Harry Potter and the House Divided

Chapter Five "Exams and Answers"

Harry's life found a steadiness and sense of accomplishment that it had never achieved on Privet Drive over the following weeks. Fleur and Tonks both came to work with him on various forms of defensive magic at least twice a week and he was now able to successfully resist Fleur's Legilimency for several minutes at a time. Because he was not able to use a wand to practice magic with Tonks, she worked with him on honing his reflexes and concentration, as both would be essential in duelling. The former for evading and attack and the latter in order to take full advantage of power that Professor Dumbledore continued to claim was only marginally less than his had been at Harry's age.

Harry had trouble believing the Headmaster's comments. After all, Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of the age. His doubts took shape in the form of a piece of mail that arrived in his room two days before his birthday. The thick envelope was attached to a highly officious owl who left his room only moments after Harry detached the envelope from its leg.

The seal of the Ministry of Magic's Wizarding Examinations Authority was a signal to Harry that this envelope might contain the results of his Ordinary Wizarding Level(O.W.L.) examinations from the end of the last term. The thought of looking at the scores made him as angry as it unnerved him. After all, the prophecy had taken care of his ability to make a future for himself until it was fulfilled. Although he thought that being an auror like Tonks or Kingsley Shacklebolt would be about the best thing in the world, he knew that for the moment he had no choice but to train to become one in order to have the best possible chance at defeating Lord Voldemort. He therefore found little comfort in the knowledge that even if he'd gotten a T, the worst possible grade, on his potions O.W.L. that Professor Dumbledore would probably make Professor Snape accept him into the N.E.W.T. level course. Usually, Snape only took people who received a grade of "Outstanding" on their potions O.W.L. but Harry knew that this requirement would be waved for him because of who he was and what he had to do.

Harry was deeply frustrated by his inability to make choices about his life. He was used to having no choice about his fame or the deaths of his parents but realizing just how few choices he had in his life now that he knew the prophecy was almost enough to make him see why Professor Dumbledore had avoided telling him about it for so long. Sirius' death wasn't worth the delay, but as he continued to work through his grief by learning everything he could, Harry could understand why Professor Dumbledore wanted to avoid telling him what his future held.

Anger over his perceived lack of control over his life was so distracting to Harry that he didn't realize that his Headmaster had appeared in his room until he was blasted out of his train of thought by a tremendously powerful Legilimentic assault. Professor Dumbledore had told Harry that he would not hold back in the training sessions that they had together. Some were scheduled and some, like this one, were not.

Harry had objected to Professor Dumbledore's policy at first as it seemed far too much like Professor Snape's way of "training" him. However, it didn't take Harry long to realize that no matter how much power the Headmaster put behind his attempts to break into Harry's mind, nothing could replicate the power that Voldemort had exerted against him when they fought in the Ministry of Magic a little more than a month earlier and there would be no telling when the Dark Lord might strike.

Within seconds of the beginning of the attack Harry gained limited control of his thoughts, directing them away from reviews of his work with Tonks to a shaky image of flying around the Quidditch pitch. However, as Professor Dumbledore was obviously questing for Defense related memories, Harry's battle with the faux dementors that Malfoy and three other Slytherins had become during a match that he'd played in his third year quickly rose to the forefront of his mind. This led to memories of learning the patronus charm from Remus and then to connections to people that the older man knew, including, unfortunately, Sirius.

The assault ended moments later and Harry lay on the floor where the Headmaster's attack had thrown him, stunned by its force and the clarity of his memories of Sirius. Professor Dumbledore knelt at Harry's side, the concern that he always showed after one of his surprise visits salt on Harry's wounded psyche.

"Are you all right Harry?" asked The Headmaster solicitously.

"Yeah, fine...." Harry said, snappishly.

"I am sorry that you had to relive those events but I can't control what you will see when you are only partly successful in resisting me. You are doing very well and I think that you will be ready to defend yourself against anything short of Voldemort's most determined attacks by some point in the forthcoming term. Given what happened to Tom when he tried to possess you some weeks ago, I think that he will probably not try to attack you until you are ready to repel him for long enough for someone to get my help or that of Professor Snape."

"Right." Harry said, still shocked by the clarity of his memories of Sirius and the pain that reliving them brought him.

The older man looked away from Harry for a moment, and then turned back to him, eyes twinkling with their usual intensity. "I can not stay long but there are some questions that you asked me at the beginning of the summer that I thought needed to be addressed in a face to face conversation during which there was no chance of our discussion being overheard," he said.

