Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… blah blah…. We get it…The more important issue though…a deadly disease that has been ravaging our sea going heroes for centuries.
Save a Pirate… Say no to Scurvy!
Yarr!
Pre-AN: Perspective change warning… this is one of those chapters I had planned to be in the first person perspective as it tells what really needs to be said. I will switch back to normal perspective next chapter.
Chapter 24 – Hermione Granger and the long overdue explanation
February 13 1996 – 7:38 pm
'Boy's!' I mentally cried in resignation.
I looked around the dinner tables and frowned at all the students. It was pathetic really.
They were all so giddy and happy, completely ignorant of the world around them. At this very moment, people are suffering, Death eaters may even be attacking and all they can do is gawk at the opposite sex.
It was nauseating, really. I mean, look at Harry. Not even a year ago he had to fight for his life in a grave yard, and now he's going all gooey eyed over Cedric Diggory's old girlfriend.
The Slag.
Doesn't she have any decency? …I mean, really!
I've heard the rumours; she cries every night, she still mourns his death…
If that's so, how can she even consider…? It's despicable!
She's so obviously using Harry.
…And Harry, the poor confused boy; doesn't even realize it. He's completely smitten by her looks and popularity.
'Oh no, I chipped a nail… woe is me!' I mentally cry in faux-anguish; I roll my eyes, making a staring Ron blush crimson as he looks away.
I have no idea why he's blushing… probably something to do with quiditch… or food… or both… that boy only has two modes.
I glance away from my eating companions. My transfiguration textbook drops slightly as my eyes wander the great hall. I'm determined to not let all these… valentine vipers, ruin my Hogsmead trip.
It's been hard though… ever since Grimauld place, knowing that the truth was being covered up… The system is utterly flawed.
Look at all those articles, in the Daily Prophet discrediting Harry.
I turn and look up at the Staff table…
That… thing!
I watch as the cheery smile on her flabby face beams around the room as she stuffs her mouth with chicken… The air of sophistication and propriety hiding her true nature… that of a leech, draining life's blood unnoticed from the people around her.
If there was only a way too…
"Don't forget to salt your fork…" A cheery voice interrupts my thoughts.
I turn around in a foul mood and watch as a blonde smiles at me dreamily before wandering away.
I want to comment but she's already gone; at a speed that is unnatural for someone who I am watching walk away so slowly.
What was I thinking about before…?
Damn it all!
That girl will drive me insane… And why is she suddenly so chummy with us this year… Harry doesn't seem to mind. Although I don't think he would mind if the giant Squid offered to play him a good old fashioned game of backgammon. He's been so out of it lately. Luna Lovegood would barely faze him.
Really, though, why is it suddenly this year that she decides to bother us?
Snorkacks and conspiracies… It's understandable I suppose if her father is the one who runs the ….
Her father…
If I… but then who would… It couldn't possibly…
Memories of ghastly horned glasses and a poisonous looking quill flashed across my mind.
The year was going to be up soon… I might… it could work…
But it's the Quibbler…
I realize I've already begun my trek to the Owlery… I'm exiting the great hall doors even now. I idly wonder if Ron or Harry have even noticed.
With one so focused on his food and sports, and the other pining over that pampered little Ravenclaw… it was unlikely.
I found my self soon entering the Owlery…
"Hedwig!" I cried out loud.
The owl immediately swooped down, curious to what I needed.
It is odd to have an owl respond to anyone but its owner. But Hedwig is an unusual bird. She seems to be the mirror image of what Harry is experiencing. If Harry is sad, the bird is lethargic… if Harry is happy, the bird is energetic.
If Harry is angry… I tried not to wince at the memory of the birds pecking when I tried to explain to it that I couldn't write to Harry.
Harry was clearly in an okay mood as Hedwig was responding to my voice as quickly as she was.
"I need to send a letter to Rita Skeeter…"
HOOO
At hearing that name, the bird spread its wings in a threatening manner and hooted in a very predatory way. Apparently the bird had the same opinion of the woman that Harry had.
"No, its okay, I'm going to use her to help Harry…" I immediately answered back. It's always strange trying to explain myself to the bird. I can never get a clear answer about the intelligence of the mail owls. Are they just a domesticated breed of bird that wizards have tamed, or are they truly intelligent? Did they understand my inflections and emotions like any other person? All the books I have found were vague, telling owners to treat their owls with respect, almost a word for word description of how to treat your wand, or your broom, or your plants… it was nauseating at best to try and figure out.
Hedwig calmed down a little, but it was still wary of my request.
Taking that as an acceptance, I walk over to the podium and pull a sheet of paper and quill out.
Note to self: Buy more self inking quills.
The one I am using at the moment is on its last leg. I swear I should just grab a handful of pens from home and bring them with me.
Dear Rita,
I consider scratching that out, it feels so wrong to refer to her as dear anything…
In case you had assumed, I am not Harry Potter. I am Hermione Granger.
I could just imagine her outrage. There was a reason why I wanted to use Hedwig instead of a school owl. Harry's owl was practically a celebrity in its own right. Any self respecting journalist knew that Harry Potter owned a Snowy owl. Something that was rare to find around the area.
The woman would probably open the letter hoping to stash away whatever little tid-bits she could till after our agreement had ended.
Ms. Skeeter had stopped responding to my Owls… I had been sending little warnings here and there reminding her that I could reveal her secret if she broke our agreement... I'm guessing it wasn't as amusing for her as it was for me.
Now before you toss the letter aside like I know you want to, I am offering you a one time interview with Harry Potter himself… an exclusive face to face.
Interested?
I supposed I should have probably told Harry about this before hand, but he would understand. If I had stopped to ask him he would probably refuse… letting his pride get in the way, but once he sees how much good it will bring, he'll be thanking me.
Meet me tomorrow in Hogsmead, everything will be explained at that time.
I stop and look over my wording… I pause at the tomorrow bit.
Harry has a date planned for tomorrow… He's been so excited and nervous and…
Images of the boy's sappy smile and the cheery visage of the girl who should have been mourning burned me from the inside.
Her perfect hair… that exotic appeal…
I looked down at my own hands… there were ink smudges on my un-manicured hands… my hair was in a particularly unpleasant mood today…
A vindictive surge sprung up within me… I didn't like the comparison.
In my own mind, I would always be that bushy headed bucktooth.
The letter was fine as it was.
Really if Harry cared more about a silly little date, on a silly little day, than exposing the truth… then he was the one with the problem.
I have my priorities straight.
I ignore Hedwig's suspicious glare as she eyes the letter and me.
Tomorrow… didn't seem so bad after all.
… .. … .. …
April 5 1996 - 9:30 PM
It's a constant Battle, I feel so tired. I just want to fall down and never get up.
