Harry Potter and the Veil of Mystery

Chapter 23

The Veil of Mystery

To Harry's surprise, he did not suddenly find himself face to face with Voldemort, or in the Department of Mysteries. Instead, he found himself outside, in a place he had never seen before. His first thought was that it was beautiful. The weather was sunny and warm, and he was standing in an area which was mostly grass but had some flowers, of many types. There were trees, but not so many that if felt like a forest, and even a stream. Harry felt that if there was such a place as the Garden of Eden, this was what it must have looked like. He then wondered what he was doing there.

Fawkes let out a short, sharp burst of song. To Harry's amazement, over the next two seconds, what had to be twenty or thirty phoenixes started appearing. Some were in trees, some were flying, a few were on the ground.

Fawkes started singing, and to Harry's further astonishment, all the others did as well. The sound Harry heard captivated him; he had never heard anything like it in his life, and was sure he never would again. The closest analogy he could think of to what he was hearing was a symphony; the phoenixes were combining to create one grand, complex song, as if each phoenix were a different piece of an orchestra. But the music was more than simply beautiful; it inspired Harry. In the classroom, he had wondered how he could possibly keep his focus on love, knowing what would happen to Dumbledore. Hearing the song, Harry sank deeply into the feeling of love. He knew he could do whatever he had to. Dumbledore would simply be elsewhere; he would be all right, his spirit was eternal. Harry remembered his dreams, suddenly feeling that they were more than he thought they were. Dumbledore would be all right, he knew.

The song ended after about thirty seconds, and Fawkes was in the air again, waiting for Harry to grab his tail. Harry took out his wand, ready for whatever was to come. Love was the only thing that mattered. He took hold of Fawkes's tail, and in a second they disappeared again.

He was suddenly in the room with the Veil of Mystery, which was ten feet in front of him. Off to the side, five feet away, stood Voldemort, holding Hermione in the same way Harry had seen in the image. He let go of Fawkes, who gave a very short burst of song, then disappeared. Harry still felt the bolstered courage and focus that he had received from the phoenixes. He didn't know what he would do; he just knew he had to keep his focus and trust his instincts.

"Welcome, Potter," said Voldemort. He was grinning smugly, trying to affect the manner of a gracious host, but not all that well, Harry thought. "So good of you to join us. I'm glad you received my invitation."

"Just barely," Harry replied, wand at the ready. "It was just a flash of an image, but I'll bet you were sending it at full strength. Thanks to Dumbledore, you're not getting into my mind anymore."

"Ah, yes, Dumbledore... you know, the invitation was extended to him as well... so, where is the Muggle-loving simpleton?"

Harry wasn't about to tell Voldemort that Dumbledore would be along soon; though he doubted it would matter, he didn't want to give Voldemort an extra chance to get ready. "He's no simpleton, as you well know," Harry said. "You wouldn't have invited him if he were. He's the only wizard you ever feared. "

In the dreams in September, Voldemort had been enraged when Harry suggested that he feared Dumbledore; now he sounded amused. "I invited him because he has been a pest, nothing more. I admit he is powerful, but he is truly a fool, which will soon be demonstrated. With his magical ability, he could wield real power, but instead he chose to sit quietly at Hogwarts and never use it. I do not object; it has been to my benefit. Now, aren't you going to say hello to your friend?"

He glanced at Hermione, then quickly looked back at Voldemort. He knew that he could cause both of them harm by expressing concern for her fate. "I'd rather talk to you, Voldemort. I'm curious to know why you've chosen this place to come. It couldn't have been easy to get in here, not to mention that the Aurors should be here any minute."

"We will be undisturbed by Aurors, I have seen to that," replied Voldemort, still smug. "As for my reasons for coming here, they will be apparent soon enough. I hear you have quite a close relationship with Dumbledore, so it is fitting that he will die in the same way your godfather did. Perhaps after he does, you will want to join him, you can all be together again." He chuckled. "If there truly is anything beyond, which of course there is not. These mystics, they dabble in such foolishness, and Dumbledore is no less a fool for believing them."

For some reason this gave Harry a surge of hope; Voldemort's ignorance in certain areas was clearly to his detriment, and this might be one, he thought. He was considering whether to respond when Fawkes suddenly appeared, carrying Dumbledore, a few feet away from Voldemort. Dumbledore looked calm and focused, as Harry knew he would be.

"Ah, Dumbledore, there you are. Now, we-"

To Voldemort's apparent surprise, Dumbledore walked straight for him. Before Voldemort could raise his wand, Dumbledore had reached him, and grabbed Voldemort's wrist. He looked Voldemort in the eye, but said nothing.

Voldemort looked astonished, as if Dumbledore had done something totally nonsensical; Harry had to admit to himself that he couldn't see the point in it either. "Would you like to subdue me physically, Dumbledore?" asked Voldemort quietly. "Perhaps the Prophet was unknowingly right... you are quite old, it is true. Still, you may have wits enough to notice that I have a deadman's grip on the Mudblood here. If I release her involuntarily, she dies instantly. Perhaps you-" He stopped speaking and looked at Dumbledore with mounting anger.

"You dare to try to peer into my mind?" demanded Voldemort, outraged. "You should know better, Dumbledore, I am a better Occlumens and Legilimens than you have ever been. Now, if you wish her to remain unharmed, you will-"

Voldemort cut himself off yet again as Dumbledore again did something totally unexpected. He pointed his wand at the Veil; energy shot out of his wand and reached the curtain, seeming to stop there. Then in the same instant he released Voldemort's wrist, he flew through the air toward the Veil, as though being pulled by a powerful, invisible force. Harry saw a small, bright thread of energy leading from Voldemort's wrist to Dumbledore as he flew. In less than a second, Dumbledore reached the Veil, and went through. The thread lingered for a second, then vanished. Dumbledore was gone. Fawkes flew up high in the air and sang.

Part of Harry wanted to cry out in despair, and he was sure he would have if not for what Fawkes had done. But somehow, he was able to able to keep that grief out of his present thoughts. He did this on purpose, Harry thought, he must have a plan, there has to be a reason. In any case, he knew he still had to focus; he had to save Hermione, and himself.

Voldemort had a bewildered look, which turned into a truly evil grin, the most awful grin Harry had ever seen. "Well... I must say, my young friends, that was much easier than I had thought it was going to be. I thought I would have to persuade him to go through it, and here he simply does it on his own. Very convenient."

Keeping his grip on Hermione, Voldemort turned to Harry; as he did so, he turned a control on a pendant around his neck. Looking at Harry's forehead, he said, "Well, I see you were even closer to him than I thought. Did you tell him of the dream you had, the one involving the Legion of the Dead? I believe you did. I did not expect that he would believe only that, but I did plant other evidence to give the impression that I planned to call them into service. They do not exist, of course, but the idea was to play into Dumbledore's belief in mysticism and the afterlife. I knew that if I could persuade him that I intended to reach them, he would take measures to stop me, perhaps going so far as to do what he has done. I knew my plan would succeed when the phoenix chose you as its next companion, signaling that Dumbledore's end was near.

"You see, Potter, Dumbledore's death was futile, because of his beliefs. He gave up his life in this way because of what the phoenix did, but fate does not work that way. His end was not inevitable, he simply thought it was. Had he not decided to do what he has done, the phoenix would not have chosen you. He has confused cause and effect, and died for it. He has been led to believe that by doing what he has done, he can prevent my calling the so-called Legion into service, from the other side. There is no 'other side,' of course, but he believed there was. I never intended to get the help of entities that do not exist, so he has died for precisely nothing." He surveyed Harry though raised eyebrows and great satisfaction. "So what does Dumbledore's heir have to say about this turn of events?"

Still focused, Harry frowned. "What do you mean, his heir?"

Impatiently, Voldemort said, "He obviously kissed you on the forehead... I have been told that you are ignorant of much of wizarding customs. Here, allow me to be of assistance." He flicked his wand and a vaporous circle flew toward Harry; he raised his wand to defend against it, but it simply hung in midair, taking the shape of a circular mirror. Harry looked at it and saw on his forehead a bright purple dot, less than an inch in diameter, where Dumbledore had kissed him. He had no idea what it meant, and Voldemort obviously discerned as much.

"It seems that he should have told you, at least. Perhaps he was too busy trying to stop my nefarious plans," Voldemort sneered. Harry kept very focused on love, ignoring Voldemort's taunts. "That mark means that he has chosen you as his heir, not that it will do you any good. So, how do you feel?"

Harry felt an inclination to be as silent as he had with Malfoy, but realized that it was a different situation. He thought he might gain some useful insight if he engaged Voldemort in conversation, not to mention that his very state of not being intimidated was bound to annoy Voldemort. Also, he thought it best to keep Voldemort talking for as long as possible, so the Aurors had time to arrive. Harry didn't know how Voldemort and whoever else had gotten into such a secure area, but he had to believe that Aurors knew by now, and were trying to get past whatever was keeping them out.

"I'm sad that he's gone, but I don't believe you that it was for nothing. He was a brilliant man, and I think he had a reason for what he did, you just don't know it yet." He dearly hoped that was true; he hated to think that Voldemort had been correct in his gloating. He knew better than to take anything Voldemort said too seriously, though.

Voldemort chuckled. "It seems that you do not know it yet, either, in that case. Believe what you will, Potter, it is all irrelevant. He is dead, and his death has accomplished nothing. He is not coming back through that veil. Now, if you would hand over your wand."

A grim smile came to Harry's face. "That doesn't seem likely," he said.

"I am not surprised that you say that, of course," agreed Voldemort. "Let me put it to you this way. Give me your wand, or she dies."

This was exactly what Harry had feared most, because Hermione could not have been clearer about her wishes. He was not to sacrifice himself for her, and giving up his wand would be tantamount to doing just that. He looked at Hermione, whose eyes conveyed the same message: don't do it. The thought of it threatened his focus, almost made him despair. But Fawkes's song was still in the air, and it reminded him of what he had to do. He had to stay alive, he was the one who could defeat Voldemort. He gathered all the courage he could muster, and looked at Voldemort. "No," he said simply.

Voldemort's eyebrows went high in surprise. "Do you doubt that I'll do it?"

"No, I don't," said Harry. "But I'm not giving you my wand. If you want to beat me, you'll have to do it in a fair fight."

Voldemort laughed. "A fair fight? What a stupid concept, Potter. Perhaps no one has mentioned to you that life is not fair. Still, I am impressed. I was advised that such a threat would coerce your cooperation. You apparently have more of a survival instinct than I thought. Well, perhaps I will not kill her just yet. I believe she may have useful information, and she would make a nice plaything for the young Malfoy. I'm sure she would amuse him greatly."

Here was extra motivation for Harry to get them out of there; he could imagine what Malfoy would do to a captive Hermione, and he knew he couldn't allow it. "I'm surprised that you would grant 'the young Malfoy' any favors," Harry said disdainfully. "I thought you didn't reward incompetence. He had any number of chances to kill me, and he failed every time."

Voldemort didn't seem bothered by Harry pointing this out. "True, and he has been... reprimanded for his failures. Still, he had not at that time been Cleansed. His failure was due to weaknesses he no longer has."

Harry tried to keep his confusion off his face. "Cleansed?"

"For Dumbledore's heir, you are quite ignorant, Potter. He should have explained more things to you. Cleansing is part of the initiation of becoming a Death Eater. One is relieved of one's weaknesses; it allows those I command to serve me better. In any case, your cooperation is not required. Avada Kedavra!"

The Killing Curse came at Harry, and his shield snapped on. The Curse was stopped; Harry was surprised that Voldemort had even tried it.

"Oh, no!" Voldemort cried in mock despair. "He has deflected my Killing Curse! However shall I kill him? Perhaps I should simply give up. What do you think, Potter?"

Harry was surprised; he wouldn't have guessed that Voldemort would use sarcasm. "I think you're saying that you can kill me in any number of ways that don't involve the Killing Curse. I never assumed anything else, you know." He tried to think of ways he could get his hands on Hermione; if he could get a decent grip on her, perhaps he could Disapparate them both out of there.

"It is good that you are under no illusions, then," smiled Voldemort. "Well, how about a duel? I hear your strength is improving. Perhaps you could be an entertaining opponent." Seeing Harry's raised eyebrows, Voldemort continued, "Oh, don't worry, I have procured another wand just for this occasion. After our encounter two years ago at my rebirth, I discovered that your wand and mine are brothers; fate is odd that way. We cannot have that happening again."

