Disclaimer: I would love to say I do not own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's characters, but it is troublesome to do so.

A/N: Now I know most of you want to kill me for the slow advancement in the last chapter, but it is the story that makes me do it, not that I like it myself.


Gifts and Riddles

Tonks took her first steps on the American soil with a long heavy sigh escaping her chest; the journey just reminded her of her painful first years as an auror and her encounter with the arrogant American aurors. The latter made her vow not to return to this land, but here she was.

"There is no time to think of such things, I have a task to fulfill" with that she stopped the flow of memories and made it out of the International Apparition Zone, from where she apparated to a deserted alley near the entrance of the American Ministry of Magic. She stepped into an abandoned building making her way into the main hall where she saw dusty furniture and broken-down stairs; then suddenly the whole hall glowed in pale blue.

"Please state your name and purpose …" a voice came out of nowhere, but Tonks never even flinched. She stepped forward and placed her auror badge on a nearby worn out table before speaking clearly "Auror Tonks of UK, coming to see Minister Malone"

The strange blue light scanned her face and her auror badge before it glowed strongly showering the whole room in bright blue color and the broken stairs began to repair itself in ultra-fast speed.

"Access granted … Wlecome to the Ministry of Magic, Auror Tonks" the voice stated again, and the now-repaired stairs began to descend into a new opening. Tonks took her badge off the table and walked over to the descending stairs and went down the opening to the Ministry entrance.

She held tightly to the wood frame during the descend 'I always trip on steady ground, let alone those moving stairs'

The inside was completely different from the outside; the entrance hall was buzzing with noise and people where busy with their errands. She managed to walk through with difficulty for all people seemed to be in haste.

'That's what I hate most about overcrowded countries, cause me to trip' she thought to herself in annoyance. Finally, she reached the marble reception counter and introduced herself to the reception staff "Auror Tonks, I requested an audience with Minister Malone hours ago"

One employee pulled out a huge tome which appeared to be used for recording booked appointment, then placed his wand on the tome muttering "Tonks, Auror; appointment with the Minister" then tapped the book once.

As soon as he pulled up his wand, the book began to leaf through itself until it reached the mentioned appointment. He read it thoroughly nodding on each line before looking back at her.

"There is an appointment alright, but I need to confirm your identity first …" he said and extended his hand towards her "Your badge, please"

Tonks complied with his request and handed him her auror badge. He tapped it with his wand and it glowed blue, then he put it face down on the appointment page giving it another tap, and a dark imprint of the badge appeared on the page. The receptionist returned the badge back to her with a broad smile on his face.

"The appointment has been confirmed; welcome to the Ministry of Magic, Auror Tonks. You may proceed to the Minister's office; take the mobile stairs number three to the seventh subfloor and you'll be there" the receptionist said to her pointing at the direction of the stairs hall.

"Thank you good sir" Tonks thanked the man properly before proceeding to the mentioned hall. She found herself in a large hall which contained several moving stairs similar to the one she took to enter the Ministry; she walked around the hall until she saw the moving stairs which bore the number 'Three', so she stepped on it and it began to move downwards.

"Now Reaching Subfloor One; Departments available … Department of Misuse of Muggle artifact, Department of Research of Muggle Artifacts …" the metallic voice stated as she reached the first floor; It kept announcing the departments of each floor while she descended deeper into the ground.

"Now Reaching Subfloor Six; Departments available … Department of Mysteries, Department of Law Enforcement, Wizard Tribunal, The House of Warlocks …" she heard the voice stating and she sighed in relief; only one floor left.

"New Reaching Subfloor Seven; Departments Available … Minister's Office" the voice stated as she hopped off the descending stairs; she walked across the empty corridor toward the only door in front of her and knocked the door lightly, and a muffled voice came from inside.

"Come in …" Tonks entered the room and saw the Minister's secretary setting on her desk and doing what all secretaries would do … Typing.

"May I help you?" the secretary asked formally, and Tonks answered "Auror Tonks, I have an appointment with Minister Malone"

"One minute …" the secretary said and went inside the office, a minute later she got out and ushered her in "You may go inside, Auror Tonks" Tonks said her thanks and walked through the door almost tripping, where she found the Minister waiting for her.

"Welcome to the United States again, Director Tonks" Malone greeted her warmly "You're a bit late which is unusual from you"

"It's good to see you too, Minister. The Apparition ports are somewhat congested these days" Tonks replied before a bitter smile showed up her face "And I'm not a director anymore"

"Why?! Did they force you to quite?!" Malone inquired in surprise, and Tonks answered his inquiries "No, I actually sent a resignation request long ago, but they refused to accept it until they find a suitable replacement" she handed him a sealed envelope "And what a replacement they chose …"

Malone couldn't deny the suspense he was feeling with the sealed envelope he was holding, so he opened it quickly and scanned the contents of the letter, and his suspense was replaced with utter shock.

