Bonded chapter 87

Chapter 87 -

Harry let out a small yawn as he walked into the Great Hall. He looked around as he walked to the Gryffindor table, noticing that nearly everyone in the hall was talking frantically with each other. They were reading, waving or looking at newspapers (Mostly the Quibbler, obviously), even the teachers were doing the same thing.

'Wonder what's up with them?' Harry thought as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.

'Maybe the Quibbler finally discovered the Crumple-Horned Snorkack like we predicted they would,' Venom guessed hopefully.

'It'd be about time,' Harry thought excitedly as he looked at Neville, who was sitting next to him. The boy was positively captivated by the newspaper he was reading. Harry tapped Neville on the shoulder, and the boy all but jumped in his seat before staring at Harry while placing a hand on his chest.

"Blimey, Harry!" Neville gasped, taking in a deep breath. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

"I didn't sneak; you just weren't paying attention," Harry told him in an amused voice. "Is the paper really that interesting?" He asked.

"I..." Neville trailed off as he looked up. "I guess you're about to find out," He said just before Hedwig landed on the table and held out the newspaper for Harry.

"Thank you, Hedwig, you're the best," Harry said gratefully, stroking Hedwig affectionately before taking the newspaper from her and handing her some food. As she began gobbling down her food, he looked at the newspaper she had given him. On the front page of the newspaper, there was a picture of Voldemort, snarling and angry as he typically was.

'Finally, they all know the truth,' Said Venom in a pleased voice. 'Now, nobody will doubt us ever again.'

'They will,' Harry said with a mental snort. 'Don't underestimate how many idiots there are in the world.'

'True,' Venom said, in a disappointed voice. 'There does seem to be an inordinate amount in the wizarding world. The whole place will be much, much better once we take over as the rightful rulers we deserve to be. We'll divide it between us and our family, of course, after that we should be able to get this place into shape in a decent time.'

'Dibs on Scotland,' Was Harry's response.

"Mr Potter," A voice spoke up from behind him. He turned his head around and saw Professor McGonagall standing before him.

"Yes, Professor?" He asked politely while idly wondering if her inner Scot had somehow sensed his thoughts.

"The headmaster has requested your presence in his office after you have eaten," She told him before gesturing to the paper. "I'm sure you can work out why. He has also instructed me to remind you that he's quite fond of Milky Ways."

"I prefer 'Dairy Milk' personally," Harry frowned, but still nodded.

"I myself am partial to Snickers," Professor McGonagall revealed, earning a grin from Harry. She didn't smile back, though the corners of her lips did twitch a bit before she turned and left.

(.)

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore said in a slightly tired voice as Harry entered his office. "How are you doing today?"

"Better than you, apparently," Harry said lightly as he stopped in front of him. "You're looking awfully tired, Professor."

"It's been trying couple of days," Dumbledore admitted with a small sigh. "Shortly after Professor Umbridge's... unfortunate incident...I had to deal with the Minister trying to insist that I was in some way involved."

"Not surprising, I was accused as well," Harry replied with a frown. "But I'm guessing that's not just it."

"No, it is not," Dumbledore confirmed with a small nod. "I hope you are aware, right now, Harry, that Voldemort has been found out."

"I saw the newspaper, yeah," Harry responded. "He was discovered at the ministry."

"Indeed, he was," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard. "It is my belief that he was there, searching for a prophecy. One that was made many, many years ago. A prophecy regarding the two of you."

"I'm sorry, are you referring to divination?" Harry asked with his best 'are you shitting me?' face.

"Yes, I'm not the biggest fan of the subject either," Dumbledore said with an understanding chuckle. "But, unfortunately, Voldemort believes it to be true. And he will act upon it. There is a room in the Ministry of Magic that contains prophecy orbs, which are recordings of prophecies. A funny little thing about them is that nobody, and I mean nobody, can pick them up apart from those that the prophecy refers to."