Harry readied himself. Voldemort took out a wand and sent out the first spell, still holding Hermione in the same grip. Harry blocked it and responded, but within ten seconds he knew he had little chance of winning. What he expected was proving to be the case; he was at least Voldemort's equal in terms of power, but he simply had too little experience dueling. The bout continued, longer than it should have; Harry slowly understood that Voldemort was playing with him, like a cat with its prey. Voldemort could end the bout at any time. Harry took a more defensive posture, just hoping to stop anything that could kill or disable him. Voldemort seemed to become annoyed as he became aware of what Harry was doing. With a look of extreme boredom, Voldemort got by Harry's defenses; Harry was thrown five feet backwards. He scrambled to his feet.

"Surprising natural ability," said Voldemort clinically, "but of course, far too inexperienced to be any kind of worthy opponent. You would have made a good Dark wizard... except for your mental defects. If you were Cleansed, I doubt there would be anything left by the time it was done." Voldemort sounded very amused.

Where are the Aurors? Harry thought. He knew that his survival and Hermione's hinged on keeping Voldemort occupied, but he was sure they would have come by now. "That's okay, it sounds like something I wouldn't want any part of, anyway."

"Well, now, let us see what the young lady here has to tell us," said Voldemort, who still seemed in no hurry to do whatever he was going to do, if anything. Harry still couldn't understand how he could be so confident about having so much time. Fawkes was still circling, still singing. "Of course, we cannot have you helping her. I would like to see what cooperation we get from her under the Cruciatus Curse, but you could block it for her. So..." As he spoke, he was creating a shimmering curtain of energy that eventually stretched across the entire room, splitting it in half. As a test, Harry sent a Stunning Spell at it, and it bounced off. Harry was sure he could break through it with time; he just needed to figure out how.

Voldemort threw Hermione to the ground. "I have been told that you have information which I may find valuable," he said coldly. Harry blinked in surprise; he couldn't imagine what that would be. "Would you like to tell me what it is, or suffer a great deal?"

"There's no information I can give you that you would find useful," said Hermione. It looked to Harry as though she, too, was trying hard to focus, as they had practiced in their Saturday evening group.

Voldemort surveyed her silently as Harry tried different spells on the shield, trying to figure out a way past it. "You appear to be telling the truth," Voldemort said finally, sounding surprised. "I am not happy to have been misinformed. Still, you have proved useful, and-" He cut himself off, then grinned. "Ah, very clever, Dumbledore," he said to himself. "Not quite clever enough, though." He looked down at Hermione with an expression that suggested that she would pay for having tried to deceive him. "Your words are the literal truth, but I have found the lie of omission behind them. I see you have studied Occlumency as well, but are not yet sufficiently skilled. You do have the information I want, you simply cannot access it at this moment. Well, there are ways past Memory Charms... sadly, they tend to leave the subject in less than perfect condition, but your usefulness was at an end anyway. Crucio!"

Harry frantically accelerated his search for a way through the shield, and hit upon the idea of an energy beam that would try to drill a hole through the curtain of energy; he felt that the energy of love would defeat whatever Voldemort had done. But to Harry's shock, just after Voldemort said the word, a familiar energy shield snapped on around Hermione-and he knew he had not done it. She screamed in pain, but the shield held, and after a second she was obviously in no pain at all. She sat up and glared at Voldemort. Still trying to focus, Harry let out a silent shout of joy. He returned his attention to finding a way past Voldemort's shield; he visualized the energy beam and sent it out from his wand.

Voldemort looked quite angry; he had obviously not contemplated this. Whether out of anger or curiosity to see if she could stop it, Harry didn't know, as Voldemort said "Avada Kedavra!" The green shield immediately came on, and the bolt was stopped. Harry said a silent thanks for the Saturday evening sessions as his energy beam started to tear a hole through Voldemort's wall of energy. Hermione started to gasp for breath; he must be doing some Dark spell that leaves the person without oxygen, Harry thought quickly, and pointed his wand at Voldemort through the hole he'd opened. Voldemort hadn't noticed, and was blasted back a few feet, but kept his balance as the rest of his wall of energy dissipated. Furious, he fired off a few spells in quick succession, which Harry parried. Harry suddenly felt his body temperature rising, and realized that it was an area-effect spell of Voldemort's. He tried a few counter-spells, and finally found one that worked on the third try. He looked over and saw Hermione gasping for breath again, and fired at Voldemort, who this time was ready for him; Harry's spell had no effect.

"I believe I am about ready to stop toying with the two of you," said Voldemort in annoyance. "You cannot possibly defeat me, that must be clear to you. Oh, and the Aurors have not come, by the way, because of this, the rarest of magical artifacts," he said, pointing to what was around his neck. "This is the only one that exists; it is essentially creating our own pocket of time. The outside world has stopped, or so it would seem to us. It does not last forever, perhaps two hours, but more than long enough to deal with you. Now, if-"

"You don't seem to be having much success so far," said Hermione scornfully. "Of course, you're pretty incompetent when it comes to dealing with Harry. How many times have you tried to kill him? Seven or eight, and that doesn't even count when he was a baby. He's got your number, Voldemort. You can kill me, but you'll never get him. He keeps coming up with new stuff every time you attack him, so you might want to give it up. Who knows what he might come up with next?"

Harry wondered what Hermione was doing, but then he realized that she was trying to anger him deliberately, hoping it would create an opening for Harry to do something. Predictably, Voldemort snarled and sent more spells at her; she warded some off, Harry tried to help, and he then put Voldemort on the defensive again.

"Stupid Mudblood! You have no idea what you are talking about!" sneered Voldemort in what was almost a shout. Harry had a sudden idea as Voldemort continued his tirade. "He is but a boy, and I can kill him any time I want, now. I would prefer him alive, to take him back and deal with him in a more leisurely manner, but you and he are becoming sufficiently annoying that-"

Harry had cast the Legilimens spell on Voldemort, and focused for all he was worth. Voldemort's anger had diminished his Occlumency skills, or perhaps he did not expect Harry to try such a thing, but Harry found his way in, and focused on bringing up memories of sadness, vulnerability, or weakness. Voldemort stopped talking just as Harry got the first image, of an eight-year-old Tom Riddle crying after having been screamed at by a worker at his orphanage. Next, Riddle was six, in tears after having a favorite toy taken away by older children.

Suddenly Voldemort turned on Harry, incandescent fury on his face. "You dare... you would even try..." he sputtered. "You will pay dearly for that, Potter."

Just as he turned, Hermione shot spells at him, which he warded off with half his attention. Harry took the opportunity to respond. "Why, because you used to be human? Are you ashamed of that? I've cried before, and I will again. It's part of being human. You just-"

Harry broke off as he gasped for breath, and at the same time felt a deep frost suddenly surround him. He struggled to find counter-spells, and managed to try two that were not effective before falling to his knees. Voldemort turned to Hermione, waved his wand... and suddenly collapsed. Harry staggered to his feet as Voldemort lay on the ground, unmoving.

Hermione quickly got up as well, as Harry said, "What in the world-"

"Harry, quick, we don't know how much time we'll have. Cast Legilimens on me. Dumbledore set the Memory Charm to release as soon as you got into my mind." Still wanting to ask questions but motivated by her urgency, he focused and did as she asked. He found his way in, and started to seek images of love, but before anything came up, she spoke. "Okay, that's done it, I remember now." She reached into her pants pocket and took out a small container of what looked like a gelatinous red substance. She put it down and, to Harry's shock, started to pull apart Voldemort's robes; soon, his chest was exposed. "Hermione, what-"

"Quiet, Harry, I have to concentrate. Be ready to Disapparate. If he so much as twitches, get us out of here." She opened the container, spilled some onto his chest, and to her obvious disgust, started rubbing it all over his torso, firmly and thoroughly. Harry noticed that Voldemort, skeletally thin at his rebirth, didn't seem to have gained much weight. She looked at Harry and said, "Harry, use an Absorption Charm, as powerful as you can make it. Focus on love, make sure that stays with him."

Again wanting to ask questions, but knowing he shouldn't right that minute, he did as she asked. He did the charm several times, focusing on different areas, until he was sure he had done as much as he could; he could not see the red substance anymore. "Okay, we can go now," she said, closing his robes around him as they had been.

"But he's unconscious," Harry pointed out. "Isn't there something we could do..."

"Like what, kill him?" she asked. "Neither of us can, Harry, this is what we were supposed to do. I'll explain later, but we don't know when he'll wake up, we have to go!"

"Okay, but shouldn't we deactivate that thing around his neck? Let time start running again in here, maybe the Aurors will get to him."

"All right," she said. She reached over and turned the device off. "Better yet, I'll take it." She unclasped it and quickly put it into her pants pocket. "Do you want to Disapparate us out of here, or use Fawkes?"

"Disapparate," he said. "Maybe it'll set off more alarms, get attention." He put his hands on her shoulders as the door that led to the room opened. Harry saw Lucius Malfoy and a few other familiar Death Eaters burst into the room. As they raised their wands, Harry visualized he and Hermione back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

They were suddenly there, standing in front of the class, which gaped at them in shock. Harry noticed that Professor McGonagall was now there. Neville raced forward and hugged Hermione tightly. Harry thought to tell the class what had happened to Dumbledore, but then saw how McGonagall was looking at him, especially the purple mark on his forehead. He realized that was part of what the class was shocked by, that they must all know what it meant.

He suddenly wished that Ginny were there, and in the next second, Fawkes burst into view, carrying her. She looked at his forehead and, he could see, knew what had happened as well. She raced to hug him, and as he fell into her arms, the grief that he had put off finally came out. He started crying, and now he knew that it was in front of a class, but didn't care in the least. Dumbledore was gone.

He wasn't sure how long he cried, maybe two or three minutes, he thought. Ginny held him, spoke softly to him, comforted him. When Harry finally stopped enough to look up, the rest of the class had gone, except Ron; he assumed McGonagall had ushered them out, and Ron had probably refused to go. Neville still had a protective arm around Hermione; Harry could only imagine what a wrenching experience it had been for Neville. To the class, Harry had only been gone for about three minutes, because of Voldemort's time-stopping device, but it had to have been an agonizing three minutes.

He let go of Ginny, thanking her. Neville approached him. "Thank you, Harry, for bringing her back," he said earnestly.

"I'm not sure how much of it was me, Neville, but I did my best," he replied. Neville patted him on the shoulder.

McGonagall approached him. "Harry, I hate to do this right now, but delay is inadvisable. We must know what has happened, as soon as possible." Harry saw Snape appear in the room, with Fawkes, carrying the Pensieve. Harry made a silent request of Fawkes, who disappeared again.

"You can use my memories, Professor, they're the same as Harry's," volunteered Hermione. McGonagall nodded, and Snape set the Pensieve down. Fawkes returned to the room carrying Pansy, who took a look at Harry's forehead, and walked over to hug him. As he held her, he said to McGonagall, 'They're all coming. This happened to Hermione and I, they all have to know."

Snape was obviously not happy. "There are operational details, Professor, which-"

"I don't care, they're coming," Harry cut Snape off. Snape looked at McGonagall, who reluctantly nodded.

"I am agreeing, Harry, because this was such an experience that you could not be expected to avoid sharing it with those closest to you," she said. "But I expect that each of the six of you will speak of it to absolutely no one else, with the exception of what will be publicly known. This is extremely serious. Is that understood?"

Ron, Ginny, Pansy, and Neville all nodded, their expressions indicating they understood the seriousness of the situation. With her wand, McGonagall locked the classroom doors as Hermione put her memories into the Pensieve. Harry kissed Ginny on the forehead and held the back of her head.

Hermione finished, and they all put their fingers into the Pensieve. Harry saw himself suddenly appear in the room and let go of Fawkes. Neville tensed as he saw how Hermione was being held by Voldemort, and put an arm around her as Ginny put one around Harry.

Soon they saw Dumbledore appear, grab Voldemort's wrist, and appear to be pulled into the Veil. Harry stopped the images and asked, "All right, I'd really like to know why he did that."

Snape said, "Miss Granger, I see from your hands that you accomplished your task. How was the Dark Lord subdued?"

"He just collapsed," she replied. "No reason, we don't know why."

McGonagall turned to Harry. "That was Albus, Harry. He did that."

Harry gaped. "But he's..."

She looked at him meaningfully. "He is... elsewhere. This is what he intended, it was his plan all along. I did not see how it could work; I know little about mysticism. But while he was not certain, he was confident. He did research, he consulted many mystics from all over the world. The information they gave him suggested this plan to him. He is not a ghost; he is now not what we would call alive, but it is clear that he exists, in some way we do not understand.

