The Dawn's Betrayal

Juvelemancy

Rating: PG13
Genres: Angst, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 14/08/2005
Last Updated: 19/08/2005
Status: paused

Harry gets sent to Azkaban after the Third Task fiasco. Very few believe in his innocence until Voldemort decides to show his face, and right the wrongs of the Order of the Phoenix.

Chapters

1. Trial and Error

2. The Release and the Broken Family

3. Ron's Reprimand

1. Trial and Error

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or any characters, things, or stuff related to it. The plot and a few new characters are mine though.

Summary: Harry gets sent to Azkaban after the Third Task fiasco. Very few believe in his innocence until Voldemort decides to show his face, and right the wrongs of the Order of the Phoenix.

The Dawn’s Betrayal

Chapter One

Trial and Error

Harry’s last few days had been very rough on him. As he sat on his new bed, he contemplated what had happened.

After he had returned from the Third Task of the TriWizard Tournament, he was immediately swamped by people. Everyone wanted to know what happened.

And then they all caught sight of Cedric’s limp dead body that he was holding on to. Everyone backed up a few paces.

Harry looked up and saw Dumbledore running through the crowd trying to get to him. Dumbledore saw the Cedric, and a look of revulsion spread across his face.

His voice rang out clear through the silence that had come about when Cedric was seen. “How could you, Harry? What did Cedric do to you?”

Harry realized something was wrong. All the people here seemed to think that he had killed Cedric.

“Profess-”

Another voice rang out over the silence. “Quiet, boy.” Mad-Eye Moody was limping over to the Harry, with everyone crawling to get out of his way.

“But Profess-,” Harry tried again.

“I told you to be Quiet!” Moody roared, his eye rolling to take in the scene.

Harry quickly shut up. Moody walked over to Cedric, and started waving his wand over him. “The boy’s definitely dead. And the imprint matches Harry’s wand. He has Harry’s magical signature all over him. It seems Harry’s gone dark, Albus.”

Dumbledore looked over at Harry sadly, before rechecking Moody’s results. After finishing, he looked over at Harry again, with no small amount of loathing.

Harry was detained at wand-point. Moody kept him in place while waiting for the Aurors to come.

After about a half an hour, the Aurors came, along with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge looked positively gleeful at a chance to arrest the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry was locked inside a Ministry holding cell for a few days to await his trial.

The trial itself was a complete farce. Only two of the people Harry once considered friends didn’t show up. Hermoine Granger and Ginny Weasley. Harry came to the conclusion they either believed him, or hated him way too much. Harry forced himself to believe the former, because if it was the latter, he couldn’t have taken it.

Since only those two didn’t show up, Harry saw every other important person in his life, showing their hatred on their sleeves. Ron watched with ill covered joy as he was arrested. Harry could practically see the thoughts running through Ron’s head.

‘I knew it! I was right! Harry’s just a delusional boy whose fame went to his head. Now I can take advantage of this, and make myself famous! I always wanted to be famous. And if I’m famous, then I’ll be rich! Rich, rich, rich, rich!’

Mrs. Weasley was crying on Mr. Weasley, wondering where she went wrong. Charlie, one of the two oldest Weasley children was looking murderous. Bill, the eldest Weasley, was looking thoughtful, and very angry. The look of anger on his face was directed at Dumbledore though, not Harry. Bill and Charlie had both come back for the trial, though for different reasons. Fred and George had identical looks of anger etched on their faces, also pointed at Dumbledore. Fred, George, and Bill all couldn’t believe Harry would do such thing.

Harry was angry after the trial. He didn’t even get a chance to defend himself. They just stated the case against him, sent up witnesses and told all of the information. Then the jury immediately voted against him.

He was sentenced to life in Azkaban for the use of an Unforgivable on another human.

The dementors came floating out of the double doors. Two of the horrible things. The first one unlocked his bindings, and the second one took a hold of his wrists. The dementors then proceeded to clamp manacles on his wrists and ankles.

Harry felt the magic start to drain out of him, once the manacles were in place. After a few seconds, he fainted. The dementors’ presence had become too much for him.

He woke up a few days later in a strange outcropping in a hallway. There were two dementors sitting outside of his outcropping. Technically it was a cell, but there were no bars to keep him in place.

Harry stood up, and tried to walk out of the cell. The moment Harry stepped out, a strange force pushed him back in.

An Auror walked down the hallway, and saw Harry fighting to get out of his cell.

“Don’t even try it boy. You’ll never get out. These cells are created for just that reason. They taunt any person with the lure of freedom, if only they can get past the wards. Which is impossible because nobody can do magic with those shackles on.”

