Harry Potter and the Second Prophecy

A/N I'm aware that my last A/N made most of you... a bit... ardent? Okay, I’m not going to liven it up for my sake- ya'll where pissed! But I did ask for it, as some of you where oh-so kind to point out; I obviously did something you didn’t appreciate.

But some of you did see where I was coming from and much recognition to TheGreenFairy, sweetie513, and Daddy'stinydancer (are you a dancer, I am!) for the very positive reviews. As you can see from these people, I wasn’t begging for reviews; if you read the Etiquette thing, it tells you how helpful they are to us writers. But then again, I could have put it in other words and a bit better, I didn't think before I posted it! I'm really sorry!! Oh, and I would NEVER discontinue a story, that is ridiculous (I really shouldn't have put that in there).

Also thanks to Asparagus, akjennymay9, Eschiva, The Shadows, akjennymay9 (thanks for the great site!) hrfurhrfur, Harryluvr (tell me if I forgot you!) for the info! I had figured out most of it, like everything on quidditch and what year everyone was in, you guys just fully confirmed it for me!

**Sorry, but when I uploaded this chapter, some of turned bold. I tried to redo it, but it isn’t bold on the word document, so I don’t know what happened. Just ignore it if you can see it… And I have no idea why there are links on some of the words. When I uploaded it happened, and it changed some of the words. Sorry, but there is nothing I can do about it.

~*~

Chapter Four:

“I ’T !” Harry yelled. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH, I’VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I ’T ANYMORE-”

“You do care,” said Dumbledore, calmly. “You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”

“I – ’T!” Harry yelled, sitting up in bed. He was surprised to find himself awake, and not in Professor Dumbledore’s office. He had been there just last June. Sirius had just died, and Professor Dumbledore had just told him that his life would either end in or include murder. Harry was still wondering how Dumbledore had just sat there calmly while he told Harry about the prophecy, the prophecy that said Lord Voldemort and Harry couldn’t live while the other survives. Harry put his head in his hands. His threat clenched and he took a deep breath. He still hadn’t told anyone about the prophecy. He would have told Sirius, but…Ron and Hermione still didn’t know.

Harry suddenly remembered his shout and looked across the room expecting to see Ron sitting up and looking at him like he was a nutter, but Ron wasn't. Looking closer, it didn't look like Ron was even there. Thinking he'd come back, Harry tried to go back to sleep without thinking of Dumbledore, or the prophecy, or Sirius...

Ron had been gone quite a while now. Harry climbed out of his bed and slowly opened the door; it creaked slightly. Looking down the hall, he saw Hermione’s door ajar. Harry walked down the hall. He stopped at the balcony when he saw Hermione and Ron sitting together.

Harry started to say something when he saw Hermione nod and lean forward, embracing Ron. Even though his back was to Harry, Ron didn’t seem surprised by Hermione’s sudden action. Then Hermione kissed Ron. Just like that. Harry couldn’t see where, but Hermione kissed Ron! Harry sank to the floor and held onto the rail. He stared open-mouthed in disbelief; a thousand solutions flooded his already full mind. He tensed up his eyebrows and looked away from the couple to recap: Hermione nodded, Hermione hugged Ron, Hermione kissed Ron…Ron not surprised by any of this. Harry, upon realization of what he just witnessed, jumped up and darted back to the room; his brain didn’t register the creak the floor made.

When he reached his room, Harry started pacing. He thought over the situation at hand and the only possible explanation flashed through his intellect- Ron asked Hermione out, Hermione nodded in acceptance and hugs him. Then they kissed… Harry stopped pacing and sat down, head in hands.

“What the bloody hell do they think they are doing?” he thought, angrily. “Why Hermione? And for that matter- why Ron!?”

Ron’s voice cut off his thoughts, “What should we do about Harry?” The said Harry heard Hermione shush him, and then he couldn’t hear her reply.

“So?” thought Harry, bitterly. “So, they decided to get together and now they don’t know what to do about me in the trio! This is just great! This is bloody fantastic! Rush into everything; then think about what you just rushed into!”

Harry heard the floor creak mere feet away from the door. He quickly laid flat and pulled the covers over his head.

Harry heard the door creak open and saw the hunched outline of Ron creep back to his bed. Harry pretended to be asleep and lay quiet and still. He heard Ron trip over his trunk and curse.

“Oh I bet that hurt!” Harry thought to himself sardonically.

