Harry Potter and the House Divided

Chapter One "Back on Muggle Row"

Harry potter was a fifteen year old boy and one of the most famous people in the wizarding world. You would never know it from the utter contempt with which his relatives, the Dursleys, treated him when he was home during his summer vacation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where his fifth academic year had closed disastrously only a few short days ago.

Neither his Uncle Vernon, his Aunt Petunia nor his cousin Dudley cared about the fact that he was "The-Boy-Who-Lived", having defeated Voldemort, the most feared dark wizard to rise to power in centuries, when he was only one year old. Harry's only contribution to the defeat of the man many called "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", was the power of the love that his mother had for him. Her love was so strong that it protected him from the curse that Voldemort intended to kill him with. The curse that rebounded on Voldemort, nearly destroying him and leaving him a bodiless spirit condemned to wander the world in search of a way to return to his former power for thirteen years.

Although he was incredibly lucky in his escape from the reborn Lord Voldemort at the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts, fortune did not continue to flow in Harry's favour from that point forward.

Many refused to believed his claims about the rebirth of Lord Voldemort. As "You-Know-Who" was surprisingly quiet during Harry's recently completed fifth year, it became easier and easier for Harry's enemies to make him appear to be an unstable attention-seeking teenager.

While dealing with problems with the Ministry of Magic, in the press and with a sadistic Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, who seemed determined to make him as mad as her boss, the minister of magic, claimed he was, Harry was also learning that quiescence from a Dark Wizard didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. Though he hadn't known it at the time, dreams that featured a door that led into a place filled with strange objects were being sent to him by Voldemort in hopes that he, Harry, would investigate them. Finally, Lord Voldemort sent him a vision of ongoing torture of his godfather, Sirius Black, who had been falsely imprisoned for crimes that he hadn't committed. Harry chose to try to rescue Sirius but in doing so led his friends, various members of an order intended to slow Voldemort's rise to power and Sirius himself into a trap that led to the death of the very man he was trying to save. As if this wasn't enough to deal with, he was then returned to Hogwarts where he was told about a prophecy that said that he would have to either kill or be killed by Lord Voldemort. The prophecy also made it clear that he was the only wizard alive who could destroy the darkest wizard in a millennium.

When he was younger he had occasionally wished that his cousin Dudley Dursley would die. These were the kinds of half-formed thoughts that many young children have when they are abused by an older or meaner sibling. Thoughts that might even be expressed from time to time but that were never truly meant. Much as Dudley had given Harry reason to, he had never truly wanted to see his cousin dead. Voldemort was as dark a wizard as anyone could remember and Harry wished that he would die in recompense for the lives that he had taken. However, until Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts and the man generally considered to be the greatest wizard of the age told him differently, Harry never thought that he would kill someone.

Along with the desire to seek his counsel about the prophecy, Harry was having trouble accepting Sirius' death. This in spite of the fact that Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the ghost of Gryffindor House had told him that Sirius would never come back whether as man or mist.

One of the things that fired Harry's guilt was his lack of motivation in the study of Occlumency. A trained occlumans could build a shield around thoughts that had to be kept secret. This shield could extend to the mind as a whole and it was this that Professor Dumbledore had hoped Harry would learn to do from Professor Severus Snape.

Professor Snape was Hogwarts' highly skilled potions master and an extremely unpleasant person as well. He hated Harry almost as much as Harry hated him. Not surprisingly, they were unable to overcome their differences. Harry didn't practice and Professor Snape never came to understand the problems that Harry was having with the task that he'd been set.

Professor Snape hated Harry because he believed that Harry got away with too many things. A trait that professor Snape believed Harry had inherited from his father, who had been a rival to Snape when they had been students at Hogwarts.

Harry knew that Professor Dumbledore cared for Snape much as he did for him. The fact that Snape was a brilliant potions instructor gave Professor Dumbledore an excellent reason to keep him on staff. Now that Voldemort had returned, Professor Snape willingly risked his life to spy for the headmaster in order to deflect the dark lord's plans. These were all good reasons for Dumbledore to keep Professor Snape at Hogwarts, but when Snape was being his normal dour, nasty and vindictive self Harry sometimes found it all too easy to forget them.

