Story Title: Curse
Chapter Title: Obsessed
Author: Avril13
Rating: Strong PG-13/T (I guess)
WARNINGS: None
Chapter Word Count: 5, 221
Date: 26 January 2007
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Nine – Obsessed
"But where would they go?" Arthur asked on their way to the Headquarters. "I only hope they aren't in even worse hands than before."
"Don't worry Mr. Weasley, Hermione will take good care of them until we go and get them." Harry said nonchalantly.
"Hermione who? And where are we going to get them from?"
"Hermione Granger. She's my best friend. I'd trust her with my life. I told her a lot about Ron and Ginny. She must be taking them to your hideout."
"How does she know about the hideout?" Arthur stopped and turned to Harry.
"We spent two days hiding there, until Tonks came for us." Harry replied.
"Wow Harry! Well done mate!" The twins looked proud.
"It's not what you think!"
"Yeah right!"
"Sure, we all believe you."
"Be serious for once in your life, will you?" Arthur rubbed his forehead like he had a big headache.
"I'll send her my Patronus as soon as we arrive." Harry said.
"You can summon a Patronus?" Bill exclaimed. "That's powerful magic."
"It can't be that powerful if Percy can do it." Fred interrupted scornfully.
"You'll see." Then Harry turned to Arthur.
"But Mr. Weasley, I thought you were in America?"
"We arrived this morning when we heard that Ron and Ginny were detained in Hogwarts." Arthur answered.
"How did you come?"
"We used smugglers' Floo Network to Dublin. We arrived at Dragon's Lair pub in CapelStreetI know the owner, Ryan Curran. He's not afraid of Voldemort and has a healthy appetite for gold. We flew on our broomsticks from there."
"You flew all the way from Dublin!"
"We had to in order to avoid Voldemort's spies. Dublin is full of them. It's not that bad once you cast the cockpit spell." Bill joined. "It's very popular in America. They like to travel all over the continent in groups and have a lot of fun. It's easy I'll show you." Bill pulled his broomstick and demonstrated the spell.
Harry tried it on his Firebolt. He couldn't move as easily as without it, but it was warm and comfortable inside, like in a small chamber. The room on the broomstick was enhanced to accommodate three more persons.
Bill looked at his Firebolt. "Wait the second. This is not a standard model. It's specially prepared like those that seekers in professional league ride! Where did you get it?"
"I took it from Draco Malfoy as a compensation for making his bed for years." Harry grinned.
"Not many people are able to ride a broomstick like that." Fred and George were impressed. "Can we try?"
"Some other time boys. We have to hurry now." Arthur reminded them.
sss
"You know Moony, it should be the other way around. I should be the one that's drinking, you should be the one that's preaching." Sirius was obviously worried. He hadn't seen Remus drunk since they graduated from Hogwarts.
"I loved her Sirius. I'd die for her." Remus was crying.
"For Merlin's sake Moony, pull yourself together. She was using you. If Miss S.S.W. hadn't killed her I certainly would have!"
"But now I'll never know!"
"Know what?"
"Why she'd done it. There must have been a reason. There must have! I know she loved me!" Remus didn't bother to pour the drink into a glass. He drank straight from the bottle.
"You'll kill yourself if you continue!"
"Well, maybe I want to kill myself! Did you think about that? Do you EVER think about ANYONE except YOURSELF?"
"That's enough. Remus, mate, I'm really sorry about this, but it's for your own good." Then he punched Remus. He was instantly knocked out and continued sleeping on the floor.
Moody entered the room. "Oh, you've handled this yourself. Good." He said approvingly. "The Weasleys are back. With Harry."
Sirius bolted from the room.
He found the Weasleys and Harry already surrounded by others. Everybody had a question for Harry. Finally Sirius managed to calm them down.
"I believe you should have this Cedric. I'm sorry." Harry pulled a wand from his robes as he turned to Cedric.
The others stepped back in silence to give Cedric a way.
"It's my father's wand!" Cedric took it visibly shaken. "Where did you get it?"
"From Malfoy's trophy shelf." Harry said slowly. He knew all but too well how Cedric felt. "Lucius bragged that the wands he kept there belonged to those that he personally slain. I'm so sorry Cedric for telling you this, but I believe you deserve to know the truth."
"Bastard! He'll pay for this! I swear I'll kill him with this very wand!" He looked at Harry who went pale. "Are you all right?"
