Harry Potter and the Dark Mark

Chapter Thirty Five

"Ginny Weasley, you were AMAZING!" Ron roared in Harry's ear.

"Thanks!" Ginny whispered, a bit pink in the face.

"GRYFFINDOR RULE!" Fred and George were chanting, Lee Jordan bounding to catch up with them.

"That catch was sterling stuff, Harry," Hermione cried, elated. Harry nodded and smiled distractedly. In truth, his mind hadn't been on the game against Hufflepuff at all. While he had been flying around aimlessly, in his mind he prowled the chambers of the Order of the Phoenix, searching relentlessly for someone who could tell him what that book had said.

"Back to the Common Room!" Angelina shouted, fist in the air. There were general screams and yells of agreement and the whole thronging crowd of jubilant Gryffindors sprinted to their tower, lead by Fred and George who were pretending to fly like some comic book hero.

In truth Harry felt he hadn't deserved to catch the Snitch at all, the way he had played. He had barely any concentration. The only moment he had felt any emotion during the match was seeing Snape's face when he was mounting his broom at the start. It was just lucky that Harry could both out-fly and outsmart the Hufflepuff Seeker.

"Well done Harry, that was an impressive performance," a familiar voice said warmly. Harry looked round into the fast emptying corridor to see Ginny hovering at his elbow.

"Don't lie, I was lucky to catch it, and you know it," Harry said without a trace of feeling.

"All right then Harry. I watched you this match and you had the aerodynamics of Goyle on a Hippogriff and the concentration of Crabbe in Transfiguration!" Ginny snapped suddenly. "Is that what you wanted me to say?"

Harry blinked. "It's the truth," he said simply, and started after his house mates.

"Ohhh no you don't!" Ginny said warningly, pulling him back to face her again. "Don't you dare walk away from me Harry James Potter! What's wrong with you? Ever since the photograph incident you've been really cool with me! Is that it? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Harry stopped to think. The photograph incident? Then it dawned on him. "Oh! Oh, no. That was..." Harry looked at Ginny, with her bright eyes, her red hair falling out of her pony tail and her cheeks flushed. A determined expression hardened her face into a frown that scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes.

Snape had forbidden them to tell anyone any of their adventures with the Order of the Phoenix. A Ministry Official had been summoned to Hogwarts and Harry and his friends had been forced to sign the Official Secrets Act so that they could not reveal the identity of Mundungus Fletcher. Harry had not even considered what this meant Ron was forced to keep secret from his brothers and sister because he himself had no one to tell.

No one that didn't already know, that was. Or was it? Here was Ginny, aware that something was wrong and desperate to find out what it was so that she could help. Harry took a deep breath. "Ginny... something happened that you don't know anything about. We weren't allowed to tell you about it because Snape said so. It has to do with the accident me, Hermione and Ron had in Potions, the one that meant you had to play as Keeper this match instead of Ron."

Ginny nodded, almost as if she had been expecting this. "Were you making an illegal potion?" she asked.

"No... there was no Potions accident. That was the story Snape made us tell everyone to explain our injuries and detentions and stuff," Harry said quickly.

Harry took Ginny to the Owlery, the only quiet place he could think of. Once they were settled comfortably on the straw he retold the entire story, leaving nothing out, not even the part about the photograph. Ginny didn't say anything while he was speaking, not even when he told her how he had cast spells on people and watched them feel the pain.

When he had finished, the two of them sat in silence for a minute. Ginny was the first to speak. "I understand now. I'm sorry I shouted at you," she said earnestly.

"It's ok," Harry said with a real smile. "You weren't to know."

"What was in that book though?" Ginny asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Harry cried, suddenly overcome with frustration. "I've been wracking my brains to think of someone who might know and I can't think of anyone. It's been eating away at me for weeks now!"

Ginny actually laughed. "Silly! Who have you just told me was a member of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Dumbledore!" he yelled.

"Yes! Go see him, ask McGonagall if you can. Snape might not have let you, but now she's better I'm sure you'll be able to see him."

Harry threw his arms around Ginny and swept her into a brief hug before dashing off to find Professor McGonagall. Within minutes he was entering Dumbledore's Office quietly and demurely, eyes cast to the floor to hide his feverish excitement at finally finding out the truth.

"Remember Potter, he is still quite frail," Professor McGonagall warned before she left the room. Harry nodded to her retreating back and started forwards.

"Well Harry! I feel obliged to thank you for my health, and, dare I say, my life!" Dumbledore greeted Harry solemnly. Then his eyes creased as he smiled cheerfully at Harry through his half moon spectacles. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, thanks, Professor Dumbledore," Harry said truthfully as he sat down.

"Sherbet Lemon?"

"No thanks." Harry shook his head as Dumbledore offered him a sweet from a small silver bowl.

"What brings you here so soon after your win?"

"Well..." Harry wondered how to phrase his question before giving up and jumping in feet first. "That book, the one that Voldemort was after. He said it concerned me - and I'd like to know how, because it's really been bothering me, putting me off my work and stuff," he said, hoping the thought that it was interfering with his education might get more information out of his Headmaster.

"Ah." Dumbledore sucked thoughtfully on his sherbet lemon. "Harry, you will recall last year that Professor Trelawney made prediction about the servant of the Dark Lord returning to him."

Harry nodded. How could he forget? He'd been horrified when Professor Trelawney had started speaking in that strange tone.