"So if a prophecy is between you and Professor McGonagall, then only the two of you could pick it up?" Harry asked, playing along.

"Preciously," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "Now, Voldemort went there last night, likely to get the prophecy himself. The room was found to be destroyed."

"Did he get it? The orb, I mean. Did he get it?"

"I'm unsure," Dumbledore admitted with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

'Ha, you lack the knowledge we possess!' Venom said cheerfully.

"It is possible and most likely that he did get the orb," Dumbledore continued in a thoughtful tone. "He perhaps then destroyed the room as a message. Perhaps for some reason or the other, he wasn't able to get the orb and destroyed the room in anger. He is a man who almost always varies between incredibly simple and surprisingly unpredictable, in my experience. But for now, I must assume the worst and operate under the possibility that Voldemort has indeed managed to get the prophecy and has become aware of its contents."

"Which are?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. He had to admit, he was quite curious to see if the old man would actually tell him. Dumbledore stared at Harry for several seconds. Harry could practically see the gears spinning in the old man's head.

"I trust I don't have to explain the value of what I have to tell you," Dumbledore said in a grave tone. "As I said, I am unsure if Voldemort has access to this knowledge. If he doesn't, then it's possible he may try to learnt it from you or someone else. So promise me, Harry, that you will not tell anyone else what I am about to tell you."

"I solemnly swear that I won't tell a soul," Harry said as sincerely as he could.

'I don't swear to shit!' Venom said giddily. 'I'm telling Tonks and Hedwig and Fleur. I might even just tell Voldemort before we kill him!'

"Very well," Dumbledore took in a deep breath. "The prophecy goes as follows: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

"That is why Voldemort came after me that night?" Harry asked, a look of shock and confusion masking the rage that swelled up within him. "Because of a prophecy?"

"Indeed," Intoned Dumbledore. "He heard part of the prophecy and realised that a potential obstacle existed in his path to complete and utter domination, that obstacle being you, Harry, and he did not like that. Not at all. He decided that the best thing to do would be to take you out before you could become an even bigger threat. That's why he went to your house that night; that's why he targeted you. In doing so, he ended up unknowingly and unintentionally falling right into destiny's hand as he marked you as his equal when he literally marked you." He said.

"So...a...self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts?" Harry summed up.

"More or less, yes," Dumbledore nodded. "As I stated earlier, I do not know what Voldemort knows. I have Professor Snape trying to discreetly find out, but there are no guarantees regarding what he may find out or if he could discover any information in time. So, now that the year is over, I must ask you to be careful. I know you won't respond happily to me trying to restrict your movements, so I will not insist you stay behind wards for the whole summer or anything like that. But I will request you to please be careful, Harry. A lot of people rely on you, Harry. And truth be told, despite our differences, I am quite fond of you."

'Perv,' Venom said at once. Harry bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from laughing at that.

"I'll do my best, Sir, I actually rather like being uninjured and alive," Harry told him honestly. "Though, if you don't mind, I hope you can answer a question for me."

"If it's within my ability," Dumbledore gave him a questioning look.

"How did Voldemort find out about the prophecy?" Harry asked innocently. "Was he there when the prophecy was told?" He asked, wondering just how much Dumbledore was willing to reveal to him. Harry had to give the man some credit, as Dumbledore had paused for only the smallest of moments before he responded.

"One of his Death Eaters had managed to overhear part of the prophecy," Dumbledore answered honestly. "He was a valuable member of Voldemort's army at one point. Fortunately for us, the man is no longer a threat. Now, I think I've kept you for long enough. Do enjoy your summer, Harry." He said with a sincere smile.

Harry paused as he looked at him. On the one hand, he did find it somewhat nice that Dumbledore did appear to genuinely like him. On the other hand, the man was still hiding the truth from him. Even after stating that he knew that Voldemort might possibly know the prophecy, and would basically work double time to kill him. Dumbledore still hadn't admitted that Snape was the one who got his parents killed.

