Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Harry Potter Lord Voldemort
Genres:
General Drama
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 06/01/2005
Updated: 04/18/2006
Words: 216,956
Chapters: 39
Hits: 98,338

The Greatest Power

MuggleMomma

Story Summary:
After the events in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius' death, and the revelation of the prophecy, Harry is again sent back to stay with his aunt and uncle on Privet Drive, more broken and overwhelmed than ever before. How will he survive without his friends? He needs them more than ever, and as his mind is repeatedly attacked, the situation becomes desperate.

Chapter 22

Chapter Summary:
Harry's training with Dumbledore takes an interesting turn as Harry begins to exhibit some real power. Ginny and Harry have a nice "talk" as their relationship begins to solidify.
Posted:
06/30/2005
Hits:
2,249


Chapter 22: Trials, Triumphs, and Training

Hermione chattered away about Silencing Potions as she and Harry headed down to Snape's dungeon for Potions on Monday morning.

"I mean, really," she said. "It can't be harder than Wolfsbane, can it?"

"Not much could be," Harry answered truthfully. "How did the rest of the class do on that potion?"

"Oh, Professor Snape was in quite a temper on Wednesday," Hermione said darkly. "You should have heard him going on. He said that none of our potions would so much as begin to prevent the mind transformation of a werewolf."

"Even yours?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Well, no," Hermione admitted. "He didn't mention it when he was ranting at the class, but I got an 'E' on mine. He said it hadn't given off enough steam."

Harry snorted. "I bet he just couldn't stand to give you an 'O' on the first day of term, Hermione."

"I'm certain I made it correctly," Hermione said. "Still, though, he's the professor, isn't he? And we know he's an expert at the potion because he makes it for Professor Lupin every full moon."

"Come off it, Hermione," Harry said automatically. He didn't know why she continued to defend Snape. He, for one, was certain that Snape would find any excuse possible to mark down either one of them.

As they reached Snape's dungeon, someone grabbed Harry's arm from behind. As he spun around, wand at the ready, he was not surprised to see the pale face of Draco Malfoy, glaring at him maliciously, a snide grin on his face.

"So, Potter," he breathed. "Too bad about the Squib. Did you enjoy the show?"

Hermione grabbed Malfoy's arm and jerked it away from Harry with enough force to make both of them stumble. "Get away from us, Malfoy," she said fiercely.

"I wasn't talking to you, Mudblood," he retorted, and turned back to Harry, who was still trying to work out exactly how Draco knew about what he had seen on Tuesday. "So Dumbledore has been teaching you Occlumency, Potter? What a waste of time. The Dark Lord will always be more powerful than a stupid half-blood like yourself could ever be...he will take you whenever he chooses."

"Oh he will, will he?" Harry responded hotly. He was not going to be intimidated by Malfoy. "How come he hasn't done it, then? Still here, aren't I? And did your dad's old mate ever bother to tell you that he's a half-blood, himself?"

Draco looked a bit surprised at this comment, and the snide grin disappeared from his face to be replaced by a look of deepest loathing. "You don't know what you're talking about, Potter," he spat. "Dumbledore won't be around to help you forever - and after the old fool is gone, your days are numbered. Power, indeed. You will never triumph over the Dark Lord." He stalked past them and through the open door of the Potions classroom.

Harry started a bit at Draco's final comment. It seemed impossible to think that Draco Malfoy would know the prophecy. Then again, Malfoy always seemed to get information from his father...had Lucius told him? Harry realized once again that the time was drawing closer for him to talk to his friends about the prophecy. He didn't want them to hear about it from anyone but him.

Predictably, Snape ignored Harry all the way through the Potions lesson, as he always did after they had a confrontation. This was probably a good thing for Harry and Hermione - his mind still reeling about just how much Draco Malfoy knew, Harry was not paying much attention to his potion, and Hermione kept desperately muttering corrections at him as she worked on her own, which, as usual, looked just like it was supposed to.