Harry laid awake as Ron’s snores took over the silence. He was on his back with his hands behind his head, still thinking bitter thoughts when his inner conscience interrupted him-

“You’re just jealous!”

“I am not!” Harry argued back.

“Oh yes you are! Ron realized his emotions first and got to Hermione before you could. And you’re mad at your best mate for your own lack of realizing your obvious feelings!”

Harry quickly ended the conversation. Besides…what was the point of bickering with yourself? And how could he think of Hermione like that? It was silly… ludicrous… preposterous… ridiculous… absurd…

“Oh you’ve got it bad!” his inner-self slyly added in.

Harry changed the subject- this one was getting dangerous.

How was this going to affect their friendship? Everything was going to be different now. And they didn’t even want Harry to know…

***

Ron grunted awake. Sitting up, he saw Harry grumbling in his sleep.

“Gees that boy has too much pain going through his mind,” Ron muttered as he pulled on a shirt and crept out of the room. Ron got halfway down the hall when he heard a creak that normally wouldn’t have been loud, but in the dead of the night it was.

“Ron? What are you doing awake?” Hermione asked, her head protruding from around her door.

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep,” replied Ron, realizing that Hermione was looking at him in a t-shirt and boxers. But then he thought better; Hermione was Hermione- his best friend, more like a sister.

“You’re lying. I couldn’t sleep, but I think something else woke you up.”

Ron sighed and grinned. “Harry’s talking in his sleep.”

Hermione looked alarmed. “He isn’t having another attack from –”

“No,” Ron said quickly before she could say that name that she had suddenly been comfortable to say. “No, I don’t think so. He was just mumbling; nothing like before.”

“Oh,” Hermione looked uneasy.

“Well, I was going downstairs to make some hot chocolate. Care to join me?”

Hermione smiled, “Sure.” She tried to close the door, but it creaked loudly again, so she shrugged and left it open.

After Ron almost blew up a mug (Hermione had to do most of the actual ‘making’), they sat down in the living area on a couch.

“So what do you think is troubling Harry this time?” Hermione wondered aloud.

“Well, it thought it might be Sirius,” said Ron; Hermione nodded in agreement. “But I think he muttered ‘Dumbledore’.”

“Oh,” Hermione looked puzzled. “What could possibly be bothering him about Dumbledore? I mean, I was unconscious at the time, but didn’t he save Harry from Volde-” Ron winced. “Oh honestly Ron! You are almost sixteen years old!”

“Yea, so…even everyone above my age still don’t say it.” Ron thought to himself: “Does she have to have a go at me every time this comes up?”

“And almost everyone above your age hasn’t come close to meeting him face-to-face three times, now have they?”

Ron pretended he didn’t hear her. “Um…yes, Dumbledore saved him. At least that is what I was told. I was…I was…”

Hermione started giggling. Ron looked at her annoyingly.

“What? You don’t know! You weren’t exactly in-tune with things then, were you.”

“No, but you must have been told that, because you weren’t either,” Hermione managed to choke out. “Ginny told me about what happened to you.”

Ron looked a bit upset. “I was hit by a spell! That is what happens when you try to help out a friend!”

Hermione nodded and smiled. “Yes you deserve the best friend of the year award. Here’s your awarded hug!”

She reached forward in mock enthusiasm and hugged Ron tightly.

“Hermione… (deep breath)… you’re killing me!” Ron managed to choke out.

“Oh sorry,” she laughed and let you.

“Do I get anything else?” joked Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed him on the check, Ron beamed.

A creak interrupted the silence and Hermione squeaked. Ron looked at her questionably.

“I hate mice! They are so creepy!”

"Is that why you got that baby tiger?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.

Ron laughed and said, “We should get back upstairs. School starts tomorrow.” He looked at the huge grandfather clock standing against a wall. “Correction: school starts today.”

Hermione looked at the clock, then groaned. “Your right, we should get some sleep.”

They had gotten up the stairs and to Hermione’s room when Ron asked, “What should we do about Harry?”

“Shhh!” Hermione said, lowering her voice. “Don’t wake anyone up! I don’t know about Harry. He’d tell us if anything was bothering him, wouldn’t he?”

“I suppose,” said Ron. “Maybe we shouldn’t mention any of this to Harry; about our conversation. We don’t want another outburst.”

Hermione nodded and snuck into her room, closing the creaking door behind her.

Ron crept into his and Harry’s room and saw Harry quietly sleeping. As he made his way to his bed, tripping over his trunk (cursing that he had left it in the middle of the room), he was glad that Harry wasn’t dreaming and muttering anymore. Maybe now he’d have a peaceful sleep for once.

