The Boy Who Failed

Chapter 2- Two Chambers of Secrets

Why should we idly waste our prime
Repeating our oppression?
Come, rouse to arms, 'tis now the time
To punish past transgressions.
'Tis said that Kings can do no wrong ---
Their murderous deeds deny it;
And, since from us their power sprung,
We have a right to try it.
Now each true patriot's song shall be,
"Welcome Death or Libertie!"

A Revolutionary Lyric by Robert Burns

The large circular room was dark. Everything was quiet. Strange tools and instruments gave long shadows, which gave the room a hunted and mysterious look. The three figures sat quietly, as if avoiding the reason they were there.

Finally, one of them sighed and looked up.

"Has there been any word?" The eldest of the three shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. But we weren't expecting anything this soon."

"He's right, Sirius," said the third man, looking kindly at the first. "They only left last week and as far as I understand they have to actually persuade him to come."

"I just don't believe it!" exclaimed the one called Sirius. "It's impossible. I don't think it's true and can't see how you, of all people, believed it!" The old man sighed sadly.

"I can imagine how you feel, so does Remus I believe." The third man nodded.

"But there is nothing you can do now but hope. It's too late to turn back time."

"Sirius," Remus tried. "You have to listen to Albus. He is right, and you objecting will do no good now." Sirius got up from his seat and started pacing.

"I hate not being able to know what happens."

"We all do," Albus said quietly. "But, sometimes, we don't have a choice."

~*~*~*~

"Can I speak with Harry Potter, please?" asked the red headed boy, looking uncomfortable.

Mr. Otak, and the rest of the class, looked at Harry. Harry, on his part, felt surprised, but didn't show it.

"You may go," said Mr. Otak, glaring suspiciously at the unknown boy.

Harry got up from his chair and walked out of the classroom, the redhead behind him. The door closed behind them.

"OK, I'm out, what do you want?" Harry had his arms crossed over his chest.

"I need to talk to you. Alone," said the red headed boy. Harry shrugged.

"Can't see nobody here. Talk."

"Not here," the boy started walking toward one of the other classrooms.

Harry was very annoyed, but his curiosity was taking the better of him, so he followed.

The other boy opened one of the doors to their left and entered the room, Harry on his heels.

"Well, it's about bloody time," came a voice to Harry's right and when he turned he found himself face to face with a bushy harried girl. She was about his age, had big brown eyes and Harry probably would have thought she was pretty if she didn't remind him of Mrs. Masher, the principal, so much.

"I can't fly, you know," the red headed boy snapped at her.

"The heck you can't," she threw back.

"You were the one who didn't want to go after him!"

They were standing very close, glaring at each other, looking like they might tear one another's throats out at any moment.

As much as Harry enjoyed watching two people he didn't know tearing each other like wild dogs, he really didn't feel like being left out.

"So," he said, making them both jump. Apparently, they had forgotten he was even there, "This is a lot of fun. But what's the real reason Carrots there brought me here?"

The red headed boy's ears turned red and the girl looked pleased, but neither said anything. Harry raised an eyebrow. "Well? It's not like you've got all day."

"Actually," said the girl hesitantly, but in a much softer voice than before. "We do."

"And how's that? You're going to tie me down and take me in a locked van to the other side of the country?" He cocked his head to one side. "Tempting, but I don't see what you get out of it." The bushy haired girl looked sternly at him.

"This is no time for jokes. I can't see why you're being so light headed about it." Harry nodded.

"You're right. Absolutely right. I don't know why I'm acting this way either. Especially since I have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

The girl turned very red and avoided his eyes. The red headed boy was snickering behind her.

"Granger, let me deal with it." The boy got his composure back. "Listen, we're from Hogwarts. I know that you don't want any connection to us, but just give me a chance, hear me out."

Harry gave him a quizzical look. "You lost me again, somewhere around that "Hogwarts" thing." The boy looked sheepish.

"What do you mean? Hogwarts, remember? The school?"

"Oh, Hogwarts! Why didn't you say? The place that I never heard of before!"

"How come you never hear of Hogwarts?" the Granger girl came back to life. Harry snorted.