The Auror was right. It would drive anyone to insanity to know that their escape was just a few feet away, but was stopped by an invisible wall.

Harry was completely and utterly trapped. He was walled in, in every way. He had no emotional escapes, due to the dementors outside of his door. He had no physical escapes due to the walls and the invisible barrier. He broke down crying.

1 Year, 1 Month, and 7 Days after the Third Task.

Early Morning…

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, deep in thought. He pondered and pondered, but he could never figure out where he went wrong. How could Harry Potter have become a murderer, right under his nose? Dumbledore prided himself on knowing everything that went through a student of his’ mind. But Harry Potter was an enigma. How could Harry have the anger and hatred to create something like the ‘Avada Kedavra’ curse? Dumbledore was at a complete loss.

The fire flared green and a face popped up. Cornelius Fudge was in the fire, panic on his face. “Dumbledore, you’ve got to help! They’re attacking! Somebody’s attacking the Ministry! Help!”

Dumbledore jumped up, and ran towards the fire. “What?! Who’s attacking the Ministry?”

“Death Eaters!” Fudge shouted. “Come quick, they’re trying to get into my office!”

Dumbledore stood up, and grabbed the phoenix pendant hanging around his neck. He called out to the air, “Death Eaters are attacking the Ministry, my friends, and we must help them!”

Fudge vanished out of the fire, and Dumbledore pulled out a small package of special floo powder. He tossed it in the fire, and it blazed a bright orange color. Dumbledore jumped into the fire, and shouted “The Ministry of Magic, Minister’s Office,” and vanished in the flames.

Dumbledore flew out of the fireplace, and jumped to the door of the room. Waving his wand, he blasted the door off of its hinges, knocking death eaters away. Dumbledore jumped into battle, along with all of his friends, the Order of the Phoenix.

All at once, the death eaters started running away, to get to the Atrium of the Ministry as per their Master’s plan.

Voldemort watched from the center of the Atrium, sitting on the base of the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He heard his death eaters charging down the hallways to get to the Atrium. He stood up to watch as they entered the room, chased down by the Order of the Phoenix.

At the back of the Order, Dumbledore watched as the death eaters ran to the Atrium. He lashed out with a powerful stunning spell, leaving one of the death eaters lying on the ground, and continued running.

Voldemort, tired of just watching, raised his wand above his head. An echoing bang erupted from it, stopping all movement in the hall as they looked for the source of the sound.

Dumbledore looked at the man who made the loud bang. He slightly recognized him, but the cloak hood obscured too much of his face. Albus realized he must be the new leader of the Death Eaters.

Voldemort’s eyes sought Dumbledore’s. He found them already staring at him. He slid his wand back in its holster, and pulled his hood down. Hearing a gasp from the crowd, he realized someone figured out who he was, and he was placing his money on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked into the man’s face, and immediately recognized it. It was one of the two faces that constantly haunted his dreams. It was one of the two men who he had taken under his wing and one of the two who had betrayed him.

The man was tall, with black hair going down to his waist. His eyes glowed red, and had an aura of evil surrounding them. If one could not see this man’s eyes, one would think that he was a normal person. But one look in the eyes, and you saw death itself.

“Hello Dumbledore, fancy seeing you here.”

“T-Tom… how… how is this possible? You… you’re dead!”

“Do I look dead to you, old man? Young Harry brought me back to life.”

“Harry brought you back? Why would Harry bring you back?”

“Oh, I never said he wanted to bring me back, but he did. He had no choice. He was trapped up against a tombstone, and tied there. His blood was taken from him and used to bring me back. But you wouldn’t know that, would you? No, because you condemned Harry without listening to his side of the story! I was hoping to kill Harry, but you did a good enough job of keeping him out of my hair that it doesn’t matter. He’s probably insane by now, what with how badly the dementors affect him. Oh well, too bad for you. You no longer have the boy ‘with the power to defeat the dark lord.’”

Voldemort spoke, emphasizing the last few words.

Dumbledore gasped. “You know!” he nearly shouted.

Voldemort pulled out a clear sphere out of his robes, and held it up to the light.

“Of course I know. Did you really think you could hide something this important from me, Dumbledore?”

Voldemort jumped down from fountain, and raised his wand. “Be glad, Dumbledore, that I didn’t decide to raid Azkaban first and release Harry, to see what he wants to do to you. I would have let him have every one of you, because he could defeat all of you. He has enough skill easily. And his time in Azkaban has only strengthened that.”