"I'm OK." Harry said and fainted.
Madam Pomfrey stepped forward. "Everybody move. Make some space." She kneeled next to Harry and noticed blood on his robes. Obviously his wounds hadn't healed completely and after too much physical exertion that morning they'd opened again.
"He lost some blood and he's exhausted, but he'll be fine in the morning. Let's take him to the hospital wing."
She had no idea that that 'weak' boy would wake up before evening and cast the Patronus spell.
sss
Ginny was sobbing.
Hermione tried her best to heal their wounds. Then she conjured some food and water.
"Let's eat and get some sleep. Everything will look better in the morning."
Hermione looked at Ginny and Ron. The curse and mistreatment had made a devastating effect. They were smaller than she remembered them and even though they were 16 and 17 years old, their minds were still like they were 10 and 11. They had that naïve and childish expression in their eyes that was begging for shelter and comfort. And they had had a day full of excitement. After blasting the wall Snape gave them two broomsticks. Hermione took Ginny and Tonks Ron and they flew at full speed almost touching the ground. Hermione was never a big fan of Quidich, but she loved to fly and she managed to keep the pace with Tonks. Before she departed from them, Tonks modified the children's memory by erasing the events since that morning. Only Hermione and Snape knew that she was still alive. For Ginny and Ron, Hermione was their sole savior.
But the excitement wasn't over yet. Just as she was tucking Ginny into her bedroll, a beautiful silvery stag appeared in the room. She took the parchment attached to it.
Dear Hermione,
We know about your escape and will pick you and the others up tomorrow at the same time and place as the last time.
Harry
Hermione flipped the parchment over and scribbled quickly.
OK. See you there.
Hermione
When the stag left she turned to the Weasleys. Ron and Ginny were fast asleep.
sss
"Rodolphus. Welcome to my humble home. Let's go into my library." Lucius was falsely sweet.
"So, what is the news you have for me?" He asked when the door closed behind them.
"Hermione Granger escaped from Hogwarts, yesterday morning." Rodolphus said in a flat voice. "She took the Weasley bastards with her and killed your niece on her way out."
"What's going on? Kids are killing grown up witches and wizards like pixies." Lucius was visibly nervous.
"It seems they are taking their children back and teaching them to fight." Rodolphus sneered, "Really Lucius you need to keep in touch."
"What's on your mind Rodolphus?" Lucius knew that his brother-in-law never offered anything for free.
"You see Lucius, I know that you're after something they have. I happen to have something they might want." He paused dramatically.
"I'm listening."
"My lovely wife, needless to say late wife, left everything she owned to your lovely wife. It would be just, don't you think, if I had my fair share of the inheritance."
"And what do you offer in return?"
"Good old Lucius. Always willing to bargain." Rodolphus enjoyed himself.
"I offer Rose Potter."
sss
Sirius didn't expect her to look at him like that. After all, she was supposed to be Harry's girlfriend. Why else would Harry stay behind for her?
He decided to be polite and reserved. Even though he didn't really mind her looking at him that way.
"Sirius, I want you to meet my best friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, my godfather Sirius Black."
"Pleasure." Hermione shook his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Only good things I hope." Sirius gave her his most charming smile.
"Your Hogwarts days, too." She smiled back.
Moody cut in. "I didn't know they taught that kind of magic at Salem."
"Straight to the point as usual, Mad-Eye." Sirius thought.
"And you must be the famous Auror and second in command, Mad-Eye Moody." Hermione was smiling pleasantly. He looked taken aback. "You are right about Salem school, but they have an extensive library and also Bill Weasley had several meetings which I attended, where he demonstrated Defense Against the Dark Arts." She looked at Bill.
"Yes certainly, I think I saw her there a few times, sitting in the rear bench."
"Not many wizards can defend themselves against the Killing Curse if any. I don't see how you can learn that from books! There is no documented counter spell or shield to protect from it. If there were, I'd know! "
"The most important is that she saved Ron and Ginny!" Harry interrupted. "I wish I could say the same for Rose." Deep sadness crossed his face at those words.
Moody was about to say something, but Sirius gave him a look and he backed off.
Charlie pulled Bill aside. "I don't know her, do you?"
Bill answered in a low voice "It wouldn't be nice if she was there and I didn't notice her. Besides, she saved Ginny and Ron, and it's more than enough for me."
They joined Sirius and the others. Sirius was giving Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys the tour.
