The Power Known Not

Chapter Seven

He watched as the curse came hurtling towards him, and at the last moment stepped aside.

"Good." She told him, "Good. You're getting better at it. Now do you think that we could more than one?" Claudia asked.

"Sure, why not." Harry said, sweat dotting his forehead, sweat that had a red tinge to it.

"Hope you're ready." Claudia said and shot off three stunners.

Harry stepped out of the first two right into the third. Jason sighed and shot an 'enerverate' towards Harry.

"Don't think I can handle three right now." Harry said.

"You can, you're just not using all of your skills. Think, you have what you need, you're just not using it." Claudia said, shooting off three more things, this time two stunners and a feather-light charm of some sort. Harry dodged the two stunners and stepped into the charm, and he rose up in the air.

Claudia grinned and shot three more things at Harry, and he dodged all three of them, rolling and twisting in mid air.

"See, you use this to your advantage. Because you are up in the air, you have a greater range of movement, thus allowing you to do more then the simple duck, dodge, and jump." Claudia said, and Harry experimented with what he could do.

"You know, you can't stay up there forever." Claudia said.

"Of course I can." Harry said.

"Wanna bet?" Claudia replied.

"Sure, I bet two galleons that I can stay in the air for two and a half months.

"That's until October." Claudia said. "I agree." She said.

"Snape won't like it." Harry said, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. "Do you think I could control how high I hover?"

"Probably, you'd have to go and see the acrobats. They're better at it." Claudia said grudgingly.

"Did Claudia just admit a fault?" Jason asked.

"Shut up." Claudia said, looking at Harry.

"Do you not want Harry to know your faults?" Jason asked.

"Shut up." Claudia said, advancing on Jason, and Harry decided to try and get out.

-0-

"Look Dad, I know that you don't want to be here, but why don't you help the elves sort thorough our things?" Hermione asked, while going up the steps back towards Sirius' mother's room, and Buckbeak.

-0-

"Mary, I don't know what's up with Hermione." Robert said, setting their clothes in the drawers. They had emptied a few rooms and the Grangers were now living in about four rooms on the second Story of Grimmauld Place.

"She's just not sure where she stands." Mary said, making their bed.

"What do you mean? Nothings changed." Robert said.

"Men." Mary swore. "Okay, we're on her turf now, we're muggles she's a witch. It's her turf and she doesn't know how to respond to us here, and there's the shock of realising that there is a price on her head, and on our heads. She wants to protect us, but she doesn't want to make us feel inferior." Mary said.

"Oh. But why is she hiding up with that thing?" Robert asked.

"Because she feels safe up there and she doesn't have to make any decisions other than breathe in and breathe out." Mary rolled her eyes.

-0-

"I told you we'd have your floating in a week!" Murner said, looking at Harry, who was laying on his stomach about fifty feet up.

"All I've learned is how to control how high I go." Harry grumbled, going a little higher, until he was nearly laying on the ceiling.

"Actually, I took the charms off. You're doing that on your own." Murner said.

Harry fell about thirty feet and stopped again, now sitting cross-legged in the air. "This is so cool."

"Of course it is." Murner said, jumping up and joining him in the air.

"Doesn't this deplete our magical energy or something?" Harry asked.

"If you were mortal." Murner said. "But because you have vampire blood flowing through your vampire veins, you have an innate sense for this sort of thing. It is a natural talent for most vampires, but only a few actually choose to perfect it. It doesn't take much to capture the skill, but perfecting it to my level of skill takes years, but just getting a basic skill takes only a few weeks to a couple months. Totally possible."

"Okay, how come I got it so quickly?" Harry asked, walking up a set of invisible steps.

"Possibly because of the charm you had on you, possibly because you fly a lot, and possibly because it was an inborn skill, either mortal born or vampire born." Murner said.

"Okay then." Harry said.

"Now that you've got the basics, I'll teach you a few tricks, routines, that sort of stuff, things that will come in handy in a duel." Murner said grinning. "Then Claudia can't complain."

-0-

"Master." The dark figure bowed before him.

"Speak." He commanded, knowing that he would get an instant response, something about his airs inspired that.

"The Potter boy has not been found. Your blood rite calls so far have proved to be unsuccessful." The servant said.

"Unsuccessful!" He cried. "Inconceivable! We share the same blood, as regretful as it is. The rites should have made me the greater of the pair, and then he should have been bound to me!" He exclaimed, jumping up and pacing back and forth in front of his throne.

The servant was backing away, gauging his distance from the door. Thinking that he would escape it unscathed. Why had he drawn the blasted short straw?

"Where do you think you're going! You do not have permission to leave!" The Dark Lord cried, 'crucio!'

The chamber rung with the servants screams.

-0-

In a distant hospital ward, unused muscles stirred, readying themselves to be awakened when the time arose. A time which was coming soon. They had held on for a reason.

