Disclaimer: I haven't said this in a while so I figured I best say it now, I own nothing, nada, zip, zero, and well you get the idea. The only thing that could be called mine is the very weak plot.
A/N: Thank you to all of you who are still reading this story. This chapter is dedicated to every one of you. Tell me if you think I went a little over on what Harry did in this chapter. It just seemed like it was time he took responsibility, besides I had to tell you where he learned about Runes. Special Thanks to all of you who have made suggestions on the letter from Harry. Thanks again, and remember to R/R. Jade.
Chapter 27
No Longer Human
The Burrow
Current Day
"We swear Harry," Ginny says looking away from Hermione and to Ron, "we swore," she says looking directly into his eyes. "Imagine our surprise when we arrived home after the meeting to find you here practically begging everyone, begging to know where Harry is," she says looking back to Hermione. "Imagine how hard it was to listen to you cry you had made a horrible mistake," Ginny says in a sad voice to the horrified room and an extremely terrified Hermione. "It was the hardest thing to do, to come back here and find you saying you needed to find Harry, that you made a mistake, it was so hard not to tell you to go to him, to take you to him," she whispers as tears start to flow once again. "I wanted so bad to take you to him, to help you find him," she says looking down at her hands in her lap, "but I couldn't, I made a promise," she says unable to continue as she watches her own tears fall on her hands. Neville reaches over and takes both of her hands into one of his as his free arm wraps around her frame once again.
"Tell me about it," Ron agrees, "I wanted to talk sense into you," he says shaking his head. "I wanted so bad to let into you," Ron admits for the first time to the room at large. "I didn't, I couldn't," he whispers in confession. "I know how much Harry loves you and how much he wants to protect you, even if he is mainly protecting you from himself and his perceived notion of him ending up a murderer," Ron says quickly as though needing to get this poison out of his system. Hermione looks at both Ron and Ginny in shock, her right hand covering her mouth preventing her screams from passing her lips. Her screams of pain, of horror, of pain she caused the one man she wants to be with, needs to be with, and dreams of being with.
Molly looks at her five children in surprise, "you knew where he was and what he was doing and you never told anyone, you never told me," she says trying not to let the hurt show but failing miserably.
Ginny looks over at her mother, "we didn't know where he was mum," she hurriedly corrects. "As far as what he is doing, we couldn't even handle it ourselves mum," she says pleadingly. "We knew you wouldn't like it, we didn't like it, we promised not to tell," she tells Molly honestly, hoping she will understand.
"Mum," Ron says looking at her as well, "we were still in shock, we couldn't even talk to each other about it how could we of told you," he asks her and Molly can feel the hurt instantly fade knowing even now over a year later they are still having trouble with it.
"Okay," Molly whispers regretfully for her overreaction.
"Harry could never be a murderer, he could never murder anyone," Alexandra says truthfully and knowingly, breaking the silence that had formed in the room. "He tried everything he could to incapacitate the enemy and I know he hated it when they forced his hand and left him with no other choice," she says. "He could never murder anyone," she repeats again.
"We know," Ginny tells her honestly. "It's just that," she drifts off unable to continue.
"We know," Ron picks up knowing Ginny can't continue. "We know," he repeats as he points to everyone in the room, "however try convincing Harry of this truth," he informs them. "Harry can only see it as murder," he continues. "He sees it as having no choice but to murder him if we," again he waves his hand to indicate the room, "are to survive, to live," he tells them.
"Kill who," David asks wondering why Harry didn't say anything about this.
"Voldemort," Dumbledore answers instantly.
"What are you talking about," Charles says in shock, "no one can kill him let alone Harry," he says logically.
"That is where you are wrong," Severus says softly knowing he too was surprised when he learnt the Prophecy and this truth.
"Harry is marked as his equal," Ginny whispers knowing she will never forget the day she heard the Prophecy. She will never forget when she learned it might have been her husband rather than her brother who was chosen for such a life and she hates that it had to be either.
"Harry was marked for death," Neville agrees with his wife still surprised it could have just as easily been him. "It could have been me," he whispers, "It should have been me," he whispers almost violently. "Harry has been through enough in his life even before he learned he was a Wizard, he had no one who loved him as I do," he says.
"Neville," Ron says looking wide eyed at his brother-in-law. "Harry tried very hard to make it clear that he is glad it happened to him," Ron says reminding all who were at the meeting that fateful day what Harry had said. "Remember," he asks.
Neville looks up at Ron and nods his head in agreement, "I know," he whispers still nodding, "I know," he repeats. "It's just," he starts, "it's hard to know even though he had no choice in the matter he still doesn't hate me, he should," he drifts off.
Hermione looks over at Neville, though she doesn't understand exactly what they are talking about, there is one thing she does know, "no Neville," she says without really thinking. "Harry has always respected you and he even looked after you," she continues with a small smile as she realizes Harry watched over everyone. "Remember, your Rememberall," she reminds them and everyone smiles at the memory.
"That incident got him into Quidditch," Minerva says with a smile of her own, "best Seeker Hogwarts has seen in many years," she smiles remembering the years she had the Quidditch and House Cups in her office because of Harry and his friends.
"Right," Hermione agrees, "he always did everything he could to protect you," she tells him.
Neville smiles at the truth of her words as he realizes for the first time Harry did all these things and more, "Protect everyone," he corrects her with a smile and everyone nods in agreement.
"Which is why he was the one chosen," Severus says, "humanities protector," he says surprising himself.
