The Power Within
By Draconis Warlock
Chapter One
Sirius' Will and Acceptance
Harry Potter lay in his bed, just staring at the ceiling and not knowing what to do. In the first place—in his mind anyway—he put almost all of his friends in a life threatening situation. Moreover, to top it off, he got his Godfather killed. He knew that everyone told him that it wasn't his fault, but he just couldn't believe it. He had agreed to start the D.A. club and he was the one that lead them into battle based on a false vision. To his mind, a person couldn't get guiltier than that.
The truth was in the facts; his Godfather was dead. Sirius was also the best friend of his father and his only link to his parents, save for Remus Lupin. Harry didn't know what to feel. The tears stopped coming about a week after he arrived at #4 Privet Drive. Now, all that was left was this deep seated emotion that could only be described as numbness. There was just no emotion left in him as he lay in his bed. The only things that he did do were the chores, even without being asked. He just did them to keep his mind off things.
To say that Petunia Dursley was shocked was an understatement.
If he felt better, he would have noticed that the Dursleys were acting quite strangely around him. Do not be mistaken though, they were not nice, they just gave him a wide birth and hope hoped that he wouldn't send a letter to "Mad-Eye" Moody that they were not treating him write. The warnings the Dursleys' had received at the train station scared the hell out of them. So much so that if Dudley saw him walking the hall, his beach-whale of a cousin would run to his room and lock the door.
Even in his depressed state, this always seemed to amuse him.
Meals were a different story. Harry still didn't eat with the family, not that he wanted to. He wasn't exactly in the mood for company these days. So, to make sure that he didn't starve, his Aunt Petunia always brought his food up and left without a word; not watching him eat it mechanically—not like he was enjoying it. It seemed that all the food tasted bland and not worth eating, to him anyway.
Like last year, he received no letters from his friends, or the Daily Profit, to find out what was going on in the wizarding world. However, this time his attitude was different. Well, as far as the letters from his friends, that is. He knew that it was most certainly too dangerous to be sending letters because they could very well be intercepted. And that was the last thing he wanted to happen. That was all he needed, Voldemort knowing more about him than he already knew.
It didn't really matter one way or the other. Harry already knew what was happening; he saw it all in his visions or dreams. Moreover, what he saw was that Voldemort was on a murderous rampage against all muggle-born children and adults, as well as half bloods. Even though he was annoyed with Dumbledore for withholding information from him, he felt it was his duty to inform the Headmaster of these "visions", even if he didn't know if they were real or not. He was tricked once, but he couldn't take the chance.
Harry had been having more visions than he had ever had before in his life, since he arrived at Privet Drive. It seemed like they came every other night. He witnessed everything from infants to elderly people fall to the arms of death because of a mad man. He knew it wasn't healthy for him to see these things, but it wasn't as if he could turn his head and not look. It was always there as soon as he closed his eyes. Moreover, when it happened he could always hear Voldemort's cold laugh and feel the searing pain in his scar.
It was on the day after his birthday that he woke up with a start, coated in a liberal amount of sweat. Crawling out of bed, he knew that the first thing that he needed was a fresh change of clothes and a shower. Therefore, collecting his cousin's tent like clothing from his closet he set out to do just that.
As he stood under the shower, he made the water as hot as he could stand it. His only hope was that it might wash away some of the numbing depression. But he knew that wouldn't help. There was only one person that could do that, and she wasn't here. Hermione Granger. She was his best friend and had stuck with him through everything. He just wished she were here now.
Harry got out of the shower and walked over to the mirror; what he seen saddened him, somewhat. His bright green eyes used to twinkle with mischief and happiness—that was all gone now. In its place was a pair of eyes that almost shocked him. They were green, but not dull, and they had a battle hardened glint of a person that had seen too much in his short life. They were the eyes of a person that had fought a Dark Lord and lived too many times. In addition, they were the eyes of a person that would not give up, no matter what. It was at that exact moment; Harry Potter made a decision that would change the wizarding world.
