Chapter 2

Harry woke up that evening to find that Ron and Ginny had already left for The Burrow.

"Harry! What happened to you? You have been asleep since yesterday night and professor Dumbledore came in with Snape and McGonagall to check on you. Then Snape told Dumbledore that you had asked for Dreamless sleep and Dumbledore smiled and went away."

Harry blinked at all the information he received. He shook his head feeling disoriented and lost and then terrible, as the events of last night crowded on to his brain. He pushed them down, deciding to take care of it later in private and smiled falteringly at Neville. "What time is it, Nev and how are you?"

"I am fine Harry," Neville beamed at Harry at the concern in Harry's voice and continued, "I was just going down for dinner. It is about half past seven. Also Ron and Ginny have left and told me to tell you to take care and that they will write soon." Harry could not stop the wave of hate he felt at hearing their names and the angry scowl that came on his face as Neville told him about them.

Fortunately Neville did not notice as he was already turning away to close his trunk and go down to the Great Hall. Harry thought of not going down to dinner for some time but decided to go down to the Great Hall as Dumbledore would see him and nod in that all-knowing way and let him be. Otherwise he might come to the dorm to check up on him and Harry was not sure he could manage a solicitously false enquiry and be alone with Dumbledore just now. To add to everything he was so very hungry.

He dragged himself out of bed and went to the bathroom and stood under the hot shower and felt a lot refreshed. He pulled on a pair of clean robes and walked out of the dorm, not looking at anyone in the eye, smiling a little as the few Gryffindors who were there called out to ask how he was and walked out and down to the Great Hall.

The Hall was almost empty of students, though all the professors were there. Harry sat down in his usual place as Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all looked at him sharply. He felt their glances but did not look up. He filled his plate and forced himself to eat. The moment he started eating his hunger took over and he ate a full meal. The moment he finished, he left the hall to go to the library and sat there trying to make sense of everything.

He did not dare write anything down and he was trying to go through everything in his mind and he was getting hopelessly confused when the worried voice of his Headmaster interrupted him sending him into a panic. "Harry, how are you feeling now? You had asked Severus for the dreamless sleep potion yesterday?" Dumbledore was there looking at Harry in a very concerned way.

Harry glanced up at him for a brief second and nodded his head shakily, praying that he would not let his anger, betrayal and knowledge show. "Yes Sir, I am feeling fine now." and very quietly Harry added, "I am sorry to have destroyed your office that…that day."

"That is all right Harry. Do not worry about it. If you need anything you only have to ask." Dumbledore told him kindly and then left. Harry just sat there for sometime putting his head in his hands feeling so helpless and wondering if Dumbledore was lurking around or had he left his precious Gryffindor Savior to his miseries.

After about half an hour Harry went to the dorm and told the others he would sleep in early once again. "Hey! You are fine aren't you?" asked Dean Thomas looking at Harry. Harry nodded his head. "Just tired, that's all." and went up the stairs that led to the dorm.

He undressed and went to bed, tightly drawing the curtains around him and cast a silencing spell on them. He sat for more than two hours thinking on various events in which Dumbledore had intervened at the right time and many other events that might have been influenced by him indirectly. Then taking out a parchment he wrote down everything he remembered.

Magic bound and suppressed, must find a way to release it to full potential.

Ron and Ginny working for Dumbledore and he wants to kill me because I am linked with Voldemort and am more powerful that I should be.

Don't know about Hermione.

Have to find a way to learn stuff and defeat Voldemort for my parents and Dumbledore for Sirius.

Harry had to blink his eyes several times after writing this as he now knew that Dumbledore had probably kept Sirius in Azkaban deliberately so that he could not get custody of Harry, while he did not have proof of this, he had heard Dumbledore and Moody say that it was a good thing that Sirius was gone.

What family vaults, have to find out about them. How?

The Dursleys, did Dumbledore charm them to hate me and does he have spells to find out what I do there as last year he seemed to know uncle Vernon was going to throw me out and his howler came in exactly at that time.

Snape and how to tackle him?