"You saw him touch Voldemort; that was an essential part of what he knew he had to do. His aim was to create a link with Voldemort, and he used the Veil to do it. You saw that thread of energy that followed him into the Veil; that was the link he sought. He used Legilimency on Voldemort to try to deepen that link. Whatever he has done-and I do not pretend to understand how it works-has allowed him to, from wherever the Veil takes people, maintain a link with Voldemort. I do not know the extent or form of this link, but it explains Voldemort's collapse at the end. Professor Dumbledore has achieved what he set out to do." Harry thought he heard awe in her tone.

Harry looked at his friends, who were clearly awed as well. "Hermione, did you have any idea...?"

She shook her head. "No, Harry. I'm sure he thought it was too risky for me to know as well. All I knew was that I would hopefully get a chance to do what I did, I didn't know how it would happen."

"Did the prophecy give him the idea to do this?" Harry asked McGonagall.

"Not as such," she replied. "He had been considering the vague outlines of such a plan already. When he received the prophecy, he decided that it meant that such a thing could succeed, and pursued it more energetically. I confess I attempted to dissuade him."

Harry realized that he hadn't thought about the fact that she would be as pained by Dumbledore's death as he was. "I would have too," he said. "Does this mean that he can knock out Voldemort any time he wants? What else can he do?"

"We do not know, Harry," she replied. "Only time will tell. We do not even know for certain that he can do it more than this once. This is all very new territory."

There was silence for a moment, and Harry resumed the flow of the memory. They watched Voldemort's smug satisfaction at Dumbledore's death. After Voldemort had finished gloating, Harry stopped the images again. "How was Voldemort persuaded to come here, anyway? How was it arranged that he thought that he could try to get Dumbledore to go through the Veil voluntarily? He really thought Dumbledore believed the stuff about the Legion of the Dead?"

"There are many details on that matter, Professor, that you and your friends do not need to know," said Snape. "Suffice it to say that the headmaster devised a plan to persuade the Dark Lord that his plan to deceive the headmaster would be successful. The headmaster was able to create a false image of a prophecy, one whose wording was deliberately vague, but intended to encourage the Dark Lord in his plans. I presented this prophecy to the Dark Lord, telling him I had managed to steal the memory from the headmaster's Pensieve." He surveyed Harry's friends. "I believe that most of you had already deduced that I am serving as a spy against the Dark Lord. Release of this information could gravely damage our cause and have enormous ramifications."

They nodded earnestly. "I think we pretty much knew that already," said Ron.

"The headmaster's final act served as confirmation to the Dark Lord that his interpretation of this false prophecy was correct, and that the headmaster's was incorrect, as you just saw. Fawkes's choosing of you, Professor, fortuitously added to the Dark Lord's confidence that his plan would work." Snape resumed the images.

Soon Voldemort was threatening to kill Hermione if Harry did not surrender his wand; Harry and Hermione exchanged a worried glance, as they knew what effect seeing it would have on Neville. When Harry's image said "No," Neville looked at Harry, eyes wide, horrified. Hermione stopped the images and turned to Neville.

"Listen to me, Neville," she said. "I pleaded with Harry to do that. He didn't want to, you know him well enough to know that. You also know that he can't die, or else we're all in serious trouble. Giving up his wand would be giving up his life in that situation, not to mention that I would have died anyway. Voldemort wasn't just going to let me go if Harry gave up his wand. You were ready to give up your life for him, and you would again. We all have to be ready to do that. You would have done the same thing in my position, you would have pleaded with him to do what he did." Neville took this in, and slowly nodded.

Harry said, "Neville, believe me when I say that that was the hardest thing I've ever done. I almost couldn't, because I believed that he would do it. It was agonizing. But I knew what she wanted, and what was at stake. I just made myself do it."

"I know, Harry. I'm sorry. It was just... a shock. But I realize that you saved her life by doing it, and I can imagine how hard it must have been." He patted Harry on the shoulder, and Hermione continued the images. Neville looked predictably furious about Voldemort's mention of giving Hermione to Malfoy. Harry heard her say softly to Neville, "That's never going to happen, Neville. Harry and Dumbledore made sure of that."

When Voldemort mentioned Cleansing Malfoy, Harry looked at Snape questioningly. Snape subtly shook his head and gave him a look, which Harry understood as a request not to seek further information, at least not there and then.

The next part of the scene that provoked a strong reaction was when Hermione was able to use Harry's new spells. Everyone except Harry and Snape gaped at Hermione; Harry grinned broadly for the first time since Dumbledore had died. "I was so happy when I saw that... well, you can imagine."

"Thank you," she said happily. "I didn't have a chance to reflect on it at the time, but I'm excited because it means the Saturday evenings worked, and probably will for everyone else, with time. Probably it just happened with me soonest because I was tested like this. You know what this could mean."

"You mean, that it is not just him and Albus," McGonagall clarified, and Hermione nodded. "Indeed, there are wide-ranging implications, which we shall discuss later. But we should continue with this for now." She started the images again, and Harry saw Neville put his arm back around her and look at her proudly. "You'll be doing it soon too," she whispered.

The others gaped again when Hermione started insulting Voldemort, but no one stopped the images. "A worthwhile effort," commented Snape.

Then as Voldemort was angrily responding to Hermione, Harry was doing the Legilimens spell, and as Voldemort turned on him in fury, Harry stopped the images. He explained to the others what he had done, and described the images he had received. This got more amazed looks, and Snape said, "If any of the Dark Lord's followers tried such a thing, they would be dead in the next few seconds. He is very sensitive to any intrusion into his mind. It is remarkable that you are still here."

"I wouldn't be, if not for Albus," Harry replied. "As you're about to see, we were fighting a losing battle."

The images continued, and Harry saw he and Hermione start to be overcome, when Voldemort collapsed. Harry and Hermione's friends watched, fascinated, as he removed her Memory Charm, and repulsed when she spread the red substance over his torso. "I wouldn't mind leaving that in the Pensieve," she muttered. "That was so disgusting... he even feels evil."

Harry turned to Hermione. "Why didn't we try to do anything else? Maybe we couldn't kill him, but couldn't we have tried to capture him? He was unconscious, after all."

McGonagall answered before Hermione could. "The headmaster's instructions to Miss Granger were very specific: she was to apply the substance to Voldemort as quickly as possible, then leave immediately. Professor Dumbledore could not know how long Voldemort would remain unconscious, and there exist highly advanced magical defenses against being involuntarily transported elsewhere. Had you tried, you could have been killed, or ended up somewhere you did not intend, and captured."

"Wouldn't it have been worth the risk, though?" Harry wondered. "I mean, he was unconscious, who knows the next time we might get a chance like that."

"For what it is worth, Professor, I felt as you do," said Snape; Harry felt from Snape's tone that Snape had had a few arguments with Dumbledore about the topic. "I felt that the chances that the Dark Lord would anticipate being rendered unconscious and involuntarily transported away were remote, and so he would not have prepared any such defenses. The headmaster, however, chose to act with extreme caution; he took very literally the words of the most recent prophecy, that you could 'later' defeat the Dark Lord. He felt that to attempt to do so now would invite disaster."

As they spoke, the scene reached the end, and they all left the Pensieve. McGonagall faced Harry and Hermione. "You both performed with exceptional skill and bravery," she said, "under extraordinarily trying circumstances. I am very proud of you... as I am sure Albus would be." She smiled a bit, then added, "Perhaps I should say, 'is.' This business still confuses me.

"I will make an announcement during dinner tonight, though the whole school will know before then what has happened, because of the mark he left on Harry. Professor Snape and I will confer to discuss exactly what elements of this to make public knowledge. For now, you should convey to those who ask that Professor Dumbledore saved your lives by sacrificing his, which is not untruthful, and that was what allowed you to escape. You should avoid providing even minor details so as not to risk compromising secrecy regarding what was done." She stopped talking and was preparing to leave, then looked at Harry and said, "Harry... that Pensieve is now yours, along with everything else that was Albus's. We will meet sometime in the next week to discuss the matter." She and Snape left the room.

Before Harry could ask, Neville did. "What was that red stuff, Hermione? Why did you have to do that?"

Hermione took a deep breath, as if getting ready to tell a long story. "It's something I've been working on all year, something top-secret. I wasn't allowed to tell anybody; for a lot of the time, even Snape didn't know. I got this idea from Helen Clark, one of Harry's Slytherin firsts. When she saw the Marauder's Map at the beginning of the year, she said, 'It's too bad you can't use a map like this to find Voldemort.' I started wondering if it was possible. I spent some time researching it, and I thought it could be done. I talked to Dumbledore, and he encouraged me, making sure I had all the materials and books I needed. He also secretly escorted me out of Hogwarts a few times, introducing me to some magical chemists and researchers. I studied less than usual this year, also. You noticed that I wasn't raising my hand all the time."

"We just thought you were tired of being made fun of," said Ron.

She chuckled. "That, too," she admitted. "Anyway, the more I studied it, the more I thought it could be done, and in April, it finally worked. I, and the outside people I was working with, managed to create a rather large map of England, which was similar to the ones I made for you. If the red stuff is absorbed into a person's skin, they become visible on the map. It doesn't even work for all of England yet; little magical relays have to be set up every few miles or so for it to work, so it's going to take some effort to cover the whole country. But we did tests, and it worked on the researchers and I. Kingsley was told after the first successful test, and he was thrilled at the idea, but of course the hard part was going to be figuring out how to get it onto Voldemort. Now that we have, once we get the relays set up, wherever he is in England, we'll be able to know where he is. I don't know how long it's going to take."

The others looked very impressed. "So, you put him in check," Harry said. She nodded and told the others about the chess prophecy.

Neville looked wounded. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Hermione.

"She did it to save you worry, Neville," said Harry. "There would have been nothing you could have done, and you would have agonized over it. I mean, she's not my special person, and I worried a lot about her for the past month. I didn't tell Ginny, even though I didn't know for sure that I was going to be involved. I thought I probably would be-I've gotten used to the idea that things always happen to me, especially when they involve Voldemort-but I couldn't be sure. I'm sorry," he said, now looking at Ginny, "I know you would have wanted to know, but I didn't see the point in telling you."

"The point," she said, "is that I want to share your life with you, both the good things and the bad. I know that this is a part of being Harry Potter's special person. I don't feel like I'm really with you if I don't share stuff like that. I forgive you, because I know your heart was in the right place. I can see your point. But I think we're going to have to have a talk about this, reach an understanding." He nodded and took her hand. He could see her point, too.

Neville reached over and put his arm around Hermione's shoulder, moving her head to rest against his. "I was so terrified, when Harry told us about that vision. I thought for sure I was never going to see you again. It... made me realize, more than I ever had before, how important you are to me. I don't ever want to lose you."

"You won't, Neville," she assured him. "I love you, I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you, too," he said. "You were only gone for a few minutes, to us, but it seemed like much longer to me. All kinds of things went through my mind. One of them was that I wished we'd had the Joining of Hands done. I would have been able to look at you, know if you were all right or not. I would have sat there and stared at my hand."

She looked at him uncertainly. "Are you saying that you thought then that you wanted it done, or..." She didn't want to finish the sentence.

He looked at her very earnestly. "At that moment, it was what I thought I wanted. Now, looking at you... I know it's what I want. I want to do this with you, if you want to."

She smiled. "Yes, Neville, I want to. I've wanted to since they had it done, I just didn't want to pressure you." They kissed; Harry and the others exchanged smiles.

"Nothing like almost losing someone you love to make you realize how much you love them," said Ginny. "It's too bad Dumbledore's gone, he could have done it for you."

"We couldn't have yet, anyway, since neither of us is seventeen," pointed out Hermione. "Who knows if Neville's grandmother or my parents would consent. It's probably better if we wait until we're both seventeen. But yes, it is true that it's best if the strongest possible wizard does it." She and Neville glanced at each other, and they both looked straight at Harry.

He took a few seconds to catch their drift. "Me?" he asked, surprised. "But I don't know how to do it!"

Neville regarded Harry imperiously. "Learn," he said. Harry smiled and snapped off a salute. Neville smiled back.

Ginny looked thoughtful. "I'm curious, Harry, if I'd known what was going on, would you have wanted me looking, or would you rather I wasn't, so you could focus better?"

