Harry Potter and the Life Persistence Phenomenon

PART ONE

Discovery and Acceptance

Chapter One

The Shadows of the Past

"What?!" Sirius almost screamed. "Sacrifice HIM? No, Albus, you - you can't - you just CAN'T mean this for serious! This can't be!"

Albus Dumbledore was calm. He looked into Sirius' eyes. "Sirius, please listen to me. Believe me that I am suffering from this, too. But there is no other way to get rid of the Dark Lord. I have done months of research and have found nothing. Nothing. There is definitely no other way. Please think of..."

"There is nothing for me to think of, Albus! It can not go like this - it just can't! That would make no sense!" Sirius was outraged. He tried to keep control over himself, and now almost pleaded: "How could I explain it to Lily and James? How to Hermione, the one who loves him and the one he loves? How to Ron, the most loyal friend I have had the great advantage to know on this rotten world? And beyond all, how to explain it to Harry? How could I explain to Harry himself, that his godfather has to let him go, to abandon him, and his admired headmaster wants to sacrifice him, because he does not find another way to save the world from Lord Voldemort?"

Dumbledore lowered his head. There were three other persons in Professor McGonagall's office, too. First it was Remus Lupin, the current DADA teacher, Minerva McGonagall herself, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School and Transfiguration teacher, and Severus Snape, Potions Master and special spy of Dumbledore's. No one was able to speak a single word.

"You will not be able to give me a sufficient answer to these questions, Albus", Sirius went on. "That is because there is no answer. This is mad - almost ridiculous!"

"Sirius, look..." Snape interfered.

"Shut it!" snapped Sirius. He lowered his voice slightly. „I was one of James' and Lily's best friends, possibly the most loyal of all." Lupin made a protesting movement, but McGonagall held him back. Sirius seemed not to notice this. "I was the one they named best man to their wedding. I remember this innocent happiness that beamed from their hearts and filled every mind at that beautiful ceremony. After Harry was born, they asked me to be his godfather. I had a feeling that they knew Voldemort was after them, and they wanted to leave their son in loyal hands if anything happened to them. They wanted at least HIM to live on. They did not - never - want their little child to become a victim of the evil. This all would make no sense if now we had to sacrifice just this boy, the boy who lived!" He looked around, his gaze piercing every single person in the room. „I am the one who has to - AND WILL - protect the boy! I am against Voldemort - you know that, Albus. I will do everything to help the world get rid of that monster. Everything - but not sacrifice Harry Potter! You can take me instead, give me in the clutches of the evil, I will not object and happily give my life. But NOT THE BOY! Do you all understand this - NOT HARRY POTTER!"

Dumbledore sighed heavily and looked at Sirius. He started to explain, but was interrupted by Snape.

"Let me explain, headmaster", said Snape. "I know the Dark Lord and the way he goes to achieve his aim."

Dumbledore nodded, so Snape went on: "Sirius, please listen to me. I know you're no friend of mine - as little as I am of yours, so let's put that topic aside. Just listen."

"You - will - never - explain - anything - to - me!" roared Sirius. „Maybe you are on our side and against Voldemort. Maybe Dumbledore trusts you. But you were able to hate James, Remus and me in a way that would have brought me back to Azkaban three years ago - innocently, as you perfectly well knew! No, Severus, no way! What the hell are you all here playing at? What does this foul game mean?"

Dumbledore stretched himself and began to explain.

"Now it is to you to listen, Sirius. I know this is unbearable for you, but I ask you at least to listen, why this all has to be. Even if you cannot accept the conclusion, but perhaps you can understand how this all can be like it is."

Sirius made a gesture at Dumbledore to continue, so Dumbledore went on.

"Doing my research I found out a lot of facts about Harry and Voldemort - or I should better say Tom Riddle. These are facts that make it unavoidable to take bitter conclusions, to go ways that everyone here hates to go. Some of these facts were no real surprise to me, because I had watched the development of Riddle gaining dark power through the years and of Harry Potter to be connected with the Dark Lord through his scar. Other facts were absolutely astonishing, but they too fit in the puzzle. It's all logical. I did not want to accept it all, I doubted very much, I debated with Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher, even discussed with the Sorting Hat, used my pensieve several times, but no way out."

