I forgot to say something, before reading: Hermione and Ron haven't begun dating yet in my story, take this into account before reading this chapter please, thank you. This isn't for Ronmione fans, this is for Dramione fangirls!
After the exhausting hearing was over, and after a good 10 minutes of looking for her, Draco at last, found Hermione, cheering for him in the crowd. He was pleased to see her rooting for his victory over his cruel and evil father. He didn't care anymore about public appearances or demeanour, so he just walked over to her and publicly hugged her, something he never did before. Hermione, taken aback, didn't push him away. He held her very close to him. Narcissa Malfoy's smile on her aged face widened when she saw her boy with her.
"You're not afraid of what other people would say about you? Harry and Ron already knew about your Father's hearing from the Prophet yesterday evening!"
"Screw other people and to hell Potter and Weasley! I've been taught to care about other people's opinions about me and even how I should conduct myself in public all my life ever since I was born. For once, I just don't want to care about others, the only person I need now, is you and I just want to be myself, no matter where I am. You don't know how much courage it gave me, to see you in the audience when I was serving as an eye-witness against him." She was extremely flattered to hear that. That was the best compliment anyone could ever pay her.
On the following Saturday, at breakfast, in the Great Hall, her two friends were beyond furious. She saw why immediately: in the Daily Prophet, there was a photo of Draco Malfoy, hugging her tightly. She didn't read the gossip article about her and Malfoy, right under the picture, probably it was about her and him secretly dating, or in love or some other rumour crap Rita Skeeter usually wrote about them 3. "Damn, I told him people would know about it, he wouldn't listen to me!" She didn't say that out loud though.
"Why didn't you just tell us the truth when we asked you about it, Hermione, that you've been getting together with enemy?" asked Ron, really hurt she lied to him about knowing about the hearing beforehand, but more so about Malfoy being so close to her last night. "Was it jealousy?" He didn't know himself what emotion he was feeling precisely, but he was enraged when he saw the picture of Ferret boy and Hermione together that way.
"How could you say he's the enemy? After all he's done for us? Did you know how much courage it took him to do what he did to be free from his Father's shadows and you don't know half the things he's gone through his whole entire life?! He and his mother have gone over to our side, guys, they're our allies now, hello!"
"And you're defending them? How could you trust them?"
"The Hearing, everything, was carefully planned between Dumbledore, Malfoy and his mother, Snape and I, guys! Dumbledore trusts them and I have faith in them two and you should too! Stop sulking and being jealous about Malfoy holding me last night. He was just in a weak moment after everything he's been through, he just needed some moral support!"
"What?! Moral support?! Then what, were you doing with him so close to you? And I really can't believe you, he's been a bloody hell git to you for bloody over 6 years, and called you a Mudblood and he's one other horrible things to you and us, your friends, and you just forgive him like that and even consider him an ally or maybe something more?!"
"Ron, I know you'll always him as the enemy, but I don't and don't you fucking accuse me of liking him, you overly jealous freak! Just imagine being scared of your father every day and night, even at school, and even being tortured by him on a daily basis…it's no wonder he's taken after Mr. Malfoy Sr.'s bully personality."
"Whatever we say, you just will defend them, right? They may be our allies, but certainly not friends!" Harry added to Ron's argument against the Malfoys.
"I didn't ask you to be friends with them, just asked you to see them as being on our side, because I repeat one more time, they did it to be free from the Dark Side, so they could do whatever they want, and they are more than willing to help us. When the war against You-know-who starts, we'll need all the help we can get!" She attempted one last time to reason with them.
"Fine, fine, you win, Hermione! said Harry finally, giving up.
It was supposed to be a Hogsmeade week-end, but because Sir Ronald Weasley was in a sulky and bad mood all day long, so they didn't hang out together, like the other students did. Hermione envied them. "Where was Malfoy, what was he doing? Why I am thinking about him, out of the blue? I should work on my assignments." The rest of the day, she did some light homework like information searching for her papers and reading in the library. Her brain was dead after last night's Hearing and Trial. She and Harry avoided Ron like the plague.
On Sunday, Ron was feeling quite lonesome without either Harry or Hermione talking to him and didn't sulk anymore and thought over about his irrational jealousy of Malfoy. "I really shouldn't have said what I did to her yesterday." After a while of deep musing about if she would forgive him or not for that, he resolved to go find her, to apologize to her publicly in the Gryffindor Common Room, where she was furiously writing an essay for the course : Care of Magical Creatures on Centaurs. Noticing him in the room, she lifted her head and greeted him with:
"Oh Hello Ron, still sulking about Malfoy keeping me close to him and jealous about that?"
