Chapter 6: The First Lesson
" What ? " Harry asked , stunned . " What do you mean by that ? "
" There's no time to explain , Harry – Mr Weasely wake the others ! Whatever is causing this -" Sound like gunfire interrupted Hermione's words , accompanied by green flashes that ignited the night sky , " is coming our way !" She yelled over the noise . She sprinted towards the tent quickly , prompting Harry to follow suit . As he turned around , he saw Mr Weasely running back towards the tent . He had been watching them , evidently , for quite sometime . How much did he hear though ? But clearly , Hermione was aware of his presence . Mr Weasely was probably out of ear shot , though , since she did not stop the conversation . Outside , the screams and laughter grew louder and louder. Like some drum beat urging urgency . Now , perhaps , was the wrong time to ponder this further .
Mr Weasely ran out of the male's tent . At the same time , he yelled at Harry and Hermione . " Get into the woods , both of you ! And stay together ! Take care of her Harry! I'll go help the ministry after waking Ginny ! "
They both started running into the woods . As they did so , Harry looked behind at the spectacle behind him .
A burst of green light suddenly illuminated the dark mass approaching the tents . It revealed a A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them… They didn't seem to have faces… Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked.
High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air.
Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled.
Hermione just then turned back . " Watch the trees ahead Harry !"
The very next moment , something really unexpected happened . All four figures simply juist dissapeared for an instance . Were they imagining it ? It was like they were flickering . But , they reappeared the next moment . Most of the crowd hardly noticed what was going on . In fact , it was something that happened so briefly that , unless you were directly observing the spectacle afar , you would miss it .
Four figures suddenly hit , the ground , unconcious , just within the trees , a few meters to their left . And then , under the dimly litted night , the air seemed to shimmer right infront of them for a moment . They could barely make out her features in her dark .
" Well , Mr Potter and Ms Granger . It seems that there's a tiny little bit of trouble right now . " That overly brash , increasingly familiar voice came out from that figure .
They stared in surprise . It couldn't be . Could it?
" Well , who else would it be ? Anyway, this is not a time for chit chatting . Follow me . " With that , a small orb of light suddenly materialized above her palm , and she began walking deeper into the forest .
The sound of the riot was getting closer and closer . It was getting increasingly dangerous .
" Let's get out here . " Harry hurriedly said , as both of them followed after the girl from their dreams .
It was total chaos all around them . The cry's of young children , the panicked calls of parent's , shadowy figures obscured by darkness stumbling around everywhere . Utter madness . And the sound of the riot nearby simply created a concotion exceeding madness .
The Strange Girl's light guided the way , illuminating the ground for a meter throughout . It proved truly helpful in navigating the treacherous forest floor of brambles and roots to both Harry and Hermione . But the girl itself wasn't even looking at the floor . It was as if she was able to anticipate the potential traps and nagivation hazards littering the ground .
Suddenly , the girl spoke . That almost caused Harry to miss his stepping , and trip over the branch .
" Mr Potter , now that we are far away enough , may I suggest for you to check out your wand ? " There was a thin trace of disapproval in her voice . What was she unhappy about though ?
Harry dug through his jeans pocket , both front and back , trying to find his wand . But there was none of the feeling of that familiar thin rectangular shape anywhere in his pockets . Did he leave it in the tent in the confusion ? Or perhaps it dropped on the forest floor .
" Try stolen from your back pocket , Harry . " There was a faintly amused , and slightly contempetous edge to her voice .
" Stolen ? " Harry exclaimed , shocked .
" Yes , Harry stolen . And thanks to your refusal to listen to strong advice , I can't break this rabble up now , else you would'nt get your wand back , unfortunately . Where's your wand holster anyway ? Back in the Barrow , I presumed , burried within your trunk . " Snarkiness filled her voice .
For the second time , Harry felt incredibly stupid . How could he have forgotten the gift of that wand Holster ? That was very stupid of her . And at once , Harry came to a shocking realization . In a way , he was guilty of pro-longing this madness with his lack of attention to details . Stupid , Stupid , Stupid , Unbelievably Moronic . What was he thinking anyway ?
" You were not Harry . And I intend to correct that . The longer you do not think , listen to that Hermione side of you so to speak , the more difficult things will be Harry . " Her voice began sounding much like Mc Gonagall . Strict , brokering no opposition .
