The Sense

Note: Thank you again for the reviews. Sorry, that must be getting tired. How about you just assume me being thankful is a given, alright? Hehe. Anyway, as someone pointed out, there are some errors that just slip by me without my noticing. Even after I spell-check. Which is why I would like to have one of those beta-reader thingies. I'm not sure exactly how those would work, but I figured I could email you a finished chapter and you correct whatever mistakes I made. Then you email it back and I post it. Sound about right? It might make updates a little longer in between...but I think it would be worth it. If anyone would like to volunteer, that would be awesome! I would also like to point out that I am extremely American and there’s just no helping that. Unless, of course, my beta-reader could help out with that too. Anyway, my email is in my profile. If there are any volunteers please feel free to email me and we can get started as soon as we're both ready! Now, on with the show!

2nd Note: Sorry again. I just didn't one really long note. Um, I wasn't sure if this story deserved an R rating or not. I mean I doubt there will be any hanky-panky in this installment but I am aware that Crookshanks and Ron are a pair of naughty little pottymouths. If you are offended and are horrified that I only rated this PG-13, I will have a talk with those two. But really, if they refuse to clean up their act and there are complaints I will have to up the rating. Thank you. Now you may read.

~*~

The three pounded frantically down the stairs of the Burrow.

"Where? Who?" Harry demanded.

"Dumbledore's brother. Aberforth."

"Aberforth Dumbledore!?" Hermione cried. "How is that possible? Isn't he under protection charms or something? He's Dumbledore's brother for Pete's sake! He's practically wearing a bulls eye on his forehead just for being related to him!"

"I don't know! I'm just telling you what they told me!"

Harry recalled the only two times that he had heard Aberforth Dumbledore's name. The first was with Albus Dumbledore, who told him that Aberforth got in trouble for practicing improper magic on a goat. He also told him it was possible Aberforth did not know how to read the press articles about him. In his 5th year Mad-Eye Moody showed him a picture of the Order of the Phoenix back in the 70s. Aberforth stood with them in the picture and Moody recalled him as being a "strange bloke".

"Well is he alright? Did they...is he...?" Hermione asked.

Ron did not answer. They tumbled into the family room which was eerily empty, except for Ginny, who was sitting by the fire stroking Crookshanks.

"Where'd everybody go?" Ron asked his sister. "About twenty people from the Order were here just a second ago!"

Ginny turned to face them and Hermione was practically knocked over by Ginny's anger. She focused on blocking it. "They LEFT! They all went to bloody GRIMMAULD Place! They didn't want to tell us a damn thing! Mum and Dad left too, along with the twins." She was fuming and didn't notice that she was stroking Crookshanks too hard.

AHH! Bloody fucking hell... Crookshanks clawed away from Ginny and stalked away.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione admonished as he slinked away. No one had the slightest idea that she was yelling at her cat for bad language. Ginny dabbed at her scratch with her sleeve.

"Bloody fucking hell..." Ron unknowingly echoed Crookshanks.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded again. She collapsed on the sofa, then turned to Harry. "What do you think, Harry?"

"I think I shouldn't have given the Order exclusive access to Grimmauld Place, is what I think." Harry muttered and sunk next to her. Since Death Eater activity had been scarce, he hadn't been in any hurry to be inducted into the Order of the Phoenix right after his birthday. He had planned on doing it before his Hogwarts term started, but he regretted his decision now. Ron sat on Hermione's other side. Mrs. Weasley had been adamant in preventing Fred and George's induction into the Order for concern of their safety. When they finally made the cut, she claimed it would be a cold day in Hell before she ever gave up her very last son. And neither Hermione nor Ginny were old enough to join yet. The four sat in silence for a moment feeling somewhat betrayed.

"Aberforth Dumbledore." Ginny thought out loud. "I wonder why we never hear much about him. I mean, he's the brother of the most powerful wizard of the age. You'd think there'd be more press."

"Well...I've heard only a little about him. But from what I've gathered Aberforth is quite odd. And a bit dim." Harry said.

"I don't know much about him either. There's lots on Dumbledore in books, but not his brother." Hermione added unhelpfully. "Though I think I read somewhere he was the younger of the two."

"So basically, we are completely clueless." Harry punched the arm of the sofa angrily. "Don't know why, don't know when, don't know where, and don't know what they are doing about it."

Hermione's thoughts drifted back to Crookshanks. It occurred to her that perhaps Crookshanks heard something from the Order before they left. Crookshanks was a clever cat, but it never occurred to anyone that Crookshanks might actually understand what they were saying. She wanted to ask him some questions, hopefully without having to wash the dirty cat‘s mouth out with soap. "Um, I'll be right back." She started to get up.

