Harry Potter and the Year of Revelations

Chapter 1: Strange women

Harry woke with the biggest smile on his face in a long time. Since he came back to Number 4 Privet Drive, his life had been awful.

During the day Dudley was constantly whining that he was hungry. In school his diet had been forced on him and he had managed to lose a considerable amount of weight, but it was still not enough. His stomach had decreased as well, but his hunger didn't lessen much. Uncle Vernon had lost weight also. One morning the two of them went out shopping for new clothes. Uncle Vernon came back with a lot of new suits and Dudley with all sorts of attire, plus new computer games. However, no one lost as much as Harry had. Of course, he had more things going for it.

Aside from the diet, another cause for him becoming skinnier than usual, though also growing a bit of muscle, were the many chores he had during the summer. The summer of 1995 was record hot. In July an English player fainted at Wimbledon. However, even during the most intense heat wave Harry was busy outside. What the Dursleys set out this summer for him was to repaint the house, repair the roof and replant the garden. Strangely, Harry didn't mind and Aunt Petunia was astonished that he hardly even stopped to eat. She often told Vernon that Harry was finally showing undeniable signs of madness.

However, why would a 15-year-old boy want to do nothing but work all day? He could want to get a nice, stable tan, which he did. Or perhaps some muscle tone. After all, girls like muscles and he was just in the right age to want to look good for them. He did get some muscles that were even more noticeable due to his weight-loss. No, that wasn't it either, though he did have two reasons. First, while he was working, the thought of Voldemort being truly back was gone from his mind. He didn't think of the many dangers his loved ones faced because of him. He didn't see Cedric dead before him. The high-pitched voice didn't ring in his ears. Wormtail's silver arm didn't glisten in the darkness. No, those waited for him under the shower, at the table and in his bed. His second reason was that sometimes, when he was really tired, the horrible nightmares didn't come. That was what he was reaching for during the day. Such tiredness so that he wouldn't dream.

When the dreams did come, he woke with a silent scream. He didn't know how, but when he was much smaller, he learned to scream without a sound when he woke up from seeing green flashes. The first time it happened now, he had no idea what to do. As he confessed to himself, he was too scared to go back to dreamland. So he got out his first year potions book and started to read it again. He thought that since the O.W.L.s would take place in his coming year, he could use some revision. Also, it would be boring enough to put him to sleep. In a month he had grown tired of his schoolbooks. He noticed that he was reading much faster than before and had managed to read through all of his first and second year books. He didn't feel like starting the third years, so he wanted to find some other books to read. In his room there were some, left there by Dudley, but mostly fairy tale books. One day when Uncle Vernon had taken Dudley to work with him - he wanted to show off his pride and joy in the form of his son -, Harry decided to sneak into his cousin's room and get some books. He went to Dudley's door and looked around. He could hear Aunt Petunia busy herself in the kitchen, preparing dinner. He slowly, quietly opened the door and went in. He closed it behind him. The room was littered with broken toys, remains of food. Harry wondered how he managed to smuggle food in. Looking around he found in one corner a pile of books. He read the titles. Some were fairy tale books, novels, educational, even schoolbooks. He realised he didn't even know how Dudley was doing on an academic scale. It didn't matter much. He noticed some books on history, a couple of WWII. He remembered that Grindelwald was on the side of the Germans back then. He wondered if any of the Muggle books talked about him. At last he picked up the WWII books, some novels and a couple on dinosaurs.

He didn't have long to wait till he had the occasion to read one of the 'borrowed' books. At 3am he woke up, sweat pouring down his forehead. He reached for the glasses on a table beside him and switched the light on. In the past month he had realised that no one ever woke up at this time of night, so he could use the reading lamp freely. He opened the wardrobe and crunching down looked at the books he had got. He selected one of the WWIIs. He began reading it. Before his mind's eye the events before the war appeared to form a picture. The British Prime Minister struggled to prevent the disaster, he hoped that there would eventually be no war. However, Hitler used this time to prepare. He built his army quietly, gathering men and equipment. Harry realised that Voldemort would do the same thing. He would lay low for a while, gathering his strength. The thing that Harry had seen him posses was a sort of a body, but it was weak. Also, he would probably devise a plan and recruit new men. Some of the old Death Eaters would have grown children that need to be initiated. Harry wondered if Draco Malfoy would get a dark mark soon. Very likely. He read on, learning more and more of the war. As the nights passed he learned of how the Jews were killed. The Final Solution. It occurred to him that if Voldemort won he would do the same thing to the Muggle-borns and even the half-bloods. He knew that no matter what Voldemort did, he would want to get through him first. It would be his job to stop the Menace before things went too far. The weight on his shoulders grew.