" Let this be the first lesson I teach you Harry . Always THINK , and consider advise seriously . You better get your act together , or things like this would just keep happening . " There was a severity to her voice , that intimidated Harry into a humiliated silence .
" Alright . " He answered , his embarrassment and humiliation clear in his voice.
" That's not that fair . " Hermione protested.
The girl spun around , looking Hermione straight in the eye . Both their eyes locked onto one another , on the Strange Girl's side , a look of the most fearsome severity . On Hermione's side , the attempt to suppress the effects that her opponent's intimidating look had on her was clearly reflected on her eyes . At the same time , there was a look of resolute determination in her eyes . There , a clash of wills broke out , and Harry felt like a Rabbit before Giants at that .
Tension hung in the air as it went on and on , both sides refusing to bludge . Seconds passed . And the build up of the clash of wills seemed to slowly charge the air . Suddenly , the Girl broke of eye contact , threw her head back , and gave a hearty laugh .
" Excellent Hermione ! Excellent ! You are willing to stand up for your best friend . I have no worries at all now , about you . " Briefly , a twinkling smile broke out across her face , but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared .
" However , Hermione , you cannot protect this boy from his weaknesses forever . He must learn to overcome them , the bad habits that he has picked up over the years . " The girl admonished , almost as if she was ten times older than she appeared . Perhaps she was .
Hermione began opening her mouth to protest , but the Girl simply held her hand up , requesting silence . The commanding presence behind that voiceless request compelled Hermione to repsect it . " Search your heart Hermione . You know full well that your best friend has many , many weaknesses , that you would like to change . You just don't know how . You fear losing his friendship after all . "
Hermione fell silent at that thought , considering those words .
" You agree with me . " The Girl Simplied said . " Now , that you can see your thoughts are an open book , are you willing to take up my offer now ?"
There was an uncharacteristic bashfulness about Hermione , almost … embarrassment . Now that was novel .
" Don't worry Hermione . As long as you learn the flaw of pretending being omniscient . " Harry was positive that the smile the girl gave positively sparkled in the dark . Perhaps that was his imagination though .
" Well , shall we move on ? " The girl began walking further . At the edge of the woods , behind them , there were a succession of loud bangs . They hurriedly followed suit.
They silently walked around the woods for several minutes , the sound of terror , of screaming and of malicious laughter steadily grew fainter .
" By the way , were those four people that appeared near us also the same four that were being tortured just now ? " Hermione quietly asked . " And , how did you mange to create an illusion to full them ? "
" Always inquisitive , aren't you ? Very well , Hermione , they are indeed those four . I used an indirect apparation method not yet invented in this time to transport them away . And you are right , they are indeed illusions . But , you can't make them that life like ,yourself . An AI avatar is currently in command with those illusions , making them as life like as possible . An unaided human mind is incapable of commanding these illusions , and doing something else simultaneously . Certainly not to the level of realism my AI is currently achieving . " The girl made it sound no more out of the ordinary as making tea.
Hermione remained quite for a moment , pensive in thought . What did that off hand statement seemed to suggest for the society she was from ? She considered for a moment the incredible life-likeness of those illusions . That picture of sheer terror , of contorting bodies , writhing exactly as humans did. And her conversation with Harry suggested that such feats were at the tip of the iceberg . For , three nights ago , she remembered waking up at seven thirty in the morning , immediately after what seemed like hours of conversation with the self-proclaimed Time-traveler . Could it be that the girl was communicating with both of them simultaneously ?
Then , there was the matter of that Girl's claims . Did she really come from the future ? Hermione found it hard to think of time in anything less than linear – the previous year , she had devoured Textbooks concerning the nature of Time and Magic after receiving her time-turner. Yet the feats that she had conducted so far seemed to suggest so. A eleven or twelve years old casually lighting a ball of light wandlessly ? That was almost unbelievable.
And if she did come from the future , what was her agenda ? Right from the onset , she had claimed to be here for the purpose of assisting humanity . She gave a most troubling tale of the future , of the fate of humanity . No . Troubling was an understatement . Horrifying would be more apt . But why would a civilization far more advanced bother with another time-line so many millenniums before it ? Simply pure altruism ? Hermione knew that she would have felt compelled to assist . But , she knew that not everyone shared her idealism . Idealism was not a sufficient incentive to attract legions of volunteers to time-lines millenniums more primitive than their own . Logic hence made her suspect that there was some other motive to this .