"No, I came to say I'm sorry for what I said to you, it was unfair to you, I see it now after I cooled down, I was such a hot-head yesterday, but it's the Malfoys and they just get to me, you understand? I'm really sorry and I'm hoping you'd forgive me. Let's go do something in the Hog's Head to make up, please?"
"Since you said please, yes sure, and apology accepted, but only this afternoon, in the morning, I thought to finish my essay on Centaurs for Care of Magical Creatures on the upcoming tuesday."
"You're too nice, Hermione, someone will take advantage of you someday."
"I'm not someone who likes to hold it against someone for very long. Have you told Harry about going to the Hogs' Head together?"
"Yes."
So Sunday afternoon, the 3 of them went to the Hog's Head to have some butter beer and to have some good fun in the old pub, crowed with odd-looking witches and wizards, some missing one eye. In the evening, she was revising for the N.E.W.T.S, she was thinking: she had to go and confront Malfoy about the hug they shared at the end of the Hearing/Trial.
Monday was as usual: Potions, Charms, Defence the Dark Arts, advanced level for 6th year student. She was more attentive and more eager to answer questions in class now that she was getting some off time from her secret mission. Malfoy, too, she noted, in DADA, was more concentrated on Snape's lecture. In the evening though, the Headmaster called her up again, to meet up with him in his spacious, oval office, so she didn't get a chance to confront Malfoy about the hug at the hearing.
"Lemon Drops" and the gargoyles let her in.
"Hello, Headmaster, something's up again?"
"Yes, I've got some disturbing news from Severus. But before I tell what it is, I wish to tell you, that I used the art of Legilimency on you, to discover whether or not you've told Mr. Potter and Weasley everything. And I found out that you did, but only part of it."
"I'm sorry, Professor, I was under enormous stress and being pressured into it by Ronald Weasley! He wouldn't stop fighting with me about Narcissa and Draco Malfoy being good, so to convince him otherwise, I had to tell him it was planned between us, sir! I apologize for that!"
"It's fine, Miss Granger, it's understandable. He was acting out of jealousy, afraid you might be falling in love with Mr. Malfoy, I think he likes you as more than a friend, and just wants to look out for you."
"Headmaster, how can you be so blunt about these things! And anyway, I did not come for that, what did you want to tell me?"
"Ah yes, I wanted to tell you this: Severus Snape, who drank the Polyjuice Potion and disguised as Macnair, uncovered about something very interesting information that might help us win the war against Lord Voldemort faster. He's found out, at one of the Death-Eaters' meeting, that the Prophecy about and Longbottom was entirely wrong. Let me tell you who did it: The Seer who Lord Voldemort consulted, Cassandra Vablastky, falsified the Prophecy. Instead of: "Neither can live, while the other survives", it should have read: "Neither can die, while the other lives."
"What does it change for Harry and how in any way does it help our side?"
"Don't interrupt me, please. Now, "the other" in the Prophecy, is not about Mr. Potter, but it is referring to the two 'people' inside Lord Voldemort: Lord Voldemort, the Dark and Evil person and Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr, the Good and Loving person inside of him. And for you to understand everything from his perspective better, I'd like you to have private lessons and training sessions with Severus on Legilimency and Occlumency for the remainder of the school year, the art to read someone else's mind like an open book and to influence their very thoughts and feeling. Occlumency is the exact opposite of Legilimency. Why? Because you can go back in time and help him fight off 'Lord Voldemort''s control over Tom Riddle, who's inside of him like a second, evil persona in him. And before you ask: why do I want you to master Occlumency? Because sometimes, when you're too deep in someone else's mind using Legilimency, the other person can also easily read your thoughts and emotions."
"Sounds like he's got a split personality, or a double personality disorder. However, I myself am not sure I'll be able to master Legilimency and Occlumency in 3 months, plus, I have classes and everything."
"What's a split personality disorder? I know, but I am confident you will be able to go in Lord Voldemort's thoughts and mind and to influence him for good and to dissuade from making the 7 Horcruxes."
"What in Merlin are Horcruxes, Sir?
"Since you love to read, here's a book on them, I banned it from Hogwarts: "Of Horcruxes and other Dark Objects". And you may tell Harry and Ron about everything, since they will, no doubt ask about why you're so busy and everything, but not the part about the Prophecy being altered. And I trust, you are going to use the art of Legilimency, wisely and intelligently on Riddle or Voldemort."
