Professor Potter

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Harry lay on the narrow bed in the small room that he used the two nights a week that he stayed at the school. He was staring up at the beams in the ceiling above him thinking about the discussion he had had with Professor Dumbledore regarding his recent encounter with the ancient mage who referred to himself as Merlin. Harry was still having difficulty believing the man really was the legendary wizard. He had heard the spirit introduce himself to his mother, Lily, as one of several who had borne the name of Merlin. Harry had always thought 'Merlin' was one man's name and not attributed to more than one wizard. 

He was feeling a little more at ease after the discussion especially with the idea that his mentor felt Harry was more than well equipped to deal with the responsibility, and by inference, the temptations associated with the knowledge and power inherent in the bequest of the tome. Those assurances aside it was still a daunting idea that he was the inheritor of all that the tome represented. He also wondered about the words 'Merlin' had used when he compared his declining powers and Harry's ascendant strength. Just what was his potential and how far would he progress in the course of his life? Despite the heavy quilt on the bed he felt a chill and it had little to do with the wintery weather outside. 

Eventually he drifted off to sleep and his mind continued to examine the possibilities resulting in some rather bizarre imagery and partial dreams. He was a little fuzzy when he awoke the next morning. As he walked to his place at the table for breakfast, Professor McGonagall gestured to him. 

"Professor, if I could have a few moments of your time directly after lunch this afternoon?" 

"Hmm, oh, yes, certainly, ma'am," Harry replied. 

"Harry," the Headmistress said quietly, "are you alright?" 

"Yes, ma'am. A little fuzzy headed this morning. Didn't sleep all that well last night." 

"I see, well, enjoy your breakfast and I'll speak to you this afternoon then." 

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied as he made his way to his seat. 

Bill was sitting at his place already. Hagrid's seat was empty. Bill regarded Harry closely as the younger wizard sat down. 

"How are you holding up, Harry?" 

"Doing a little better, Bill," Harry replied in hushed tones. "I had a chance to go over some things with Professor Dumbledore last night and that helped. I think I'll need to have a family meeting this weekend. Or at least selected members, I'm not sure yet." 

Bill looked puzzled and then said, 

"There was more to that hidden chamber than just the book, wasn't there, Harry?" 

"Yes, there was. But I needed some time to think about it and talk to the Professor first. I'll talk to Ginny tonight about setting something up. That will give me a few more days to think my way through it." 

"Alright, Harry. If that's how you want to handle it, we'll be there," Bill said. 

One thing that Harry had decided the night before was that he was going to have to share this with at least some of the family. Professor Dumbledore's comment about how his family would support him was not just an idle statement. If nothing else he needed to address a small but insistent fear that his 'uniqueness', for lack a better word, could push him to that place he dreaded most, alone. He kept telling himself that he was just being silly, but some place in the back of his mind the fear still lived, fueled by the notion that there was only so much 'different' people were willing to tolerate. 

As the week progressed he did his best to maintain his usual demeanor with his students and a few incidents helped to improve his mood. The first was a short discussion with Davey Dickerson. According to the boy, he had had a chance to talk to his dad several times over the break, and while there was no major breakthrough the man had at least indicated he was willing to consider the idea that he had misjudged the situation and that haranguing Harry on a public street was probably not the best thing he could have done. In addition, Davey showed Harry a sketch he had done of a three masted schooner with the help of significant coaching by Abagail. Harry thought it was an excellent job and said so, although he had to take the boy at his word about what kind of ship it was. Harry didn't know a three master schooner from a beer schooner.