"It is not due for announcement until the next month, so please don't speak up the name loudly or I will be in trouble" Tonks stated coolly pointing at the door "Walls have ears, they say"

Malone nodding in understanding although he couldn't help but to feel astounded by the latest revelation "I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard rumors that he and Auror Potter aren't on good terms"

"The rumors are true" Tonks replied "And I can safely assume that as soon as the announcement is made, he would come to you personally and request for the return of Harry and Ron to the British isles"

Malone gave the letter a long troubled look "With Flint's unknown status, and the status quo being calm, Death Trackers would no longer be needed" he looked back at her "This is what you want to say, isn't it?"

"Right as usual" she replied "So, I'm telling you, Minister, this cannot be allowed to happen; or else Flint will be free to do anything here"

Malone held his hand together and thought deeply about what Tonks said, and she stated once again "Steve, you once helped me when I was in trouble; all what I'm asking is another favor. If there is anyone brilliant enough to solve this knotty matter he is Harry; please tell me where he is"

Malone looked at her for a minute before scribbling something on a parchment he got from his drawer and handed it to her "Take it, and let's hope that all is not in vain"

"It won't be, friend; trust me on that" Tonks said with gleaming eyes as she read the parchment "Thank you for your help, Steve"

"Yeah, yeah; just go and do your thing" Malone dismissed her coolly but not without a smile, and she thanked him once again before leaving the office for the mentioned location, hoping that she was not too late …

-----------------------------------

"Sorry for being late, Kojiro-Sensei" Harry said with a polite bow that Hermione imitate, and Tatsuya waved at him "There is no need to apologize every time you come her, Harry-kun"

"Sorry again, Sensei" Harry apologized again, and the Tatsuya smiled hopelessly at his disciple. Hermione took the chance to look at the old sage; she already knew that he was old, but didn't expect him to be that old; light in weight and his skin is totally wrinkled.

'Is he really strong?' she asked her self in wonder; surprisingly, she saw him looking back at her with a smile on his face.

"Elders are not necessarily weak, Granger-san" Tatsuya retorted giving her a knowing smile, and she backed off in surprise "Are you-?"

"I don't have to read your mind when your face shows what's inside you" the old sage replied, and Hermione looked at him in amazement. After a minute of silence, Harry was the first to speak.

"Sensei, I hope you found an answer to my queries?" he asked in concern, but he was not answered directly. Tatsuya sheathed the sword he was polishing and got up "Follow me"

Both younglings followed him, and he led them into his personal study where knowledge scrolls could be seen on top of a low table. He ushered them to set down while he assumed his place behind the table.

"You see; I've been studying these scrolls since the day you sent me that letter, Harry-kun; and I stumbled upon a very interesting thing" Tatsuya stated as he unrolled one of the scrolls. Out of curiosity, Hermione leaned forward trying to steal a glimpse of what's inside the scroll, but all what she saw was some Japanese characters that she couldn't comprehend.

"Matsuyama Hayate, a famous commander from the Shogun era" he pointed at a certain Japanese statement "He was famed for his wit, decisiveness, and most importantly his ability to perceive the opponent's attack before it commences, and base his counter attack upon this perception"

He unrolled the scroll even more until he reached a certain point "Kusanagi Ami, Japanese spy during the early days of Imperial Japan, she was assigned to spy on China during one of their usual conflicts, and she managed to extract the war plans without a single witness"

He continued to unroll the scroll "Hyuuga Shizune, a Japanese saint whose miracles reside in her dreams. They say the every dream she saw has come true" he then rolled the scroll and returned it to its place before looking back at Harry and Hermione "Those are only few of what this scroll contains, which are showing the exact or similar pattern to your case" he pick up he pipe off the table and placed some tobacco in it "Now, before I speak up my thoughts, I want to hear from you, Granger-san"

"What do you want to hear, sir?" Hermione asked with a hint of confusion, and the old sag answered her "Did you recently stumble upon something that caused you confusion? Like a strange scene or memory?" The minute he said the last word, a certain object appeared before her eyes; the wand …

"Yes, I have one …" Harry looked at her in surprise, but she away from him "It was an incident that happened yesterday when stumbled upon Harry's secret study …"

She told them everything from her discovery of the secret study until the moment Harry caught her with the wand in her grasp. The raven haired man felt more than surprised at the revelation, he felt betrayed.