He sighed deeply and sat down behind McGonagall's desk, gesturing at the others to sit down as well.

"You all know that Tom Marvolo Riddle, nowadays Lord Voldemort, is known as last descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, as the Heir of Slytherin. When Slytherin left Hogwarts more than a thousand years ago, he promised that one day his heir would open the Chamber of Secrets and release the terror that therein was hidden. And so it came fifty-four years ago and again four years ago. The last time the Chamber at long last could be closed for all time, the monster of Slytherin having been killed by Harry Potter. I was startled by the fact that Harry is parselmouth, the only one besides Slytherin and Riddle. But there was an explanation I made to myself that this must have come from the not succeeded Avada Kedavra curse that left Harry with his lightning bolt scar. I told myself that this curse had transferred some of Voldemort's power unto Harry - leaving Voldemort only barely alive and making Harry be one of the most powerful wizards of our time - and a parselmouth. These explanations seemed to be suitable so I left it there for the start. But the more time went on, the more I began to doubt. There were still questions I could not answer. Why was it Harry whom Voldemort actually was after? Why was it Harry who was destined for the brother wand to Voldemort's? Why was it Harry to be the only person ever to have survived Avada Kedavra? Why was it finally Harry who had to be the one wizard whose blood could again rise Voldemort to his shape and a power as great as he had until his downfall sixteen years ago?

"So I went to studies about Harry's family. - Perhaps you, Minerva, remember Tom Marvolo Riddle from his Hogwarts time; he was in his last year when you started school."

McGonagall nodded, though not knowing what Dumbledore was out after. He saw her questioning gaze and went on.

"He was tall and had jet-black hair. And so was James Potter, as you all will remember. And so is Harry Potter - you will have noticed that he has grown a lot during the last two years.

"That was the clue. That was the starting point for my further research. I went to visit St Luke's All Wizarding Archives where I searched the Section for Genealogical Research on Recent Witches and Wizards. There I found exactly the facts that I had feared during many months before.

"James Potter is known as the only son to Henry Charles Potter and his wife Amanda Elizabeth Potter, who was born Johnson. He was a wizard and she was a witch. But nearly nobody knows that James Potter was not their real son, no blood relative. He was adopted right after his birth, because his mother, a witch named Claire Hilldon, was only eighteen and not married, and her parents forced her to abandon the baby, the child of one passionate night. The Potters didn't have children, because Mrs Potter could not have any, so they adopted baby James - who, by the way, never found out anything about his true origin.

"It was not easy to track down Claire Hilldon, but finally I found her in Australia, where she's been living with her Muggle husband for more than forty years. I contacted her, and she agreed to have a meeting. Now, when I met her and we discussed the topic she seemed to me as if still mourning that she was forced to abandon the baby forty-two years ago. This traumatic event was the reason for her to leave her parents and go far away; so she went to Australia and got married, but she doesn't actually love her husband. The one and only person she's been loving for these many years was the one she spent one night with in 1954. I asked for his name, but she knew just the Christian name, Tom. He never told her his surname; she quoted him just saying: 'Let it be a riddle, a secret that will be revealed when we meet again one day.' With that he left her and never came back."

The other men just looked puzzled, but McGonagall gasped and clapped her right hand on her mouth.

When she regained capture she just blurted out: "Let - it - be - a - riddle... I can't believe it, Albus! Riddle, it's no real riddle, but it's - it's..."

"...the name, Minerva. Exactly." Dumbledore sighed. "Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle is James Potter's father. Tom Riddle is Harry Potter's grandfather. Harry Potter is the grandson to Lord Voldemort."

"So", Lupin began, breathing heavily, "... so he - must - be..."

"...the Heir of Slytherin", Dumbledore completed once again. "So far Harry Potter is the latest descendant of Salazar Slytherin."

Dumbledore had stood up and paced around with the last sentences. Now he sat down again. In the flickering light of two candles he looked older than any time before. There was a long silence. After what seemed like a quarter of an hour Dumbledore began to talk again.