"The place was designed by professor Dumbledore himself. He called some of his old friends to help him out. It is completely undetectable from the outside. The interior is magically extended, so we have enough room for an entire army. Everybody who enters by his or her free will is bound by the secret keeper vow and can't tell anyone its location nor who's in it. Every time you step out of the designated perimeter you appear at a random location in the Forbidden Forest. The same is for returning back. You reach certain points in the forest and by stepping into them you are stepping into the Headquarters. It applies only to those who are already bound by the vow. Others can't follow even if they step into exactly the same place. Many times we escaped just in front of their noses like that."
Sirius laughed.
"Here is the dining room, we have a huge library, potions lab, hospital wing and almost everything you'd find in Hogwarts. Only we don't have Houses and it's less luxurious."
Hermione was amazed. "It's unbelievable! They can never get us here."
Sirius smiled.
"Hermione, I was there and I heard Karkaroff casting the Killing Curse. He's not a kind of wizard who'd miss a clear shot. If you know how to block it you must tell us. Many good people's lives can be saved. "
"I'll tell you what happened when I get some rest if it's not a problem." Hermione answered. She was worried how long Harry's and her story would hold without raising suspicions.
"Of course. Madam Pomfrey is waiting for you and the Weasleys. She doesn't want a repeat of what happened to Harry yesterday."
sss
The next morning Hermione stepped into the room with mixed feelings. She promised Sirius she would explain how she had defended herself against the Killing Curse. She didn't expect it to be in front of an audience. And now she found herself standing terrified in the middle of a crowded room. At the table she was facing were sitting Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley. On her left and right stood others. She glanced across the room and spotted many familiar faces. Angelina gave her an encouraging smile. Bill nodded his head approvingly. She could see Harry showing her his fingers crossed. The setting looked awfully like a trial.
When Sirius stood up everybody looked at him in silence. His face was stern, but his eyes were smiling at her. Somehow she felt much better.
"Hermione, I know that this looks like a trial, but we're gathered here in hope that we can learn something from you. I wanted everyone to hear what you have to say." He bowed with a gesture that meant that she could start and sat down.
"I…" Hermione started slowly. "I assume you want to hear how I blocked the Killing Curse." She looked around. She remembered what Dumbledore said to Harry about his mother's sacrifice that saved his life. Then she continued in a firm voice.
"The Killing Curse cannot be blocked by the power of knowledge and precise spell casting. That's because its strength comes from the hate. The caster must hate his victim. There must be the ultimate desire to take life, to kill. And there is only one magic that is stronger than hate, and only that magic can counter the Killing Curse." Hermione paused.
"And what is that powerful magic?" Moody asked.
"It is love!"
Rumor rippled through the audience.
"At the moment I realized what Karkaroff was casting, in a flashback I saw my parents. I felt that instant the same emotion as I felt when I was leaving them. I always loved them, but I never felt it more intense, then that evening when I said my last goodbye. I evoked that feeling as I cast the Protego charm. But even the strongest feeling cannot give the shield enough energy to protect against the Killing Curse. So instead of a shield I visualized the beam of light leaving the tip of my wand and attacking the curse itself. I was lucky enough to cast it at the same time as he did. "
"Love! What rubbish!" Moody stood up. "I don't want to listen to this anymore!"
"Alastor, love is the oldest and most powerful magic. Only we almost forgot it. Thank you Hermione for reminding us." McGonagall stopped him.
"I believe her!" Sirius said firmly.
"Oh you do believe her don't you? Why I'm not surprised?" Then he turned to Hermione. "Prove it! Show us!" He stepped towards Hermione pulling out his wand. "What if I cast the Killing Curse now?"
"Mad-Eye, are you out of your mind?" Arthur jumped. "You'll hurt her only over my dead body!"
"Who said I was going to target her?" He pointed to someone behind Sirius. "I always hated that squeaky little monster. Now Sirius, if you really believe her, why don't you command your house-elf to stand here."
Sirius clenched his teeth. "Kreacher! Stand where this man tells you!" He looked at Hermione. "I believe her."
Hermione looked at him in disbelief. There was no way out. She looked pitifully at the small creature that was shaking in horror before her feet. She pulled her wand out determined to protect him at all cost. Everybody behind her moved to the other side of the room.
