Disclaimer: It's all JK's
**
Harry's eyes wandered to find Hermione in the crowd. She was clapping and cheering loudly. Her cheeks were flushed a light pink from the brisk winds buffeting the high towers. Harry smiled at her.
Hermione was one of his best friends, he reminded himself firmly. Ron…Ron was another of his best friends. This situation was entirely impossible. He was just grateful to her because she'd helped him out so much recently. He remembered the decisive way he had dismissed Viktor Krum last year; "we're friends." He remembered his conversation with Ron earlier that very day. They seemed to be a lifetime ago, a different lifetime. Cursing, he told himself to stop being so foolish, and to go off and concentrate on the match.
He tilted his broom and gradually soared higher to scan the pitch. Suddenly his ears popped, and slightly bewildered he shook his head. As the now-familiar static noises screamed into his ears, Harry started to fly towards the ground, aware of what was coming…
A blanket of red dropped before his eyes like a curtain. He blinked furiously but his brain had stopped listening to any commands. The static faded away and Harry was immediately in a different place. He was sitting at a desk. The wood was dark and knotted, stained a deep black colour. Strewn across the surface were various sheets of paper. Leaning closer, Harry tried to read the nearest. His pulse was thudding thickly inside his head and he could feel his temples throbbing. Straining, he turned his gaze to the sheets before him. Heart racing, he looked down at the faces of his classmates; it was the Annual Hogwarts School Photograph. All the students waved cheerfully at him, Snape grimaced on the back row and there, on the left, fourth row back, Harry looked at himself, Ron and Hermione, and all the breath went out of his body.
He desperately tried to move strangely unresponsive eyes over the other sheets on the table but he couldn't make them move. Then the pictures started to blur, colours bleeding into one another. Bright flashes of light seared across his vision and red blotches started to seep in from the edges. His last exhausted thought before passing into peaceful oblivion was of Hermione's cheering blush-tinged face.
**
Harry winced and opened one eye cautiously. He knew immediately, from years of familiarity that he was back in the hospital wing. He tentatively began to move his limbs and digits and was reassured when each responded, if a little painfully. Opening his other eye he quickly scanned the deserted ward. Nothing. He gave a sigh of relief but as soon as his mouth opened to take in the air, a large slab of chocolate slammed into it.
"One day Mr Potter I should like to see you outside of this room" said Madam Pomfrey firmly. "Bite down please"
Half choking, Harry bit off a substantial portion of the bar and tried to chew it. His head hadn't quite caught up with his jaws and, as he chewed, he tried to remember what had happened.
"Quidditch Harry!" said Madam Pomfrey, eerily reading his mind. "Just a few broken bones, but thankfully all I had to do this time was mend them! No harm done. Ah" she said, as she bustled around his bed fluffing the pillows, "here's Professor Dumbledore for you."
Harry turned his head with a stab of pain to watch the Headmaster approach his bed. His eyes were twinkling behind the little spectacles. Dumbledore walked to the foot of Harry's bed.
"Harry, we are being forced to give serious consideration to the arrangement of some sort of net across the Quidditch field. This is most unusual." He said, smiling.
"Professor…" Harry said, through a mouthful of chocolate. "I need to tell you…"
"It's alright Harry, take your time" he cut in. "Madam Pomfrey, I wonder if I could impose upon you. Would you mind fetching Miss Granger and Mr Weasley from the Common Room? I think, Harry" he said " that it's time we saved you the need to say everything twice." He looked meaningfully at Harry over the top of his glasses, and Harry nodded gratefully.
Madam Pomfrey returned speedily with Hermione and Ron. They ran to his side and Harry could see the concern etched into their features.
"Harry mate" said Ron shakily "try and stay on your bloody broom will you?"
"Harry, are you ok?" asked Hermione.
He waved away her sympathy with a nod and playfully grimaced at Ron.
"Harry was just about to tell me the reason for his spectacular dismount" said Dumbledore.
"I saw…I've been seeing…I think I saw through Voldemort's eyes" stammered Harry slowly.
Hermione's mouth dropped open, Ron's face blanched so white that his freckles seemed to burn out of his skin, but Dumbledore merely nodded calmly. "Madam Pomfrey" he called "I believe Minerva would like to speak with you about St Mungo's training positions. She is in the Teachers Lounge at present unoccupied. It seems that now would be an ideal time."
Used to this kind of request by now, Madam Pomfrey bustled carefully from the room.
Harry wondered whether there was anything the Headmaster didn't know.