"Wait..." Harry grabbed her by the forearm and looked at Ron. He remembered what he was going to say to Hermione before Ron broke the news. And now was even better, since Ron was already here. There wouldn't ever be a better time, especially now that everyone was gone. "I, um, I had something to tell you. Both of you." He cast a significant glance at Ginny.

The younger girl crossed her arms defiantly. "Uh-uh. If you even think that I am going to be left out of something else, I will hex you. I swear I will. Remember my Bat-Bogey hex?"

Harry did. "Okay...Ginny you can stay. Actually Ginny you've been a big help for a while. You're one of us. It's not just me, Ron, and Hermione anymore." Hermione nodded in agreement. Ron looked reluctant to admit it, but he nodded too.

"Damn right. So, go on."

Hermione looked up, very interested. She knew something was bothering Harry since the Ministry fiasco of 5th year, and it wasn't only Sirius's death. She saw it in the way he talked. He talked as if everyone around him was marked for death and he could do nothing about it. He was being overly cautious and protective of his friends. But what startled her the most was not his "saving people thing" as she so eloquently put it over a year ago, but his look of helplessness or even defeat. It was as if Harry knew he could defy evil all he wanted, but in the end...hope didn't seem to be enough to support him.

"I know the Prophecy."

This revelation was met with dead silence.

"The one we found at the Ministry...the one Voldemort wanted."

More silence.

“You know, glass spherical sort of object? The one that held the secret of my fate?”

"Merlin's ghost..." Hermione murmured.

"W-what are you talking about, mate?" Ron stammered. "It broke. Neville dropped it. You said - "

"I know it broke. But someone heard the prophecy. As it was being told years ago..."

"How do you know they're not lying? Just trying to rile you up about...whatever it is?" Hermione asked. She was trying with all her might not to give in to temptation and peek into his head. Her mind was practically bursting with desire, but she resisted.

"Because I trust Dumbledore."

His three friends stared at him. "Dumbledore knows the Prophecy. The one we found in the Ministry. The one that You-Know-Who was after. The one that was about you and You-Know-Who. The one that broke. The one..." Ron seemed to be piecing the story together slowly, so as not to miss anything important.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Ron, just SAY it. Voldemort!" Ginny rolled her eyes. Ron scowled.

"Ahem. Anyway..." Hermione prodded curiously. In any other circumstance she would have been angry with Harry for keeping this a secret for so long. But she was really in no position to lecture about keeping secrets from friends.

"Right, um, anyway. The prophecy had three important things..." Harry watched as they hung on his every word. "One, the person who had the power to destroy the Dark Lord would be born as the seventh month dies..."

Hermione and Ginny's eyes grew wider in realization. Ron was very carefully counting on his fingers. "May, June, July..." Then he too stared at Harry.

"Yeah. End of July. Like me."

"But that could be any number of people, Harry!" Hermione pointed out hopefully.

"I know, they thought it was Neville at - "

"LONGBOTTOM!?" Ginny looked surprised.

"Yes, but - "

"How do they know - "

"Just LISTEN!" Harry cut Hermione off. She looked slightly put out, but shook it off. The urge to look into Harry's mind was near unbearable now. She needed to be trustworthy. It was obvious that trust would be becoming very important in the near future. "Anyway, the second important part was that the Dark Lord would...would mark the One as his...equal..."

Three sets of eyes flicked up to the famous lightning bolt scar on the forehead of The Boy Who Lived.

"Yeah. And supposedly I have some power that he 'knows not'." Harry continued. His friends didn't have anything brilliant to say, so he went on. "The last part of the prophecy went...it stated...that one of us would die at the hands of the other."

The silence was deafening.

"So either I will kill Voldemort, or he will kill me. That's the way it has to be, and that's the way it's going to be." Harry elaborated.

Still no reaction.

"And also, Voldemort only knows of the first part of the prophecy. About how the one who could destroy him would be born at the end of July. He didn't know he was marking me as his equal...that night."

Just glazed-over stares.

"Okay, not to sound conceited or anything but I honestly thought this would get more of a reaction."

Ron was the first to break the shocked silence. "...Bloody hell, Harry..." he stated lamely.

"That's it?"

"It's just...hard to process..." Ginny mumbled. She cleared her throat. Twice.

Harry's gaze drifted to Hermione, and he was surprised to find her eyes glistening, as if she were about to cry. Pangs of regret started to surface.

"Harry...who gave this prophecy?" Hermione whispered.

"Umm...Professor Trelawny...?"

"Excuse me?" Ginny cried. "That old fraud? Why on earth would Dumbledore believe THAT quack?"

"Because she does tell the truth. Occasionally." Harry said. No one had anything to say to that.