"It must have taken a great deal of work to Voldemort-Riddle to find out about his son and grandson. But Tom Marvolo Riddle - I know me having said this a lot of times - was the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. He figured out his own origin without any help, so it must have been a simple question of time for him to catch the track of his descendants.

"Severus, Minerva, I suppose you remember four years ago when Harry Potter was suspected to be the one who had opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the monster. Professor Sprout came to see me one of those days to discuss something she had overheard by accident when she searched the library for advanced reports on the practical use of mandragora extract. One of her students from Hufflepuff House, Ernie Macmillan, and some of his fellow students had been talking about their suspicions on Harry Potter. Especially Macmillan seemed to have thought hard about it, because he brought forth some interesting and almost stunning ideas, which I now found being probably the key to the solution.

"One of the ideas was that only a powerful dark wizard would be able to survive the Avada Kedavra curse, not just a baby. I think we all agree that Harry Potter is no dark wizard, but he is powerful, no doubt about that. And because of his origin he may indeed have dark powers. He's just too noble to recognize them, let alone use them.

"The other interesting idea was that Lord Voldemort was after Harry because the boy was competition for the Dark Lord. This is my conclusion, too, after having discovered the relation between Riddle and Harry. Riddle must have discovered this, too, and thereafter chased the Potters in order to kill his competitors, the ones who one day could deny him to be the only and most powerful dark wizard. This also explains why Voldemort didn't originally intend to kill Lily Potter - she wasn't descendant to Slytherin. He killed her only because she protected Harry from him.

"In addition to these conclusions taken with the unknown help of Mr Macmillan I thought of the special circumstances at the Sorting ceremony the year Harry Potter started at Hogwarts. He himself told me, one year later. It was not clear from the beginning that he would end up in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat intended to put him in Slytherin, but changed his mind after Harry had begged him not to be put there but rather anywhere else."

Sirius snorted. "These are indeed surprising news and logical conclusions, Albus. But I still can't see why we should sacrifice the boy just because of a relationship which is not his personal fault and which he - as I'm convinced of - rather now than tomorrow would happily like to change. Look, he may be the Heir of Slytherin, but he's not the one to be blamed for this. And he has proved many times so far that one can trust him without any doubt that he would never work for the Dark Side. He deserves to live! It would be a shame and a loss beyond imagination to sacrifice him! There MUST be another way!"

"Remember Priori Incantatem, Sirius!" Dumbledore insisted almost pleading. "Remember the spell reverse basing on the wand relationship! This must have made it obvious for everyone who knows about the event that - first - no one but Harry Potter is in state to fight Voldemort effectively without forcibly being killed by the Dark Lord or his followers, and - second - neither Voldemort nor Harry is really able to win a direct fight between them.

"The blood relationship between Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry James Potter is not to be considered only from a biological point of view. If a wizard is born in a continuous line of wizard ancestors - it does not necessarily have to be the direct line from the first ancestor to the relevant descendant, but there must be unbroken inheritance of magical facilities - if a wizard is born within such a line, a very rare phenomenon can occur. It is not known to many witches and wizards. It's the so-called Life Persistence Phenomenon. This means that the relevant ancestor cannot die with the relevant descendant still alive. Their lives are bound to each other, dependent on each other. And so are their deaths.

"There are two requirements that must be fulfilled for this phenomenon: First of all the ancestor must still be alive when the descendant is born, and second both of them must have the same wand destiny. It all fits. Harry Potter was born in 1980, when Tom Riddle a. k. a. Lord Voldemort was still alive. And both of them are destined to a wand with a feather coming from the same phoenix, strictly speaking coming from Fawkes, my familiar phoenix. All requirements are fulfilled. And this Life Persistence Phenomenon explains everything that has happened since Hallowe'en 1981."

Sirius stood up and began pacing around, running his hands through his hair, breathing heavily.

Lupin stayed calm, but seemed very tensed. He muttered: "I see, I see. So there's only one way, isn't it, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. Lupin sighed.

"Sirius", Lupin began carefully. "Sirius, would you please stop for a moment and listen to me?"

Sirius suddenly stopped and looked at Lupin, then at Dumbledore, face bewildered. "We can't", he said hoarsely. "We can't do that. We can't tell Harry to sacrifice himself. He's so young! He's the son of my best friend and his wife, and I promised them to protect him, to be there for him."