She was distinctly unsurprised when the girl spoke up again . Time and time again , the girl proved that she casually and easily understood their thoughts.
" You are conflicted . Your respect for authority is clashing with your own experience . That's why you doubt that I am from the future . Magical theory today has assured you that it's impossible , yet this -" The girl stopped , as the sphere of light illuminating their way swung round , right infront of Hermione's face , "most certainly is impossible from what you know , especially from someone as apparently young as I am . "
She turned to look at Hermione . Even though the look was not addressed at Harry , it's intensity proved most disconcerting .
" Have you heard of the Liars Paradox ? For your benefit Harry , the liar's paradox is an ancient philosophical problem . Is it possible for me to say that I am lying right now ? Here's your answer , both of you . " A single straight ebony twig like stick emerged . A wand .
" On , my magic , and my very existence , I pledge to you that what I say here is the truth . I pledge that I come from the future , to save this timeline . As I've spoken , so mote be it . " A violet flash course through the entire girl , momentarily rendering her an outline of a violet hue .
" Finite . " The light disappeared , sinking into the night , like a light bulb switched of .
" Lumos . " This time , it was a bar of light hovering right before her . She closed her first , forming an O with it . The bar of light obeyed her instantly , transforming into the now familiar sphere of a homely orange light .
" A magical oath . " Hermione breathed .
" What is that ? " Harry asked .
" A magical oath is a binding statement that forces the one who makes it to comply with it's terms . Failure to comply leads to a penalty that the one who made it has specified . In this case , the loss of magic , and death . In the past century , it has proven unpopular , for various reasons . " Hermione's eyes widen . " The ministry outlawed magical oaths ! "
The girl simply gave an amused look . " They can come and arrest me then . But before you start breaking of into hives and chanting , they do not know . There's no means to detect magical oaths , as of this current time . " Hermione opened her mouth to protest indignantly at that , but the girl simplied continued , irregardless. " Obviously , I still have my magic , and I am still alive . This proves without a doubt my claims , does it not ? "
Hermione opened her mouth again , as if to say something , before shutting it again . This astounded Harry . He never seen anyone out maneuver Hermione like that.
" It makes no difference , Hermione . You believe there's a chance that I may know of ways of circumvent a Magical oath , especially if I am from the future . You fear , of course , that you are being overly paranoid , though , and are inclined to believe me . Don't you think it's ironic that you are still suspicious , though you yourself knows that such idealism exist , and that you would eagerly volunteer for my task , if able. "
Hermione nodded silently . " I concede defeat . I'm sorry . " She apologized softly
" You have a rational mind , but one also balanced by an Idealism you cannot find a rational basis for . It's a conflict you have to negotiate in the end. You need to balance idealism with realism . "
Until that point of time , it never occurred to Harry that one of his best friends possessed a flaw of that magnitude . In a way , it humanized her more , though Harry never realized that his concept of Hermione Granger had seen her as larger than life , in many ways . It was a barrier between him and her that fell away at that revelation .
" Let's move on then . There is sufficient time to engage in necessary introspection later . " Her tone clearly brooked no observation . The Girl resumed leading the way through the darkness . Afar , the sounds of the riot was a faint muffled murmur . Curious . What , which would have been terrifying nearby sounded almost frivolous from a far.
" And that's why tragedy's and horrors occur time and time again in human history . To stand up against such is to stand above the crowd . Some , can choose not to stand , but for some , there is no choice . You must stand above the crowd , or perish . " The girl softly commented as they trekked further into the forest.
The forest fell silent , as the minutes passed . There was almost no sound , save the rustle of the leaves as the group passed across the seemingly empty forest . Here and then , they saw faint glowing lights in the distance , as unidentifiable people passed by , but never intersecting them. The light ahead seemed to reveal nothing but trees and more trees . They heard faint humming in the woods ahead .
Humming ? Humming in this condition ? What was exactly going on ? That was really surprising to Harry .
Whoever it was , it was coming closer . They could begin to hear the rustling of the lift , mixing with the harmony of the humming . Then , they heard a sudden muffled cry , and , the very next second , a sickeningly loud crack . It sounded like a bone breaking . Harry should have known – he had his bones broken so often that the sound was more or less permemantly stucked to his memory like that fly on that fly paper he recalled Aunt Petunia using when he was eight or so .