"Oh?" Harry asked, curiosity only slightly engaged by his mentor's words.

"Yes.", the headmaster said, pulling a small bag of lemon drops from his pocket as he did so.

He nodded in response to Harry's silent refusal of the proffered bag and slipped the candy back into his robes.

"The most important of these is your power relative to that of Lord Voldemort. I have seen a variety of indications that you are, indeed, his equal but unlike Tom you have not chosen to focus your abilities unless there was a clear reason to. Your patronus and that perfect summoning charm that you used during the Tri-Wizard-Tournament are examples of your extraordinary magical capability. Your successful battles against Tom in your first, second and fourth years demonstrate your equality with him. You were victorious in situations that most adult wizards could never have been because you needed to be and were able to call on the power necessary to ensure your victory. Tom might have beaten you but because he didn't have a body of his own in your first and second years, and was still not acclimated to his new one in your fourth, you had a slight advantage. This will not be the case when you meet him next. This means that you must be open to allowing yourself to feel and use the "power that he knows not" in yourself. Your love for Sirius saved you in June and your love for your friends, and theirs for you as well, will be your advantage against him when you face him again."

"But Professor, it was my friends' love for me that brought them to the

ministry with me, and Sirius, well..."

"You are correct, Harry." Professor Dumbledore said seriously.

"They were almost killed because they loved me and you said that my mother's love was only strong enough to protect me because she died."

"Also true,"

"Then how do you expect me to let them love me when doing it puts them in danger?" Harry asked, plaintively.

"Harry, love is ultimately about who the people that one loves are, and you, Harry, have shown yourself to be more than worthy of the love of your parents, your teachers and your friends."

"If being the way that I am is what caused them to love me then maybe I should not be so close with them."

At this, Professor Dumbledore sighed deeply, seemingly very disappointed in Harry's response.

"Harry, you can certainly drive people away from you but remember that if you do so, you add greatly to the likelihood that Voldemort will win. Friends like Ms. Granger, the Weasleys, Ms. Delacour and Ms. Tonks can help you learn things that you could never learn alone. It is true that there is greater risk that they will die while you yet live if you let them love you but on the other hand, I believe that their love for you gives them, and you, a much better chance to live happy lives, long after Lord Voldemort has been defeated."

"Right," Harry said, truly uncomfortable with the choice that he had been given. In order to divert himself from the terrible dilemma that he was now forced to think on, he brought the conversation back to the answers to his questions that Professor Dumbledore had promised.

"You said that there was something else, Professor?"

"Oh, yes." Professor Dumbledore replied. "The other question deals with Ms. Granger."

"Is there anything wrong with Hermione?" Harry asked, instantly concerned for the best friend whose brilliance had helped him survive many of his battles with Voldemort, and probably his O.W.Ls too.

"No, no my boy, she's well and having a wonderful summer with her parents as far from here as could reasonably be arranged."

Harry's sigh of relief brought a small smile to Professor Dumbledore's face before he continued with his lesson for the day.

"You asked me if the fact that Ms. Granger's marks and demonstrated capability in her coursework were suggestive that she is more powerful than you and therefore a match for me in magical capability."

"Oh, right." Harry said, now thoroughly interested by the discussion.

"I can say with great confidence that although she is a surprisingly powerful muggleborn witch, her talent does not match yours in most areas save for potions and transfiguration. However, she is far more disciplined than you have been as yet and this has given her an artificial advantage that has so far overcome your natural gifts. If you choose to focus as Ms. Tonks has been teaching you to I am quite certain that you will be more than able to surpass Ms. Granger in many areas and take your place at or near the top of your generation at Hogwarts."

"But I don't want to take my place at the top of anything," Harry objected.

"No, Harry, I'm sure that you don't." Sighed Professor Dumbledore. "In truth you need not do more studying than you already have. However, you must maximize the effectiveness of the time you spend with your books much as it is essential that you maximize the quality of the time that you spend with your friends. Don't let either dominate your life as both are essential in your effort to prepare yourself for what you must do."

"Maximize my..."

"Yes, Harry, an important conversation that we must have but not today," the Headmaster said, vanishing the pouf on which he had been sitting as he did so. "For now, I suggest that you have a look at your excellent O.W. L. scores. I see that they're sitting on your desk unopened as yet."

"Well, yes," Harry said, shocked by the change in topic. "I didn't really think that they'd matter since you've probably already decided what courses I need to take."