During the conversation that brought Harry to the realization that he must either kill Lord Voldemort or be killed by him, the headmaster also admitted that it had been a mistake for him to ask Harry and Professor Snape to work together. Harry believed that Dumbledore had made other mistakes last year as well. Forcing Sirius to remain totally isolated in his family home had been another big one in Harry's opinion. Sirius had not loved his family and the fits that the incredibly life like portrait of Sirius' mother had thrown on seeing him made Harry sure that the Black family hadn't loved Sirius much either. Knowing Sirius as he did, Harry wasn't at all surprised that his godfather might have jumped at the chance to leave No.12 Grimmauld Place when he heard that Harry was in trouble. Trouble that arose because he, Harry, hadn't really tried to work on his Occlumency. Work that might have allowed him to shield himself from the false images that Lord Voldemort sent in hopes of tricking Harry into racing to Sirius' rescue, a headlong rush that had ended in Sirius' death and the end of whatever childhood Harry had been fortunate enough to have.

Harry's greatest problem, and he had a lot of them at the moment, was that the torture that Lord Voldemort had shown him was nothing compared to the pain of Sirius' loss. Pain that had been compounded by his inability to talk about it with his friends or teachers before everyone left Hogwarts for the summer holidays. Time that he was now spending with his relatives in Little Whinging, Surrey, possibly his least favourite place in the world.

His friends in the Order of the Phoenix had threatened the Dursleys with unspecified consequences if they mistreated him and as yet they had been willing to leave him alone rather than taking the risk that he might complain about how he was being treated. Oddly, the resultant lack of chores and other minor abuse from the Dursleys just left Harry more time to think about Sirius' death and the pain that losing him still caused. In fact, Harry spent a great deal of time hurting himself in ways that the Dursleys could never have had they wanted to.

He spent much of his time reminding himself that he could have worked harder on his Occlumency, blaming himself for taking on problems too big for him one too many times and whipping himself with the knowledge that this time his determination to solve his own problems had cost him dearly.

Harry was very lucky that the cost hadn't been even higher and knew it. His best friends, Ron and Hermione could have died. Other members of Dumbledore's Army, the self-styled Defence practice group that he had established with Hermione last year could have been killed. Most importantly, more of the adults who had come to protect them in the Department of Mysteries might also have been killed there, fighting to save children who had been led to disaster by an unthinking, impulsive idiot.

In order to prevent himself from becoming utterly depressed over what had happened a few weeks earlier, Harry began to study 'Defence against the Dark Arts' and other topics that he thought might help with the battle for the future of the wizarding world that he now knew he was fated to fight. He ordered books on hexes, curses and defensive magic from 'Flourish and Blotts' famous bookstore and was working as hard as he could on Occlumency. He was trying to learn it without a tutor and he hoped that he was making progress without benefit of an instructor. For whatever else he'd learned last year, the most important thing that he now knew was that he was far more than just the boy who lived. He was the 'Boy-Who-Must-Not-Die'.

Harry's studies were fascinating and he looked forward to Ron's horrified reaction to hearing how he had spent his summer. His best mate Ron Weasley complained about school work a lot and did it even more when around their other best friend Hermione Granger who loved reading obscure books in Hogwarts' well-stocked library more than anything else in the world.

Harry's letters to his friends so far this summer said very little and in so doing told them a great deal about his unpreparedness to talk about the events that had led up to their climactic battle at the Ministry of Magic. He would tell them that he was "fine" and knew that they must know that he was lying.

The fact that Professor Dumbledore hadn't offered to talk with Harry about the horrible future that he had to face had made talking about his problems even harder for him than he usually found it to be. Harry wondered if Dumbledore didn't want him sending letters discussing the prophecy that shaped his life with his snowy owl, Hedwig, for fear that they might be intercepted. Whether this was true or not, Harry knew that Dumbledore had other ways to communicate and he was angry that the old wizard hadn't done so much as send him a note after their last confrontation. A conversation that led to the knowledge of the future that was his and the destruction of many of Professor Dumbledore's most cherished possessions as a result of the anger that Harry had toward his fate, the headmaster and Sirius' death as well.

It would have been nice to have some real proof that the old man was as concerned for Harry as he claimed to be. He knew that the headmaster could have sent a letter using Fawkes, his phoenix who had the ability to appear and disappear seemingly at will. He could have told Harry to get in touch through Mrs. Figg, a neighbour who had watched over him since he was little and was sure that there must be other secure ways that Professor Dumbledore could have found to communicate with him.

Maybe having Remus Lupin write him letters every few days in response to the short notes that Harry sent out to his guardians was enough for Dumbledore but it wasn't for Harry. For one thing, Harry couldn't write to Remus about Professor Trelawny's prophecy for fear that the messages might be intercepted and he wasn't even sure that Remus knew the parts of it that he now had access to. He wasn't going to tell Ron or Hermione about it over the summer as it was the kind of thing that had to be talked about in person, if he ever talked with them about it at all. Moody, Tonks and some of the other aurors whom he knew spent a lot of their time guarding him at Little Whinging stayed hidden under invisibility cloaks and Harry hadn't felt much like going outside in any case.