No presents arrived as the clock struck twelve announcing his fifteenth birthday. He looked out the window with anticipation, but nothing. He could have used a cake or two. However, as he recalled, there had been no owls at all during the summer up to that point, which was odd. He hoped the others were all right. He also longed for some news from the Wizarding world. Eventually, he fell asleep at his desk, his head lying on the table. When he woke from his dreamless sleep, he looked around, but there were no hooting owls thrusting packages at him. Hedwig was standing motionless in her cage, her eyes closed, calmly sleeping. He showered and prepared to go down for breakfast when the telephone rang. Uncle Vernon picked it up in the hall and he could hear his every word from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, Vernon Dursley . . . . Harry Potter? Are you one of those weirdoes? . . . . If I don't give it to him you'll turn me into WHAT? . . . . All right. HARRY!"

At this Harry came down the stairs.

"It's for you. And didn't I tell you to tell your friends not to call here?! . . . . Oh, take it." He went away grumbling something.

"Hello?" he hesitantly asked, hoping it wasn't bad news.

"Harry? This is Dumbledore."

"Professor Dumbledore? I didn't know you knew how to use a phone."

"Of course I do. I'll admit it has taken me several decades, but now I think I have got the hang of it,"

the Headmaster laughed, "Harry, I'm sorry you didn't get any presents or cards for your birthday, but I had an owl repelling charm put on your house for your safety. Voldemort could try to get you this way."

"Oh, I've been wondering. ... What about Hedwig?"

"She can't go over some distance from your house. And about the presents, you'll get everything when you come to Hogwarts."

"What about my Hogwarts letter? The books I have to buy? I could also use some new robes, I've grown a lot. I need to go to Diagon Alley."

"That is out of the question. Diagon Alley would be far too dangerous for you. Your books will be here and on the second day I'll have Madam Malkin or one of her assistants come here to get you new robes. On September 1^st a ministry car will pick you up. I'm also pleased to tell you that Miss Granger and you are both prefects as well as Mr. Malfoy. In case you had been wondering, Miss Granger and the Weasley family are all right. So is old Snuffles. He does good work for me with his feathered friend."

"Thank you professor."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry about these security measures, but they are needed. Well, goodbye for now. . . . . And Harry, it wasn't your fault. . . . . Oh, another thing."

Harry had almost put the receiver down. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday Harry."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

He put it down and closed his eyes, willing the images away. He had aged a hundred years in one day.

***

Today was different. It was September 1^st and he had made everything ready. He was looking forward to seeing Ron and Hermione again. Perhaps he could feel so carefree again as he had before, like when they were playing Exploding Snap. They could laugh. Maybe Madam Pomfrey could give him something for his nightmares. Yes, he couldn't wait to be home again. Fifth year. He only had three more years to go. He wondered briefly what he would call home after that. At 17, he could move out and get his own place, if he lived that long. He glanced at the clock. The ministry car would be there soon. Just as he thought about it, he heard a car pull to a halt in front of the house. Shortly after that the doorbell rang and Arthur Weasley's voice drifted up to him as he was struggling to get his trunk down.

"Good morning. I'm Arthur Weasley, if you recall. I've come to take Harry to the train."

He heard Uncle Vernon grunt, but he didn't dare say anything in front of a fully trained wizard, especially in view of their last meeting's events.

"HARRY!" he decided to bellow.

"I'll be right down." With a last thud his trunk was down the stairs. It seemed a lot lighter than when he had to take it up. "Good morning Mr. Weasley."

"Good morning Harry, I'll help you with that," with these words he took one of the handles and together they took it out to the car and put it in the boot.

"Do you have anything else?"

"Yes, Hedwig."

Harry ran up and quickly got the cage, then they put her in the passenger area of the huge car. They both sat down. Harry had hoped that Ron and Hermione would also come for him. When he asked about it, Mr. Weasley said they would go in another car. The interior of the car was very big. It even had a fridge. There were some sandwiches and Harry got a decent breakfast. He remembered that he wouldn't be able to buy much food on the train, because he had little money left from last year. He would need to get some money from his vault through the local Gringotts branch in Hogsmeade. He was full when they arrived to London and in no time he found himself at the station. There they packed his things onto a cart and quickly made their way to Platform 9 3/4.