"Nothing could be farther from the truth." Professor Dumbledore said, eyes fixed on Harry's face. "You must make the decisions that will shape your future, Harry. I can't do that for you and you shouldn't let your beliefs about Sybil's prophecy take you in directions that it does not require you to go. I am certainly happy to speak with you about the courses that I think will be best for you but I promise you that unless I think a course of study is necessary to keep you or your friends alive, I will never pressure you to do anything that you don't want to do."

Harry nodded, shocked by his Headmaster's words and the force with which they had been delivered.

"I'll look at them and then we'll talk when I'm to see you next?"

"I would be honoured to advise you," Professor Dumbledore replied, smiling gently, an undefinable emotion in his brilliant blue eyes. "In truth, it has been many years since I advised students on their academic lives. It will be a great joy to do so again if you will have my help."

"That would be great, sir." he said quietly, looking up into the suddenly misty eyes of the greatest wizard of the age.

"Then I will be here for our regular session which falls four days after your birthday. I hope that we will have an arrangement in place for the rest of your summer by that point but can not guarantee that we will be ready to move you when I am to see you next."

"Thanks for trying to get things done for me," Harry said quietly, the tightness in his chest and throat that always struck when he was afraid that he would never be able to leave No.4 Privet Drive loosening ever so slightly.

"Much as I have failed you over the last year, and in truth long before that, I have always tried to get things done for you Harry. I promise you that even though your tasks are difficult, I'll do anything in my power to give you every opportunity to live as normal a life as can be arranged while you remain at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, his throat tightening for a very different reason.

"Unfortunately, Harry, I must go to the ministry to have a meeting with Professor Marchbanks about the O.W.Ls. There were some discrepancies that we are trying to determine how to correct without requiring students to retest in at least three subjects. If you have any questions we will speak soon. Until then, I wish you a happy birthday and hope that you enjoy the present that Professor McGonagall has been working on for you."

"A present from Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked, surprised that his reserved head of house might be preparing a gift for him.

"Oh, definitely." Professor Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling merrily. "She is very sure that you'll enjoy it and says that it's been coming since about twenty minutes after your match against Slytherin last year."

With that somewhat obscure comment Professor Dumbledore vanished, his departure as silent as always.

Harry, who still felt that looking at his O.W.Ls wasn't truly important, decided that it wouldn't hurt to do so. After all, potions had gone fairly well and he thought that there was a chance that he might have gotten in on his own merits.

Harry broke the seal on the thick envelope and pulled out the fine parchment on which his O.W.L. results were listed.

Dear Mister Potter

The Wizarding Examinations Authority wishes to congratulate you on the successful completion of your ordinary wizarding level examinations. Below are the scores that you have earned.

Professor Griselda Marchbanks,

Deputy Minister for Examinations and Licensure

The information was apparently supposed to be set as a table but Harry quickly saw that many of his scores had special notes attached that destroyed the format of the letter.

Ordinary Wizarding Level certifications for:

Harry James Potter, rising sixth year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Scores are granted on demonstrations of theoretical knowledge and/or practical ability.

Mr. Potter, the scores supporting the awarding of Six O.W.Ls out of a possible total of nine are as follows:

Charms: Theoretical: E, Practical: O (Averaged Score: O)

Transfiguration: Theoretical: E, Practical: E (Averaged Score: E)

Defense Against the Dark Arts:

Theoretical: O, Practical: O (Averaged score: O(highest score since Hogwarts class of 1856)

Potions: Theoretical: E, Practical: O (Averaged score: O)

Care of Magical Creatures: Theoretical: O, Practical: O (Averaged score: O)

Astronomy: Theoretical: A, Practical: E (graded without reference to portion of Exam disrupted by circumstances) Averaged score: A

History of Magic: P

Divination: Theoretical: P, Practical: T (Averaged score: D)

Total O.W.Ls received: 6

Note: Mr. Potter, your scores are sufficient to permit you to continue your preparations for training as an auror. Please consult your Head of House or Headmaster Dumbledore for recommendations on sixth and seventh term courses best suited to the career plan filed on your behalf by the head of Gryffindor house.

After reading the letter Harry couldn't resist smiling. He'd gotten an O in potions and so Snape wouldn't be able to insinuate that he hadn't gotten into N.E.W.T. potions on his own merits. That thought firmly in his mind, Harry decided that it was time for an afternoon nap.