Harry Potter and the Secrets Revealed

Harry Potter and the Secrets Revealed

Chapter 1

Halloween Ball

The common room was filled with Hogwarts students attempting to get their homework done. Outside it was gloomy and rainy, the perfect weather for two Gryffindors. One was Ronald Weasley, the youngest male child in his family. At that moment, he had his head pressed against the palm of his hands trying to complete a rather nasty potions essay on the dangers of a love potion. The other was Hermione Granger, the class bookworm and Head Girl of Hogwarts. She was sitting at the same table as Ron but had already finished all of her homework. Instead she was staring at the entrance to the common room, as if waiting for someone to enter, lost in her thoughts.

"Oh, bloody hell! I give up. This essay is a waste of time anyway," said Ron suddenly. Hermione just gave him one of her glares. "Well it is! And you aren't going to help, so I may as well just stop working on it and save myself from further headaches."

"Ron you know Professor Snape will give you a zero for that paper if it isn't finished."

"He'll give me a zero anyway. I might as well earn it. Besides I just can't concentrate. I mean, how can I when Harry is being so secretive."

"I know Ron."

"I mean, what can keep him out so late? It's not even his duty tonight. Then there are all those times when he suddenly has to leave class. I'm surprised he's not failing."

"I know Ron. It bothers me too. But you need to finish your essay."

"But Hermione I just can't ..."

"Ronald Weasley, if you do not finish that essay, I will hex you into the next millennium! Am I understood?" Hermione said in a commanding tone.

"Yes ma'am." With that said, Ron went back to working on his essay while Hermione went back to thinking about Harry. Since the start of term he had been disappearing at odd hours and not returning until late. Every time he came back, he looked pale and tired. Hermione suspected that he was doing something that he really didn't want to do but had no choice. What she did know was that whatever it was that he was doing, it had to deal with something that Dumbledore had spoken to him about while they were still at Grimmauld Place.

It was nearing midnight when Harry finally entered the common room. He looked fatigued and moody. With a sigh he sat down near the fireplace next to his friends. Ron, who had yet to finish his essay, looked up at his best mate.

"Urgg, it's late. I'm tired, and there is a nasty essay with my name on it that is about two feet away from being done," Harry said.

"You have TWO feet left?!" Ron said amazed.

"Yeah."

"Good then you can help me. I need to know what happens if the..."

"Ron, you will not ask Harry for help on that stupid essay. Can't you see that he's exhausted and still has to finish his," Hermione said.

"How come you don't yell at him? He's not done either."

"He's farther than you."

"So, that doesn't mean he gets special treatment."

"Ronald Weasley, don't you even start."

"GUYS!! That's enough!" Harry yelled. His two friends looked at him. "I'm not going to be able to concentrate enough as it is. I don't need you two fighting while I try to finish this torture device that teachers call essays."

"Harry why are you back so late all the time? Where do you go?" asked Hermione, trying to change the subject.

Harry sighed and stopped looking for his materials. "Herms, I wish I could tell you, I really do, but I am absolutely forbidden to do so. Mainly for safety reasons."

"So it's dangerous then?" Ron asked.

"Yes."

"But Harry, what if you get hurt? How will anyone know? You can trust us. You know that, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"Of course I know that. It's not my decision to not tell you guys. As to if I get hurt, there are people who know when I go. Now please don't ask anymore questions. I can't talk about it and I really have to finish this essay."

The next day the school was filled with excitement. The reason for this excitement was that in the beginning of the month, Dumbledore had announced that there would be a dance on Halloween for third years and up. The dance would be like a masquerade/costume ball. Today was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, which meant that the students could go and buy their costumes with the ball being only a week away.

While in the costume store, Hermione and Ron, who had been dating since Christmas of their sixth year, were obviously going to the dance together, kept arguing on what to wear. Hermione thought that they should have matching costumes; Ron went along with the idea but didn't like any of the suggestions that she was saying. Harry, who already had his costume, had to listen to their bickering. After listening to about an hour and a half of them arguing, Harry decided to help.

"Why don't you just go as Romeo and Juliet?"

"What's Romeo and Juliet?" asked Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes and explained the story to him. "I like the idea what about you Herms?"

"Me too."

"So it's decided, we're going as Romeo and Juliet."

"Thank God." Ron and Hermione chuckled at Harry's remark. After Ron and Hermione paid for their costumes, the trio went to the Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer. While they were there, the rest of the DA joined them, or at least what was left of the original group. They talked until it was time to return to Hogwarts. Then they all made their way back to their respective common rooms.