When Hermione finished telling her tale, she sighed deeply as the scenes of that intense battle passed through her mind. She took a quick glimpse of Harry beside her and saw that his face wore no expressions, but noticed that his grip was shaking slightly.

Tatsuya drew a long breath out of his pipe pondering on what Hermione had just said, then released a big cloud of smoke and looked at both younglings.

"All is clear to me … Somehow" the old sage muttered attracting both of them before turning his eyes toward Hermione "You say that you saw that memory, you were holding the wand, right?"

She nodding in approval "Yes, although I didn't know that Harry stored a memory there"

"I did not …" Harry interrupted her in indifference "Memories cannot be stored in a solid thing like wands"

"True …" Tatsuya commented on his statement "What you have seen, Granger-san, was a memory of the wand itself"

She looked at him as if he was a madman "A memory … Of the wand?!" she asked in disbelief and he nodded "Yes, the wand. However, not many people can see such memories, only special ones can do so; and these are called … Seers"

Hermione was totally bewildered by the disclosure. However, Harry remained as passive as he was.

"I-I'm a seer?!" she asked in disbelief, and Tatsuya smoked his pipe for a minute before answering her "This is the question with no answer; there are no mark visible that can be used to distinguish seers. However, there are some trials that can pinpoint them; these are the trials of mind, knowledge, and magic"

Harry's attention was finally drawn into this conversation; it was the first time he's ever heard of such trials. Tatsuya continued his explanation "The trial of mind tests their ability to read the minds, break the mental control, and perceive the future. The trial of knowledge simply tests their ability to learn; seers are fast learners, and that's why most of them became sages" he drew another breath from the pipe "The last trial, which is of magic, does not concern you as a muggle, but you can clearly deduce that it tests the magical abilities of the seer"

"So … I am not a seer, after all" Hermione stated; she was relieved that she was still normal, but losing the opportunity of experiencing something new was a bit disappointing. However, Tatsuya never let her dwell in this mix of emotions.

"I told you before that it's a question without an answer; only trials will clarify" he replied before drawing another breath off his pipe "Which is what are we going to do right now; that's if you wanted to do it"

"Of course I want!!" she retorted in eagerness; she was tired of being in this state of limbo, and was ready to do anything that would reveal the truth of her current situation and put a stop to it.

Tatsuya pulled one last breath off his pipe before extinguishing it, the turned to the eager youngling "Testing your magic is out of question since you are a muggle, and the trial of knowledge would be to dull to begin with" he then completed with a smile "Which leaves us with the trial of mind"

"I'm ready to take anything" Hermione jumped on her feet "I'm ready to take it now if I must"

Tatsuya chuckled lightly at her enthusiasm causing both younglings to eye him in bafflement, the old sage spoke slowly with a smile on his face "You wouldn't be that confident when you know the place of the trial …" the last statement caused Harry's body to tense and Tatsuya mouthed the words "Akuma no Mori …"

--------------------------------------------

After only an hour from her meeting with the Minister, Tonks was standing in front of the doors of Harry team's hideout; she was panting heavily from the stair climbing.

"Bloody well done …" she said between pants "Placing an anti-apparition ward with radius as bid as three blocks. Whose bloody idea was it, anyway?"

She took her time in slowing her breathing, and with a loud final sigh she knocked the door to the hideout. After a minute of waiting, the door opened, and a blonde head with a stern face popped out of the opened gap.

"Yes?" the blonde man, who was none other than Vladimir Pavlov, asked; and Tonks replied as calm as she could "May I meet Harry Potter, good sir?"

"And who might you be?" Vlad asked in a way that appeared rude to the pink head, but she was in place of questioning the blonde's manners.

"You want to know me? Fine …" she put her hand in her pocket in order to pull out her badge, but a sudden bang made her stop midway. Vlad opened the door wide open and was pointing his wand at her dangerously.

"Hold it right there …" the blonde auror said firmly, but he was surprised that his order was met by a scornful smile from her.

"How would you know who I am if I didn't show you me badge" Tonks said with a sly smile before pulling out her badge and threw it to him. He caught the badge swiftly noticing the golden surface and the four stars that distinguish the Senior Auror, Second Class rank, and after examining the badge magically, it appeared to be genuine.

"Sorry ma'am; you may enter" Vlad addressed her respectfully as he made way for entry. She walked through the entrance looking at the inside the hideout with a calculating look.

"Not bad for a Senior Auror, but it does not suite a Grand Auror, now … HEY HARRY!!" she called at the top of her voice, and the panicked Vlad gagged her from behind.

