The Chosen One

HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE
by Rita Skeeter

Rumour has it that there is only one person on this earth who is able to release the wizarding world from the grip of He Who Must Not Be Named and his Death Eaters. We from the Daily Prophet can now confirm that the rumours are indeed true.

We have received the information of a reliable source that there has been made a Prophecy that concerns both Harry Potter and He Who Must Not Be Named. The Prophecy was made shortly before The Boy Who Lived was born and it said that he would be the only person who would be able to kill the darkest wizard of all time. It would also say that he has powers He Who Must Not Be Named has not, nor has any knowledge of. It is hard to believe that the fate of the wizarding world lies in the hands of an underage wizard with no exceptional talents.

Augusta Longbottom, respected member of the wizarding society and grandmother of one of Potter's close friends – "continue page 3 column 5

Sirius Black sighed and threw the Sunday Prophet back on the kitchen table. He knew the news of the Prophecy would leak out eventually. Harry had told him he had only revealed the contents of the Prophecy to his closest friends, but he was sure that some of the members of Dumbledore's Army, the group Harry had founded during his fifth year at Hogwarts, had guessed more than they let on. He looked at Remus who had just finished the article himself. Remus was the only other Order member who knew exactly what the Prophecy said. Sirius had told him after verifying with Harry if it would be alright. He never felt good about keeping things secret from his only school friend that was left.

Remus whistled through his teeth. "Skeeter", he mumbled. "It was a matter of time, I guess."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Harry's not going to like this. He hates all the attention from being the Boy Who Lived as it is."

"Well, he's going to find out either way. He might as well hear it from us."

"You're right", Sirius said. "I expect he'll be down soon." Harry was always the first one of the teenagers to get up in the morning. Most of the time he was even downstairs before Arthur and Molly. The Weasley parents had apologized tremendously for being a burden on Sirius by staying here, but to be honest, he loved having a house full of people. He had had enough time on his own to last him a life time.

"Morning." Harry entered the kitchen, yawning broadly. He set down with Sirius and Remus for breakfast. "Any news?", he asked when he spotted the Sunday Prophet.

"Yes, actually", Sirius said. "But I don't think you're going to like it."

"What happened?"

Remus pushed the paper across the table towards Harry. It was silent for a few minutes while Harry quickly scanned the article and Dobby poured him a bowl of oatmeal. Dumbledore had agreed to let Dobby work at Grimmauld Place, now that there were so many people there. Sirius had taken him in and paid him of course. Harry calmly folded up the paper when he was finished and took his oatmeal. "Well, we've got that out of the way. Thanks, Dobby."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other surprised. "You – you don't mind?", Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "I would have preferred it would never get out, but I knew that wasn't going to happen."

"You have any idea who blabbed?", Remus asked.

"I don't think we have to look at our side, actually", Harry said.

"What do you mean?"

"Voldemort knows about the Prophecy. I thought he would have made sure that it got out much sooner. He's just trying to put more pressure on me."

The two older men nodded slowly. "You're probably right", Sirius said. "He wants you to act rashly."

"You won't, right?", Remus asked.

"Of course not", Harry said. "I'll talk about it with Dumbledore, he'll probably stop by today after he saw this."

"He probably will", Sirius said. "Oh right, you got a letter too."

"O.W.L. results?", Harry asked nervously.

"I don't think so, Ron didn't get anything. And it's probably still too early too."

Harry tore open the envelope and started reading the letter. It was short and to the point and the handwriting could have rivalled Ron's in untidiness.

Harry

My brother has told me about your request to use my pub as a meeting point for your organisation. I'd be happy to allow you to meet here whenever you need to. Albus told me about the ingenious method you have to communicate with each other. If it's not a problem, I think it would be wise for me to have one of those too, so we can also communicate and you can warn me whenever you need. Stop by anytime you want.

Aberforth Dumbledore

As he finished the letter, the four youngest Weasleys entered the kitchen, still yawning and stretching.

"Where's mum and dad?", Ginny asked the kitchen in general after kissing Harry briefly on the lips.

"Order duty", Sirius mumbled, while he was quickly reading the rest of Rita Skeeter's article.

"What you got there, Harry?, Ron asked.

"It's a letter from Aberforth", he answered. "He's agreed to let us use his pub if we need to." Ron looked at him puzzled. "For the DA", Harry added.

"Great", Fred said. "We should let the rest know."

"I'll write Hermione", Ron quickly said, receiving teasing looks from the twins and Ginny.

After breakfast, the five of them wrote short notes to all the DA members to tell them the news. "Why can't we just use the coins. That's what they are there for, right?", Ron complained.