Subjects to study – Occlumency, Legilimency, wandless magic – that was what the lumos was when the dementors came, dueling and other branches of magic that might help.

Unlocking his gifts - what gifts and how to unlock them?

Cannot trust anybody; have to do this on my own. Have to take care of Voldemort and Dumbledore and Ron, Ginny, Percy and Moody.

That sentence made him feel truly miserable and he sat there for some time wallowing in his misery and sadness that he was not destined to have anyone who cared enough to look beyond the barriers, and the friends and the man he had truly looked upon as people who were his were now plotting to kill him.

Harry was not scared of dying as he was more or less prepared for the fact that Voldemort would finish him off sooner or later. The Prophecy only assured him that his thoughts were correct. What he had been praying for was that he would take Voldemort with him as he went down. If somehow he would survive he was grateful to the powers that be.

Now all that had changed as Harry was determined not only to defeat Voldemort but others in the Light and try to live through all that just for the reason that they wanted him dead. That would be his tribute to Sirius and to his parents' who had sacrificed their lives so that Harry may live.

He memorized all that he had written and then wrote a few more sentences.

Things to do to achieve what he had written above;

Go to Gringotts somehow before going to the Dursleys and meet with the goblins.

That would be the most difficult to do, Harry knew.

Access money on a continuous basis, both muggle and magical

Unlock gifts and full magical potential right here in School before leaving

Harry thought a bit more deeply and then wrote;

Room of requirement will provide all the stuff necessary

Memorize all the stuff from the Room of Requirement, write it down in your parchment and also scan aura; Dumbledore said aura was not comforting so find out and if aura changes after unlocking magic make sure that there is a way to keep same aura as now after unlocking suppressed magic so that Dumbledore will not be suspicious.

Harry snorted a bit after that. For all that Dumbledore said he might already be operating at his full potential. Well he would know soon.

He memorized all this as well and then cast an incendio at that parchment and swallowed the ashes. Then a bit satisfied he was doing something to avenge his parents and Sirius, went to sleep.

He woke up late the next morning, enjoying the undisturbed sleep that he had yesterday, without any nightmares of the Department of Mysteries. He wondered a bit at that but put it down to the new purpose that filled his life.

He walked briskly walked off to the showers and felt fresher after that and then filling his bag with loads and loads of parchment and invisibility cloak and then went down to find Hermione, waiting with a beaming smile on her face. He stared at her without saying anything and her smile faltered.

"Harry?" she asked hesitantly looking at him with a concern that almost made him weep. He suddenly came to a decision and he dragged her out of the common room and went to a random corridor and cast a silencing spell around them.

"Can you tell me loudly at the Great Hall that I must not be like this and that you need to talk to me in your most bossy tone?" he asked her.

She gaped and gaped and thought Harry had lost it completely. Harry saw her look and smiled a genuine smile at her, "I'll explain everything after breakfast, swear, please Hermione will you do this for me?" he asked her with a pleading look on his face.

She was not convinced and she still thought he was too far gone, but she nodded dubiously anyway. Harry cancelled the silencing charm and both of them went to the Great Hall.

"How is Ron? And Ginny? I did not see both of them, though Neville looked fine." She said busy filling her plate and so missed the look of pure hate on Harry's face.

"Yeah they are both fine and Mrs. Weasley has taken them to The Burrow to heal." Hermione looked up at the tone of that voice but wisely refrained from commenting anything. She saw that Harry had a good breakfast though he was very silent after that statement.

As they were about to get up, Hermione looked at him and caught hold of his arm, "Harry you must stop this right now. Come on I want to speak to you before classes." She said loudly.

"What classes Hermione? Classes have been cancelled for the rest of the year." Harry told her enjoying the look of shock on her face.

"What!!!!" she asked astounded that they could have cancelled classes, even though they had already given their OWLS they could have been assessing their papers.

"Come on," was all Harry said and he took her to the seventh floor to the picture of Barnaby and walked three times thinking hard. Harry actually needed a place to tell Hermione everything show her everything as well as the materials needed for his research and plans.

A door opened and Harry and Hermione walked into a room that was filled with books and a table with a pensieve on it and a comfortable sofa facing it.

