Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything (4)

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Chapter Four: The Impossible But True

The next thing Harry and Hermione were aware of was that they were no longer in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow. Their second realization was that, although they didn't understand why they had Portkeyed away, at least they recognized the place they were at. The gentle and comforting sound of Phoenix song greeted them as an aged but at the same time youthful face looked up at the sound of their arrival.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, please, have a seat. Oh, and you can place the cake on my desk here. We may as well have a bit before we get down to the serious matters at hand. So, who likes icing? I prefer mine light on the icing and heavy on the ice cream, but that's me. I've got my own private stash of Florean Fortescue's Select here. Come on now and eat up. There's no need to save any since Molly has already made enough sweets to run the entire magical world short of sugar. I'll save those candles for later. I must remember to keep them separate from the ones I purchased from Weasley's Wizarding Wheeze's. However, I do plan on using those little beauties on Minerva next year. Now, where are those spoons?"

For the first time they could ever recall, Harry and Hermione found themselves in the presence of a very anxious Dumbledore. He was speaking very fast and busying himself in a similar fashion to Hermione studying for her N.E.W.T. exams. Once the Headmaster had served them each up with overly generous slabs of cake and enough ice cream to cover Mt. Fuji, Harry gave a questioning glance at Hermione before interrupting the elder man's prattling.

"Um, Professor, what exactly are the 'serious matters' you wish to discuss with us? Why couldn't you just send an owl or tell us at the party?"

Hermione nodded her assent and continued to look confusedly at the Headmaster. Hermione had not seen him after the battle at the ministry two years ago and had therefore not seen the same vulnerable man that Harry had. To her, Dumbledore was invulnerable, a man of stone. The man before her now was not at all the same man she knew and it unnerved her. For his part, Harry had seen this vulnerable side before, but it still caused him to feel fear. What could have possibly affected him so? Had there been another attack? Had Voldemort come out of hiding again?

"Please, Professor, what's wrong? Has something happened we don't know about?"

Harry's pleading tone of voice made Dumbledore stop his rambling. Sitting down heavily in his chair, he took a large bite of cake and swallowed before speaking again.

"Ah, the calming power of chocolate. I must thank Remus for tipping me off on Ghirardelli's. But, I digress. First of all, I believe the time has come to include on more person in on the contents of the first prophecy. Harry, I must ask you to relay the story to Miss Granger. I know that you have been weary of telling anyone about it for fear of their reaction, but circumstances have made it necessary to tell her now. You may, if you wish, continue to keep it a secret from others. I will leave the two of you alone to talk while I prepare some other things. I trust you remember what the prophecy said, Harry?"

Harry looked at the Headmaster with a mix of anger and grudging resignation. He knew that he would have to tell someone about the prophecy eventually, but he had hoped that it would have been much later than sooner. Heaving a great sigh, Harry turned to face Hermione and flinched slightly at the look of intense anger she had on her own face.

"You mean that you knew what the prophecy said and you didn't say anything to me? You didn't say anything to Ron? Harry how could you?"

Harry could see the formation of tears in Hermione's eyes and knew that, although she was obviously very angry with him, she was also greatly worried as well.

"Hermione, look, I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want any of you to treat me any differently. You know how you and Ron get when something happens to me. I didn't want to upset you, or him."

Hermione brushed the tears from her eyes and scoffed.

"Upset us? Oh, well done then, Harry! I'm glad you kept something so important from us so that we wouldn't get upset! What the hell do you think I am now, blissfully happy? You go on and on about how much you hate being kept out of the loop on everything, and yet you turn around and keep something this important from your best friends? You hypocritical bastard!"

Without a thought, Hermione raised her hand to strike Harry and only succeeded in getting her hand stopped before it reached his cheek. Harry's Quidditch reflexes had saved him a nasty welt. Grabbing her other hand in case she made a second attempt he glared back at her, something he hadn't done with her in a long time.