“Why would you release Harry? What good would come of it, besides having another servant behind you? He’s not better than all the rest of them.”

“That’s just it, Dumbledore. He’s not one of my servants. He never was. He’s an innocent little boy, stuck in the confines of Azkaban. Well, maybe not innocent any more, but all the same. I ordered the killing of the boy, it was my wand that cast the spell, and it was my magical energy put behind it. That sniveling Wormtail couldn’t cast an Unforgivable for his life.”

Dumbledore reacted as if he had been slapped. He recoiled back, and started shaking.

“Yes, Dumbledore, that’s it. Now you realize the implications of your misinformation. My servant among your ranks is a very amazing actor, wouldn’t you say. He managed to get you to arrest the boy, without much trouble if I do say so. Alastor, would you mind coming over here and waiting for a minute or two.”

Moody walked forward, stopping at his Lord’s side. He kneeled down, and brought his lips to the robe at Voldemort’s feet. As he stood, his features began to change, melting away. First his leg was restored, and the fake leg rolled away. Then the fake eye popped out, and rolled away as well, replaced by a real one. The broken countenance of a face was restored and youth returned to it. The gray and black hair lightened up until it was a sandy blonde. He stood up slightly taller, and turned around.

Bartemius Crouch Jr. was standing in front of the crowd, although most couldn’t recognize him. Dumbledore actually had a look of hatred on his face.

“I can’t believe I fell for that. How stupid can I get?” Dumbledore asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Quite stupid. You’re you, Dumbledore. You always make mistakes, you trust too easily.” Crouch, it seemed, finally spoke.

“But… you d-died… in Azkaban. How are you still alive?” Dumbledore whispered.

“Do you really think my father would really let me rot in Azkaban? Did you think he was so heartless, even to his own family? I guess you did. Well that’s too bad that you assumed such things. My father freed me from Azkaban, by replacing me with my dying mother. She would have died then anyways, so my father switched her with me. So I lived and was released, and she died in Azkaban.”

“My father kept me trapped for a long time, before I felt the calling of the Dark Lord again. When he contacted me, I fell into his service once again, and from there became a spy among your ranks. You were all fooled when I took Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody’s place, because of all the things he did kept you from figuring me out.”

A bunch of old thoughts surfaced in Dumbledore’s mind. Alastor calling him ‘Headmaster’ again, instead of Albus. The way he would only drink out of his hip-flask once every hour. All the little things added up now. Dumbledore had a few questions of his own though.

“How long?”

Crouch Jr. laughed. “I’ve been inside for about two years, now. You fell for it, to use a muggle saying, hook, line, and sinker.”

Dumbledore reeled again. That meant that Crouch could have had the chance to alter the magical signature on Cedric Diggory’s body. More strange pieces fell into place. Harry was innocent; there was no denying it now!

Dumbledore let out a strangled cry. How could he have been so stupid? He didn’t even try to find out if the boy had done anything! He had just boxed him up and sent him off to Azkaban of all places! Dumbledore knew of Harry’s bad reaction to the dementors, and that would be nothing compared to being constantly in their presence.

“You know, Dumbledore. I almost pity you. You failed to even try to help the boy. And you were supposed to be the boy’s mentor, the grandfatherly figure in his life. And you stabbed him in the back, along with all of these other traitors! How does it feel, Dumbledore, to know that you surely lost your only chance at this war, because you had a single spy in your midst? Because you didn’t feel the need to test Harry under Veritaserum? You are far too trusting Dumbledore! It will be your end!” With that last shout, Voldemort and all of the Death Eaters disapparated.

Throughout all of this, someone was watching.

Somewhere else…

“Well, my friends, it seems I will be leaving you soon. I thank you for all of your help. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more, but don’t worry, I’ll be returning soon enough.”

2. The Release and the Broken Family

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything Harry Potter. If I did, I would be really freaking rich! (Plot and any Characters you don’t recognize are mine! ALL MINE!!!)

The Dawn’s Betrayal

Chapter Two

The Release and the Broken Family

Dumbledore collapsed at his desk, once again wondering where he went wrong. How could he have done such a thing, without even thinking about the consequences? He was completely horrible. The evidence was hardly even circumstantial, let alone solid. How could he have been so… stupid? So horrible?

Crouch Jr. had been right. He was too trusting. He allowed the fake Alastor to lead him into a trap. He had gone along like a sheep to the slaughter!

Dumbledore vowed to himself then and there to find out what he could do to make Harry forgive him, and to do it as quickly as possible. He felt horrible about everything that the boy had to endure because of him.