Even with Hermione's help, by the end of the period Harry's potion did not look any better than Neville's would have, had he still been in the class. Instead of a translucent opal color, Harry's potion was dark purple and smelled much like the lavatory did after someone had spent large amounts of time inside, reading the newspaper. Sighing, Harry put a small amount of the potion in a vial, hoping he would be able to at least get some points for the attempt, and took it to Snape's desk. The Potions master did not speak to Harry at all, but looked from the purple liquid and then back up at Harry with a malicious light in his eyes. Harry knew then that he might as well not have bothered turning it in - he would not be getting any points for it whatsoever.

"What happened in there, Harry?" Hermione asked as they were walking towards the library to meet Ron for the study period. "You did so well last time. You were hardly paying attention today."

Harry thought for a moment, and then decided to be as truthful as possible. "It was Malfoy," he answered.

"Honestly, Harry, you can't let him get to you like that," Hermione sighed. "It's been the same since first year."

"This wasn't the same, Hermione," Harry said. "Didn't you hear him ask me if I 'enjoyed the show?'"

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Yes, but..." A look of comprehension came across her face. She couldn't believe that she hadn't caught it before, but she had been so worried that Harry was going to lose his temper and hex Malfoy right in front of Snape's classroom. "How did he know you saw it? No one told anyone what happened - even Neville, Seamus, and Dean don't know."

"I know," Harry said. "I guess his father must have told him...unless..."

"Unless what, Harry?"

"What if Malfoy is really one of them now?" Harry asked, his words tumbling out quickly.

"One of them?" Hermione asked. "You mean a Death Eater? Harry, no way...Draco's still in school, he'd never be. Not yet. His father must have told him about the attack."

"I guess," Harry replied, unconvinced. He had the uneasy feeling as they sat down next to Ron and took out their books that Hermione might, for once, be wrong.

* * *

That night in the common room, Harry was playing a half-hearted game of chess with Ron, his mind on tomorrow's session with Dumbledore, when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. Starting slightly, he looked behind him to find Ginny, a troubled expression on her face.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Er, sure, Ginny," Harry said, ignoring Ron's teasing grin as he forfeited the match (not that he'd had a chance of winning anyway). "You want to take a walk? We've got an hour until curfew."

She finally smiled at him. "That sounds good," she answered, and her grin widened as Harry took her hand to lead her to the portrait hole.

"Hey, you two!" Ron called after them. "Mind that all you do is walk!"

Ginny rounded on him. "Honestly, Ron. Just because you can't stop planning your next snog-fest with Hermione doesn't mean that the rest of us have our minds in the gutter!"

Ron's ears turned bright red - she had responded loudly enough that the whole common room was now hooting with laughter. Ron tried to pretend he didn't hear them as he hastily put away the chess set and stalked up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Harry and Ginny chuckled as they turned and climbed through the portrait hole.

Once they were a fair distance down the corridor, Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and asked, "I just wanted to know...is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Ginny," Harry answered in confusion. This was not what he had expected.

"It's just that you've barely looked at me all weekend. I was just wondering if maybe you regretted what happened in the hospital wing."

Harry stopped short. "Why?" he asked quickly. "Do you?"

"No!" she exclaimed, and then blushed as she tried to make her voice sound normal. "It's just that...well...I thought maybe we would spend some time together this weekend, but all you did was work on your homework. Even at Quidditch practice, you barely spoke to me!"

"Oh," Harry said, wracking his brain for the right thing to say. "No, it's just that...er...I guess I was a bit preoccupied this weekend. Trying to catch up from the classes I missed while I was in the hospital wing," he added unconvincingly.

"Don't give me that, Harry Potter," Ginny said, pulling her hand away from his. "I've known you longer than five minutes, you know. If you don't want to tell me what's going on, then fine, but you don't have to lie to me."

Harry was more than a little confused at Ginny's abrupt change in attitude until she said tartly, "If you don't want to be with me, just tell me that. Don't try to make up excuses."