It was a busy place. Parents were saying goodbye to their kids, some first years were crying, since they'd never been away from home for so long. A chaos of voices rang in Harry's ears, not just human, but owls hooting, cats meowing, toads, what sounds do toads make anyway? Whatever it is, they were making it. As Harry was looking around in search of familiar faces, he suddenly noticed a pair of black eyes watching him. He couldn't see the possessor of those eyes in the crowd clearly, but they seemed to be looking straight into his soul. His heart made a strange leap. However, just as he was trying to get a clear view of the person, a body stood in front of him and hugged him.

"Harry! I've been so worried about you this whole summer! Dumbledore told me you were all right, but I still couldn't relax!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed into his ear.

When she finally released him, he tried to find those eyes again, but they were nowhere to be seen. That was when he noticed the Weasleys and Hermione standing around him. He reddened a bit and welcomed them all. At this Ginny blushed.

"A minute ago you seemed to be miles away, Harry," Hermione said.

"I'll tell you on the train."

"How was your summer Harry?" Molly Weasley asked.

"Fine."

"You seem thinner, taller and more muscular. Quite a change in you. Are you sleeping well?"

Harry noticed her looking at the dark circles under his eyes. He wondered if those were what the black eyes were looking at, or the scar on his forehead, or simply at the Boy Who Lived.

"No, I don't really," he answered.

"Well, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can do something about that."

"Yes, probably."

"Children, you'd better get on the train, it's leaving in a minute," Arthur Weasley noticed.

At this Molly kissed her children, Hermione and Harry goodbye. They got their trunks on the train. The platform was almost empty and just as they sat down onto their seats the train started its journey to the best Wizarding school in Britain.

"Now Harry, can you tell us what you were staring at on the platform?" Fred inquired, smiling, expecting a certain answer. "Were you looking at Cho Chang?"

Harry reddened again a bit. "No, I noticed someone looking at me."

"Sure people look at you, you're Harry Potter. What was so special about this one?" Ron said, with a bit of irritation in his voice that he sometimes couldn't cloud.

"They were black eyes. When I looked into them I could feel the person not just looking at me, but into me. Into my soul."

"What did this person look like?" Hermione asked.

"That's also strange. I have no idea. I couldn't really see the person. I can't even tell if it was a boy or a girl."

For a minute they all sat in silence. Harry tried to remember the person more clearly, but couldn't. Was it some sort of a spell?

"Hermione, don't you know of some spell that could cause this? I mean I just can't get those eyes out of my head."

"Could be. However, I can't remember what. Perhaps tomorrow I could look it up in the library."

"I don't know. Perhaps you shouldn't bother."

"Harry, in times like this, it could be important. Someone could want to harm you this way."

"I suppose you're right."

Having said this, the discussion came to an end. Nothing could be done till tomorrow. Harry noticed Fred's expression turn into a nasty one and he briefly wondered what was coming.

"Hermione, how was your summer?"

All eyes turned to her, knowing what Fred was referring to.

"Well, it was good."

"Oh, you know what we're all thinking about."

"All right, I did go to see Viktor in the summer. I visited him in Bulgaria with my parents. We stayed in their mansion."

"They have a mansion?" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, a huge one, with lots of land. I had a great time. They showed us all the sites in Bulgaria, though mostly just the Wizarding sites, not any Muggle ones. Very educational. Viktor has two older sisters and a younger brother. They were all very nice. I have even met the Wizarding king of Bulgaria at a reception."

"A king?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the Wizarding world of Bulgaria has a king. It's a very different country. A lot like medieval Muggle society. They have a king and those who are loyal to him get lands and they get money when they build something for him."

"What is the king like?" Ginny seemed excited about the idea of kings existing in the Wizarding world.

"He is a very nice and well educated man. Though in many respects I don't agree with him. Those who are not in his favour or are not of the nobility don't get any respect and have no chance of better education or making a career."

"Do they have house elves?" Ron wondered.

"Yes they do. When I told Viktor's father that I don't agree with keeping house elves, he patted my head and called me a child!" she seemed very outraged at this.

"So it wasn't that good, was it?" Ron seemed hopeful.

"Some parts of it."

"What about your relationship with Viktor?" Ginny was interested.

"I told him that I'm not ready for a romantic relationship. Viktor is so much older. I often felt that he was too, well, pushy," she reddened at this.

"I hope he didn't do something you didn't want!" Ron was a bit shocked at what he was hearing.

"No, when I drew the lines he kept to them. In the end we became good friends. Nothing more. So I'm planning on writing to him."

Ron still didn't relax. He wasn't too happy about Hermione keeping a contact with Krum.