"I hope I'll be up for the challenges, Professor. And since you asked: a dual personality disorder, is when a person has 2 personalities in them, the Muggle psychiatrists believe this is a common mind disease."
"I am most confident you will be. You will have 2 hours of intensive training sessions and lessons every night during approximately 3 months, with Severus before you go back in time though, so you could better understand Him and see how Tom became Lord Voldemort and why he made those Horcruxes I mentioned earlier. And about that, that's a very interesting perspective from the Muggles' point of view, a very ingenious indeed explanation for that. But Tom doesn't have 2 'personalities' in him, there really are two different 'people' inside of Him. Another critical thing you must understand about him: when he is weak, he is 'Lord Voldemort', and when he is momentarily strong enough to fight the Dark him, he is 'Tom Riddle'. He doesn't even know himself which one he is sometimes. In short, Hermione, your task is to save Him, before his Light and Good self gets entirely consumed by his Dark and Evil self.
After Dumbledore and Hermione had some Pumpkin Juice and some Chocolate Frogs, the Headmaster added:
"And if he could defeat 'Lord Voldemort' by himself and definitely get rid of the Dark or Evil him, everything will be so much easier for us."
"I understand everything perfectly now, Professor. Have you talked to Professor Snape about those lessons on Legilimency/Occlumency, though?"
"Of course, no need to worry, I've already arranged everything between him and you, Miss Granger. Anymore questions?"
"Yes, is it legal to make alterations to someone's past in this way?"
"Don't worry, I have express permission from the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot for you to use Legilimency to alter Lord Voldemort's past. Remember, Miss Granger, you're doing this so Pure-bloods, Muggle-borns, Half-Bloods and Muggles and other beings could all live in a safer, better place together and in peace."
"And why me, out of us 3? I think Harry would be the most suitable one for this part of the Mission, since he can already dream about the Dark Lord's feelings, moods and everything else."
"Why you, indeed? The classical question. Firstly, I hope you didn't forget how everything begun for you, yes? What did I say at the very beginning of this, Miss Granger?"
"Because I am a Muggle-born and can see there are extremists on each side: the Muggles who hate magic and persecute witches and wizards like Harry's relatives, the Dursleys, and the Pure-Bloods who hate everything Muggle and Muggle-borns, and who just want the world for the Pure-Bloods, like You-know-who."
"You've got part of it right, let me tell you my other reasons for choosing you for these things: because you are kind and very compassionate, just the contrary of Lord Voldemort and I didn't choose Harry for it because his scar's pain will be unbearable to him if he was inside Lord Voldemort's mind. And I also picked you because your mind is stronger than both Ron and Harry."
"And why is that, Harry's scar will be intolerable for him if he did go in the Dark Lord's can you tell me please?"
"Because their minds are somehow connected."
"How? And why does it affect Harry's scar?"
"As Lord Voldemort is a very skilled Legilimens and Occlumens himself, if it were Harry who did the job, he would instantly sense and know it's him. Why again? Now we don't want that, do we? And if it were you who was inside his mind, he would't suspect a thing because he doesn't know you this well, he wouldn't be able to 'sense' or 'feel' you if you were in his mind, 'sense' here meaning 'being aware of something or something'. And if you could block your own emotions from him with Occlumency, that would be even better, because even if he was aware there was someone inside his mind, he wouldn't be able to tell it's you, because you're shutting off everything you are feeling from him. You're our secret weapon, Miss Granger."
"Ah, how convenient and I understand better now. And can you tell something more, about Legilimency, does it allow someone to see inside someone's mind or to read it?"
"'To see', is the correct verb to use when it comes to Legilimency, my dear. And some extremely skilled Occlumens, can control what they want to let people see. If you're interested in the theories of Legilimency and Occlumency, on your first lesson with Severus, starting from tomorrow night, at 7 P.M., ask for his: "Handbook for beginners in Legilimency and Occlumency."
"I will Professor, good night."
"Oh and Miss Granger, before bidding you good night and before I forget, use the Time-Turner to have more time for your studies, here's yours." As he said this, he took one out from his robes' pocket and gave it to her. It was almost midnight when the Headmaster and she were done discussing things.
Chapter end note: I'd really appreciate some reviews please, thank you! Please tell me what you liked/disliked about this chapter/fanfic in general, and you may even discuss about plotholes, characterization and everything else in this fic. Naturally, I WELCOME any ideas/thoughts/suggestions/opinions about my fanfic. I will try to take them all into account when I write my next one, thank you for taking your time to READ AND REVIEW IT, thank you, from my heart.
