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Harry Potter and the Knight of the Radiant Heart by Raven3182
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Harry Potter and the Knight of the Radiant Heart

Raven3182

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and her various corporate partners. Keldorn Firecam is owned by BioWare, Atari, or whoever it is that owns the rights to Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn these days, although I have taken several liberties with his character. I own nothing, and I am making no profit by my little ventures into the shadowy realms of fanfiction. I do so purely for enjoyment. I would, however, like to thank JKR for allowing us all to play in her sandbox.

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Harry Potter and the Knight of the Radiant Heart

XI

The first day of classes was okay in Harry's book. That morning's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson left Harry highly disappointed however. What should have been his favorite class due to his natural proclivity for the subject matter was once again spoiled by the professor. Snape simply informed them that they would be studying silent casting and then had them immediately begin attempting to cast various hexes and shields without uttering a sound. The greasy git didn't bother to give any direction or advice, and unsurprisingly, no one managed to successfully cast a silent spell.

Potions that afternoon was another story. Professor Slughorn spent the first ten minutes fawning over Harry, much to the latter's discomfort, before moving on with the lesson. The professor had the class brew a complicated potion with a vial of Felix Felicis set aside as a prize for the student who produced the best potion. To no one's real surprise, Hermione walked away with the tiny bottle of liquid luck and a light skip in her step.

Tuesday afternoon saw Harry and Hermione waiting near the stables for their first Riding and Magical Mounts class. As the students arrived in small groups, Harry noticed a slightly disturbing trend: most, if not all of the students taking the new riding course were girls.

Of the sixth years present, Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati made for a unified front for Gryffindor, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones represented Hufflepuff, Mandy Brucklehurst, Su Li and Padma Patil were there from Ravenclaw, while Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass rounded out the Slytherins. There were no seventh years in the class since they had all chosen their N.E.W.T. courses the year previously and didn't have the opportunity to change, but to Harry's surprise, there were several fifth years present. Harry didn't know most of them, but he did recognize Ginny and Luna.

It appeared that the only wizards to sign up for the riding course were Harry, a very nervous looking Neville Longbottom, and Wayne Hopkins, a Hufflepuff that Harry couldn't recall ever speaking to.

"Why are the so many witches here and almost no wizards?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Well," replied the witch in question, "Today, it could be argued that horseback riding is a predominantly female pastime." Upon seeing Harry's face quickly drain of color Hermione hurried to continue, "But don't worry, there are still plenty of men who ride of course. I mean, the class is being taught by a man after all."

"It doesn't hurt that Professor Firecam is easy on the eyes too," chimed in Parvati Patil, "even with all those scars, he's one fine wizard."

"I think the scars make him even more attractive," mentioned Susan Bones as she wandered over to their group to join in the discussion about Hogwarts' new heartthrob professor. "Those scars let you know that he means business and that that sword of his isn't just for show."

"Maybe I can get my horse to take off at a run so he'll have to come and save me," offered Su Li, "I can play the damsel in distress if need be," she said with the back of her hand raised to her forehead in a fake swoon.

"I do not think that will be necessary," cut in the voice of the old knight. A few of the girls almost jumped out of their skins in surprise while nearly all of them blushed crimson at being overheard by the object of their conversation. Harry saw that even Hermione was blushing, but he thought that it was more likely that she was embarrassed at the thought of being numbered among her gossiping classmates than that she had a crush on the old knight. At least he hoped that was the case.

"Right then," began Keldorn, "by way of introduction, I am Sir Keldorn Firecam, paladin and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. I am a paladin and a knight; I am not a professor, so there is no need for you to refer to me as such. You may call me 'Sir Firecam' or simply 'sir' if you wish."

Harry noted that Keldorn had the rapt attention of all of the witches present.

"You may have noticed that this class is a mixture of both fifth and sixth years," continued Keldorn. "As this is the first year in many generations that riding of any sort is being taught here at Hogwarts, I saw no point in offering different levels of instruction. You are all beginners, thus there is only need to separate you into manageable numbers."

So that explained the presence of the fifth years. It looked as if Riding and Magical Mounts wasn't really going to be a N.E.W.T. course, but more of a general elective.

Keldorn began pacing back and forth in front of the assembled students as he talked. The image of the old knight addressing a group of soldiers in the same manner came to Harry's mind and made him grin. Hermione shot him a disapproving scowl for his lack of attention.

"There will be no foolishness in this course," stated the knight with steel in his voice. "The horses and other creatures that you will be riding, while tame, are still dangerous animals. If spooked, they may very well injure you, perhaps quite severely. I have dealt with many dangerous foes in my time, a petulant or unruly teenage witch or wizard does not frighten me in the slightest. Do not test me here; you will regret it if you do."