His instincts then kicked over , and he walked towards the source of the sound. That cracked sounded quite bad . If someone had sprain an ankle , or broke his or her foot , he most certainly could not leave him or her out in the forest , not especially with those masked men out there .
The orb of light behind him followed behind closely , illuminating the way before him . Behind him , Hermione let out a gasp of surprise , that he registered and placed at the back of his mind . Seconds later , right infront of him , illuminated by the orange orb now hovering to his right was another young girl . She had dirty blond scraggy hair that extended all the way up to her waist.. But what was most astounding about her was the strange , distant , and almost distracted look within her eyes . It was almost as if it was staring into another world . Added to the fact that her eyeballs seemed to buldge a little , seemed a little overly large , and it made her a most disconcerting person . It did not help that her eyes were silverish in color . Strangest of all , the girl remained silent , though judging from the condition of her twisted ankle , it was unlikely that she would have remained silent .
" Hello . " Her eyes swung up towards Harry Potter's forehead for a brief moment . " And you must be Harry. I'm Luna Lovegood. " She introduced herself, then as if she was aware of that discomfort looked down again . Whatever the case , Harry was quite grateful at that , but the next statement really threw him of balance . " Your wrackspruts told me you were coming . " There was five seconds of awkward silence . Then , their third companion broke it . " He does not know what Wrackpurts are Luna . "
" Oh . " She again remained silent for a brief moment . " Wrackspurts are ... invisible creatures that go through your ears . They make your brain go fuzzy . "
Another deafening silence .
Hermione broke it . " Did you break anything just now ? We heard a loud crack nearby . "
" Oh ... I think I broke my ankle when I tripped over the branch over there . " Luna maddeningly vaguely remarked. Indeed , under the light , it looked swollen , and the balls of her right ankle seemed disjointed . By Merlin. What was up with this queer blond hair girl ? By all accounts , she should have been screaming in agony .
" It looks rather bad . I would treat it with Episkey , but I'm no healer , so I don't think it's wise for me to try . I'm not even sure whether Episkey's good enough for this. " Hermione murmured , examining the ankle .
" Let me , Hermione . "
" But ... "
The other strange girl gave a highly amused look at Hermione .
Hermione immediately blushed in embarrassment . " Sorry . I forgot . " She apologized.
The girl gave no reaction to that apology , but instead went down , running her hands over Luna's ankle gently . As she went forward , Harry noted with surprise that she had a wand drawn out . He never ever saw her with a wand before . Always , her magic was done wandlessly . Perhaps , it was to keep up appearances ?
The girl's mouth moved , a voice so soft and unlike her usual assertive tone . Neither Harry , nor Hermione could identify what was being said . No . Hermione's face clearly shown recognition of the first part of the murmurs . But , there was the puzzled and curious look to Hermione face that he saw so often that it was lodged into his memories as to the second part .
" Can you lip read ? " He asked Hermione out of curiosity . He never had occasion to suspect this .
" Yes . " Hermione tersely replied . Her attention was obviously fixed on the other
" Don't waste your life on healing Hermione . There's far , far more to reality than just that . Healing is just a manifestation of something more fundamental to reality. " The young Dark browned haired time-traveler stood up .
" Your ankle should be fully recovered within an hour . I placed in a stasis charm for the next hour though , so you'll need help in getting back . Luna , would you mind if Hermione was to help you back to your father's tent ? "
Without looking for a response , she turned to Hermione . " Are you alright with that ? " Hermione took one hesitant look at Harry . " He'll be safe with me . But you'll need to help Luna back – she can't make it on her own like this . "
Hermione considered briefly , then nodded her assent . She helped Luna up , and slung Luna's arms over her left shoulder . Murmuring Lumos , both of them slowly made their way away from Harry and the Time-traveler .
" Luna Lovegood is an interesting person . Queer , but interesting . " The girl commented as both of them continued on . " In many ways , she's like you , Harry ."
That disturbed Harry a little . Did it meant he was sometimes off his rocker .
The amusement from his companion was palpable . " No , Harry . " She grew grimmer . " Do you remember your school life before Hogwarts? How you could never had made friends ? Where every day , you lived in the fear of being bullied by your porcine cousin, " Harry laughed a little at that , " and his friends ? "
Memories came to the fore once more . Unpleasant memories . It was like an old scar bleeding anew- he should know . The agony of isolation , of never having any companionship at all.