Dumbledore had been the one to place Harry at the Dursley's because he believed that family love could overcome any of the past arguments between Petunia and Lily Evans. Dumbledore didn’t know it then, and he didn’t find out that Harry had been being abused by them, until he looked of Harry’s file.

Harry had a file that kept record of all of his physical conditions and the reasons for them. Dumbledore had it made so that he could keep track of Harry’s condition while at the Dursleys’. He had completely forgotten about it until four months after Harry had been incarcerated in Azkaban.

Once he had looked into Harry’s file, he felt sickened.

Dumbledore had never told anyone about the abuse he found to be heaped on the boy. The Dursleys’ had treated Harry like a slave. He had cooked all of their meals, and stayed in the cupboard under the stairs. He had a broken bone at least once a week, and it was never taken care of. Harry’s magic had cured him more times than Dumbledore could count.

Not that Dumbledore had cared at the time. Dumbledore just wondered if that was Harry’s reason for killing Cedric. Maybe he had too much built up anger.

Dumbledore realized that Harry would feel terrible after his ordeal at Azkaban, if he wasn’t completely insane by then. He would need some sort of guard, someone he could trust. Nearly everyone had betrayed him, so who could be prepared?

Dumbledore sat, and contemplated that.

One Month Later

Albus sat at his desk once again contemplating the world. Harry was due out to be released today, and somehow the Daily Prophet had gotten a hold of this information. They had a field day with so many articles, all about Harry. They had articles about his life with the Dursleys, his life at Hogwarts, how he was framed. There was one completely about “How Great Harry Potter Really Is!” It was complete insanity for all this to be about one person.

Harry Potter, Innocent of All Charges?

It seems, a few months ago, terrible information was given about one Harry Potter. This information came from the mouth of You-Know-Who himself, stating that Harry had never killed Cedric Diggory at the end of the TriWizard Tournament. According to the testimony of both Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, You-Know-Who told them directly that Harry had no connection to the death of Cedric. It seems You-Know-Who himself did the work. This information seems to have been hidden away since it was received.

This means that Harry Potter will be free. Harry is in fact being released today, by order of the Minister of Magic himself. Minister Fudge states that he will be stepping down from the Minister post this afternoon.

Dumbledore stared at the page, not really taking it in. Harry is being released today, and Fudge is stepping down. Why is Fudge stepping down?

Dumbledore looked up at the door and called, “Come in, Mr. Weasley.”

The door opened, and Ron walked in.

“Is it… is it true?”

“I’m afraid so, Mr. Weasley.”

“Oh, great! What am I supposed to do now? He’ll hunt me down!”

Ron started pacing up and down room.

Dumbledore sat still, letting him rant for a little while before breaking in. “Mr. Weasley, please, sit down. I wouldn’t want to have to repair a hole in my rug.”

“How can you be so calm, Professor? How can you not be scared? Harry’s going to come after all of us!”

“No, Mr. Weasley, Harry will not be coming after all of us. He will be coming after most of us. Remember, there is a few who believed in his innocence.”

Ron’s already wide eyes widened a little bit more. “Oh no. My sister and Hermione. They were right. Damn it, they were right all along! And I was persecuting them, the whole time for believing him! What sort of a brother am I?”

A voice from the door answered, “Not one, any more.”

Ron whipped around to face the voice. Ginny sat, leaning against the doorframe. Hermione was behind her.

Hermione looked directly at the Headmaster. “Is it true?”

Dumbledore looked down at his desk, and answered quietly, “Yes, yes it is.”

“I am going to collect Mr. Potter right now, would any of you like to come with me?”

Ron spoke up, hoping to get a chance at salvation from Harry’s anger. “I’ll come.”

Hermione and Ginny decided that they could see Harry when he got here.

“Well then Mr. Weasley, come along.” He walked to the fireplace, and pulled out a package of the special floo powder. Ron took some and threw it in the fire, shouted Ministry of Magic, and jumped in. Dumbledore went next.

Dumbledore stood up, and dusted himself off. Ron was standing off to his right, waiting for Dumbledore to speak.

“Mr. Weasley, do you know the reason why you were being trained?”

“So I could become an Auror, sir?”

“No, Mr. Weasley, this is why you are being trained. You must protect Harry, because he will not be able to do so for himself. He has been in Azkaban for a year, after all.”

“I’m sorry sir, but do you really think that Harry will even let me stay close to him?”

“Yes, he will, because he has no other choice.”

“Alright, but if it doesn’t work…”

“I understand Mr. Weasley.”