Of course, Harry thought, he could show it all to her. She would be more convinced that way. But he did not know how to remove the memories from his head and place it on to the pensieve. She had looked at the room once and now was facing the door and was fiddling with her wand near it.

Immediately there was writing on the Black board that was behind the pensieve.

Hold your wand tip to your temple and think of a specific memory and slowly pull it out. Break the connection after you have pulled out what you wanted to.

Harry thought back to last afternoon where Ron received the letter and then his research and then the Order meeting. He almost did not show her the main Order meeting not wanting to see the same accusation in her eyes as Remus's but then he shrugged. He would know whether to trust her with what he had to do or if he did not have even Hermione, who had stayed with him all this time never wavering even during the fight with Ron in their fourth year.

He placed them in the pensieve and then he held her hand and both of them put their face into it. The next minute they were falling down and Hermione stood through the whole thing silently, her right hand holding her mouth in horror and her left hand clutching Harry so strongly that he was beginning to feel numb.

Both of them came out automatically as the memories ended and then there was a deathly drop silence as Harry lifted the memories and placed them into his head, again following the writing on the Black board.

"How could all of them?" Hermione whispered aghast as she looked at Harry with tears in her eyes.

"How could Ron and Ginny betray you like this and for money? And Remus, I thought better of him and the worst of them all Dumbledore, oh Harry you realize what he said didn't you? I bet he kept Sirius in Azkaban deliberately so that he could not get access to you."

Tears overflowed from her eyes and Harry just stood there trying his best not to join her in the open weeping. After about ten minutes, Hermione wiped her eyes and she looked at him, "Okay, we know all this now," she began in a determined voice that was just a little shaky and frightened.

"We know where we stand and Harry we are most likely fighting with Voldemort, Dumbledore and Ron. That means the Order, the Dark forces and because of this mess the Ministry of Magic as well. We have to make a list of things to do and also plan on how we are going to beat the tar out of all of them. Harry?" She noticed that he was just standing there looking at her with so much gratitude that she was bewildered for a second, and then she understood.

"You said we; thanks Hermione and you will never know how much." His voice broke on the last word as he stopped, trying to get his emotions under control. After a little while he continued.

"I also need to tell you something else that Dumbledore told me about on that night." Harry told her shakily as he told the about the Prophecy and she stared at him with so much horror in her face. "Oh Harry," was all that she said.

"So if you want out I will understand, only please don't tell what I told you just now to anyone. I just needed to share it with someone." He told her feeling so alone.

She went to him and hugged him fiercely. "You were my first friend and Ron became my friend only because of you Harry. Of course I will help you as much as I can, I thought Ron and I," she broke off looking a bit wistful and then angrily continued, "from when did he start this and why? Where does Percy fit into all this and most importantly we have to plan for so many things?"

"I have already made a list," and he dictated to the board and Hermione nodded approvingly. "Come on Harry we have work to do. Start with the books on aura and I want to look through the potion books here." She looked around and soon was taking down potion books from the potion section. Harry had gone to the aura section and removed a whole lot of books before taking even more books Occlumency and Legilimency.

He merely wrote the names of the books and authors and returned all the other books back except those on aura and started looking through for finding out his aura that he sported at present and how to change his aura to fool others.

He found information in the seventh book. Hermione in the meantime had taken the parchments from him and had already started writing down great lengths. He sighed and turned back to his own research.

An aura is an indication of your character and power that can never lie. Only the most powerful can even attempt to see the aura and it is the people with the silver or the golden aura who can even see the aura with the naked eye. In rare cases people with a green aura are able see auras around them.

An aura can be seen by a powerful wizard by simply concentrating on the outline of the person whose aura you wish to see. You will be able to slowly make out the blurred outlines of vague colors in the beginning but you are practiced it will almost come instantaneously as the mind is able to comprehend and understand your need to see the aura in a fraction of a second and work automatically to see the aura.

You may change your aura only to colors that indicate a lower power level than what you have. For example, if you are a wizard with a pink aura you will not be able to hide your aura with green or silver which are higher than your power level. Remember only the powerful can change auras, it is not for the average witch or wizard.