"The question I believe Neville is really asking," Ron says, "is would he still have been a protector if he wasn't the one chosen," he asks.
Severus can't help but snort at this comment, "he was Evan's and Potter's kid, those two took it upon themselves to protect others," he says to them, "so yes he would have, if anything more annoyingly so," he says shaking his head in disbelief at his own words.
"But why was he the chosen as Voldemort's equal, I thought he only thought those of Pureblood were worth his time," Hermione asks wonder exactly what is in this Prophecy.
"Voldemort chose someone more like himself," Dumbledore says to the room. "You see Voldemort himself was a Half-blood," he tells the shocked room. "The reason he choose Harry is because Harry reminds him of himself," he continues. "When he tried to kill Harry that night he transferred some of his powers to Harry, thus making Harry his equal," he says.
"Thus allowing Harry to be a Parselmouth," Hermione deduced.
"Correct," Dumbledore tells her with a nod.
"From what I gather about this Prophecy thing and what it said, it more or less said something about someone being born at the end of July, like both Harry and Neville are," David says deep in thought not really realizing he is speaking aloud. "This person was chosen by Voldemort to be Harry, who is marked as Voldemort's equal and is the only person who can kill Voldemort," he continues to think. After a short pause he continues, "Yet this doesn't seem to be all of it," he says looking at both Ginny and Ron, "you said something about Harry believing, he, himself to have to be a murderer, so this means at the finale battle it will only be between Harry and Voldemort. It seems as thought one must kill the other," he drifts off.
"For either to survive the other must die," Minerva adds on hating the fact Harry was placed into such a spot.
David looks at Minerva startled, "are you saying I'm right," he asks hoping he is wrong.
"Close enough," Ron whispers in answer.
Hermione look from Ron to her dad to Minerva and finally to Dumbledore, "no," she gasps out. Dumbledore can only nod his head in agreement of Ron's words. She closes her eyes as she lets her mind explore all her memories of Harry, trying to place where he might have given any clues onto when he knew, when he learned about it, when he was first told. She is shocked to find her mind drawing a blank, "when did he learn it, when did he learn the Prophecy," she finally asks looking at Dumbledore.
"He told us," Ron says causing everyone to look at him and away from Dumbledore, "he learned it right after the Department of Mysteries," he finishes. Hermione's mouth drops open as she hears this and her mind screams to be told it is a joke. She finds she is unable to speak; she is almost unable to breathe.
"Are you telling us," Fred starts.
"That he learned of his destiny," George continues.
"The very same day," Fred says.
"He lost his godfather," Ron finishes for them in a sad voice and with a small nod of his head.
"Whoa," both Fred and George gasp out in shock.
"Poor Harry," Alexandra says in whisper.
Hermione takes her lack of ability to actually articulate to think about this for a moment and for the first time she understands not only why he was acting so distant at the end of their fifth year, but also, "that's why he really started pulling away," she says thinking aloud.
"He claimed he no longer wanted to be human," Dumbledore whispers in agreement. "He is tired of people he loves getting hurt because of him," he continues after a moment. "From what he told me later, it was during that summer when he decided the best way to protect everyone is to longer be apart of their lives. He told me he had accepted his fate and is determined to find all ways possible to succeed, so he studied and pasted an extreme amount of tests, including O.W.L.'s that summer and those following. I know of some of the courses he took outside of Hogwarts and those he took during his remaining two years. He took Muggle sciences, Arthmancy, Current and Ancient Runes, Physical Defenses of the Muggle and Magical Worlds, Dueling with Wand and or Sword, Ancient and Modern Decoding, he even took Elemental Studies and Wandless Magic," Dumbledore tells the amazed room. "He also took many more and some other's through the Muggle school systems, more than I thought he would or could do in such short amount of time," he says with a proud smile of the man who is forced to miss this gathering of his family.
"Harry had a Time Turner," Minerva says seeing the questioning looks, "for his sixth and seventh years," she says before Hermione can ask.
Ron looks over at Minerva in shock, "he what," he asks the question on most of their minds.
"I gather from your responses you never even suspected anything," Dumbledore says with a small but barely noticeable nod. "At the N.E.W.T.'s exams Harry was taking three even sometime five exams at once," he tells them all.
"For the time of the exams he was taking N.E.W.T. Potions, Ancient Runes, Healing, and Modern Runes all at the same time," Severus tells them with a nod and therefore giving them an example of his testing times.
"He was taking Animagus, Arthmancy, Muggle sciences, Elemental Studies and Modern Decoding," Minerva says.
"Sounds like he was very busy," David says surprised at the amount of work Harry took upon himself. He knows from his daughter that having a Time Turner isn't the easiest thing to have. She hated not being able to tell her friends what she was doing when they asked her about it. For Harry to be able to pull it off without either noticing for two years says a lot about his dedication and willingness.
"When school ended he entered into Auror training to become the youngest Head Auror in the field," Dumbledore tells them something very few know. "Even though he was out in the field he continued to study, to learn as he continually tried to defeat Voldemort, also attending as many Order meetings as he could," he tells them further.
"When the Ministry finally got their acts together and declared war on Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Arthur says to them. "I know for a fact Harry's name was the first on the list volunteering to fight in any role possible, even if it meant losing his status as Head Auror," he tells everyone for the first time, even surprising his wife.
"He took the placement test, the first offered," Severus continues the story. "Almost instantly people started to realize just how smart Harry had forced himself to become," he continues to the shock of everyone there.