But I have to stay awake, I have a responsibility…
I…
YAWN
Curses…
I am currently walking the halls flogging myself internally for giving into my sleep deprived whims.
Ron, being the git he is, talked his way out of doing the patrols. It's a wonder that he even became a prefect, I sometimes wonder who actually decides who gets these duties. I mean if it was the heads, then that would explain Malfoy's placement… the insufferable twit probably brown nosed his way into the position.
But I don't think McGonagall would have let Ron be a prefect… there goes that theory.
If it was Dumbledore though… but then again, how does that explain Malfoy? Oh this is so going to bug me…
I should use Harry's map, I wouldn't even have to leave the common room… that's actually not a bad Idea.
I hear some footsteps… turning a corner, I see a figure walking towards me.
I square my shoulders and prepare my most disapproving glare on my face…
I'm about to tell the student off for being out so late, when she steps out into the light.
"Hello Hermione…" Cho smiles at me in greeting.
"Good evening Cho…" I reply back. I forgot that the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors patrol the castle on Sundays.
"Are you alone as well…?" She asks.
"I am, where's your partner…?" I ask. I want to be terse with her, but she's never really been all that rude to me… though she does grates on my nerves.
"Oh Roger's left early, he has a tendency to spell check his essays the night before they're due… I told him I'd finish our patrol." Cho explained.
I realized that we were walking side by side down a corridor. We were approaching the stairwell with the moving staircases…
"You really shouldn't let him… it's his responsibility to patrol… he should be doing his homework on his own time." I lecture.
Cho gives me a look, it's a little amused and understanding. "I see you've read our patrol protocol guide…" she remarked with a smile as we stopped by the staircase. We were waiting for a stairway to become available for us; the other stairways were currently in transit as they switched to different banisters and ledges.
"I did…" I answer proudly. It was a surprisingly long book considering all it was, was rules and procedures.
"It's your first year as a prefect, I remember what it was like for me the first time… you'll realize soon enough that this is only an excuse for the teachers to get some rest from dealing with the students. Besides, now Davies's owes me a favour…" She answered back with a wink and a smile.
I give her a half smile though I'm still disapproving.
"Davies's, he's the one who asked you out on a date…?" I ask as the name finally rings a bell within my memories.
Cho's eyes locked on mine and I could clearly see that she was embarrassed.
"I see, Harry told you about that…" she stated rhetorically as her cheeks flamed.
I felt my footing solidify as I regained the upper hand. There was little doubt but that Cho was going to be the next head girl so arguing with her would be… well bad; but I wanted to show her that I am not some naïve little girl. She had to realize I was not one to be trifled with… especially when it comes to Harry.
"Harry tells me everything… we've been friends since first year" I answer back significantly.
I didn't want the girl thinking just because she was dating the boy, that she cold replace me in Harry's life. She had to understand that we were always going to be friends; we had a history that she just didn't have.
Something in Cho's eyes changed and I could see that she received my warning.
Cho continued to stare at me with a friendly smile, but it was less genuine now, more forced.
"Well I suppose I can understand that, though I had hoped Harry would have kept that private." Cho replied back in false understanding. "That day was not exactly either of our best moments…" She explained in supplication.
"What do you mean?" I asked. I knew exactly what the girl meant, but I wanted her to spell it out.
"Well, making other plans during our date… it wasn't the most appropriate thing, but I can understand in hindsight." Cho answered back.
Everything out of her mouth sounded so innocent, she took just enough blame that I couldn't find any reasonable fault with her, but I knew what she was really thinking… I knew what kind of girl she truly was.
"Well it was unfortunate… but there was no helping it at the time." I answered back in false sympathy.
I revelled in the fact that I had taken the girl by surprise by my response. She had assumed I would be sorry for her; that I would sympathise with her troubled relationship… she had not expected me to be unrepentant.
She gave me piercing stare… something within her mind clicking into place.
"It's… odd." She commented.
"What?" I asked, taking the bait as I was curious as to what she could be thinking.
"Harry is adorably absent minded about certain things, but he would never intentionally set an interview on our date… he's never really given any intentional interviews before if I have my facts straight…" Cho remarked cautiously.
"He gave Rita Skeeter the interview last year…" I pointed out.
"That wasn't an interview… anyone who knows Harry knows that that entire article was more fiction than fact. The only thing Rita Skeeter talked about the year before was Harry and you… And then she stopped." Cho stated.
I didn't answer, waiting to see where the girl would take this. We had reached an intersection. Behind me, the path to Ravenclaw tower, behind her, Gryffindor.
"There have been odd rumours going around… about Skeeter specifically. Malfoy has been gloating about it quite a bit." Cho hinted.
I froze… Surely Malfoy wasn't that stupid. But then again, what did he care… he wasn't at risk, with his father pulling the strings from the side, he was practically untouchable.
Skeeter wouldn't have been stupid enough to transform in front of Malfoy, but he must have suspected the truth.
I had specifically trapped Rita in the bottle and forced her to transform in front of me, when I was home.
With the wizards monitoring magic in muggle neighbourhoods she couldn't touch me, and with the order standing guard, I was doubly safe.
It was one thing to have a theory, but to have a pensieve memory was another matter entirely. The ministry probably suspected, but they had no one to bear witness to a transformation, and with Rita's clout… it would have been disastrous if they were wrong.
"What rumours…?" I asked.
"That she has other ways of getting about unseen. That she could sneak past anyone. That she could be the proverbial 'fly' upon the wall, for any conversation…" Cho hinted.
"She could have easily come into the castle to get an interview at anytime…"
She knew. Not just about Skeeter's secret, but about why it was that specific day as well.
The question was, what was she going to do about it?
"Those are still rumours though; you can't really base anything off those…" I answered reasonably. I don't know why I was feeling nervous, but I didn't want someone to figure it out. I didn't want the shame of being "that girl"… the clingy girl who hung around celebrities and meddling in their lives to suit her idealistic world.
I was uncomfortable enough knowing what I had done.
"Of course… but I'm just saying, there's a time and a place for everything… Harry's interview was very important; there was no doubt about it. But the timing was all wrong. It would give people ideas…"
"What kind of idea's…?" I asked challenging her to say it.
"Oh the crazy kind of idea… the stuff only Rita Skeeter would have 'written' about." Cho said with a friendly smile.
"Anyway, I need to go, I want to get enough sleep for tomorrow, I think I finally mastered my Patronus charm, I can't wait to show Harry in the D.A." Cho said with a bright smile, throwing me off completely. There was a clear warning laced in that smile now.
I was very wary of the girl… she knew things that I didn't even want to admit to myself. I didn't like that.
"Till tomorrow Hermione… Sleep well." Cho said in farewell as she gracefully passed by me and exited the scene.
