, it appears fairly straightforward. The wording of the prophecy seems pretty clear, but this leads into two of your other questions. I believe that the end result is that one of you must destroy the other, or prevent them from ever becoming a threat again. I can't see any other interpretation, I'm afraid, Harry."

Harry felt the thoughts of having to deliberately kill someone in cold blood disturbing, and started to shake at the idea.

"Professor ... um ... how ... how do I go about killing Voldemort?" Harry stuttered.

Dumbledore look at Harry with deep sympathy evident in his eyes.

"I don't know, Harry. That's something that you are going to have to learn for yourself. I can only provide you with the education to put you in a position to be able to succeed. I had initially thought that you might have accomplished the prophecy's resolution when your parents were killed, but it is clear now that he was not killed, and the prophecy clearly states that 'one must die at the hand of the other'."

Harry looked glum at this pronouncement. Like the finality of a judge proclaiming the death sentence upon a convicted murderer, the moment weighed heavily upon him and in the air of Mrs Figg's living room.

"There's no other way?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore hesitated a moment before slowly shaking his head. "None that I can see, Harry," he replied. "I'm sorry."

"And if he kills me...?"

"Then I fear that his evil grip will tighten on power, he will become almost unstoppable, perhaps, until the day he finally dies. Simply his triumph over you would be cause for him to launch terror of the greatest degree upon the world, as a celebration of the defeat of what he probably believes to be the largest obstacle to his ascent. You have defied him, what, four times in the past?"

Harry nodded again.

"That is far more than he is used to. You have seen the vengeance he sought on those that defied him before you," Dumbledore continued, reminding Harry of the fates of both his own and Neville's parents, "and he does not take kindly to being thwarted so. I hesitate to place this burden upon you, but I believe there is no other option: you must continue to stand and fight."

Harry looked even more morose at this suggestion.

"No choice..." he muttered under his breath. "No choice..."

"Harry?" Dumbledore questioned.

Harry sat there staring at the floor. Dumbledore allowed him to sit there in silence for a while, then stood up and left the room. He went into the kitchen, picked up a letter he had left there earlier and returned to the living room.

Harry was now sat upright, staring into the mid-distance, as though visualising something.

"Harry, are you all right?" Dumbledore broke the silence.

"Yes, yes," Harry said absently. "I'm ... fine."

He stopped and then began again.

"Professor, if I have to fight Voldemort, I need to be prepared. I need to learn more than I would learn at Hogwarts, don't I?" he asked. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to beat him by continuing with Astronomy, or Herbology, or Divination...."

"Well, I'm not sure that Professors Sinistra, Sprout, and Trelawney would be happy with me for saying so, but you are likely correct," Dumbledore responded. "If you are agreeable, I will make arrangements for you to have tuition in some more, shall I say, practical subjects? Practical to your situation, that is.

"To that end, I have a copy of your OWL results here. If you are going to be talking some extracurricular activities this coming year, it might be helpful to decide at this stage what subjects you would like to pursue further at NEWT stage."

Harry looked up at Dumbledore with a combination of anticipation and confusion. "But I thought the results were going to be late this year - Professor McGonagall said we'd get an owl in July telling us?"

"Yes, yes. Well, I'm sure Professor McGonagall was taking into account some of the unpleasantness of the past year, and the likely need to review some of the scores," Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye. "As it happens, there was only one exam where we felt that there was a problem, and we have identified a solution to address that situation. As you will no doubt recall from earlier years, we normally have the OWL results available by the end of term."

Harry thought back two years and recalled that Fred and George Weasley had received their OWL results before the end of term that year, though with only three passes each, he wasn't sure that they had been particularly bothered. The fact that they hadn't completed their NEWT-level studies meant that they weren't qualified for anything in particular, and it was probably a good job that they were setting up their own business.

Harry wondered how they had been getting on, but pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for now and took the envelope that Dumbledore was offering him, opening it eagerly. He found it difficult to explain his constantly switching moods today, but given the extent of the news he had received, it was an understandable reaction.

Harry rolled the parchment down and read through the letter enclosing his results:

Dear Mr Potter,

Please find below the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWL) examinations. Where subjects contained both a theory and practical element to the exam these have been combined to provide an overall score for that subject. Any unusual notes regarding your scores will be found at the bottom of this letter.