So that was what she was on about! Harry almost laughed, but then remembered the consequences he had faced last time he had laughed at a girl he liked. He had ended sitting in Madam Puddifoot's alone with cold, confetti-filled coffee in front of him, being stared at by every happy couple in the place. "Ginny, trust me, it's not that," he said, trying to take her hand again, but she pulled away.

"Then what?" she asked boldly.

Once again, he decided to be truthful. It's not like she wouldn't find out about it if she asked Ron, and he knew she would if he didn't answer her. "I had a nightmare on Friday night. About Sirius," he said, not telling her that she and Ron had also been part of it. He didn't want to frighten her; he knew it had only been a nightmare. "I guess I was a little tired after that. I didn't get much sleep."

Her expression softened, and she reached forward and took his hand. As they continued down the hall, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry shrugged. He didn't really want to talk about it at all, but he was afraid he would offend her if he refused, so he said, "It wasn't much different than the ones I had all summer."

"About Sirius going through the veil?" she asked. She and Harry had talked a little bit about his nightmares over the last part of the summer. He nodded. That was close enough to the truth.

"Maybe you should ask Madam Pomfrey for a Dreamless Sleep Potion, Harry," Ginny said kindly. If Ron or Hermione had suggested this, Harry would have been irritated, but for some reason it didn't bother him when Ginny said it, maybe because she didn't tend to hover quite as badly as his other friends.

"I don't get them that often anymore," Harry said honestly. "I'm OK, really. So, what were you wanting to do over the weekend?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ginny said as they reached a dead end of the deserted corridor. "Maybe...this." She boldly pulled Harry's arm to bring him closer to her, and she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

This kiss was nothing like the one in the hospital wing. That one had been very soft, almost tentative. This time, as Ginny pressed her lips onto his, Harry felt as though his entire body was on fire, and for a moment, he was completely still. Then, almost as if he had been planning this the entire time, he bent his head into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Ginny. It was so different from kissing Cho. For one thing, Ginny wasn't crying, but for another, it just somehow felt so much more natural, so much more right.

The kiss finally broke off, and Harry and Ginny grinned at one another.

"Wow," Ginny said, leaning her head on his chest.

"Yeah," Harry responded, sure Ginny could feel his heart pounding into her ear, and then he grinned even more widely, remembering yet another mishap with Cho that he was not eager to repeat. "So...you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked her.

"Er...ok..." Ginny answered, "But the first Hogsmeade weekend hasn't even been announced yet, Harry. I hope you're not planning on ignoring me until then."

For an answer, Harry once again bent his head down to kiss her. Ginny didn't know it, and Harry didn't even consciously realize it, but she had given him something tonight that no one else could have. She had given him another reason to fight.

* * *

"You fool." The contemptuous voice of Lord Voldemort, dripping with displeasure, echoed through the small dungeon chamber. Draco bowed his head and tried not to tremble. He had heard the Dark Lord speak in this tone before, and it had shortly been followed by the worst pain Draco had ever felt in his life.

"I'm sorry, My Lord," he said softly, hoping to appease Voldemort's wrath.

"Your father told me you were dependable," Voldemort hissed. "Perhaps you are just a child after all. I have no patience for idiot children, young Malfoy."

"It will not happen again," Draco said.

"Is that all you have to say?" asked Voldemort in a low, dangerous voice. "Because of your stupidity, our plan could be revealed. Did I not tell you that no one was to know of your mission at Hogwarts?"

"You did, My Lord."

"And were you not instructed to observe Potter, but not to allow him to find out what you were doing?" Voldemort continued, his voice growing even more menacing.

"Yes, My Lord, but..."

"Silence! I have no patience for Death Eaters who risk their missions. You will be punished for this, Malfoy, and you will see that nothing of this sort happens again."

Draco did not respond, so determined was he not to show his fear. A moment later, he knew that the Dark Lord had gone, and he stood up shakily, smoothing out his robes. It was quite late at night, but he knew he would get very little sleep.