-0-

In an further distant attic, in a trunk, a pair of wands twitched, dust disappearing, handles gaining a long lost sheen, and fading from sight slowly, to reappear in a pocket. Greater forces were at work here.

A woman's tinkling laugh echoed throughout the attic room, and the amount of dust grew suddenly heavier and then became thinner and thinner, until it was as it was before.

-0-

"So…tired…" He muttered, stumbling towards his door.

"HA!" Claudia exclaimed. "I win. You're not floating." She said smugly.

"Actually, I am. I just happen to be only floating a hair above the ground, but I'm still floating." Harry said, a happy expression on his face for a moment, to be replaced with a tired mask. "If you don't mind I think I'll take a nap. After all, for some reason I haven't slept in a week and a half."

"Of course. Rest well. Lucille is coming by sometime tomorrow. You don't want to be tired for her." Claudia said, looking at Harry. "I might let you sleep for a few hours longer."

"'Kay then." Harry muttered.

-0-

"Hermione, you've got to come out." Ron said.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, head poking out from under Buckbeak's wing.

"Mind if I come in?" He asked.

"I don't mind, it's up to Buckbeak." Hermione said, stroking the hippogriff lovingly.

"Erm. Buckbeak? May I come in?" Ron asked, remembering third year Care of Magical Creatures, and added a hasty bow.

Buckbeak regarded Ron with a orange eye and then dipped his head.

Ron sighed with relief and came into the room and sat on the end of the bed, opposite Hermione and Buckbeak. "Don't you get cold up here?" He asked shivering a little.

"No, I stay plenty warm." Hermione said. "What brings you up here?" She asked brightly.

"Your parents are worried about you. They haven't seen you for three days, Hermione." Ron said. "Are you spending all of your time up here?"

"No. I go downstairs sometimes." Hermione replied, looking at the mouldering wallpaper.

"When?" Ron asked.

"At night, when they're not up." Hermione said. "I just can't look at them. I feel so guilty." She began swallowing hard.

"Guilty for what?" Ron prompted her.

"Guilty for making my parents come here, guilty for not trying harder to see Harry…" Hermione stopped, wiping her eyes.

Buckbeak shifted, covering Hermione with a wing.

"Hermione, you have to come out sometime." Ron said.

"No I don't. I can stay here forever." Hermione said, her voice muffled by the wing covering her.

"Fine. I have to get back home before mum gets too worried." Ron said.

Hermione heard the door shut quietly and she poked her head out and seeing that the room was empty she only began to cry harder. She hated being stuck in the house, she hated not being able to go outside when she wanted. She hated having to worry is she would be able to go to Hogwarts or not, she hated worrying about her friend. Dumbledore maintained that a vampire attack was not possible and that Harry had left of his own will, but she didn't think so.

What could she do? She was just a lowly soon to be sixth year, she apparently knew nothing at all, anything she said had no reason for it. Even if she knew that she was right. It seemed to be safer to stay here. After all, nothing could hurt her, and maybe tonight she could drag her stuff up here.

-0-

"Yeh know Beaky, I'm glad that yer still here. I wish Harry was still 'ere. I wish that he'd hadn't left. Yer still here, that's good, I can always count on you. You and Dumbledore. Other than that I'm all alone. Gwap's getting better at English, but it's hard going. I don't think that I'll survive this war, not this time. Barlyl survived the last one, and I'm getting on up in years, I should probably just go into hiding or something."

"But I don't want to, I believe in the cause and I want to fight for it, but I really don't think that I'll survive. Thanks fer listenin' Beaky, I'll let you get back to yer sleep now."

Hermione heard Hagrid's large form leave the room, the door gently closing behind him. "Poor Hagrid." Hermione muttered. "I'm in the same boat, too, I'm a big target and I want to fight, but I don't know if I should or just go into hiding with my parents."

"I'm so worried about Harry. What if he's dead or something?" Hermione muttered. "I wish I could go back to the library."

"The library!" She exclaimed. "The Blacks are an old family, they probably have an extensive library and a lot on vampires since they are traditionally dark and the Blacks were a Dark Family." Hermione said very quickly, sliding out from under Buckbeak's protective wing and rushing down to the main rooms, in search of the library. After all there had to be one.

In her haste, Hermione left the door ajar, and Buckbeak watched her go, a mix of happiness and joy showing in his eyes. His nestling was feeling better. It was good. But he had better make sure that his nestling didn't get into trouble. After all there were strange things in this house.

-0-

"Mary!" Robert hissed, prodding his wife in the shoulder.

"What is it now?" She replied.

"I swear I heard something walk by our door." Robert said.

"It's probably just Hermione. She's up at strange hours, and let her be." Mary said, pulling Robert back down. "She'll come back on her own. She just has to sort some things out."

"Fine, but I'll only give her a few more days before I go and talk to her." Robert said.