"Listen to me! You don't understand, ok? Do you want to know what it said? Do you? Ok, fine, the bottom line is that either I kill Voldemort, or he kills me. That's it, there's no other possible outcome. So, my only options in life are to become a killer like he is, or to be yet another casualty of war. There, now you know. Does that make you feel any better? DOES IT? Because it makes me sick to my stomach, Hermione, and I can't stand to think about it. I don't give a shit about me, my life has been forfeit since the day I was born, but I can't stand the thought of any of you getting hurt because of me. Remember in fifth year? Remember when you warned me not to go to the Department of Mysteries because the risk was too great? Well, the risks can't be any higher now, can they? Somebody is going to die, that much is certain. I can't lose you, Hermione. I just can't. By keeping the prophecy to myself, I felt like I was protecting you. If you want to hate me for keeping it from you, go ahead, but if you want me to apologize for caring about you so much that I wanted to try and keep you safe, I can't. It's my prophecy, Hermione. I can't let you...I won't let you..."

Harry's voice finally broke and he covered his face with his hands before his emotions caught up with him. The action caused Hermione to break from the stunned state his words had put her in and immediately she threw her arms around him, squeezing him harder than she ever had before. The tears in her eyes were such that she couldn't even see anymore.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I am so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to be angry with you; I'm just so worried about you. I could never hate you, not ever. No, the only thing that I hate is Voldemort. He's the one to blame for everything. The prophecy doesn't change anything, Harry. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Ron, or anyone else for that matter. You can't do this alone, and you won't. We've been through too much Harry, we can't give up now."

Hermione continued to hold Harry tightly as he sobbed onto her shoulder. With anyone else Harry would have felt embarrassed at crying in front of them, but with Hermione it was different. He felt completely at ease with her. After another minute or two, a cough from behind the desk caused them to pull back from their embrace. Dumbledore had returned with his pensieve.

"Miss Granger, you truly are a superbly gifted witch, as well as a most valuable friend. Now, back to business. Harry, I know you will remember this vividly from your second year, and I'm sure that Miss Granger is well versed in the subject as well, but what can you tell me about memory charms?"

The unexpected question caused both teens to stare open mouthed for a few seconds. As if they were in the classroom again, Hermione raised her hand to answer the Headmaster's question. Dumbledore's blue eyes regained some of their twinkle at the familiarity of the sight.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Sir, the memory charm is one in which the caster wishes to either modify a person's memories, or eliminate them entirely. The wand movement for the charm is a slash from left to right while speaking the correct magical word, 'obliviate'."

Professor Dumbledore smiled at Hermione's textbook style definition and licked a bit of icing off his fingers.

"Quite right, Miss Granger. I must remember to give twenty points to Gryffindor when term starts. Yes, the memory charm is indeed primarily used to modify or eliminate a person's memories. However, there are more advanced uses as well. For most wizards and witches, modification and elimination are the extent of their abilities, but for the highly skilled, there are other possible outcomes. Now, the two of you are familiar with Muggle technology, do you know what a time lock is?"

Hermione shot her hand up again but Dumbledore turned his gaze onto Harry.

"Uncle Vernon always sent me to the store to get food for Dudley. At the local Tesco's there was a sign that said that the deposit vault was on a time lock and couldn't be opened. I think they did it so people wouldn't rob them. Is that what you mean?"

Dumbledore's smile widened.

"Excellent, Harry! Make it forty points to Gryffindor. Yes, the purpose of a Muggle time lock is to prevent anyone from stealing its contents. The same thing can be done magically with the mind. Someone skilled with memory charms could take a memory and place it in a 'time lock' style stasis that would prevent any outside interference until such a time that the lock would expire and the memory would reveal itself again. During the period of the spell's effect, the person would have no memory of anything being amiss. It would only reveal itself at the preset time that would have been set at the time the spell was cast. Do you both understand me so far?"

Harry felt utterly out of his depth, although he was slightly comforted by the fact that Hermione appeared to be struggling to keep up as well. After a very pregnant pause that was broken only by the occasional shifting of one of the former Headmasters in their frames, Dumbledore decided to try and explain himself better.

"An advanced memory charm can conceal a memory from all detection until a time which it will be safe to remember."

Harry and Hermione both seemed to mull this over before Harry asked what he believed to be an obvious question.

"But, Professor, why wouldn't you just use a pensieve?"

Hermione, who didn't have the first hand experience with pensieves that Harry did, perked up at the use of the term. She hated not knowing as much about something as someone else did.

"Aha, a valid question, Harry. A person could simply extract the memory for later, but, as you know very well, a pensieve is not at all a completely secure system for keeping things private. No, only by placing the memory into a concealed stasis inside the mind can you assure that the memory will remain hidden. However, as I said before, only a very skilled witch or wizard could do so. I have called the two of you together then to explain to you that such a thing has happened, and that the person who did this has important information that affects the both of you. Information that will cause your relationship with one another, as well as your very lives, to change forever."

