A/N: I have decided to work on this some more - continue the story/adventure...it may not be coming along quickly, but it will continue...
"Did you just say Cho?" asked Professor McGonagall.
Hermione looked back and forth between her former professor and the man she loved. "What about Cho?" she asked as her face was covered with confusion.
"It must have been her," he said softly, still feeling too weak to hardly even move. "She touched my scar at one point last night, I didn't think anything of it at the time. And I think she was still here after everyone left."
Hermione was shocked at this announcement. "But how can that be. You told me to wait for you in your study until Charles had assured you that all of you guests had left." Hermione frowned as she tried to solve this puzzle on her own. "But what out Cho? Just how is she involved in any of this?" she mused.
"She was in my dreams, or visions. They seemed so real," added Harry as he tried to push himself up to a sitting position.
"No, Lord Potter, you need you rest," instructed Madame Pomfrey. "You need to lie down, you just don't have the strength."
Harry shrugged off her help and he continued to sit up. "I am really starting to feel much better already," he said quietly but firmly. The headmistress gave him a glare that silently told him to lie down and follow the instructions of the healer. Minerva was shocked when Harry refused to comply with her request as he gave a quick shake of his head to tell her that he would not do that.
Madame Pomfrey, for her part, was used to Harry's stubbornness, sighed and picked up her wand and examined him again. She gasped as she realised the reading. "His magical core is already back to over half his usual strength!" She reached into the bag she had brought with her as she added, "Here, eat this piece of chocolate. It should help." She continued to be surprised by this patient repeatedly. "Well, it is usually helpful to most wizards when they are recovering from such a shock to their magical core."
Minerva McGonagall cast a concerned eye on her former student. "Well, Mr. Potter, you seem to have not given up on your previous ways of getting yourself into a fix even though you are no longer a student." She rolled her eyes at his expression of innocence on his face and she continued, "But could you enlighten us about what happened?"
"I think the easiest way to explain what happened would be to show you my memories of the dreams," he said with a glance at Hermione. "I don't think I believe them all myself and I have no idea how they were able to happen. They felt so real."
"Of course they did," added Professor Flitwick. "That was the purpose of the stone. If I am correct in my assumptions, the memories that were being released into your mind in combination with the charmed ointment would have eventually supplanted your own true memories and you would have acted on them as though they were real."
A noticeable shiver ran through Harry at that thought. "Maybe sharing them is not such a good idea after all," he said quietly.
Hermione gave him a worried look. "Harry, you've been through a lot when you were fighting Riddle for all of those years, I've been there with you for almost everything, how could this be worse."
Harry did not respond to her question. She reached out and took his hands in hers and tried to give him a smile to reassure him that things would be okay. Hermione was surprised when Harry looked away and refused to look at her.
"Harry James Potter," she said sternly but quietly, "just a minute ago you wanted to share those memories. Now you refuse? What is wrong?"
She noted a tear on his cheek. She waited for a response. She tried to get his attention with a gentle squeeze of his hands.
Finally he turned to look her in the eyes, "When I believed that it was just someone giving me a bad dream, I thought I could reveal to you what happened. When it became clear from what Professor Flitwick had said that someone was trying to force those onto me as memories, to make me think I did those things, to make me live that way…" His voice trailed off. After a minute of silence he continued. "I would rather have been killed by Voldemort than have to live that life, to have done those things."
The words made Hermione and the professors cringe. Hermione refused to let go of his hands as she studied his face. His tone was more somber than before he went into the forbidden forest to die and then to fight Voldemort. She could not begin to fathom what it was that he had seen.
"Lord Potter," said a very flustered headmistress, "I mean, Harry, I think that if the images are that disturbing that they definitely need to be seen, but perhaps only by one of the Aurors.
Hermione was frightened and tried to hold back her own tears. The mere fact of not knowing what was upsetting Harry so much was becoming too much to handle. "Can you tell us anything about what it was about? In general terms?" she asked. Hermione's curiosity as to what could possibly be making him so upset kept her from remaining quiet.
