Harry was struck by the simple truth he felt in Rachael's words. He still wasn't happy about his 'role' but the strange woman had given him something to think about. He looked up from his plate to find her smiling at him again. It was a pleased smile of a parent whose child had just taken a big first step on their own.
"Excellent! Now, no more whining about 'why me?' You know why, so no more angst! It grates on One's nerves." Rachael commanded in a teasing tone so it took much of the sting out. "Life isn't fair. You will have pain and loss but in your soul you know you have to stay the course. Embrace the positive. When Fate accepts Her Champions She provides the positive to balance out the negative." When she saw the doubt on Harry's face, Rachael laughed. "Trust me, you'll see it eventually." Harry liked her laugh. It was soothing somehow.
The two continued eating and soon finished their breakfast. Rachael slid her plate away before she started to talk.
"I know what happened in the Great Hall, Harry. It made one proud of the way you stood your ground and even prouder of the way you knew when to walk away. I do want to tell you two things. The first is that you shouldn't take their words to heart. They are young, scared, and fairly stupid. But it is not entirely their fault." Harry felt slightly betrayed by that last part. Rachael held up a slender hand to stop Harry's response. Then she continued.
"When the Dark One hit you with his curse it created a magical anomaly. Your mother had enacted a ritual to protect her beloved son. Her willing sacrifice even when offered her life over-powered the ritual. That protection is still with you and will be until your seventeenth birthday. And therein lays the problem."
"Excuse me?" Harry asked confused.
"Your mother's protection saved your life but the pure hatred of the Dark One's Killing Curse… damaged it. It made people willing to accept the worst about you or at best ignore you. It was similar to a Confundus Charm but it was supposed to effect people that meant you harm. Twisted, it made everyone ignore you or simply accept that you were fine. To add to this, your mother's sister and her family shaded it with their fear and hatred of all things magical. This causes people to accept the worst about you with very little thought. Unfortunately, the stronger the Dark One is the stronger the aversion and hatred are. With the Dark One's return to physical form it is very strong."
Harry felt shocked to know that actually was a reason why the magical world acted in such a bi-polar manner towards him. He was partially relieved but it still seemed like a giant excuse to him.
"What about my friends? Sirius and Kalina?"
Rachael smiled. "Ah, the gap in the magic. People that truly care for Harry Potter the person resist the magic. If they only care for the Boy-Who-Lived - the one that defeated the Dark One and not the person, then the curse is in full effect." She paused and allowed Harry to digest what she had just said.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered.
"It's not all bad," Rachael supplied after a bit.
"How's that?" Harry challenged. "I've been beaten, ignored and slandered my whole life because of this magic."
"True," she conceded. "However, the magic also means those that support you truly support you, not the Boy-Who-Lived. Those that have been constant in their support can resist the magic. It also kept the original intent and causes many that would wish you harm to ignore you or underestimate you."
Harry had to smile at that first part. He'd always wondered about who he could truly trust. Being a celebrity made him question many people's motives. Rachael smiled back at him.
"When you accepted Fate's call a prophecy was made to announce the event," Rachael told Harry.
"A prophecy?" Harry repeated in disbelief. "An actual one? Not one of Trelawney's sherry-induced visions?" Rachael smiled a bit at that then simply shrugged.
"She is a damaged tool but some things come through. You see Fate doesn't give the words of a prophecy; the seer sees the events in a fashion. The words of the prophecy reflect the mental capacity and perspective of the seer. And actually, Harry, it was Trelawney that gave the prophecy before your birth."
"So, it at least was Sherry-flavoured," Harry quipped. Rachael giggled at that.
"Can you tell me what the prophecy said?" Harry asked.
"You have to get it from the one that was there," she answered. "Professor Dumbledore can tell you or visit the Department of Mysteries next summer. They capture the memories of the prophecies and study them there."
"I will do that," Harry answered. Rachael looked into Harry's eyes and seemed happy with what she saw there.
"Excellent! Now, my time here is limited so I must hurry. I will try to visit some other times when you are in this wonderful room. Which by the way, the Founders called the 'Room of Requirements'. They used it for designing the castle and by building the castle in this room, caused the real castle to be built outside. It is still how the house elves add rooms and move things around. But I never told you that." Rachael's smile had turned mischievous and her dimple was more pronounced.