Harry and Hermione both gasped in surprise. Harry was fairly accustomed to receiving life-changing news, but Hermione wasn't and became very stressed.

"What is it, Professor? What is it about Harry and I? Is it about Voldemort? Do we have to fight him together? Do you know something that can help us finally defeat him?"

Dumbledore and Harry both turned to look at the disheveled look on the girls face and took immediate action. Harry grabbed her hands in his while the Headmaster popped a piece of his best dark chocolate into her open mouth. After managing to chew it, she visibly relaxed and actually blushed in embarrassment over her extreme reaction. Once satisfied that she had calmed down, Dumbledore sat back down and continued. For his part, Harry continued to hold Hermione's hands in his, as she was still holding onto them with a strong grip.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger. In should have explained myself better. I placed a memory charm on myself the very same night that I dropped young Harry off at the Dursley home. The reason for this was due to a second prophecy made to me the very night Harry was born. This prophecy was placed in stasis at that time to prevent Voldemort from finding out its contents. After the first prophecy's contents were nearly revealed to him, I wanted to take no chances with the second one. At the time, I placed a lock on the memory until you came of age, and that day is today. I will now divulge to you both what this prophecy said. All I ask in return is that you hold your questions until I have finished. Agreed?"

Harry and Hermione were now sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what the Headmaster had to say. Harry still wasn't sure what any of this had to do with Hermione, but he was also glad she was there. Their mutual support of one another made the situation more bearable for the both of them. They continued to hold each other's hands very tightly as they nodded for Dumbledore to continue.

"I have now placed the memory into this pensieve. I will show it to the two of you since it concerns you both, and then the memory will be destroyed forever, leaving the three of us the only people that will know of it. Once you have heard it and understand, I will accept your questions. For now, please pay attention to the image in the bowl."

Dumbledore then poked at the swirling silvery mist in the pensieve causing the shapeless smoke to rise up and take the form Harry had seen it take the last time he had looked into it. He saw the same rolling eyes, heard the same unnaturally husky voice, and felt the same chill run through him.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord is born! It is he that possesses the power that will end his reign forever more. The power is that which the Dark Lord fears most. The power is that which the Dark Lord does not possess. The power comes in many forms, all as powerful as the other. The power will fuel he that is born today as the seventh month dies."

The ghost image of Trelawney disappeared back into shapeless vapor as her voice faded away as well. Both teens looked expectantly up at their Headmaster for an explanation of what they had seen. The elder man smiled at them.

"Well, that's the first part of it. Now, we knew that it would be 'the power the dark lord knows not' that would defeat him from the first prophecy, but now we know a little more about it. It is something that he fears, and something he is not in possession of himself. We now know that it comes in many forms, and that it is something that fuels our young Harry here. So, what do we suppose that could be? Any ideas?"

The two teens looked at one another and pondered the question. What was it that came in many different forms that would harm him? Hermione's eyes lit up when she thought she had solved it.

"Water! Water comes in solid, liquid, or gas! So that means we would either have to drown him, steam him, or freeze him. Is that it?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, it isn't water. Although, recalling the smell of him time we met, I would say that he hasn't been familiar with water in quite some time. No, this is a power that is intangible, and yet it can overwhelm the strongest man alive. It is something that has saved you from him in the past, Harry, and something that has saved you as well, Hermione, although you were unaware of it at the time."

Hermione felt even more confused than she had before, but Harry was now starting to understand.

"My mother's love saved me from Voldemort when I was a baby. It was her love that prevented Quirrell from touching me my first year. It was the love I felt for Sirius that saved me from him in fifth year. Voldemort believes love makes you weak. He doesn't understand it, so he fears it. I received love from my parents, so that would be familial love. Hermione and Ron are as close to me as if they were my family, so that would be the love of close friends, I suppose. But is that going to be enough? How many kinds of love can I have?"

Dumbledore continued to smile at Harry as he watched the gears turning in the young man's mind.

"Harry, love is not something to be portioned out like birthday cake. There are no set amounts of pieces you can get out of it. Everyone has the capacity for an unlimited amount of love, if they are willing to give it. The love both of your parents felt for you was limitless, just as their love for one another was. The closeness of the 'golden trio' has come to be legendary, even as it has now doubled in numbers. And, forgive me my frankness, but I think that the relationship between you and a certain Miss Lovegood is verging on similar territory, is it not?"