***

Harry awoke the next morning to Ron rummaging in his trunk. He sat there glaring at Ron’s back until he turned around; Harry raised his eyebrows innocently.

“Hey, mate. Have you seen my prefect badge? I can’t find it anywhere and I thought I left it in my trunk yesterday,” asked Ron.

“Um, no, I haven’t seen it,” said Harry in an obvious tone.

“Ok, well you better start packing. Mum said that we’re taking a bus to Kings Cross in an hour or so. Or at least I think that is what she yelled…Hold on, I’ll go ask her,” Ron said and he walked out of the room.

Harry stretched his arms out and swung his legs out from under the covers to place them on the ground. Two seconds too late he realized that he had stood on a very big, very bushy tail.

“Crookshanks!” Harry hissed, sitting back down, as the ginger cat disappeared around the corner.

Harry closed his eyes, sighing, and stood up again. Turning around and bending over, he opened his eyes and pulled a pair of trousers and a muggle shirt out of his trunk (the one that Hermione gave him for his birthday; something from…Abber…crummy?... Harry was too tired to remember). Harry realized that someone was watching him and he looked up, startled, and clad only in boxers, at Hermione.

She blushed and said really quickly, “Can you tell Ron that his badge is in Ginny’s trunk?” and left.

Harry wondered how long she had stood there. “Oh well, it doesn’t really matter, now does it?” he asked himself, sulkily. “She is going out with Ron, remember?”

Ron came back into the room, confirmed their plans, and started looking through is trunk again.

“Oh yea, Hermione came in and said that Ginny has your badge,” muttered Harry, putting emphasis on ‘Hermione’.

“Thanks,” said Ron, happy-go-lucky, and he departed again, leaving Harry furious with himself. He couldn’t just go around making fun of Ron, even if he was oblivious to it. This had happened before. Wasn’t it just last summer that he, Harry, had gotten so jealous at Ron that he was angry with him? Maybe this was no different. Maybe he was jealous that Hermione wanted Ron, not him. But even so, Harry shouldn’t be mad, it’s not like they were marrying each other.

Just then, Ron walked in wearing a shiny, black tuxedo and carrying Hermione in a long, flowing white dress; her arms wrapped around his neck. She giggled and kissed Ron on the cheek.

“Hey mate!” he said. “Hermione and I got married, remember? Don’t worry, you were the best man- you know…not quite the groom, but still significant.”

Harry stared at the couple then closed his eyes and squeezed his head between his hands. Looking back up, there was nothing there but an empty threshold.

Ron walked in holding his newly found badge, causing Harry to jump.

“What’s going on with you?” asked Ron. “You are acting kind of…odd this morning.”

“Um…nothing. I’m just tired. Have you seen my new transfiguration book?” said Harry, babbling. No way was he going to say “Oh, nothing. I just imagined that you married Hermione. And I was jealous.”

Ron raised an eyebrow, reached into Harry’s trunk and tossed the book to Harry. “You get enough sleep last night?”

“Oh, yea. I was asleep the whole night. Err, I didn’t wake up once,” said Harry, nodding.

Ron shrugged and turned to his trunk and started to check for all his things. Harry stopped nodding and rolled his eyes. He replaced his Transfiguration book and noted that nothing was missing from his trunk.

Harry and Ron ventured into the hall. It looked to Harry that Ron was about to knock on Hermione and Ginny's door, so Harry sped up and walked past.

"Harry, where are you going?" asked Ron.

"Oh, I'm just hungry. I'll meet you downstairs." Harry said.

"Na," said Ron. "I'm pretty hungry myself."

Harry couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"What's so funny?" Ron demanded.

"Ron,” Harry wondered how to put this. "When are you not hungry?"

Ron gave him a small kick walking down the stairs, causing Harry to trip into the railing.

"Are you trying to kill me? That is what V-”Harry stopped himself in shock. That was close. Harry knew that it was obvious that Voldemort was trying to kill Harry, after his failed four attempts. But Harry didn't really want any raised questions about the subject.

Ron looked at Harry questionably, who shook his head and proceeded to walk into the private parlor designated for the Weasley clan, Harry, and Hermione. He and Ron stopped just outside of the door, realizing that someone was talking inside. Harry could here faint murmurs and could sometimes catch a word. He recognized that the voices belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

He also heard someone that he had never heard before say something, then a gasp followed by Mrs. Weasley. Harry heard her reply, “Are you positive he didn’t get it?”

