The commencement of the new academic year after the holidays proved to be considerably easier for the vast majority of students, but for Harry, it turned out to be far harder than anything he was accustomed to. All the sixth-year students had consistently lamented the harshness of the school year's beginning, how the teachers seemed to conspire to make their lives practically impossible, and the unspeakable amount of homework they were assigned. Indeed, generally, everyone agreed that the sixth year at Hogwarts was exceedingly demanding, and Harry found himself in full agreement.
Although it was evident that the academic level of the classes had drastically increased, Harry didn't find it impossible to keep up, as more than one person had assured him after his OWLs. It was true that it was hard, but not to the extent that it would overwhelm him. In fact, he wouldn't have felt the strain so acutely if it hadn't been for his lessons with Ginna and his continued participation in the Quidditch team, both of which consumed a significant amount of time he could otherwise dedicate to studying and homework. The only real difference was that he might not be able to complete this academic year in three months, as he had managed with all the others.
Of course, the teachers had noticed a slight dip in the academic progress of the elder Potter brother, but none of them wished to comment, being acutely aware of the boy's young age, as well as his many diverse activities, which made it impossible for him to continue advancing through the years at the same rapid pace as before. While the teachers were sympathetic to the harshness of his situation, the Headmaster was not. He missed no opportunity to discredit the young man's achievements.
"One might say, Headmaster, that you have something against young Mr. Potter," Professor Snape remarked at one of the staff meetings, having just listened to the old man criticise Harry and the decision to move him up a year. "Despite the fact that he has demonstrated exceptional abilities since starting Hogwarts, you have done nothing but disparage his progress and urge us to do the same. On the other hand, his younger brother, Brian, is an average student at best, and since he arrived, he has done nothing but cause problems. I think I speak for everyone when I say how much we dislike their attitude and behaviour, something you forgive and even encourage. Are you hiding something from us, Headmaster?"
"Come now, Severus," the old man said dismissively, as if the matter were of no consequence. "Your comments are hardly impartial. Your past history with James doesn't allow you to speak objectively."
"My past relationship with that waste of a human being has nothing to do with the opinion his children inspire in me. Besides, I would also have to detest the elder of the boys by that rule, and on the contrary, Harry seems to me to be a very pleasant person, as well as an excellent student."
"Leaving aside whether Severus has a personal dislike for Brian because of his father or not, I must say that I also agree with him. Brian Potter is, at best, an average student. The only reason he stands out is for his poor behaviour and attitude. Let us not forget the incident at the beginning of the year between him and Harry."
"Come now, Minerva, surely you won't tell me you attach importance to a simple quarrel between brothers?"
"A simple dispute between brothers, Albus!?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, her voice rising. "If Severus hadn't appeared when he did, the boy might well be dead by now!"
"Exaggerations."
"I don't know what you are concealing about that boy, but rest assured that no one else is as blind as you."
"I am not concealing anything, Minerva."
"You mean, Headmaster Dumbledore?" a completely new voice interjected into the room.
"Madam Piori…" Dumbledore said, quite surprised. "What a surprise to see you here."
"And why is that? I believe you are discussing my student, are you not? So it is only natural that I should be here too," the woman replied calmly. "The reason why his performance has also dipped has been due to the addition of my classes. They are classes that take up a great deal of his available time." The woman was about to leave when she turned suddenly. "Let me tell you something, Dumbledore, the voices of the future are never easy to interpret. It usually triggers horrible mistakes when not done by an expert. Be warned." She paused, her eyes piercing Dumbledore's. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to give."
After that, the woman left the room, leaving behind some very surprised teachers and a somewhat confused but extremely stubborn Headmaster. Though that mattered little to her; she already knew what was destined to happen, and her warning to Dumbledore was merely so that he wouldn't later claim she hadn't cautioned him about his impending mistake. Now she could be very calm, knowing she had given him a warning. The future would not unfold as he imagined, and by the time he realised it, it would be too late. Brian Potter was not the prophesied child, something anyone with common sense could see. There was no clue to suggest it, save for the word of an old man who had no experience in deciphering something as complex as a prophecy.