'Don't worry, Harry, Dumbledore will get his,' Venom assured him.

"Right," Harry said, returning the smile with one of his own, hoping Dumbledore didn't notice his lack of warmth. "I hope you also enjoy your summer, Sir," Harry told him before turning and walking around.

'I also hope it'll be his last,' Harry thought darkly.

(.)

"Tonks!" Harry grinned as he met up with Tonks in Hogsmead.

The school year had just ended, and while most of the students were heading back to their homes via the Hogwarts Express, Harry had opted for a different route and instead had gone to Hogsmead, where Tonks had told him to meet her in her latest letter. As he had arrived at the outer edge of Hogsmead, he had spotted Tonks, dressed in black high-heels, a knee-length blue skirt, a red T-shirt and a dark brown jacket.

"Hey Harry," She smiled, her hair a bright pink today as she pulled him into a hug. "It's so good to see you," She said, melting into him.

"You too, Tonks." Harry hugged her back. The two held each other for several moments before letting go. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are we meeting here?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, right," A wicked grin appeared on Tonks's face before she looked around to make sure nobody was watching them. "Turn invisible and follow me. Oh, and hi Venom."

"Hi Tonksie!" Venom's voice echoed from within Harry.

"I'm sorry, what?" Harry asked Tonks.

"Just follow me," She said with a laugh before turning and walking around.

After taking a brief moment to appreciate how Tonks looked from the back, Harry turned invisible and followed her into Hogsmead. He took care not to accidentally bump into someone while invisible; he did a lot better than Tonks, who accidentally knocked a person's vase out of their hands. Eventually, the pair made it into the Three Broomsticks, where Tonks took him upstairs to where people reserved private rooms. Once they were alone in the hallway, Harry turned visible once more.

"What are we doing here?" He whispered to her.

"Don't be impatient," She smirked at him before opening a door to a room. "After you," She said, gesturing for him to go inside. He gave her a long look before he took in a small breath and walked into the room. He had taken three steps in when his breath was knocked right back out of him as he saw just who was in the room with him.

"Did you miss me?" Fleur Delacour asked, looking the perfect picture of beauty as she sat in a reclining chair. Her blue high heels were taken off and placed on the side, leaving her barefoot. She wore blue jeans and a simple but elegant blue blouse. Her hair was pinned back into a ponytail, and her blue eyes twinkled brighter than even Dumbledore's could. Harry barely noticed the door closing behind him as Tonks walked in.

"Surprise!" Tonks grinned as she locked the door.

"Not complaining, but what are you doing here?" Harry asked Fleur with a bright smile as she got up and walked over to hug him.

"Tonks and I have been sending letters to each other," Fleur explained. "We've kept in touch, just as I had with you. She set this up for us."

"That's great," Harry said once they let go of each other. "But wait...what about your father? Is he alright?"

"No, he probably won't be for a while," Fleur admitted with a sigh. "But he's better now. I at least feel comfortable enough to leave him on his own for a bit."

"We hope he gets better," Harry said sincerely.

"Ah, yes, and how is Venom?" Fleur asked.

"Present and mildly hungry!" Venom came loudly from within Harry.

"Nice to see you, Venom," Fleur said warmly before kissing Harry on the cheek. "It's been a while since we last met. And Tonks has informed me about everything that you two have got up to since I left. Everything," She said, stretching the word out as she pressed her body against his.

"Well, not everything," Tonks purred as she pressed against him from the back. "I figured you could experience some of the finer details yourself."

"I...sense that we're not here just to talk," Harry said slowly as he felt his hormones go into overdrive.

"Locked in a room with two beautiful women, and all you want to do is talk?" Fleur asked teasingly. "Perhaps I have been away for too long after all."

'Venom,' Harry thought as he pulled out a sack.

'I'll get in the sack,' Venom said.

'Thanks, I left chocolate in there for you.'

'Thanks, you have fun with the girls.'

'Believe me, I will.'