They walked down the corridors, until they came to the Prisoner Release Area.

Minister Fudge was already there waiting for them. Fudge pulled Dumbledore aside for a moment, and Ron looked around the room. There was only one desk, testament to the number of people who were released from prison in the Wizarding world.

Fudge and Dumbledore spoke for a while, before going to the floo again. The only way to floo to Azkaban was through this room.

All three of them flooed to Azkaban, and a few of the Minister’s Guard followed them. Azkaban’s manager came up to them. “Who are ye’ ‘ere for?”

“Harry Potter, high class security prisoner.” Fudge answered.

“Very well, follow me.”

The manager led them through a maze of tunnels to an outcropping in the wall, far away from all of the other prisoners. There were two dementors sitting on either side of the outcropping, and there were no bars or anything to hold in the prisoners.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, why is there no bars in front of the cell? Couldn’t the prisoner just run away?” Ron asked, bewildered.

“Nah, them wards are the strongest thing on this here island. Nobody gets out of these type o’ cells. It taunts the prisoners with the knowledge that freedom is a few feet away, and only an invisible wall gets in the way.”

The manager walked over to the wall, and put his hand on a metal plate there.

The metal plate glowed, and everyone felt the wards fall.

They all gasped, when they got a look at Harry.

Harry was withered. His whole body seemed to be skin that hung off of his bones. His normally raven hair was nearly solid grey with a few black streaks. The robes he was wearing were ripped and torn to shreds. He was staring blankly at the gateway to his “cell,” and didn’t seem to notice them. Then he moved his head slightly, and they caught sight of his eyes. They were almost entirely blank, and empty of thought and emotion.

Harry saw them then, and looked at them. His stare was much harder, now that he didn’t have his glasses in the way.

Dumbledore walked slowly over to him. “Harry, can you hear me?” he spoke in a soft whisper.

Harry stared blankly at him.

“Harry, we’re here to take you out of here. Can you stand?”

Harry looked curiously over Dumbledore’s shoulder at Ron and the Minister. Both were standing there, quiet and reserved. Ron had his hand over his mouth, and Fudge was leaning against the wall.

Harry wheezed slightly, and stood up, very slowly. The bones of his back creaked as he stood, as if he had not used them in a long time. All of them winced at the sound, besides Harry.

“Well, at least he has some ability to respond. There’s a chance he might come back. Dumbledore, take him to Hogwarts, see if familiar surroundings help him recover. I need to go and give my final speech.” Fudge spoke, before turning and leaving.

Dumbledore turned back to Harry, and asked another question. “Can you follow me, Harry? I’m taking you out of this horrible place.”

Dumbledore turned and started walking away. Ron followed him down the hallway.

Harry let a smirk fall on his face for a moment, before returning to his blank stare. He walked quickly to them, and followed them as they led him away.

They reached the Manager’s room after a while, and took Harry to the fireplace.

“Do you remember how to floo, Harry?”

Harry made no motion of understanding, and just stood there.

“Mr. Weasley, would you be so kind as to take Mr. Potter through the floo for me. Take him to my office; I have some papers to fill out here.”

Ron nodded, and put Harry into the fireplace. He took out some floo powder, and threw it on the ground for Harry. He shouted “Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office” and Harry was whisked away. Ron followed quickly.

Harry fell out of the fireplace in the Headmaster’s office. There was silence for a moment before Ron flooed in as well. Hermione and Ginny jumped when Harry flooed in, but didn’t recognize him. When Ron flooed in, they both just walked back to their chairs and sat back down.

Harry was careful to keep the blank stare, but when he looked at Ginny and Hermione, he saw no recognition in their eyes. They didn’t know he was Harry. Did he really look that different?

Harry stood by the fireplace for a while, waiting for the Headmaster to come. After a few minutes, the floo started up again, and the Headmaster walked out gracefully.

Dumbledore looked around, seeing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in a seat, but not one with Harry in it. He looked around his office for a while, not finding him. He started to panic for a moment, before turning around.

Harry was looming behind him. His height now almost matched Dumbledore’s so he was looking directly into Harry’s eyes. Dumbledore jumped back with a cry. He quickly composed himself though, and sat down in his chair.

“Harry, please, have a seat.”

Ginny and Hermione were startled a moment, before realizing this stranger was Harry. He had Harry’s green eyes, even if they were dead looking.

Harry sat down, and the girl’s jumped at him. They both started hugging him, crying about how they couldn’t help him more, how they couldn’t get him out of prison. Harry looked down at them, and ever so slowly, wrapped one arm around each of them, and pulled them closer to him.