Tears glistened in his eyes. "I would give my life for him - for you all! Is there no way? Tell me!"

Dumbledore shook his head.

Sirius' face got hard and determined. He bit his lip, then looked at them all and said firmly: "No! I cannot do this! If you want to get Harry, you have to kill me first! Just - just come here and..."

"I will do it!"

A clear and firm voice came from the door. All of them swished around.

"I will do it! Professor Dumbledore - Sirius - if this is the one way to free the world from Lord Voldemort, then I will do it!"

It was Harry Potter.

Chapter Two

The Lost Childhood

The adults seemed to be stunned. There was a long silence. Then Sirius was the first to move. He rushed to Harry.

"Harry! Harry, no, you can't..." He gripped Harry's robes and dragged him closer. But Harry laid his hand on Sirius' and looked straight into his eyes.

"Let go of me, Sirius!" he said firmly in a tone that didn't accept objection. Now at the age of sixteen, he was at level height with Sirius and gave him a piercing look. Sirius lowered his hand and released Harry's robes.

Harry walked into the room. Every eye followed him, and he felt slightly uncomfortable. But he was determined and walked straight over to Dumbledore and looked at him.

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"What do I have to do, Professor?" he said, his voice now slightly shaking, but still determined.

"But, Harry, listen..." Sirius began, but Dumbledore had stood up and looked at him sternly. Sirius trailed off. Dumbledore turned back to Harry and smiled at him.

"Did you overhear us, Harry? How much did you hear?"

Harry blushed furiously, but didn't avoid Dumbledore's look.

"I - I heard everything, Professor." He gulped. "I'm sorry."

"No matter, Harry", Dumbledore waved away Harry's apologies. "Please sit. We'd have had to tell you anyway." Harry sat down. He looked around at all those people who were staring at him.

"Professor", Harry began, almost inaudible as if he wanted to leave it between himself and Dumbledore, excluding the others.

"Yes, Harry", said Dumbledore, sitting down again.

"May I - may I talk to you alone - without the others - except Sirius?"

"Of course, Harry." Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, Snape and Lupin. "Would you mind leave us three on our own here? If Harry does not object I will report to you afterwards."

They left in silence. Sirius came forth and sat down next to Harry. He wanted to give Harry the feeling of support, and Harry was grateful.

"So, Harry", Dumbledore started. "You - wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, Professor. - Well, when I was walking past this room, making my way to the library, I heard angry voices - particularly Sirius'." He quickly glanced in Sirius' direction, who was eyeing him cautiously. "I wouldn't have minded - there are often envious disputes somewhere at this school, so that would not have been unusual anyway. But then - then I heard my name. That made me stop and listen. I didn't mean to, I was just held back by the sound of my name - and the things I then overheard.

"Professor, is this all true? I mean - am I - am I really a grandson to Voldemort - and - and descendant to Slytherin? Does the blood of Serpent Tongue and the Dark Lord really run through my veins?"

"I am afraid so, Harry. I myself was utterly astonished getting to know this. You have to believe me, I really was."

"So I am the Heir of Slytherin, right?"

"Yes, Harry."

Harry swallowed once again. Obviously he was struggling to keep capture. His voice was shaking heavily when he continued.

"And - and the only way - to - banish the evil from this world - is - sacrificing - me?"

"Yes, Harry."

Harry stared out of the window. He could only barely recognize what was outside, because suddenly tears watered his eyes. He sniffed and wiped his eyes by the sleeve of his robes. Then he turned back to Dumbledore, who was watching him with great sympathy.

Harry couldn't keep it back any longer. He started to talk - barely noticing the two men sitting with him and gaping by surprise, sometimes dumbstruck.