That week seemed to fly by for the Hogwarts students. Pretty soon it was the day of the ball and the excitement in the air was intoxicating. The ball was to start at eight so the girls all went to get dressed at six. Ron complained about how he would never understand why it took them so long to get ready. Harry was probably the only person not looking forward to the ball, but he knew that if he didn't show up, it would cause a lot of talk. Finally the boys went and got into their costumes. Looking around the seventh year boys dormitory, Harry realized that he was the only one without a date. He came upon this conclusion by looking at the other boy's costumes, which clearly stated that their dates helped, because they would never chose those costumes themselves. Harry dressed so slowly that his dorm mates left to meet their dates before they could even tell what he was dressed up as. Which was exactly the way Harry wanted it. With one final look in the mirror Harry put on his mask that covered the right side of his face, thus concealing his scar, and headed towards the Great Hall.

By the time that he reached the Great Hall, the ball had already started and there were couples all over the dance floor. Harry glanced around, quickly surveying everyone, as he got used to the feeling of contacts. He had never liked the idea of contacts, thinking they would be too much of a hassle, but he had to get them in order for him to get the costume that he wanted. Finally, Harry spotted his two best friends sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. He slowly walked towards them afraid that he would be disturbing them. They both looked up as he approached. He could tell by the look on their faces that they didn't recognize him. It didn't surprise him for, when he looked in the mirror after dressing, he didn't recognize himself.

"Hi, guys," said Harry as he came upon the table.

"Hi," was Ron's short, confused reply.

"Come on Ron, don't you recognize me?"

"Should I?"

"Well considering that we've been best mates for seven years, I would say yes, you should."

"HARRY!" Hermione and Ron shrieked.

"Shhhh, keep it down. I don't want too many others to know that I'm here," said Harry as he sat down.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to be bothered."

"Who are you supposed to be Harry?" asked Ron.

"The Phantom of the Opera."

"Oh, that's such a good play! Harry how did you ever come up with the idea?"

"The Dursley's went to see it during the summer when I had to stay with them."

"Well you would make a very good phantom. The look suits you."

"To be perfectly honest, it wasn't my first idea, but it was the only one that suited my needs." The rest of the ball went by fairly well. Ron and Hermione danced quite a few times. Harry spent most of the night at the table, which was what he wanted. However, he was stared at most of the night with his unusual costume. So when Dumbledore signaled the end of the dance Harry was the first out of the door.

The next day, most of the students who had attended the ball slept in quite late. That was with the exception of Harry. He had decided to get up early and get a head start on his homework for that week. He had just finished a report on Morgana for History of Magic and was about to start on his transfiguration essay when Ron and Hermione came yawning down the staircase. His two half asleep friends stumbled towards the table that he was sitting at.

"Harry what are...you doing up so early?" asked Ron, yawning in the middle of his sentence.

"Homework."

"Well obviously, but why?"

"Because I need to get it done before the night its due so I can actually sleep for once."

"Geeze Harry, I think you've been hanging around Hermione too much, she's starting to rub off on you," was Ron's sleepy reply. Hermione started glaring at him. Ron didn't notice a thing.

"Ronald Weasley are you saying that it's a bad thing to be around me?" Hermione questioned.

"N...n...no, I...I was just saying th...that..." Ron stuttered.

"You were just saying what? That I'm boring to be around because I like to get things done on time; that I work too much."

"No, n...n...never..."

"If you didn't want to be around me so much, why, then, did you ask me out? Why did you become my friend?"

"Hermione I didn't mean...what I meant to say was..."

"What? What did you mean to say?"

"He meant to say that your domineering presence has finally had a good effect on one of us," Harry interrupted. Ron nodded his head vigorously while Hermione scowled and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll let it go this time, but know this, Ron Weasley, Harry is not always going to be around to save your arse, so you had better start coming up with explanations of your own," said Hermione dangerously. Ron nodded. "Let's go to breakfast, I'm hungry."

At breakfast, the trio pretty much had roam of the table, as no one was up yet. So they got to be as loud and as messy as they wanted. They were having a lot of fun just being three seventeen year olds when suddenly Harry's face contorted in pain.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Is it your scar?" said Hermione. However Harry just jumped up from the table and practically ran out of the Great Hall, leaving his friends sitting at the table, confused at their friend's behavior.