It had been three weeks since Harry had completed the ritual on Hermione and he had come to a decision. She was going to be his. She was going to serve him. He had been standing in the door way of the great hall for ten minutes, staring at Hermione. She had been sitting alone at the Gryffindor table. Harry wondered if she had any friends at all within her house. He started to pity her. He would change things.
Hermione started going through her bag. He wondered why she bothered to carry around so many books. She was obviously incredibly intelligent; she could just as easily carry one at a time and memorize it then move on, or even shrink them.
She didn't seem to be all in order. It was most likely that she was still shaken from the troll and his ritual. After dropping a book and seeing no one turn to help her, only laugh to at her, Harry knew that her life like this could not continue. He would make sure of it.
But first she was going to help him with his revenge against Weasley. The second she turned and saw him, she paled. He nodded at her, and then motion her to follow him as he left the great hall.
Harry waited just outside the castle with a bag on his lap. When she came out in a hurry he continued walking. "Follow me, please" Harry said as he made his way across the grounds. After another ten minutes they were now walking at the edge of the Dark Forest.
"I like it here" Harry said looking at the tops of the dark trees. "I come here to think".
"What do you want?" Hermione asked with a shaky voice. She was obviously scared and angry. Harry didn't say anything. He didn't even look back at her. "Answer me or I'm leaving" She said more angry than scared this time.
Harry continued walking; now looking at dark clouds in the sky. "It's going to rain, I think, but I'm not above making mistakes" Harry said as he slowed down and finally stop. He turned around and pulled an umbrella out of his bag.
"I came prepared" He said with a sad look on his face. \
"I'm leaving" Hermione stated as she turned and started making his way back to the castle. Harry didn't want to do this; he was hoping she would have been more patient or at least more scared.
Harry mentally repeated his right of control. "I'm sorry but, no, No you're not". He wasn't sure what would happen, but it was kinda of weird to see her stop painfully. She turned around and came back and stood in front of him. He wasn't that surprised when she slapped him, he was mildly shocked that she could. He readjusted his glass and continued walking along the Dark Forest.
"I'm rather surprised you could slap me" Harry said stopping at a log that had fallen outside of the Dark Forest. He pulled out a small bed comforter. It was far too small to fit any bed.
"I thought that the ritual made it impossible for you to harm me" Harry said laying the comforter on the log and with a wave of his wand it grew to normal size. "Sit, please" Harry said slightly with bow and motioning to the log.
"It was no my intent to harm you, but to teach you a lesson" Harry said as she sat down.
"You hurt me in a way you can't understand, I thought it would be best for the both of us for you to be hurt as well". She now glared off into the trees. Harry nodded. He sat next to her and looked off onto the trees as well.
As time passed, Harry could tell that Hermione was getting impatient again.
"I've thought long and hard, about what happened and what I should do" Harry said folding his hands together. Hermione was now looking at him with complete attention. "I've accounted for a lot of things, my life, what will be, what could be, your life, and so on".
A long silence was broken by the shriek of a passing crow. "I'm going to keep control of you" Harry said opening the umbrella, seconds later a powerful rain came. "Saying I'm sorry wouldn't be an appropriate amount of meaning to the situation". Hermione breathing came feverish and rapid. Harry placed the umbrella on the comforter between them and with a swirl of his wand it stood straight up.
"You were supposed to be a good person" Hermione said as she started to cry. Harry did his best to remain calm and without emotion. Hermione was now sobbing heavily.
"You stopped You-know-Who, you were supposed to do the right thing" she managed to get out with crying. Harry looked at her with a frown.
"That is a mistake, which the world has adopted. My life as a hero is a lie or a simple misinterpretation" Harry said looking into the forest again. "I wasn't in a warm comforting environment growing up. Just like I told Weasley" Harry finished with a sneer. "My childhood was abusive and cruel, filled with physical and psycilogical, I guess torture would be an accurate word. I didn't know when my own birthday was until I was 7, I've lived and slept in the cupboard under the stairs my entire life, and until coming to Hogwarts I never understood why I was beaten for what my aunt and uncle called, the boy's freakishness."
Hermione calmed down and wiped her tears away. "Why are you telling me this" she asked in a sad voice from both her own misery and Harry's past. Harry looked at her, and before she could react, he pulled her into a hug.