He thought about it. "It's almost hard to say, really. I'd want you to be able to look, but the tingling would remind me that you were looking. It might not threaten my focus, but in that kind of situation, you know you could die. You try not to think about it, because it would be too distracting. But now I have another reason not to want to die, an even stronger one. I don't want to have to leave you. So your watching me could remind me of that, and I could worry and lose my focus."

"That makes sense," she said. "I guess I won't in the future, then, much as I'll want to. I'm not naive enough to think this won't happen again."

"Not until Voldemort's gone," Harry agreed. "But it's still hard to imagine how that's going to happen. I mean, we accomplished a lot today. He'll be able to be tracked, at some point, and it may be that Dumbledore can do more to Voldemort from wherever he is now. But I'm supposed to be the one with the power to 'vanquish' him, and I have no idea how I'm going to do it. He's still way too strong for me, too experienced. Those were awful spells he was hitting me with, he could have done away with me any time he wanted. Like he said, he wanted us alive, that's the only reason he didn't kill us. It never occurred to him that he was in any danger, that there was any chance he'd be stopped before he could kill us."

"That makes me wonder," said Ron, "How did Dumbledore do that, if time was stopped to everyone outside the room? How could he have picked the right time?"

"We may never know, Ron," answered Harry, "but he did tell Ginny and I once at dinner that in the... nonphysical world,... no wait, realm, he said, that time doesn't work the same way, or there's no such thing as time. Maybe from where he is, he can choose any point in time he wants. It's really, really strange."

"Hermione, it's so fantastic about the spells of Harry's you did," enthused Pansy. "We definitely have to keep up the Saturday sessions in the summer, maybe do more of them. Thank goodness Harry had the idea to do them."

"Yes, it feels really good," Hermione agreed. "I'm sure that Dumbledore is very proud, wherever he is. I know he wanted this to happen. You might be teaching your classes very differently next year, Harry."

"It does look like I might be," he agreed. "I'll have to think more about it, talk about it with McGonagall. By the way, I noticed that you used the spells without an incantation either, even though your score on that meter wasn't 100."

"I have a theory. I think if I were tested now, it would be 100; I think that anyone who uses the energy of love successfully is going to score 100 and not need incantations. I also think that's why your spells didn't come with incantations; they weren't necessary. You can only do them by using the energy of love."

"Sounds like a reasonable theory," he said. "Given what happened, I think the Aurors might be interested in you coming along for some part of the time for the next session. By the way, Neville, what are we going to do about tomorrow?"

"You mean, are we going to see the Aurors? I don't know... I'm okay to, it should really be you that decides. You should also talk to Kingsley, they might want to wait. A lot of them are close to Dumbledore."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to him soon, see what he thinks. I think maybe we'll do it on Sunday. I still want to do it, it may just be better to wait a day, until the shock wears off a little more. Funny, I say shock, but I had almost six weeks' warning for this, and it was still a shock. I can only imagine if I hadn't known about it in advance. There's no way I could have not fallen apart when it happened, then Voldemort would have had me."

They spent the next two hours talking more, covering all aspects of what happened. Harry felt that it was not so much that they needed to talk, but that they needed each other, each other's company and support, in what was a difficult time for all of them, for all had cared about Dumbledore. He thought it could be likened to a support group, or a wake, then he realized that they were almost the same thing. He had never felt closer to his friends than he did then.

When they finally left the room, it was five o'clock. Ron, Ginny, and Neville decided to go back to Gryffindor Tower, while Harry and Hermione went to see Hagrid. Hagrid had heard, of course, and burst into tears again at seeing the purple mark on Harry's forehead. He calmed down, and apologized. "Bin grievin' the whole year, don' know why it should seem like such a shock now." They talked for a half hour, exchanging stories and memories.

On their way back to the castle, near the castle steps they ran into Cho and Marietta. Cho looked at Harry with pity, and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she said. "But I'm so glad you're alive, the Hufflepuff sixth years told us what happened. I would have been so scared. But this is you, I would have known you wouldn't be." She released him, looking at him proudly.

"I was scared, just not for myself," he said, glancing at Hermione.

Marietta walked up to him. "I'm sorry too. He was really good to me, when he had no reason to be. I'll never forget how he was, at the feast."

He nodded. "I learned a lot from him. Especially that night." To his own surprise, he impulsively stepped forward and hugged her. He could feel that she was startled, but after a second, returned the hug. "Thank you," she said, her voice full of emotion. Harry realized that she was thanking him because he was truly forgiving her, as he had not the night of the feast, not in his heart of hearts.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry relaxed on his bed until dinner, Fawkes singing to him. The thought that he would be spending more time in Fawkes' presence was both uplifting and depressing at the same time. He asked Fawkes to rest on his chest, petted him, and talked to him about Dumbledore. He got the feeling that Fawkes was sad, too. He wondered whether he was imagining it, or whether he was becoming more attuned to Fawkes' nonverbal communication.

Dinner was somber; the Great Hall was much more quiet than usual. Harry and his friends talked, but not as much as usual; they had already said much of what they could say in their long talk earlier. At one point all ten Slytherin first years came over to give Harry their condolences. "Pansy told us she saw what happened, how brave both of you were," Helen said to Harry and Hermione. Harry talked to them for a few minutes, then they went back to their table.

At six-thirty, McGonagall walked into the Great Hall and up to the podium; Harry noticed that most all of the teachers had taken their seats at the teachers' table. "It is my very painful duty to report to you the death this afternoon of Albus Dumbledore, the school's headmaster." Where once there would have been a gasp there was dead silence, as everyone already knew. "There was a confrontation with Voldemort in the room at the Department of Mysteries containing the artifact known as the Veil of Mystery. Voldemort provoked the confrontation by having his Death Eaters abduct Gryffindor sixth year student Hermione Granger, who he then took to that room. He demanded the arrival of the headmaster and Professor Harry Potter, who both soon arrived on the scene. Miss Granger was involved in a plan to achieve a strategic advantage in the struggle against Voldemort. Due to the headmaster's sacrifice, the operation was a success. We cannot give details, for reasons of security, but I can say that we have significantly improved our position in this struggle as a result of today's events.

"The headmaster's actions achieved not only this purpose, but also saved the lives of Miss Granger and Professor Potter. Professor Potter managed to keep Voldemort distracted for the time necessary, fighting off spells that would have killed most wizards. Miss Granger, in addition to assisting with the strategic operation which occurred, was able to fight off Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse and Killing Curse by using the shields discovered by Professor Potter; she is the first person other than Professor Potter or the headmaster who has demonstrated the ability to use them." There was a moderate gasp at that, and many heads swiveled in Hermione's direction.

"The headmaster himself knew throughout this year that his remaining time was short; his phoenix Fawkes' choosing of Professor Potter as his next companion signaled that he would not live more than another year. Phoenixes do not choose new companions until the death of the older one is near. The headmaster used this information to devise a plan to put his death to the best use possible, and it has succeeded. He had no regrets.

"I worked with Albus Dumbledore for forty years. He was not only an excellent headmaster, but also a kind man and a good friend. I shall miss him greatly, as shall we all. Thank you."

Harry and his friends exchanged looks. "I'm a little surprised she even said that much," said Hermione. "I guess the idea was that it was all right to say anything that Voldemort and his people already know."

"Hermione," Harry said, "you still have that thing you took off of Voldemort, don't you?"

She nodded. "I was surprised, too. I thought she or Snape would take it from me. Maybe they think we'll need it."

"Sounds reasonable, considering what you guys get yourselves into," said Pansy.

"You're in it too, now, don't forget," said Ron humorously. "You save Harry's life, you're in the group."

"What about Justin?" she asked.

Ron paused, then said, "You save Harry's life twice, you're in the group." The others chuckled.

"What about me, Ron?" asked Neville. "I've only done it once."

The others looked at Ron, amused, as he thought. Finally, he said, "You go running into a room, totally outnumbered, to try to save Harry..." Ron joined in the laughter that followed. "Don't give me a hard time, Neville."

Neville reached for Hermione's hand. "I learned from the best." Ron shook his head and reached for his goblet.

A voice behind him said, "Is Neville really giving you a hard time, Ron? People do change, don't they?"

Harry looked behind him to see Hugo Brantell. "Hi, Hugo. Not too hard to figure out why you're here. Have a seat." Hermione moved toward Harry, and Hugo squeezed in on her left.

"How are you doing, Harry?" asked Hugo, concerned.

Harry thought about it. "I've had all this time to prepare for it, so it's not the shock it would have been otherwise. I'm really sad, of course, I'll miss him terribly. I feel like... I wish so much I could have had another five years with him, but if that had happened, they would have been over just like that, and I would have wanted another five. I guess these things happen when they happen, no matter what we want. But I am reassured that he was sure that his spirit would survive, and... not that anyone could keep anything secret from you anyway, but how much do you know about this that's not going to be public?"

"All of it," he replied. "McGonagall showed me Hermione's memory." Seeing their raised eyebrows, he added, "Dumbledore confided in me about that kind of thing, too, since it would be hard to keep secrets from me anyway. They know I can be trusted. Anyway, you two were really impressive. And Dumbledore... I'll tell you, Harry, you wanted another five years with him, but my feeling is, at least you got this year. I wish I could have had that. You just can't say enough about him to do him justice."

"That's for sure," Harry agreed. "And you're right, I do cherish this year. The best thing about being a professor was that I got a chance to spend much more time with him. Anyway, I was saying that what happened at the end of what you saw not only saved our lives, but was reassuring. He's there, somewhere. He may not be coming back, but unless Voldemort suffered some kind of fit purely by coincidence, what we saw was proof that he's still around, in some way we don't understand. At least I don't understand it. So I feel better for him, but I'm still really sad for myself."

Hugo nodded. "And how about you, Neville? You had a pretty tough day, too."

Looking surprised to be asked, Neville thought for a few seconds. "It was a pretty tough three minutes; the rest wasn't so bad. I realized a few things I hadn't known," he said, looking at Hermione.

"Why aren't there all these Ministry people around, Hugo?" she asked. "I'd have thought they'd all come rushing down here, wanting to express their official sympathy and all that."

"Some wanted to, but McGonagall said no," said Hugo. "There's going to be a ceremony tomorrow to honor him. She said they could come then, that now is too soon."

"Good for her," agreed Hermione. "The last thing you want to do when you're grieving is be polite to a bunch of politicians. I'm afraid you're going to have to talk to them, though, Harry. You can't really avoid it. I suppose you could try to honor his memory by dealing with them like he would have."

"Couldn't I honor his memory while hiding in my dormitory, listening to Fawkes sing, and talking to Ginny in my hand?" joked Harry.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, anyway," said Hugo. "Well, I'm sorry, Harry, but I do need to ask you a few questions for the article. You, too, Hermione. Is here okay, or would you like to go somewhere else?"

"The usual place, I think," said Harry. "The rest of you want to come? They nodded and got up. As they walked out, Hugo said, "I'm going to want a picture of you two, also. People are going to want to see that mark."

"Just what I need, more people looking at my forehead," Harry said with resignation as they walked out.

After the interview, Harry's friends headed back to their common rooms, but he had one thing he wanted to do before going back.. Looking at his map, he found that McGonagall was in her living quarters. He knocked on her door, which opened. She got up from a chair. "Harry! Come in. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing especially, Professor. I just wanted to come by to see how you were doing. Everybody's been making a big fuss over me, because of this," he said, gesturing to the purple mark, "but this had to be really hard for you, worse than me. I know you and he were really close."

She looked touched by his concern. "Thank you, that's very thoughtful. Yes, I..." She trailed off, looking like she was trying to avoid being overcome by emotion. After a few seconds of trying to regain control, she said, "Oh, to hell with it," and stepped forward to hug Harry. He felt as though they were both pouring their emotions into the embrace, holding each other as they would like to be holding Dumbledore. She sobbed for a few seconds, then sniffled and let go of him. "I really have not had a chance to grieve, Harry," she said, her voice still heavy with emotion. "I had all year, of course, but not today. We had to find out what had happened, then consider the strategic ramifications, talk to the Aurors, by which time people were starting to call. I just came back to my quarters for a rest, I may have more things to deal with later.

"You know, after you came back from that confrontation, and you cried on Ginny as you did... I envied you. I wanted to cry, just as you were. But I could not, right then." She chuckled and sobbed at the same time. "Albus would tell me that I should go ahead and do so now, I am sure. The fact is, it's almost difficult to do, there is such a reflex to suppress it. The last time I did was sixteen years ago..." She started to sob again, as Harry recalled what she had said on that December morning when she took him to Hogsmeade to meet Cassandra. He reached out and held her again. Feeling her cry brought more tears to his eyes, which he didn't fight. They stood there for another minute, silent, each crying at times. She stepped back, looking at him fondly. "Thank you, Harry, I needed that."