Harry blushed deeply as Hermione was surprised to find that she didn't feel jealous of Luna anymore. In fact, the ideas of Harry being with her now made her feel rather...gross? Where did that come from? Something else had occurred to her as well.

"Professor, if the power needed to defeat Voldemort is love of various kids, how are we going to manage that? Ron and I do love Harry as much as friends can, and Luna might love him in a romantic fashion, but how are we going to use familial love? All of Harry's blood relatives are dead, except for his aunt. Are we going to have to have her with us for the final battle?

Dumbledore sighed deeply and poked his wand back into the pensieve.

"I think that the next part of the prophecy will help explain that for us. I warn you, this will come as a shock for the both of you. I know it was for me. I had a very different thought about what the future held for the two of you. It also helps explain better how we knew that the prophecy referred to you, Harry, and not Mister Longbottom."

"The one born as the seventh month dies will be born alongside another. This other will be unknown to them, and yet they will grow to love one another regardless. They must be separated, but they will be united when the time comes. Each will face death, but will survive because of the blood protection of their common mother. They will be twins, but they will not know it. They will be family, but will be raised apart. When the time is right, they will know the truth. From that day forward, the two, which were once one, will be as one again. Only by their unity can the Dark Lord be defeated. Only then can the one born today begin to truly live."

The ghost image of Professor Trelawney shrank back into the mists as the two teens that had been watching her felt as if a hundred stunners had struck them all at once. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If it had been anyone but Dumbledore with the two of them, he would have thought this was all a birthday prank that wasn't at all funny to him. Without Hermione there beside him breathing just as heavy as he was, he might have also thought this was all a dream. Dumbledore's gaze was focused on his, with his fingertips supporting his chin. He seemed to be waiting to see what Harry's reaction was going to be. After a minute or two went by in a heavy silence, Harry ran his hands through his hair and let out what he would later claim was a sigh, but Hermione knew it was a choked sob.

"You mean...you mean that...all this time...I've had a sibling...and nobody told me about it? You never told me about it? Where are they? Who are they? Are they at Hogwarts? Do I know them? ANSWER ME!"

Hermione jumped at Harry's yell. She had never heard anyone scream like that before, and her parents were dentists. Even when Harry's arm had been snapped in two during that second year Quidditch match he hadn't yelled like that. He then jumped up so fast that his chair had been flung backwards several feet. The sudden motion caused Hermione to instinctively go for her wand, while Dumbledore didn't appear to have given the slightest flinch. He had known that Harry would be angry with him, angry at a lot of people, but that wasn't what caused his heart to ache. It was the further disappointment he knew he would feel towards him. How many more times would he have to tell this poor tragic hero that everything was done in his best interests? How long would he continue to feel that the fate of the rest of the world really was more important than his own?

"Harry, I know you are upset, but please try to calm down. We certainly don't want to give Voldemort the chance to enter your mind, wherever he is. If you would please sit back down..."

Harry cut him off.

"Calm down? Are you kidding me? You finally tell me that I have a twin, that I didn't have to be alone all these years growing up, and then you tell me to settle down? You know what? Fuck you! How could you? I can't even believe you! It's not possible! Nobody has ever mentioned anything about me having a twin! It's not possible, it just can't be! It's a lie... it has to be. I want out of here. Send Hermione and I back to the Burrow...NOW!"

Hermione gasped at Harry's use of such profanity, especially aimed at the Headmaster, but had to admit that the situation seemed to excuse it. She couldn't imagine what Harry had to be feeling. What would it be like to find out at seventeen that you really weren't an only child, that you really weren't alone after all? She knew all to well how hellish Harry's childhood had been with his relatives. What if he could have had someone with him? Would it have made his life better? She thought of her own childhood and realized that she too had been lonely a lot of the time, even with the loving parents she had. She could only imagine the depths of Harry's reality of loneliness and isolation.

Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle as he bowed his head at Harry's outburst.

"Harry, I am afraid that what I say is true. You have a sister, and she is..."

Harry once again jumping up and, without the use of his wand, causing the Headmaster's enormous oaken desk to split itself cleanly in half interrupted Dumbledore.