" I'm sorry to open up old scars , Harry . But do you now understand what Luna has to go through , everyday in Hogwarts? " His companion softly murmured.
If Luna had to live every day of her life like that , in Hogwarts . Harry shuddered at the horrifying prospect . Was Luna's behavior a sign of ultimate fate , if he had never gone to Hogwarts? How old was that pale blond hair queer witch anyway ?
" Malfoy , is just one example of bullies in the magical world , you know . For past two years , Luna has been living in a social hell of a sorts . It does not help that her mother died when she was young . "
Two years . Whatever her differences , Harry knew what it was like to be outcast . What is was like to be all alone . No one , no matter how disconcertingly weird deserved that kind of fate . He shuddered . How was it like to be bullied by magic ?
" Right now , your friend , Ms Granger should be coming to a similar observation , as you do . Did you know that Ms Granger was also outcast before Hogwarts? " There was a softness to her voice , the assertiveness nothing more than a concealed blade .
Harry was surprised at that , but then recalled how Hermione was like in her first year , before that Halloween where their friendship was sealed . Knowing just a little of her life before Hogwarts , explained a lot of her behavior .
And also Ginny Weasely . Ron's younger sister . What was it like for her before Hogwarts? Did the fact that she continued to be just as alone as Harry was before Hogwarts contributed to the ease at which Riddle's diary seized control of her ? Briefly , he wondered whether the rest of the Weasely's were alright .
" Ms Weasely , and the rest of her family are fine . Well , if you consider running into the pampered brat named after Latin for Dragon fine that is . " Harry smiled at that comment .
" But … " Why did it felt as if he was in front of Mcgonagal again ? " Really , had you simply remembered the Wand Holster I sent to you , this situation could have been resolved much , much faster. The truth is , " Her voice grew sharper , " this was a test . And you failed it . With flying colors . "
Harry was totally flabbergasted , and a hint of anger rose in him . " How was I supposed to even know it was a test? What is this test anyway ? " His voice grew increasingly more aggressive and heated with every question . " How was I supposed to know this was going to happen , when you didn't even warn me , but warned Hermione ? " He wanted to yell . But somehow , he felt unable to . " Get out of my head! Stop Tampering with it ! " Harry indignantly pronounced .
" Hmm ...Harry , there are even more unpleasant things that I can tell you , beyond what was going to happen in the Qudditch World Cup. But , if I was to tell you everything , all at once , would I not deprive you of happiness ? If you knew that there would be a riot after the Qudditch World cup , would you be able to enjoy it as much as if you remained in ignorance of what was to come ? " The girl quietly asked .
" I don't want to be kept in the dark ! Not especially if what's going to happen concerns me ! " Harry heatedly responded.
" Fine . Would you sacrifice some happiness to be in the know ? "
" Yes . " Harry responded without thinking .
" Are you sure ? Never mind , I know the answer to that already. But remember , Harry , it was you who made that choice . Not I . " She quietly and gravely answered back .
Silence . You could hear the pin drop on the soft soil with the silence that suddenly engulfed the area . Harry , at that very point of time suddenly realized he had just made a very important decision . A very , very heavy decision , that only time would reveal the ramifications for . And , at that very moment , Harry faintly regretted his words . And his mind shied away from trying to comprehend what had just taken place.
" Let's rewind this argument Harry , to its very roots . I'm sure you want to know what was this lesson about . " She stopped again , and looked right in the eyes at Harry Potter . That prominent , proud face , that confident stance , all of it made her seem way taller than she really was .
" Whenever someone tells you something , gives you an advice , expresses an opinion , chances are , most of the time , there are very very good reasons why they do what they do . Do you follow Harry? "
He nodded. That sounded reasonable .
" Then why get angry at them , instead of striving to understand why ? Especially if they mean you no harm , but well ? Should you not seek to understand , and pay attention to their advice ? To consider whether to take their counsel seriously? " Harry suddenly guiltily remembered his childish falling out with Hermione the previous year over the Fireblot . She had good reasons , in her mind , yet Harry pushed her away in anger . In immaturity . Guilt racked his conscience . It was like biting the hand that fed him – or more accurately helped him . How many more times had he been that immature ? That unemphatic .
" Do not be hard on yourself , boy . The Dursely's never taught you anything at all , most especially not that . What, you should strive for Harry is more empathy . More self-control . And the first step , Harry , is knowing your weaknesses . Besides , every man and women has their own weaknesses . Even Hermione . " The dark clouds that began to warp around his mind scattered away at that thought .