Harry decided to ask Ron about his summer, in order to change the subject.

"Ron, what about you, how was the summer of the Weasley family at the Burrow?"

"Well, these two," he pointed at his brothers, "kept on planning their enterprise. It seems like they convinced some investor to give them money. I have no idea who could have been so crazy. They were surprisingly successful in keeping their plans hidden from mom. If she had found out, she would have been very mad at them. .... Dad works a lot. He tried to hear anything about You-Know-Who,"

"Oh Ron, don't be chicken, say 'Voldemort'," Hermione chimed in.

Ron gulped.

"V-Vo-Voldemort. So he tried to hear anything about him, but nothing. It seems like he's laying low for now."

"The longer the better," Ginny said.

"I'm not sure," Harry told them. "I read some during the summer. About WWII. When Hitler was preparing, everyone waited, hoping there would be no war. Hitler used this time to build his army. His intentions were clear, he said many times that the German people needed, hmmm, 'Leben's Raum', living space. Perhaps they should have made a move to eliminate him sooner."

"Harry, I'm surprised at you!" Hermione seemed shocked. "You read in the summer something that wasn't set out."

"Well, since I couldn't get the set out reading because I couldn't go shopping, I decided to read some of Dudley's books when I couldn't go to sleep. I simply pulled them out of the stacks of unread books in Dudley's room when he wasn't there. He never noticed they were missing."

"I'm so happy that you did something educational during the summer. I wouldn't be more surprised if you'd say you did some revising in the summer."

"Actually, I did."

At this Hermione's chin dropped open and they all laughed at the silly look on her face. Soon enough she joined them in laughter.

As Harry was laughing, he remembered the hours he spent in his room reading after nightmares, afraid of falling asleep. He just read or studied until he was so sleepy that the second he switched the lamp off he fell into a dreamless slumber.

"How was your summer, Harry?" Ginny sheepishly asked.

"Fine."

"You have grown, got some tan." Hermione noticed.

"Yes. I worked outside. I repainted the house, repaired the roof, replanted the garden."

"Wow. That explains how you can look stronger. Great. We can use that in Quidditch. You can get a stronger grip of the handle." Ron was pleased.

Harry looked a bit startled at this. He had forgotten all about Quidditch. His broom lay forgotten in the bottom of his trunk; he hadn't looked at it all summer. As he thought about flying, he couldn't even remember how it was done. The first task in the Tournament seemed ages ago.

"Yes, I suppose," Harry replied, realising they had been waiting for him to add something.

"Is your cousin still on a diet? You seem thinner," Hermione observed.

"Yes. He went away with Uncle Vernon and they both bought new clothes."

"You'll need some as well." She looked down at his trousers that ended well above his ankles.

"Professor Dumbledore said that he'll arrange for Madam Malkin to take measurements of me tomorrow and get me some new clothes."

"Good for you," Ron seemed a bit agitated.

"Anyway, there's a lot to do this year," George turned to some more serious matters. "We need a new captain and a new keeper."

Ron's face brightened. "I'll try out. Won't it be great? I'll be the new keeper."

"Yes, you are a great keeper and you'll probably get in, but we will need to have fair tryouts. We could be surprised. Still, we need a captain first."

"I think Harry would be the best man for the job," Fred spoke.

"I-I don't really know. I mean, I'm not even sure what the role of a captain is. I mean, we never did understand much of Oliver's graphs and such. Also, I think we should ask the girls who they think should be captain."

"That's what shows that you are a true leader, you ask the opinion of others and you are not sure if you're the best man for the job." Hermione put in, but no one but Harry really understood what she was saying.

During the summer he sometimes thought of his role in the war with Voldemort. It was clear to him that partly because of his attachment to Voldemort he would play a leading role in the coming events. He didn't want it, but he knew he had no choice.

They chatted a bit more of what the year would bring. The OWLs for one. Hermione began to give a detailed lecture on what the OWLs were about, the intricate revision plan she had drawn up for the three of them and anyone who would care to join their study group. Harry, however, couldn't listen for long. Sleep started to overtake him. Last night he was so full of anticipation, he couldn't sleep, but finished a book he was reading. Now the slow movements of the train and his still filled, digesting stomach made him close his eyes and softly snore into the conversation of the others. They didn't wake him. They had all noticed the dark circles under his eyes from the lack of rest. They even turned down the volume of their talk.

There was a hand on his shoulder and someone was saying his name, Harry realised. His eyes slowly opened and he saw the others looking at him, Hermione's hand still on him.

"Well, hello there. You had quite a sleep. We're almost at Hogwarts."