"AVADA…
Hermione didn't have problems evoking the same feeling again. It never left her since she gave the last look at her parents window the evening she left with Harry. She saw the moment when she blocked Karkaroff's spell hundreds of times in her thoughts, over and over again. She routinely made her move and cast her counterspell just a moment before Moody finished his.
"PROTEGO!"
The beam of white light hit the green light as soon as it left Moody' s wand and dissipated it in thousands of rays that ended hitting the ceiling.
Kreacher opened his eyes. "Mudblood saved Kreacher's life. Oh what a shame. Oh what a shame for the Black family!"
Sirius pulled his wand out aiming at his house-elf. "You little…"
"NO!" Hermione stood in front of the little creature. "Don't hurt him please! He doesn't know better! It's not his fault. If we treat him kindly and with respect, he might learn."
Everyone looked at her in silence. "What is she talking about?" someone asked in disgust.
Harry broke in. "She's Muggle-born and she studied in America."
"Of course." Sirius lowered his wand. "Very well, I won't punish him this time."
Moody came closer. "I'm sorry Miss Granger, it was necessary." He turned without waiting for the answer. "But I still don't get it. The only wizard that could teach her this died six years ago!" He said as he walked away, shaking his head.
Angelina came first and shook her hand. "It was amazing! I can't believe it! You were absolutely fantastic!" Others joined in. Everybody had something to say or to shake her hand.
Harry was grinning widely. "They adore you." He whispered in her ear. Then he looked at Moody who was slowly leaving the room. "What's wrong with Mad-Eye?" he asked.
"The Parkinsons keep his two granddaughters as slaves." Angelina answered quietly. "Everybody here lost someone, and some of us lost everyone."
sss
"I'm leaving you Lucius. As soon as this is over, I'm leaving you. Forever."
Harry was in the Malfoy's parlor. Lucius and Narcissa were facing each other. Both looked extremely angry. But he didn't pay attention to them. He was looking at a small hazel-eyed girl with red hair. She was dressed in rags and stood there without any expression on her face. She looked underfed and mistreated.
"ROSE! ROSE! ROSE!" He tried to reach her, but his hand went trough her, he lost his balance and fell under the coffee table. The tea set rattled for a moment. Narcissa and Lucius looked towards him like they could see something. That instant he woke up.
Hermione was shaking him. Sirius and Remus stood by his bed.
"Harry, wake up!" She shouted. "You've been yelling in your sleep!"
Harry looked at her like he had just seen her for the first time.
"WHY DID YOU WAKE ME UP? NEVER, EVER WAKE ME UP AGAIN! DID YOU HEAR ME?" He pushed Hermione away and fell back on the bed.
"Leave! All of you leave! I've got to sleep. I've got to…" He fell asleep with his eyes half open. His body was twitching.
Hermione looked like he had just slapped her. She burst into tears. She turned to Sirius and buried her face into his shoulder.
"He was never mean to me, before. Never!"
Sirius didn't know what to do. At last he hugged her awkwardly and patted her hair.
"Don't take it so seriously. He had a nightmare, that's all. Now would you please stop crying?" He gently laid his hands on her shoulders and stepped back. Hermione tried to hide her face behind her hair.
"Sorry." She was completely embarrassed.
"Remus, would you take Hermione to the kitchen and make her a cup of tea? Please? I'll stay with Harry, just in case."
When they left, he touched his shoulder. The robes were still warm and wet.
sss
Harry was at the Malfoys again.
"And what are you giving up for Draco?" Narcissa asked poisonously. "If I'm giving half of my sister's inheritance to get that slimy girl, that's supposed to save Draco's life, what will you give up, Lucius Malfoy?"
"I have better things to worry about than your inheritance." Lucius tried to stay calm.
"And how do you plan to do it? I hope you won't have someone else die for your incompetence."
"I'll send an owl to Slughorn telling him I plan to exchange the girl for the book. Like everything else in Hogwarts, it won't remain a secret for long, and whoever helped the Mudblood escape will let them know. Then I can set up a trap and get the book and the one that murdered your sister."
"This time you better be there yourself, instead of sending others."
Narcissa turned before leaving the room. "And if you really get that boy… leave him to me."
sss
When Harry entered the dinning room, the others were already having their breakfast. The incident was obviously known to all, because they looked at him mumbling among themselves.
"What's so special about that book Harry? All that you do is hide in corners and read it." Angelina asked accusingly. Hermione, who was sitting next to her, grabbed her by the hand and whispered "Please don't."