"When I came here for the first time - more than five years ago - I - I thought I would leave it all behind. All the misery of my former life. It's harder than you can imagine to live in a house where you're barely tolerated but just treated like a piece of rubbish - and that for nearly ten years. When I came to Hogwarts it was as if I was given birth a second time. I had not seen this place before, but I knew instinctively that this was not only one further part of a usual life with ups and downs but - but this was my life. I felt home, I made friends, I was in my world and the world of my parents. There were also enemies like Malfoy, teachers like Professor Snape I had my difficulties to come along with, defeats in Quidditch, sicknesses and nights in the hospital wing - but I could handle all this, because it happened within my world, it belonged to it. And there were always friends who helped me bear it all - no one who isn't that close with them can't even imagine what Ron and Hermione mean to me. And Ron's parents and siblings who treated me like being my own parents and siblings - it was the first time I remember I had a family. I had people who cared about me when I was sad or scared or upset about something. I had people who laughed with me, people I could do jokes with.

"There was always danger ahead. Quirrell-Voldemort right in my first year - the dangerous diary in my second. Most part of my third year I thought the man who turned out to be my godfather was a convicted murderer who was on the loose and after me in order to finish me off. That both horrible and gorgeous fourth year with its Quidditch World Cup, Dark Mark, Triwizard Tournament, Cedric's death - and House Elf Liberation Front.

"There was always - friendship and love. I think I'm not the only teenage boy who had several crushes before coming across the one person he knows is his true love. There were a lot of butterflies in my stomach, a lot of laughs, tears and screams, sleepless nights - and severe detentions given because of having exchanged little love letters in class. - When it occurred to me that there was more between me and Hermione than just friendship - I remember I was shivering of excitement, nervous up to being unable to hold my mug with Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks. That first kiss - gentle, barely touching. That second one, third one - every one showing me more clearly that there was more life had to give me than only homework, detention and fights with Malfoy. That first night together with her - the world had turned upside down, everything had been shoved aside by the mists of passion, everything was drunken in a sea of emotions - I felt what love was able to take and give.

"All this was my life and belonged to my world. Every year when I had to leave Hogwarts for the summer holidays, it felt like being thrown back into that misery I hoped I had left behind. Straight after having arrived at Privet Drive I started counting down the days remaining till September 1^st, when I at long last could again leave my lost childhood behind and return to my world, come back home to my friends, my true family and - my love.

"Was this all nothing but a wonderful dream? Was it nothing more than gorgeous imagination? Do I have to swish it aside - forget it all?

"Why must this all be up to me? Why do I have to be the Boy Who Lived - and finally has to go - to leave - to die? Why can't I just be a boy like everyone else? I'm trying hard, but I don't understand it. - Can you tell me, Professor?"

Dumbledore simply looked at Harry. It seemed to last an eternity. Then he began thoughtfully.

"I cannot tell you, Harry. No one can. I know that some fates must be hard to bear. I can imagine that it sometimes drives you mad when you consider your fate - after all your mother and father had to bear. But..." He bit his lip as if trying to think hard how to find the right expression. "But - why do you regret being the Boy Who Lived, Harry? That very night in 1981, you defeated the Dark Lord for the first time! There is no other human being on earth who can claim for himself or herself having fought against evil at an age of only one year - and having lived to keep the chance of a normal life. And that very night in 1992, you defeated the Dark Lord for the second time! And that very night in 1993, you fought successfully against the most evil monster Hogwarts has ever seen, and you rescued the almost lost life of young Miss Ginny Weasley - and by that you defeated the Dark Lord a third time! And that very night in 1995, you finally defeated the Dark Lord a fourth time, being armed only with your wand, having to fight an army of Death Eaters, and having to care for Cedric's corpse to be brought back to his parents. I know that Mr Ollivander once told you, that the world could expect great things from you, because your wand is related to Voldemort's. He told me when I met him to discuss the oddity of several events concerning these two wands. And by Merlin's sake, you definitely did prove both outstanding courage and deepest love fighting for the good - you definitely did great things. Harry James Potter - if all this isn't encouraging at largest extent, I don't know what finally can be."

He smiled at Harry, who weakly smiled back.

Dumbledore turned to Sirius. "Sirius, I would like you to see Professor McGonagall and tell her that I will report to her and the others in about an hour. She, Professor Snape, Professor Sprout, Professor Lupin and - of course - yourself are asked to meet me in this room for further instructions. Now I will go to my office together with Harry. When you have talked to Minerva, will you please be so kind and look for Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger and bring them up to my office?"

"Of course, Albus", said Sirius and, after a pitiful glance back at Harry, headed out of the room.