"Cause I want you to understand that I know what it's like to have no hope, to be lost in misery and so that you now I will never let anything happen to you" Harry whispered into her ear. "You are a person; you will have your own life". He let her go and put his hand on her shoulders. "I'm not a bad person, ok?" Harry asked smiling a little.
Hermione looked at with a look Harry couldn't place. "Ok, I don't know why, I know what you've done to me is wrong, you've taken my life from me, but I'm not as angry as I should be" she said. She took his hands off of herself and pushes them back to him forcefully but slowly.
"I'm still not happy with any of this, you did something terrible to me, and it hurts in a way I've never felt" Hermione looked at her hands. "It's not saying much, but I like to think that I'd be worse off if someone else had done this to me, I still hate you for this, but if your serious about letting me live my own life, then I think I can come to term with this in time"
Harry looked away to hide the surprise that he was sure was on his face. He hadn't plan on this. Not a single scenario in his head had her ok with what he had done.
"Thank you" Harry said, "Now there's something I need from you already, I'm just asking, this isn't something I will make you do, but I think you will want to help me in this". Harry smiled.
Hermione looked at him a little confused. "And what would I want to help you with exactly?" She asked sharply."So far all you've done, is proved to me that you are a deeply disturbed person." she added in a huff, and then turned away.
Harry leaned back a little. "Ok, so is that a no to getting back at Weasley?" He asked with a sly smile. It was no surprise to him to see her look at him with a deep resentment, but this time it wasn't for him.
"What do you need me to do"? She asked with an intense sense of purpose. Her eyes seem to shine with a new light that Harry saw and liked. It was almost Slytherin like.
"In a perfect scenario, I'd ask you to get friendly with him, but I highly doubt your commitment to that and your ability to act, when you're this, what's a good word, hateful of him" Harry said as rain worsened. He was grateful that there was no wind to make the rain come in on an angle. She scoffed, but nodded. It was obvious that she agreed that she couldn't get close to Ron Weasley.
"So what do you want me to do?" Hermione asked fully intent on helping Harry now.
Harry took out a small, brown leather, notebook and handed it to her. She flipped through it to find the pages all blank. "And this is what exactly and how is it suppose to help get back at Weasley"? She asked more harshly than she intended.
"Well for what I'm planning, Ron Weasley is not the only resource that can be used" Harry said with a half-smile. "Do you think you could get close to the other Weasleys?" Harry asked cocking his head slightly to the right. She backed away from him slightly. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Would that be a problem, cause if so I won't push the subject any further" Harry said making it clear he was serious. Hermione shook her head. "So are you ok with this?" Harry asked. She looked up into the sky.
"I just want to know that this will only be about him" Hermione said looking Harry in the eyes. "I want you to promise me that no one else will be hurt", she was now rubbing her hands together very hard. "You not going to do what you did to me, are you?" Hermione asked sounding a little fearful.
Harry looked at her with a deep stare. "No, I don't want his soul" Harry said making sure his disgust was clear. "You were pure, you were innocent, and most of all, I wanted you" Harry said looking down. He was not embarrassed, but it was not something he would tell her again. "I do not want his soul" Harry said again making it clear that he looked down on Weasley.
"So what do you want me get" Hermione said holding up the notebook. Harry knew she would ask him that.
"Simply everything and anything" Harry said trying not to smile a bitter smile. "You have something crucial and most likely the most valuable asset in my plans" Harry said doing his best to genuinely praise her, without sounding like he was blowing smoke up her ass. "Your mind" He whispered to her. "You are capable of learning and memorizing things like no one else in our year, or the next three or four years for that matter".
Harry pulled out another notebook from his bag. It was identical to the one he gave Hermione except that it was black leather. "I bought these as a matching set. You write in your and it will appear in mine, I write in mine and it will appear in yours. Ok, so that we can spend as little time together to diffuse suspicion" Harry said writing the date in the top right corner of the first page.
Hermione opened her and there it was. Exactly as he had written it. "I've tested these with Draco, there is about a one second delay for every 22 feet a pair are apart. So when you are in Gryffindor dorm and I am in Slytherin, I anticipate the most possible delay would be just over a minute" Harry said writing down his testing results in his as Hermione watched it appear in hers.
"Also I will not ask you to tell me where Gryffindor dormitory is, as I will not tell you where Slytherin is. Also that would take the fun out of finding it. If you have any question so far tell me" Harry said putting his notebook on his lap.