He decided that he would train until he was capable of beating the hell out of Tom Riddle (Voldemort). Harry decided to start calling the Dark Lord Tom Riddle; mainly because he knew it would tick off Tom to no end. The second reason was that he wasn't about to indulge a mad man because he had an over inflated ego. Harry didn't know when it happened, but he lost all of his fear for Tom. The only thing he was really afraid of was losing one of his friends, as he did Sirius.
However, his depression was still making him almost numb. Harry really didn't know that much about depression, because he never felt it this deeply before. He also thought that it was strange that Ron was not the one he wanted to be with, to talk to now. Instead, it was Hermione Granger. Her beautiful brown eyes always seemed to calm him, somewhat.
It was about noon when he was sitting up in his room on his small mattress, when he heard a hideous terrified shriek. Harry immediately grabbed his wand and rushed down the stairs at full speed. He didn't even think about how he was dressed as he rushed down the stairs. He might have disliked his family, but he sure as hell didn't want them dead. It was when he got to the bottom of the stairs and saw what all the commotion was about, did he lower his wand, just slightly. If there was one thing that Harry knew, it was that a person should never let their guard down completely.
The person that made Petunia shriek was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry also notice that his Uncle Vernon was in such a rage that his face was as red as a beat and a person could actually see him trembling slightly as he was standing still. A person could tell that if it weren't for the old man being able to use magic, then Vernon would have attacked him at any moment.
As it was, Dumbledore looked as calm as could be and even had a slight smile on his face. "I do apologize for frightening you Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Believe me when I say, that all I want to do is talk to young Harry here."
There was that ever-present twinkling in his eyes when he turned toward Harry. Harry just couldn't understand why he couldn't stay mad at this man. Dumbledore just had a way about him that put a person's mind at ease.
Harry might not be anywhere near as smart as his best friend Hermione Granger might be, but he believed he could read Dumbledore's eyes fairly well. If they were twinkling as much as they were now, that meant that the Headmaster had brought some good news. Also, Harry was beginning to think that the Headmaster had put a silencing charm on his relatives. This particular fact brought a small smile to the teenager's face.
"What did you want to talk about, Professor Dumbledore?"
"Ah, I think we should go upstairs to talk about this. If you wouldn't mind?"
Harry never could understand how the man could be completely civil and even polite—considering that he trashed his office fairly well at the end of the term. Harry knew that if he were in Dumbledore's shoes, he would still be angry as hell.
"Yeah, sure. My room is upstairs, first door on the left," he stated as he let the Headmaster lead the way.
It didn't take them long to get to the room and Harry saw that the Headmaster seen the three unlocked locks that was outside of the room, which could mean only one thing: Harry had been locked in his small room at sometime or other.
When the Headmaster arrived inside the room, his frown deepened even further. How can a boy live this way?
"Before we start, I would like to apologize to you for something. Actually, I have a couple of things to apologize for, sir. The first is the way I acted last year. I was a prat, pure and simple. The second is how I acted when I was in your office. I had no right to destroy your things when all you were doing was trying to look after me. But I am planning on making a complete turn around this year, if I can."
Harry said all these things in a very sincere voice and the Headmaster could not help but believe him. Dumbledore looked over the rim of his glasses at the boy, into his eyes. And what he saw there saddened him and gave him great hope. He had a battle hardened glint that he himself had when he fought the Dark Lord of his time, when he was in his prime.
All of the sudden, he waved his hand a plush chair appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. "May I take a seat?"
Harry just nodded absentmindedly, wishing that he knew how to do that.
"These bones are not what they used to be." He told Harry in an amused voice. However, both Harry and he both knew that this was a small fib. After all, even though he was old, he held his own against Voldemort fairly damn well at the end of the last school year.
He could get around just as well as the rest of them if he wanted to. It was then he pulled out a lemon drop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. "Would you like one, Harry?"
In all truth, Harry was getting just a tad irritated that the man wouldn't get to the point. But this was always the way Dumbledore worked. Harry had this sneaking suspicion that the man did on purpose—to confuse and put people at ease.
"Ah yes, maybe we should get down to business. How would you like to leave this place forever, and never come back and be able to practice magic all you like, even when school is not in?"