Dumbledore recovered some of his sorely missed twinkle when he saw that. At least Harry wasn’t completely unresponsive.

Dumbledore looked again, and noticed a small tear coming down Harry’s cheek.

Ron stood on the side of this reunion, watching sadly as Harry held his friends. He had been so cruel to them, just because they believed that Harry was innocent. He had insulted them, even hated them, just because they believed in Harry. His sister, his oldest brother, and the twins had all been disowned because they had all believed in Harry. And now, Harry was free, and he had to find some way to get him to forgive them.

The whole Weasley family had hated the four that believed in Harry. They treated them worse than dirt. And to the Weasley’s family was supposed to be important. They had all considered Harry to be a son or a brother, but then this happened. Half of the family turned on him, half of them stayed with him. Percy was welcomed back into the fold, and Ginny, Bill, Fred and George, were all removed from it. They no longer held the name Weasley. They all had no family name anymore; they were just called by their first names.

Anything that they owned at the Burrow was taken away. Some of it was burned; others were kept by the five who stayed there now. They all had been ripped off of the Weasley Tapestry, which was hidden away upstairs. Ginny had been locked in her room, not to be let out until she believed that Harry was guilty.

Bill had come home again, while Ginny was locked in, and immediately broke the locks on Ginny’s room, grabbed Ginny and ran outside. He, being the fastest of all of them on foot, ran past the Anti-Apparition wards, and disapparated.

Mrs. Weasley had been furious. She kept trying to contact Bill, but everything she sent out came back unopened. Even the howlers she sent came back and blew up in her face. She couldn’t floo Bill’s house. There had been no way to contact him. Fred and George never turned up after that day, either.

All of that had happened because Harry had been imprisoned. Now that he was free, there had to be someway to close the rift in the family.

Dumbledore watched as Ron stared at Harry and the two girls. He could tell that Ron was upset, most likely over what happened to his family. Dumbledore looked back at Harry to see the spark of intelligence behind his eyes again. Dumbledore’s smile lit up, happy that Harry had returned.

“Hello, Harry.”

3. Ron's Reprimand

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter, I’m not that rich. If I was, I wouldn’t be working anywhere, other than on my computer, writing for all of you people.

The Dawn’s Betrayal

Chapter 3

Ron’s Reprimand

“Hello, Harry”

“Hello, Headmaster Bumble-err, I mean, Dumbledore.”

Harry’s voice was very raspy and quiet, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. Hermione and Ginny looked up, tears in their eyes, and stared up at him. He was awake, and talking!

“Hello, Hermione, Ginny. How have my two favorite girls been over this last year?”

This caused them to burst into another round of tears. Harry just pulled them closer to him.

“Shhh, it’s alright. I’m back, and you don’t need to worry about me anymore.”

Dumbledore watched Harry calm the girls down. It was surprising how good he was with them, after Azkaban. They slowly stopped crying, after Harry told them it was alright.

Ron watched as well, saddened that he had helped cause this. He knew Harry would never accept him anymore, but Dumbledore had ordered him to try and make amends, so he would try.

Harry watched as Ron stood up, and walked over to him. Ron stuck out his hand. “Harry, I’m sorry. I should have known better. I should have known that you wouldn’t do something like that. I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Sorry about what? Sorry that I was sent to Azkaban, or sorry that you were wrong about me? Sorry that you were supposed to be my friend, and you did a happy dance as I was sent away? Sorry that you never even tried to help me, in any way? Which one? Which one are you sorry about?”

“Harry, mate, you have to believe, I had no idea-”

“No idea that I’d do that sort of thing? Is that it? You’ve been my friend for four years, and you had no idea that I wouldn’t kill someone?”

“But Harry, Professor Dumbledore said-”

“Dumbledore isn’t God! All of the Wizarding World needs to learn that! Where did they get this idea that they can just go along with what the strongest wizard says, and then they’re automatically right? Think for yourself, once in your life, Mate!” The last word was hissed with such venom that Ron took a step back.

“Where did the little boy who said ‘That’s Chess!’ as he sacrificed himself so we could go on, go? Where did the boy who said ‘You’ve got to make some sacrifices. I take one step forward, and the queen will take me. That leaves you free to checkmate the king.’ go? Where did the boy who said ‘Do you want to stop Snape from getting that Stone or not? Harry, it’s you that has to go on. Not me, not Hermione, you! Look if you don’t hurry up, Snape will already have the Stone!’ go? Where did the boy who actually believed in me go? What did I do to destroy that trust?”