"Please ma'am, keep it quiet in here. There is no silencing charm arou- YOUCH!!" Vlad tried to reason with the energetic pink head but and was rewarded with a bite on his hand for his efforts.

"No silencing charm, you say? Has Harry's tactics worn away?" she said with disapproval, but got no answer from Vlad who was rubbing the bite she gave him.

"Actually, we discovered that it would interfere with the tracking equipments …" an answer came from behind, and she turned almost tripping during the turn but was caught by a pair of strong arms. She looked up at the owner of those arms and was welcomed by the site of Ron.

"Well, at least someone here is familiar. Wotcher, Ronnie boy?" she greeted him while straightening herself, and Ron replied with a smile "Very well; unlike someone else"

"Don't blame me for my nature, Ickle Ronniekins" she teased him cheekily. Ron was not amused, though, and didn't feel like retorting himself.

"Anyway …." She said when she didn't receive any reply "I did not come her to just tease you; I came with business and news"

"I thought so … So, why don't you skip your cheekiness for now and carry on your business" he said and gestured her toward a nearby door "Shall we?"

"Whatever …" she huffed at him and walked away from him. However, on her way to the door, she tripped with her own feet as she does usually.

"That was deliberate …" she tried to justify her usual clumsy movement, and Ron rolled his eyes "Oh, right …" They both walked through the door leaving the dumbfounded Vlad behind.

"Is she really an auror?!" he questioned himself soundly before following them inside the room.

When they walked in, Tonks found herself standing in a room full of computers and monitors which was unusual for her to see as a witch. Behind one of those computers she saw an auror couple, man and woman, who seemed to be immersed in a friendly conversation.

"It seems that the weather is calm these days" she said in a deliberate loud voice caused the two aurors to flinch and stand up quickly.

"You are such a mood wrecker, Tonks" Ron retorted coolly and pointed at the surprised aurors "Richard Howards, Regular Auror First Class, and the team's Intel specialist … Sofia Blanc, Regular Auror Second Class, and the team's medic and infiltration specialist"

The mentioned aurors nodded respectively. Seconds later, Vlad entered the room while still rubbing his hand "And I think you got acquainted with our hands-on operative Vladimir Pavlov, Senior Auror Fifth Class"

"Hands-on operative indeed …" she commented with a naughty smile and Ron sighed hopelessly "Everyone, this is Auror Tonks, Senior Auror Second Class, a metamorphmagus, and the Director of Law Enforcement in Britain …"

"Not anymore …" she blurted suddenly and Ron looked at her inquisitively. However, she waved at his dismissively and urged him to carry on "All in good time, let's be done with this first"

Ron gave her a bored before he resumed "Alright, I want just to mention that she is the second in command of the unofficial Death Tracker Department?" Tonks gave the aligned aurors sly look and said with her hands on her hip "Have you heard of the death trackers, children?"

None of the aurors answered her, and a slight cough from Ron brought her attention back to him "Actually, they are all death trackers; special recommendation from Harry himself"

"Oh really?! Did Harry get that soft for staying out of UK for a long time?!" she exclaimed in amusement, then something came to her "Speaking of Harry, where is he?"

"If he was here, he would've definitely come after the source of the ruckus; but he's not …" Ron stated nonchalantly, and Tonks grabbed him by the throat.

"WHAT?! I came all the way from England carrying serious news and all what you can say is THAT?! Where is he? WHERE IS HE?!" she bellowed at the top of her voice while wringing his neck, and the aurors backed off quickly and seemed to be appalled by her sudden outburst.

"Tonks … Please … Harry … Home" Those words were enough from him for her to loosen her grasp over his neck and ask in curiosity "What did you say?"

"I said …" Ron replied while coughing "I know where Harry lives. I can take you to his home"

"Why didn't you say so?" Tonks said cheerfully while Ron gave her a murderous look "Then let's be on our way"

She took a few steps toward the door tripping as usual in process "Bugger …" she mouthed in annoyance and got up quickly looking back at Ron "Shall we?"

Both of them walked out of the room leaving the baffled trio behind. Dick looked at Vlad in disbelief and asked "Is she really an auror?"

"I'm not sure …" Vlad muttered, before they all returned to their posts.

After fifteen minutes and a dozen of trippings, they were standing in front of Harry's flat. Tonks looked around the building hall nodding in delight "He has a good taste of choice as usual … HEY HARRY!!"