"Because we can only send short messages, Ron", Ginny said. "And you won't die from writing a few sentences."

When they were finished they divided the notes between Pigwidgeon and Hedwig and sent them off. Harry hoped Dumbledore would stop by soon, so he could share his hunch about Voldemort leaking the Prophecy with him and ask if he could go to the Hog's Head to meet with Aberforth. Sirius would probably want to go with him too, but he kind of wanted Dumbledore there as it was his brother.

"Any news today?", Ginny asked as they watched the two owls fly away.

"Yeah, actually", Harry said. He told his friends about Rita's article and showed them Sunday Prophet.

"Bloody hell", Ron mumbled. "This can't be good."

Ginny grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly. "Are you okay?", she asked. She knew how much Harry hated to be the centre of attention and this wouldn't really help it.

"Yeah of course", Harry said. "It was bound to happen. Now everyone knows." He took the paper again and glanced at the headline once more. "The Chosen One", he mumbled. "Not as inventive as she used to be. Maybe she's losing her touch."

Ron and Ginny still looked at him a bit concerned, but Fred and George grinned. "So it's really true then?", Fred asked. Harry nodded and to his surprise Fred and George burst out laughing.

"Sorry mate", George said. "But it's always you, isn't it?"

Harry couldn't help but smile himself. "Yeah, it appears so."

"Don't you have to be at the shop?", Ron asked, clearly annoyed with his brothers' reaction to the Prophecy.

The twins had bought premises at Diagon Alley with the money Harry lent them last summer. They had opened their joke shop at the beginning of the week and business was already very good.

"It's Sunday", Fred said with raised eyebrows.

"There's nothing funny about Harry having to take on Voldemort on his own", Ginny said sternly.

"What are you talking about?", George said. "He won't be on his own."

"It says that he's the one who has to kill the bastard. It doesn't say he has to fight him on his own", Fred added.

"And I have a hunch Dumbledore's Army will be there", George concluded.

"Well, we don't have to think about that yet", Ron said. "Come on let's go fly around a bit."

Grimmauld Place had a backyard where they could practice Quidditch. It wasn't as big as at the Burrow however and they all missed the orchard where they played so many games of Quidditch before. Jacinta joined them with her brand new Nimbus 2002 that Sirius got her as a welcoming present. They passed around one of Sirius' old Quaffles until Dobby called them down for lunch.

"Mum and dad still not back?", Fred asked as they entered the kitchen.

Remus shook his head. "They won't be until late tonight, I expect."

They were joined for lunch by Tonks and Kingsley. Tonks had returned to the Auror office after last term. Dumbledore had explained to Harry about the curse Voldemort had put on the DADA position. He tried to sidestep the curse now by only appointing teachers for a year to avoid other injuries. Still, Harry regretted that Tonks had left. She and Remus had been the only Defence teachers that had really learned them something. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise that Kingsley announced over dinner that he would come to Hogwarts to teach Defence for a year.

"But keep it quiet for now", he warned them. "You're not really supposed to know yet."

Shortly after lunch, Dumbledore stopped by at Grimmauld Place. He and Harry stayed in the kitchen as the other inhabitants of the house spread out.

"I trust you have already seen that someone must have been careless with certain information", Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded. "Do you really think it was someone on our side, Professor?", he asked tentatively.

Dumbledore smiled encouragingly at Harry's words. "Go on, Harry."

"Well. Don't you think it's possible that Voldemort chose to make the Prophecy public himself?"

"That is exactly what I think", Dumbledore said. "Voldemort expects you to panic now that everyone knows you are – as Rita Skeeter put it so colourfully – 'the Chosen One'. He expects you to recklessly seek him out. You should not forget that Voldemort still has no idea that we know about his Horcruxes."

"He thinks I'll go and look for him?"

Dumbledore nodded. "And he expects you to do so alone. Now I do not think you really consider that, but I want you to promise me that you will not, Harry. Whatever happens, do not act rashly before talking to me."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, who he saw less and less as his Professor and more and more as a confidant and even a friend. "Of course", he said. His eyes drifted away from Dumbledore's face and he smiled inwardly when he saw five flesh-coloured strings by the door.

Dumbledore nodded contently. "So Harry, have you already received word from Aberforth? He told me he would write to you soon."

"Yes", Harry said. "I got a letter from him this morning. Actually, I wanted to ask you if it would be okay to visit him. Then I could immediately give him one of our coins."

"I think that would be fine, but you cannot go alone, naturally", Dumbledore said. "I could take you there now, if you'd like."

"That would be great", Harry said. "Do you think it would be okay if my friends came too?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I think that will be fine." He turned to the door. "You can come in now!", he called out. The door immediately opened and four embarrassed Weasleys came in closely followed by Jacinta.

