Harry Potter and the United Power

Chapter 2  

“HARRY!” yelled a voice from the second floor as he came racing down the stairs. Harry stepped out of the fireplace and into the lounge room at Grimmauld Place. Harry didn't even need to look up to know who it was. His best friend had a very distinctive greeting.

“Hi Ron!” Harry grinned as Ron arrived in the living room completely out of breath from the run down from his room on the second floor. He threw himself down on the sofa next to him, and attempted to regain his breath.

“Long run hey,” Harry laughed as he flopped down beside him.

Ron looked up at him. “Hey it's a long way from the second floor you know,” Ron retorted.

“Yeah I'm sure it is,” he laughed. “Anyway it's good to see you mate.”

“Yeah it's good to see you too. How's your summer been?” he asked.

“Well, as good as it can be given the circumstances,” Harry replied. I think the word `given' works better than `with' so I put it back in.

“Yeah…how you coping with it all, mate?” Before Harry could answer, Hermione came through the fireplace, followed shortly by Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg.  

“Hi Ron,” Hermione said taking a seat beside the boys.

“Hey. You had us all worried when Dumbledore had to leave,” Ron told her.

“Well, you know Harry, always causing problems,” she grinned.  

“Hey! I'm right here, you know.” Harry cut in, feeling rather annoyed.

“I was only joking Harry,” she said, however she notice that Harry still felt hurt by what she said. “Oh I'm sorry Harry, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean anything by it,” she said apologetically.

Harry looked up at her after that. “Yeah I know you were. I'm sorry I'm just still upset about everything that happened at the end of school,” he spoke up, though he still seemed a little hurt by what Hermione said.

“I know Harry I'm sorry I shouldn't have said it. Anyway do you want to tell Ron what kept us?” She asked.  

“Um, okay…I'm not coming back to Hogwarts this year,” he mumbled. Ron's eyes bulged out of his head. 

Hermione glared. “What!? You're not still on about that muggle school are you, Harry? I thought you'd given up on that idea. You know you'll hurt people either way.”  

“Yeah, but this way, it won't be the people I care about!” he snapped.  

“Why'd you come here if you've already made up your mind?” 

“I've got to hear the second prophecy, don't I? And you weren't going to let me hear it unless I came here!” he yelled.  

“Oh Harry, you're so stubborn! There's no reasoning with you is there?” Hermione stood up and stalked out of the room and up the stairs. She knew Harry well enough to know that once he had his mind set on an idea, there was no talking him out of it.  

Ron was still a little surprised. “Why don't you wanna come back, mate?” he asked.  

Harry rolled his eyes at this. “I don't want to talk about it, Ron. Ask Hermione if you must know.” Ron realised that there was no point in asking Harry anything right now, so he got up and left the room too. Harry remained in the room with no intention of talking to either of his friends at the moment.  

“Harry, why are you doing this to your friends?” spoke a voice from the doorway. Harry knew that the voice belonged to his headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. He also knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get out of this lecture.

“I'm doing it to protect them. I don't want them to be hurt because of me,” Harry finally answered as Dumbledore sat down in the chair across from Harry.  

The headmaster looked at him for a while before he spoke. “You think you're protecting them by ignoring them. Didn't you see the trouble that caused me last year? Harry, you can't just cut yourself off from everyone.”  

“Well, they can't help me anyway. The prophecy says that I have to do it alone. I know they want to help, but they can't, and even if they could, I wouldn't want them to.”  

“Harry, the prophecy doesn't say that they can't help you. It merely says that you must be the one who actually kills Voldemort. In fact, the second prophecy insists that they must help you.”  

“I don't want them to die; they're like family to me! Sirius was too, and I lost him. I don't want to lose anyone else. So just let me do this on my own!” Harry responded stubbornly.  

“Harry, there is something I think you should see now.” Dumbledore pulled an envelope out from his coat pocket and handed it to Harry. Harry took it, wondering what it was.

“It's a letter from Sirius, Harry. When a wizard dies, they are able to leave a message for one person. Sirius chose to leave you a message. He felt you would be the one who needed it most.”  

Dear Harry,

Please don't worry about me. The Order was always telling me I'd die because of my need for adventure, and hey, they were right. Harry, it is not your fault, and I never want you to think that. It has been great to get to know you, and I have loved it. I know that at times I saw too much of James in you, but you are like him in so many ways. However, always remember that you're you and not anyone else. Always be yourself, Harry. I know that it's hard because as everyone sees you as the famous Harry Potter, but do your best.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are two really great friends. They'll always stay true to you and they'll never leave you. They'll always be there for you, no matter what. Value them; friends like that are rare. Both of them care for you so much and I don't think either of them could bear to lose you. Always talk to them; never leave them out - they're so important.

Life, Harry, is going to throw a whole range of things at you. Some things you'll be able to get through alone, but others you'll need people for. Harry, there is never just one way to get through life. There are always other ways. If things go wrong, find another way to accomplish them. You don't have to do things the conventional way. I sure as hell didn't.