As he walked back to the Slytherin common room, Draco wondered who had told Voldemort about his confrontation with Potter. Whoever it had been was going to pay.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny arrived from their morning run, hot and sweaty, about halfway through breakfast. The post owls arrived just as Harry was contemplating skipping breakfast to have a shower.

"We've got to get up earlier," he said to the others as the owls flew overhead, delivering messages and parcels to various students.

To Harry's great surprise, one of the school barn owls dropped a small scroll into his orange juice before flying off. Before he had time to wipe the parchment off and open it, however, he was distracted by a loud gasp from Hermione, which was soon echoed by quite a few other students in the Hall. The reason became apparent as Hermione spread her copy of the Daily Prophet open on the table in front of her.

Dementors of Azkaban Join You-Know-Who:

Mass Escape of Known Death Eaters

Early Tuesday morning, September 10, the Dementors that previously guarded Azkaban prison resigned their positions with the Ministry, leaving the prison fortress unguarded. Ministry insiders inform us that it is believed that the Dementors have joined You-Know-Who.

Upon the public revelation of You-Know-Who's return in early June, the Ministry informed the public that the Dementors had indeed joined You-Know-Who. That report, however, was recanted three days later when Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge announced that the report of their disloyalty had been in error and that the creatures remained in the Ministry's employ. Now that the Dementors have vanished from Azkaban Fortress, members of the wizarding community are demanding answers.

"There must have been some truth to the Ministry's original report that the Dementors had revolted," said an angry-looking Florean Fortescue, of Number 89, Diagon Alley. "I do not understand why the Ministry did not expel the Dementors the moment their loyalty was questioned. I, for one, will be writing a letter to the Wizengamot demanding Cornelius Fudge's immediate expulsion from the office of Minister for Magic."

This reporter cannot help but be reminded of the escape of ten notorious Death Eaters from Azkaban earlier this very year. The Minister for Magic insisted at that time that the Death Eaters had been aided by murderer Sirius Black, the only wizard previously known to have escaped the prison. Black's whereabouts are currently unknown, but it is clear that he alone could not have orchestrated the mass revolt of the Dementors. Only He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could have accomplished this.

Among the escaped prisoners is one Lucius Malfoy, a formerly prominent member of the wizarding community found to be a Death Eater following the attack on the Ministry of Magic in June. It is believed that Malfoy is one of You-Know-Who's greatest supporters. His whereabouts are currently unknown, but the ministry has placed a guard around Malfoy Manor, his family's estate. Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's wife, was unavailable for comment.

For more information and a complete list of names of the escaped Death Eaters, please see page 2a. For tips on fighting the Dementors, please see page 29c.

Harry looked up from the papers, fury written clearly on his face. It was not the report of the revolt that infuriated him; everyone in the Order had suspected from the dual attacks on Harry that the Dementors had already joined Voldemort, despite what the Ministry claimed. It was the slur on Sirius and the fact that the reporter had called him a murderer, that made his blood boil in anger.

Ginny seemed to know exactly what had angered Harry so much. "His name hasn't been cleared," she said sadly. "Did no one tell them how he died?"

"It wouldn't have mattered if they had," Harry said bitterly. "Fudge lost too much credibility when he had to admit that Voldemort had come back. He wasn't about to admit he was wrong about anything else, was he?"

"I suppose not," Hermione sighed. "Still, it's not right."

"No, it's not," Harry said furiously. "Sirius died fighting those Death Eaters that everyone is so afraid of, and they still talk like he is one of them! It all fits right into Voldemort's hand, doesn't it? Fudge was so eager to make himself look good in the Daily Prophet that be bought the bit about the Dementors not having joined Voldemort without batting an eye." Harry swore loudly, causing Professor McGonagall to glare at him from the teacher's table and Hermione to elbow him in his side.

"Fudge is so valuable to Voldemort's side that he might as well be a Death Eater himself," Hermione said bitterly.

"What do you mean, Hermione?" asked Neville, who had apparently been listening to the entire exchange.