Griselda Marchbanks,

Chief Examiner,

Independent OWL Examining Board (IOWLEB).

Results of Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWL) Examinations

Harry J. Potter, Gryffindor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry was delighted with his results in Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. Obviously his practical sections had raised his final grade into the "Exceeded Expectations" category, as he was sure that although he'd done enough to pass on the theory papers, he knew that he hadn't scored highly enough to merit an "E" in any of those subjects on the theory alone.

He was content enough with the other scores. He had become accustomed long ago to the fact that his Divination score was never going to be worth much, whether he tried to follow Professor Trelawney's instructions or if he made it up, so he wasn't too bothered about failing that subject. His History of Magic exam had been consumed first with him staring at the back of Parvati's head while he tried to remember something about the circumstances leading to the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards, and then with the vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries.

He shook his head with a shudder, as he tried to clear his mind of that last memory, and was surprised when he found himself able to shake it off with relative ease.

He looked back down at the parchment and noticed the additional notes relating to his Defence against the Dark Arts and Astronomy results:

* Defence against the Dark Arts: Special commendation for performance in the practical examination.

^ Astronomy: Due to unforeseen circumstances, not caused by the examinees, the practical element of this examination was not able to be conducted under correct examination conditions. All students affected by this (all Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students) will be permitted to re-sit the practical aspect of this exam in December of this year.

'Well, that's a bonus,' thought Harry. 'Six OWLs is reasonable enough, and the opportunity to re-sit the Astronomy practical could make it seven. It's not as many as Hermione will have, but it's not bad.'

"Well how did you do?" asked Dumbledore calmly, as he watched Harry reflecting on his results.

Harry grinned up at his Headmaster and, rather than explain to him what he felt, passed the letter to him to read for himself.

"Not bad, Harry," Dumbledore congratulated him, "not bad at all. Though I feel with perhaps a little more application, you might have achieved even greater things."

Harry looked up at Dumbledore with a glint of humour in his own eyes.

"Sir, after all you've just told me about Divination among other subjects-"

"I'm sorry, Harry. I merely meant to applaud your grades, not to castigate you for your failures," Dumbledore apologised. "You should always look to what is ahead, and what you can achieve in future, not what is past and unchangeable," he added, a little pompously.

"However," he continued in a more serious vein, "if you are to learn the skills that will help you, ultimately, to defeat Voldemort, you will need to demonstrate that the discipline that holds you in good stead in your practical work can be transferred across to the necessary studying."

Harry nodded, duly chastised for what was, after all, an accurate assessment of his weaknesses. Dumbledore wasn't quite finished however.

"Professor Snape seems particularly annoyed by your perceived lack of discipline in his Potions classes and mentioned this to me the other evening. I remarked that I felt he was significantly underestimating your aptitude. I would hate for you to prove me wrong."

Harry's face had scrunched up into a snarl at the mention of Snape's comments about his discipline, but relaxed as Dumbledore continued.

"As I said before, I have some ideas for developing skills you may need, which will need to continue when you return to school-"

"-I will still be able to see my friends around school, won't I, sir?" Harry interrupted. He had the sudden thought that he would end up alone, studying things that no one else would know about, and missing out on the camaraderie of being with his friends.

"Fear not, young Harry," Dumbledore reassured him. "I was not going to suggest withdrawing you from the Hogwarts curriculum entirely, and you will, of course, continue to reside in Gryffindor Tower, so you should have plenty of opportunity for the usual mischief that you young Gryffindors revel in.

"No, my intention with this was only to limit the number of NEWT level courses that you take. Whilst some, more enthusiastic, students might end up taking eight or nine NEWTs, most attempt to study no more than six. In your case, I would suggest that with the additional workload you will be subjected to with the additional training, not to mention your ubiquitous Quidditch practices," Dumbledore added with a chuckle, "you should restrict yourself to four NEWT courses, plus whatever time you need to study for your Astronomy re-sit, should you wish to undertake it."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at this. It was one thing knowing that he was going to have to train extremely hard, whether in a mental or physical sense, to put himself in a position where he could take on Voldemort, but it would be a totally different prospect if he were going to have to do that without contact with his friends. This seemed to be an excellent solution.

"Well obviously I want to continue with Defence against the Dark Arts, Professor," Harry began. "That is, as long as it isn't Umbridge that is teaching it again this year?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with sympathy once more.