For all the others, to find your aura all you have to do is point your wand at you and say the words aura revealis and check for the aura. The aura colors are white, brown, yellow, red, blue, pink, purple, green, sliver and golden. White is the color represented by the lowest power and golden by the highest amount of power found in a wizard and witch.

To change your aura point your wand at yourself and say aurametocangis it will automatically move to a color that is one color less than your own. If you need to go down one more power level, then say the same spell and go down one more color.

If you need to find out that a person has changed their aura, remember that only very powerful wizards can do it in the first place, you will know by seeing a jagged line that outlines their changed aura, a very thin outline not visible very clearly to the naked eye.

Auras are an indication of your true character and power. While auras are read as they are to determine power levels, by taking the predominant color that surrounds you, to determine character the combination of various colors are taken into account.

Red says anger and a short temper and from that you may be rest assured that the wizard is rash and brash, brown indicates sluggishness, yellow laziness, white sickness, pink harmony and good cheer, blue very analytical and logical, purple very powerful and has leadership qualities and is spiritually inclined and may have a bad tendency to dominate, green sheer power and harmony along with selflessness and silver and golden are higher rungs of green.

Black is a color to beware of in a wizard as Black means cruelty, a tendency towards evil and a keen desire to dominate and destroy. Wizards who can see auras usually have an aura that is green, silver, golden or Black. Otherwise this spell would reveal it to you for a second, for you to assess.

"Hermione, I have found the thing about how to see aura and how to change them." She beamed at Harry as he told her all about it, "Well I also have a list of potions and spells," he noticed that she had moved from potions to charms books that were lying on the table. Well, the first thing to do is to make the potion to release your magic and then another potion to see your gifts and then we will conceal your aura and take it on from there."

Harry looked at her both bemused and grateful, that he had someone with him in this madness that was threatening to overwhelm him completely.

"The first thing to do though is to see your aura now so that we can make sure that your aura is the same later. What was the spell? Say it one more time?" she asked him wand ready in her hand. "Afterward will you apply it to me and tell me what my aura is and if it has been changed?" she asked him slightly scared as she thought that Dumbledore could have done that to her as well.

"Shall I cast it first at you?" Harry asked her. She nodded nervously as Harry raised his hand and cast the spell to reveal the aura. He had to cast it almost twelve times before his anger gave his magic a boost and he saw her aura that was pink and patches of purple and no jagged line around to suggest that her aura had been tampered with.

"Well, you are safe. Your aura is pink and purple and no jagged line. So no tampering." He told her making exaggerated motions of being relieved.

Suddenly Hermione flicked her wand and the room became a cozy place with sofas and tea cups and snacks and another flick all her and Harry's notes went into her bag.

"Come on Harry, you cannot be like this. You have to get over Sirius. How many times should I tell you this? We are all there for you, Ron and me, all the Weasleys, Professor Lupin and Tonks and all of us. You can't bottle all your feelings inside the entire time okay. I wish Ron were here. He would have brought you out of your dumps. Well, both of us are not going anywhere till you speak out."

Harry was shocked and for a minute he thought she had gone mad. He was about to open his mouth and really snap something rude at her when she spoke again. "I am going to get Professor Dumbledore right now to speak to you about Sirius if you don't get off that look from your face."

Harry opened his mouth to tell her to shut up and get out, "Harry, please keep quiet for a second, while I explain to you why you must not bottle up your emotions, please be quiet for a few minutes and please understand what I am about to say, okay you are not going to, let me check your map for professor Dumbledore and I will bring him here if you are going to be sulky."

Harry was horrified as she spoke and was about to scream at her and actually push her out, when she ran to him and hugged him; "I am sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…" Harry just gaped at her thinking she was really off her rockers, when she started sniffing, tears running down her eyes.

"Someone was here invisibly Harry. When we came here and I saw the pensieve, I cast a spy spell, on the door that would tell me if Dumbledore or any of the professors came here to check. I had set the alarm to go off if anyone came within three feet near the Room of Requirement. The alarm tripped me off saying someone was here and that was why I changed the room and started speaking to you about Sirius. It must have been Dumbledore and now he will not disturb us again."