Along with the last words, she knocked the front door hard causing Ron to flinch and plug his ears "Tonks! Please show some decency when knocking people's doors"

"Trifles, trifles … It's not that I like it, really" she said with a serious face for the first time since she came here "But I have a message to convey before it's too late"

"It's past midnight already, and people tend to be asleep at a time like this if you catch my meaning" he remarked indifferently not heeding her speech. He then knocked the door lightly "Harry, open up if you hear me"

No answer came from inside, so he said while putting his hand in his pocket "Maybe they're asleep, after all"

"Who are they?" Tonks asked in curiosity, then her eyes fixed upon a key Ron, who never bothered answering her, pulled out of his pocket. The key seemed to fit into small keyhole like the one in the door. He inserted the key into the hole and turned it, and a click sound certified her thoughts.

"You had the key all along and didn't use it?!" she said angrily. He kept his passive face as he answered her "It is for the same thing I told you before … Decency" She mumbled something under her breath and followed him inside where they found themselves standing in the middle of the dim-lit living room.

"Alright, you'll wait here while I go look for them" he said to her firmly turning the room's lights for her, but what he saw on the table after the lights were on told him that he might not be troubled with searching, after all.

A letter was placed neatly on the coffee table in a way was that made her obvious to the first one to enter the room. Ron believed that it was put this way deliberately, but also dreaded the fact that it might not contain the answer they desired. He reached for the letter and unfolded it before giving it a quick glance. However, this glance was enough to cause him to pale.

"What is it?" Tonks asked when she noticed the change in his face as if he met a dementor. He slowly handed her the letter and she snatched it from him. After reading the letter her hand began to shake and only one word was on the tip of her tongue.

---------------------------------------

"WHAT?!"

Harry exclaimed eyeing his sensei in disbelief "B-But Sensei, that place is not safe for ordinary wizards, let alone a muggle like Hermione; she would definitely be in dang-"

"That would be her choice in the end …" Tatsuya said decidedly looking at Hermione. She appreciated his decision of giving her the choice in this matter, but first she needed to know what it was all about.

"Sir …" she said politely "What is this Akoma-no-something?" he smiled at her difficulty in pronouncing the name.

"Akuma no Mori …" he corrected "It's the other name of Yamahata forest; it is the forest that surrounds Matsurumi Village" he pointed outside the window at a nearby forest and said "This very forest …"

Hermione eyed the seemingly huge forest in awe; she never saw such greenery before, not even in England; yet there was something missing in this forest, something vital that she couldn't pinpoint.

Tatsuya answered her unspoken question "Yamahata forest was the most beautiful forest on this island; being rich in both flora and fauna, not a single branch was without a singling bird or a gnawing squirrel. The families considered the forest a spiritual and recreational resort, and the children were free to play through it"

He silenced for a minute reminiscing that memory before resuming "However, thirty years ago, a man of darkness came to this tranquil forest and put an awful being in its depth. Since then, all who ventured to walk through the forest were never seen again; and so the people of Matsurumi village deemed this place damned forever" he looked at her before speaking again "And thus came the name 'Akuma no Mori', which means 'Forest of the Devil'"

Hermione was intrigued by the story. However, as he progressed further in this tale, more questions appeared in her head.

"Interesting …" she said calmly "But I don't see how that is related to the trial of mind you talked about"

A sly smiled appeared on the old sage's face before he answered her "It is completely related" he said "Deep inside the forest, there is a legendry scroll that the dark man claimed it contains the knowledge of the world. I want you to bring me this scroll"

Hermione gave him a long calculating look before speaking "So, you want me to bring you this condensed library … What's in it for me, then?"

He gave her the same smile and replied "If you do so, I will solve the problems of your troubled mind … permanently"

Those words ignited hope inside Hermione, ever since she experienced her first dark dream, it kept occurring again and again preventing her from sleeping quietly. So apparently, she would do anything in order to regain her peaceful sleep.

"Wait just a minute …" Harry dropped into this conversation snapping her from her thoughts "We've just arrived, sensei; so it would be unfair to let her go without resting" he said hoping to get some time alone with Hermione away from his master, and convince her not to go through this terrible trail. But Tatsuya has other ideas.

"I have not finished my deal yet …" he said regaining the attention of Hermione "I said that I will heal your mind if you brought the scroll to me, and the time is open" Harry sighed in relief after hearing that, but not for long "However, if you succeed in bringing the scroll within the few next hours, I will help you enhance that new ability of yours"

Harry's body tensed while Hermione pondered on the reason why he thought she would accept such ridiculous offer. The old sage knew what question was revolving into her head right now.

"Your gift is amazing, Granger-san" he said to her "You will be able to protect all those who are precious to you" he said the last words knowing that it is what she wants "However, your dreams will still be able to manifest even stronger than before" a look of concern appeared on her face, and was struggling with another emotion; Desire...