Harry's eyes were as large as saucers at the suggestion.
Dumbledore let out a dry chuckle as he seen the look on the teenager's face. "I'll take that as a yes. But, I must warn you, there will be consequences."
"I'll do anything!" Harry exclaimed, feeling the most excitement he had in weeks. He knew in his heart that he would do anything to get out of this house.
"The consequences are very serious, Harry. I want you to hear them out and come to a logical, thought out answer." Not for the first time, Albus Dumbledore was wondering if he was doing the right thing for Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter. He just hoped it worked out.
"What are the consequences?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Now the things that I am about to tell you will affect you and Ms. Granger. I would appreciate it if you do not interrupt until I have finished."
Harry gave a nod of acceptance.
"Have you ever heard of a spell called "Proprius Potentia"?" Harry just shook his head. "It basically means sharing your magic and life force with someone on a permanent basis. It would also give you certain traits that you wouldn't normally have. In other words, you would share traits."
"For instance, who ever you shared your magic—or life force—with, you will always know where they are and if they are ok. Not to mention that each of you would get about a thirty-five percent increase in you're magical power. There is one other thing that you have to think about…"
Dumbledore trailed off and Harry waited patiently for him to get to the point. So far, everything the Headmaster had been telling him was scaring the shit out of him, just slightly.
Dumbledore cleared his throat once more and continued. "The two people that merge their magic and life-force must live together. In fact, they have to spend an abundant amount of time together."
"Now, let me tell you the up side of things. If you merge with the person that I am thinking about, you will be just as safe in any house, just as you are here; that's how powerful this ancient spell is."
"It's 'Mione isn't it?" The headmaster gave a solemn nod. "And just how does she feel about this? Or have you asked her?"
"Oh, yes. I asked her before I asked you. I must say she is quiet excited about this. She can hardly wait to do it. She is acting this way for two reasons. The first, she wants to do everything that she can to help you. The second is that this spell has not been preformed in over six hundred years, and you know how she feels about history." He chuckled after that statement.
Harry and Dumbledore sat there in complete silence for almost a full ten minutes, with Harry thinking, and with Albus waiting on the boy's answer.
Finally, Harry did speak. "I assume that we would live at the Headquarters?" Dumbledore gave a quiet nod. Harry couldn't actually believe what he was about to ask Dumbledore and he was pretty sure that he would turn him down flat anyway.
"Ok, if I'm going to do this, then I have a few favors. Will you consider them?"
"Ask and I'll see what I can do."
"The first favor is that I have to go to Diagon Alley. I'll have to have an adult with me, preferably an Auror; because I am going to buy some things that they probably just will not sell to kids. Specifically weapons. I think that it's time I owned up to my destiny."
Harry wasn't sure, but he could have sworn a flash of pride went through Dumbledore's eyes. "I think that is very acceptable, Harry."
"Next, I am going to need some books that are restricted to anyone under 17. Such as Occlumency and Legilimency. And I would also like some more advanced books on Dueling and Advanced Transfiguration. Well, I may just go ahead and buy up all the schoolbooks for 6th and 7th year as well. What do you think, sir?"
"I think that you are on the right track. And I dare say that Ms. Granger will help you along on your way. Moreover, speaking of Ms. Granger… She had already asked about the books for Occlumency and Legilimency and I dare say that the clever witch has already mastered both. She has a real knack for those subjects. I think that she could help you with those."
Harry just gave a grateful nod.
"She is at the Headquarters waiting for you to show up to perform the ceremony." Dumbledore stated with that damn twinkle in his eyes again.
"What? She knew I was going to say yes?"
"I dare say that she is a very clever witch." Dumbledore replied laughingly. With that, the old wizard pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. "Sarcina". It was then that everything that Harry wanted to take with him was neatly folded and placed in his trunk.
"I wish I could do that at home."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You never know, stranger things have happened." With that statement Dumbledore picked up a quill and made it into a portkey. "Are you ready?"
Hermione Granger, noted by some as the cleverest girl in Hogwarts, was definitely not acting in her normal self assured way. In fact, the way she was pacing the floors of the Grimmauld common room, one would think that she was as nervous as a person could get.