"What I mean is that if the Ministry were being run efficiently, by someone who actually cared about doing the right thing, it would be much harder for Voldemort to take over, wouldn't it?"

"Hermione, would you stop saying that name?" Ron whispered loudly, his face pale, and she ignored him.

"For example, if we had a Minister for Magic that wasn't so afraid of the political fallout, the world would have known that Voldemort returned an entire year ago! And there is no better way to destabilize a stable society than to elect a leader who cares more for politics and policies than for people, and more for his own reputation than for doing his job." Hermione took a deep breath. "That's what I mean, Neville, when I say that Fudge is as valuable to Voldemort as any one of his Death Eaters."

Everyone at the table stared at Hermione for a moment, their mouths slightly agape. It was apparent that most of them had never actually considered how much Fudge's idiocy had actually helped Voldemort's cause. You did not have to be a Death Eater to open the doors of the world to evil, you simply had to be one person who did not care.

"Harry, what's that?" Ron asked, pointing to the soggy parchment still lying by Harry's plate of uneaten toast.

"Oh," Harry said, having forgotten all about the note. "One of the school owls brought it to me. Just a minute." He opened the parchment and scanned it quickly. "It's from Hagrid," he said, showing them the short note. "He wants me to have tea tonight after classes. He wants to meet me up here, though. Doesn't want me to walk down alone." Harry scowled slightly at this. Hagrid's hut was not far from the castle, and it would still be light outside. He was perfectly entitled to walk down there on his own.

"We've got Quidditch at six," Ron said immediately.

"I could go straight to the pitch from Hagrid's," Harry said. "I'll take my Firebolt, OK?"

"I wonder why he only sent this to you?" Hermione asked, seeming a little put out. "I haven't seen him yet either. Ron and Ginny are the only ones who have his class this term."

"I dunno," Harry shrugged. The truth was, he was glad he would get a bit of time away from the others. Their constant attention was smothering at times, and he wondered if he would ever be left alone.

"You have prefect duty tonight anyway. We'll go see him tomorrow, Hermione," Ron said, squeezing her hand. "Neither of us have prefect duty then."

Hermione nodded, but Harry could tell her feelings were still a bit hurt. He wondered why Hagrid had asked to visit with him, and not the others. He didn't have much time to ponder it, though, because he noticed that the Great Hall was starting to empty. Morning classes started in ten minutes, and he was due in Professor Dumbledore's office. He and Ginny left the Great Hall together, hand in hand as was their new habit, as the Headmaster's office was not far out of the way to her first class.

When they reached the stone gargoyle, Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss, muttered, "Merlin, I love that I can do that," and watched her walk back down the hall, marveling at their new relationship. It just seemed so obvious - why had they not gotten together sooner?

Just as Harry was about to say the password, he heard Dumbledore's distinctive chuckle as he came towards his office from the opposite direction. Harry's back had been to him and he flushed with embarrassment as he turned.

"Ah, no need to be embarrassed, Harry," Dumbledore said in an amused voice, correctly reading Harry's expression. "To find happiness with one another in these dark times is a great gift, and one that should not be wasted. Miss Weasley is a fine young woman."

"Er..." Harry stammered, not really knowing how to respond to this. He overcompensated by turning to the gargoyle and saying "Sugar Quill" in an unnecessarily loud voice. The gargoyle jumped aside to reveal the familiar staircase, and Dumbledore followed him, still chuckling, onto it.

They were only halfway up the staircase when Harry felt the gentle tickle that was Dumbledore's presence in his mind. He automatically put up his defenses and pushed the Headmaster out with ease. This time, Dumbledore had not even been able to get past the outer walls of Harry's mental fortress.

"That was excellent, Harry," Professor Dumbledore congratulated him as they walked into the circular office.

"You're pretty easy, now," Harry said without thinking, and then flushed again. How could he have said that to Dumbledore?