" I apologize for just now , and would like to ask you this , once again . Would you mind if I charm this memory to remain clear ? " She asked ,gently this time .
He nodded . The next moment , he felt something cooling , something soft move around his brain . And the memory of the conversation he had just now shone most vividly in his mind , as it was engraved into his brain . Then it was all over .
" Thank you , Harry . "
Just a mere few seconds later , her face grew hard . A dire expression came upon her face .
" What is - " Harry was about to asked , then frozed.
It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt.
"Hello?" called Harry.
" Quiet . " His companion murmured . The wand once more appeared . No – it was a different wand . It was not even a wand . It was a faint blue orb , the likes of which he never saw before . Her eyes became distant for a moment . And , then , Harry realized that there was no footprints behind them , just then . What was going on ?
A silence followed . Harry peered into the trees. Though it was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision.
And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell.
"MORSMORDRE!"
And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky.
"What the -?" gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared.
For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.
Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams.
The Dark Mark Harry . Voldermort's mark . A warning of things to come . There's a death eater in front of us . One of Voldermort's servants . Her grim voice echoed through his head .
He opened his mouth to speak , but decided against it .
But … Voldermort's not back … is he ?
No , Harry . Not yet . Stay put Harry .
A small shimmering shield erupted infront of both of them , like half a sphere enveloping around them .
Multiple Pops were heard a very short distance away . But the source of those Pops were beyond Harry's field of vision .
Brace yourself . Her voice was tense .
The very next moment , a multitude of voices yelled " STUPFEY! " Blinding red light shredded out of the darkness , speeding at them . Harry wanted to run away , wanted to flee from it , but his feet was stuck .
Calm Down ! This shield will hold . The girl commanded .
A good many of the Stunners sped right past them , without even coming close to hitting them . But then – one , then two , then three Stunners were speeding in their direction . No – there were more than three . Maybe eight or nine . He lost count Their red glare sped straight at Both of them . It was going to hit , it was going to hit . Harry wanted to shield the girl with his body – if he could move . Adrenaline sped through him , and time seemed to crawl . Closer , and closer those crimson blood red blots approached their shield …. then suddenly , upon impacting the shimmering shield , the crimson blots abruptly scattered into quickly fading red mist . The shield held . The shield held . The shield held against the first stunner and the second , then the third head on .
Then , the paths of the next five stunners seemed to bend away from the shield , as if their path was deflected away from the shield . Harry was awestruck by this display of ability and power . Each time the stunner impacted or diverted , the orb glowed slightly .
" Hang on Harry . " The girl was panting lightly. Clearly , that feat took some effort . Swiftly , on an invisible command , a stick raced across , emerging from the very edge of Harry's vision , speeding straight towards his chest . His Qudditch Honed reflexes kicked in , as he quickly grabbed the wand . The next moment , he felt as if a blanket was wrapped over him , and as if reality was dissolving like some strange syrup .
He blinked . The Dark Mark was now further away from him , smaller . She had somehow transported them across some distance . Then he looked down at the stick that he just caught , and instantly recognized it . It was his wand . Adrenaline coursed through his brain , making him think clearer and faster than usual . Did that meant …
" Yes, Harry . The one who stole your wand was the one who cast the Dark Mark . I can see it most clearly in your wand signature . "
" How ? " Harry asked , shock written in his voice at the same time.
" I have my ways Harry . " She mysteriously remarked . " One moment . Let me clear the spell memory so that it does not get traced back to you . May I hold your wand for a moment . "
Harry numbly nodded , still slightly stunned . The girl quickly ran her hands through the wand , and in its wake , gold motes followed . She handed it back when the last of the Gold motes faded away . " Here , Harry . It's safe now . " Harry nodded , as his shock faded , along with the adrenaline .
" Who casted it ? "He asked .
" I did not get a name from the caster . Too risky . " The girl answered , her normal tone resumed . " In any case , it's safe now . The Rioters have dispersed . "
She began to walk away . Harry followed her . It was likely that they were now at the edge of the woods , for here and there through the trees were the yellow embers of fire .
" We'll soon have to part ways , Harry . "
But there were still many questions left unanswered that Harry seeked an answer to .
