HP/LOTM: Visionary - 385

Chapter 385: The Eavesdropped Prophecy and Harry’s Arrangements

The next day, seeing the dragon sprawled out asleep in his office, Dumbledore summoned the house-elves and had them carry Aiden back to Ravenclaw.

Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a Patronus. The phoenix Patronus sang a mournful song and glided off toward Gryffindor.

In the Gryffindor dormitory, Harry lay on his bed, clutching the book Aiden had given him, searching ceaselessly for his Draco. He switched perspectives again and again, but he still could not find him anywhere in the castle. Harry began to suspect Draco had slipped outside to scheme at something.

Just then, a phoenix slipped out from beneath his blankets and, when it opened its beak, Dumbledore’s voice echoed in the dormitory. "Harry, I hope you can come to my office."

The phoenix vanished. Harry pulled on his clothes in a rush and hurried off toward the office.

On the eighth floor, Harry heard someone muttering curses. He followed the sound and found Professor Trelawney lying on the floor.

"Professor, are you all right?" Harry stepped forward to help her up.

"Oh, blast it, I think someone threw me out just now."

To save herself the trouble after drinking, Trelawney would always toss her empty bottles into the Room of Requirement.

"Were you just attacked?" Harry sensed something was wrong. He now knew full well who had been using the Room of Requirement so frequently of late.

"I just heard a boy cheering in there," Trelawney said, rubbing her old back. "Oh, right—are you going to see the Headmaster?" she added, noticing the direction Harry was headed.

"Yes. I suggest you tell Professor Dumbledore about this," Harry said with a nod.

"Hmph, but he never respects my warnings. I will not cling to him shamelessly."

Arms folded, Trelawney complained about Dumbledore. "I have cast the cards thirteen times, and every single time it has been the lightning-struck tower. He is like this in everything. Just as with the prophecy sixteen years ago—when I told him to pursue the eavesdropper, he did nothing."

Harry seized on the key detail in her tirade. "An eavesdropper!"

"Yes. Sixteen years ago, Severus passed our prophecy on to the Dark One. I even suggested Dumbledore track him then, but alas… Though we learned later that Severus was Dumbledore’s spy at the Dark One’s side, didn’t we?"

Trelawney kept rambling, but Harry’s mind had already flown. Suspicion toward Snape peaked inside him. Coupled with the conversation he had overheard at Christmas between Snape and Draco, Harry was eighty percent certain: Snape was a thoroughgoing scoundrel.

But time was short. He forced down Trelawney’s warning and hurried to the Headmaster’s office.

"Harry, you are here. I have found the hiding place of another Horcrux. I need to bring you along to destroy it," Dumbledore said, coming forward with his gentle smile.

"I’ll go!" Harry blurted without hesitation, his heart driving him on. He urgently wanted to do something.

"What is wrong?" Dumbledore read the disturbance at a glance.

"I’m fine," Harry lied, afraid his state would make Dumbledore abandon taking him to destroy the Horcrux.

"Your heart is wrapped in hatred, and it is letting your emotions spill," Dumbledore said. His weathered blue eyes reflected Harry’s anxious face.

Harry could no longer suppress the pain inside. "Snape!"

"He passed the prophecy to Voldemort. He got my parents killed. Professor Trelawney told me," Harry said.

Dumbledore stepped back and sat on the stone steps before his desk. "You must call him Professor Snape, Harry."

His voice was low, and the phoenix behind him trilled a few notes.

"Back then, he was in Voldemort’s employ. When he heard the first half of the prophecy, he rushed to report its contents to his master. It was his mistake. He did not know, and could not have known, that from then on Voldemort would hunt the boy in the prophecy. He knew even less that the boy was Lily’s child. He has regretted it all his life, and that became the reason he joined us," Dumbledore said, letting out a slow sigh.

Hearing this, Harry’s suspicions toward Snape reached a peak, and he lashed out at Dumbledore. "I—they have a plot, do you know that!" His fists clenched tight.

"Professor Trelawney just heard Malfoy celebrating inside the Room of Requirement. They are repairing something dangerous—and it is already fixed. And yet you are leaving the school instead of…"

"Enough," Dumbledore said, cutting Harry off. "I have complete faith in Severus’s loyalty. I have always prioritized your safety. After we leave, the school will not only be guarded by Aurors but also by members of the Order, who will be stationed on shifts. Even if you cannot trust me, trust them a little."

He waved his hand, and the silver instruments on his desk shone. Images appeared upon them, showing Order members patrolling Hogwarts.

"Go fetch your Invisibility Cloak. I will wait here," Dumbledore said, unwilling to pursue the subject further.

Harry turned and sprinted back to the Gryffindor common room. He sent a girl to fetch Hermione, then raced to the dormitory.

"Ron!" Harry yanked his friend up from the bed.

"What is it, mate? You do know it is the weekend," Ron mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"There is no time. Come on—Hermione should already be waiting outside."

Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak from beneath the bed. In a few minutes, the three of them had gathered in the common room. Harry gave them a brisk rundown of going with Dumbledore to destroy a Horcrux.

"Dumbledore will not be here tonight. That means Malfoy and Snape can carry out their plot without scruples."

Ron and Hermione still showed signs of disbelief, but Harry lowered his voice and forced the issue. "Let me finish."

Gold light flickered in his eyes. Using the power of love as a conduit, Harry transmitted his urgency and turmoil to the two of them.

"I know Malfoy is celebrating in the Room of Requirement. Here—" Harry returned Aiden’s book to Hermione and told her, "You must watch them. Watch Snape and Malfoy. Rally every D.A. member you can. Hermione, can you still use the Galleons?"

He looked at her, and Hermione nodded.

"Then start them up. Dumbledore says he will reinforce the school’s protections, but with Snape involved, there is every chance they will breach them."

It was the first time Harry had given an order as the leader of the D.A., and the first time he had taken on the responsibilities of leadership.