Since the day she lost her first partner, Hermione felt herself weak and useless. She did not have the power to protect him or anyone who was killed after that; and it was the reason why she worked alone for a long time. But what brought her back to her senses was her first meeting with Harry, and his miraculous saving of her. She witnessed his power in awe; it was that kind of power she longed for, the power to protect all her beloved ones. Now, this power is at her disposal, but not without a toll.

Tatsuya surely put her on a difficult crossroad, with each one of them leading to a different path from the other. Either she abolishes her gift and returns to her useless self, or keeps it and suffers her horrid dreams. The two choices clashed in her head until one of them won.

"Okay …" she said in resolution "Where can I enter the forest from?"

"Hermione …" Harry muttered in hopelessness, and Tatsuya smiled in triumph "This way"

He got up and opened the door of the study and showed her the way; she then nodded at him and walked toward the forest until she faded in the morning mist. After she was out of sight, Harry turned to Tatsuya and addressed him in a way that seemed rude to the elder master.

"I don't believe it!!" the raven haired man spouted "Have you become so apathetic that you send her into this dreadful place?!"

"Mind your manners, Harry-kun, I'm still your sensei …" the old sage retorted "Besides, I've noticed that you've become so over protective of her lately"

"Of course I am …" Harry replied "If you haven't notice, she is a muggle; which means that she cannot protect herself properly"

"On the contrary …" Tatsuya retorted again "She can protect herself better than what you imagine; you just need to do one thing for her" he looked at him intently and said "Believe in her …"

The words hit Harry's heart; they were the same words that Pierce told him last night. How can he forget such words? He looked at his master who has already got up from his seat and picked up a sword from the rack aiming to resume his work on it; and a new resolution appeared on Harry's face.

"Definitely …" he muttered "I believe in you, Hermione …"

------------------------------------------------

"That's weird …" Hermione said looking at a certain tree "I swear I've passed this very tree a while ago"

It has been an hour since she entered the forest, and all what she saw until now was trees and more trees. Nothing promised of a scenery change of any kind, and she began to feel tired of it.

"Face it Hermione …" she said to herself as she dropped to the ground "You are as lost as a white mouse in a cotton field"

She looked around examining the forest for the first time. It was vast, maybe bigger than any forest she saw in her life, but during her hour of walking she noticed something unnatural.

"Hmm" she looked at her watch, and saw that it was pointing seven o'clock, and not a single ray of light reached here yet. She felt this unnatural phenomenon the moment she put her foot into this forest; the more she went deep the more dim it became. And it was not because of the density of the trees alone, but for another thing she cannot comprehend; as if the darkness was emitting from the heart of the forest.

"What the …" she said when she saw something appearing from the horizon "Fog …"

She walked toward the newly-formed haze although she couldn't help but to feel suspicious about it. However, this fog, whatever its origin was, was like a hope kindled in this middle of nowhere.

As she stepped into the fog, her pace slowed, and she got more alerted 'What hope it is' she thought to herself looking around her and seeing more fog; she was more lost that when she was walking through the forest.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming her way. It was odd since the forest was uninhabited per Tatsuya's tale, but it was more hope kindled anyway.

"I'm here!!" she called as loud as she could, and her voice echoed through the fog causing her to shudder. Lucky for her, the strider halted upon hearing her voice and turned toward the source … her. She gulped and waited for the mystery person to appear, and she sighed in relief when the fog cleared around him; it was Harry.

"Oh, Harry …" she said holding her chest "You almost gave my a heart attack"

"It would suit you very well" Harry chuckled, and she chuckled out of curtsey; although she was pondering if Harry's ever threw dark jokes before.

"So … What brings you here? I haven't found the scroll if that what you were hoping to find" she said "You can search me if you want"

He didn't crack a smile at her slight joke; instead he pointed behind his back and spoke in a clod voice "I am here to take you out of here; Sensei concluded that you have failed the trial"

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed loudly "He gave me open time to do it, and I'm not leaving this place until I find that blasted scroll, you hear me?"

Harry did not flinch at her outburst, and kept his indifferent stare upon her "If you do this, you will only bring death upon yourself" he replied in a tone as cold as his eyes "As if anyone cares …"

She gasped soundly "How could you …" she looked at him in disbelief; no way this man could be the Harry she knew.

"I don't agree …" a sudden voice came from behind her causing her to jump. She turned around sharply to see thee newcomer, and a gasp of surprise came out of her mouth.

"Pierce!!" she said in astonishment "When did you arrive?!"

The police detective did not bother answering her question; instead he looked at her coldly as Harry did a while ago and muttered "I don't agree with Potter that no body cares about your. In fact, I care …" his reply caused her some pleasure, but not for long "… About your death!!'