Harry looked around. The lights had come up, the world was in darkness outside. His stomach was gently grumbling, crying out for food. The others had already put on their robes. So he got up and pulled out his from the trunk. When he put it on, he noticed that it too was considerably shorter, or rather; he was considerably longer than the robe. He shrugged, it would have to do for now.

The train gently pulled to a stop and they all got out, making their way towards the horseless carriages. The night was warm. Harry noticed the usual group of first-years flocking around Hagrid, who nodded towards him. He noticed a girl much taller than the others in the group. She turned around. The eyes! It was her! The person with the black eyes was a girl! He tried to get a better look of her, but Hagrid stood in his way as he gently prodded the group towards the boats. Then he heard his name called. He looked towards the sound and there was Ron, Hermione and Ginny waiting for him at a carriage. He ran to them and got on.

"Wondering again, Harry?" Ron smiled.

"I saw the girl with the black eyes again!"

"So it's a girl?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. She was in the group of first-years. However, she was much taller than the others were. I think she could be older."

"Then why haven't we seen her before?"

"I don't know. Maybe she transferred from somewhere."

The rest of the road was made in silence as they stared at the magnificent site of Hogwarts and maybe some of them wondered about the mysterious girl.

Finally, they could all sit down at the table of Gryffindor house. As Harry looked at the flag above them, his memory took him back to something that Dumbledore told him at the end of the second year as he was looking down at Godric Gryffindor's sword. 'Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry.' He hoped he could be a true Gryffindor in the times that were to come. His other friends, Neville, Dean, everyone were around him, talking, but he was making mindless comments. Then the first years stood in a row in the middle, ready for the sorting. Looking around, Harry realised that while he was sailing the sea of his memories, the hat had already finished its song and was waiting to sort the newcomers. As he looked up at the teacher's table, he noticed that the DADA teacher's chair was empty. He was a bit saddened by this. One of the great surprises was always who the new teacher would be. He hoped it wasn't some Death Eater in disguise again. He realised there had already been two of them in that chair.

The row of first years quickly lessened as they were sorted into their houses. He saw the strange girl standing at the end. She seemed scared. She did look older than the others. She was about his age. She was very pretty. Her round face held delicate features. A small, bit upturned nose, curvy, round, pink lips. Her eyes were big, round, and yes, a deep black. Her auburn hair fell down her shoulders in soft waves. For the first time in his life, Harry really noticed a girl's breast. There were plenty to notice. They stood out like two hills on her chest, round as apples. She was fidgeting in her stance, her eyes darting around, suddenly coming to rest on someone or something at the Slytherin table, but Harry couldn't see who or what.

Suddenly, just as Professor McGonagall was about to announce the girl's name, the twin doors to the hall burst open. Through them a beautiful woman walked, her long blond hair glistening in the candlelight as it blazed after her. She wore bright red robes, open, billowing out after her. Her long, tanned, naked legs visible, since she was wearing a very short skirt. The high-heeled red shoes twinkled and clanked as she walked with determined steps. She was like a hurricane as she entered, drawing every eye at her. Her red lips opened to speak and as the view was drawn to her face, people noticed the heavy make-up under her designer glasses.

"Sorry for being late, Albus, but I was held up."

"It's all right, Oya." Dumbledore stood, smiling." Now that you've made such a spectacular entrance, I'm going to introduce you."

"As you wish," she said, sitting down at her place.

Harry noticed that Snape's expression changed as he looked at her. It became softer somehow. Harry looked at him with amazement. He could have never imagined him look like that at anyone. She seemed to realise this and turned to smile a brilliant smile at him.

"Students, this is Oya Potter, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She will tell you more about herself during your first class with her."

Potter? At the sound of her name everyone had something to say. McGonagall had to quiet the crowd down to finish the sorting. Harry sat, observing Oya Potter. She seemed familiar and in many respects reminded him of his father. Was she a relative?

"The last new student won't be in the first year, but the fifth." Professor McGonagall called attention to herself. "She was transferred here from Durmstrang. So I call Malfoy, Isabelle."

The strange girl hesitantly walked to the stool and sat on it. The hat was put on her head. Harry heard around him that she must be Draco's relative and most surely would be in Slytherin. Harry was amazed that he could find a Malfoy attractive and he was also amazed at the fact that she didn't look like any of the Malfoys he had seen. As they waited for the hat to say the verdict, they noticed that she seemed to be arguing with it. It seemed like ages until the hat finally spoke up. The slit opened and the Sorting Hat called out ...

To be continued...