"Dear, I went through a stage when I was her age, the best thing my parents did was let me be." Mary said, putting an arm around Robert and resting her head on his chest.

"If you say so dear." Robert said, kissing the top of Mary's head before dropping back off to sleep.

-0-

"Library, library." She muttered. "Where would it be." Hermione heard a clicking on the floor behind her and whirled round, wand in hand. "Just you Buckbeak." She said relieved.

The hippogriff nudged her aside and walked past, scratching at a shadowed door she hadn't seen before.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered. "Such a smart boy you are." She said.

Buckbeak positively glared at her.

"Well fine then. But thank you for finding it, really." Hermione said, curtseying as best as she could in her muggle pyjama pants.

She pushed the door open a bit farther, and found the Buckbeak had been right, this was the library. It was of a medium size, but it was completely covered with spiderwebs and dust.

"Looks like I'll have to do some heavy duty cleaning. Thank Merlin for magic."

"I'm sure you will be able to soon." A voice whispered.

Hermione whirled around and saw no one. Yet she could have sworn that she heard a female voice. "Might as well get started."

-0-

"Harry!" Claudia called. "It's time to get up!"

"Of course." He replied, "It's never time to go and take another longer nap."

"Of course, never." Claudia agreed. "C'mon, though you have a fun day, Newts in three days! We're just going to polish your current skills and then you have the next two days to do whatever you want."

"Yay! Free time." Harry said. "What's going to happen after I do my newts?"

"No clue." Claudia said. "We can figure it out then."

"Of course." He muttered. "Have you figured out how the whole Hogwarts thing is going to work?"

"Not quite, but have you been taught how to walk the winds yet?" Claudia asked, sifting through a pile of papers.

"Walk the winds?" Harry asked.

"Apparently not." Claudia replied. "After your newts then. Oh, you need to come up with a name for yourself. One that you can take your newts under." She said before fading into the wall, going who knows where.

"Of course she tells me now. I wonder if there are any name books in the library." He muttered wandering towards that part of the house.

-0-

"There!" Hermione smiling. "It's clean and spider free."

Buckbeak poked his head in the door, and seemed to inspect the room. He then slipped in through the door and curling up in an unoccupied corner.

"Doesn't it look nice Buckbeak? Hermione asked and then laughed. "Pity you can't talk, it would be wonderful if you could."

"I'll get started now, at least I have something to do now."

-0-

"Hermione?" Ron asked, nudging the door aside, only to find an empty room. "Not her too!" He muttered, rushing downstairs to floo Dumbledore. He'd know what to do.

-0-

Dumbledore hummed happily, a lemon drop in his cheek. The Death Eater's didn't have Harry, so he must have run. That made sense, he mused, If I had been in his position I would have run as fast and as far as possible.

"Professor!" A voice called from his fireplace.

"Mr Weasley.' Albus greeted him. "To what occasion may I put this visit to?"

"Hermione's gone." Ron said quickly.

"Gone? Are you sure she just hasn't left the room? Unlikely, I know, but it is a big house. Perhaps she has just moved to a more solitary location?"

"Buckbeak's gone too!" Ron exclaimed, "And he's never left Sirius' Mother's room!" Ron said hurriedly. "You have to come and do something! What if the Death Eaters have her or something!"

"I'll be there in a moment Mr. Weasley. Perhaps it would be wise to make a search of the house just in case." Dumbledore said.

-0-

Hermione hummed happily, in her element, blissfully unaware of the mounting hysteria that was unfolding around her.

Buckbeak watched on contentedly, basking in the warmth of the fire Hermione had conjured. His nestling was doing just fine. Still, he couldn't shake the sense that something was happening that they should be aware of.

-0-

Ron ran throughout the halls, looking for Hermione. On the third floor, he missed the side hall that twisted out of sight and the faint glow at the end of it.

-0-

Professor Snape walked into Order Headquarters to find the place in uproar.

"Snape!" Moody exclaimed. "Get over here. The Granger girl has gone missing. We're sending out search teams."

"Who alerted you that she was gone?" He asked coolly, in a good mood because of recent transpirings.

"The Weasley boy. Said she wasn't in the room and the hippogriffs gone too. We think she might have run." Moody said.

"Has the house been searched?" Snape asked.

"By the Weasley boy, he called for her and couldn't find her."

"It's a big house." Severus said, recalling one time when he had been in an out of the way room reading and his mother had nearly had a heart attack, thinking he had run away.

"You'll be going to see if the Death Eaters have her." Mad eye said.

"Of course I will, once I search the house." Severus said.

"The house has been searched." Moody grunted. "Go and see if the Death Eaters have her."

"Has the library been checked? Have all the bedrooms? Has the basement? Has the house been checked over for secret rooms she may have stumbled upon? Does Mr. Weasley know the spells to reveal secrets? I doubt he does. I will search the house for her." Severus said, and strode off.

-0-