"What?!" the last words caused her a bit of a shock, no way Pierce would say that; not in a million years.

"I worked with you for some time; doing whatever you need to achieve your goals. But it was not without a price" he said, then gave her a loathing glare "My wife …"

"Do you blame me of Lydia's death?!" she asked in disbelief, and he answered nonchalantly "As a matter of fact, yes. You caused her death because you are simply … A jinx"

Hermione's eyes began to water "Pierce … why?" she said weakly, but all what she got from him was an unfriendly scowl. She wanted an answer, a reason for all these accusations; and it came from the most unlikely person.

"She might've caused the death of your wife, Pierce …" a familiar voice came from behind her; a voice she hasn't heard for almost two years. She turned slowly to face the speaker, but when she saw him, her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened in shock "However, she caused my own …"

"Y-You …" she whispered hoarsely backing to a nearing tree in fear. The person, who was oozing blood from several wounds in his body, advanced towards her slowly "B-But you are … you are …"

"Dead?!" he completed her sentence "Well, yes … And dead I am still"

"Joseph …" she whispered faintly, and the wounded person cracked a malicious smile "Oh, you remembered my name after all"

It was true; the one who was standing in front of her was none other than her deceased partner, Joseph Crane. However, it was impossible for him to be standing with this mangled body. But then again, he shouldn't be there in the first place, being dead and all.

"So tell me, dear partner, do you remember this?" Crane said pointing at a gunshot wound in the middle of his forehead. Hermione tried to speak back but her voice betrayed her; and all what she could get out was stuttering "Joseph, I …"

"I know you remember it, being the smartest sheep in the herd" he interrupted her rather aggressively "But you weren't smart enough to send me some help, or even some kind of warning"

"I tried to do so, but the traitor was fa-" she said in a desperate move to explain, but was interrupted again by him.

"Excuses, excuses, that's all what you have right now" he said indifferently "And don't talk about traitors like you know them well; you know nothing about them" he wiped the blood that seeped out of his forehead hall and continued "So let me teach you a thing or two about traitors" He took another step towards her, and she noticed that her back was already pressed against the tree; the luxury of backing off is no longer one of her option.

"A traitor is someone weak and timid, that's why he seeks power from the presence of others" he said while advancing "A traitor is someone who fails to respond to a comrade's call of aid, either on purpose or not" he pointed a finger at her and concluded "A traitor is you, Hermione"

"No …" tears began to flow from her eyes as the accusations took their toll upon her. However, Pierce did not feel like leaving her off "So, another trait is added to your jinx, you are beginning to prove worthless as Harry just said"

"Please, stop …" she held her head in pain; those three men, the most important men in her life, are accusing her of what she always feared. It is just too painful for her …

"Do you deny our revelation …" Harry, too, added to her pain "Do you deny your crimes?"

"Harry, please, enough already" she said in pain. She could take it from anyone, except from him. However, as her pain doubled, a strange purple glow began to appear around her and intensify at a steady rate.

"Worthless Hermione …"

"Jinx Hermione …"

"Traitor Hermione …"

"ENOUGH!!" with the last cry, the purple aura gave a huge outburst causing devastation in each direction including the one where the three men were standing in. upon touching their very skins, the purple rays cause them to dissipate in an instant. However, Hermione did not witness this abnormal phenomenon, because she has already fallen unconscious …

---------------------------------------

"That's it; I'm going in …" Harry said in flurry and got up. But Tatsuya, who was smoking his pipe for the second time, retorted coolly "You are such an annoying youngling, Harry-kun. Sit down and enjoy the morning breeze"

"How can I enjoy it while Hermione is probably suffering in that cursed forest?" the younger man blurted out his thought, and a sly smile played upon the ancient face of the old seer "You like her, don't you?"

"W-What?!" Harry was taking aback by the sudden question "Worrying about her well being does not necessarily means that I have any feeling for her"

Tatsuya kept his smile and returned to his smoking before speaking again "Whatever feelings you have for her, you still don't believe in her"

"I do" Harry replied "But I cannot hide my concern about her in this dangerous trial, she's in Akuma no Mori, after all"

"Oh, don't worry" the old sage retorted "She's well protected, unconsciously at least"

Harry was about to ask about something, but something unnatural kept him from doing so. The air was suddenly filled with static energy before they heard the sound of a tremendous explosion coming from the forest.

"What the …?" Harry turned sharply toward the direction of the source of the explosion "Mist region …" he turned back to his master only to see him more astounded than himself.