"It's no problem, Professor. I-"

"Minerva," she corrected.

He smiled, touched by her gesture. "It's no problem, Minerva." He chuckled; to her questioning look, he explained, "I just thought, if I told Hermione this, she'd swoon. She'd love to be able to call you Minerva."

McGonagall laughed. "Hermione is sweet. Very few students would admire me as she does; most would be too intimidated, or simply would not see me as any kind of role model."

"Well, I suppose more may from now on," he said. "I assume you're going to be the headmistress now?"

She nodded, shrugging as though it weren't important. "Albus arranged it with the governors before he left. I suppose I shall have to cultivate a different image now; being strict may be a good quality in a deputy headmistress, but not a headmistress. Perhaps I should practice smiling over the summer."

"Somehow I think you'll manage," Harry said, smiling.

"By the way, Harry, I wanted to be the one to tell you... the new deputy headmaster will be Professor Snape." She took in his surprised look, and said with amusement, "Either you are not as surprised as I thought you would be, or you are better at hiding your feelings than you used to be."

"Maybe it's a little of both," he said. "I guess I always remember what you said at the beginning of the year, about not criticizing fellow teachers. I mean, well... whatever I said wouldn't be anything you don't already know anyway, I would think."

She nodded. "You do not think he has the qualities that a deputy headmaster or a headmaster should have," she guessed. "I know this, Harry. So did Albus, and so does Professor Snape. He does not particularly welcome the appointment; he has no interest in the position. Professor Dumbledore assured him that he could resign the position after Voldemort has been dealt with. The reason for giving him the position is to increase his value to Voldemort."

Understanding dawned on Harry. "Ah, I see. There would be more chances to give him false information."

"Or even true information, yes, with higher credibility," she said. "Sometimes it is necessary for us to provide Voldemort with information which is of genuine help to him. If Professor Snape were of no help to Voldemort, he would not be so valuable to him, and therefore to us. I am sure you understand that." Harry nodded. "In fact, that reminds me of something, and now is as good a time as any. Harry, would you use your new dog to summon Hermione?"

Harry did so. "You don't have one?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "I never bothered to try; it is not as though I need to summon people all that often. Also, I found the spell somewhat... whimsical, more suited to his personality than mine."

Harry decided he felt comfortable enough to make a joke. "Maybe yours could be an owl. It could fly to the person, land on their shoulder, and look at them like this," he said, adopting an expression that suggested that someone had done something wrong. "Hedwig's looked at me like that more than a few times," he added as she laughed.

"I will think of something, I'm sure. Perhaps a cat; it would be more in keeping with my character, and my being an Animagus. By the way, I was impressed that you learned the spell so quickly."

"He said it wasn't that difficult," Harry pointed out.

"I think he meant that it would not be that difficult for you," she suggested. "I am sure that no other sixth year could do it, especially so quickly. You must keep in mind that with your power being what it is now, some spells will be much easier for you than for others." She paused.. "Getting back to Professor Snape... you should know that he will be as distressed about the headmaster's death as you or I am. We will never see any evidence of it, but it is true nonetheless. You may want to keep that in mind."

"I suppose I could have guessed it. The time we talked Albus out of doing the Cruciatus Curse on me at the demonstration... it was obvious that he was really concerned for him. I know there's a lot I don't know about their relationship. Can I ask you, do you know what it is? I know you can't tell me, of course."

"Yes, I do know what it is, and you are right, I cannot tell you. If anyone does, it will be Professor Snape himself. He may, someday, by the way. I am the only one apart from the two of them who knows. Anyway, you may want to deal with him regarding this with compassion, even though he may seem to disdain it and not require it. This has been as difficult a year for him as for me. Ironically, the one who it may have been least hard on was Albus himself. He was truly content."

There was a knock on the door, and Hermione walked in. "Professor?" she asked quietly; Harry realized that she had never been to McGonagall's quarters.

"Come in, Hermione," McGonagall said pleasantly. "I asked Harry to call you because there is something I wanted to tell you. Please sit down." McGonagall sat in a chair; Harry and Hermione, on a sofa.

McGonagall took a deep breath. "I think you deserve to know this, Hermione. In your confrontation this afternoon, you heard Voldemort say that he had been informed that you might have useful information. I assume you may have guessed the source of that information."

Hermione nodded. "Professor Snape," she said.

"Yes, Hermione. With Professor Dumbledore's authorization." Harry felt surprised even though he knew that Snape would not have told Voldemort such a thing without permission. "Professor Snape was instructed to tell Voldemort that he had discovered that you were working on a project that was intended to undermine him, but that he did not know the exact nature of the project. You had to be made an attractive enough target to be worth abducting. That information, combined with your closeness to Harry, was enough to do it.

"I see that you are not upset by this information, which is very much to your credit. You know very well that this could have had disastrous consequences for you. For example, Voldemort could have spirited you away to try to get the information from you before the confrontation; that was our largest worry. He almost certainly could not have broken Professor Dumbledore's Memory Charm, but you would have been destroyed in the process. Even as events occurred, had you not manifested the ability to use Harry's spells, or if Harry had not been resourceful enough to find a way through Voldemort's wall of energy, you could have been irreparably damaged. Your parents could have been killed in the accident. Frankly, we did not anticipate that; we thought he would wait until the school year was over to do this. In any case, the whole enterprise was fraught with danger for you, and you were not exactly told all the details. I wanted you to know what was done, and to thank you for the bravery with which you faced it."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I guess what disturbed me most was what they did to my parents; I didn't think they'd do that, either. They don't know what I'm involved in, and I'm wondering if I may have to tell them. But the rest of it... I knew what I was getting into, helping Harry fight Voldemort. I think all six of us know what could happen, and that we might not have all the information all the time. I also know that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have asked me to face that kind of danger without a really good reason. It was, and it worked. It's amazing that he managed to manipulate Voldemort like he did, never mind what he did afterwards."

McGonagall nodded. "I am still stunned by that. I may have to look into this mysticism business. Clearly, there is something to it." She gave them a self-deprecating smile. "Now, there is something else I would like to discuss with the two of you. Firstly, Harry, Albus told me that you had been attempting to teach your friends to use the energy of love in their magic; clearly, that has been successful with Hermione. Albus was convinced that your new spells could only be done by using that energy, and that it was not an easy state to reach. Even he did not know if it was something only you and he could do, but he suspected that such was not the case, and has been proved correct. What consideration have you given to including this in your classes next year?"

"I guess not that much, since I only found out about this a few hours ago. Of course, when we started the Saturday evening sessions, I knew that it was a possibility in the future. But is one person enough? We all know Hermione's usually the first to get things. I kind of hoped that there would be more than one."

"I think Neville's going to be next," said Hermione confidently. "He's been making progress, I can tell, and I think what happened today will give him a big jolt, like what happened with Ginny did with you. I'm not going to be the only one, Harry, just the fastest."

"If that's true," answered Harry, "then I can't think of any reason not to teach it. I just wonder how long it'll take, and how parents will react to something so... experimental. But I don't think there'll be any problem from the students. I've already had some first years asking why I'm not teaching them how to use the energy of love, if I use it myself. My biggest worry is, what if some students just can't do it? They could spend all this time, and it would be wasted. I mean, I couldn't have done this when I was eleven; you know how my aunt and uncle are, and I didn't have any friends before Ron and you. I couldn't have succeeded in summoning feelings of love."

"Those are reasonable concerns, Harry," agreed McGonagall. "But I daresay that most students are not in the unfortunate situation you were in. Most have at least their parents to love, and most make friends at Hogwarts. In any case, I assume we agree that at the very least, this is something that it would be a terrible waste not to try to impart to students in some form, whatever the details may be?" Harry agreed.

"In that case, Harry... you will have plenty of time to think about this, but I would like you to consider altering your future plans. You are already the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and you are uniquely qualified to teach students how to use the energy of love. If you leave at the end of next year to become an Auror, Hogwarts would lose an irreplaceable asset, and could not teach students what you have discovered. Imagine, Harry, a generation of wizards who use the energy of love. Not only would they be powerful, but they would never be tempted to become Dark wizards. How could they, having become so accustomed to using the energy of love? Not to mention that they would be much happier people, as you have become.

"If you become an Auror, you will be an excellent one, probably the best and most powerful. But by remaining here, you could have an impact on hundreds, eventually thousands, of lives. I know you feel an indebtedness to the Aurors, you would not want to abandon your plans. You could still be a detached Auror, continuing to train with them, and go on missions. You would be a special-purpose Auror, not an everyday one. Foreseeing this possibility, Professor Dumbledore has talked with Kingsley about this. Kingsley is not overjoyed at the prospect-they are very fond of you, and quite pleased that you wish to join them-but he recognizes the situation, and your unique value to Hogwarts. He, and they, would not oppose your staying here, nor would it affect your relationship with them. Their attachment to you is as a person, not simply your future value to them.

"As I said, you will have plenty of time to think about this. But I am curious to know your initial reaction," she concluded. Harry glanced at Hermione and saw that she was quite curious as well.

"Wow... it's all a bit much. I'm honored at the way you put it, but I also can't deny that it's reasonable. Someone should teach this for a long time, and it does make sense that it be me. But I hate to think about not being an Auror, I've wanted to for such a long time. And I've really been looking forward to all that gambling," he joked.

McGonagall and Hermione laughed. "I'm sure they will keep you abreast of all such opportunities," McGonagall said. "Again, I know you will need to think about this. But I also wish you to know that Professor Dumbledore had strongly contemplated this, waiting only for someone in your group to successfully develop the ability that Hermione has. He visualized a likely future for you should you decide to stay.

"As I said, Professor Snape's appointment as Deputy Headmaster is temporary," she continued, noticing Hermione's surprised expression. "He is doing it only because it has practical value at the moment, and because Professor Dumbledore asked him to. Professor Dumbledore imagined that as we would then need a new Deputy Headmaster, you would be a suitable choice. I see myself remaining in this post for no more than fifteen more years, after which you would be more than ready to assume the job."

Harry was flabbergasted. Him, be headmaster? Or deputy headmaster at such an incredibly young age? But she was serious, he knew that. He looked at Hermione, whose radiant smile let him know what she thought of the idea. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it. "How could I be deputy headmaster at eighteen? Or headmaster at thirty-three? It just doesn't seem possible."

"Neither did being a teacher at sixteen, but look at how you have managed. You have done your job excellently, you are admired and respected by all students, and loved by many, especially the younger ones. For Albus's position and mine, or should I say, my former one, administrative skill is not what is important; leadership is. People must accept your leadership not because you are feared, as would be the case with a Headmaster Snape, or because they are intimidated, as many students feel with me, but because they genuinely wish to. This was the ability Albus had, and you have. You have seen it already, in your experiences. You are the unofficial leader of your group of friends. The Slytherin first years enthusiastically embraced your leadership after only one lesson. The path Professor Dumbledore has considered for you is not only possible, it is utterly logical and natural. I do not tell you this as any kind of incentive; I know you would not particularly aspire to this. I simply wish to let you know what you could be letting yourself in for. But to do anything else would be a waste of your talent."

After a few seconds' silence, Hermione spoke. "She's right, and so is Professor Dumbledore. Think about the effect Professor Dumbledore has had on you, and on so many people over the years. You could have that same effect. I know you can't see that now, but you have to try. Remember those Christmas thank-you cards from the first years? They were serious in what they wrote, Harry. You've had a huge effect on them. You could do a lot of good, for many years. You have to think about it."

He smiled at her. "I have a feeling you're not going to let me do anything else, I know how you are."

She smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I hear that people hate it when I'm right."

He laughed. "Okay, I promise to think about it, that's all I can say. It just seems really overwhelming right now. I'm still only sixteen, you know."

McGonagall nodded, seeming to understand that she had said as much as she could. "And, Hermione, do you recall my suggestion at last year's Career Day, that you consider becoming a Hogwarts professor? Well, part of the headmaster's notion was that after Harry became headmaster, you would make an excellent deputy headmistress. I agree, of course."

Hermione gasped. "Thank you, Professor," she said. "It's such a compliment, I'm so honored... and if Harry does this, it would be so great to be with him like that. It would be wonderful." For Harry, the idea of being headmaster looked a lot more appealing, if she could be there with him.

