Reborn into Harry Potter

half blood prjnce chapter 1

The fire in the grate cracked, throwing shadows across the walls of the Headmaster's office. The damage of the past year still lingered-splintered stone near the shelves, scorch marks blackening the beams. Hermione's hand brushed mine for the briefest moment, nervous, steadying, before she withdrew again.

"Professor..." Hermione's voice was quiet, but firm. "You can't mean for Yn to-"

"I mean precisely that, Miss Granger." Dumbledore's voice was soft but unyielding, as if he had already weighed every argument. "Some burdens fall only to those who have the strength to bear them. This is one such burden."

I swallowed, the words he'd given me rattling around like loose stones in my chest. Kill when necessary. Not Harry. Not Ron. Not Hermione. Me.

Hermione's jaw tightened, her eyes bright with unspoken defiance. "But sir, if Yn acts where Harry should-what about the prophecy?"

Dumbledore raised a hand, frail but commanding silence. "The prophecy speaks of one... but fate allows for guardians. If Yn kills a foe that Harry was meant to face, it will not alter the path-it will clear it." His eyes lingered on me, their twinkle long extinguished. "The timeline is already strained. Yn's presence has bent it. Best to use that bend, rather than deny it."

I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "So I'm... an eraser. A shield. The one who does the things Harry can't stomach."

His silence was answer enough.

Hermione suddenly stood. "Then I'll go too. If Yn is to carry this weight, I won't let him carry it alone." Her hand trembled slightly as she clutched the back of the chair, but her voice was steady as stone.

Dumbledore's mouth curved, not into a smile but something like gratitude. "I expected nothing less."

The fire crackled louder, as if it too understood the gravity of what had been sealed in this moment.

Finally, the Headmaster drew a long breath, weary and rattling. "You two must prepare. Harry knows only fragments of what lies ahead. He will think the Horcrux hunt belongs to him and his courage alone. Let him. But when the time comes, it may fall to you, Yn, to ensure he survives his destiny."

Hermione and I exchanged a look-half fear, half resolve. There was no going back now.

Outside, the castle's corridors hummed with the low murmur of evening, students oblivious to the conversation echoing in Dumbledore's office. The war was moving closer with every hour, and for the first time, I felt the future tighten its grip.

This timeline wasn't fixed. And if Harry failed, I would have to do the unthinkable.