The thought that kept going through her head was: What if he refuses?
Since 5th year, this had been her dream, although no one knew. Her dream was to have a relationship with Harry and be closer to him than anybody. It didn't have to be sexual, but that would be nice. No, what she wanted was exactly what this ancient spell was going to do; bring them closer than anyone living on the planet, since it had been six hundred years since the spell was last performed.
Hermione would go to her grave before she told anyone the truth; that she had had a crush on Harry Potter since forth year. Sure, Ron was cute and sweet, in an annoying kind of way. However, he was nothing like Harry. Harry would look danger in the eyes with those beautiful green eyes of his, and even though he was scared, he would charge right in.
Hermione called this his "saving people thing". She just hoped that he would forgive her for saying that. She really didn't mean it. She just didn't want him to run off and do something rash. Which he did anyway. In addition, she knew that he was blaming himself for it and that just wasn't his fault. She didn't care if she had to beat it into him. He would understand one way or the other.
Just as she was thinking of Harry, so he appeared, right along side of Professor Dumbledore. She took from how he looked that he wasn't handling things well and didn't like it one bit. He was wearing hand me down clothes from his cousin, which was about four times to large for him. However, that was not what bothered her.
It was the black circles under his eyes that showed that he hadn't been getting enough sleep as of late. Hermione didn't care if Dumbledore was there or not; she rushed in and gave him the tightest hug she could.
"A-A-Air, Mione, air." He finished as she let go and let him catch his breath, smiling at her the whole time.
"Did you agree, Harry? Of course you agreed or you wouldn't be here. Are you feeling alright? Do you need some pumpkin juice? I can--"
Harry held up a hand to stop her. "Breath, 'Mione. That's right, in and out." He replied in an amused voice, making the girl look a little sheepish and embarrassed.
"To answer your question; yes I did agree." He could see the excitement in her eyes as he announced that. "And afterward we are going to Diagon Alley because I need to pick up a few things."
"You're right; we do need to get our school books." She watched as Harry rolled his eyes at that statement.
The oldest Wizard in the room cleared his throat quite loudly to get their attention. He didn't want to bring this subject up now, but he felt that he had little choice, since they would have to make a trip to the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He had to tell Harry so that he would know what to expect.
Harry looked up at Dumbledore and saw that the twinkle in his eyes was no longer present, he knew at once that he was about to be told something very important. He just hoped that it wasn't something bad, like death.
"This is a very privet discussion and it is completely up to you if you would like Ms. Granger with you for it." He watched the two teens nod at each other and then nod at him to continue—their decision was made.
"This has to do with Sirius Black and Nicholas Flamel. Firstly I would like to tell you that everything has been taken care of by myself, since I felt that you wouldn't feel up to it, since it has been so close to your Godfather's death. To make a long story short, he left all of the Black Family fortune in your name. That also includes all of his estates, which there are four of, as well as the money."
"But--"
"I know that you don't want it Harry, but this is what Sirius wanted. He wanted you set up for life. He made out his will not a week before he died and told me to make sure that you got it at all costs. He was a very noble and giving man."
"We will also have to discus Nicholas Flamel's will, Harry. As you both know, he was well over six hundred years old before he passed on. In that time he collected thousands upon thousands of books; it was sort of a hobby for him," Dumbledore trailed off as he remembered his dead friend. "Nicholas also left you his vast fortune, as well as the books to you Harry, on the condition that you share the books with Hermione and Ron."
To say that Harry was stunned was the understatement of the year.
"He left you all these things because you saved the Sorcerer's Stone, by the way. He was always worried about that stone. Sometimes he wished that he never created it. But in his will, he told me that you, Harry, deserved to be the wealthiest man in Brittan, and now you are."
Dumbledore forced a smile on his face and said in a cheery voice, "Enough of this maudlin, let's go to Diagon alley and get some shopping done. But before that, I think you need to speak to Alastor, he is waiting in Sirius' old study. Tonks should arrive shortly."
With that, the headmaster walked into the kitchen, his demeanor telling everyone that he wanted to be alone. He truly did miss his friends. Especially Nicholas Flamel.