"You would be extremely well-qualified, of course. Albus particularly liked the symmetry of the idea. Albus felt that he and Harry were very similar in many ways, and of course you and I are as well. The relationships are also similar; Albus and I were, though not life partners, extremely close; the same is true for the two of you. He felt that if this came to pass, Hogwarts would be in excellent hands for the future."

McGonagall looked at Harry. "Before I forget... I mentioned to you that we would meet sometime next week to discuss the disposition of Albus's property. But there is one thing in particular that he wished you to have as soon as possible; I retrieved it from his office earlier. Excuse me a moment." She went into her bedroom and came out in a few seconds, holding a large book. Harry stood to look at it as she approached him.

She handed it to him; it was surprisingly light for such a large book. On the cover, in neat, large handwriting, was written, "From Albus, to Harry." He looked up in surprise as Hermione stood to get a better look. He started flipping through the pages, which were very thin but sturdy; he guessed that it was five or six hundred pages. Every page was filled with neat handwriting, not printing.

"He has been working on this all year," said McGonagall. "He has allowed me to read it; needless to say, it is very impressive. It covers many subjects; his life and experiences, Fawkes, relationships, his beliefs, information about magic... anything he thought was important. There are many aspects of it which are directed to you in particular, of course; his comments on some of your experiences, and so forth. He has written a book with an intended audience of one."

Harry couldn't believe it... how much effort had this taken? Just for him? He immediately understood what it meant about how Dumbledore felt about him, that he would do this. He was very moved, and felt tears coming on again. He quickly handed the book to Hermione. Having seen his face, McGonagall was already moving forward to hold him. Overwhelmed, he started to cry, and continued for a few minutes. I guess I didn't get it all out the first time, he thought. Of course, there was a lot to get out, he knew. He hugged McGonagall again to thank her for holding him, and stepped back.

"This is... amazing, I don't have words for it," he finally said. "I can't believe he did this. Now I wish he were here, so I could thank him."

"I think he knows," McGonagall said. "He is elsewhere, apparently, but not gone."

"Harry..." Hermione paused for a few seconds in obvious amazement. "Near the end... there are detailed instructions on how to perform the Joining of Hands. He writes, 'I have a feeling you will be doing this soon, sooner than you think.'" Harry smiled as Hermione told McGonagall what Neville had asked that afternoon. Was it possible that Dumbledore had guessed it would be them? He decided that he wouldn't be surprised.

He went back to Gryffindor Tower; McGonagall asked Hermione to stay for awhile, which made Harry happy. He hoped they could establish a relationship, since he knew how highly each regarded the other. His head still swimming over the book, he climbed through the portrait hole and into the common room. He headed for Ron, Neville, and Ginny, and sat down with them. He showed them the book and explained it; they looked awed, as he had expected. Harry flipped through it and read bits of it to them; Neville was moved as well at what Dumbledore had written about the Joining of Hands. All indicated a strong interest in reading it eventually, if Harry read it and thought that Dumbledore wouldn't mind.

He thought about heading to his dormitory at ten o'clock, but he decided he wanted to wait until Hermione got back. She returned at ten-thirty, glowing with pleasure. She didn't give details, but said that they had talked about many different topics, and that it had been a wonderful experience. For the others, McGonagall wasn't quite their idea of a role model, but they were happy for Hermione.

Harry and Ginny had gotten in the habit of going to bed at the same time, so they could talk for awhile before going to sleep. They did tonight, Harry telling her more details of his meeting with McGonagall. He hadn't told the others about her and Dumbledore's plans for the future of Hogwarts, but he told her. Naturally, she approved of the idea, and encouraged him to think it was possible and natural. She reminded him that he had been intimidated by the idea of teaching at first, and that had turned out well; she was pleased when he told her that McGonagall had said much the same thing.

After talking for nearly an hour, longer than usual, they signed off. Harry had wanted to start reading the book, but it was already rather late, so he regretfully put it off. He did his Occlumency exercises, petted and talked to Fawkes, and tried to sleep. Fawkes sang, and again he felt thankful to have Fawkes; he wondered how much sleep he had not lost because of Fawkes. The beautiful song guided him to sleep.

Harry was walking outside, the sunlight coming through the trees in beams which seemed to happen only in pictures, not in real life. He looked around and recognized the area where Fawkes had taken him for what he had come to think of as the phoenix symphony; again he was struck by its beauty. He wondered why he was there, and suddenly heard a voice behind him. "Harry, it is good to see you again."

Disbelievingly, he turned around. It was Dumbledore, looking as he had before he had gone through the veil. Astonishment gave way to joy, and he walked over and hugged Dumbledore. "Albus, it's so wonderful to see you... but you went through the Veil! What's going on? How are you here?"

"I understand that this is disorienting," Dumbledore said. "It is for me, as well. I am getting used to my new status, however. It is quite a change."

"New status... so you did die? How are you talking to me, then? How did you get here?"

"I am not really here, as such; I mean, not in this physical location. You are sleeping, and this is... not a dream, really, because you alone are not generating this. This is a real experience, it is just not a real physical experience. That makes it no less valid, however.

"I cannot reach you while you are awake; too much is happening in your mind to distract you from this sort of experience. While you are sleeping, I can reach you. You and I have combined to create this setting. Fawkes took me here three times when I was in physical form, and I also could not but admire its beauty. This may feel physical, but it is not; you just hugged me, but our bodies are currently simply markers, forms created because you are used to it. We could communicate as disembodied forms, but this is more comfortable for you, and not at all unpleasant for me as well. The setting is a nice reminder of the pleasures of being in physical form. And to answer your first question, yes, I did die, in the physical sense. My physical body is gone, never to return. But obviously I do not feel dead, and in a real sense, I am not."

"I'm so happy to know this, Albus. I wish I had known before you died that I'd be able to communicate with you like this. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was not sure, and I did not want to raise your hopes for something that might not happen. Much of what I did was speculative; the only thing I knew for certain was that my spirit would not die. To answer your next question first, you are the only one I can communicate with in this fashion. One reason I taught you Legilimency in the last few weeks of my life was so that you would be able to unlock Hermione's Memory Charm, but another was to increase my chances of being able to communicate with you in this way. You became familiar with my mind, and I with yours; that has helped us form this link. You are doing it too, it is simply unconscious on your part. I am very pleased that this is possible. I have seen how you have grieved, and wish you to know that you need do so no more. I am here; I simply cannot be with you in the physical world."

Harry was amazed. "This doesn't feel like a... oh, wait, you said it wasn't a dream, I guess that explains it. Where are you now, if you're not in this place with me? Can you describe it?" He looked around, and found it hard to believe that they weren't really there. They both sat down on the grass. Harry picked a flower; it felt real enough.

"I am in a sort of in-between place, between the spiritual realm and the physical world; that is where the Veil takes us, and where we initially go when we 'die,' so to speak. We come here to get our bearings, to realize what has happened to us. We can stay here for a time if we wish, or move on, which is what most do fairly quickly. This place is more closely connected to the physical world than is the spiritual realm; were I there, I could not be communicating with you. There is time here, though it works differently. I can move forward or backward if I choose, though I cannot do so in order to influence events. To do that, I must stay in sync with physical time.

"You see, when we reach this place, we generally do not attempt to interfere with events in the physical world. I am in a sense violating a guideline by what I do here. Not that there could be any sort of sanction on me for doing so, it is simply not normally done. But I am doing so, because this was my express purpose in coming here. It was I, of course, that caused Voldemort to lose consciousness. To do so was... very difficult. Even though I am not physical and know that my spirit is eternal, it was still a distressing experience. I can do it again, but only when absolutely necessary. I do not look forward to it."

Harry wondered what could intimidate a disembodied spirit like that. "What was it you had to do, to do that?"

"To say that I entered his mind with my spirit is perhaps the best way to put it. You already know that I connected myself to him by creating a temporary physical link between he and the Veil-the energy thread you saw-and I reinforced the link by penetrating his mind just before entering the Veil. Having done so allowed me access of a sort to his mind, similar yet different to what I have with yours. If he cooperated, I could speak to him in his sleep, but there would truly be no point to doing so. He does not know what caused his unconsciousness, and it frightens him. In fact, it may amuse you to know that his best guess right now is that it was something you did, though he cannot imagine what. Hermione's taunts reinforced that idea, which can only be to your benefit.

"As for the experience itself... the best physical analogy I can make is of diving into a body of ice-cold water, and then becoming so disoriented as to not know which way leads to the surface. It was like plunging into a sea of evil; for a time I did not know how to return to where I am, and I had the feeling that my spirit could dissipate and be lost, even though I know such a thing is impossible. What caused him to lose consciousness was the same thing that caused him to be unable to possess you: love. His mind was invaded by love, which he cannot tolerate. He fled, in a sense, until I was able to find my way out.

"I would say that we have one more piece of the puzzle, the puzzle of how Voldemort can be defeated. It seems highly likely that my ability to incapacitate him will figure in his eventual defeat, if that is to occur, but we still do not know how it will be done. I remain confident, however, that when the situation is upon you, you will know what to do."

"I'm very sorry to hear that incapacitating him is such a difficult experience," Harry said, concerned for Dumbledore. "I can imagine it, though, since I was possessed by him before. It was really awful." Harry looked at Dumbledore for a moment, still finding it hard to believe that what he was looking at was not a real body. Deciding it didn't matter, he moved next to Dumbledore, and put an arm around his shoulder. Dumbledore chuckled, and did the same to Harry.

"This is a pleasant sensation, really," said Dumbledore. "My current status is pleasant as well, of course; this feels like a sort of nostalgia, for when I was in physical form. You must have many more questions. Feel free to ask them, or I can tell you things I think you might wish to know."

"Speaking of that... I was so moved by that book, Albus. It means so much to me... thank you." He squeezed Dumbledore's shoulder. "Did you really know that Neville and Hermione would want me to do the Joining for them?"

"I strongly suspected it; it was them I was referring to. And you are very welcome for the book; it was a pleasure to write it. It did not disturb me that its intended audience was so... exclusive," he said, smiling with his eyes as he said the last word. "It matters less how many people read a work than how well it is appreciated by those who do. You are, of course, welcome to allow your friends to read it, or anyone you wish. Eventually, you could even have it published, if you feel it suitable for a mass audience. It is entirely up to you. I did not know that I would be able to communicate with you as I am now, so I felt it best to write the book, just in case."

Harry paused for a minute, just taking in the experience, reveling in the happiness it brought. "Will you be able to do this as often as you want?"

"Yes, though I will not be with you in real time, so to speak, indefinitely. As I indicated, I cannot move through time for the purpose of influencing physical events. I will stay with you in this way until Voldemort is defeated. After that, I will move on, though not in the time frame you might expect. I do not wish you to have to say a final goodbye to me, so while I will not stay with you day by day, I will... speed up my perception of time throughout your life. For example, let us say that Voldemort is defeated on your eighteenth birthday. Soon after that, I will move forward in time, so that I may talk to you next on your twenty-first birthday, but almost no time will have passed by my reckoning. I will do so in this way for the rest of your life; I will be like an old friend who stops by from time to time to chat and see how things are going."

"That sounds wonderful," said Harry. "I'm really happy, I don't know what more I could have wanted, thank you." He chuckled, then continued, "Boy, I hope I don't wake up tomorrow and think this was a dream; it's almost too good to be true."

"In that case, I shall come back the next night to reassure you that it was not a dream," said Dumbledore humorously.

"Where is this place, anyway? It's so beautiful... I was surprised when Fawkes took me here, and amazed at what the phoenixes did. I got the impression from Fawkes later that I shouldn't tell anyone about it, like it's a private place for phoenixes."

Dumbledore nodded. "Your nonverbal communication with Fawkes is strengthening; your impression was correct. As time goes by, you will become more and more comfortable with knowing how Fawkes feels about things. It will not be long before it is second nature to you, as it was with me. I do not know the exact location of the place, nor is it important. Fawkes does us a great honor by taking us there, and it is only when there is a compelling reason."

"There sure was this time; I never would have made it without that. That reminds me, you must have been very happy to see Hermione use those spells."

