Que Sera Sera
By Aldesina
Chapter 1
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Disclaimer: Well as all of you know, all the usual rules and regulations apply, I own nothing, everything belongs to JK Rowling.
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They were finally here, Hermione did not want them to be here, and yet, here they were. Standing in front of the building, no, the fortress that had haunted Harry in his dreams for the past month. It loomed high over them with spiraling towers and elevated gates that were tipped with spears, some of them, drenched, in blood. The place scared Hermione, was this the place that Harry's mind transported him to each night when he dreamed?
"Harry, I don't think it's a good idea." Hermione whispered softly to him.
"But Ron, what about him, don't you want to help him? Don't you want to help your friend?" Harry turned at Hermione yelling at her. She jumped back, startled, but she saw the pain in his eyes, and her expression softened. She knew how hard it must be for Harry, it was hard on her too, yet for Harry it must be so much more painful. Ron had been Harry's best friend for seven years, but it seemed as if they had known each other for longer then that. He was also the first person that befriended Harry when they were younger.
"Harry, I promise, it will be alright, we will go get Dumbledore and he'll get Ron
out of that Tower."
"No!" Harry said vehemently, "He won't!"
"Yes he will!"
"No! No he can't, because he can't see it, because he doesn't see it here, because
he can't even walk into it; he can only walk through it! Because nobody else believes us
when we tell them, and because they don't get haunted by my dreams!" Harry collapsed
down on the ground.
"He's betrayed us"
"No, no he just doesn't understand, I didn't explain it well enough to him, he'll
get it this time, I'll be more clear when I speak, Harry…" Hermione knelt down and tilted
Harry's head up to look him in the eye.
"We can make him understand." Harry looked at her for a moment, and
Hermione felt hope in her heart, maybe he wasn't going through with this crazy plan of
his anymore.
"You don't have the dream either do you?' Harry said His eyes looked at
Hermione with such an intensity that she thought she would be burned up in their green
fires forever.
"No, Harry, I don't"
"And you didn't see the body either did you?"
"No, you… you, you held me back and wouldn't let me." Her bottom lip had begun to tremble and her eyes water. She remembered that day. Classes had been canceled and she and Harry had been asked to go to the headmaster's office.
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Flashback to a month ago
Headmaster's Office
Harry and Hermione walked into the office dreading the worst and expecting to meet Ron there. It's not that they weren't used to being called into Dumbledore's office.
They had been called there on numerous occasions, ever since the rumors that Voldemort had gained a new power started around the Wizarding World.
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"He can do magic without a wand!" One newspaper cried.
"He can move things with his mind!" Another shouted
"He'll destroy us all!"
Dumbledore, having known something was wrong since before the rumors started had put Harry, Hermione and Ron under tight security, hiring back Remus Lupin and Rivera Lunstone; a female werewolf that Remus had met the last time The Order of the Phoenix had tried to stop Voldemort. She had been brainwashed by Voldemort, raised by him in fact, and made to believe that all humans, especially muggles were evil, and he alone was trying to help the world out by extinguishing the whole line of them. Remus had been sent in as a double spy, and eventually won her over to the side of good. They had been ordered to follow the three seventh years until it could be sorted out what was truly fact, and what was only a myth.
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Harry and Hermione were both motioned to sit down on the comfortable plush chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. The usual cheery face and light tone that he would always greet them with was gone.
"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well I would first like to ask you to take a deep breath and stay calm at whatever I'm about to tell you."
"It's okay Professor Dumbledore." Harry chipped "Whatever it is, whatever Voldemort has planned for us, we can handle it."
Hermione nodded her agreement to this, between the three of them; they could handle whatever Voldemort threw at them.
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For the past three years, ever since the incident at the Tri Wizard Tournament, Harry had began to prepare for whatever attacks that Voldemort might throw at him in the future. He trained daily in various forms of magic and even dabbled a little in muggle forms of Martial Arts. Much to his dismay, and secret joy his friends joined him in his endeavor.