All that Harry could do was receive the occasional letter from Remus, Hermione or Ron and tell them that he was "fine". The fact that their letters didn't tell him a thing about what was going on in the wizarding world made him even angrier than he had been the previous summer when Professor Dumbledore had intentionally kept him from learning about what was happening in the world that he already thought of as his natural place in life. He wanted to know what was happening but Professor Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley and the other adults who obviously felt that he wasn't ready to hear about what was happening in the wizarding world seemed to be determined not to let him know anything about the things that worried him most. He didn't like it and felt truly patronized, particularly after being told about the prophecy; but until he got away from the Dursleys and back to his friends there wasn't much he could do about it.

Knowing that he was too frustrated to study at the moment he got out of bed and went to the desk on which the latest letter from Ron lay. His friend's excitable owl Pigwidgeon had delivered it yesterday along with a large box of food and some of the products made by Ron's older brothers Fred and George. The twins left Hogwarts the previous April and set up a joke shop that they called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in London's Diagon Ally, the site of the busiest wizarding market in Europe. Harry would have responded to Ron earlier if Pig had chosen to stay with him but Hedwig must have convinced him to leave somehow. Pig's early departure had given Harry the quiet that he craved and the time necessary to try to write something more than just "I'm fine" followed by "Thanks for sending me a note" with "I'll write you when something happens" when he was feeling particularly talkative. Ron's family deserved more than this and Harry was determined to try to write a bit more this time.

Dear Ron,

Thanks for your note and the food. Your mom's cooking is wonderful and so much better than what Aunt Petunia does even at her best. I'm really glad that they're letting you stay at the burrow this summer. It's got to be great playing Quidditch and stuff and I hope that I can come to stay with you soon. Things with the muggles are OK and I'll be sure to tell you if they start causing trouble. It would be great to have Fred and George come over and test some of their stuff on Dudley but since Professor Dumbledore wants me to stay with them for a while I think that I'd better not ask Gred and Forge to come over. If I need help I'll let you know.

Uncle Vernon keeps trying to set Dudley up with girls in the neighbourhood but they all remember how he was in primary school. Serves him right for being such a git back then. Aunt Petunia says that he was boisterous but the girls seem to know better. Amazing how teenagers are so much smarter than parents sometimes. Speaking of parents, I hope that yours are OK.

Please thank your mom for the food and Fred and George for the stuff that they sent. I'll be sure to use it on Dudley or Uncle Vernon if I really need to.

A letter has just come from Hermione so I'd better see what she has to say.

Please say hi to everyone over there for me, I miss all of you a lot.

Harry

After rereading his note to Ron, Harry folded it and set it aside so that he could send it along with his response to Hermione's newly arrived letter.

Dear Harry,

I hope that you're having a good summer and studying a lot for next year. I am so impatient to see what I got on my O.W.Ls. They're really important you know, and doing well on them will be a big step toward good N.E.W.T. scores.

Harry laughed on reading this. Only Hermione could start worrying about tests that were two years off yet. His heart sank when he realized that there was a good chance that he wouldn't be alive to take his N.E.W.T.s.

He returned to Hermione's letter somewhat more depressed than he was when he started reading it.

My parents are taking me to Sweden this summer. It will be wonderful to see the sun for 24 hours even if I do miss out on Luna Lovegood's Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

I will be away on your birthday but have ordered you a gift that they promised me would come then anyway. I should be reachable by owl while I'm in Sweden and want to hear about anything that happens with your scar or anything else that you want to talk about including the things that happened last month.

I'm worried that you've not said very much in your letters and want you to know that I'm always ready to talk or write if you need to.

Be good for the muggles and be sure to practice your Occlumency.

Love from

Hermione

"Great," Harry thought morosely. "She manages to remind me in one sentence of everything that has gone badly for me this year. Much as he hated to have to think about it, he really wished that he had someone with whom to work on his Occlumency. Snape's tutorials hadn't worked before and now that he was trying he didn't know whether his efforts were paying off or not. Voldemort hadn't been in his mind and his scar hadn't hurt either but that didn't mean a thing and Harry knew it. Harry grabbed his quill and wrote a quick response. When he thought about it later, Harry would realize that his anger at Hermione for making him think about things that he didn't want to was the nearly overwhelming force that led him to be extremely shirty with her. In fact, Hermione would later describe it as "Really quite rude."

Hermione

Thanks for your note. I'm OK.

Have fun in Sweden. I'll look forward to getting your present whenever it comes.