"A sister? I've had a sister, a twin sister, and you've kept her away from me? How could you? HOW?"

Before the pensieve could smash onto the floor, Dumbledore arrested its fall with a spell and also repaired his desk. Hermione remained shocked in her chair marveling at the obvious advancements Harry had made in the use of wandless magic.

"Harry, please, settle yourself down before you split the entire castle in two. Your power levels are spiking well beyond safe limits. I am going to tell you about it now. I will tell you who it is, why nobody could know, and why the two of you had to be separated. You have to understand, Harry, these things were all set into motion before you were even born. Decisions that were made to save the entire world were done without any consideration for how you would feel. At the time, we simply had no choice. How could we have possibly known what an extraordinary wizard you would become, and what an equally extraordinary witch your sister would be? Now, Harry, what do you want me to tell you first?"

Harry had sat back down again after the exertion to destroy the desk had tired him. His scar had started to tingle so he was now putting all of his energies into trying to shield his mind again. After the pain had abated, he took a deep steadying breath and turned his gaze back at his Headmaster.

"What do I want to know? Are you serious? I want to know who my sister is! What's her name?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and momentarily looked down at his hands. Looking back at Harry, you could tell that he was steeling himself for a long talk.

"Harry, your sister is a fellow student here at Hogwarts. She is in your year, naturally, although she is under the impression that her birthday is on another date than your own. If you search your feelings, you will find that you have had a hard time of late discerning your true feelings for her. Can you think of anyone like that?"

Harry's mind, which had already been flooded with countless thoughts and emotions, came to a sudden halt at Dumbledore's words. There were two girls that he was struggling with his feelings for. One was Luna, and the other was Hermione. He understood what his feelings towards Luna were; he just didn't want to admit them. That just left...

Seeming to awaken from her shocked stupor at the moment that Harry was having his epiphany; Hermione was now the one jumping up from her chair.

"Enough with the bloody riddles! Who is it? Who is Harry's sister? Where is she?"

Harry turned a knowing glance to Dumbledore, causing the old man to nod at him in agreement to the unasked question. Hermione shot looks between them both as her frustration level continued to rise at the thought that she seemed to be the only one who didn't know the answer now. She was snapped out of her growing anger by the feel of Harry's hand slipping into hers. Harry had grabbed her hand countless times over the years, but this time felt different somehow. There was no awkwardness to it this time. His grip was firm, as if he was holding onto something most dear to him. She looked at him and saw the beginning of tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Hermione, don't you see? Who do I listen to when I don't listen to anyone else? Who can make me do things nobody else can? Who has been by my side even when nobody else was? Who knows me better than anyone, even myself, and always has?"

Hermione was getting really fed up with people answering questions with more questions, but realized that Harry was trying to get her to come to the answer on her own. She thought she had the answer to it, despite how unlikely it seemed. There weren't many people close to Harry, so there weren't many options to chose from.

"Luna?"

Harry looked like he might laugh at her unsure tone of voice, but the tear that slid down his face gave away his true emotions at the present.

"No, Hermione, not Luna. Professor Dumbledore is right; I have been having trouble trying to figure out how I feel about a certain girl lately. At first I thought it was just close friendship, then I thought I might be in love with her, and now I realize that the reason I didn't understand what it was is because I've never felt the love of family, at least not that I can remember. Hermione, it's you. Isn't that right, Professor? Hermione is my sister, isn't she?"

Both teens looked at the old wizard before them and saw him nod. Harry let a wide smile cross his face while his tears of newly found joy continued to fall down his face. Hermione's own mouth formed a large "oh" before she too smiled and shook her head in wonderment. The news was overwhelming to her, but she did have to admit that it did help explain her own feelings towards Harry lately. Still, there was a lot that the Headmaster needed to explain to her, to the both of them. She quickly reverted back to the well-known "questioning Hermione" mode and voiced her concerns.

"But, Professor, how could this be? What about my parents? Are they really Harry's as well? And why did we have to be separated? Wouldn't we have been better protected if we'd been together? And what about...?"

Dumbledore chuckled softly at the familiarity of Hermione's determined search for answers. He then held up his hand to stop her before she could get into a full on frenzy.