Ron became quite well skilled in the muggle Martial Arts forms, and even claimed that it must be a lost form of magic. Hermione had asked if he said that only because it was the only form of magic that he could fully master. Harry had laughed at Ron's indignant expression, then began grinning when he saw the gleam in Ron's eyes. He moved to a position behind Hermione who was still laughing and did not notice Harry. Ron suddenly ran forward and grabbed Hermione, picking her up in the air
"NO NO don't do that I just ate!" Hermione cried, "Not that again!" Harry and Ron, now had a game between the two of them that involved picking Hermione up and tossing her between the two of them to cheer her up whenever she was depressed. This had begun in the fifth year when Victor had dumped Hermione right before Christmas leaving her crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Harry had walked right in with bottles of butterbeer in one hand and her favorite Christmas cookies in another. He had burst into the stall she was in with a simple Alohomora charm. Pulled Hermione's hands away from her tearstained face, picked her up and twirled her around and around the room, until she was laughing right along with him. Then he tossed her over to Ron who had also appeared with Honeydukes chocolate and little Christmas poppers. Ron in turn also twirled her around and around, then tossed her back to Harry. They had done this until they were either too tired, (Ron had tired out before Harry and took a bottle of cold butterbeer to drink) and Harry hadn't stopped until all the tears had dried on Hermione's face and she was laughing so hard that her sides hurt.
This time though, Ron did not twirl her around and around in the air as expected. Instead he threw her straight at Harry, which surprised him but he managed to catch her, although rather ungracefully and ended up falling to the floor. She landed in his arms, completely disheveled and not only that, Harry took the opportunity to tickle her. Of course this made Hermione squeal, and that made Harry tickle her all the more. When
Hermione had finally gathered enough of her senses together, she launched a counter
attack on Harry tickling him right back. Unbeknownst to them both Ron had simply stood
over to the side smirking, and congratulating himself on a job well done on setting his
two best friends up, the dunderheads that they were for not figuring it out sooner.
Ron was not the only one that benefited from the training, Hermione had too. She
became exceptionally skilled in the art of Potions, (much to the consternation of Snape) and in the art of transfiguration.( to the utter satisfaction of Professor McGonagall) She had also in her many studies secretly discovered her animangus form, as well as Harry's and Ron's. And within a years time had discovered how to retain those forms. She could now transform into a leopard, Ron took the form of a great dane, and Harry followed in this father's footsteps and became a stag. She got to the point where she could transform anything and everything presented to her. She could brew the most difficult potions without fail. (Which made Snape constantly take points off Gryffindor because he claimed she was showing off. However she did win them back in McGonagall's class for her "superb transformation talents")
And of course there was Harry, who in the words of Dumbledore had simply
amazing abilities for his age. Harry had devoted himself to learning as many spells as
possible, and practiced with Hermione, who was always pleased to help because she had
finally met someone with as much of a yearn for learning as herself, and because she
could practice the spells as well. Or he would just practice them himself. More then less
often though, he would practice them with Hermione. Dueling had also become a very
important aspect in Harry's life. For two years he participated in as many duels as
possible, training with Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Rivera, and even from time to time
Dumbledore would come to test, and instruct him.
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"Ah Harry, it's not that I'm afraid this is too much for you to handle, it's the fact that I'm afraid how you're going to handle it." Dumbledore said with a sad look in his eyes. "Answer me this though, did you not find it odd that you have not seen your friend Mr. Weasley for a good portion of the day?"
"We did see him Professor Dumbledore," Hermione cut in "He was with us during lunch, we planned to meet again after dinner was over. You see Harry and I were going to skip dinner and go straight to the potions room after classes to try out this new potion that I found in a book that's suppose to let your body automatically heal itself if you're hurt, also it's suppose to last for 24 hours after you drink a sip of it. We were just so caught up in it that I think we didn't notice the fact we haven't seen him in a while."
"Really?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly glazing intently into Hermione's eyes. She faltered for a second. Why is he looking at me like that?
"Actually you're right we did sort of forget a bit about Ron today, but that was only because we had no classes with him and the idea of a new way to help the fight against evil, was well, overwhelming." Harry added.