"Very easily." He paused and looked at their stunned faces. "I don't get out much." The redhead found his voice first.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Harry watched him sheepishly. "'Don't get out much'? Can't you just say out loud you don't want anything to do with us?"

"Fine, let's say I said that. Can I go now?" He noticed that the Granger girl was suspiciously quiet.

"No! Wait. We need your help." The expression on the boy's face made him look very stupid.

"Oh, shut up, Weasley," snapped Granger. "Why won't you let me do this."

"Fine, Miss I-Can-Do-Everything. You try talking to him," said Weasley. He gave her a bow and stepped away dramatically.

"Are you sure you don't want me to leave?" said Harry with not little humor in his voice. Granger glared at him but started talking just the same.

"Listen, remember when you were almost eleven, and got this weird letter you didn't know where from? What happened to it?" Harry stiffened.

"That was a joke by the family I live with. How do you know 'bout that?" The Weasley boy gasped, but Granger was persistent.

"But have you read it?" she asked hopefully. Harry snorted.

"Read what? It were just blank pages."

Weasley gasped again and Granger looked like she guessed what happened.

"Take a sit," she sighed. "We have a long day ahead of us."

~*~*~*~

"What are we going to do when he gets here?"

"You're thinking too far ahead," the old man smiled. "He might not come at all."

"How can you - " There was a knock on the door and the black haired man stopped talking.

"Come in," called Albus.

"Professor," a middle-aged looking woman came in. "You are needed downstairs. It can't be delayed." The old man sighed.

"Very well. I'll be right back." The other two nodded.

Albus got out of his chair, crossed the room and followed the woman. The door closed quietly behind him.

The two men remained seated, but said nothing.

"Gods, I can't believe I let this happen." It was only a whisper, but it was heard clearly enough.

"Sirius," the brown haired man said just as quietly. "You can't blame yourself for that anymore than I can blame myself for..."

"That's different!" Sirius had jumped to him feet and looked at the other man cautiously.

"How is it?" Remus was using the same calm and quiet tone he used before.

"It is!" Sirius wasn't looking at Remus, searching the office, searching, searching, searching... "You had no choice! You didn't know -"

"Like you did. Sirius, stop it!" Remus was standing in front of him. "Like you could know! Sirius, don't you see that they would have died one way or the other!"

The last comment was greeted with silence from both men. One couldn't believe what he just heard; the other couldn't believe what he just said.

"Remus," Sirius' voice was shaking, so was the hand he raked through his hair. "Wha - wha -," his voice broke and he looked at Remus pleadingly.

Remus sighed, sat back into his armchair and covered his face with his hands.

"I never told you this," he looked up. "We thought it would be better for you not to know, you were thicker than thieves."

"Remus," Sirius was looking at the man he thought he knew all his life pleadingly. "Please, what do you mean?"

"Years back, when - when -" his voice broke and it was a few moments before he could speak again. "We used several divination methods, back - - then," this time he couldn't continue.

"You, you knew?" Wonder, anger, disappointment, disbelief, shock, all was clear in the man's voice. Remus nodded.

"We didn't know how, but we knew." He risked a look at his old friend. "Sirius, I'm sorry."

Sirius had his eyes closed, his breathing hard and his mind rushing. Coherent thoughts failed him.

"You, you said 'we'," he finally managed.

But before Remus could answer, they heard the gargoyle at the bottom of the magical stairway move.

When Albus entered the room he found the two men sitting in the same position he had left them. As odd as it looked, he didn't comment on it and sat at his desk.

"Now," he said, failing to see Sirius' sad face and Remus' grave one. "We were discussing -"

But he, too, was interrupted. A snowy owl flew through the open window and landed on Sirius' lap. He unfolded the parchment, took one look at it and jumped to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Albus," he said. "But the Ministry is calling. I have to go."

Albus nodded and Sirius left the room.

"I imagine there's no reason to continue this meeting with only you and me here, or is there?" Albus' eyes were searching Remus', but those showed nothing.

Remus got up to his feet and was just about to leave when Albus called him back. "Come by when Sirius sends his owl, will you?" he asked.

Again, Remus nodded and left the room. Albus looked sad for a moment, then sighed and went towards the door where his bird's perch was standing.

