It took Harry quite some time to calm down. During which, nearly a dozen other people had shown up and Amelia had whispered to him to keep his face hidden and to not speak. The other people whispered questions to her and she directed them through the door and into the Hall of Prophecies.

“I need to blindfold you again, Harry.” Amelia whispered when his crying stopped.

Harry closed his eyes and lifted his head from her comforting chest. The combat armor held the imprint of his face for a second before returning to its normal shape. Amelia regretting having to let him go as she applied the blindfold. Harry hadn't let her go and held on just as tightly.

“Shift to the side, so we can walk.” Amelia said and he nodded. Harry moved over and took the side along apparition position and his arm around her waist gripped her tighter than he ever had before. Amelia didn't complain about it, because Harry needed her and she didn't want to reject him, or let him think that she ever would. She would give him comfort, even if she was going to be sore tomorrow.

Harry stayed quiet as Amelia led him from the Department of Mysteries. When she closed the large black door behind them, she took the blindfold from him. She also took a moment to use the cloth to wipe at his face and dry up the tears.

Amelia's heart throbbed as she did so, because she had never had anyone break down like that. Or so she tried to convince herself. Her mind went back to all those years ago and she remembered sitting in her home with a brand new baby after losing her whole family. Her tears had flowed like rivers that day, and that week, and for nearly a month after that. It was a heavy weight to suddenly have no family and a child to take care of.

Harry saw Amelia's face change from support to remembered pain and he reached up and took the blindfold from her hand. “I'll be bigger some day and I'll hold you and let you cry, too.”

Amelia let a smile appear on her face. “I think I would like that.” She said and held her hand up to the top of his head and moved it to her chin. “It might be a long time before you're big enough; but, I can wait until then, if you can.”

Harry smiled back and nodded in agreement. The two of them walked down the several hallways and went back to the elevator, went up to her office, and Harry had to sit in a chair outside of her office as she dealt with a few things, namely what he had done inside the Ministry.

A few other people passed by Harry as he sat there and he couldn't hear anything, once the door was closed. He waited there for quite some time before the other people came out of her office and she stepped out herself. Her face was sad and Harry knew that he was in trouble.

“What's going to happen to me?” Harry asked.

Amelia took in a deep breath and let it out. “A mark on your record for destroying Ministry property, the intentional one and not what happened after that... and a hundred galleon fine. They have to try and determine the full impact of what happened and then try to repair a lot of damage...”

“I'll send a letter to Griphook as soon as I'm back at the castle.” Harry said.

“You will also be restricted from entrance to the Ministry for a year.” Amelia said and she thought about not telling him everything, then decided that he needed to know. “After which, you will be assessed for the potential as a further threat.”

Harry's eyes widened.

“You will also need to hand over your wand for safe keeping whenever entering the Ministry after that, regardless if you are declared safe or not. You will get it back when you leave.” Amelia said. “Ministry rules are... not very forgiving when you do bad things within these walls.”

Harry didn't say anything and just nodded.

“Let's get you back to school.” Amelia said and they picked up their trunks, bid the secretary a good day, and left the office. They rode the elevator to the proper floor and stopped at the inspector in front of the apparition hall and he marked their names on the list. Amelia opened the door for them and they stepped through, went to the center of the room and hugged each other with their trunks in their hands, then shared magic.

Amelia gasped at the trembling in Harry's magic. “Harry, you... I want you to meditate, all right?”

Harry closed his eyes and started using the meditation technique that had been in the book Hagrid had loaned him. He felt his magic churning and rolling around like a stormy sea, in response to his churning emotions, and he did his best to make it a calm sea again. It took him nearly twenty minutes of concentration before he managed it. Amelia holding him had definitely helped and he told her so when he opened his eyes.

“I can't be here to hold you all the time to help keep you calm, Harry.” Amelia said to him, then she used both hands to cup the sides of his face. “I want to, though. I want to hold you and tell you that you are safe, and loved, and that I will do everything I can to protect you.”

Harry took a slightly shaking breath. “You gave me the lowest penalty for what I did, didn't you?”

Amelia smiled sadly. “The lowest physical penalty, the fine, and I had to add the extra conditions to make sure that I couldn't be accused of going easy on you.” She said. “Both of which will protect you, in their own way.”

Harry wasn't sure how keeping him out of the Ministry for a year would help him. He trusted Amelia, so he nodded and her sad smile became a genuine one and she kissed his forehead again.

“Ready to apparate?” Amelia asked and Harry shared his magic with her again. She nodded at the strong calmness and used their shared magic to cover them. They disapparated from the Ministry and appeared in front of the large iron gates of Hogwarts. “I'm sorry that our great trip ended like this.”

“I'm not.” Harry said as he put his trunk down and then put his arms around her. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for coming along.” Amelia said and put her trunk down to give him a hug back. “I want you to think over everything that happened during the trip and not what just happened at the Ministry.”

Harry let out a sigh. “But... the prophecy...”

“I told you that I don't believe in prophecies.” Amelia said. “If you put too much belief into things like that, they have a tendency to fulfill themselves, because you will them to.”

Harry blinked his eyes at her for several seconds as he thought about that. “Is... that... true?”

Amelia nodded as her hand reached up and she rested her thumb on the spot next to where his lightning bolt scar was currently covered up. “You don't think it's funny that you were marked by that evil curse?” She asked. “Would that have happened at all if no one had heard that prophecy?”