"Come, Harry", Dumbledore said gently.

Chapter Three

The Fellowship of the Phoenix

They reached Dumbledore's office by using the moving staircase behind the stone gargoyle. The first item that caught Harry's attention was Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. He was sitting at his usual place and eyed Harry cautiously.

Dumbledore walked behind his desk, opened the glass cabinet and took a long silvery sword which he laid onto the desk. He beckoned Harry - who was still standing at the door - to come nearer and asked him to sit down.

Harry sat down and looked at the sword. He knew it. It was the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Harry himself in his second year had been given this sword as a weapon against the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, giving evidence about his true loyalty to Dumbledore and to the spirit and the principles of Gryffindor House.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, making Harry jump slightly.

"Harry, have you ever read the novel 'The Lord of the Rings' by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien?"

"Y - yes, most of it. I once grabbed the book from the shelf in Dudley's - my cousin's, you know - second bedroom and read it - I think it was during those horrible summer holidays back between my first and second Hogwarts year. My cousin hadn't touched it at all - he hates reading as long as he doesn't have to do it, for example for school subjects. - But - what exactly do you mean by asking me about it?"

"If you read the book carefully, Harry, you will have noticed that the first - and most important - reasons for the final victory of Frodo Baggins over the Dark Lord Sauron were courage and loyalty. It was Frodo's bravery, his courage to leave the assumed safety of the Shire and bear the Ring of Power through a world full of peril right into the centre of Mordor up to Mount Doom, which was the only place where the Ring could be destroyed. It was the loyalty of that fellowship accompanying Frodo, especially Samwise Gamgee, who stayed at his side and went with him until the end. One of the book's messages is that one is able to achieve almost everything if he or she is prepared to risk even their own life and face the evil in order to destroy it.

"You do not have to fear evil, because it is used to act in disguise, not openly. If it is dragged out of its hiding place, if it is de-masked, if it has to face loyalty and bravery, it is almost certainly bound to fail. Evil feeds itself and grows by scattering jealousy, disloyalty and fear. If those are taken away and there are people who gather together in loyalty and muster the courage to stand up and fight, there may be sacrifices, but at the end evil will be destroyed once and for all."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Professor", Harry interfered, "but I don't understand how this could be useful against Voldemort, if the only way to make him die is to sacrifice me - my life."

"I am going to build up a fellowship against Voldemort. If Voldemort is Sauron, you are Frodo. You are the one who must go into the centre of peril. You must be prepared to sacrifice your life - which does not automatically mean that you actually have to loose your life. There are special preventing steps that can perhaps save your life; if everything goes the right way, they most certainly will save you."

"But what do Ron and Hermione have to do with it?"

"They - together with Sirius and Professor Lupin - are the fellowship. As soon as they arrive here I will explain."

* * *

"Harry!" Hermione whined when she and Ron entered Dumbledore's office. "Harry, what's going on?"

Dumbledore smiled at the two of them and beckoned them nearer. "Hello, you two! Please sit - oh, there is no chair left. Just a moment." He took out his wand, waved it twice and muttered each time: "Sedem fabrico." Two chairs appeared out of nothing, and Ron and Hermione awkwardly sat down.

"Well, you certainly wonder why I sent Sirius to look after you and bring you to my office", Dumbledore began.

Both nodded.

Dumbledore went on, explaining them the most important parts of everything he had discovered about Harry's descent.

Ron and Hermione were dumbstruck. Ron was the first to talk, just managing to stutter: "But - but - Harry and - You-know-who - they can't be - can't - they're not - related, aren't they - I mean - it can't be..."

"It can be and it most unfortunately is, Mr Weasley", said Dumbledore patiently. "I would really like to be the one who could change this, but it is out of my hands. No human being, even no wizard, has this power. There is no magic that could change nature, because magic - like everything else belonging to our life - is based on the one creation of living beings and their abilities and is therefore inseparable from nature."

Once more, Ron and Hermione did not know what to say about that. They just sat there and stared at their best friend as if he was someone coming from a distant planet.

"Excuse me, professor", began Harry. "I just wondered if you could now give me - and my friends here next to me - some further explanation about that fellowship."