"Please, Miss Granger...or I should say, Miss Potter. I will explain it all to you both. Now, as you already know, the first prophecy said that the savior of the wizarding world would be born as the seventh month died to parents that had defied the Dark Lord previously. As you also know, this could have applied to either Mr. Longbottom, or to Harry. So, naturally, both children were anxiously anticipated. When the second prophecy was revealed to me, I then knew for certain which child was the one in question. Just think if you had been born a male, Hermione, you might have been the one it referred to. What you don't know is that your parents were also well aware of this. We knew that Voldemort would know at least part of the first prophecy, and we knew that it would cause him to come after the both of you. We put it off for as long as we could, but after a few months we knew that we had to do something. It wouldn't have worked by putting the both of you into another wizarding family, since he would have just kept killing more and more of them. No, we had to make it seem that you were the only child. So, what to do with Hermione? It wouldn't have been safe to place her into a wizarding family; in the off chance that Voldemort might kill her without knowing it. It was decided that it would be for the best to place her into a Muggle home. We were able to find a young couple that was incapable of having children, but desperately wanted one. They were both dentists, so they were financially secure, and we knew they would love her as their own. After altering their memories, we placed Hermione with them and were then able to focus on Harry."

Hermione shook her head in shocked confusion.

"How could you do that? What about all the people that were friends with Harry's parents? Wouldn't they find it strange that, all of a sudden, there was one less child?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Lily and James were already in hiding by the time you were born. The two of you were as closely a guarded secret as the Sorcerer's Stone ever was, perhaps more so, even. You see, as soon as Professor Trelawney made her first prophesy, I immediately spoke to both the Longbottom's and the Potter's. Once it was clear that it was to be the Potter's that would give birth to the child, since Lily was expecting twins and Alice was not, they were immediately put into hiding. It may seem that there were terrible mistakes made in the handling of this, what with Peter betraying them and their lives being taken, but I can assure you know that it was not entirely as it appeared. After telling James and Lily all that I knew about the prophecies and what it would mean to the entire wizarding world, they knew what their responsibilities meant, and what roles they must play in order for the plan to work. Both of you parents being highly intelligent, they knew that they would be targeted for death, just as the two of you would be. After sending Hermione off for her protection, they set about a plan to protect Harry, and hopefully defeat Voldemort at the same time."

"Lily, as you may know, was extremely gifted in Charms. What made her especially good, and I daresay she passed this trait along to her daughter, was that she was a tireless researcher. I don't think that I am exaggerating when I say that I firmly believe she could have passed her N.E.W.T. level Charms exam in her second year. One area she particularly excelled in was the obscure and forgotten Charms. When she found the charm that gave blood protection to a family member, she immediately set up a plan for its use. One important aspect of the spell was that the protection offered to the blood relation would act as a shield against any potentially lethal spells thrown at them. The hope was that Voldemort would use the Killing Curse, which he did, and that it would rebound back on him, which it did, and that it would kill him, which it sadly did not. But, it did succeed in vanquishing him for a time, and that was a victory none the less."

Harry slammed his fist down on the table causing Fawkes to squawk loudly and fly up to take a higher perch amongst the rafters.

"A victory? Is that what you'd call it? The death of my parents was a victory? HOW WAS THAT A VICTORY?"

Dumbledore's smile had vanished as the twinkle in his eyes also faltered.

"Harry, please, you must calm down, for all out sakes. Your parents were willing to sacrifice themselves for both of your safeties. You must understand Harry, that when you become a parent, the welfare of your child becomes more important than your own, more important than anything else in the world. They were both aware of the risks and accepted it."

Professor Dumbledore sighed deeply and stood up. Picking up the pensieve from his desk, he looked up at the two teens and smiled again at them.

"Now, enough of the past, you have your futures to think about, now that you both know the truth. I am very sorry that you had to be separated for so long, but you have to understand that it was done to keep you both safe. Keeping the two of you together was too much of a risk. But, now that you have found one another, as it were, you may start fresh. You may, if you wish, tell your friends, but please be careful. This is not news we would want to fall into the wrong hands. I will give you some time to talk amongst yourselves now before we continue to the next matter which I wish for us to discuss."

The Professor then turned and walked over to a large cabinet in order to put his pensieve away. Harry watched him go until his eyes met those of his best female friend and, now, sister.

"Um, hey...sis."

Hermione looked dazed at first upon hearing the term she had never heard addressed to her before in her life. After the words had sunk in a shy smile creased her face. Having a brother would be a whole new experience for her, and she always did love new experiences. Well, except the ones that threatened her life, of course.