Becoming interested, he pressed his ear to the door in time to hear Mr. Weasley say, “…we’re not certain… but I don’t want him to go looking for him and find himself in danger again.”

Ron looked inside the keyhole.

“That’s Elphias Doge,” said Ron, looking at Harry. “He’s in the Order of the and I believe he works for the ministry.”

After a ‘pop’ reached their ears from the other side of the door, Ron checked and saw that Elphias Doge had disapparated. They walked into the room.

"Good morning, Harry dear. We've just ordered breakfast!” said Mrs. Weasley, a bit over-cheerily. Harry could only guess whom they were just talking about.

Mr. Weasley added, "Ron, why don't you go and get the others. Harry, a letter arrived for you last night.”

Harry and Ron looked at each other then went their separate ways. Harry walked up to the table where a small envelope made of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink, lay. Harry wondered what Hogwarts possibly wanted with him. He flipped it over, broke the purple wax seal, and read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am sorry that I have not tried to contact to you since last July. I felt that you needed some time alone to think and absorb our last conversation. But, I would like to request your presence in my office after the opening feast on September 1^st. I would very much like to discuss certain pressing matters with you that have come to my attention.

I hope you have a pleasant day,

Professor Dumbledore

Harry sat down and folded the letter back up, wondering what Dumbledore needed to speak to him so urgently about. ‘Pressing matters?’ He figured it wasn’t going to be one of those “Hi, how was your summer?” chats; Dumbledore wanted him over what he said last July. That couldn’t be good.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George walked through the door and Harry quickly hid the letter in his pocket. Ron looked a little red as he sat down on Harry’s left; Fred and George sat on his right. Ginny took her seat next to Hermione. Hermione gave Harry a gentle smile before sitting across from him. Harry just stared blankly at her.

He had been thinking a lot about last night. Harry couldn’t decide why he was so mad and resentful. Was it because Ron has a girlfriend and he does not? Or was it because that said girlfriend is Hermione?

***

Hermione sat on her bed with one of her new schoolbooks open in front of her before breakfast. Ginny was writing quite an extensive letter.

Hermione hadn’t gotten much sleep last night; she was far too worried about Harry. She stopped reading to think about him after every other sentence it seemed.

“Snoozes are mainly land creatures, but can live underwater due to the small, built in gills on the side of their heads …What if Voldemort was attacking him … No, that’s silly,” Hermione thought. “-Mainly land creatures … no I read that … Snoozes, like all animals of the genitival species hibernate during the summer …What if Voldemort was trying to find out information about Dumbledore? No, that’s not possible. The snooze has amazing super-strength, including extra large abs muscles … Harry has some pretty ‘large’ abs muscles …” Hermione looked up, surprised at herself. She thought about earlier when she had walked in on him. He must be doing something else because no way could riding a broom give someone muscles like that.

Hermione shook herself. Was she really thinking about this? “No!” she convinced herself, but she still closed her book; it was pointless. She sighed and lied down. Hermione didn’t really know what was going on inside her head lately, and that scared her.

Ginny put her quill down and sighed a sigh that Hermione recognized.

“Who are you writing to?” asked a curious Hermione.

“Dean,” said Ginny, coming out of her daydream. She rummaged through her trunk. “Have you seen my red sealing wax?”

Hermione felt guilty – Crookshanks had looked a bit ... of color lately. But she could only assume.

“Here, you can have my stick. I don’t use it anymore,” said Hermione and she tossed Ginny the hardly used red stick.

Ginny looked down at the wax she caught and up at Hermione. “But ... isn’t this the wax we bought for...?”

“Yes.”

“And I can have it...”

“Yes.”

“... Because...?”

“Because, as I said, I don’t need it anymore,” said Hermione. “Victor broke up with me a long time ago. Something about a French woman he found on a tour... I don’t know.”

“Oh, Hermione! I’m sorry,” said Ginny.

“No, it’s fine. So, how is everything with Dean?”

“Oh, well, you know. I didn’t want to say anything... but now that you asked...”

Hermione lifted a brow.

Ginny sighed that lovesick sigh again. “Everything is absolutely perfect.”

Hermione smiled courteously. Inside she was envious. She knew she shouldn’t be; she should be happy that her friend found someone that made her happy. But she couldn’t help but wonder...

