DEATH EATERS OR NOT?
It's been 14 days, or 2 weeks, since Harry, Ginny and Luna were pronounced dead Death Eaters. Ron, Neville and I have been beside ourselves trying to figure out what might've gone wrong for their bodies to be found with the Dark Marks.
Of course, Ron, Neville and I are the only people in the world to believe that our friends aren't…. weren't Death Eaters. I still can't believe that 3 of my closest friends are dead. I really wish they'd let us see the bodies. Too see the Dark Marks.
They can be fabricated of course. The Marks I mean. I read all about it last year after the fiasco with Barty Crouch Jr., to find out if he was really a Death Eater. True Dark Marks can only ever be hidden if Voldemort places some kind of concealment charm on it that is coded for that particular artefact. But they can also be made from scratch without being everlasting or painful. I'm trying to explain that just now to Ron and Neville.
I sat in the biggest armchair available in the Room of Requirement. This lounge setup had become our frequent escape from everything.
The walls were a baby blue colour, with the carpet being a darker blue. You could always see the sky through the roof. Armchairs and couches of all shapes and size are scattered around the room at different intervals. We sat in three around the stone fireplace furthest away from the door.
Uncrossing and recrossing my jean clad legs, I looked towards the two boys with careful eyes; watching for their reaction.
"So you're saying that Dark Marks can be hidden with a swish of V-V-Vo- You-Know-Who's wand?" Ron's eyes widened. It looked quite comical with his bright red shirt that clashed horribly with his hair.
"Yes Ronald. But we all know that Voldemort is usually quite proud of his followers. So I doubt he actually created or used a spell of that sort. My point is, Dark Marks can also be fabricated. Or so I believe. I've read a lot about it. So it may have been possible for Voldemort to add the Dark Marks to their bodies after death." I rolled my eyes slightly at the squeaks that came from the boys.
"Couldn't He have put the Marks on them before they were killed?" Neville asked. He had grown more confident since the Ministry incident last year. It was a good change to him.
"I thought of that too. But I thought of it months ago; before they went on the mission. Do you remember that time I pulled them away about a week before they left the first time?" I smiled slightly at one of my last memories of them.
:.:.:.:.:. .:.:.:.:.:.:
I can't believe I waited this long to try something like this!
"Harry! Ginny! Luna! Come out. It doesn't matter how embarrassed you are! We're family!" I called for my three friends. I sent them into the bathrooms 5 minutes ago. They just had to get out of their clothes. They were allowed to keep their underwear on for Merlin's sake!
"Hermione… Why do we have to do this?" Whined Harry as he peeked around door. His hair partially covered his eyes. He was continuously sweeping it aside.
"Because Harry. It will put my mind at ease." I walked over to his bathroom and grabbed his hand. "Come on Harry. Nothing… bad will happen to you." I winked. I knew he was worried about being aroused if he saw Luna or Ginny in their knickers.
"Do you promise 'Mione?" He peeked through his hair. Only he could get away with calling me 'Mione, he knew it too.
"I promise Harreh, you will be too focused." Only I could get away with calling him any nicknames. I smiled and pulled gently on his hand and he followed me back to the centre of the clear room where Ginny and Luna were now standing. I moved them around silently so they were in a square, with me standing at the other point.
"What exactly are we doing 'Mione?" Harry asked quietly. He knew when I was in the library for weeks on end with next to no breaks, it was something serious.
"First it will be an old purification ritual. Then I've got some old enchantments and rituals I've used to make my own altered Enchantment Ritual. I need you all to focus, on me especially. Just go with whatever I do. At one stage you will be able to hear what I am thinking, don't worry, it's supposed to happen." I gestured for them to be quiet as I started to take my overclothes off in front of them. "Just relax."
I completed a standard purification ritual before I moved onto the tricky part. I walked over to stand in front of Harry, who was to my left.
I pressed my left index finger to the middle of his forehead and whispered to him, "Close your eyes Harreh." He did as I said and I traced a line along his face; from his forehead, in a figure 8 around each of his temples and then down his nose, lips, chin and neck to his heart.
I traced a swirl over his heart as I spoke. "Sanguine meo, si semper meus. Cumhoc sanguinem sum aeternum vestrum. Te sunt tuta a omnia." I spoke in Latin before I sliced my thumb with the dagger I held in my right hand. "With my blood, you are forever mine. With this blood, I am forever yours. You are protected from everything." I smeared the blood over his beating heart. The blood immediately went from red to pink, from pick to white and from white to silver.
I grabbed his hand and sliced his thumb too, wiping it over my heart. I bowed my head for a moment and then continued onto Ginny.
~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yeah, I remember." Neville jolted me out of my thoughts with his confirmation.
"I did a binding protection ritual. Whatever happened to their bodies; them being killed was the exception- would also happen to me. The Dark Mark was under that classification. If they had the Mark placed on them while they were alive, it would've been put on me by default." I spoke quietly. The boys had to lean in to hear what I said; both their eyes widened.
"What? Then you would've been tried for being a Death Eater too! Why would you do that?" Ron screamed at me.
"Because, it works both ways. If they got stabbed through the stomach, I would get some of the pain and the blood. It would stop them from bleeding out and would lessen their pain considerably. The other reason, Ronald, was because if I healed myself, then they would heal too." I spoke calmly even though I was seething inside. How could he not understand my reasoning behind it?
"Hermione… forgive me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that mean you would get part of each of their pain? Some of the pain that was spread out between all three of them would be inflicted on one person…. You." Neville spoke hesitantly. I was hoping neither of them would pick that up…
"That would be correct Neville. I can also hear some of their thoughts when they're in a time of need. I think they were drugged before they were killed. Otherwise their thoughts would've come through to me." I added to what Neville said.
"Does that mean they're not dead?" Ron asked quietly before shrieking.