The best course of action was to let the future take its course, and the truth was that everything was predestined. If it had been discovered who the white phoenix truly was, this would now be a more concentrated version of Brian, something not only unthinkable but terrible. Many important things awaited the chosen child, great things for which humility was a point of paramount importance. Yes, the goddess Fate knew well how to do her job, and she would make it as easy for him as possible. But now, as she had said, she had a class to give to a young Seer.
She entered the room where she held her lessons with the boy and smiled. Harry was already performing the pre-trance exercises, which demonstrated the great dedication he paid to his various studies, including these.
The boy had turned out to be heavenly, a truly lovable individual, though he sorely lacked self-confidence—an unfortunate product of his primary education, neglected by his parents, which even the efforts of his Uncle Remus had not entirely been able to prevent. She hoped that the many conversations she was having with him would serve to boost his self-confidence.
"Good afternoon, Harry," she said, smiling, noting how despite being in a state of concentration, he was not startled when he heard her.
"Good afternoon, Ginna. What are we going to do today?"
"Well, I had thought we could delve into mirrors… What do you think?"
Harry's enthusiasm for learning was intoxicating; always willing, always cheerful, whatever the subject. It was a pleasure to teach in such a way.
Harry, for his part, looked at Ginna with genuine admiration. To be taught by one of the greatest Seers of all modern times… it was the dream of many people touched with the gift. In addition, there was also the special interest she had taken in his private and academic life; after having only had Remus for so long, it was truly comforting to have another responsible adult in his life.
Furthermore, there were the different conversations he had had with her that had made him reconsider many things he had until now believed to be immutable, such as that he was also worthy, or that his brother was far more important than him. In fact, one of their conversations had indicated the opposite, or at least that was what he had understood.
FLASHBACK
"Prophecy is a fairly rudimentary type of Divination," Ginna had explained. "Not only is the recipient unable to remember what they have seen, but they also cannot articulate what they have seen clearly; they are forced to deliver the contents as an enigma. Mysteriously, prophecy is one of the most respected and considered most reliable methods of Divination…"
"Can injustices be done or pain caused in the name of a prophecy?" Harry had asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. There have been many instances throughout history where great harm has been committed in the name of a prophecy. In fact, many of the greatest crimes in magical history have been the fault of prophecy," Ginna had said with a sigh, understanding the reason for the boy's comment. Then she had added, eager to offer him some encouragement, "The most curious thing is that practically all prophecies have been gravely misinterpreted, and the errors were not discovered until it was too late or at the very moment of their fulfilment."
"But, sometimes they are interpreted correctly…"
"No, Harry," she had contradicted him gently. "Prophecies are a coded warning, a warning designed to be misinterpreted; normally so that the real reason for the notice can be fulfilled. A prophecy can only be deciphered correctly if it is a psychic of medium or higher degree who attempts it. Otherwise, the interpreter is bound to make mistakes, no matter how great a wizard or how omniscient they may appear. Remember what I'm telling you, even Dumbledore can be wrong."
END FLASHBACK
That conversation made him wonder if the prophecy that theoretically spoke about his brother was truly well interpreted, and after much thought, he had reached an overwhelming conclusion: they had been wrong! It wasn't just Ginna's final comment about Dumbledore that had led him to such a conclusion, but for the first time in his life, he had looked at the situation objectively and logically. He had seen that the theory was not supported by any physical fact, only some possibilities. His brother had not shown any kind of ability or power outside the average or special; in fact, in some cases, he was a rather mediocre wizard.
After that conclusion, he made a new and extraordinary discovery (at least for him): without a prophecy in between, there was nothing that made his brother better than him; absolutely nothing that justified Brian being treated better than him… nothing. And it made him think that perhaps, in fact, he was not worth as little as he had been led to believe all his life. This revolutionary thought was a trigger to free himself in many ways. For the first time, he was not afraid to confront his brother and defend himself, nor to challenge his parents for their unfair treatment (although he genuinely didn't care about that anymore; he had Remus and Ginna, why would he want more?).