"Don't you 'don't' me! Bloody hell! Nobody treats my friends like that." She glared at Harry.
"You want to know what's in the book? See for yourself!" He threw the book on the table.
Before anyone could say anything, Angelina grabbed the book and tried to open it. For a couple of seconds she was struggling to let it go, shaking like mad and then she flew backwards and hit the wall. McGonagall jumped from her seat.
"Nobody touch that book." She ordered and looked at Angelina to see whether she was all right. Cedric was already there at her side. He turned his head to Harry shouting
"What's wrong with you? You're like them!"
"No! He's not! You don't know what he's been through!" Hermione cried.
"You think you know everything. He's not the only one who's lost his family!"
"That's enough!" Sirius barked. "Minerva, could you make sure that Madam Pomfrey checks Angelina over? Harry, I want to have a word with you."
"Harry, you are my godson, and you did save my life, but you can't be like that in here. We trust each other with our lives. We can't fight among ourselves." Sirius was very serious.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I can't resist reading it. I can't help it. All I know is it's important. And that I've got to go on. I've got to!" Harry was getting more and more excited as he was talking about the book.
"There's something else. I've left you alone for more than a week, but sooner or later you'll have to explain how on earth you managed to break the curse and escape from the Malfoys."
Harry didn't say anything. He knew that he better come up with a good explanation, but nothing came to mind. What worried him the most was that Hermione had no clue what to say either. Then suddenly an idea came to him.
"Draco and his friends practiced the Dark Arts on us. Lucius organized private lessons since the Defense Against the Dark Arts is no longer a subject at Hogwarts. Thus I learnt all the spells. We were cursed to be obedient, but I could understand and remember everything. I don't know what really happened, but Draco did something and unknowingly lifted the curse. Fortunately he was ignorant enough not to realize what he had done. That gave me enough time to pull myself together and start pretending I was still cursed."
"But how did you escape?" Sirius was becoming more and more angry as Harry was telling the story.
"I met Athena. She taught me how to turn into a serpent. That's how I escaped."
"After setting Malfoy's library on fire! That was a good one. By the way, who the hell is Athena?"
"She is the old witch that has lived in her serpent form for the last century or so. She used to be the Headmistress at Hogwarts when professor Dumbledore was still a student. A brilliant student, as she pointed out once."
"Did she give you that book?"
"No, I took it from Lucius' library. He didn't even know what he had there."
"He doesn't have much now, does he?" Sirius sneered spitefully.
"No, he doesn't." Harry laughed. He felt proud of himself for ruining Lucius' collection. He couldn't understand Hermione who was so sad because all those books were destroyed. Better burnt than belong to the Malfoys, that's what Harry thought.
Sirius looked little bit more relaxed. He collapsed into a chair, propping his legs onto the coffee table and lighting a cigarette. "And really, you can't treat your girlfriend like that."
"Angelina isn't my girlfriend!"
"I meant Hermione."
"Hermione? She's my best friend. I don't even think of her as a girl!"
"I do."
"You can have her if you really like. But if you hurt her, I'll kill you, and I mean it!"
Sirius smiled.
sss
It was a sunny autumn morning in the Massachusetts. Molly Weasley was sweeping fallen leaves from the lawn. Suddenly, a group of voices standing right behind her yelled "SURPRISE!"
When she turned around, she could see her husband Arthur holding Ron and Ginny in his arms. Molly opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
"Mum!" They shouted and ran towards her. They hugged. At last, George broke the happy silence by saying
"Mum, I think you're choking Ron."
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm sorry!" Harry tried to convince Hermione.
"But that's not the point Harry! You're not yourself anymore. All you do is read that book or sleep! And when you sleep, you don't have normal dreams! It's like you're loosing your mind."
"You were always reading books. Nobody told you that you were loosing your mind." Harry snapped.
"See? You're doing it again! You've got to talk to someone! And by the way I do read books. Books Harry, not one book. The worst crimes in history were committed by people that believed in only one book."
"You don't understand Hermione! Once you start reading it, you can't stop! That book chose me to read it. It's a part of me now! I'd be lost without it!" Harry said passionately.
"Just listen to yourself! Harry, I'm your friend, no matter what. Please remember that." Hermione pleaded.
Harry wanted to change the subject. "So, you and Sirius are getting pretty close, eh?"
Hermione bristled. "Nothing you would understand! We are just friends. That's all. Anyways, mind your own business!"
