Free Will and Fate

The bottle of butterbeer in Harry's hand dropped to the floor. "What?" His now empty hand clenched into a fist. "He was sick for a while, right?"

Dumbledore blinked in surprise. "Miss Granger did a fine job of filling you in. Yes, James was sick for well over a year before he died. We do not know exactly how long as his symptoms were subtle for a long time. You, however, do not have the luxury of time."

"So, I am dying," Harry stated. "Hermione thought the Time-Turner didn't work because I'll be dead by June."

"If no cure is found, you'll be dead before Christmas, if not sooner," Dumbledore corrected.

Hermione burst into tears.

Harry had never thought of using an Unforgivable Curse before now, but considering what Snape had done to get his mother into that horrible excuse for a marriage and get rid of him, the Killing Curse seemed like a merciful punishment. Hermione leaned across the space between their chairs and into Harry's arms. He held her in silence until her sobs resolved into hiccups.

"There has to be something we can do," Hermione said, her voice thick with emotion. "What do you need to find a cure? We--we can go to the hospital."

"I'm afraid that would be unwise, Miss Granger. Only Professor McGonagall and I know Harry is also here at Hogwarts. Until the attacker is found, no one can know he is dying," Dumbledore said. "What do you know about the attack Sunday?"

Harry hesitated. How much could he say without revealing the whole truth? Even if Dumbledore found out Snape was the attacker, what chance was there that he would willingly give Dumbledore a cure for the curse? If anything could be done, he and Hermione would find something on their own...and he would deal with his stepfather in due time.

"I wasn't really here. As I told Professor McGonagall, I was traveling then. When I got to the Ministry, it was full dark outside. I do know that it happened after my school things were loaded onto the train. I haven't been able to find out much else since I've been in school. I thought it best to pretend everything is normal."

Dumbledore watched him in silence for a long moment. "You told Professor McGonagall you know who your attacker was."

Hermione adjusted her hands around his waist, hugging him tighter. "I have an idea, sir," Harry said. "He may have simply ordered the attack. I still don't know the full reason why and that puts me in danger."

"Indeed it does, Mr. Potter. If your attacker finds out you are still alive at St. Mungo's, he may just come after you again so you may not identify him."

"Is that possible? That my other self could identify him?"

"I don't know," Dumbledore said. His voice sounded weary, but there was still a sharp intelligence in the eyes that watched Harry. "I attempted to go through your memories of the day in question and many of them are...what is the word? Muddled. Someone attempted a half-hearted Obliviation and several of the most recent memories are damaged. If they were to be extracted carefully, perhaps they could be repaired and the attacker could be identified."

"Then, why haven't you done that? Couldn't you have taken the memories out days ago?" Harry asked.

"Couldn't you have told us the suspect's name days ago? Mr. Potter, I assure you, I and the staff at St. Mungo's are doing the best we can to keep you alive, well past December if possible," he said. "But you cannot withhold important information and expect favors in return. I am doing you a courtesy by not locking you up tonight, but do not mistake temporary mercy for full lenience. You have broken quite a few important laws. There is only one reason I am not introducing you into a new cell in light of your confession."

"Why is that?" Harry asked. All at once, he found himself missing the kind, concerned Dumbledore who'd eased his mind after Cedric's death and had spent hours worrying about how to keep everyone, including Harry, safe from the impending threat that Voldemort presented. The man sitting before him seemed to be calculating in his mind exactly how he could bend Harry to his will by holding a very real threat of Azkaban over his head. Harry had dealt with enough manipulation over the last several years. With his very life on the line, the last thing he needed was to be toyed with.

"I want you to give me the suspect's name."

"No," Harry said a second later.

"Harry!" Hermione punched him in the shoulder. "Harry, he's going to put you in Azkaban. What are you doing?"

"He's not going to put me in Azkaban," Harry said, turning to her. "I'm dying and the only chance he has of catching this person is through me. No, not really. He could interrogate every male professor at the school, but that wouldn't exactly be subtle, would it?" He turned to face the Minister again. "You need my help as much as I need yours."

"You'd risk prison?" Dumbledore asked. He hadn't bothered disguising the surprise in his voice.

"If I'm going to die in a few months anyway, a cold cell in Azkaban won't be that bad." He held up his hand again to show the words scarred into his flesh. "I've been through hell. I can handle Dementors if I need to."

"Harry, what--?" A sharp look from Harry made Hermione go silent.

Dumbledore watched Harry for several long moments, his eyes searching the young man's face for any sign that he was unsure of his position. The older wizard closed his eyes and began drumming his fingers on the tabletop, searching his mind for a way to force the situation into another direction.

"I'll give you every memory you question," Harry offered again. Dumbledore opened his eyes. "I'll give you every one I have for five years that relates to Voldemort. I'll even give you the ones I have from the night I left the letter," he said. "You can put me in Azkaban until I die. You can force me to do whatever you want, I know you have that power. Or you can let me borrow a Pensieve, go through my memories for clues to how it's all connected, and bring you the suspect with all the evidence you'll need to convict him. I want this person to be punished more than anyone," Harry said. "But I don't want him to have the chance to get away because of a technicality at his trial."

When Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, Hermione cut him off. "There's more than just an attack on Harry to consider." She looked at Harry for permission. He nodded. "There's some kind of conspiracy going on with this professor and at least two other people. We're too deep in to stop investigating now. I'm not saying Aurors couldn't investigate this, but--"

"But, they're not in a position to go where Hermione and I can within the school. Tonks has probably already raised his suspicions."

Dumbledore blinked hard. "She told you her name?"

"I--no," Harry said. "I recognize her from before. She was a member of the reformed Order. Hermione's right. We're probably the best people to keep investigating now, not simply because I was attacked, but I know who these people are behind the masks. And an Auror or a group of them interrogating professors is going to raise eyebrows. Tonks is great in a fight, but she's not the most subtle when it comes to questioning someone. I knew you were suspicious of me by her third question. The person we're talking about, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she got too close."

"And what's to stop him from killing you if I allow this...investigation to continue?"

Harry fought the impulse to smile. Dumbledore was going to go along with them. He could feel it. "He knows that Professor McGonagall was concerned about me the other day when I wasn't on the train and she'll personally investigate if anything else happens to me. He knows an Auror is lurking around the school for some reason. And he knows any wrong step will have at least one person pointing in his direction." Harry motioned to Hermione with one hand. "He wouldn't be willing to attack both me and Hermione because it would raise too many questions. If he were to even attempt to attack me again, his other plan, the one that really concerns him, will never get off the ground."

"And what is this other plan?"

"Something that won't go anywhere for at least two more weeks, we think," Hermione put in. "They're still in the plotting stages."

"And they're still looking for something I stole over the summer," Harry added. "That might be why I was attacked. If you go through my memories at the hospital again, you might be able to find out if there's anything else I came across that made my attacker come after me."

The Minister shook his head in disbelief. "Do you really plan on going through with all of this?"

"I think it's fair to say this man or one of his friends killed my father." Harry paused for a deep breath. "If I'm going to die from this curse, so be it. But, I want him destroyed before I'm gone. The attacker and every person helping him. It'll be easier if we have your help, but we can do it without you if we have to. Even if you take me out of Hogwarts, Hermione is going to continue the investigation," Harry said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod beside him.

This was it. All that remained was to find out if the Minister of Magic preferred to manipulate Harry into a giving up the name or would trust him to uncover a bigger operation than he could possibly figure out with half of Magical Law Enforcement on the case. He could practically see the wheels turning inside Dumbledore's head as he thought over how this situation could work to his advantage. There really was only one way to proceed and the three of them knew it.

"You'll have to deliver a sealed copy of your findings to Auror Tonks every few days," Dumbledore said after a long while. "You may also give her your memories to transfer to me."

Harry heard Hermione breathe a heavy sigh of relief next to him. He reached out and her hand grasped his tightly. "When will you loan me a Pensieve?"

"I have mine in storage. I will have it delivered tomorrow with instructions for its use." Dumbledore stood from the table and looked at Harry and Hermione over the top of his spectacles. "Do be careful, Mr. Potter. You spoke tonight as if you expect to die. That is not guaranteed. I caution you to take care that your actions with Miss Granger do not make it a certainty." With those parting words, he turned and left the empty classroom.

"I can't believe you did that," Hermione said.

"Yeah." Harry stood and stretched. "We'll get what we need tomorrow. You were right, this stuff is exhausting." He turned to where she sat in the chair fuming. "I'm starving. You ready to go down to dinner?"

"Harry, he could've easily had you thrown into Azkaban." She paused as something else occurred to her. "And maybe me too for helping you! Don't you realize how serious this is?"

"Hermione, I know it better than anyone," Harry said. "They had over a year to cure my dad of this curse and they couldn't. I have far less time than that. What we're doing, this investigation, is going to guarantee Snape and the other Death Eaters can't do this to anyone else. Chances are I'm not going to make it, but I don't want anyone else to have to suffer if I can stop it. We can stop them from bringing Voldemort back and get them all locked up in one shot." He touched a hand to her face and lifted her chin until she was looking him in the eye. She was crying silently, the corner of her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "You want that to happen, don't you?"

She nodded.

"We have to do it this way. An Auror would get caught. They don't know Snape the way I do. They don't know anyone involved and the school the way we do. If we don't do this, the opportunity will be lost. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I understand lost opportunities. I don't understand you giving up like this. I know your father didn't...that doesn't mean there's no hope for you. We know who did it and that could make all the difference."

"Yes, it does," Harry said as she threw herself into his arms. But I'm not going to throw all my hopes into something that may never happen, he thought. Snape's willingness to give up a cure was about as likely as Bellatrix Lestrange turning the three of them in herself. Harry preferred to save who he could while he still had the chance. The Hermione he'd known before might have considered that trait a weakness, but the one sobbing over his life in his arms knew that his willingness to pursue this till the end might be the one thing preventing the next rise of the Dark Lord.