~*~*~*~

"I'm a what?!"

"You're a wizard, Harry."

"I'm a what?"

"A wizard, Harry."

"A what?"

"A wizard."

"What?"

"A wizard, and stop asking that! I've said it 20 times already," said Ron irritably.

The two had started from the beginning. His name was Ronald Weasley and she was Hermione Granger.

At that moment they were having difficulties with getting further than the starting point. Harry was still caught up thinking it was all a joke.

"Listen," Hermione was trying very hard to stay calm. "If we showed you we can do magic, will you believe us?"

"What," Harry smirked. "You're going to take out your pretty little wand and transform this table into a pig?"

Hermione said nothing as she took out her wand, pointed it at the table and turned it into a pig. Ron did the same, only he turned the pig back to a table.

Harry's mouth was hanging open as he stared at the two.

"You just did that - that - magic!" Ron collapsed into the nearest chair.

"What do you think we've been trying to tell you for the last hour!"

"Are you telling me I can do that?" Harry's mind was quick to process the new information, and even quicker to see the benefits.

"Well..." Ron looked at Hermione looking for help.

"Technically yes, but -"

"So give me that stick of yours and let me try it," Harry interrupted her.

"But," Hermione glared at Harry. "You aren't trained yet. You can't do complicated things like that. And on top of it all, you're not allowed to."

"Oh, great, just my fucking luck. I can blow windows up, but when it comes to turning tables into pigs, I'm totally useless. What exactly am I still doing here?" He didn't mention to Hermione that he didn't give one shit for her rules, or anyone else's, for the matter, but he thought she might be useful and didn't want to get at her throat like the Weasley git.

"You blew a window up wandless?" Hermione looked genuinely surprised. "That git over there," Ron commented on that with a 'hey!'. "Can't even do that with his wand."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd make fun of your own boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend!" said Hermione.

"She's not my girlfriend!" cried Ron at the same time. Harry grinned.

"Whatever you say, whatever you say." Hermione sighed and decided not to comment on that.

"Anyway," she said. "You were supposed to come to Hogwarts, but as far as I see, someone stopped you -"

"And we all know who that was," Harry snorted interrupting her again.

"And because whoever it was stopped you," Hermione ignored him and continued talking. "You, obviously, didn't go. And the Dark wizard that gave you the scar -"

"What?! What about my scar?" Harry looked startled. Hermione sighed.

"Sorry, I thought you know," her voice became softer and gentler. "Before we were born a wizard among our kind turned bad, as bad as wizards can get. He looked for followers and power, he found both. He was feared throughout the world and there seemed to be no way of stopping him. But people did try -"

"Is there a point to your story, or you're trying to depress me enough to listen to you? 'Cause I've got a news flash for you - it won't work," Harry growled looking impatient.

"Shut up, it's about your parents." Ron glared from where he was sitting.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked back at Hermione. She, unlike Ron, looked sad.

"Dumbledore, Hogwarts' Headmaster, and your parents, James and Lily Potter, were of the few that tried to fight the Dark Lord. Then one night You-Know-Who," Harry looked quizzically at her. "That's what we call him," she continued with the same soft voice.

"Why?" Harry stopped her again.

"We're still afraid," said Ron. "She'll get to that."

"What's his name?" Harry continued inquiring.

"We don't say it," said Ron.

"Lord Voldemort," said Hermione at the same time. Ron stared at Hermione for a whole minute and then -

"Don't say his name!" he shrieked. Harry started laughing so hard he fell of the hair he was sitting on, Hermione just looked smug.

"You're afraid of someone who calls himself 'Lord Voldemort'?" managed Harry when he got his composure back. "I've never heard something that pathetic my whole life!" The witch and wizard in front of him turned and stared at him.

"Don't say things like that," Hermione's voice was quiet. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Enlighten me then," Harry crossed his arms over his chest. Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Weasley, why don't you tell him the rest?"

Ron shrugged and Harry, with great amusement, turned his attention to him.

"One night He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named decided, as far as I know, to come to the house where you and your parents hid. He killed your parents and tried to kill you. But something went wrong. When he tried to kill you, the curse rebounded and hit him. The only thing that happened to you is that scar of yours."