"We'll better take a Portkey if you are all coming", Dumbledore mused. "Harry, why don't you get that coin for Aberforth in the meantime. And ask Sirius if he wants to come with us. Maybe he could connect Aberforth's fireplace to Grimmauld Place, as neither of you can apparate, with the exception of Fred and George."

Harry nodded and ran up the stairs. He entered his bedroom and opened his nightstand where he kept the extra coins Hermione gave him. After hesitating for a moment, he took two of them and ran back outside where Sirius and Remus were sitting. They both decided to come and together they returned to the kitchen.

When they got there, Dumbledore nodded approvingly and held out an old kettle that he probably found in the kitchen. A few moments later they landed just outside the Hog's Head. Harry had never been there before and he found it hard to believe that this was the bar of Dumbledore's brother. The windows were filthy and when they followed Dumbledore inside he thought that the floor probably hadn't been cleaned in decades.

The pub was completely empty, but the door after the bar opened immediately when the door closed behind them.

"Oh it's you Albus", the old barkeeper said dully. "Oh", he said when he spotted Harry.

He walked towards them and gave Harry a firm handshake. "Aberforth Dumbledore, call me Abe", he said. He greeted Sirius and Remus as old friends and seemed rather pleased to see the Weasleys. Apparently he got along with their parents quite well and Arthur and Molly had been loyal customers of him in their younger years. Their offspring seemed rather surprised to hear that.

"And you are?", Abe asked finally.

"Jacinta Malfoy", Jacinta said quietly. She unconsciously moved a bit closer to Harry and Sirius.

Aberforth raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother. "This is the girl I have told you about, Abe", Albus said.

Aberforth looked back at Jacinta and nodded. "Well, your life is changing for the better then, isn't it?", he said. "Sit down, have a drink. It's on the house."

They all sat down around the largest table in the pub and Aberforth turned to Harry. "So you want to use my pub as a base for you little army, then?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "We're not really an army – "

"Well I bet you didn't call yourself Dumbledore's Army as a joke now, did you?", Aberforth interrupted him.

"Well no, but – "

Aberforth interrupted him again. "Don't worry", he said. "I'm not judging. I'm against violence just as much as you are, but I won't hesitate to strike back when they attack us. And I'm sure you won't either."

Harry merely shook his head.

"I saw you guys fighting when the Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade a couple of months ago", Aberforth continued. "I must say I was quite impressed. And you haven't been sitting still since then too, if I can believe Albus."

"We haven't", Ginny said.

Abe nodded. "Well you're always welcome here", he said. "You can use one of the rooms upstairs if you want to meet in private."

"Thank you", Harry said. "That's a big help for us." He pulled out the two coins he took from Grimmauld Place and handed one of them to Aberforth. "If you just keep it in your pocket you will feel it whenever there is a message", he told him.

Aberforth nodded. "Very well." He inspected the coin interestedly.

"Why did you bring two coins?", Ron asked curiously.

Harry looked at Jacinta and threw her the coin. She caught it and her face lit up immediately. She had been nagging Harry to be a part of the DA for months now. He had postponed it every time as he didn't think it was a good idea to invite first years, but they had allowed Dennis to join when he was a second year, so it seemed only fair to allow Jacinta too. "Really?", she asked softly.

"If you think you can handle it", Harry grinned and Jacinta smiled at him broadly.

Sirius wasn't as enthusiastic as she was. After he had connected Aberforth's private Floo to Grimmauld Place and they had returned, he pulled Harry apart. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Harry?"

Harry didn't have to ask what he meant. "I don't know, Sirius. I don't want anything to happen to her either, but we can't keep her away from everything."

Sirius didn't seem convinced. "But it's Jacinta. You are one thing. You're nearly sixteen, but she's still a kid."

"And yet she has seen a lot more than any twelve year old kid should have seen", Harry said. "And if this war really breaks out, she won't have the chance to be a kid any more than I did."

Sirius nodded slowly. "I still don't like it, but if anything happens while you're at school, it's probably best if she's with you."

"She will be", Harry said. "In any case."

Predictably, Harry received a worried letter from Hermione the next morning to make sure he was alright with the Prophecy leaking out. It wasn't really necessary, but Harry was happy with it all the same. He missed his female best friend more than he would care to admit. She wouldn't come to Grimmauld Place until Harry's birthday as she wanted to spend time with her parents first. She would be safe there as she would be in the Muggle world and Voldemort never showed any interest in her before.