All I could do now was gaze down the corridor that the girl had just exited. Her voice, echoing around in my mind…
"There's a time and a place for everything…"
In my own, mind the voice added… "Even you…"
… .. … .. …
August 9 1996 - 2:46 pm
'5, 10, 12… 12 Galleons, 4 Sickles, and 2 Knuts.' I counted out in resignation.
I was a Galleon and 2 Sickles short. I really wished my parents hadn't set a spending limit on my Gringotts account. I'm not eleven anymore… I wasn't about to go spending it all on whatever caught my fancy.
I was only allowed 10 Galleons a month, plus an additional amount for school supplies. Gringotts had set up the system in coordination with Hogwarts so the exact amount for the supplies was always allotted to the student as there were never set amounts per year.
Especially considering the changing teachers and what books they deemed necessary.
All I wanted was a book; for school even. Just because it wasn't listed as necessary or recommended by the teachers, doesn't mean I should be denied it.
Just this morning, I had finally received my own O.W.L. results.
O's all around. I was quite pleased. Though, the percentage's added on were another matter all together.
With my O.W.L. result, I had also convinced an unsuspecting Tonks to tell me Harry's score's down to the percentages. That was where the issues had begun.
Harry, bless him, was not what I would have considered a genius. He was smart, about that there was no question, and when he was determined-nothing would stop him… but intellectually…
He needed my help; there was no denying it. He would gladly coast by on the bare minimum if only because he could. Ron has been a poor influence on him from the beginning.
But if that was so… how did that explain our respective grades.
He had not done as well as I had, receiving a Troll even, though that was for divinations…
But he had done exceedingly well. Going so far as to beat me, in not one, but two courses.
I have never been strong in Defence, and I knew that Harry was just naturally skilled in the subject. I could accept his bettering me in that one area, even if I still strived to beat him.
But Transfiguration! Oh there was something wrong there. We had scored identically for the practical, but he had a solid four percent lead on the written.
I wondered if I was slipping, if my Transfiguration was suffering… did I need more help, could I get tutoring…? Some might say that I was needlessly worrying, but they didn't understand.
Transfiguration was my subject. It was as much mine as Defence was Harry's or Herbology was Neville's. This was my forte. If someone were to ask who to go to for help in transfiguration, they would not give the name of some seventh year, or even the teacher… the first person to come to mind should have been me.
Maybe that was an exaggeration but I didn't care. I needed help…
Within my hands, I held the only such help I could possibly find.
Transfiguration: A guide to advanced sorcery
It was the new book by Rosetta Stanton. She was a prodigy in the field.
If she said that the only way to transfigure a rock into a mountain was to dance around with a plucked chicken while reciting a recipe to bake cookies…then that was the only way to do it.
If I could master this book, there would be no question about who was the superior transfigurer… But I had to buy the book first.
Looking up, I turned my head to spot my shopping companions.
Tonks was waiting outside, acting immature as she claimed that she had spent enough time in the bookstore the day before.
To my right, near the back wall stood Ginny and Luna.
Luna was perusing an odd assortment of books. All day she had only bought what she needed for school, nothing more, and nothing less. She clearly had been interested in other purchases as she spotted other objects that she studied from gadgets to books, but she would only admire them before moving on, never to look again.
At first I had assumed that maybe money was tight for her and her father… but then I had a glance at the contents of her money bag. A tight budget was not the case if the amount of gold inside was any indication.
She wasn't carrying around a small fortune, but she certainly had enough to indulge herself.
I assumed she was saving for something.
Ginny had been a bit less strict in her spending, having pocket change to actually buy new things, she had been in heaven throughout the day.
She had confided that she was going to save up her change for an extravagant item of clothing. Wanting to show up Parkinson and a few select Slytherins who had been hassling her for years.
I could understand that. The same urge had plagued me for quite some time, and I did indulge every now and then but I figured she was my best bet. I couldn't really ask Luna, while she was the one with the most galleons on her, she was also the one I could least call a friend.
She was friendly with me, and after spending a few weeks with the girl in our suite, I had gotten used to her odd tendencies to the point where it barely affected me, but I would call her a frequent acquaintance or a peer rather than a pal.
Making up my mind, I walked toward the pair.
Tilting her head, Ginny spotted me out of the corner of her eye. Shutting a book on… Advanced potions? What was she doing with advanced potions? No matter… I had to focus on what I wanted.
"Hi Hermione, you all set?" Ginny asked as she tucked the book into her caldron with her other purchases. I had not realized that Ginny was good at potions, especially considering the teacher. I would have thought Snape would have ground out any hope the girl might have had by the end of her first day.
"Almost, I was wondering though…do you want to go in on a book together, I'll pay for most of it, I just need a Galleon and 2 Knuts…" I asked with an excited smile while raising the book up to eye level.
Ginny's eyes tracked my hand and she grimaced as she read the subject.
"Sorry Hermione, but I'm saving up for that dress, I'm sure Madame Pince will have a copy or McGonagall even. The library's fairly up-to-date." Ginny commented unsympathetically.
"But you know how Madame Pince is about the new books; I won't be able to take it out of the library for at least three months. Besides I'm sure your mother would approve, I'll even help you in the subject for your transfiguration Owl…" I offer hopefully.
Ginny gives me an amused but pitying smile.
"You're going to help me whether I want it or not Hermione…" the girl said in amusement.
"Sorry, but I can't pass up the chance at showing up that uppity Slytherin trollop in Potions…." Ginny apologized.
I wanted to try to convince her further but she was already heading to the register. Tonks was cheering soundlessly outside at the first of the three to leave the bookstore. She went so far as to spell out the word 'applause' in ribbons from her wand while she clapped outside; nodding in ridiculous approval.
I sighed in defeat. I had really wanted that book, I suppose I could hint to my parents that I wanted it for my birthday, but we had already agreed that my birthday money would be used for tutoring the summer after.
Money wasn't tight, but my Hogwarts education did eat up quite a bit of their pay. They wanted to make sure that once I graduated Hogwarts I would still know the fundamentals of Math and English that I had missed out on. I suppose it was helpful, but I didn't see the use, working in the muggle world after learning magic seemed ridiculous, I wanted to be fully submerged into the wizarding world. Only then would the purebloods even consider showing me any respect, they would never talk to anyone who was an in-between, I had read the papers, articles subtly condemning greedy muggleborns for learning their skills and leaving the wizarding world, never to contribute to society… that wasn't going to be me… not for what I had planned.
What I needed now was…
"Here you go Hermione…"
Feeling my thought process being derailed by the sudden bombardment of noise, I turned my head around to spot the source.
Directly behind me, stood Luna Lovegood with an unfocused stare, small friendly smile, and some gold and silver in the palm of her hand extended towards me.
I stared at the girl dumbly… 'Was she …?'
"A galleon and 2 Knuts, right?" she asked.