Harry noted to his own amusement that that statement had many of the previously dreamy-eyed witches appearing much more serious. Harry himself was well aware of Keldorn's no-nonsense approach to teaching.

"Starting next class, you will leave your school robes behind in your dormitories. They are much too bulky to wear while riding and would only serve to get in your way. You will come dressed in the riding breeches and boots that were listed in your letters as necessary equipment for this course.

"We will start off with horses, and progress to riding other creatures as time and your skill levels permit. For now, I want all of you to pair up and we'll get started."

Harry thought of perhaps asking Neville to be his partner, as the boy looked absolutely terrified of being by himself among so many witches, but before he could even move, Harry's arm was latched onto by Hermione. Clearly the witch expected him to be her partner. Neville surprisingly ended up with Hannah Abbott while the Hufflepuff's almost inseparable best friend went to work with Wayne Hopkins.

They did not do any actual riding that day; instead, they spent their time learning a little bit about horses in general and then familiarizing themselves with their future mounts. The students entered the fenced off area behind the stables and went to the horses in pairs. They learned how to approach the animals and interact with them as well as the basics of brushing and tending to them.

Harry in particular learned that horses really did not smell very good at all.

Hermione looked like she was having the time of her life, or so it seemed to Harry. The young witch really did seem to enjoy not only learning about the horses, but interacting with them as well. She never got so excited about the creatures that they encountered in Hagrid's classes, but then again, it was difficult to enjoy spending time with monsters that were constantly trying to kill you. Harry supposed that part of Hermione's enthusiasm was that she was finally fulfilling her childhood desire to learn horseback riding. In any event, Harry was pleased to see her so happy outside of the library.

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On Saturday evening Harry was summoned to the Headmaster's office. He approached the gargoyle, gave the password, and rode the stairs up to the cluttered room. Upon entering, Harry noticed that the shattered pieces of the magical items he broke in his anger at the end of the last term still remained in their place on a shelf in a side cabinet.

"Good evening, Harry," began Dumbledore.

"Good evening, sir," replied Harry.

"Harry, I've asked you here for a very simple, and yet a very serious reason," Dumbledore said getting right to business. "As you are now aware, because of the prophecy you are a very important person in the war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I have asked you here tonight to give you a chance to become more involved in this fight. The choice, however, is up to you."

It didn't take Harry long to respond. The way he saw it, there really wasn't much of a choice.

"I'll fight," Harry responded to the Dumbledore's proposition.

The old wizard sighed and smiled sadly.

"I thought you would say that. I find it to be a shame, nonetheless, that one so young as you has had this burden thrust upon him. I wish that you could occupy yourself with your studies and perhaps with thoughts of some young lady or another. But alas, I guess it is not to be so."

With a swish of the Headmaster's wand, the Pensieve that Dumbledore kept in one of his cabinets floated over to the desk and landed amidst the scurrying silver instruments.

"Knowledge is power, Harry. In order to fight a war, you must first know your enemy. So tonight, I propose to start a series of lessons for you, just the two of us. We will not be discussing charms or hexes, however. We will be learning about Voldemort. I propose to help you know your enemy. What do you say to that?"

"I, err… I suppose that would be good," replied the young man.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore as he then reached into the locked cabinet behind his desk. He removed a crystal vial containing a smoky, white liquid. Dumbledore poured the contents of the vial into the Pensieve and then gestured for Harry to proceed into the memory.

That evening, Harry and Dumbledore watched the curious interactions of the Gaunt family, and after emerging from the memory, the Headmaster explained the origins of Tom Marvolo Riddle as well as the circumstances surrounding his birth. Harry thought all of this was interesting, but wasn't exactly sure how it would help him defeat a dark lord, and so he voiced his concern.

"Not that I don't appreciate this," Harry said, "but how is learning about Voldemort's family going to help me fight him?"

"I haven't the slightest idea, Harry," replied the Headmaster. "But then again, I do not know how you are to go about defeating Voldemort either. I have no hidden agenda in showing these things to you. I am merely trying to help you understand your enemy, and perhaps come to a better understanding of him myself. Exactly how this knowledge might be of use is beyond my sight."

"Oh," Harry said somewhat dejectedly as the weight of reality sank upon his shoulders. He was prophesized to either kill or be killed by one of the most powerful dark lords that had ever lived. Voldemort was a wizard that had decades of skill and experience that Harry would never be able to match.

"Sir," Harry began, "do you think I can beat him?"

Dumbledore didn't answer right away. He merely took a moment to study the young wizard seated before him.