The conversations with Ginna also helped in another way: the Seer had made several insinuations about his future and how he was going to influence society. From what she was telling him, he was going to be someone important in the wizarding world. That was initially unthinkable to him, but now… He had thought about it a lot and believed he knew how he was going to influence society, and in relation to that thought, he had decided what he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to. Now, he just had to hope that it would be possible.
In the end, his life was changing in so many different ways that it was almost a shock to realise they were approaching the end of the term and to see that, for the first time, he was not going to take any examinations at the end of the term. Everyone else was so nervous that it almost seemed a crime for him to remain so damnably calm. It was around that time, one morning at the end of May, when all hell broke loose on those who should have been his year companions.
Breakfast had started as always. The two distinct groups of the year were seated close but with a few seats apart. The vast majority of them were discussing the impending examinations and all the material that had to be studied, as well as various uncertainties, when the ceiling of the Great Hall filled with owls, flitting from one student to another. It was then that they noticed one carrying what was obviously a black envelope, and a silence fell throughout the dining room as everyone watched where it was headed, surely to Gryffindor, as always.
The unfortunate thing was that, this time, it did not go to the lion's table, but continued in a straight line until it reached the Hufflepuff table and then began its descent. By that point, you could almost hear the drop of a pin, while each and every eye was fixed on the raptor, who, unaware of the expectation she aroused, continued to carry the letter to its recipient: a second-year student named Hannah Abbott.
She picked up the letter with trembling hands, ignored the bird, and began to open the fateful envelope. Then, she read the letter and, crying, ran out of the room. Her companions looked at the letter that had been forgotten on the table with a mixture of surprise and apprehension, but none of them made any move… none until Harry took the missive amidst Ernie Macmillan's angry exclamations.
"Don't touch it! That letter is private!"
"In case you haven't noticed, this letter has just informed you that someone, if not her entire family, has died," Harry replied coldly. "It will be much better for us to know who it was so that we can help them better."
"Still, the mail is private!" Ernie complained.
"If you feel like asking her, go ahead, but I prefer not to put her through that distress." Then he took the letter and began to read it quickly under the watchful eye of the rest of his companions. He then looked up and said in a soft voice, "Her mother has died at the hands of Death Eaters… last night, in Bristol."
"But why would anyone want to kill her?" Susan Bones whispered.
"Death Eaters don't need any reason to kill," Harry replied, his voice grim. "They do it without further ado. This time it has been Hannah's mother's turn; the next one may be one of our parents, or even ourselves. I told you a long time ago, but you didn't listen to me. We are at war, and it makes no concessions to anyone. Now if you'll excuse me."
After that, Harry rose from his seat and left in search of his Housemate. Those were not times for her to be alone, but in the company of people who appreciated her and understood what was happening to her. Now, if only he could find her…
In the end, he found her in a rather hidden corner of the Astronomy Tower, just as he had imagined. She wept, a raw display of her sorrow and frustration in the face of a situation she believed to be painful and unfair. But as someone once said, who claims life is fair?
"Hannah…"
"Leave me alone!"
"No."
"Don't you understand that I want to be alone?"
"Yes… but I don't want you to be," the boy replied as he sat down next to her, ignoring the cruel glare his Housemate was giving him.
"And since when have you worried about me? Since you arrived at school, you made your friends outside your House and left out the rest of us, except Athenea and Jonathan…!"
"I think that accusation is unfair, and you know it," Harry countered. "From the first day, you showed your distaste for my ideas of war, and in a way, you pushed us away." Here, Hannah began to cry again. "You knew it could happen."
"I didn't think it would happen to me… War was something very far away… something that appeared in the Prophet, but that didn't touch me."
"It touches all of us, sooner or later, Hannah. This time it has been your mother, but tomorrow it could be my parents." Harry hugged his companion and held her close. "You know you have us by your side, don't you? You can always count on us to help."
"I know… and I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For trying to snap at you. You've come all this way to support me, and I've treated you badly."
"Don't worry… You were within your rights."