"Eh, yea… I mean thank you; but are you sure?" I asked somewhat reluctant to take the money, as it felt odd.
It was one thing to ask Ginny, she was as close a thing to a female friend I would have in the wizarding world, with all the time we had spent together at the burrow, and at Hogwarts… we were practically girlfriends, though I would never call ourselves that. But to ask Luna was tantamount to asking a stranger… it felt wrong.
"It's no problem, though I wouldn't say no if I could borrow the book every now and then…" She offered with a smile with her hand outstretched still in offering.
I took some comfort in her unintentional compromise; I could turn it into a business arrangement, a deal with her terms. Now she got something out of it as well… With a more relaxed smile, I reached out and grasped the change from her hand.
She smiled at me and lifted up her cauldron ready to pay.
I returned the smile, warming up to the girl slightly for coming to my aid in my hour of need.
I reached the register first and plopped my books down and reached for my change purse.
Emptying the contents of the purse on the scale it came to the exact amount with Luna's contribution completing the purchase.
I took the now empty change purse and fiddled with the string as I tried to tie it to my jean belt loops.
I couldn't understand how I could knit but couldn't get the accursed string through a loop… for some reason I have always had trouble with knots… I have no idea why…
"Anything else dear…?" the man at the register asked. I recognized the man from previous trips… usually he was quite harassed and grumpy, I was surprised that he was being as friendly with me as he was… maybe it was because he respected my purchases.
Looking up I was about to answer, when someone else did.
"No thank you Mr. Heiss. How have you been?" a cheery voice replied. To my left Luna stared at the man with a respectful friendly smile as she heaved the cauldron on the table.
"Oh I can't complain, but I've been hoping you would show up…" The man said in mysterious excitement.
Luna stared at the man in curious dreaminess as she listened to him.
"I just received a limited edition set of journals from Brussels… They're not supposed to be released for sale until tomorrow, but… I won't tell if you don't." the man winked conspiratorially.
"Our usual price…" he said fondly as he watched the girl become excited.
Luna's eyes focused on the man in a way that I had rarely seen her do… She nodded emphatically while looking down into her change purse… Fiddling a finger about, she frowned in confusion, and then resignation.
"I don't have enough on me… can you put it on layaway…?" She asked hopefully.
The man frowned himself. "I'm afraid I can't, the journals are tied directly to the register and I'm not allowed to withhold them from any who are approved. And I know for a fact Mr. Montgomery will be in bright and early tomorrow to purchase the lot for his department." The man said sadly.
Luna sighed but put on a smile none the less. "Well thank you anyway, maybe next time." Luna said in her normal dreamy tones.
The man looked disappointed; I didn't think he was sad that he didn't make the sale but more for denying the girl the journal…
Looking about, and not spotting anyone watching except me. He spared me a glance before smiling at me, acknowledging my presence for the first time with a wink.
Reaching into his own pocket, he pulled out his own money bag, and pulled out a stack of coins and placed them on the scale. While hitting a button on the register.
There was a clinging noise and clack from below indicating a latch releasing.
Luna watched unbelieving… not willing to comprehend what the man was doing.
The man reached down and pulled out a black notebook with a black glossy finish and a red elastic threaded strap around the end keeping the book shut.
He slid the book over the counter with a smile…
"Pay me back when you can…" the man offered with a genial smile.
Luna nodded dumbly while gently reaching out and taking hold of the book.
My eyes followed her hand and I caught a glimpse of the gold embossed title.
The 1923 Node study: A recreation of the Gleimen/Heibetz process.
Findings
'That couldn't be… Surely Luna didn't just receive… It was impossible!'
Luna proceeded to thank the man non-stop while tucking the purchases away safely. The man waved it off as if it was nothing and asked her to come back soon.
He nodded at me and winked at me once more assuming that Luna and I were close friends.
I smiled at him and followed Luna out of the building.
Ginny and Tonk's were up ahead, speeding towards their next purchases. I hung back with Luna… wanting to confirm the importance of what I had just seen.
"Um… Luna…"
She tilted her head to the right a little and looked at me inquisitively.
"Was that a… the journal you bought, is that a…"
"An Unspeakable's results journal that was recently released for publication?" She asked in confirmation.
I stared at the girl not quite believing that it was true…
"But how…" I asked, it was baffling.
Luna stared at me for a moment, contemplating her answer…
Looking ahead, the girl casually said.
"My mom was a good customer for Mr. Heiss. When the ministry wanted to seize her private library, Mr. Heiss helped Daddy keep them from doing so. As a result, we were added on to the hereditary clause." Luna answered airily, as if she was commenting on the weather.
I stared at her completely gob smacked.
I had come across the hereditary clause. Specific pureblood families, who had pioneered certain inventions or contributed to the study of magic, were exempt from Ministry bans and regulation of books. They had unfettered access to any and all articles that normally only the unspeakable's were privileged to possess.
There were some exceptions but anything that could be distributed was fair game under the clause. The fact that Luna's mother even had a private library must have meant she was an unspeakable or something similar.
Luckily the list of people who were included under the clause were short and few… most of the families having died out or had criminal records denying them the rights provided by the clause, but it was practically unheard of to be included into the clause.
The book that sat innocently between her charms book and her potions text was worth its weight in gold… times 10.
"I like to add to the library now and then, I don't pretend to understand most of it, but I try to read the articles. My mum liked to collect the journals… she said it was a record of Progress, that it showed how society advanced in its understanding of the world around us and where we fit in to things…" Luna commented airily.
My opinion of the girl involuntarily rose just that much more…this was not what I had expected, from Luna Lovegood of all people.
"Daddy was worried the minister would try and send Heliopaths to burn down the library so he spent quite a few weeks after, warding the library against fires."
That however, was what I had expected…
Who was I kidding; the department of mysteries probably wanted the Quibbler to print whatever it was they were doing. The truth of what they were doing was probably tamer than the conspiracies the Quibbler concocted.
Either way, there was more to Luna than I had suspected… I would have to keep an eye on the girl this year.
… .. … .. …
November 15 1996 – 6:37 pm
'The excavation spell was created in 1322 by Ulrich of the northern isles. When done correctly mines and tunnels can be dug at speeds fast enough to super heat the tunnel walls; forcing the tunnels to melt and solidify into a glossy finish. Often times into marble or glass depending on the sediment being dug…. Ulrich developed the… the…'
Was it 1322 or was it 1233? I wish I hadn't lent my notes out to Lavender… I know the answers were in them.
I grumble to myself and rolled over in bed as I stare up at the canopy in frustration… things were not going the way I had hoped.
Harry was distancing himself from me. He had even admitted it. He had actually only admitted to keeping secrets… which was damning in itself, but he had never denied the other allegations.