"No, Dolores Umbridge will not be gracing us with her presence this year. Minister Fudge was extremely put out that he wasn't able to contact her, following her departure at the end of last term. It appears that she has, as the muggle stories describe it, 'gone to ground.'"

"Needless to say, once she surfaces there will be a number of questions asked by the Wizengamot about her conduct at Hogwarts."

Harry considered his next words carefully, not wanting to tip his hand, and also not sure if they were fuelled by a desire for some form of revenge for the torture Umbridge had inflicted upon him the previous year.

"Professor, you asked for some of my memories of how the Dursleys treated me. Would you like me to provide some memories of how Umbridge treated me, and other students as well?" he asked.

It looked for a moment as though Dumbledore was going to refuse Harry's offer, but then something must have prompted him to take a further interest.

"Actually Harry, I think I would. Even though it wouldn't be acceptable as testimony, I might be able to use the information to lead any questions that might be asked," Dumbledore admitted. "I suspect there were things that even I was unaware of at the time that might corroborate other evidence or testimony.

"Before we get to that though, there are a couple of other things that I need to discuss with you briefly: firstly, let's sort out your NEWT options."

"Well, Defence against the Dark Arts is a definite requirement," Harry said, and Dumbledore nodded to confirm his agreement, "and I think I should continue with Charms and Transfiguration, too"

"Professors Flitwick and McGonagall will be pleased," Dumbledore noted. "What other option would you like to take?"

Harry considered this as he looked down his list of OWL results.

"I ought to take Potions really, but Sn-, I mean, Professor Snape said that he only accepts students into his NEWT-level class that achieved an "Outstanding" in the Potions OWL, and I didn't meet his requirements."

Harry could tell that Dumbledore found this amusing, since the twinkle was back in his eye and the corners of his mouth were quivering with the effort not to laugh outright.

"The requirements for entry into the NEWT-level Potions class have been relaxed a little this year, Harry. Professor Snape agreed, rather reluctantly I might add, that it would not be appropriate for him to insist on an "Outstanding" OWL result this year."

Harry was somewhat dumbfounded at this, bearing in mind Snape's adamant insistence that he would not teach NEWT-level Potions to 'under-achievers'. He got the feeling that there was something that the Headmaster wasn't telling him.

"Please tell me that you haven't made him let other people in as a special dispensation for me?" Harry pleaded. "I can't think of anything that would antagonise him more!"

"Nothing like that," Dumbledore assured him. "It was simply that only two students managed to attain an "Outstanding" grade in the subject. Whilst I'm sure that Professor Snape would have been quite content to have a class with only two students, I didn't feel that would be a good use of resources. I suppose that we could have combined the sixth and seventh year classes, but that wouldn't have been in the best interest of the two sixth years. Anyhow, I prevailed upon Professor Snape to lower his requirement to a grade of "Exceeds Expectations", which you appear to have achieved."

Now Harry was in something of a quandary. Although he was fully aware that Potions would be by far the most useful of the remaining subjects for him to study at NEWT-level, that meant another two years of Snape's bitter and sarcastic attitude towards him in class.

Still, the important thing right now was to enrol for the classes that were likely to be of most use. He could deal with Snape as and when he had to - after all, Harry had managed to get a good grade in his OWL, despite having five years of classes with the Potions master singling him out and treating him like something that he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoe.

"I'll do Potions then, sir, if that's alright," Harry decided.

"Excellent, Harry!" Dumbledore concurred. "Now, although it might be a few days before I can get hold of the person I have in mind to help with your training and studying, I'd like you to do some work with young Nymphadora Tonks."

Harry grinned at the sound of Tonks' first name, which she hated so much.

"Does that mean I can actually do magic this summer?" Harry asked, anticipating the ways that this would make his life so much easier.

"Not at this stage, I'm afraid," Dumbledore answered, much to Harry's disappointment. "I haven't had the opportunity to put the appropriate safeguards in place, nor to contact the Ministry to request such a derogation in this matter, though I may be able to do so later in the summer."

Harry smiled broadly at the implied prospect of at least being able to do magic for a part of the holidays.

"No, what I want you to work on with Miss Tonks is something a little less obvious: I want her to talk to you about your self-confidence, your faith in your abilities, and your general approach to magic. If you can approach Voldemort with confidence in your talents, you stand a much greater chance of coming out alive, not that you've done badly in your previous encounters.