"Am I, now?" Dumbledore asked lightly, and immediately Harry felt a strong push into his mind that caused him to stumble slightly. He put up his defenses again, but this time, he felt the powerful presence of the Headmaster pushing back. They struggled like this for quite some time, and although Harry was not aware of it, any outsider would have been able to feel the palpable, raw power emanating from both of them, Headmaster and student. The air crackled with magical energy.

Harry could feel Dumbledore's power increasing as he pushed hard to get past Harry's defenses. Harry's forehead beaded with sweat, but he was determined not to break.

Dumbledore lifted the attack after what seemed like an eternity, and Harry dropped his bag and collapsed into one of the comfortable chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore, who actually looked a bit tired from the effort, walked slowly behind his desk and sat down, surveying Harry with some surprise.

"Harry, I am quite frankly amazed," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Why?" Harry asked in surprise. "I didn't get you out, did I?"

"You did not have to 'get me out,' Harry, for I never got in. I simply continued trying. I had no access to your thoughts," Dumbledore answered. "Although," he added, his eyes regaining their twinkle, "from what I saw this morning, I am quite sure of what I would have found had I succeeded."

Harry blushed once again. He didn't know what to say.

"Truly remarkable," Dumbledore said quietly, seeming more as though he was speaking to himself, and then he spoke directly to Harry. "I must be honest with you, Harry. Few fully-grown wizards have ever been able to hold me off for that long when I was insistent upon entrance, and certainly never a student."

"If you had kept going, I wouldn't have been able to hold you off," Harry said honestly. "Near the end, it was very hard to keep pushing."

Dumbledore nodded. "This is one of the reasons we will be progressing into Legilimency. It will allow you not only to keep your defenses up, but to go on the offensive as well. A person has no chance of breaking into your mind if you are able to break into his, instead."

Dumbledore noticed that Harry was very sweaty, partly from the exertion he had exhibited as he fought the Headmaster, and partly still from his run before breakfast.

"How about a nice cup of pumpkin juice before we continue?" he asked. "I could use one myself." He waved his wand and a small tray appeared on his desk containing two empty goblets and a large pitcher of pumpkin juice. Dumbledore poured some juice into each goblet and stood to hand one of them to Harry.

As they drank, Dumbledore broached a subject that he needed to talk to Harry about. "Tell me about what happened with Professor Snape, Harry."

Harry was not surprised that the Headmaster knew of the confrontation. He just wondered who, exactly, had told him. It was more than a little bit infuriating that everyone around him seemed insistent upon knowing his every move, but Harry tried hard not to show his annoyance to Dumbledore. He took a gulp of his juice before he answered bluntly, but as calmly as possible, "Snape attacked me, sir."

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore reminded him. "Please continue."

"I pushed him out within a few seconds," Harry said, but he did not say any more. He did not know if Dumbledore knew the things he had said to Snape after the attack, and if he did not, Harry wasn't going to be the one to tell him.

"And you were angry," Dumbledore prodded, and Harry's heart sank. It appeared that Dumbledore knew the entire story.

"Yeah, I got a little angry," Harry muttered. Thankfully, Dumbledore did not require Harry to elaborate.

"It is quite understandable, Harry, given the relationship between yourself and Professor Snape," Dumbledore remarked. "Having said that, however, you must learn to keep your emotions, especially the negative ones, under tighter control. Voldemort feeds on such emotions as hate and anger, and you will not be able to fight him if those are your weapons.

"I will repeat one more time that I trust Severus Snape, although I do not blame you for your doubts. Severus himself has proven over and over in your case that powerful grudges are difficult to overcome. I do not require you to like Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore said, and looked at Harry with just a bit of sternness on his face, "but I do require you to treat him with respect. I know you do not fully understand, but please believe me when I say that he has earned it."

Harry swallowed his objections and nodded, knowing that he could never respect, much less trust, Severus Snape. Once again left without anything to say, he drained the rest of his pumpkin juice and set the goblet down on the edge of Dumbledore's desk, not knowing where else to put it. Another wave of Dumbledore's wand, and the goblet vanished. Harry suspected that it had reappeared in the kitchens along with the other goblet, the pitcher, and the tray, and that at least one house-elf was now busily attending to the clean-up.