Of course that was just before he had had a bout of powerful accidental magic. Normally wizards and witches should have outgrown the small manifestations by third year… I had read multiple theories on accidental magic, and they all agree that a person by the age of 13 or 14, should have developed enough self control to stop if not minimize those instances.
Harry's outburst was both contrary to all that I had read, and frightening to observe.
His eyes, the scowl, the voice… I had never truly been afraid of my friend ever before. I had been upset because of him… I had been moved by his hard life… I had even taken up his unwilling cause; going so far as to battle death eaters by his side. But through all of those events and moments of despair; I had never feared him.
I didn't like the fact that I was afraid of him now. It felt like I had become submissive, like he had become some masochist, deeming me meek and unworthy. The mere thought that he could dominate me through intimidation had set a fire ablaze within me.
He could not and would not succeed. I was no one's inferior.
I felt my features twist into a scowl of frustration. That was all good and dandy… I could proclaim those goals all I wanted… but how was I to follow through?
I needed to prove to him… to destroy any seed within his mind that would proclaim such a thing. Normally I could just fall back upon my grades, as they were always top notch, but Harry was quickly catching up to my level, if not surpassing it.
I felt it was unfair, as I firmly believed that Snape had been telling the truth. Harry was getting training. If that was so… then of course his other school work must have become easier. I had no qualms with Harry receiving training in itself. The boy needed whatever advantage he could get when he faced his next challenge. Which I was sure was coming.
No the problem I had was the fact that Ron and I had not been included.
Were we not always 'there' by his side?
Did we not always 'fight' with him?
Have we not always 'risked our lives' for him?
Surely whatever training he was receiving would be beneficial for us as well.
I'm sure I could have handled it… I mean I spent most of my third year traveling back and forth through time to attend classes… it was taxing but I still did it. Surely they could see that I could handle the load. Ron might not have been able to handle it, but I'm sure he would have given it a go…
I huffed in frustration and rolled onto my feet off the bed. My essay wasn't going to be finished today.
Deciding that I needed a nice long bath I decided to head to the prefects bath… going to my dresser, I dug inside for my personal towel, and another set of socks… I always got the one's I was wearing wet no matter what I tried.
Closing the drawer and locking my drapes around my bed with a locking charm to keep my homework safe from wandering eye's… I exited the dorm.
Taking the spiral staircase down… I frowned as I heard an odd thumping noise.
Leaving the staircase on the 5th year landing, I wandered over to the door and heard the odd noise some more.
Was someone throwing something? As a Prefect I should probably investigate… It wouldn't do for someone to make a mess and damage the furniture.
Putting on my Prefect pose… I took a moment before knocking and opening the door.
Immediately I had to duck as a book soared at my head.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A familiar voice cried in fright as she watched me duck the errant potions text.
Looking up and letting my scowl lessen at the repentant tones I stared at the red head.
"Is there a reason, you felt the book needed to be used to bludgeon me?" I asked in terse sympathy.
Anyone else and I would have had them written down for points and a possible detention. Ginny was lucky I liked her.
I looked about the room and took in the scene about me.
Ginny was the only one around, on her desk by her dresser sat a Cauldron that was bubbling a grey sludge.
Other knick-knacks lay strewn about the floor having been thrown or dropped. I was guessing the former.
Ginny blushed red and sighed as she sat on her bed in defeat.
"I'm sorry…" she said in distress as she refused to look at me. I felt my heart reach out to the girl, my strings being pulled just right as I walked forward to kneel beside the girl.
"What's wrong Ginny?" I asked in comfort. I placed my hand on her own… if only to remind her that I was there…
The girl sighed sadly… tiredness and despair seeped off her tiny frame.
"I keep screwing up…I can't seem to do anything right nowadays." she said in defeat.
I sensed we were talking about more than potions…
Unsure why I was asking this… maybe it was the notable absence of the girl from the dining hall, DA, and common room, or my own intuition… but I wondered whether our problems had stemmed from the same source.
"Does this have to do with Harry?" I asked.
The wide eye's and startled look were all I needed to know that I was right.
I found my anger for the boy growing. He was probably doing the same thing he was doing to me, to Ginny. I was all too aware of Ginny's affections… Harry was causing her added pain from the rejection.
She had never truly gotten over her crush for Harry. Last year, I had advised her to play it cool and be aloof. I was sure that once Harry realized that Ginny was no longer an option he would realize he had feelings for her as well.
She was my only exception in my long term plans. It would have been ideal if Harry married a muggleborn like me, but Ginny truly felt for him and I had warmed up to her over the years. If anything she was like the sister I never realized I wanted. I wanted her to be happy, and it broke my heart that she was feeling pain and rejection.
"How did you…" Ginny asked.
"Lucky guess. Listen Ginny; don't worry about it one bit. Harry's been acting like a pig these last few days. He's trying to push us away…" I said significantly.
"No but… It was my fault I shouldn't have pried I …" Ginny tried to take the blame.
That was so sweet of her. Harry had truly worked her over if he had convinced her that she was the one at fault.
"Let me guess, he gave you a speech about his privacy… about how he needed his space…?" I asked.
"The fact of the matter is, he's up to something dangerous and he doesn't want us around to stop him… because he knows we can talk him out of it." I said in comfort.
Ginny gave me a look. She was thinking it through… I had clearly struck a chord but she was having doubts…
"Have you noticed he has been acting different lately...?" I asked trying to get Ginny to piece together the information for herself.
"Well he did give up quiditch… and he loves quiditch… and he has a weird fixation with Luna. I don't remember him ever showing any interest in the girl before…" Ginny said suspiciously.
She raised a good point… not on the Luna bit, but the quiditch angle. I was biased and had never really paid it any mind, but it was true… Harry easily gave up quiditch. He claimed to need the time to study potions, but he could have easily gotten in to Snape's class.
And I had yet to see him study or check out any of the reference material from the library on Runes… Remus had sent his own notes and texts but surely Harry would need supplementary material.
What if it was all a cover… what did he actually do in the room all day long? That room was unique… it could give him anything he wanted… that was worrying. With the way Harry was acting… could he really be trusted alone like that. What if he tried something foolish? He could even be trying to follow in his fathers footsteps… learning to become an Animagus. It was one thing to do it with others, where you had support and help… but to do it alone… Harry could potentially kill himself in the process. There were reasons why the procedure and process were strictly regulated.
I stared at Ginny with pride.
"Ginny, that's brilliant. See I never noticed those things… Harry needs us to keep him on the right path. He doesn't know what he want's. He needs us to show him." I praised.
Ginny blushed but I could tell some of that confidence had returned.
"But what good does that do us now… Harry won't even speak to me." Ginny said in worry.
"Well we can't give up on him… We'll just have to be there for him. Agreed?" I asked as I stood up with my hand extended to the girl.