"Hey yourself, bro. Wow, this is going to take some getting used to, isn't it?"

Harry returned her smile.

"You're telling me? It's like a dream coming true, you know? It is kind of weird, though. If somebody would have told me when I went to bed last night that I'd be waken up by my long lost twin sister with a birthday cake that was also a Portkey, well, I would have suggested a trip to St. Mungo's."

Hermione laughed. She had been thinking much the same thing.

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in all at once. You know what though, I'm really happy about it. If anybody was going to be my long lost brother, I'm glad it was you, Harry. I do have a confession to make, though. Now that we're siblings, it's going to sound a little...gross."

Harry nodded his head and went slightly pink.

"Uh, yeah, I have a confession as well. You go first."

Hermione took a deep steadying breath and felt her own face heating up.

"Harry, a while back you asked me why I wasn't willing to go out with Ron. At the time I gave you the same excuse that I always gave to him, that I was too busy with schoolwork. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I do put a lot of time into that, of course, but that's not the main reason. It isn't even that I don't care about him in that way, because I do. The main reason was, and I know it's something that you don't want to hear, especially now, but it was because I felt that same way about you, too. I knew that you didn't like me that way, but I couldn't help it! I loved the both of you liked that, so I decided not to pursue either of you, since either one of you could only have half of my heart. But, now that I know that I can love you in a different way now, I can give Ron my entire heart. Wow, I've gained a brother and, hopefully, a boyfriend both in the same night. I guess Dumbledore was right, this is my birthday!"

Both teens laughed harder than they had in a long time. It was a mixture of joy, relief, and, best of all, hope. Harry wiped his eyes and beamed at his bushy haired sister.

"Hermione, you have nothing to feel bad about, believe me. In fact, my confession is about the same as yours. One of the reasons I haven't given in completely to my feelings for Luna is to protect her, but another reason is that I couldn't figure out what my feelings for you were. I've never had anyone explain to me what love was, so I never understood what I was feeling. I knew that I loved you, and that I loved her, but whom did I love the most? I kept trying to tell myself that I loved you like a best friend, but that thought always flew from my mind when I...uh...well, when I saw you. Hermione, I hate myself for this now, but I've had some really...impure thoughts about you. I'm really sorry. Now that I know you're my sister, I feel a little sick about it, you know?"

Harry expected to see a mortified look on Hermione's face, but instead he saw her struggling not to burst out laughing again.

"Harry, if you apologize for that, well, I'll have to as well. If you had any idea about the things Ginny and I talked about every night at the Burrow, well, you would have died of embarrassment long ago. God, to think of all the times that I've mentally undressed my own brother! I think I need to obliviate myself now. I guess I'll have to tell Ginny she'll need to talk to Luna about you now. Ooh, and what about dear Luna? Now that I'm just your annoying sister, you can make your move on her! I mean, let's face it, whether she's dating you or not, she's in as much danger as the rest of us. Bly, what a night, eh? I find out my parents aren't really my parents, my birthday isn't really my birthday, one of my best friends is really my brother, and that I can have a boyfriend for once. It's like a month's worth of Coronation Street all at once."

Harry laughed and then remembered the reason Ron had believed Hermione didn't fancy him.

"Hermione, I'm glad that you're going to have Ron a chance now, but what about you and Viktor?"

Hermione's bright smile faded at the memory of her previous year's fights with Ron about that very subject.

"Harry, Viktor is only a friend. I'm not going to betray his trust in me by saying anything, but believe me, he is not at all interested in me in that way, and never has been."

Harry looked skeptical.

"Are you sure? In fourth year he certainly was. He pulled me aside that night and asked me point blank if there was anything going on between us. He got really happy when I told him that there wasn't. He even complimented me on my flying."

A small devilish grin appeared on Hermione's face.

"Oh yes, he was a BIG fan of yours, Harry, a really, really, big fan of yours. Anyway, we should really be getting back to the Burrow soon. If the others wake up and see that we're missing they'll probably go into a panic. Where did Professor Dumbledore go?"

"Ah, I see that you've had a nice chat. I would have been back sooner, but I was working on the job advert for our Defense Against the Dark Arts post. Argus has decided that he'd rather go back to his post as caretaker. For some reason there doesn't seem to be much interest in the job. I can't imagine why."