"Impossible …" The pipe dropped off the old sage's hand as he muttered. He then turned towards Harry stating firmly "Harry-kun, please bring back Granger-san; the trial has ended"

"Right away, sensei …" Harry complied with his master's order and rushed to the forest, not noticing the concerned look in Tatsuya's eyes. The elder seer picked up his fallen pipe and slowly rotated it in deep thought.

"Such power …" he muttered and looked at the resulting dust cloud before sighing heavily "Far stronger than mine …"

At this time Harry was already midway towards Hermione. He stopped to check the tracks confirming that he was on the right path 'To think that she would reach the mist region …' he thought to himself 'Astounding'

Ten minutes of full speed running passed, and he found himself at the edge of the mist region. However, as he approached the mist, he felt static energy becoming more intense, not only mentally, but it also manifested itself physically when a surge of pain hit his body suddenly, like a thousand bee stings one every inch of his body. So, for the sake of his sanity, he cast an impervious charm around himself.

Ready and impenetrable, Harry stepped into the mist region, but as he did so, surprises came along. On the first glance he noticed, what actually he thought of as thickening of the mist, heavy dust was hovering the area.

'What the bloody has happened here?' he thought as he pushed a rather large lump of dust that blocked his way, and then he saw her; Hermione was sobbing beside what appeared to be the remains of a tree trunk.

"Hermione!" he called suddenly; and his heart became as fast as his feet as he rushed to her side. He took a glance at her face to make sure she's alright, but what appeared in her eyes caused him concern; utter grief and a broken-down spirit.

"Why have you returned?" she said in feebly "Didn't you have enough jeer?"

Those words caused Harry's surprise even more than her looks of grief. He, who was oblivious to her recent encounter, didn't know the reason behind such words "Hermione, it's me … Harry" He said to make sure that she noticed him, but she did not heed him as she carried on with her droning.

"Haven't you done enough damage?!" with quivering voice she spoke "Or you came back just to make more fun of me, worthless Hermione"

The more she stated, the more confused Harry became, but he one thing he was sure of; something happened to her when she walked through the mist, and it was not a pleasant thing.

"Hermione, look at me" he said in a firm tone with his emerald eyes fixed upon her teary chocolate ones "I would never call you worthless"

She did not seem to respond to his talk, and he saw the tears finally flowing from her eyes along with the strangest thing that can happen; the suspended dust began to revolve around them, with no magic sensed within it.

"Why, Harry? I've always respected you" Hermione said with sobs hinting to come out "You were always the friend that I dreamed of; the person who would look at me differently" her eyes glistened with more tears as she continued weakly "But you called me Worthless …"

The dust started to spin faster causing turmoil that produced a dreadful mix with her chanting "Worthless Hermione … Worthless Hermione" Harry looked at her horribly not believing what he was witnessing.

"Hermione! Snap out of it!" he cried at the top of his voice, but the uproar made his attempt in vain. He looked at the tiny twister that was starting to form around them then looked back at Hermione in concern, and he made up his mind.

"Somnacia" he muttered while touching Hermione's forehead and her chanting was interrupted by a gasp before she dozed off slowly. And with her asleep, the circling dust dropped to the ground.

Dazed and confused, Harry picked the sleeping Hermione and looked around at the devastation inadvertently caused by Hermione "You have a lot to explain, sensei" he muttered and began the walk back to the old sage's cottage. Unaware of the pair of yellow eyes that peer at them maliciously.

When he reached the outside of the forest, he saw his master waiting for them in worry. However, his concern was swept away by the sight of them almost okay.

"Sensei …" Harry called in eagerness, but was stopped with a wave of the elder seer's hand "I know … I heard and sensed it"

"Then you have an explanation" Harry retorted somewhat rudely, and Tatsuya shook his head "Not now, Harry-kun. It is she whom I must speak with" the old sage said "But now take her to her room; she needs plenty of rest after such ordeal"

Harry complied with his sensei's request and continued his walk with sleeping Hermione in his arms. Tatsuya, on the other hand, looked at the lot of them in sheer concern.

"I shouldn't have sent her in; it was too much for her to handle" he muttered to himself remembering the painful feeling of the static energy even when he was standing on the outside. He then sighed heavily glancing at the shining horizon "Let's hope everything goes smoothly from now on" and he followed them to the house.


A/N: (Fleeing from a stab by a reviewer) Wait! Wait! I know it is mad to stop at this point, but there is no benefit gained from killing me (Aside from the pleasure you might gain … Evil!!). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, plus, I want to know if you enjoyed the Deathly Hallows, cuz I enjoyed it a lot; although there was nor H/Hr in it.

Read & Review Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.