"I honestly don't know, Harry. I cannot tell you what the future holds. I can promise you that we will be working together on this. I'm afraid that even with all my learning and power, I still don't have all the answers. Life is not that simple. If it was, I would like to think that I would have stopped Voldemort long ago. You might be the one prophesized to face the Dark Lord, but that does not mean that you need to take every step along the way on your own. I will help you as I can."

"Okay," replied the young wizard.

"And speaking of prophecies," the Headmaster said, changing the topic, "I was wondering if you might have told anyone about the prophecy that you are now aware of."

"No," answered Harry, "I didn't think it was something to go telling others about."

"That was a wise decision, Harry. Although I do not think absolute secrecy is necessary here. After all, I can only imagine that carrying the weight of such a thing by yourself would be a heavy burden. Might I suggest that you share the prophecy with those you can trust?"

Harry nodded once in response. He wasn't sure if he would tell anyone or not, but he would at least think about it.

"Also," continued Dumbledore, "I think that you should spend some time pondering the prophecy itself. Have you given any thought to what 'the power he knows not' might be?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I've really no clue. What do you think it is?"

"I'm afraid, my boy, that I am in much the same boat as you are in that regard. If I knew or even had a guess as to what this power might be, I would tell you. As it is, I do not. If you ever come up with any ideas on the matter, I would be more than happy to discuss them with you."

"Alright."

"Well, Harry, it seems the hour has gone quite late. I will need some time to prepare our next so-called 'lesson,' so I will summon you in a few days or weeks when it is ready."

"What will it be about?" asked Harry.

"I haven't the slightest idea," replied Dumbledore. "That's the thing about this, Harry, I know just as little as you do. It will take quite a bit of research on my part to piece together the scant information that is available about Tom Riddle. I do have some memories available, but how to best present them and understand them is another question.

"Now, unless there is something else, I think I shall bid you goodnight."

Harry moved to leave at the Headmaster's dismissal.

"Goodnight, sir," the young man said as he left the office.

"Goodnight, Harry."

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"This class is brilliant!" Harry said to no one in particular as he bounced along in the saddle.

It was a nice, clear, autumn day, and Harry found that he greatly enjoyed horseback riding. His initial trepidation about being one of only three boys in a class full of girls was quickly dashed on the second day when all of the students arrived in their riding gear. As a teenage male, Harry was quite thankful to whomever it was that designed female riding breeches to be so tight and form-fitting. The normal school robes left a lot to the imagination, but the breeches that the girls were now wearing were quite an eye-opener for Harry. And if he happened to linger a step or two behind Hermione on the walk to class, well, He didn't think that anyone really noticed.

Aside from the somewhat distracting clothing of his female classmates, Harry found the course itself to be interesting. The second class, which had taken place on the previous Friday afternoon during the first week of classes, was spent going over the various types of tack, harness and other riding equipment as well as talking over the basic methods of riding before the students simply spent some more time with the horses.

The second week of classes, however, saw the first session of actual riding. While most of the students seemed to have a bit of trouble understanding how to mount and stay balanced on their horses, Harry took to it like a natural. He was currently walking his horse around the enclosed yard anxiously awaiting permission from Keldorn to spur his horse into a trot or a canter. However, the old knight was busy working with the students who were having a bit more trouble with their first time on horseback.

Harry wanted to ride. He wasn't really content to just remain seated on the back of his horse while it slowly walked about the yard. He wanted to spur the beast into a gallop, to see just how fast it could run, to feel the wind whipping his hair back out of his face.

Perhaps all the time Harry spent darting about on a broomstick had made him a bit of a speed demon. The experience of riding a horse was somewhat like riding a broom, but it was also different. It was somehow more primal; it took Harry's mind back to the past, to the early days of mankind. It made him want to gallop across the grounds of the castle chasing after the ghosts of the past. He was, however, smart enough to realize that Sir Firecam would not take kindly to him doing so without permission.

Hermione also seemed to be a natural on horseback. Harry supposed that all of her childhood longing must have somehow prepared her for this moment. Hermione spent the first few minutes of the class whispering with Ginny, Lavender, Parvati and Luna before deftly perching herself in the saddle and taking control of her horse. The young witch was now guiding her horse around the yard with an ear-to-ear grin plastered on her face.

The biggest surprise, however, was Neville. The normally shy, bumbling boy was the first to quickly mount his horse and take off across the enclosure. He looked like he was born to be in the saddle.

Aside from the three Gryffindors, only Su Li and Daphne Greengrass seemed to be able to handle their mounts with natural ease, and both of them admitted to having taken riding lessons before. Daphne even owned her own horse and certainly didn't need to learn the basics of horseback riding. She'd taken the course because she reasoned that it would give her the opportunity to engage in her favorite pastime while at Hogwarts.