Harry's mouth dropped open in shock and Amelia chuckled.

“Like I said, if someone believes too much in things like that, they tend to come true because you want them to.” Amelia said and reluctantly let Harry go. “You better get inside. I bet your friends want to hear all about our trip.”

Harry closed his mouth and nodded.

Amelia tapped the gates with her wand and they opened for him. “I'll see you next Saturday.”

Harry smiled and nodded again, much happier, and picked up his trunk. He walked through the open gates and turned to wave to her. Amelia returned the wave, picked up her trunk and took several steps back, then she disappeared.

Harry's smile faded and he walked up to the castle as he thought about the prophecy. He had memorized the words and he had to disagree with Amelia on one point. It wasn't the belief in the prophecy that made it happen. It was the actions, or inaction of people to make it happen. Just like the prophecy said, he was born at the end of July, the Dark Lord came to hunt him, and marked him.

Voldemort marked me as his equal. Harry thought and the smile started to reappear on his face. Me! The equal to the strongest Dark Wizard in a generation, who terrified the whole wizarding world! His smile grew wider as he entered the castle.

A group of people were gathered together in the Entrance Hall and were chatting. Harry recognized the Slytherin colors on their robes and he tried to ignore them.

“Potter!” A drawling voice called out. “Did you have fun with Bones during your little love trip?”

Harry came to a stop and put his trunk down as several of the Slytherins laughed.

“Malfoy, leave him alone.” Daphne said. She hadn't laughed.

“I'm just asking a question that we all want to know, Greengrass.” Draco said and looked back at Harry. “I bet you did, didn't you?” He asked with a laugh. “How many times did you kiss her?”

Harry's face never lost the smile and he walked over to the Slytherins.

“Careful, here he comes.” One of the others whispered and held his wand at his side.

Harry ignored him and stopped five feet away, because Draco's two large friends tried to block him from getting closer.

“Harry, he's all talk.” Daphne said. “Just ignore him.”

“I will, right after I say something.” Harry said to her and looked at Draco. He reached up to his own forehead and wiped at the cream covering his lightning bolt scar and revealed it. “I faced Voldemort himself, Malfoy.” He said and they all gasped at the name. “I face him and I lived.” He tapped the scar and they all stared at it. “Do you see that? He marked me, so that anyone that sees me would know that the most powerful Dark Lord tried to kill me and failed.”

They all gasped again and Harry smiled at their reaction.

“Talk all you want. Spread lies. Make people laugh at me for no reason. I honestly don't care.” Harry said. “Do you know why?” He asked and no one said anything. “It's because you are nothing to me. Compared to Voldemort, you are nothing.”

“I'll show you nothing, Potter!” Draco said and reached for his wand.

“Expelliarmus.” Harry said the disarming charm after flicking his wrist and deploying his wand. Because he was concentrating hard to remain calm, a lot of magic went into the spell and seven wands of the Slytherins flew over to him and clattered to the floor. He didn't bother catching them.

What had surprised Daphne was that her wand stayed in the pocket of her robes.

“What is going on here?” Severus Snape asked as he strode out of the dungeon stairwell and saw Harry standing over a pile of wands.

“Nothing, Professor!” Several of the Slytherins said and came to attention.

Snape looked at them and raised his eyebrows at them. “Malfoy.”

“Nothing happened, Professor.” Draco said and kept his angry eyes focused on Harry.

“Mister Potter.” Snape said and looked at him.

“Malfoy was making fun of me, implying I did bad things to Susan Bones during our trip, and I informed him that compared to The Dark Lord that gave me this mark...” Harry tapped it. “...he means nothing. When he tried to attack me with a spell, I disarmed him and everyone else.”

The Slytherin students stared at him, surprised that he would admit using magic.

Snape stared at Harry as well and struggled with trying to get a clear image. “You have been busy.”

“I practice every day, Professor.” Harry said, quite proud.

Snape looked down at the wands and at his students. “Pick those up.”

The students scrambled to get them, even Draco, because they were desperate to get their wands back.

“Mister Potter, ten points from Griffindor for using magic against another student.” Snape said. “You are lucky that it isn't for each student.”

“So are they, Professor.” Harry said with a smile and saw several of the Slytherins look surprised.

Snape gave him a searching look. “Take your trunk to your room and then report to my office. I believe we have some things to discuss about what happened today.”

“Yes, Professor.” Harry said, walked over to get his trunk, then jogged up the stairs and out of sight.

“As for you.” Snape said and turned to the group of eight students. “How many times have I warned you about antagonizing other students?”

“It was just talking, Professor.” One of the students said.

“Then why were all of your wands on the floor?” Snape asked. “He can only disarm you if you were holding your wands and ready to attack.”

None of them said anything and he sighed.

“Go. Out of my sight.” Snape said. “Malfoy, your father will hear of this.” He saw the boy's ears redden slightly. “I'm sure you will be hearing from him soon after.”

Draco knew what that warning meant and nodded as he left with the others.

Daphne stayed quiet as the others talked about Harry and what Snape was going to do to him. Unlike them, she knew that Snape was wrong in his assumption. It wasn't having the wand in hand and ready to attack, it was that Harry only took the wands of those that he thought were a threat to him. Her hand went into the pocket of her robes and touched her wand. It hadn't even twitched from Harry's powerful disarming charm.