"Yes, I was. You must make your own choices, of course, but I hope you will seriously consider what Minerva said last night. I feel sure that the use of the energy of love can be taught. Ironically, it will appeal to people because it will increase a wizard's power, but its true value is spreading the message of love, of the primacy of love. You see, the spiritual realm consists entirely of love; love is our true nature. That is why it is so powerful. Those seeking greater power will find greater love, and once they have the power, they will realize that it is not important. Hermione is right; this could cause a true revolution in our society. You are perfectly suited to lead it, both because of your experience in discovering and refining it, and because your status in wizarding society will be such that your words will be listened to respectfully; they will have instant credibility. You can accomplish so much more than being an Auror, worthwhile as that is."

"I understand... I did take seriously what she said, of course. It's just a big decision to make in a day. But you saying it as well gives it a great deal of weight. And it would be nice to have Hermione as deputy headmistress."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, indeed, it was very pleasant for me to have had Minerva as well. She was a wonderful friend; I'm sure you will convey my love to her when you talk to her next."

"I definitely will. By the way, who do you think I should tell or not tell about this? My feeling is that I can tell certain people, but I don't know if I want to go telling large numbers of people, who might not believe it. What do you think?"

Dumbledore appeared to shrug just by inclining his head. "It is entirely up to you; I have no opinion. Do whatever you think best. It is true that there will be those who will not believe you. The ones whom I told of my hopes to communicate with you in this way are Minerva, Severus, and Kingsley; they will certainly believe it, and I imagine the rest of the Hogwarts staff will as well. I must request, though, that you do not display your memories of this to others in the Pensieve except in very specific circumstances; providing documentary proof of life after death is not my purpose here. People must discover such things for themselves, it is part of the journey of life. There is one general exception; you may show the memories to Ginny. She is your life partner, and she wishes and deserves to share your experiences, including this one. As for your other friends, they would believe you anyway, but I will provide small bits of information as evidence that this is not some creation of your imagination. For example, just to amuse Minerva, you should mention the phrase 'kitty-cat'; it was a nickname some friends had for her when she was young and had just become an Animagus. She will be mildly annoyed at me for telling you; it is my way of teasing her. Also, tell her that I disagree with her that she will never be as loved by the students as I was or you will be; it was something she said to me before going to bed last night. Tell her I said all she has to do is be herself."

Harry smiled. "I will. What about Professor Snape? Is there some message for him?"

"Not as such, but that is a subject I need to talk to you about. There is much you should know, now that I am gone. Before I left, I told him that I would tell you this if I could reach you in this way. He could tell you himself, but it is better that I do.

"I should begin by talking about what Voldemort referred to as the Cleansing. He is correct, from his perspective, when he says that it eliminates a person's 'weaknesses,' but of course he has a highly distorted idea of what is a weakness and what is not. Love, sympathy, kindness, caring, tenderness, and other such qualities are to him weaknesses. Voldemort cares only for how well his servants can serve him, and having such qualities, or even being able to have them, a person could become conscience-stricken at what he does to serve Voldemort, and betray him. Even if that were not the case, they would still serve as distractions, reasons for possible failure.

"In his quest for obscure Dark magic-and I cannot say whether he discovered this or invented it-he came upon a way of modifying the minds and characters of those who serve him. I say 'those who serve him' because the process, fortunately, cannot be done to one who is not willing. What he refers to as the Cleansing is a process in which he enters the mind of the subject and somehow mutilates the person's psyche. He summons up the feelings I listed just before and applies horrendous pain at the very thought or impulse of them. Whether it causes physical or only psychic damage I do not know, but when it is done, the subject is left utterly without the capacity for any thought or emotion which we would describe as happy or pleasant. We could say that there are similarities to what happened to Neville's parents, except that in this case, only parts of a person's personality are driven insane, not the whole personality. The subject is left well able to serve Voldemort, according to Voldemort's needs, but useful for little else."

Harry was horrified. The idea that people would voluntarily submit to that was unbelievable to him. He started to have an understanding of Snape's behavior. "And this was done to Professor Snape, a long time ago," Harry said.

"Yes, Harry. But this is the remarkable aspect of the story. When Voldemort was at the height of his power, sixteen years ago, Severus Snape came to me. He had been a Hogwarts student, of course, so I was familiar with him, but had not known him well. He told me that he wanted to oppose Voldemort, that he had come to regret having become a Death Eater. I was skeptical, of course, suspecting a Voldemort ruse. Desperate to persuade me of his sincerity, Severus laid his mind open to me, asked me to use Legilimency to examine his feelings and memories so that I would know he was sincere. It was then that I first became aware of the Cleansing, and naturally I was appalled; I had boundless sympathy for one who had made such a disastrously wrong choice and now regretted it. It was his hope, which he knew was probably impossible, that I could somehow reverse what had been done to him. I later investigated the notion, but found that I could not. Even so, he wanted to oppose Voldemort, and after talking to him and searching his mind, I became convinced of his sincerity."

"But how did he manage to do that? If he was Cleansed, shouldn't he have become like the others, totally loyal to Voldemort?"

"It is very difficult to know," said Dumbledore, "because we know little about how the Cleansing works. Those who have been Cleansed stay loyal to Voldemort partly because they were already inclined to before, partly out of fear, and partly because they know he will allow them to indulge their appetites for killing and cruelty. After the Cleansing, those are the only emotions remaining-anger, hatred, joy in the suffering of others, and so on-and they stay with Voldemort partly because they could not live any other way. Such a person would be poorly equipped to live a conventional life.

"Nevertheless, Severus somehow summoned the will and desire to turn his back on that life, all the more remarkable because it offered him the only real emotional nourishment his damaged psyche could now recognize. Somehow, he clung to the notion of love, of happiness, even though he could no longer feel them; he embraced them as abstract ideals, as it was the only way he could. I embraced him, and did my best to encourage his tenuous hold on these feelings. I opened my mind to him, allowed him to summon such feelings and experiences of love and friendship as he wished, to experience them from such a distance as he was capable. He still could not feel them, but he could imagine, he could conceptualize it. It was little, but no more could be done for him.

"Clinging to this tenuous thread, he went to work as a spy against Voldemort. He provided information that saved many lives, including Neville's parents' on one occasion. His information could only be used sparingly, of course, but it was still extremely helpful. What he did was all the more remarkable because Voldemort, at this point, had the upper hand in the struggle, and might well have emerged victorious in the end were it not for the curse failing against you. Severus continued his efforts even though it appeared that he was on the losing side. I had no doubt of his loyalty to me.

"When Voldemort was defeated by the curse which backfired, Severus did not celebrate, because like me, he was sure that Voldemort would rise again. But now he had to wait, and try to figure out how to live a life in the meantime. I assisted him as best I could, regularly allowing him to enter my mind and see my memories, no matter how personal or intimate; that I was willing to do this demonstrated my commitment to him, and increased his determination to persevere in his damaged state. You see, Harry, it was difficult for most Death Eaters to be re-integrated into wizarding society; they had to pretend to be normal people, despite their disability. Some, such as Lucius Malfoy, were sufficiently good actors to even be able to simulate the feelings which they could no longer generate on their own. But they survived mentally by indulging themselves in thoughts and fantasies of evil, of cruelty. Severus did not do this, or at least, tried not to. But imagine what it would be like if a cruel or terrible feeling was the only feeling you could have. We need emotions, we cannot help but have them. Severus wanted to have emotions; he just could not have the ones he wanted. The emotional sustenance he received from me was barely enough to keep him afloat, to cause him not to descend into evil. It would be so easy for him. Every day is a struggle for him, Harry. Every day he must fight the impulse to be cruel, to do evil-not because he wants to be cruel or to do evil, but because he wants... to feel. It is the only way he really can feel, feel anything. I never stopped being in awe of the fact that he simply survives from day to day without sinking into evil.

"Almost six years ago, you entered Hogwarts, and this was an enormous challenge for him. He had always hated your father, and even before you came to Hogwarts, I knew he resented the attention given you. You were to him a baby who had done nothing but was adored and celebrated by all of wizarding society, whereas he had taken huge risks and endured enormous struggle, but was not recognized or rewarded; the fact that you were James Potter's son added greatly to this feeling. Difficult as it was for him not to give in to larger temptations on a daily basis, it would have been enormously difficult for him to treat you with the normal consideration with which one human being treats another. I could have insisted that he treat you properly, and he would have done his best to do so. But I knew what he endured, and I felt I could not ask this of him. I felt terribly for you, too, because you had already suffered at the hands of your aunt and uncle, then you came to Hogwarts, and one teacher treated you badly for no reason you understood. I know it was painful for you. But I knew you would have friends, that your experiences with him would not happen elsewhere. It was for this reason only that I agreed to Minerva's request that you be allowed onto the Quidditch team one year early; it seemed a small compensation for what you had to endure from Severus. But I weighed the harm it would cause you for him to treat you as he did against the harm it would cause him to overcome his feelings and treat you properly, and I chose him. You had burdens, but at that point, he had larger ones, and had been carrying them for much longer. I felt I could not add to them. I deeply regret that you had to suffer in that fashion, for that reason."

Harry's head was spinning; here, finally, was the reason for Snape's behavior toward him all these years. Now he understood, and even felt sympathetic to Snape. He tried to imagine what Snape's inner life was like, and felt he couldn't even do justice to imagining it. He was silent for over a minute.

"Of course I forgive you, Albus," he finally said. "I'm sure I would have done the same thing in your position. It was bad at the time, sometimes humiliating, but at least I had my friends, and I could commiserate with them. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for him. I get this mental image of what his emotional life was like, and it's a desert, with the occasional cactus and tumbleweeds... and that's probably on a good day. Probably going into your mind was like watching a movie; you know you can never have a life like the people you see on the screen, but you can imagine that you can. Then, after two hours, you have to go back out into real life again."

Dumbledore looked at Harry, impressed. "Yes, those are both excellent analogies, especially the second. It was very much like that for him. And now, the movie theater has shut down, gone out of business. I am what helped sustain him over the past sixteen years, and I am gone. Through the years, we entered each other's minds on a regular basis. He came to trust me implicitly, and... he cannot love me, as such, but he feels an attachment to me that is as close to love as he can come. Minerva told you that my passing would be as hard for him as for you or her; in fact, I think it is harder. He cannot mourn, he cannot weep, he cannot feel... except anger at me for leaving him, which I know he does, to an extent. In a way he feels abandoned, emotionally."

Again, Harry tried to imagine it, and again, he failed. Suddenly, a memory from early in the year popped into his head. "For the demonstration of my new spell, the first one... you said there would be a cost to him if he did it, one I couldn't know. I guess I do now. You didn't want him doing it because it would cause him to have to sink more into evil, making it that much harder for him to climb back out, is that right?"

"Yes, exactly," said Dumbledore. "He was right, that it was less difficult for him to do than I, but it was still difficult for him. How hard he argued against my performing the Curse on you was very indicative of how he felt about me, even if he could not express it, or actually feel it in the same way you or I would."

"What's he going to do now? How will he get along?"

"I talked about this with him before I left, of course. I could think of only one possible solution. He naturally disliked the idea, and I understand why. I simply felt that there was little or no alternative. He must have support, or he may descend into evil, despite his wishes. Not that he would return to supporting Voldemort-he feels hatred toward Voldemort for what was done to him-but he would lack the emotional fortitude to continue to function as a Hogwarts professor and a spy against Voldemort. We would lose him as a resource, and you already know how immensely valuable he is."

"I understand. So, what's the solution that you..." He trailed off as he saw how Dumbledore was looking at him; his eyes widened. "You can't be serious," he said quietly, with astonishment.

Dumbledore looked grave, understanding Harry's reaction. "I do not know for sure that it would work; I only know that I could think of nothing else. I know it would be a very heavy burden for you. I was sixty-eight years old when I started doing it; I was equipped emotionally to handle the invasion of my privacy that it required. I also did not have the history with him that you have. It would be much harder for you than it was for me. I do not insist that you do it; I do not even specifically request it. I simply present it as a possibility; if it is to happen, you must both choose to do it. I do not know that he would agree even if you did. However, he knows as well that something must be done. You are the best person for two reasons: you have a full and rich emotional life, especially this past year, and you now practically radiate love. You could support him, and he could be nourished from your experiences, from your life. The challenge for him is that he has always detested you, but now he would have to regard you somewhat as he has me. Intellectually, he knows that you are a good person. So many love you, including myself, Fawkes chose you, and so on. He understands that if he were to depend on you, you would do your best for him, and his faith would not be misplaced. It is simply a matter of whether he can change his perspective to what would be required."