Ginny looked up at my hand and me and a new fire rekindled within her… there was hope in her eyes…
Reaching forward, Ginny grasped my hand tightly, and I pulled her up without letting go.
"Agreed." The girl said resolutely. A mischievous smile upon her face.
"After all, he's only a boy… he doesn't know what he needs." She announced sympathetically.
I laughed and hugged the girl closer to me.
"Very true…" I agreed.
In hindsight… I would one day wish I had stopped to really listen to the girl… So many problems could have been avoided if only I had.
… .. … .. …
December 25 1996 – 8:00 am
Beep Beep Beep …
My eyes open and I let the blurry world focus once more. For a moment I'm in that dreary peaceful state between sleep and consciousness. That state of ignorant bliss where nothing matters and everything is all right.
Then who you are and what you have done becomes revealed and the illusion is shattered once again.
I curl up in the blankets, not feeling particularly festive as I stare at the snowy window; the white glare of the fluff irritating my eyes.
I suppose I might as well get up… it's not like there's much else to do.
…After a few moments I slide myself into an upright position and lean against my wall.
My bedroom feels so foreign these days… spending 9 months out of the year in a room halfway across the country having suitably distanced me from my own bedroom. It has barely changed since I was that 11 year old girl leaving for the train September 1st.
It was that same obnoxious sky blue with my stuffed animals hanging from the walls and shelves. I had an unfortunate habit of tearing my stuffed animals, and instead of having them fixed I would grab a thumb tack and nail my plush friends to the wall in some strange display of pride at my creative display.
I don't know why I ever though that idea brilliant…
Rolling off my bed, I felt my feet hit the soft carpeting. That was nice at least. No cold stone.
Relishing the soft sensations under my toes, I stood up and made my way over to the hanging mirror. My hair was as ghastly as ever. I had a crease across my cheek from the pillow, and I felt I looked a tad frumpy.
With that morning routine over, I grabbed a brush and started to tame my hair as I wandered out of my bedroom and toward the bathroom.
My eye's wandering over the festive trim. Mum had clearly gone overboard again like every year. The house was like an add for the seasonal section at the superstore a few blocks away.
Tinsel and holly hung everywhere… from the numerous pictures of the family to the painting of a lake by a tree and cliff that my dad had picked up from a garage sale from who knows where.
Walking into the bathroom, I went through the rest of my routine walking out with at least a more presentable mop of hair and fresh breath.
It may not have been noticeable… but I wasn't exactly very happy.
Why you might ask. Two words… Harry Potter.
…Three if you wanted to get technical and include his middle name; an additional four if you included his moniker from the wizarding world.
Things had not gone as planned; not at all. As I wandered the hallway to the stairs I contemplated the last few weeks.
Our last spat had truly been our last. I had gambled and lost more than I had dreamed possible.
I had called his bluff, I had challenged him and told him to give in and tell me everything or I would walk. I had not thought the action through; I had not anticipated that he would choose the later.
He had done all the walking and I was left alone; so very alone.
Ron had not abandoned me, but he did not sympathize with my plight either. He blamed me for the new status quo… and I couldn't really disagree with him.
At first I had been indignant, not willing to accept that I had done anything wrong… but once reality set in… it was obvious. It didn't hurt that Ron spelled it out for me on more than one occasion when I had denied my part in the situation aloud as well... well not physically at least.
It was humbling in a way… and amazingly painful to realize that I had been the reason why I had lost one of my oldest and bestest of friends.
I wondered how things would go now… would we just ignore each other? Would I just be any other student to him, a meaningless peer in his peripheral vision as he went throughout the rest of his Hogwarts education?
Would I even see him again after Hogwarts? I could not imagine a life after Hogwarts without him.
The thing with loosing him so thoroughly; it had forced me to really confront my feelings for him.
It was irrational, and I couldn't really see a future 'together' but he was still there. I knew whatever life intended for me… I needed him. More than a friend should have needed a friend. The troubling thing was… as I really did some soul searching I realized my attitude… my behaviour had been leaching the happiness out of my life for quite some time.
I had always assumed it was the fact that I was just that much more mature… but in fact, I was truly that much less...
I had been too busy making sure everyone knew I was the respectable intelligent Hermione Granger, that I had started to push people away. It was a wonder I had any friends as it were. I had never noticed because Ron and Harry had been there to be my buffer from the reality that was my life.
My peers had reached that age where houses and rivalries started to mean less and less. Former enemies soon became peers. Strangers became friends, and friends became more.
I had been stuck as a child pretending to be a grownup so long, I had fooled myself into thinking I had succeeded.
As I said… it was very humbling.
"Hermione… Merry Christmas Dear!" My mother cried in joy as she tackled me from behind as I reached the bottom stair and turned towards the kitchen.
I barely managed to stay standing from the force.
My mother was like a big kid during the holidays… this time of year rejuvenating her like no other.
My first instinct was to huff at my mothers childish behaviour. But I stopped. I had just thought of her as 'Mother'…
That felt wrong… that felt like something the other Hermione would have said… the one who had been causing me so much trouble… When had I stopped call her mum?
So instead of following my ingrained tendencies, I grasped at my mum's hand as she wrapped them around my torso.
Letting my hand rest against her's, the feel of her wedding ring on her hand and the soft skin I had remembered from years gone by; from when I was sick and bed time stories… I couldn't help but grasp at the hand just a little tighter.
"Merry Christmas Mum" I said back gently while giving her hand a firm squeeze.
My ingrained tendencies fought such a sentimental act.
When had it become so uncomfortable for me to be this tender with family? Was I really this foreign from the world around me? What kind of person have I truly become?
My mothe… my mum, squeezed my hand back and let go, putting her hands on my shoulder and spinning me about so I could come face to face with her, I saw a puzzled but happy smile.
She stared at me for a moment; her natural instinct telling her something was different.
"Is everything okay dear… you seem off?" She asked curiously.
I smiled a small smile.
"I'm fine mum… just been doing some thinking… you know me…" I said in self deprecating laughter.
My mum gave me an amused smile… "That I do dear. Rest that brain of yours today… it's Christmas." She instructed warmly while giving my forehead a kiss. She had to stretch to reach as I was a little taller than her, my mother being a small woman, but I happily leaned forward to close the distance.
"Your father's in the living room; be a dear and help me bring breakfast over." She instructed.
I remember… it was our own little tradition. Christmas breakfast in front of the warm fire and tree. All the temptation at seeing presents not a foot away, but having to get through the meal first.
Finally convincing mum and dad to let me open one… halfway through my pancakes… It was the only time of year we ever had syrup in the house… pancakes lathered in syrup.
I relished the sweet taste.
When was the last time I had pancakes… not for years… the house elves never served it for breakfast.
Previous Christmas's I had always had something going on… searching for information on philosophers stones… a vacation in the alps, Grimmauld place and consoling friends from attacks.