"B-b-but he didn't tell us where all the books were. How are we going to find them? I doubt the owner of this place would let us search around."
Harry gave her a very pointed look, along with a raised eyebrow.
"That's right; you are the owner of this place. I wondered why they put so much time into remodeling it and painting," she thought out loud with a hint of wonder to her voice.
That's when Harry started to notice things. Everything looked completely different from the last time that he was here. Gone were the heads of the dead elves and the dust and mildew. Moreover, there was plush carpet everywhere that the old mildewed carpet was at previously.
Basically what the place looked like was a brand new mansion. Right up to the gold chandelier. And Harry still couldn't believe that it was all his. After the ceremony, he would own this place. The only thing bad about it was that it brought back memories of Sirius—but he was almost sure that he would get over it in time. Harry even noticed that they got rid of that damnable painting that cursed everything it saw. In addition, he didn't know where that little bastard of an elf that betrayed them was either. He made a mental note to ask later.
Harry still didn't know how many floors the house had, though.
Harry knew for certain that he needed to go to the bathroom first though, and he knew where that was. When he was almost to the door he got the surprise of his life. He never thought he would see Tonks like she was now. I guess she was already here.
When he was halfway to the bathroom, Tonks came out of it wearing a short towel that left little to the imagination. When she caught him looking at her, Harry was determined not to let her embarrass him more than he already was.
"You know, that looks good on you. You should wear it more often," he stated as casually as possible, then made his way to the bathroom. Before he went though, he noticed that her face was as pink as her hair. Ha! Potter: 1, Tonks: 0.
However, he knew that she would get him back later.
It was after his shower that he realized that he didn't bring any spare clothes with him in the bathroom, so he threw on the same ones and went to look for some new ones. He felt more than a little grimy walking out of the bathroom in dirty clothes, but he got lucky when he ran into Hermione.
"Hey, Mione. Is my trunk still downstairs? I left all my clothes in it." Then he made a show of sniffing his shirt. "And these are a little rank."
Hermione gave a low chuckle before she answered. "Tonks and I moved your trunk to the Master bedroom, since this is you mansion." She finished that last part with a smirk. "It's on the very top floor, first door on the right."
"Ok. Thanks," he replied, not rising to the bait.
"If I were you I would go through the closet before the trunk, though."
Before he could ask why, she was already gone, so he made his way up the flight of stairs. As she suggested he looked through the closet first. What he found there shocked him. It was filled with clothes. However, not only that, they all seemed to be in his size. He couldn't believe how many there were. The closet was huge and had every variety.
Sirius must have got them before he was killed… His thoughts trailed off.
Finally he chose a faded blue button-up shirt that looked a little old, but was new and a pair of snug fitting black jeans. (Not to mention underwear and socks,) And a new pair of black sneakers. It didn't take him that long to get dressed and he didn't even try to mess with his hair; it was hopeless.
Before he left, he notice something on the dresser in the room. It was a wand holder that a person straps to the forearm. He remember them being called quick-draws in the various shops that he visited when he was in third year. After rolling up his sleeves to about mid-forearm he strapped the holder in place. After a quick glance in the mirror, he decided that he didn't look like the richest person in Brittan.
Harry just thanked god that it wasn't a magical mirror, because he wasn't in the mood for comments on his looks. As he looked at his eyes again, he couldn't get over how different they looked. In fact, if push came to shove, he would say that they looked a little like "Mad-Eye" Moody's good eye. They had both paranoia and suspicion in them.
The thought of Moody brought on a whole other line of thoughts. If anyone would understand, he would. Harry knew one thing for certain; he needed to be prepared. He didn't care if he had to beg Moody; he really needed his help. That man was possibly the only one that could understand Harry's paranoia. And that was that—he needed to be prepared.
And speak of the devil. Harry thought with an amused glint in his eyes as he heard the thump of Moody's leg headed his way. It was a slow gate that was deliberate. Because Harry knew damn well the man could move faster than that. I guess now is as good a time to talk as any. He must have got tired of waiting.