" The Weasely's will soon be looking for you Harry . If you do not want them to worry too much , it'll be best to head back to the tent , wouldn't it ? It's somewhere over there by the way . "
Suddenly , Harry knew the approximate direction that the Weasely camping spot was . It was as if someone had installed a compass in his mind , with the direction where he had set up from serving as the North Pole.
She gave a small apologetic smile , as the trees quickly thin out to reveal the moor beyond . It was a plain painted with varying shades of orange , the lights of a multitude of campfires . And in one direction , like an ugly scar through the plains laid the path of the riot . There , small embers of campfires went dark , with flickering flames here and there . The dying flames of flickering tents , giving of thin black smoke in the distance . And Harry knew , that somewhere beyond that ugly scar laid the campsite he had fled from with Hermione a mere few hours ago . His head began spinning . As he recalled what transpired . It was as if he had just gone through a particularly information saturated transfiguration lesson.
" Well , then " Harry turned towards the girl to his left . " I guess this is where we'll part ways . But don't worry . We shall be in shared dream , together with Hermione in three nights time . Bye then – and enjoy . " She gave a brief smile, then ran of towards a few scattered knots of people gathered around the fireside . And , running from the Fire-place towards the girl was a taller person who Harry could not make the shapes of . As Harry turned away from the scene and began making his way back to the Weasely's , he wondered who that person was. One of her "parent's " perhaps ?
A disturbing thought occurred to him as he pressed through the scattered knots of people . He always assumed that the Girl was simply directly transported from her time to his . No . That was absurd . She herself hinted of being older , carried herself as being far older than she looked. The chain of thoughts was like a blindfold rendering him less aware of his surroundings .
He thought of three possibilities . Firstly , the Girl's body was not the one she was born with , and was sent back in time . Then , that person whom she met just now could be a fellow time-traveler . She never ever proclaimed outright that she was all alone . Secondly , that person was someone who was somehow made to believe that the girl was his or her daughter , but was a native of this time. The third , and most disturbing possibility though , that Harry recoiled from ,was that she had taken some person's body , and commandeered it for her own . It seemed farfetched – if not of being reminded of Riddle's Diary just that very night . He really wanted to know the answer to that , but he did not know how to really ask .
He rather than the first possibility was true . Perhaps he was just being overly suspicious of her , fishing for some reason to doubt his intentions . Perhaps that lecture he was given that very night was affecting his judgments , and his doubts were a manifestation of sub-conscious resentment. That was something else to discuss with Hermione about , he reflected .
" Harry ! " A familiar cry was heard from the distance . " Harry ! Hey mate? Are you alright ?" That cry once more sounded , and suddenly , his chain of thoughts terminated , opening his senses back to the entire world . It was Ron calling him from afar.
" Yes ! Are the others back yet ? " Harry responded. There was dirt smeared over Ron's face , and a scab on his knees .
" What happen to you ? " Harry asked as he made his way over to Ron .
" Tripped over a log . " Ron grumbled . " By the way , I met Draco over in the woods over there . " he grimaced . " Where were you by the way ? Was it true that you got seperated because Hermione went to help Loony Lovegood ? "
" Loony Lovegood ? " Harry asked curiously . She is very much like you Harry. If even Ron was calling poor Luna that , he shuddered to think what other horrors she faced at Hogwarts. It reminded him too painfully of the nicknames Dursely and his gang gave him back before Hogwarts.
" Yeah mate .That's what everyone calls Luna . She lives near the Burrow you know . Ginny and her use to play with each other all the time when they were younger . At least until her mother died . " Ron continued ,oblivious to Harry's slightly disturbed expression .
" Of course , " Ron continued , " Her mother died when she was eight or nine or so , and after that , she was not really right in her head . By the time she got to Hogwarts, she was as Barmy as the Mad Muggle . " Ron commented . Harry nodded at that . Strangely , it was quite hard for him to emotionally get to grips with this . While he had lost his parents when he was a mere baby , to lose one of them , or both when you were a child , and knew them well . He could not imagine how much more painful it was.
" You alright mate? " Ron asked , at last dimly noticing Harry's perturbed expression . " Yeah . " Harry responded , as both of them returned back to the tent .
Somewhere , a mile away , the time-traveller gave a small , truly soul-felt smile as she went to bed . It went of without a hitch . All objectives were completed for the night . There was the problem , of course , to the boy's reaction if he found out the truth . But Hermione would be able to explain it to him , in all probability. Satisfied , she shut her core mind down to that state called sleep .