"Oh, joy," said Harry, unimpressed. "Always knew I was special."

"Please, don't joke about this," Hermione spoke pleadingly.

"What I want to know," demanded Harry. "Is why you came here. That He-Who-Is-Stupid of yours is dead. What do you want from me?"

"He was dead," said Ron grimly. "Like you said. But that's just it, he returned."

"And now you need my help."

"There's more to it than that." Ron got up from his chair and stood in front of Harry. "He didn't exactly return this year," he looked at his shoes. "Five years ago, when we were first years, a special object was kept in Hogwarts. It has the ability of turning anything in to gold and produces the elixir of life. To make a long story short, a follower of You-Know-Who got his hands on it and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used it. He got his body back, but not his powers, according to professor Dumbledore. During the summer of that year he regained most of the power he lost."

"Even more so," ventured Hermione in a grave voice.

Ron nodded and continued. "At first, most of the Wizarding World was doubtful. But then people started to die, to disappear," Ron's voice broke.

"There were several attempts to kill You-Know-Who," Hermione took over. "None succeeded." She gave him a pointed look.

"So, basically," Harry looked bored. "I'm your last resort."

"No!" Ron exclaimed. "No! I mean - it's not like that. We - we thought that you were happy. We didn't want to disturb you. We thought you didn't want to have anything to do with us."

"But you came now," Harry pointed out, glaring at Ron. "What changed?"

"We didn't have a choice now, you're ---" And he stopped, realizing what he was saying.

"Do you know what it's like to have to work so that you won't die of hunger when you're 14?" Harry had gotten up from his chair and stood in front of Ron. "Do you know what it's like to be reminded every single day that you're a worthless piece of shit? How could you possibly think I wasn't happy?" Ron took a step backwards and shook his head fearfully. "Don't give me your fucking excuses."

Harry turned away from Ron and walked to the window. He took a silkcut out of his back pocket and lit it.

"Can you, please, not do that?" Ron choked out.

Harry turned toward Ron and leaned on the window-seal.

"Oh, you're also a sissy that can't handle a smoke." He smirked and threw the fag at Ron. Hermione sighed, annoyed. She walked over to Harry and put her hand on his elbow.

"Harry, please, listen to us -"

Harry didn't let her continue. He shook her hand off of his elbow and looked down at her.

"Don't you dare."

"Don't dare what?" Hermione's voice was gentle. "Listen to me, we're not lying to you. Please, believe us."

"Oh, sure now I'm convinced!" said Harry, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Listen to her," tried Ron.

"Shut up, Weasley," snapped Hermione. "You're not helping."

"So you think you can handle me on your own?" Harry's smirk widened. "Several girls made that mistake before." Hermione wouldn't take it anymore. She took a step toward Harry and slapped him.

Harry blinked for a moment, touched his cheek and looked at his hand. Then he looked at Hermione with a guarded, pensive look.

"You know," he said after a while. "I think I like you." Hermione glared at him and Harry started laughing. It wasn't that his laugh was mirthless, but it was cold and sent shivers down Ron and Hermione's spines. Harry calmed down, his expression growing serious. "So, anything else you want me to do? Stop the hunger in Ethiopia? Save the peace process in the Middle East? Put Charles and Diana back together?"

Ron stared at Harry, clueless, Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Harry, please," she said. "You don't know how serious this is."

"I don't want to know!" said Harry in a tone suggesting they should have known it already.

"Might I have a word?" Ron looked up at Harry.

"Have a sentence even, it's not like I can stop you," answered Harry. Ron sighed but spoke anyway.

"I don't know the Muggle world as well as you do, but you have to see that this is important to them as much as it's important to wizards. When he's done with us, he'll come after you."

"Listen Carrots," Harry glared at Ron. "I don't know what 'Muggles' is, but I want to ask you one thing - Do I look like I care?"

"Fine!" Ron got up from his chair and started walking towards the door. "You're just a coward, who -"

In two strides Harry was in front of Ron, he pushed the redhead against the wall and hissed into his face. "Never call me a coward."

"You are one, so don't deny it."

"No I'm not," said Harry pushing him against the wall again.

"Prove it!"

"Fine, I'll come with you. But this better be good."

To be continued...