I decided I truly needed this, just as much as I needed to change… I had to re-attain some of the things I had lost… like family.
Walking into the living room, I spotted my father, he was seated in his lazy boy, a plush brown leather thing that he had snuck back from work one day, claiming that he never had time to sit in it at the office.
He had his reading glasses on as helooked over some papers.
"Put those down…" My mum scolded gently. Immediately my father… No my dad; flinched, startled at the intrusion. I had forgotten how jittery he could be, always loosing himself in whatever he was doing. I couldn't help but smile at the reminder of things I had lost to my earlier memories.
"Honey… What have you got there…?" He asked innocently.
"What have I told you…? Leave your work at work." My mum scolded fondly while she pulled the documents out of the man's hand.
"Yes dear…" He said contritely.
"That's more like it." My mum said fondly while giving him a kiss and beckoning him towards the Coffee table where we had set up the plates.
"Hermione… Merry Christmas sweetie." My dad said once he stood up. Reaching out he pulled me into a warm hug and then he held me at arm's length so he could take a long look at me.
"Getting lovelier each year… I remember when you used to get me to do your hair in pigtails… Interested?" He asked teasingly.
I blushed at the reminder. "Dad…" I asked in a pleading laugh.
"Alright, alright…" he acquiesced releasing me from his grip but leading me to my seat at the head of the coffee table as we all took our seats.
I couldn't help but enjoy the meal and the nostalgia it provided. How much of my youth had I wasted away trying to be an adult too soon?
It had finally reached that time. My stack of three pancakes sat half eaten and my warm milk was a third finished.
As expected, my parent's had finally acquiesced and brought forth the presents.
Handing me the first present… I unwrapped the festive Father Christmas wrapping to reveal…
"Is this…?" I asked not daring to believe it.
"I believe professor McGonagall called it an Apparition tutor pass." My mum said off the top of her head.
I looked over the gold embossed card with my name on it.
"But how… I'm not allowed to learn until 7th year." I asked not believing I had been given such a gift.
"Apparently, because of your performance over the years and a recommendation from Professor McGonagale you have been deemed responsible enough to be granted an early license. Some one will visit you in January to start teaching you how to apperate." My dad said with a smile.
"Admittedly, it's a little bit of a selfish gift, once you learn, we expect you to visit every now and then during the year. Every few months is really too long to go without seeing you dear." My dad explained.
I could feel my eyes become teary. I had felt so rejected over the past few weeks, being cut off from my friends, and realizing I had a hand in my sudden lack of companionship… the lack of being wanted.
To hear about the effort my parents went through to give me such a gift, if only to see me a few day's more out of the year… I truly needed this gift. More than they would ever realize.
Leaping forward I wrapped my arms around my dad's neck in a tight hug.
I didn't let go for a few moments; relishing the fact that I had someone who wanted me.
I let go and gave my mum the same hug… thanking them profusely.
The card laying forgotten with the wrapping.
Finally I had let go, much happier than I had been in a long time. My happiness seemed to be infectious as my parents smiled in a way I had not seen for years.
Quickly presents started to be exchanged, a magical camera I had bought for them was received gratefully; I was glad I had not stuck with my usual sugarless candies.
I had gotten 20 pounds in a card from my aunt Rose in Moscow, and a gift card promising some boxing day shopping with my mom. My dad begging off the mad hassle that was shopping on that day.
Finally I had one last gift left, a small rectangular box in silver wrapping.
Tearing the wrapping off, I gasped at the book before me.
It was the special edition Hogwarts: A history
They only printed a hundred copies every 50 or so years. It was a valuable collector's edition. It held the most up-to-date events. There had even been rumours that the now revealed Chamber of Secrets' history had been included. Making this book all the more special.
"Thank you… How did you know?" I asked.
"I'd gladly take credit, but it's not from us…" My mum told me.
"It's not?" I asked in confusion.
"Sorry dear. It was delivered by a beautiful snow white owl just before we went to pick you up." She answered. Missing the significance of the avian.
I stared in surprise at my mother and then at the book… 'Harry...?'
He had gotten me the gift… did that mean there was still hope?
I clung to the book tighter… To me, it meant there was still hope. The old Hermione couldn't stay, I knew that now… but would Harry accept the Hermione I was going to strive to become… could I really have it all?
I wordlessly clung to the book letting its weight sooth me as I helped clear away the wrapping and dishes.
"Now?" My father begged.
"Oh fine…" My mother teased.
My dad smiled jubilantly and gave my mum a kiss as he raced back to the living room.
"…men" my mother said fondly as she watched the man race back to turn on the T.V.
Television was a no no during such events… only family. That was the Granger way.
It had not been a few moments's before I could hear the click of the television as it turned on and my dad channel surfing to the nearest news station.
My mother shared an amused smile with me… one which I returned.
"So dear, tell me about your school, How has…." My mother never got to finish her sentence before I could hear my father calling out.
"Hermione...! Emily!" The man called franticly.
Puzzled the two women dropped what they were doing and headed towards the living room once more. My mother grabbing a dish towel to dry off her hands as she had just begun to do the dishes.
"Dan… what's wrong…?" She asked as she entered ahead of me through the swinging door, and then turned to face the television.
Following my mum into the living room I was privileged to see both my parents shocked faces as they stared at the television. The dish towel lay forgotten on the floor.
"What's wrong?" I asked I was becoming alarmed.
My mum turned to look at me while my dad continued to stare gob smacked at the TV.
"Is that your friend dear?" She asked while pointing at the TV.
Confused, I walked forward and turned to look at the television.
The book in my hand slipped out of my grip as I watched the still frame image of One Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, in the top corner of the TV.
"For those of you just tuning in… A startling event took place yesterday evening. Something that has rocked our perceptions of what is real and what isn't to the very core." The man on the television added dramatically.
"With the release of confidential files and sudden declassification of the subset of the population termed the 7800, our world has had to adjust dramatically to such an influx of information. From Hate groups to cults… we've thought we've seen it all." The man summarised.
Looking intently into the camera, the man continued. "Apparently not."
Suddenly the screen flickered and the television started to play what appeared to be a home video of a little boy who was throwing snow at a child opposite him.
The news Anchors voice resounded over top the footage.
"Be warned, what you are about to see is considered violent and shocking. Viewers discretion is advised."
A streaming marquee started to roll along the bottom running along side the BBC logo while introducing text like the names of the church and victims.
The footage continued to play, until suddenly, the bright light and sound of a large explosion could be seen from the distance followed by a giant plume of fire and debris rising above the roofline.
Suddenly the video footage changed to show from a different angle. A man's camera tilted away from the explosion and he inadvertently captured footage of a sudden influx of men in black robes and white masks appearing from no where and diving out of alley's and street corners. They were yelling things at the church goers while pointing sticks at the crowd. One of the men in black robes could be seen leading a stout man in a dark coat at wand point from the direction of a snow plow. The man's was clutching at his side but struggling in the man's grasp.