Harry

Hedwig had returned while he was writing Hermione's letter and he began to tie his letters to her leg. Before he could complete his task, he was interrupted by a burst of fire in the middle of his room. It didn't take him long to see that Fawkes had a letter clutched in his razor sharp talons.

Harry had never received a note via Fawkes before and really didn't know what to do to thank the bird for delivering it. If it had been carried by an owl, a couple of treats and some water would have been enough. Unfortunately, Fawkes was a truly unique bird and Harry didn't doubt for a moment that the incredibly magical creature could be very difficult if handled wrongly.

"But how do you treat a phoenix courteously?" Harry wondered to himself as he reached out to pet Fawkes' brilliant red crest.

"Thanks, Fawkes," he said, taking the Headmaster's note from the great bird as gently as he could.

The phoenix replied with a short series of rising notes and settled on Harry's shoulder, obviously waiting for him to read the newly arrived letter.

Dear Harry

I hope that you are having a most successful and interesting summer. We must continue your study of Occlumency but I will not be able to give you regular lessons until your return to school this autumn. I have found someone who is willing to help you with your tuition and think that you will be pleased to see your new instructor. Be ready for a full day's work starting at 9 AM this coming Saturday. I believe that one day a week of work should be enough. You are very fortunate to be able to work with your new Occlumency teacher and I'm sure that after your experiences in the Department of Mysteries, you will put forth your maximum effort in pursuit of this part of your already prodigious summer study schedule.

I am aware that you have ordered a variety of texts dealing with magical Defence and think your time well spent in this area. After our conversation at the end of the term it is important for me to make the true state of your power plain to you. Though he is aware of magical disciplines that I have chosen not to study, Tom is marginally less powerful than I am. You now know that you are his equal and have demonstrated this fact though sometimes either you, or he has been able to take advantage of situations in which you've found yourselves. Raw power will not be what saves you against Tom but it is worth learning how to control and direct as you will.

Therefore, another tutor will be assigned to you so that your physical and magical reflexes can be honed. This person will also help you with your ability to concentrate which must be sharpened so that you may put the maximum possible power behind your spells in situations where force will help you more than finesse can. I do not know who this person will be as yet though I shall make every possible effort to ensure that whomever he or she is will already be known to you.

I look forward to news of your progress and wish to reiterate that although your decisions contributed to it, you do not have primary responsibility for Sirius Black's death. That goes to others including Lord Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, myself and Sirius himself and I hope that you will come to recognize that when disasters strike there are usually many people to blame for them.

Please remember that all that you can do is to minimize your responsibility for disasters while acting responsibly to prevent problems or take blame--but only when it is deserved.

If you can do this, you will continue along the road that you are already following toward a truly impressive manhood.

Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

Professor Dumbledore's comments about Sirius' death hit Harry hard but didn't hurt as much as they had when Harry was in the headmaster's office. He was still angry with the headmaster, Professor Snape and himself as well, but other feelings also began to come forth. Foremost amongst them was horror at the thought of having to kill or be killed--and fortunately--curiosity about the identity of his new Occlumency teacher.

The fact that Professor Dumbledore knew that he had been studying was a bit disconcerting but Harry had come to realize that the Headmaster of Hogwarts had connections everywhere..., not least of which at Flourish and Blotts. Being watched that closely bothered him but he knew that there wasn't a thing he could do about it..., and Fawkes' calming presence was also helping to keep him from getting too angry.

Harry flipped the parchment containing Professor Dumbledore's letter over, knowing that Fawkes was waiting for him to post a response.

Dear Professor Dumbledore

I'll meet the Occlumency teacher at 9 on Saturday. I am studying but its hard to get anything done without the ability to practice. I need to know if there's a way for me to practice some of what I'm learning. I don't know if I believe you about my being as powerful as Voldemort because I feel like I've just barely escaped him most of the time. If I'm really as powerful as he is, why does Hermione always do better in most of our classes than I do? If I'm almost as powerful as you are, what does that make her?

Thanks for your help in finding someone to teach me what I need to know.

Harry

Before he gave Fawkes the letter he decided to see if he could get any kind of news about what was going on in the wizarding world from the head of the Order.

P.S.

What's happening with Voldemort? I've not felt much of anything in my scar or seen anything through his eyes either. I don't know if that's because I'm doing well with my own practicing of Occlumency or because he's not doing anything. The muggle news doesn't say anything that seems like it could be related to him but I don't know what to look for. It would be nice to have an idea about what's happening since I'm the one who is going to have to deal with it.

Postscript finished, Harry gave the parchment to Fawkes who lept from his shoulder, disappearing in a flash of sound and light.