Value everything, Harry, and never take anything for granted.

~ Sirius

Harry had to fight back the tears, refolding the letter. “I still don't want their help. I'll still talk to them, but I don't want them to die. I couldn't live without them.”

“Yes, and they can't live without you either, Harry. They'll do anything for you, just as Sirius was willing to do for your father.” He got up from his chair. “Harry, if you cut yourself off from them, it will hurt them so much more than you realise. I remember when your father and Sirius had a fight while they were at school. They weren't able to think about anything else but the person they'd hurt and how to make things right. It's the same with you, Ron, and Hermione. The three of you need each other to survive. You pull each other through the hard times.”

“But I don't want them to die.”

“I know you don't, however, sometimes one needs to die for the lives of many,” Dumbledore told him. “Harry, if you don't do this with them, you will die. Voldemort will rise to power. The magical world will return to turmoil and many will be killed again. Harry, I'm not saying that anyone will die in the battle. But I am not saying that people won't die, rather that, if it comes down to it, it is better that one die for the lives of many.”

Harry let out a sigh. He knew he couldn't ignore this. It was true; it wasn't Dumbledore just trying to guilt-trip him into doing it. Harry didn't like to be put in a position where he could be held responsible for so much, but he knew he couldn't get out of it. This had been set up for him since he was one, and he had little say in it. It was the hand dealt to him in life, and he had to accept it. “I wish this had never happened to me. I don't want to be responsible for the death of so many people, and I don't want my friends to die either. It's like the fate of the whole world is left in my hands, and I'm not even sixteen yet.”

“I know Harry, and it's essentially up to you to choose your path. You may choose to go whichever way you want.” Harry groaned at this. He hated making these big choices.

Dumbledore looked up at Harry then. He knew the boy hated making these choices, but there was no other way for it. “As you know, not all prophecies come true, and you can chose to take the chance and go in alone, or you can chose to do this with your friends,” Dumbledore continued. Harry sighed when he heard that. He knew Dumbledore wanted him to stay with his friends but he didn't want to hurt them.

“The decision is entirely up to you, however, I would like you to hear the second prophecy before you make your decision. I will tell you the prophecy now if you like, and then it is up to you to choose your path. I will not stand in your way. I will even allow you to go back into the muggle world if you wish, as long as you have heard all that we can tell you in an unbiased way,” Dumbledore finished.

“Okay, what does it say then?” Harry demanded, and then added as an afterthought, “and who said it?”

“It was Rowena Ravenclaw who gave this prophecy, Harry. She is one of the greatest and most renowned seers in wizarding history. The prophecy says,

“The downfall of the Dark Lord will come when the heirs of those who once battled unite, creating a force which has not been seen for centuries: The United Power. The four shall defeat the Dark Lord with four others. Unhindered, the eight will form the Power. Aided, they will fall.

“The four that it speaks of are the heirs of the Founding Four, which we now know as yourself, Luna Lovegood, Pansy Parkinson and Justin Finch-Fletchley. You are as you know the heir of Gryffindor, Luna is the heir of Ravenclaw, Pansy is the heir of Slytherin, and Justin is the heir of Hufflepuff. The other four are chosen, however, we are hoping you will all chose the four we have picked: Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville.” Harry stared at Dumbledore as he explained, trying not to show his surprise and sadness.

Dumbledore continued, realising Harry wasn't going to respond. “That's it, Harry. You have all the information we can give you, and I will respect the choice you make. You don't have to make a decision right away, but I will be telling the others the prophecy tomorrow night.” He left Harry in the room, contemplating all that he had just heard.

It took a while for all Dumbledore had said to sink in. Something was bothering him about it, but he couldn't work out what it was. Just as Dumbledore was nearing the doorway to the kitchen, he figured it out. “Professor?”

Dumbledore turned around and headed back towards the chair he had just left. “Yes, Harry?”

“Um, isn't Draco Malfoy an heir?” Harry asked.

“No, he isn't. We thought so for some time, but recently learned that we were wrong. Tom Riddle is the true heir of Slytherin, however, he is not counted as the heir in this case. He was not born at the same time as the rest of the heirs,” Dumbledore explained, then got up and headed back towards the kitchen.

Harry sat there for quite some time, wondering what he should do. Can I really leave them? I know that prophecies don't necessarily come true, but what if this one does, and I ignored it? Then heaps of people will die. But even if I do it, people will die. Why is my life always surrounded by so much death? I've seen so much of it and I'm not even sixteen yet. Why are all these decisions made for me? I can't make one for myself without feeling as though others will be disappointed. I guess Dumbledore is right. Its better that few die then many. I'd rather no one die at all. I guess I know what I have to do. Even if I don't want to. He got up from his seat and headed upstairs to his bedroom on the second floor. As he walked up the stairs, he noticed that the house wasn't so dark anymore. It seemed a little happier, a little brighter. Maybe he would enjoy this stay.