"Actually, I was minding my own business, before you came in."
Hermione turned and left the room.
Harry didn't think of Hermione. He was occupied with events in his dream.
"The last time, I did something extraordinary. The tea set rattled. I could swear they could see me. I know they saw me. If Hermione didn't wake me up… I must learn how to come back. She must show me how."Harry opened the book. As usual only the new content was there. He remembered the first paragraph from the book.
Read me very carefully, because everything you see I will show you only once.
He started reading.
He finished in a minute. There was nothing new except relatively simple instructions how to make a compound that will release smoke when burnt.
Harry was disappointed. "Is that all? Is that all you have to say, after all I've done?"
"To say what?" Hermione was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Surprised? You didn't even bother to see whether I'd really gone."
"What do you know about Black Ergot?" Harry behaved like they'd never had an argument.
"Why do you need that? Harry, it's very dangerous! Only dark wizards use it!"
"Is there any way to find it here?"
Hermione gave him a stern look, "It's the book, isn't it? You read something about it in the book!"
"Of course I did. You don't expect me to remember that from Herbology lessons, do you?"
"It's not a herb by the way, but a fungus that lives on plants. Some wizards use Black Ergot for potion making, or burn it and inhale the smoke. But it can be lethal."
"I bet Snape has it!"
"But he hasn't been in Hogwarts for a long time. Half-bloods can't be professors anymore."
Harry grinned widely. "Good old Snape was sacked, eh? Well, he got what he deserved!"
"If it weren't for him, I'd never escape from Hogwarts!"
"For who?" Remus was in the doorway.
"Professor Van de Stadt. He was my trickery professor in Salem. That's how I concealed my wand."
"And murdered Tonks!" Remus spat bitterly. "The biggest part of her they found was her finger." He muttered under his breath.
Hermione couldn't answer. She had promised to tell no one what really happened that day, until the other spy is discovered. Remus was the last one to be told the truth. She remembered what Tonks said to her:
"I don't know who he or she is. All I know is that they knew what was going on even when I wasn't there. But they didn't know everything, so I believe the spy is not too close to Sirius. That's why they needed me."
After a moment of tense silence, Hermione forced herself to say: "She was a traitor. Everyone here would have done the same."
sss
After dinner, Harry pulled Hermione aside. "We have to talk. In private."
They walked outside. "Hermione, what really happened in Hogwarts?"
"Do we have to talk in the pouring rain?"
"Let's go over there." He pointed to a giant elm. "I know you'd never kill Tonks. What does Snape have to do with anything?"
"Harry, you must promise not to tell this to anyone, especially Remus."
"Ok, I promise."
"Tonks came to the dungeons and gave me my wand. They kept her parents in Azkaban, that's why she worked for them. In that moment Snape came in. He helped us blast the wall. Snape knows everything."
"EVERYTHING!"
"Be quiet. Do you want everyone to hear us? He gave me Veritaserum. Fortunately Lucius Malfoy didn't believe a word and left before I finished."
"Lucius Malfoy?"
"Stop interrupting me! Snape fell from grace because he's a half-blood. I think he helped me just to spite Lucius and the other pure-bloods."
"I can't believe this. Snape would betray anyone. What happened to Tonks?"
"I remembered Wormtail's trick and suggested it. She cut off her finger. She must be considered dead, until we find the other mole. Tonks will use her Metamorphmagus gift to spy on the Ministry, and I'll pay attention here."
"And you didn't find it important enough to tell me!"
"You weren't yourself! If you had taken your nose out of that book, maybe I would have."
"I'm sorry. It's just so important. She'll help me get Rose back."
"But how?"
"Do you remember when I saw that snake attack Mr. Weasley in my dream? Well now when I dream, I can see things that I want to see. And I saw Rose. Then you woke me up. That's why I reacted like that. I hope you understand now."
"Where did you get the book?" Hermione wasn't ready to forgive him yet.
"Malfoy's library."
"Why did you take that book? How did you know about it?
"I didn't. The book wanted me to take it. So I did."
Hermione shivered. "Let's go back."
When they entered the living room, their wet robes were dripping. Hermione noticed that Sirius gave them a strange look. She didn't know about Harry and Sirius' conversation that morning. She tried her best to pretend that she didn't notice it.
A/N
Thank you all for reading and reviewing. For all those who've been wondering if this is Harry and Hermione story, it should be quite obvious now that they will have a romance, only not with each other.