"Now," Dumbledore said. "You and I will begin our work on Legilimency this morning. I have also arranged for Kingsley Shaklebolt to work with you on your dueling skills on Friday afternoons, beginning this week. Between the lessons you are receiving from Professor Tonks and the lessons you will receive from Mr. Shaklebolt, I believe you will progress rather quickly."

Harry was slightly taken aback. Kingsley Shaklebolt, one of the highest-ranking Aurors at the Ministry of Magic, was going to be teaching him dueling? Although Harry knew that these lessons would most likely be extremely difficult, he began immediately to look forward to them.

Dumbledore smiled at the obvious anticipation on the boy's face, but brought him back to the present with the kind inquiry, "Are you ready to begin your Legilimency training, Harry?"

Harry moved his focus back onto the Headmaster, who was gazing at him through his half-moon spectacles. He nodded.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "Now, Harry, certain events have led me to believe that you have some natural Legilimency skills, most likely forged of the connection between yourself and Voldemort, although your mother had a decent grasp of the art herself."

Harry bit his lip. He would much rather believe that any skill he had came from his mother, but he knew that it was more likely that it was yet another effect of the transfer of power that had occurred during Voldemort's failed attack on him when he was a baby. 'No!' Harry thought vehemently. 'I got it from Mum, not from him.'

Dumbledore easily read the distress on Harry's face, and said gently, "Remember, Harry, that it is our choices, not our powers or abilities, that define us. It does not matter from what source this power came. What matters is the use to which you put your skill."

Harry nodded with difficulty and said, "Anytime I've ever managed to get into Voldemort's mind, it has been completely unconscious on my part. I don't know how to do it on purpose."

"That is why we will be practicing, Harry," Dumbledore responded, and began his instruction. "In its most basic form, Legilimency begins in the eyes, and it is at this point that we will be making our beginning. You will be learning to perform your Legilimency wandlessly, as the spell will be much harder to block if you can accomplish it without your wand." He removed his half-moon spectacles and leaned forward.

"Focus on my eyes," he told Harry. "Imagine my pupils as a portal into my mind. The energy you must exert is similar to that you have used when defending yourself using Occlumency, only this time, the push is meant to propel you from my eyes into my thoughts."

Harry nodded, deep in concentration now. It was highly disconcerting to be gazing so intently into the Headmaster's blue eyes.

"I would like to see what you can do at this moment, Harry. I will not be resisting you at this time. We will progress into that later."

Harry nodded and focused his attention onto the inky black pupils amidst the sea of blue. He imagined himself crawling into them as though they were a pipe, and he pushed his mind forward tentatively, afraid of what he would find at the other end. At this point, Dumbledore interrupted him, saying, "Do not be afraid, Harry. Push your fear back and be bold! You will not hurt me."

Harry focused once again, and it only took a few seconds before scenes from Dumbledore's memories flashed before his own eyes.

An eleven-year-old Harry nervously approaching the stool on which the Sorting Hat sat...a twelve-year-old Harry entering Dumbledore's office victoriously, Ginny Weasley right behind him...a thirteen-year-old Harry proudly clutching the Quidditch Cup in his hands...a fourteen-year-old Harry emerging from the lake, having successfully rescued both Ron and Gabrielle Delacour...a fifteen-year-old Harry teaching a roomful of students how to raise a shield charm...

At this point, Harry felt a slight push back, and he knew it was time for him to go. He released his concentration, and he found himself slightly winded, staring into Dumbledore's face.

"You have now seen yourself through my eyes, Harry, and have made a successful start at your Legilimency training. You have done very well, and I believe we will leave it here for today. We will pick this up in our lesson on Thursday. You have quite a bit of time before lunch, Harry, and I would recommend that you rest. You have exerted more energy today than I would have imagined possible."