Harry was silent, thinking. He had a visceral discomfort regarding anything to do with Snape; even the idea of spending time with him was disturbing. The situation had gotten better over the past year, because of Snape's change in attitude; it was no longer the case that a mere glimpse of Snape touched off Harry's adrenaline, put him on the defensive emotionally. He had seen Snape almost every day in the staff room, and had more or less gotten used to having Snape around, even though they hardly spoke to each other. But to let Snape into his mind, to have him rooting through Harry's worst memories, like in the fifth year Occlumency lessons--

"It would be very different from that, Harry," Dumbledore assured him. "If this were to happen, he would not, could not, treat you negatively. Since he cannot have positive emotions, his 'best behavior,' as it were, would be a total absence of emotion; that is what he would do his best to project when dealing with you. Were he to treat you badly, this could not work; he knows this. He would be looking at everyday memories, and more specifically at memories in which love and friendship were involved. That is what he needs, to help counteract the negative impulses he constantly feels."

"But why me, instead of anyone else?" asked Harry, still in disbelief. "After all that time of him treating me the way he did... I mean, I understand the reasons for it better now, and I do feel bad for him, for his situation. I can't even imagine what it must be like. But I seem like the least likely person to do something like this."

Dumbledore nodded patiently. "An understandable feeling, to be sure. But you know the consequences if this is not done, if it is not done successfully. Is there anyone you can think of with whom this would have a better chance success?"

Harry thought, and started to understand the problem. It couldn't be someone who didn't know Snape; not only for security reasons, but because Snape would need to know and trust the person who helped him. That limited the choices to a very few people. He thought about Hermione, then realized that he wouldn't feel right about asking her to take on a difficult task so he could avoid it, not to mention that given how Neville felt about Snape, it could possibly destroy their relationship. He thought about McGonagall; it seemed possible...

Dumbledore shook his head. "I discussed this with Minerva. She would be willing to try, but her personality is not suited to something like this. Severus knows this, and so would not be willing to accept her as the person to help him. You see, Harry, you learned to 'come from a place of love' during the Voldemort trial in September, and later, you correctly speculated that that was my normal state, more or less. As much as anything else, that is what he needs. His own 'emotional environment' is very negative; a very positive one is necessary for him. With the right mental preparation, you could provide that, in a way that Minerva could not, nor could anyone else that he knows. I have touched your mind with Legilimency, and of course, much more deeply now. He saw through me what I saw in you; he was no less resistant to the idea at first than you, but he knows it could work with you, and that it could not with anyone else. I do not say it will work, but I do know that it could, and that you are the only one with whom it could. I very much understand your emotional reaction to the idea, and I assure you that I would not even suggest it were there another alternative."

Harry began to see a correlation between what Snape needed, and the ability to use the energy of love. It was only he, Dumbledore, and now Hermione. "That is a good point, Harry," agreed Dumbledore. "The frame of mind necessary to use the energy of love is very similar to what is required for this." Harry again considered, and again rejected, the idea of asking Hermione. He didn't see how he could do what Dumbledore was asking, but at the same time, he didn't see how he could not do it; Snape's continued functioning as a spy was vital to the Order, to the fight against Voldemort. It was an incredibly daunting task, but against the stakes... why does everything have to happen to me? he thought.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" agreed Dumbledore sympathetically. It occurred to Harry only now that Dumbledore had been answering his thoughts, not his words. "Remember, Harry, that you are not really here, in physical form," explained Dumbledore. "I am understanding your thoughts whether you vocalize them or not."

Harry nodded. "Sitting here, I guess it's easy for me to forget that. I don't know... I just don't know how I'm going to 'come from a place of love' with someone who's been like he's been to me all my life." As he said it, though, he realized that he had done just such a thing with Voldemort; the difference would be that it would be in support of someone, not in opposition to them.

"It would be quite a challenge," agreed Dumbledore. "It may help to keep in mind how wounded he is, and how hard he has struggled. Also, that he had some legitimate grievances against your father; if you wish, you could see this as an opportunity to correct whatever wrongs your father committed against him. In addition, there is someone here who may be able to give you some assistance. It is not difficult for me to commune with others in this particular realm; I can help you to talk to them. Your parents and Sirius have already moved on, but a few individuals are here whom you could benefit from speaking to. I will summon one now."

Dumbledore appeared to concentrate, and slowly, someone shimmered into existence next to him. As the form solidified, Harry gaped in astonishment: it was a smiling, happy Severus Snape.

Finally recovering enough to speak, Harry stammered, "I... I saw you, in my dream last night... but how..." Understanding slowly dawned. "You're not him exactly, you're part of him... the part that was driven out by the Cleansing."

Snape sat down on the grass opposite Harry. He looked around in pleasure. "This is very nice, I've never seen such a beautiful place." To Harry, he said, "Yes, that's right. I am not dead, as such, since part of me still lives within my body, but I have sought refuge here. My body, my mind, cannot accept me now, after what was done. If I tried to re-enter, it would cause something like what Albus did to Voldemort. When my body dies, I will be able to re-integrate with the part of me that still exists in the physical world, and I can move on. For now, I must remain here; I cannot move on without the rest of myself. It is no hardship; this plane is very pleasant, and there are many ways I can occupy myself. For example, I can commune with others, now including Albus here.

"Harry... my other half can never do this, but I would like to apologize for the way I have treated you, he has treated you. It's difficult to know which pronoun to use; I have not used words to communicate for such a long time. Your father was abusive towards me, it is true, but I was no less so towards him. He simply had the upper hand because he had friends to support him, and I did not. My life was much harder than his. This is not an excuse, just an explanation. You in no way deserved what I did to you. I think I will choose the pronoun 'I' because while I did not personally do those things to you, I would apologize to you on behalf of both of us, or perhaps, all of me, if I could be re-integrated with my other half. I know that is impossible, so I do what I can. I have followed your life from this side with great interest; you are an exceptional person, more than worthy of all the love you receive. I have always regretted how you have been treated, and I was pleased that my other half was prevailed upon by Albus to treat you at least civilly this year. It was difficult for him, but he did well, as you have seen. I am proud of him, of myself, for that. I would be pleased if you could help him, and I could help you to help him."

Harry was amazed to see someone who looked exactly like Severus Snape speaking like this. He exuded warmth, peace, and love, and Harry could not help but wonder what Snape would be like if he still had this part of his personality. Somehow, seeing so clearly what Snape was missing made Harry feel more sympathetic to Snape; Harry also wondered how life would be for him if somehow this part of his personality could be taken from him. He knew that Snape had at one point chosen to have it done, but he could understand the idea that someone could realize too late that they had made a terrible mistake. Spurred by his emotions, he said, "I'll do it, I think I can now. I don't know if I could do it just if it was him as he is now, with what he's done to me... but now I know that he has this other half that was ripped away from him, that the real him is both of you combined. If I focus on that, I think I can do it. Will you be able to talk to me sometimes as well?"

"Yes, I will, through Albus. And thank you, Harry. I know that it is difficult for you. Albus was most impressive... he was able to love my other half without even knowing for certain that I existed, his capacity for love is so great. Yours is too, but you are still young, and your situation is difficult. I do not mean to criticize you for relying on me to help you do this, for us. It is most amazing that you do what you do.

"Yes, I can give you help as time goes by. I can give you advice as to how to handle certain things. Albus could too, of course, but it may seem more helpful coming from me. Remember, Harry, he still may reject your help, at least at first. Accepting it will be very difficult for him. You should not force your help upon him; simply offer it, and keep the offer open should he refuse. He must accept it in his own time."

"I understand," said Harry. "Does he know that I'll have talked to you?"

"Yes, he does," said Dumbledore. "When you told us about that aspect of your dream this morning, we both knew what it probably meant: that whether my plan worked or not, I would in fact be able to reach you. He was reluctant to discuss it, even with me; it may be hard for him to accept that the 'other half' that he would like to have back is there, out of his reach. You may show him these images in the Pensieve if he would like to see them."

"If I do this, and he agrees, is there any advice either one of you can give me? What should I do, or not do?"

"Just be there for him as he requires," said Dumbledore. "Do not attempt to have exactly the same relationship with him as I did; these are very different circumstances. He may look or act hostile to you at times; understand that he is doing the best he can, and accept it with as much love and understanding as you can manage.

"One difficult aspect of this for you will be that you must allow him access to any of your memories, with no exceptions, no matter how private. I know that you have as yet had only the mildest of sexual experiences so far with Ginny, and that you will have more and stronger ones over the summer. He must be allowed to see those if he wishes; he sometimes accessed sexual memories of mine, though not unduly often. Part of what you will be doing for him is allowing him to vicariously experience a life with the fullness and richness that his lacks. I should mention that part of the Cleansing involves stripping away the person's sexual desire except as it is connected to violence; the only sex a Death Eater could enjoy would be rape. In any case, it is part of the human experience, a part he has never known. It cannot be hidden."

Harry felt his stomach churn. He hadn't thought of that, and found himself wondering if he could do it. Let Snape see things he did with Ginny? Worse yet, be doing the things with Ginny, knowing they could be viewed later? He wondered whether he would feel as though there were someone else in the room, and whether it would inhibit him.

"Your reaction is very understandable," said Snape, and Harry realized that he had forgotten that his thoughts would be as understood as his speech. "That is something extremely private, and I know you're concerned for Ginny's privacy as well. But you should understand, my other half is not a voyeur. He will be looking at all aspects of your life, not only that one. You said once that you viewed allowing him to see private memories in the Pensieve as similar to taking off your clothes when you went to the doctor; you may want to think of this in the same way. No more or less than your other memories, it is for his sustenance, not his amusement."

"By the way, Harry, this prompts me to mention something else, something somewhat connected," said Dumbledore. "You may need someone to talk to about this, if it is to occur... someone in physical form, that is. Minerva knew about my arrangement with Severus, and I was able to discuss it with her if I chose. This will be much more difficult for you than it was for me, and he will accept that you must have someone you can discuss it with. You may choose that person. My suggestion, which you may disregard if you choose, is that the person be Hermione. Ginny may not be a good choice for two reasons: one, it will be easier for her not to know that her private moments are being viewed in this way, and two, if you continue to practice Legilimency with Hermione, she will see your memories of your relationship with Severus, and so must be the one you choose. If you choose Ginny, for example, you will have to cease practicing Legilimency with Hermione. Of course, you will also now practice Occlumency and Legilimency with Severus, but you will find it more pleasant to do so with Hermione as well. You can still change your mind if you wish; you said yes a moment ago, but that was before you were reminded of this aspect of it. It is quite a lot to ask of anyone."

Harry reluctantly shook his head. "But you said that you couldn't think of any alternative, and this has to be done. And you're right, it would make sense to choose Hermione. But I must say, I don't look forward to, after this is all over, saying to Ginny, 'Oh, by the way...' She could be really angry, and with reason; partly because I did this without telling her, and partly because I picked Hermione instead of her to tell."

Dumbledore nodded. "I cannot predict how she will react, of course, but you know that she has always been understanding of your doing anything necessary for the fight against Voldemort. I do believe that she would understand that this was one such thing, and why it was important that you be able to continue practicing Legilimency with Hermione. Your intentions are good, and she will recognize that."

Harry took a deep breath. "I suppose so," he agreed. "By the way... was that you, in my recent dreams? I mean, the you that died? How did you reach backwards into my dreams?"

"As I have said, I cannot move through time, right now. But I was able to... one could say, give a shout into your past consciousness. Naturally, it was strongest in the days closest to my death, and more vague as it went back into the past; you simply experienced it forwards, not backwards. I like to think it may have helped a bit.

"Well, Harry, we should not keep this going too much longer. As I mentioned, this is not a dream, and you need to dream a certain amount each night; if we talked like this all night, you would suffer a form of sleep deprivation, despite actually sleeping."

"I really don't want to stop talking, though," said Harry. "I still have so many questions... funny, I feel like a kid asking if he can stay up just a little longer."

Dumbledore and Snape chuckled. "There will be other nights, Harry, I promise," assured Dumbledore. "We are with you in real time. We will meet like this any time either of us has anything to say to the other. I believe we will, for quite a while. We must remain a bit longer; there are a few things to take care of. First of all, you will have to be precise when distributing these memories into the Pensieve. As I mentioned, you may show Ginny all parts of this which do not involve Severus. To save you the effort of explaining this to Hermione, you may show her the parts referring to Severus. And there is another person to whom you may show what you are about to see."

Snape disappeared, then after a few seconds, two more figures shimmered into existence. Harry did not recognize them at first, then his jaw dropped as he did. As one of them spoke, all Harry could think was, thank goodness this isn't just a dream.