"You might also want to work on some of the exercises in that book with her," Dumbledore added, pointing at the Muggle keep-fit book that he had given Harry, "at least once you've had a chance to get yourself loosened up and using those muscles a little more.

"But anyhow, I'll let Miss Tonks talk to you about that too."

Dumbledore stood and pulled a Pensieve out from under his robes, while Harry wondered to himself how much the Headmaster could actually carry around on his person.

"Now, shall we move on to those memories?" he suggested. "I know this might not be pleasant, but if you want me to understand what life with the Dursleys is like, it is probably for the best."

Harry nodded, and gestured for Dumbledore to go ahead.

"Right, bring the memories you wish me to view to the front of your mind, and I shall draw them out with my wand. I suggest perhaps a dozen short memories of the Dursleys, and then, if you don't mind, a couple of longer ones about Dolores Umbridge?"

Harry nodded again, and sifted through his mind for the memories he wanted Dumbledore to see. He tried to keep them fairly short, but some of them just needed to come out in their entirety.

Harry pulled forth memories from his early childhood, when Dudley had been provided with numerous Christmas presents while Harry just sat and watched with nothing at all to unwrap; a memory of having to cook pretty much every day for the Dursleys from around seven years old; the taunting of Dudley and his gang as they were allowed to beat him up without censure from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia; a memory of a slip and fall in the garden that resulted in a fractured arm and Aunt Petunia's disgusted reaction to him when he came sobbing to her for comfort; the memories of living in the cupboard under the stairs while Dudley had two bedrooms, and of being locked in the cupboard for hours on end when he had done something inexplicable.

More recent memories also came to mind: being locked in the bedroom after Dobby the house elf had ruined the Dursleys' dinner party; Uncle Vernon's refusal to let Harry have his Hogwarts letters; Aunt Marge's constant taunting about Harry's parents; Uncle Vernon's reaction to him saving Dudley from the dementors;

That was enough for Harry. He hoped that Dumbledore had enough to work with and that he wouldn't have to ask any questions that brought up these memories again. If at all possible, Harry would simply have liked to forget about them.

Now he turned his focus to the memories of Dolores Umbridge. Initially he'd thought that he would use the memory of what had actually happened in class, but then realised that Dumbledore probably already knew about that, not least from any conversations he might have had with Professor McGonagall. Instead he focused on the detentions he had served with Umbridge, and the cutting quill she had forced him to use to write lines in his own blood.

The second memory he selected was of his capture in Umbridge's office, when he had tried to contact Sirius and find out if he was okay. He brought into focus how Umbridge had summoned Snape in order to get veritaserum and force him to confess who he had been trying to talk to; how she threatened him with the Cruciatus Curse; and how she had admitted that she had sent the dementors after him in Little Whinging. 'There,' he thought vindictively, 'that should just about do her in.'

Harry brought his focus back to Mrs Figg's living room, and watched as Dumbledore transferred the final memory from the end of his wand into the Pensieve.

"Thank you, Harry. I'll look at these later, back in my office. For now, please return to the Dursleys' and I'll have Miss Tonks contact you tomorrow morning."

Harry remembered the conversation he'd had with Hermione on the phone the previous day.

"Professor, just one final thing before you go?"

He told the Headmaster about Hermione's invitation to visit the following Friday, and asked if it would be safe for him to go.

Dumbledore hesitated to start with, Harry thought, perhaps unsure whether he could allow him so much freedom so soon, but couldn't come up with any reason why it would not be safe. He explained that wards had been set up at the homes of Muggleborn students to warn of any threats, and that he would be as safe at the Grangers' as Hermione was herself. He did insist on a guard to make sure he arrived there safely though, and said he would find someone from the Order to travel with him.

Just as Dumbledore turned to go back to Hogwarts through the Floo, he added one more thing for Harry to think about :

"Oh, Harry, one last thing: you asked if you should share your knowledge of the prophecy? You might want to share it with your closest friends. They wouldn't be at any greater risk than they already are, since if Voldemort were to suspect that you know the prophecy, he would just as likely target your friends to get to you anyway, as he did with Sirius. Anyway, just to say 'a problem shared is a problem halved'."