Harry nodded, although truthfully, what he wanted more than anything was a hot shower to soothe his aching muscles and relax his spirit. At least with the dormitories deserted, he would be able to take his time.

* * *

"How was Hagrid's?" Ginny asked after she and Harry had changed out of their Quidditch robes and were heading back up to the school with the rest of the team.

Harry shook his head. "It was fine," he answered, "but I can't believe he actually used the summer holiday to go back to that mountain to try to find a 'lady friend' for Grawp. He's lucky he wasn't killed."

"Hagrid went back to the giants?" Ron asked disbelievingly. "How thick could he be?"

"You know Hagrid," Harry answered simply, and Ron and Ginny both nodded. They all knew that Hagrid had a knack for finding and adopting the strangest creatures in creation. His half-brother Grawp, a full-blooded giant who now lived in the Forbidden Forest, was no exception, and Harry had hoped that Hagrid would abandon his plan of finding a girlfriend for Grawp. The last thing anyone needed was a whole family of giants taking up residence on the edge of the school grounds!

"Why didn't Hagrid ever tell me about this?" Ron asked. "I've been in class with him, and so has Ginny!"

"He obviously didn't want to be overheard, Ron," Ginny responded in an exasperated voice. "Last I heard, You-Know-Who was still trying to recruit the giants."

"When did you hear that?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Order meeting, late one night at the beginning of the holiday," Ginny answered. "Mum thought we were all asleep by the time it started, so she didn't bother to charm the door or anything. I listened, of course, and they were talking about trying to talk to the giants again."

"Why didn't you bother to tell us about this?" Harry asked, offended. The basic rule between all four of them was that if any of them were lucky enough to get information out of an adult, they shared it with the rest. Harry felt a slight pang of guilt when he thought of the huge secret he, himself, was keeping from his friends, but he reasoned that that was different. After all, that was about him.

"Well, that was the day before you came to stay, wasn't it?" Ginny told him, but didn't say anything else. Harry knew as well as anyone the circumstances that had led to his removal to Grimmauld Place from Privet Drive. Ron seemed satisfied with that explanation, and the three friends continued discussing the dangers of giant breeding in the Forbidden Forest all the way up the stairs and into Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

"So, the groundskeeper has a giant," Voldemort said ponderously, his malicious intent evident in his voice. "How fitting."

Armed with the Invisibility Cloak his father had sent him and desperate to prove himself, Draco Malfoy had skipped dinner to follow Harry out to Hagrid's hut that evening. "Yes, My Lord," he answered somewhat proudly. "The giant is called 'Grawp,'" he added with disdain.

"Excellent," Voldemort hissed. "It seems you have your uses after all, young Malfoy. The giants have shown themselves to be amenable to joining my ranks so far..." He paused for a moment and then continued, "It is time we added to your mission."

* * *

Harry remained in the common room long after the other Gryffindors had gone to bed, ostensibly to work on his homework, but really because he desperately needed some time to think. Ever since yesterday morning before Potions, Harry had a nagging sense of unease about keeping the contents of the prophecy from his friends. He had always known that he would eventually have to tell them, but with the idea that Draco Malfoy might already know it, he knew that the time was nearing. Now that the prophecy was no longer secret, Harry supposed that the members of the Order would need to know as well.

There was only one problem with this, though. How could Harry tell his best mates that his life must either include, or end in, murder? How could he tell them that it was his fate, not Dumbledore's, not the Aurors', to attempt the defeat the most evil wizard in the world, the he was the only one who could?

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Author's Note: Chapter 23 will take us through training with Kingsley, the first DA meeting, hints of Draco's new mission, and through the first part of October right up to the first Quidditch match against Slytherin - and let me tell you, although that is not going to be until 24 - it will be a DOOZIE!

Thanks to my beta, Aggiegrl2006, Madjh, and MadhuLexTaylor for the advice and prescreening!

I will try to write more quickly from now on - being a MNFF mod takes more time than I expected, but I love it!