By the time Harry finished speaking, Ron was crying, Dumbledore was crying, Ginny and Hermione were both crying, and Harry was crying.

“Why couldn’t you believe me? What did I ever do that ruined that trust?”

Ron sat down in his chair again, sobs wracking his body. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what else to say! What am I supposed to do? How can I make it up to you?”

“It will be a long, long time, before I’m even ready to start forgiving you. Don’t ask for it now. It’s too early. I don’t even know if I can forgive you. Too much has changed. You’ve changed, I’ve changed, and everything else has changed. It might not be enough, to just say you’re sorry anymore.”

“Well, I am, even if it isn’t enough.” Ron whispered through the sobs.

Harry looked back at Dumbledore. “So Headmaster, why am I here? You couldn’t have just brought me back for a reunion with my friends, you’re not like that. So what is it?”

“I have decided that you need a protector from the forces of Lord Voldemort. I have recruited Mr. Weasley here for that job. He is going to protect you everywhere you go.”

“I’m sorry, what? I don’t really need Mr. Weasley to protect me you know. I can take care of myself.” Harry scoffed.

“I must insist that you take Ron here everywhere you go.”

“Why? So you can spy on me all the time. So you can prod at his mind to find out where I go when you can’t figure it out on your own. So I can be protected? I don’t need you to protect me. And I know all about why you want me to be protected, but it isn’t necessary. I can protect myself.”

“You’ve just been in Azkaban for a year. You can’t protect yourself. You need someone trained to protect you.”

“And I suppose Ron has full Auror training, so that he can protect me?”

“Well… no, not really. But he is more advanced than you are.”

“More… advanced?” Harry chuckled. “You obviously don’t get it, do you? You honestly think he is better at defending me than I am?”

“Yes, he has been trained for this very purpose.” Dumbledore said.

Harry caught on to something mixed in with Dumbledore’s voice. “You’re lacing your voice with magic, Dumbledore? I’m surprised the Lead Phoenix of the Order would do such a thing. That’s generally used to make someone follow your will, with no choice of their own. It’s almost as bad as the Imperious Curse. That’s too bad that you have to resort to such tactics when someone won’t listen to you. I mean, most of the world listens to you without it, because you’re so powerful. You must be very power-hungry, or very controlling. Either way, you’re doing a bad thing, Dumbledore.”

Everyone’s, besides Harry, eyes were wide open. Dumbledore because no one had ever found out his secret, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, because they couldn’t believe Dumbledore would have to resort to using such an evil magic to get his will.

“Dumbledore, have you always believed that what you say is always for the best? Have you always believed you were infallible? Didn’t my little stint in Azkaban teach you better? You are not God. Stop playing as if you are. I don’t have to listen to you. Let me show you how more advanced Mr. Weasley is, compared to me.”

Dumbledore stood up, and spoke with a barely controlled voice. “What do you mean? Are you going to duel Mr. Weasley? Duels aren’t allowed on school grounds, I can’t let you do that.”

“Then we’ll leave school grounds. Ronald Bilius Weasley, I challenge you to a duel between two wizards! Do you accept?”

“Yes, Harry James Potter, I accept your challenge for a Wizard’s Duel.”

“Then what are the terms of the match?”

“A wand only duel, no Unforgivables, no Dark Curses, and no major pain curses. First to unconsciousness looses.”

“Very well, the duel will take place at my home, the Potter Manor on Saturday. Dumbledore could be our official judge. Actually, he can bring the whole school to watch if he wants. Or if he doesn’t want, I’ll invite them anyways, since it’s a Saturday.”

Dumbledore gasped. “How do you know where Potter Manor is? I never told you where it was!”

Harry looked back at him with narrowed eyes. “So you knew… you knew where it was all the time. It’s more protected than the Dursleys’, and you never told me where it was? You just let me rot, and almost die, every single summer and for the first eleven years of my life, and you knew where my home was? Why, Dumbledore? Why were you keeping all of these things from me?”

Dumbledore sat back down. “I didn’t think it was important. I didn’t think you needed the worry of having your own house. So I kept it from you. It’s not really important, though.”

Harry laughed a dead, hollow sounding laugh. “It’s not important? It’s not important?! Do you know how they treated me, Dumbledore? Did you know that every week at least I had at least one broken bone? Did you know that I did the chores for the whole family, because they were too lazy to do their own work? Did you know that I was kept in the cupboard under the stairs, instead of being given my own room? Did you know any of that, Dumbledore?” His words raised in volume every word, until he was shouting.