Harry opened his mouth and closed it. He then looked up at Hermione and stared into her eyes for a minute, searching for a sign of hope and caring, which he saw. But still he hesitated, as he was afraid how they would react to his statement. "No, I can't say it. Not yet anyways. It is too disturbing." He looked down at his feet to avoid her gaze.
Hermione looked towards Minerva McGonagall, hopeing that the headmistress would be able to offer some advice. Minerva looked back and tried to convey her own empathy for the situation, but she was not sure herself what action should be taken at this time.
Flitwick spoke up and announced, "I think I should summon Kingsley, he may be most useful in examining this stone." The diminutive professor than gave a slight bow and turned to leave the room. He headed down to the main hall to send a message to the Minister for Magic.
McGonagall then turned to Madame Pomfrey as she took her by the arm, "Come on Poppy, let's see if there is anything we can get for these two for breakfast." Initially the healer was going to protest, but when she saw the look in the Headmistress' eyes she quietly replied, "Oh, right, that does sound like a good idea."
When the two young people were finally alone Hermione sat down next to Harry. As she put her arm across his shoulders he turned and looked at her. Softly he spoke to her, "Please, I need some time, I am not trying to push you away. It was just so…disturbing."
Hermione put her head on his shoulder. They sat there in silence for a moment. Hermione then spoke in a whisper, "I know it must have been hard on you, whatever it was. But you have been through so much, I just wish I could take away your pain. Last night was supposed to be the beginning of your new life without the battles and the fighting, and now that all seems to have been ruined."
Harry turned his head to look at her.
Hermione continued, "I have seen you suffer so much, I just wish there was away I could keep it all away, so you could enjoy your life. You deserve so much more than this."
"I don't think I deserve anything," he replied flatly. "All I really want is to have a quiet life, with you by my side. Is that too much to ask?"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "No, it isn't, it shouldn't be too much at all."
It was not long before breakfast was brought up to their room. Shortly after they finishedeating Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived. By this time the group had relocated to Harry's study, as they felt the main hall was too large for this meeting and the bedroom was too awkward. Upon the arrival of the Minister for Magic, Charles, the senior house elf, brought out a service of tea and biscuits for everyone who was present.
Kingsley greeted Harry with a big hug. "Lord Potter," he said with a smile indicating he was having fun with Harry's new title, "what could be so distressing that you need the services of the Minister for Magic? Professor Flitwick told me it was urgent and that I would need to bring someone from the Aurors Office and perhaps someone from the Department of Mysteries. They will be here shortly, but I felt it was important for me to hear from you just what the problem is and how I can help."
Harry looked around the room at those who had gathered, and they all looked back to him to begin to explain the events of last night. "It seems that Hermione found me collapsed in my bathroom this morning, after I had been having visions during the night. Hermione summoned the Headmistress and Madame Pomfrey for help, and they in turn summoned Professor Flitwick because of his expertise in charms. He discovered the blood gem which had apparently been inserted into the scar in my forehead. As I understand his explanation, it was designed to implant false memories into my mind and create an alternate reality which I would eventually be convinced was the real world."
Shacklebolt frowned at this story. "This is most concerning, Harry. Do you have any idea who would do this and why? Can you tell us anything about this alternate world which you found yourself in? Were you still fighting Voldemort?"
Harry realised that he would have to answer some of these questions. He looked to Hermione for some emotional support. She acknowledged his need and said, "I know it won't be easy to tell everyone, but it will help with the investigation."
Harry nodded to her and hoped that she would not be upset as he had refused to tell her earlier when they were alone. Harry then looked at the group and he began to answer the Minister slowly.
"In the dreams I saw how I had defeated Riddle. It was not in the same way that we had done it before." Harry paused as it was difficult for him to recount the events to the others. "I found a different way to defeat him. But it ended up with a new problem. There was a new Dark Lord."
The professors gasped, Kingsley seemed slightly shaken, and Hermione looked away.
Professor McGonagall spoke up, "Who was this new Dark Lord? Did you see him? Was it one of the Death Eaters? One of his followers?"
With tears in his eyes he looked at the Headmistress as he answered, "No. It was me."