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was in a contemplative mood. When he was watching the boy from the other side of the wall, he noticed the eyes and demeanor was not the same as the snotty little brat from last year. He had a demeanor of someone who had seen too many battles and wasn't very quick to trust any one.
When Moody entered the room, it felt like those green eyes just pierced right through him, as if gauging him. Finally the boy broke eye contact and sat down at his desk chair, still not saying a word. However, he waved to Moody to take the other chair.
"Would you mind placing some wards and silencing charms on the room. I don't want anyone to hear what I am about to tell you. It is very important. So important that only the headmaster and I know of it."
Well, if the runt wants my curiosity up, he got it, Moody thought absently as he cast the strongest wards and silencing charms he could think of on the room. "Well, ya got my attention, boy. Spit out what ye got to say."
Ordinarily, that tone of voice would have pissed Harry off to no end, but he knew that this was the way that Moody always talked. Harry couldn't believe he was going through with this, since the plan popped inside his head only a few minutes ago. But it was instinct, and he learned to trust that.
"What do you know about the Prophecy?"
"Only about half of it. The rest was destroyed at the Ministry," he growled out. That growl intimidated a lot of people, but the boy in front of him didn't even flinch.
Harry gave a sigh, still having a hard time believing he was doing this. "Yes and no. The Prophecy was destroyed before Voldemort got a hold of it, but Dumbledore heard the prophecy read when it was spoken, so he knows all of it. He told it to me at the end of last year."
Moody leaned forward, with a curious expression on his disfigured face. "And I suppose that you are going to tell me what it is."
Harry leaned back in his chair and studied the man before him. "Yes. But only on one condition. Before you agree or disagree, just let me tell you it is very big and could be the deciding point of the war. Not even my best friends know it yet."
Moody was quiet for such a long time that Harry was starting to get nervous that he wasn't going to answer. What Harry didn't know was that Moody hated "Conditions" and "Favors", but he also figured it would be worth it.
"Alright, kid. What's yer condition?"
This was the part that made Harry nervous. Even though he felt much older than he was, he knew that he was still legally a kid. Some of the things that he was going to ask this man were slightly illegal. In addition, he would have to spend a lot of time with him.
"Before I tell you the condition, let me tell you something. I may still be a kid, legally, but I have seen a hell of a lot in my life. And I promise I will give 110 percent," Harry said all in one breath.
Mad-Eye just nodded. He was starting to get an idea of what the boy was going to ask. However, what Harry didn't know was that he was going to offer him this even before this talk.
"The condition that I want is that you teach me and Hermione everything you know about being an Auror and all the different ways that I can watch my back. I want every chance I can get against the death eaters, and I think that you would be the best person for the job. I would like you to train me for three hours a day, five days a week. That also includes the school term."
Moody stared at him for about ten seconds and then waved his hand and a bottle of Firewhisky and a good-sized shot glass appeared. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one go. Then he repeated the process. "I can tell that you are dead serious about learning, but what about that bushy haired girl? Will she put all of her heart into it?"
What he didn't tell Harry was that he would have done it anyway, regardless of being told the Prophecy or not.
"She has a LOT of fire that she likes to keep hidden. She is also the cleverest witch in Hogwarts. If I know her, she will jump at the chance to learn from a seasoned Auror. However, if she doesn't, it'll just be you and me,"
Moody thought hard for a moment and then spoke. "Alright, kid. I agree. Tell me about the Prophecy."
So, it came to be that Harry Potter repeated the prophecy for the first time ever. It came out in a dull monotone that would have given shivers to a man that didn't have a stronger spine. It did feel good, though. Just to get it off his chest, that is.
After the Prophecy was finished, they both stared at one another for a full ten seconds before either moved. It was Moody that moved first. He poured another shot of Firewhisky and slid it towards Harry. The boy drank every bit of it without as much as a cough.
"A woman named Tara will probably help with your training, as well as Granger's. Remus would, but he's out of the country on assignment, The Weasley clan won't be around because they decided to stay at the Burrow for the next two weeks. Practical training won't start for three days, so that should give you two plenty of time to study up."
.