"Harry..." Hermione's tears were becoming very evident now. She bit her lip, which practically tore Harry up inside and he instantly regretted revealing his secret. A secret he had hidden for over a year.

"Hermione, don't cry, I'm sorry - "

Without warning Hermione embraced Harry with all her might. She wrapped her arms around him almost protectively. Her bushy hair tickled his face and he suddenly felt very emotional. He hugged her back, unconsciously. Before he knew it he found Ginny's arms around the both of them, also. Ron stood back and stared.

"Oh, what the hell..." He joined the awkward group hug and it was all Harry could do to hold back the stupid tears that were threatening his masculinity.

After a few silent, yet heartfelt moments Ron pulled away. "Bollocks. That was the corniest thing we have ever done. I need a shower. No, I need to go barbecue some red meat over a campfire. Then piss that fire out when we're done."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Ginny released Harry and sat on the floor at his feet, but Hermione lingered for a few moments before letting go. She was smiling at what Ron said, but her face was still red and slightly slick with her tears as she occupied the space right next to Harry.

"Harry, how the hell could you keep that from us?" Ginny demanded sternly, the humor gone from her face. Ron's expression mirrored hers as she stood by the fire with his hands in his pockets.

"I just didn't want anyone to worry - "

"Then you were a big huge git." Ron said. "Idiot."

"Hey." Harry started getting defensive. "The prophecy was about ME. Not you guys. Just me. I'm the one who has to...I have to do it. It has nothing to do with any of you. Just me."

"Oh, bullshit."

Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at the source of the last statement. Hermione wiped her eyes. She just hoped she wasn’t making a fool of herself, she knew she was famous among Harry and Ron for having somewhat random bursts of emotion.

"Hermione?"

"Oh, you heard me, Harry! I don't want to say it again, but what you just said was utter garbage. Nonsense." Hermione said. Ginny looked shocked, but nodded in agreement. Ron still looked kind of dumbfounded to discover that Hermione's mouth was capable of swearing.

"Hermione, the prophecy - "

"To HELL with the damn prophecy!" Hermione cried as she shot off the sofa and stood looking down at him. Ron looked about to faint. "Harry, if you think for a second, a MILLI-second, that Ron and Ginny and Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix and I will not be with you every single step of the way you are the stupidest prat on the planet and you deserve a thousand of Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hexes."

"But you all could just get - "

"Shut UP Harry!" Hermione snapped. Ron and Ginny seemed to fade into the background as it appeared this seemed personal, between only Harry and Hermione. "Don't give me any of your 'saving people thing' crap. You don't think any of us would give our lives to save the world? You actually think everyone intends to have you carry this burden alone? Are you DELUDED enough to assume that you will actually defeat Voldemort ALONE!? I have news for you Harry. I would die to save the world. I would die to save YOU!"

The last part of Hermione's speech was not planned. When she realized what she had said and the possible interpretations behind it, she blushed furiously. Harry blinked.

"Hermione's right. Don't be daft, mate. We've got your back." Ron said, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yeah. I would go on about 'Friends forever, Together forever' but…well, I don't want to." Ginny said, a slow smile spreading on her face.

Harry inspected Hermione's face. She seemed unable to look him in the eyes now. He wanted nothing more than for her to sit back down next to him, for her to be by his side like she always had for as long as he could remember. For him to make her feel better.

Suddenly there was a stumbling noise and they heard the kitchen door swing open. Mundungus Fletcher staggered in, obviously drunk off his rocker. Brown and purple tattered clothing hung off his thin frame and he held a beer in his hand. His eyes looked blankly at the teenagers in front of him and he tossed his bottle back into the kitchen.

"Bloody hell. I was outside having meself a drink and I heard some yellin. Bloody thought you all were being attacked." Mundungus hiccupped. Clearly if they had been being attacked, he would not have been able to do a damn thing about it.

"I thought all of the Order had gone to Grimmauld Place to talk about the attack." Ron said.

Mundungus seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Oh yes, poor Aberforth. Odd man, he is. Umm...ah. I was told to stay here and watch over you lot. You didn't expect them to leave you kids unattended, now did you?" He hiccupped again. The four exchanged looks.

"Well then, if you all aren't being attacked...I'll be outside in the chair enjoying meself. Just yell if you need me. Have a good night." He staggered away to retrieve his bottle.

"They leave us with Dung?" Ron said, shaking his head. "They might as well have left us with Malfoy."

Hermione grinned. When she turned to Harry she was startled to see that Harry was looking at her. He blinked when she caught his eye, but he didn't look away. Instead he smiled nervously. As if he were expecting something. Suddenly, Hermione realized what Harry wanted. She was not dumb, she knew that the entire household was extremely curious as to what her own secret was. But was now the time?

"I, um, I will be right back. I just need to check on Crookshanks..."