"You may also recall that I told you that was the second correct prediction Sybil had ever made. I never explained the first one to you, although I have know of it for some years now. Her first prediction was also about the Dark Lord, about his downfall, and the one who might bring it about. She made it on Halloween the year before you were born during the Halloween Feast.

"Unfortunately this meant all the members of staff heard this prediction, and despite my attempts to keep it within the body of the school, some pupils must have heard it, because its knowledge leaked to Voldemort, and he subsequently attacked and killed your parents... and yet failed to kill you.

"For posterity, I recorded this prophecy after it had been made to me in what I considered the safest of places. I wrote it in the notebook I had kept while I was studying with the Order of the Phoenix and stored it in the Library there. I never imagined Voldemort might think to look for it when he went to destroy the place."

"But what did it say? Why did Voldemort want to read it?" Harry asked impatiently.

Dumbledore nodded placidly. "The prophecy ran thus: Inconceivable it seems the Dark Lord can be conquered and yet this night conceived is the one who has that power. He will have the heart of a Phoenix, the head of a lion and the strength of an Aquifolius. One must die by the hand of the other for the world cannot sustain them both. Voldemort wanted to make sure he had to kill you, because he had failed the first time. He will have wanted to see the words for himself, not through some garbled chain of messengers and informants," Dumbledore finished, not thinking that he needed to do any more explaining.

Harry sat in mute silence. He only understood part of that Prophecy, but there was no way he would let Dumbledore know that he didn't know what the second sentence was talking about. He smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Sir," he said quietly. Dumbledore inclined his head genteelly.

"Are there any other things you feel you need to know, Harry?"

Harry raced through his list of unanswered questions. "Lots," he confirmed in surprise.

"Well ask away, and I shall try my best to answer them," the old man promised.

"Er... Was it Lucius Malfoy who killed Hagrid, Madame Maxime and Fang?" Harry asked, his throat constricting around the words.

"It was. He hoped to stop certain information being passed on to the Ministry, but he was too late. I do not know if Professor Snape told you that he got away?" Harry shook his head in anger and disappointment. "He had Professor McGonagall under the Imperius at the time and simply had her hold open the door of Hagrid's Hut long enough for him to slip in and out as she and Professor Snape visited him one night. She says he also made her wash the cups they had drunk from to try and conceal the fact that they had been there, so no one could connect her with Hagrid's death."

"I saw her and Snape," Harry said listlessly.

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected.

"Yeah... I saw them visiting. We were going to see Hagrid too when the Professors left. They said... things... which made us suspicious..." Harry looked hopefully at his Headmaster, praying for an explanation.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Professors Snape and McGonagall were visiting Hagrid to warn him that Mr Lupin would be on the grounds for the weekend during the Full Moon. Mr Lupin was sent to collect a report from Hagrid about the alliances with the Giants and deliver it to myself and the Head of the Department of Mysteries."

That explained a lot of things: Hagrid's nervous attitude to opening the door, the conversation they had overheard between Snape and McGonagall and why there had been no dirty cups left by the two Professors. There was still one thing about the deaths that puzzled Harry, however.

"Professor, why was there no Dark Mark over Hagrid's Hut after the killings had taken place?" Harry asked curiously.

"Simply because Voldemort wished to lull the Ministry into a false sense of security by laying a trail that lead them overseas. Hence the attack on the 'Red Herring Road'. If a Dark Mark had been seen here there would have been lots of special watches sent out to check everything was as normal which is exactly what Voldemort didn't want."

Dumbledore paused, a fit of coughs wracking his body. Harry rushed to pour him a glass of water from the pitcher on his desk.

"Thank you, Harry," Dumbledore said after drinking some water. "Now, where were we? I suppose you'd be interested to know the fate of the Death Eater that was captured during the fight? His name is Hephaestus Mulciber, and he has been imprisoned."

"That man wrote a book!" Harry gasped. "He taught me, Hermione and Ron everything extra curricular we know about Defence Against the Dark Arts!"

Dumbledore smiled again. "Seems rather ironic and yet fitting, doesn't it?"

Harry smiled back, still in amazement. "What about Sirius?" he asked suddenly.

"Ah, your friend Snuffles," Dumbledore said. "He is still employed by the Department of Mysteries. He came to Hogwarts just after Christmas as I recall; he was following the trail Voldemort was laying that lead everyone abroad."

"Yes," Harry agreed, "he said he thought he would have to leave, and then I never saw him again until... until two weeks ago."

"I was going to tell you he was leaving before I collapsed," Dumbledore admitted. "And since we all thought Voldemort was abroad, no one connected my poisoning with him; they all thought it was a separate incident."

"Thanks for telling me everything. It helps, you know," Harry said quietly, sensing that their meeting was drawing to a close. "I hope you're feeling much better soon."

"Thank you, Harry. And I hope you feel that you are better able to start revising for your O.W.L.s now!"

Harry gave Dumbledore a despondent glance as he stood to leave. Dumbledore laughed, his eyes twinkling.

"I wish you the best of luck, Harry. Don't disappoint me!" Harry smiled at his Headmaster and made his way back to the Common Room. Now everything was resolved he felt like a celebration. As he slipped in amongst the festivities, he found his friends and greeted them quietly. When Hermione saw his smile she grinned and hugged him joyfully. Ron clapped him on the back.

"Glad you made it, Harry!" he bellowed. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny knew he wasn't talking about the party in the Common Room.

Harry laughed guiltily and batted Ron away. "Took my time," he admitted sheepishly. Ron laughed. Harry didn't know why, but he laughed too. It felt good to know he could still laugh after everything that had happened this year.