He realized how clever she had been and he was so thankful he had her on his side. "Thanks Hermione. I was shocked and a little angry, I guess. I really did not know why you were talking all that. But I did not see him open the door." He told her sheepishly and with just a touch of defiance.

"Yes he did not, but he could have cast an illusion of the door and have opened the door or maybe he was standing outside and overhearing or maybe he cast a see through charm on the door so that he could see straight inside. You really don't know with Dumbledore especially now." Hermione explained to him as he gaped at all the things Dumbledore could do.

"Now you have to cast the aura charm at yourself now Harry." She told him smiling and he pointed the wand at himself and cast the spell. This time he got it the first time. "Well your color is blue." She told him, "And there is a jagged line to show it has been changed."

She smiled at him, "Come on we have work to do. We have to go to Hogsmeade and buy these potions," she frowned, "no Diagon Alley will be better, no one will recognize us if we go there with a small glamour and we are safe."

"Great! We can also go to Gringotts then." Harry was delighted, as he had been breaking his head about how to tackle that particular problem.

"No Harry, we cannot be away for that long and we have to make sure we get back before we are missed. How much money do you have? I will bring all of mine as well as some of these ingredients are very expensive and it would be better if we do not steal from Snape as he will be in charge of you during the holidays and he will suspect you the moment something goes missing."

Harry had to reluctantly agree and both of them used Harry's spells he had learnt the day before and concealed their auras and scent for good measure and Hermione transfigured their robes into ordinary robes for everyday use and with a glamour to change their looks and slowly crept out under the invisibility cloaks and walked swiftly to the one-eyed witch and went down the tunnel and soon were in Hogsmeade and they took the floo from The Three Broomsticks and landed in Diagon Alley.

They walked swiftly a little scared and exited at doing something so daring and went into the apothecary. Hermione had also used a voice altering charm along with a notice me not that made Harry gawk at her in shock when she spoke. She briskly gave the list of potion ingredients, "Please could you tell me how much this costs as I have some more potions to order." She told the manager.

That man did not even look at then twice and swiftly calculating told them an amount that was well within their limits and Hermione gave him a second list. "I have mixed a lot of common ingredients so that he would not know why we are buying these." She leaned over and whispered to him.

In no time they had finished and Hermione asked the man to shrink the package for them and they almost ran back to The Leaky Cauldron and took the floo. They popped their invisibility cloaks over them and went through the dark passage and went back to the Room of Requirement. The whole exercise had taken an hour and a half.

Hermione decided to keep then potions with her so that no one would suspect anything, "Harry, I will also go back to the Room of Requirement and brew them. You stay on here and if you are conspicuously present Dumbledore will not think of looking for me. I will come in at intervals whenever I can leave the potions so that no one will be the wiser."

Harry nodded his head and changing his look to sullen went down to the Great Hall after removing all their spells and glamour. Harry sat sullen all the time during dinner and Hermione seemed to be scolding him about something and he seemed to be rebelling. Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall saw this display and while Dumbledore smiled Snape and McGonagall frowned. They turned to each other and McGonagall nodded once very briefly, so briefly that no one not even Dumbledore noticed.

Harry and Hermione finished dinner, they were very hungry as they had skipped lunch and went to their common room and sat down with the others for sometime talking nothing really. "Hey, Harry how are you feeling? Better?" asked Neville smiling shyly. Harry nodded and smiled back at him, "Yeah Neville I am feeling fine now, though a bit sleepy."

"Me too, though I don't know why? We really haven't done anything really, no studies, no Snape, nothing, still," Dean shook his head as he and Seamus who was still a bit awkward around Harry went up to their dorm. Taking this as their cue, Harry and Hermione also thankfully escaped.

Harry lay awake for a long time, thinking over everything and when he went to sleep it was with the prayer that he would not do anything foolish to kill of Hermione as he did Sirius. When he did sleep his cheeks were wet with the tears he had contained while awake.