"I see" Dumbledore said and turned his glaze back to Harry, then dropping his eyes for a moment
"Professor" started Harry, "Why are you asking us about Ron? Is, is he alright?"
"Did something happen?" asked Hermione anxiously
Dumbledore merely looked sadly at them again, straightening himself as he did as if bracing himself for something
"I am so sorry, but I…. your friend, Ronald Weasley… he's dead."
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Back to the Present
Hermione remembered that day, she remembered how she screamed, crying no, no, remembered the both of them demanding to see his body, remembered Harry's anguished expression on his face. It looked hollow and cold with tears streaming down his face. Hermione herself was hysterical calling Dumbledore a liar and demanding to know what happened and how come and why? However inside she knew why, it was of course to get to Harry. She shuddered as memories of that day washed over her. Try as she might, she would never forget them
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A month ago….
Dumbledore had to put a sleeping spell over the both of them to calm them down. Later on, while they were still lying there stilled and dulled from the grief Dumbledore came in and told them that Ron had gotten a letter from Voldemort telling him to go meet him in an area near the forbidden forest after lunch that day. He was not to tell anyone, or bring any one with him. It told him that if he didn't do what he was told, Harry and Hermione would be killed that night while they slept in their beds. Scared and frightened, for his friends Ron had obeyed the letter making sure that his friends would not miss him for a long time and left right after lunch to meet Voldemort. Hagrid had found his bloodied, mangled body thrown on the roof of his hut as he was placing more straw on his roof. By the time Dumbledore had finished, Hermione was in hysterics again, and had to be laid to sleep with another charm. Harry had stayed perfectly calm, rigid with the hate that he felt inside. He didn't cry, he didn't scream, he remained utterly calm and asked to see the body. He was lead to it, what was left of it after they scraped Ron off the roof of Hagrid's hut. By that time the entire Weasley clan had gathered there. Crying, weeping, and collapsed on the floor Mrs. Weasley had managed to drag herself from the floor and embrace Harry in a spine crushing hug.
"Oh my God, oh Harry, I thought he had gotten you too, oh Harry, Harry I'm so glad that you're alright." Mrs. Weasley had sobbed into his shoulder.
And Harry, standing there almost catatonically had never felt worse, it was his fault that Ron had ended up like this and yet they were not blaming him, they comforted him and welcomed him even in their greatest time of grief. From that moment Harry vowed that he would do to Voldemort's body what he had done to Ron's tenfold. Of course, Hermione had found out nothing about this. She didn't know that Harry had a death wish, she still doesn't. All she knew was that when she woke up from the hospital bed Harry had been sitting on her bed fully dressed, and with a distant look in his eyes.
"I don't think you should see Ron's body" Harry said "It might be too much for you, I, I almost could not bear it."
He turned his head away from Hermione as he was saying this thinking that if Hermione did not see him in pain she would also be okay. But to Hermione it seemed that Harry had shut her out, as if he was trying not to show his aversion to her presence. It broke her heart. Did he blame her for Ron's death because she was so eager to learn a new spell that she had made Harry, and herself forget about Ron for a few hours?
"What makes you think that I can't bear as much as you," Hermione asked in an apathetic voice, Harry started at that, Hermione sounded so cold, why?
"Answer me Harry" She said looking him straight in the eye. "Why do you not think I can handle it?"
"It's just…….the extent of the damage done to his body, it's, it's beyond wretched, beyond evil. Oh Hermione, the entire left side of his stomach was cut out with small jagged cuts while he was still alive!" Hermione twisted her head to stare up at Harry after that statement
"Alive?" she whispered "alive……..alive………. oohhh God……..alive?" Hermione was in a state of daze for the rest of the conversation. Well for the rest of what Harry said anyway. None of it really registered in her mind. Perhaps Harry did tell her about the suicide mission he was going to attempt and she just blocked it from her memory, perhaps not.
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Author's note;
Well what do you think? I love Harry Potter too so I decided to give this a try. Shall we find out what happens to Hermione and Harry in front of the castle back in the present? Also as side note, this fic was written before book 5 came out. So it contradicts a good deal of the happenings in book 5 and it will continue to do so. Enjoy the read and please review
Aldesina