"Of course I can", said Dumbledore. He cleared his throat, then he conjured up a kind of blackboard where he started to outline the specialities in Harry's and Voldemort's relationship.

Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort) Harry James Potter,

son of James Potter,

grandson of Tom M. Riddle

1^st requirement:

born 1927, still alive born 1980

2^nd requirement:

wand with phoenix feather wand with phoenix feather

→ Life Persistence Phenomenon

"That", he pointed at the blackboard, "is the basis of our current situation and of its solution." Dumbledore gave Harry a piercing gaze. Harry started to feel uncomfortable. Dumbledore went on.

"Harry, perhaps you remember the day back in first year, when I visited you in the hospital wing after your fight against Professor Quirrell."

Harry frowned, but then nodded.

"Moreover you might remember the reason I gave you for the fact that Quirrell, bound to Voldemort, was not able to touch your bare skin without suffering from unbearable pain."

"There's nothing I remember more clear than that, professor. It was the love of my mother, wasn't it?"

"It was, Harry. This love was like some kind of a shield or an armament to you, something evil could not break. And this is precisely the point upon which I think we can build our prevention against death.

"First of all I have to say it once more: you must be prepared and - if necessary - willing to sacrifice your life in order to vanquish the Dark Lord. It will not be up to you to take the responsibility of your survival."

All three students looked extremely puzzled. "I don't understand any single word of his", Ron muttered under his breath. Hermione turned to face him, but instantly turned back to the headmaster's desk when she was adressed by Dumbledore.

"This is the point where Miss Hermione Granger enters the stage", said Dumbledore, now looking at Hermione with the same piercing gaze he had given Harry a minute ago.

"Me, professor?"

"Yes, Hermione. When I was here with Harry and Sirius half an hour ago, Harry told me something that - as I am convinced of - he would never consider being of the utmost importance for him when he has to fight Lord Voldemort."

Hermione looked at Harry, who shrugged and lifted his eyebrows.

"Harry Potter told me", Dumbledore went on, not turning his gaze away from Hermione, "that he is in love with you, Hermione."

Hermione looked at Harry again, slightly gaping. Harry returned the gaze and reddened like a radish; he, however, smiled at Hermione. Ron on the other hand frowned a bit, but didn't say anything. Dumbledore grinned at the expression on the students' faces.

"Maybe Harry blurted out some kind of a secret, acted a bit indiscretely", Dumbledore told Hermione, seeming to apologize in Harry's place. Harry went even redder and stared to the floor. Dumbledore broke the awkward silence. "But if he had kept his mouth shut about it, I would never have the opportunity to tell him and you all that there is a realistic chance for him to both kill the Lord of Evil and live to tell his children about it." He smiled at Hermione. Then he turned to Harry.

"Harry, it's only to make sure: do you love Hermione Granger?"

Harry looked up to Dumbledore, then turned to Hermione and told her seriously: "Hermione, I told you before and I now repeat it: I do love you more than my own life. I enjoy being with you, and making you happy is the only thing I can imagine to be worth living for."

He smiled broadly at her, took her hands in his own and squeezed them lovingly.

Ron bit on his lip and looked down to the floor.

"Next one to appear on Harry's side in the upcoming fight", Dumbledore went on almost solemnly, "will be Mr Ronald Weasley."

Ron jumped slightly, being pulled roughly out of his thoughts.

"Ron, Harry told me, you and Hermione are his best friends." Ron blushed.

"He told me, no one who isn't as close with you both as himself could imagine what you and Hermione mean to Harry. He described your parents and siblings as almost his own family, loving him and caring about him. And I think you do know enough about your friend's personal history to be able to imagine what big importance he puts on your friendship saying so."

Ron gulped and grinned at Harry, both of them scarlet in their faces.

"Hermione, Ronald - do you both regard your friendships to Harry Potter the same way as he described them?"

Hermione and Ron nodded silently. Neither these two nor Harry had an idea about what kind of ceremony was going on.

"Well, then there is no obstacle to the probably most powerful fellowship against evil forces ever seen in the wizarding world. First of all everyone of you will obtain the best training imaginable to duel and to deal with curses. Professor Lupin will do his best to optimize your capabilities, and I am going to contact Alastor Moody to help him - especially concerning curses and countercurses.