A knock at the door startled her. Ron pocked his head inside and said, “Almost ready? We have less than an hour before we have to leave. Breakfast is downstairs.”

“Yea, okay,” said Ginny. “Hey, Ron. Can I borrow Pig for the day?”

“Uh, yea. Sure.”

Ginny smiled broadly, finished sealing her letter, and left to find Pig.

Ron watched his sister skip down the hall. “Who is she writing to anyway?”

“If she wants to tell you, she’ll tell you,” said Hermione plainly.

Ron narrowed his eyes.

“It’s a girl thing.”

Ron looked contemplative as he left, bumping into Ginny on his way out.

“Ginny!” said Ron, a little over-enthusiastically.

“Ron?” said Ginny reproachfully.

“So, who are you writing to?”

“Dean Thomas,” she said vaguely.

Ron looked furious. His face went beet red to match the color of his annual Weasley jumper. Hermione could have sworn she saw steam rising above him. But he forced a smile and backed out of the room, his eyes searching Ginny behind is stretched grin.

Ginny looked totally unworried. “Breakfast?”

Hermione could hear Fred, George, and Ron before actually seeing them. Stepping into the hall, she saw the three bickering boys, Ron actually taller then both his older brothers.

“You’re just like Percy!” accused Fred.

“Hey! Now just because you stole my badge-” Ron sounded offended. Hermione huffed.

“Steal is a harsh word, don’t you think Fred?”

“Very. Besides, we just borrowed it.”

“Borrowed-” began Ron.

“Yea, borrowed. And now you have it back.”

“What were you going to do with it anyway?” demanded Ron, brandishing his Prefect badge.

“If we told you-”

“We’d have to kill you.” Fred finished plainly.

Ron stared at them, them turned and disappeared into his room to put up his badge. Fred and George walked down the hall up to Hermione smiling innocently, or as innocent as they could pull off.

“Nice try, but I know exactly where my badge is and if -”

“What gave you the idea that we’d want your badge?” said Fred simply. “You at least have a sense of humour; it’s much more fun to mess with Ron.”

“At any rate, you’d just turn it back with one of your clever spells. Ron wouldn’t know what to do,” laughed George. Fred hit his twin in the shoulder as Ron walked back into the hall. George straightened his face.

They all walked downstairs and into the parlor. Hermione saw Harry glance up quickly as if he had been startled to see them. Hermione smiled slightly at him before sitting down. Harry seemed at a loss for words as he just stared back at her.

Ginny sat down next to her. Between bites of toast, she quietly talked all about Dean’s letters over the summer. Hermione listened politely, wishing she hadn’t asked her earlier.

Different thoughts formed in her mind and Ginny droned on. She really hadn’t given boys much thought. But Ginny’s words had triggered something. Victor had broken up with her before she had started her revision for her OWL’s; so, after the break-up, all she had time to think about were the upcoming exams. They would, after all, shape her future. And after that, she worried over her results (What if she had failed something? What would that have done to her NEWT’s?). Her recently received letter put those fears at rest.

Hermione saw Crookshanks dart out from underneath a cabinet she had been absent – mindedly staring at, which interrupted her thoughts.

She quickly looked back at Ginny and absorbed herself into the puppy-love-sick girl’s babbling, who hadn’t even noticed her audience’s inattentiveness.

***

Harry’s eyes looked up at Hermione. She was engaged in a conversation with Ginny; or rather, she listened as Ginny talked. A strand of hair escaped from behind her ear. She annoyingly tucked it back. Hermione glanced at Harry, who looked down at his plate. He had just unknowingly answered his own question.

~*~

A/N The Shadows- you’re absolutely right...I think at the beginning I had so many new
ideas that I rushed to get chapters finished (after I had posted them I regretted it b/c I wanted to change small bits, etc). Thanks for the tips; I will definitely work on my detail and description. In fact, I rewrote most of this chapter (I was ready to post it a couple of nights ago) after reading your review! Thanks again!


**If I haven't said already, I am an American who lives (temporarily!) in . So, I get things like spellings, certain words, etc mixed up and sometimes use the American way and sometimes use the English way consistently! So, with that said, I need a Beta Reader. I would very much appreciate someone to do this, and I think that it would considerably help out my story! If anyone who isn't still angry with me is interested, please email me at heather_644@tiscali.co.uk (or any other way you’d like- aim, msn, review- the most efficient way is an email or review- just give me your email address and I will get back to you soon.) I would love you forever!

Thanks!

parvati_patil