"How long did it take you to think of all this"? She asked in awe. "I'm not saying that you're not capable of coming up with something, but this is so well orchestrated, you must have spent days, weeks even". She wasn't trying to hide her new esteem of Harry.
Harry started to laugh out loud very heartily. He faked having to wipe a single tear. "You under estimate me" he said as he rummaged through his bag. "The entire plan until the next Friday I planned out in three nights and days. I did have help for the first night though. Other than that I did this in about half a week. Then I spent the next week and a half preparing and buy supplies, like the note books."
It had finally stopped raining. Harry closed the umbrella, shook it and put it back in the bag.
"Three days" Hermione repeated for her own benefit. "You planned all this and more in three days" she seemed to be in shock. She even flinched when Harry put his hand on her shoulder.
"We should head back now" Harry said looking at the horizon. The sky had been darkened by black clouds. "Don't want to be caught" he said as he stood up. "Oh before I forget here" Harry as he pulled a knife out.
Hermione almost fell off the log as she moved away very quickly. "What are you going to do with that" She said, voice quivering. Harry spun the knife around in his hand and reached to give it to her.
"Nothing" He said. "I'm not going to do a thing, you are". She took the knife from him with a shaky hand. He smiled a turned around. "No peeking" he said with a smile. She didn't know what he was doing, but it wasn't hard to figure it out when he pulled a pen out of his pocket.
She opened her notebook to see new writing. She found nothing on the page. She began flipping through the book. Only when she was at the end of the book did she see writing. 'Blood will seal it'. She read it three times before she grew too impatient. "What does this mean?" Hermione asked holding up page.
Harry tuned back around. He closed his book, followed by the strap on the book. "Here" he said handing her his book. She took it slowly out of his hand. "Try to open it" he said with a smile.
She went to pull the small strap open but found it would not budge. She moved on and tried to open the book anyway. That too would not open. "Blood will seal it" She repeated, "care to elaborate". She handed him his book back.
"Bleed on the strap and only you will be able to open it" Harry said. He shrunk the comforter put it back in his bag and started to make his way back to castle. "Come on" he said, "don't wanna get caught in that storm now do we".
"By the way, I think you should slap me again" Harry said was they made their way on to the castle grounds. There was indeed a large storm coming in behind them.
Hermione had spent most of the walk back asking about what exactly Harry wanted her to find out. He had told her that anything and everything about the Weasley Family would be great and not to worry, that his plans were intended and aim only at Ron. "You want me to slap you" she said as a statement, not a question. "Why?" she added.
"Well not now" Harry said with a dry attitude. "When we get inside, I thought it would be best you to keep up appearances by getting angry with me and slapping me. That way the other Gryffindors won't think your friends with me".
Hermione nodded as they walked toward the main gates. "But why should I be slapping you" she said looking around. "I mean if we just walk in and I slap you, it will look odd" she explained. Harry nodded and slowed his pace. "Ok, don't worry about" he said as they reached the gate. "I got something, just follow a few paces behind me and this will work"
They went inside and into the Great Hall, not many eyes were them. "I don't mean it" Harry whispered looking back. She nodded. He was probably going to say or do something hurtful.
Harry whipped around very suddenly and looked very angry. "Stop following me you stupid girl" he yelled at her. Most of the hall turned their heads to see, those who didn't quickly did to see who Harry Potter was yelling at. "I don't care about what year the school first had a Quidditch match or who invented anything at all" he yelled again at her.
Hermione quickly started to look hurt and afraid. She knew this would be a crucial moment and she would have to act very well. "But, but, I thought" she stammered out. Harry swung his arm in a dismissive manner. She stopped.
"I don't care, but now I know it was a mistake to have saved you from that Troll, you, you insufferable, excruciating, unbearable, know it all"! Harry finished with great increase to his volume. He nodded ever so slightly to her and braced himself for what was next.
The sound of the slap echoed in the great hall with such intensity a pin drop could be heard. Whispers started within the Great Hall. Hermione, with the knife Harry had given her earlier, hidden in her pocket, she cut her hand, causing her to tear up. She ran off starting to cry.
Harry rubbed his face a walked over to Slytherin table. Blaise sat at their usual spot looking at Harry with intense shock and curiosity. "By the Styx, Harry" Blaise said with a clenched jaw. "What was that?" Harry sat down trying to look very angry for the rest of the Hall.
Harry looked to Blaise and smiled. "That, Blaise, was the beginning of my revenge".