"Oh, Harry, isn't this wonderful?" Hermione exclaimed as she maneuvered her horse alongside his. "This is just so much fun!"

Harry laughed.

"I never thought I would hear you say that without a book in your hands," replied the young wizard.

Instead of reprimanding him, Hermione just threw back her head and laughed.

"I know! Just look at me!" she said with a grin, "bookworm Granger, enjoying the great outdoors with nary a thought of homework!"

Hermione's laughter was infectious and the two found themselves cracking up together as they walked their horses around the yard.

"You know, I should thank you," said Harry after a few minutes, "signing up for this course was a great idea."

Hermione turned to her best friend with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"You're just saying that because you get to be around all these witches in their tight riding breeches."

Her remark took Harry completely by surprise and he started coughing and sputtering in the saddle as his face turned bright red.

"Don't think for a moment that I didn't notice you lingering behind me all the way down to the stables," continued Hermione while leaning a bit closer to him. "I know what you were doing."

Harry was at a loss for what to say. He didn't know if he should apologize or deny the accusation completely. The teasing tone in Hermione's voice also added to his confusion. In the end, Harry elected to just remain silent and stare down at the back of his horse's neck as his face became hot enough to melt lead.

"Don't worry," whispered Hermione while leaning almost completely out of her saddle so that Harry could hear her, "I didn't say that I minded. Or that you had to stop."

With another laugh and toss of her head, Hermione urged her horse slightly faster and left Harry behind.

After the class was finished, it was Hermione who seemed to keep herself a few paces in front of Harry on the walk back to Gryffindor Tower. Whenever Harry attempted to move up beside her, she would simply smirk and skip ahead a few steps. Harry wasn't completely sure, but he thought that she had also added a bit of a wiggle to her stride as well. He was sure, however, that his face would likely be bright red for the rest of the night.

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The next day found Harry somewhat frustrated. He had decided to tell Hermione and Ron about the prophecy, but he was having trouble getting them alone to let them know. Hermione wasn't really the problem, as she seemed to be around him more often than ever, but surprisingly it was Ron who was providing to be difficult. Actually, that wasn't completely true; it wasn't Ron so much as it was Lavender Brown who was the problem.

At every meal Lavender (and Parvati of course) would plop down next to Harry's red-haired best mate and proceed to chat away about this or that inconsequential thing.

"Ron, I decided to use a new nail polish today, what do you think?"

"Ron, do you think my hair looks better pulled back or let down?"

"Ron, what do you think about the Cannon's chances this year?"

It was comments like the last one that really struck Harry as odd. Lavender had never really shown much interest in Quidditch before, but now she would take just about any opportunity to talk about the Chudley Cannons with Ron.

Ron seemed to bask in the attention he was receiving from the blonde Gryffindor. He eagerly engaged her in talking about any of the topics she broached, but was especially enthusiastic about the Cannons of course. It seemed like he had even finally learned to swallow his food before speaking whenever Lavender was at his side.

Hermione simply wore a smug little smile during most of these interactions while occasionally elbowing Harry in the side to bring his attention to some particular comment or action that either Ron or Lavender had made on the other side of the table.

Harry was simply baffled by it all.

That night in the common room, Harry decided that he was going to have to use the direct approach and interrupt the two if he was ever going to be able to speak to both of his best friends at the same time. So he approached the couch where Ron and Lavender were currently seated side by side.

"Oh, I don't know, Ronny," Lavender was saying, "it's never good to underestimate a witch in a fight. We can be quite determined, you know."

"Yeah, but I still think Jenkins would demolish her, hands down," said Ron.

"Err… excuse me," interrupted Harry.

"Hi Harry," said Lavender.

"What's up, mate?" asked Ron.

"Umm, I was wondering if I could have a word with you, Ron."

"Sure," replied the young wizard without making any attempt to rise from where he was on the couch.

"In private," added Harry with a glance at Lavender.

"Oh," said Ron. He then turned to Lavender, "Don't worry, Lav, I'll be back in a tick."

"Don't take too long, Ronny," responded Lavender, "I might get lonely."

Harry rolled his eyes as he made his way over to Hermione who was studying at one of the tables in the corner.

"Hermione?"

"Harry, you really should be working on your Transfiguration homework, you know," said the witch in acknowledgment of Harry's presence. "Why don't you sit down next to me and we'll do it together?"

"Err… right, maybe later," responded Harry. "Look, right now I really need to speak to you and Ron. Somewhere a bit more private."