Harry was very happy to be living with Sirius and Jacinta and to have his girlfriend and his friends with him over the summer. Nevertheless time at Grimmauld Place passed rather slowly. They were cooped up in the house for most of the time. Fred and George had their work to go to and had joined the Order of the Phoenix after graduating, but Harry, Ron, Ginny and Jacinta had very little to do. Most of the time they played some Quidditch or wizard's chess or just hung out. Nothing exciting happened at all until Sirius woke Harry up one morning.

"Wake up, kiddo."

Harry mumbled something incomprehensible and turned around to keep sleeping, but Sirius stubbornly shook his shoulder. "What?", Harry finally grumbled.

Sirius grinned and held out an envelope. Harry set up immediately when he saw the lion, badger, eagle and serpent around the large letter H. "I thought you might want to see this", Sirius smirked.

"My O.W.L. results?", Harry asked nervously.

"Well it sure seems so", Sirius said. "It's still the holidays so it can't be because you got into trouble again."

Harry gave him an exasperated look and tore open the envelope. He eagerly opened the parchment.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVELS - RESULTS

Passing grades: Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)

Failing grades: Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)

Harry James Potter has received the following results:

Astronomy E
Care of Magical Creatures E
Charms O
Defence Against the Dark Arts O+
Divination D
Herbology E
History of Magic P
Potions O
Transfiguration E

Harry breathed out slowly. He had done well, he thought. He got an O+ in DADA and what even satisfied him more was that he managed an O in Potions. He quickly scanned the list again and saw that he had received good enough grades to attend the N.E.W.T. classes that were obligated to get into Auror training.

Sirius looked at him expectantly and Harry handed him his results. His godfather quickly read the list and grinned broadly. "Seven O.W.L.'s!", he said, hitting him on the back. "Great job, kiddo."

He read the list again and his mouth fell open. "Yeah I was pretty impressed with that O for Potions too", Harry grinned.

"That's not it", Sirius said. "You got an O+ for Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Oh yeah", Harry said. "I bet a lot of the DA members will have that."

"No they won't", Sirius said slowly. "O is the top mark normally. They don't just go above that. It's rather rare. I believe Dumbledore got an O+ on his N.E.W.T.'s, Transfiguration I think, but he's the only one I know of."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He didn't really know what to say to that. "Well, I – I must've done well then."

Sirius laughed loudly and hugged his godson from the side. "You did great! I'm proud of you. Now get dressed and go show off those grades."

"Is Ron up yet?", Harry asked while he got dressed quickly. He wanted to check how he did before he went downstairs.

"Yeah his mum went and woke him", Sirius said. "Go and check with him. But don't forget to talk to your parents later. They're going to want to hear your grades."

Ron managed to get seven O.W.L.'s too. Like Harry he only failed Divination and History of Magic. He managed to get an O in Defence Against the Dark Arts but only an E in Potions, so he wouldn't be allowed into Snape's N.E.W.T. class.

"I'm sorry mate", Harry said.

"That's alright", Ron said. "I didn't really expect an O. I think I might continue Care of Magical Creatures instead."

"Hagrid will like that", Harry said. He felt slightly guilty when thought he would probably not be able to continue with Care of Magical Creatures. He hoped Hagrid would understand.

After stopping in the living room to show their results to Lily and James, the two boys finally went down to have breakfast. Mr and Mrs Weasley were extremely pleased with the results of their son and were just as proud when they saw Harry's.

"You have done very well", Mrs Weasley said proudly. "Both of you."

"Don't forget to write, Hermione", Mr Weasley said. "She'll want to hear how you did."

"Well done, Harry", Remus said. "I knew you'd be the best in Defence."

Ginny walked in that moment, seemingly still half asleep, but she was wide awake immediately when she noticed what was going on. "Congratulations!", she said brightly, hugging her brother and her boyfriend.

"They each got more O.W.L.'s than the two of us put together", George mumbled to Fred under his voice, but Mrs Weasley had heard it.

"And don't you forget it", she said sternly. "You could have done just as well if you had applied yourselves a bit more. You could have had such a nice career at the Ministry!"

"We're perfectly happy with the career we have, mum", Fred said for what seemed to be the millionth time. Mrs Weasley had warmed a bit to the career choice of her sons now she saw how successful they were, but she still wasn't fully happy with it. She still didn't know how the twins were able to afford a shop at Diagon Alley, but they had promised her they hadn't done anything illegal and convinced her not to ask any more questions.

Harry was just receiving a second helping of bacon and eggs from Dobby when he felt his DA coin turn hot and cold again against his leg. He pulled out the coin and his heart sank when he read the message.

Death Eaters. My house. Hermione

"Being a brother is better than being a hero" – Marc Brown