Dumbledore stood up, and walked over to a file cabinet that appeared near the window. Opening the cabinet, he pulled out a file folder. He threw the folder to Harry, who caught it with a questioning look on his face.

“Open it. I only started looking at it last year, after you were put in Azkaban.”

Harry opened the folder. It was full of every sort of information on him. The paper showed what he looked like, who his family members were, all his injuries, what caused them, where he stayed most in the house, what his room was, a floor plan for the house, and all sorts of things like that. Harry was amazed.

“You… you made this, to keep track of me… and you only started… started looking at it last year? What is wrong with you? This could have saved me from my life in HELL!” The last word was shouted.

“Harry, what could I have done? I couldn’t have taken you in, and any where I sent you with wizards, your fame would have gone to your head.”

“You could have kept me away from those damned relatives of mine, at least! The blood protection was based on love, wasn’t it? The Dursleys’ didn’t love me! The wards aren’t even there on the house! They never were!”

Harry pulled out one of the sheets. It was the sheet with all of the wards on the house. It showed all the wards that were ever on the house. The love ward was there for the night that Harry stayed outside the house, and then they vanished.

“The only good sending me there was… there wasn’t any! So what, I didn’t grow up with a big head. I didn’t grow up with any sort of family! All I was there was their fucking house-elf!”

Dumbledore looked down at his desk, averting his eyes from Harry’s. “I’m sorry Harry, but what do you want me to do about it? The past is the past. I can’t change it.”

“You could at least admit that you were wrong.” Harry said quietly.

“I was wrong sending you there; I should have kept track of you. I’m sorry. I was more concerned with your safety, than with your mental health. It was foolish of me, I agree, but it is what I thought was best then.”

“Thank you. Now don’t think this makes things better between us, because it doesn’t. I believe I must leave, now. School starts tomorrow and I need to be prepared. Ginny, Hermione, do you want to come along? I could use a little help.”

Ginny and Hermione responded in the affirmative, and all three of them stood up.

Ron started to say something after all of them got up. “Are you going to Diagon Alley? If you are, you do need to get a new wand. They snapped your old one, once your trial was over. I am sorry about everything.”

Ron walked out of the room after saying this, leaving all of them to talk for a moment.

Harry nodded his thanks, and started walking towards the door. Dumbledore interfered then, by casting a strong locking spell on his door.

“I insist you take Mr. Weasley along with you.”

“I don’t really care what you insist, Headmaster Dumbledore. Do you really think that you can keep me here if I don’t follow your demand?”

Harry walked over to the door, and pulled his fist back. Everyone else in the room watched amazed as Harry’s arm started to glow with a silvery blue light. Harry swung his fist forward, and struck the door. The door seemed to recoil a little at the power behind the punch, but eventually broke. The door was blasted off of its hinges, and flew into the wall by the stairs, shattering with the force of hitting the wall. The pieces fell down the stairs to the passageway at the bottom.

Dumbledore’s eyes were wide at this amazing display of magic. He had blown down the most warded door in the whole school, besides the front door itself! It was nearly impossible to do that with a wand or some other focus, and Harry did it without one, with no problems what-so-ever!

Harry walked down the stairs, and Ginny and Hermione followed, wide eyed.

They reached the front doors quite quickly. Hermione and Ginny had caught up to Harry after a few seconds outside of the gargoyle. They had started talking about little things, like what they had done over the last year. Ginny had moved in with Hermione after the incident with her family.

They worked a lot harder in school, so that when Harry came back they could help him get up to speed. In fact, Ginny was doing so well in all of her classes, that they brought her up a year. She was matched with Hermione for the top of the year as well. The two of them had fun competition over who got the better grades. Since Ginny had never really made friends with any of the girls in her grade, due to the diary incident, she didn’t mind moving up to the fifth year dorms last year.

Harry had been brought up to speed by the time they reached the front doors.

When Harry got close to the doors, he waved his hand and the doors were blasted open, as if struck with a battering ram. Hermione and Ginny’s eyes widened even more.

Harry walked out passed the gates of Hogwarts, with Ginny and Hermione following.

“You both should hold on to me, if you want to follow me.”

They both nodded and latched onto an arm each.

There was a large shimmer in the area around them, as Harry held out a small clear jewel in front of them. The air darkened with energy, before all three of them vanished.

A/N: Well, another chapter done. The beginning of this one turned out really well in my opinion. My character bashing seems like it didn’t turn out well. Tell me what you think in a review, or give me and AIM at my screen name, ‘Schatzikun’ without the quotes.