"I had feared this may happen Harry" said Dumbledore slowly.
"What?" gasped Ron. Hermione still hadn't moved.
"What did you see Harry?" asked Dumbledore.
"I don't know" said Harry shaking his head slowly. "The first time it happened was in a dream and it was very confusing. I think I saw books and fire, and someone screaming."
"They must never find out" supplemented Ron helpfully, mimicking Harry's fevered rant. "Sorry mate, go on".
"The next time was just a flash, there was a fire I think…and maybe someone else was there…And this time…" Harry choked "…I saw Hogwarts."
"You saw this castle?" asked Dumbledore urgently.
"No" said Harry "I saw a photograph of all the Hogwarts students and staff. It was that picture…"
"Ah yes" said Dumbledore. "I believe you are referring to the Annual Photograph…"
"Oh yeah" said Ron "I remember. That's got Goyle raising two fin-…eyebrows to the camera over and over" he finished mindful of their Headmaster.
"Indeed" said Dumbledore.
Hermione still hadn't moved.
"Harry I suspect it is time to share something with you, something it's possible I should have shared a long time ago. In my defence, this situation is quite without precedent. The story begins Harry, with history."
Ron guided Hermione to a chair beside Harry's bed, and then seated himself next to her.
"Like the Muggles we have our own ancient history, preserved by the oral traditions of early wizarding bards. Our stories of magic began to mix with Muggle folklore and there's very little uncontested detail about our distant past. One of the stories that was passed on from my father's father's father's…well, passed on through many generations reads:
One day dark shall clash with light,
Thence produced two shadows fleet,
Never the one without the other,
Never the distant twain shall meet."
Hermione had recovered enough by this point to emit a small sceptical snort.
"I take your point Hermione" smiled Dumbledore. "The phrasing is a little…ambiguous shall we say."
"It sounds like a Muggle story Professor."
"I agree" he said sagely, "But many Muggle stories contain a deeper wisdom. I have been reluctant to share this poem with you Harry, for these very reasons. You will have to admit" he pointedly looked at Hermione "that your case does fit the specifications remarkably."
"Professor I have slept with Harry's foot in my face…He is in no way 'light'" snorted Ron.
"It's metaphorical." sighed Hermione.
"I was joking" protested Ron.
"Have you got any proof Professor Dumbledore?" asked Hermione.
Dumbledore was looking at Harry, who was silently mouthing the words to the poem over and over again.
"Have you ever done a spell when you were angry Harry?"
Harry laughed, then blushed. "You know I have Professor. I accidentally inflated my Aunt!"
"Emotions are powerful forces Harry. They are primal and natural; it's inevitable that they influence the primal and natural forces of magic. Feelings can interfere with spells; it's why you survived. When your mother gave her life to save you Harry, she fought off death with life and love. The reaction caused by this conflict could have had all manner of repercussions."
"So, you think that Harry's Mum and Voldemort mixed magic and emotion to create some kind of hybrid?" asked Hermione.
"Cool, Harry, you're a mutant!" enthused Ron.
"Hermione, what I am saying precisely is that I know nothing precisely, if you see what I mean" said Dumbledore calmly.
"I see" said Harry, although he didn't.
"I don't understand" said Hermione, wringing her hands. "What does this mean for Harry?"
"Well, clearly, it seems that somehow he and Voldemort have become connected."
"Now who's the idiot" said Ron, sticking his tongue out at Hermione. "But hang on…if Harry and Voldemort swap places, does that mean that for a few minutes it was Voldemort playing Seeker for Gryffindor?" he asked aghast.
"Ron!" scolded Hermione.
"I assure you Ron, I would never have thought to approach the situation from that perspective. A very valuable insight" said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.
Harry had chuckled a little, but he was finding all this prophecy stuff a little tiring on top of his headache. Light? Dark? Meet? He needed to think about this and go over it with Hermione.
"Harry, I owled the Order of the Phoenix as soon as you fell. Mr Carroway and Mr Dent will be in my office first thing tomorrow. Perhaps, after some rest, you may feel fit to join us. We will work this out Harry." Dumbledore pressed a hand to Harry's shoulder and then, with a nod to Hermione and Ron, left the room.
Harry realized this had turned out to be a very long day. And, Merlin, it was still Hermione's birthday!
"Not much of a birthday" he said to her.
"Well" she smiled "you'll have to make it up to me with lots more wonderful presents! Where did you two find this necklace anyway?"
"Urgh" sighed Ron. "That is a very long story!"
**
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