Midnight & Destiny | Harry Potter FanFiction

Capitulum Viginti-duo

Harry, Ron and Hermione hadn't said a word about the interview from the moment they stepped on Hogwarts soil. Sirius and Remus had insisted that the matter be kept quiet since they had no idea whether Rita Skeeter would keep her word or not. No one other than the five who had been present for the interview knew anything about it. Harry didn't know if it was smart keeping something like this from Professor Dumbledore but he trusted Sirius and Remus enough not to question the decision.

Surprisingly Rita had kept her word by sending a copy of the article to Sirius on Tuesday along with a letter from the editor of the 'Daily Prophet' asking for verification of the authenticity of the story. Still feeling uneasy about the situation, Remus took the liberty of visiting the editor personally to deliver the article with a few minor changes Sirius and Remus had made so Harry wasn't portrayed as the defenseless child that Rita Skeeter tried to make him out to be.

Harry really didn't have time to think about what Sirius and Remus were doing with the Quidditch game against Hufflepuff taking place on Saturday. Angelina had insisted on practice every night which left Harry with quite the predicament with Occlumency lessons. Professor Snape hadn't been pleased in the slightest to hear that Harry needed to postpone Occlumency for Quidditch, claiming that Harry wasn't taking the lessons seriously. Harry could only let the man rant. He had thought he was improving since he hadn't really had any scar headaches since the Azkaban breakout and the dreams of the Departments of Mysteries had stopped. He still had a problem pushing Snape out of his mind once his defenses failed but he was improving.

Remus had taken over teaching the Council members the material they would need for the Saturday meeting in Harry's absence. Harry had to admit that he felt like he was letting everyone down. Even with Remus' presence, Harry still felt like the supervisor of the Council and therefore it was his responsibility. Yes, Quidditch was also a responsibility but he couldn't deny the feeling that the D.A. and Occlumency should be more important than a game.

It hadn't been the first time Harry doubted his placement on the Quidditch team. He loved playing Quidditch. It offered a sort of release that nothing else could match. All of his worries seemed to fall so far away in the air only to return full force the moment he landed. Harry had to admit that out of all of his responsibilities, Quidditch seemed to be the last on his mind making him wonder if he was doing the team justice. Everyone else was so dedicated while he was trying to find a feasible way to split his time wisely.

The 'Daily Prophet's' decision was revealed Friday morning when an overabundance of owls entered the Great Hall while everyone was eating. Harry was desperately trying to finish the schoolwork he hadn't completed the night before so he wasn't aware of what was happening until several people nearby suddenly spit out their pumpkin juice. Looking up, Harry saw Hermione unrolling her own issue of the paper with a grin on her face. She turned the paper around to reveal the headline:

DAILY PROPHET EXCLUSIVE!
HARRY POTTER REVEALS THE TRUTH!
YOU-KNOW-WHO HAS RETURNED
AND MINISTER FUDGE KNEW!

Harry grabbed the paper from Hermione had quickly scanned through the article to make sure everything was like he had told Rita. Several gasps echoed through the hall followed by the abrupt ceasing of conversation seemed as everyone crowded around those who had an issue. Line by line Harry looked over the article trying to find any sign that Rita hadn't kept her word. She had though. There was no fabrication whatsoever. Everything had been written exactly as he had told including the names of the Death Eaters present.

Handing back the paper, Harry returned to his school work as whispers started to breakout throughout the Great Hall. He didn't dare over at the Slytherin table or up at the Head Table. He knew what the reactions would be. Professor Snape was going to be furious, Professor Dumbledore would simply look at him with a smile and those twinkling eyes, Professor McGonagall would be pleased by keep it to herself since she didn't want to appear biased, Sirius and Remus had already made their opinions clear, and the remainder of the teachers would follow Professor Dumbledore.