The Headmaster then winked at the two of them and placed the now empty cake stand back on the desk.

"Now, as Miss Gran...sorry, Miss Potter was saying, you should be getting back to the Burrow soon. As I have said, you may tell whomever you wish, but please be careful. Voldemort would be very interested to know that he has yet another Potter to worry about. So, do you have any questions for me before I continue?"

Hermione thought of one immediately.

"Sir, if Harry and I are twins, why don't we look more alike?"

The Headmaster laughed.

"How many other sets of twins do the two of you know?"

Harry and Hermione looked at one another and came to the same amount.

"Padma and Parvarti, and Fred and George."

"And what do they both have in common?"

Harry looked a bit lost, but Hermione knew what he was trying to tell them.

"They are both identical twins. Harry and I aren't."

"Exactly! While Padma and Parvarti are both impossible to distinguish, as are Fred and George, the two of you are not. It would be strange, would it not, to be identical twins, and yet be of different genders? Although, allow me to say, you would look a fair treat in tulle, Harry."

Hermione laughed while Harry's face went pink again.

"No, the two of you have lost a lot of your similarity of the years since your birth. However, for the first few years, you were very hard to distinguish. And yes, I did keep an eye on you both. There are some similarities that have survived. I daresay that you both have...unique hair. Very expressive eyes, with the same strong chin that you get from your mother, and the same willingness to break rules, which you both get from your father, of course. And, perhaps most telling of all, the same heart which has such a vast capacity for love. Yes, there are still traces of your parents in you, both inside and out."

Harry felt gladdened by the mention of his parents in comparison to himself and Hermione. He then remembered something he had wanted to ask the Headmaster about before the second prophesy was revealed to them.

Sir, my aunt Petunia told me right before I left that she had received a Hogwarts letter as well as my mother, but that she had refused to come. I believe her, but how is that possible? Is she a witch? Can she do magic like we can?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. He had wondered if his aunt would admit that she had also received a letter.

"Yes, Harry, she did get a Hogwarts letter, just like the one the two of you did. In her case, she wrote back and said she was unable to attend due to family commitments. If Professor McGonagall had been in charge of admissions at the time, we would have made sure that accommodations were made, but at the time the Ministry handled student admissions. A second letter was issued, and she again refused, thus closing that matter. It was her case, as well as numerous others of similar circumstances, that caused me to change the admissions policy at the time. I appointed Minerva to be in charge of it, and since then we have had a one hundred percent acceptance rate. As for her magic ability, I'm afraid that she would likely no longer possess any. You see- magic is not a trait someone has, like blue eyes or blonde hair. Those are things that you don't have to work at. No, magic is something that must be developed and maintained, like a muscle, if you will. It is a muscle that Muggles do not possess. In Petunia's case, the muscle was never exercised and so it was left to apathy. However, the muscle is still there, so she could indeed begin to develop it now, but it would be much harder to learn now as opposed to starting out at eleven. It's a shame though that she didn't come here. I think the Marauders would have...'loosened' her up a bit, don't you?"

Both teens laughed at the idea of Petunia interacting with James and company. Harry wondered if perhaps she would have ended up with someone other than his uncle if she had come here. Another thought also occurred to him.

"Wait, Hermione, that means Petunia is your aunt as well! She'll be pleased about that. She said you reminded her of Lily. Maybe she knew something we didn't, eh? Oh, and what about your parents, or at least the people who raised you? What are you going to tell them?"

Hermione's eyes widened. What would she tell them? She didn't want to lose them. They were the only parents she had ever known.

"Professor, even if my parents aren't really my parents, I do still love them. Do I have to tell them any of this? They're the only family that I have. Well, apart from Harry now, of course."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

"You are free to do whatever you wish, my dear. But I must inform you that you are quite incorrect about not having any other family. This brings me to the next matter I need to discuss with you. The second prophesy is not the only memory I placed under a time lock. Voldemort failed on all counts the night he attacked the Potter family."

Harry's head turned rapidly from looking at Hermione to staring at the Headmaster.

"What do you mean, 'he failed on all counts'? He killed our parents and nearly killed me at the same time!"

Dumbledore looked at Harry from over his reading glasses. This always meant that he was about to say something very important.

"No, Harry. Voldemort was made to believe that he had rid the world of two of his biggest enemies. The truth is, Harry, Hermione, James and Lily Potter, your parents, are still very much alive."