That caught Hermione's attention and together they dragged Ron off to find an empty classroom.

Once the door was closed and locked, Harry turned to his two anxious friends.

"What's up, mate?" questioned Ron, looking a bit more focused now that he wasn't sitting next to Lavender.

"What's going on, Harry," added Hermione in a serious tone as she became aware of Harry's nervousness.

"Err... look," began Harry, "I don't really know how to tell you two this, so I guess I'll just say it. It's about the prophecy, you know, the one from the Department of Mysteries."

Hermione's eyes widened while Ron swallowed hard.

"It's about me and Voldemort."

"But I thought it was destroyed," interjected Hermione.

"Well yeah, it was," answered Harry, "but Dumbledore had another copy all along. He showed it to me the day I got out of the hospital wing."

"What does it say?" asked the young witch while beginning to get worked up.

"Basically, it says that I'm the only one…" Harry paused for a moment before looking back at his friends. Talking about the prophecy out loud, telling his two best friends about it, suddenly made it seem a whole lot more real, and Harry was surprised at how difficult talking about it became. "It says that I'm the only one that can beat him. That one of us is going to end up killing the other."

Hermione looked like she was about to burst into tears, but she instead launched herself at Harry, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him as hard as she could.

"Bloody hell, mate," said Ron.

Hermione didn't even bother to correct her other friend's language as she continued to hold onto Harry. Harry heard her sniffle once or twice before she pulled back just far enough to look him in the face.

"We'll help you, Harry," she said with a thick voice and watery eyes, "I'll help you. You're not in this alone."

Ron walked up and laid a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah, mate. You can count on us," said the tall, red-haired wizard.

Harry didn't bother to argue; he didn't bother to tell them that when the time came, he didn't really want their help. If Voldemort won, which he was likely to do, Harry didn't want either Hermione or Ron anywhere near by. He didn't say that there was no real point in their helping him as he was probably just going to end up dead. No, for the moment, he just accepted the support of his friends.

"Thanks, guys."

After another tight squeeze, Hermione pulled away from Harry and wiped at her eyes.

"Right," she said, "now tell me exactly what the prophecy said."

"Err… something about marking me as his equal," Harry began while pointing to his scar, "and being born at the end of the seventh month. There was the bit about one of us was destined to kill the other, and something about me having a power that he knows not. I've no idea what it all means really."

"No, tell me the exact wording," responded Hermione, "the precise phrasing in true prophecies can be very important. A single word or two can vastly affect the meaning. What exactly did it say?"

"Oh, well, err… I'm not so sure about that. I was kind of, err… angry when Dumbledore told me, so I might have forgotten some of the details."

Hermione simply stared at him with a look of disbelief.

"But I'm sure we can get him to show it to us again," Harry hastily added in order to placate his best friend.

"Bloody hell, Harry," said Ron once again, "that's a raw deal, that is."

"Yeah, well, that's what I wanted to tell you. So you can head back to the common room now. Sorry to be such a downer, but I thought you two should know. Just don't go telling anyone else; it's kind of a secret that we don't want Voldemort to know about."

Ron gave Harry another pat on the shoulder.

"You can count on us mate," he said before unlocking the door and wandering out of the room.

Hermione, however, didn't leave, she instead used her wand to close and relock the door before pulling Harry into another hug.

"What am I going to do with you?" the young witch mumbled into his shoulder. "This isn't fair. Why does it always have to be you? Why can't we just be normal for once?"

After a few minutes of shared silence, Hermione suddenly pulled back from Harry, unlocked the door with a determined swish of her wand, grabbed Harry arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Right, Harry," she said as she marched through the corridors of the castle, "let's go see Professor Dumbledore. I want to know exactly what that prophecy says so I can figure out what to do about it."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"But what about our Transfiguration homework?"

"Really! How can you think about homework at a time like this? I don't know how you've managed with this weighing on you all this time, but I'm not just going to go back to doing my schoolwork without at least trying to figure this out. Transfiguration will just have to wait."

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Harry asked with a bit of mirth coming back into his voice. "Hermione would never consider putting off her assignments!"

"Oh, don't give me that," responded the witch but with a small smile, "I've put off assignments for things in the past. Mainly because you've gotten yourself into trouble again!"

"Trouble? Me? Never!"

As they continued on toward the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, Harry wasn't sure if it was such a great idea to be bothering him just before curfew. But he was happy to see Hermione so determined to help him figure things out and help him get through it. Even if the task before him was practically impossible and the likely outcome of the prophecy would be Harry's death, in that moment, Harry was content. After all, he had a determined Hermione Granger by his side.

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AN: And there's Chapter 11. I hope you all enjoyed it.

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