"Furthermore I am going to talk to Professor McGonagall whether she regards the three of you capable to learn and perform animagus transformation. It could be helpful to take a shape different from yours in order to deceive the Dark Lord and his followers while getting nearer to them. As I am convinced that most of the Dementors have joined Voldemort, this would also have the effect that they will have much more difficulty in sensing your feelings while you are animals. Maybe it would be better to hide all from the Ministry control; I will discuss it with Minerva.

"Next are the mandrakes. Professor Sprout has succeeded in cultivation of a quite large colony of them. As soon as they are full grown, Professor Snape will be able to concoct a potion which will prevent you from almost all curses you may be hit with, but not the three Unforgivables."

Dumbledore said all this very matter-of-factly.

Now Harry interfered.

"Er... professor? Well, these are a lot of preventing steps, and I can imagine that they are able to make our task as safe as possible. But I still cannot see the special point of Hermione's and Ron's friendship to me for success or survival. And what about Sirius?"

"I'm getting to that, Harry. Just a little bit of patience."

Dumbledore took a pinch of floo powder out of a small jug on the mantelpiece and threw it into the fire.

"Sirius Black, if you please!"

A few moments later, Sirius appeared in the fire and stepped out. "You called for me, Albus?"

"Yes, Sirius", said Dumbledore. "I had a little chat with these three young people here. But before I tell more about it, I want you to look at the blackboard and consider the meaning of the connections that are presented there. You three..." he looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "... perhaps want to look once more, too."

They all stared at the blackboard.

Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort) Harry James Potter,

son of James Potter,

grandson of Tom M. Riddle

1^st requirement:

born 1927, still alive born 1980

2^nd requirement:

wand with phoenix feather wand with phoenix feather

→ Life Persistence Phenomenon

"I told you before what the consequences of the Life Persistance Phenomenon are. Lord Voldemort will not die, unless Harry Potter dies before him or at the same time. This means, fighting the Dark Lord includes willingness to sacrifice the life of the just mentioned descendant.

"But there is one thing that is strong beyond all magic and magic phenomenons including the Life Persistence Phenomenon.

"Love."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and Hermione, who were still holding each other's hands. They went pink in their faces.

"Harry, you know more than anyone else what love is able to do. The absolute and unconditional love of your mother saved your life, so that you were able to survive the most evil and irresistible of all curses, the death curse Avada Kedavra. There is no countercurse and no other way to resist or evade this curse, so it could only be love that enabled you to live after. This is ancient magic beyond all magic. And I am pinning my hopes on the love between you and Hermione Granger, and - in addition to this - on the unquestioning faith between you and Ronald Weasley, to be once more this ancient magic beyond all magic evil forces could ever use.

"Harry, you have to be willing to die for Good's sake. As I pointed out before, it is not up to you to take responsibility for your survival, but this is Hermione's and Ronald's task. There is no other way, so we have to take that risk to rid the world form Lord Voldemort.

"I now ask the three of you: Are you prepared and willing to take the risk and to fight the decisive battle against the forces of the dark?"

There was an extremely tensed silence. Then, first Harry, then Hermione and Ron nodded.

Dumbledore gazed at them with grim determination. After a few seconds he broke into a broad smile, went forward and did something neither of them had imagined him to do to one of his students - he hugged them all tightly. All three became scarlet by embarrassment.

Sirius had been watching the scene from behind the students. He seemed to be terrified by the prospect of sacrifice, violence and perhaps death. Dumbledore now came over to him, laid a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes.

"Sirius, I want you to be there for these wonderful young people. Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody and Minerva McGonagall will take over the training task to prepare them for the fight. But you are Harry's godfather, and close to his friends either. You have to be the one they can come to - even in the middle of the night - whenever they need any kind of help or just someone to listen to them or to be with them. Please, give them all support you are capable of, will you?"

Sirius nodded.

Dumbledore beamed once more. Then he bade them all to go back to their respective tasks, while he intended to see professors McGonagall, Lupin, Sprout and Snape in order to report and make up further plans.

The fellowship would be built up.

The decisive fight had started.

*****