Suddenly the scene shifted again to another camera… The man holding it was shoved by a death eater and he had to drop the camera…
The video showed the fall before it finally came to a stop as it landed at a slight angle recording another angle of the action.
The group of Death eaters were starting to herd the children away from the parents. A select few weren't going to have that, and proceeded to attack the Death eaters.
One fairly tall man landed a successful punch knocking a death eater back.
The man who was being dragged toward the group took the opportunity to fight back as well. Head butting the man holding him before walking forward with his fist raised toward the closest Death eater.
That was as far as either got before the rest of the cloaked wizards opened fire.
Streaks of green were all that were seen before both men fell to the floor lifeless. A Woman screamed and tried to run to her fallen husband, but was quickly felled by another burst of green.
There were screams and cries of terror from the crowd as the men and women in front of them seemingly killed their fellow church members.
Suddenly the image shifted again… a camera that had fallen closer to the children had a good view of the church. The church itself could be clearly seen smouldering as smoke was leaking from the building.
Suddenly the doors opened with a bang and another death eater ran out of the church flames licking at his feet.
Flames exploded outward, hinting at the inferno inside.
The man in death eater Garb smouldered as he literally let steam off his body as he took in deep breaths.
Suddenly a giant blue iridescent ball shot out of the flames being followed by a white streak before the entrance way to the building collapsed in on itself cutting off all exits and entrances.
The death eater shot a yellow spell at the ball but it simply rolled off it before shattering on impact with a light pole with a gong like noise.
Out of the ball a man in priest robes collapsed in the snow. Not 5 feet away from the camera.
Another scene shift, this time showing the action from above.
A man was nervously filming the scene below while his wife was calling the police. The camera vibrated in his touch; as he tried to hide himself from sight while still filming.
The camera clearly showed the death eaters swarming the man at wand point and pulling him away towards the parents.
They tossed him aside and started to conference with the death eater who had escaped the church. The parents themselves swarmed the priest asking him for questions and pointing emphatically at the children.
Suddenly the scene shifted once more.
The scene shifted again back to the camera by the children, as it filmed the church.
This is where I gasped in shock as I watched the next set of scenes. My mind never being able to fully comprehend what I was seeing.
I watched as suddenly the glowing rose glass window of the Mother Mary and her infant son suddenly dimmed before a large projectile like object shot forth out of it.
Suddenly the dark black thing unfurled itself and I finally got my first glimpses of Harry.
The giant beautiful wings whipped outwards with a snap, immediately catching a draft with fire erupting out behind him making him glow just a little as it licked at his body.
The boy… nay young man on screen, slowed his approach in a … symbolic stunning fall landing on his knee and fist in the middle of the street.
The Ground around him vibrated and the snow below billowed away from him in a misty wave. The camera itself, 6 or 7 feet away vibrated upon his impact with the street.
The black haired, ebony winged man lay on the ground. Steam trailing his body.
Behind him, the church seemed to let out screams of pain as it caught fire.
Suddenly the he looked up and for a brief moment green eyes and a lighting scar were visible before the winged man rolled away from a streak of light that impacted the ground a foot away from where he had been.
The scene shifted again… with Harry's voice calling to the death eaters… telling them to let the people go.
His shirt in shreds, shoot and ash caked on his right shoulders, his chest partially visible. The hem of his pants was in tatters from the fire and battle inside. Holding two wands within his hands, he let an aura of power radiate off himself.
The scene shifted again, showing the lead death eater stepping forward and order the man he referred to as Potter to give up instead, lest he kill the hostages.
The scene shifted again back to the camera near the children. Harry turned his head to track the man's wand that could be clearly seen pointed in the camera's direction.
Moments passed before suddenly the death eater fired for what appeared to be no apparent reason and Harry sprung into action.
A child flew to him as he moved with impossible speed towards her.
An ice sheet below seemed to tear away from below his very feet and absorb the green jet of death.
More than a couple Avadas were sent at the children, and if they had hit them, they would surely die.
The camera clearly saw Harry point with his left hand at the children before the very snow that was falling seemed to come alive and swirl together into fist sized crystal clear balls impacting each green blast in the nick of time.
Harry sprung into action and with the child still sitting on his right forearm, took out a death eater with a back hand that left the man's head at an odd angle as he landed on the snow below. The scene shifted to show from above where the man was recording again.
I could clearly see a man aim his wand at Harry, and shoot a spear like blast at Harry.
Thankfully Harry seemed to sense it somehow and barely rolled out of the way. I watched as the spell impaled another death eater, blood flew from his back from the exit would that was created.
Harry rolled into a group of death eaters just as the Death eater who had been hit by the unfriendly fire, crumpled to the ground.
A bright blue shimmer appeared. I watched as Harry created a shield around himself and then let it expand with explosive force knocking death eaters back away from him.
Taking the time to spin around, Harry raised his left arm high while clutching the child close to him.
His voice could clearly be heard hollering out. "Evertamens!"
At the exact moment, a shimmering could be seen forming around the death eaters… stopping short of the parents. At the centre stood Harry with the child in a clear bubble.
The shimmering formed into a blob like iridescent donut of energy, before vaporizing the death eaters into black powder.
It was like watching a man destroy himself from the epicentre of a nuclear bomb… crumbling away from the sheer energy released.
The particles paused around Harry, floating hauntingly around him.
The camera was having a hard time focusing, fading in and out to static but it remained centered on the events below.
Harry beat his wings, and the dust scattered in the wind.
Harry could be seen wobbling on the spot for a moment before he stilled himself and took in his surroundings.
Suddenly the scene shifted again back to the cameras below.
Harry could be seen making eye contact with a pair of people and jumping the doughnut crater over to them. They ran forward and reached out for the child on his arm.
A very Harry Potter smile appeared on his face as he looked at the child.
"You can open your eyes now…"
"Where did the bad men go…"
"Away…."
The parents stared at Harry almost in worship. Most of the other parents were also staring, try to take in that they and the children would live. Harry appeared to fidget under their stares before nodding at the two parents and walking away.
His wings suddenly vanished in a black misty like ether as he approached an object that I recognized as a death eater mask. He destroyed it… almost immediately more wizards arrived.
The parents screamed in terror but Harry could be seen walking in between the two with his hand out warning the parents that they were friendly.
He never saw Remus streak forward and tackle him with Mrs. Weasley in hot pursuit.
A tall aged man could be seen directing orders to the multiple wizards to flank different positions; before heading over to Harry himself.
Mrs. Weasley screamed in fright pointing out a large something that could be seen protruding from Harry's arm. After a few moments. Harry's eyes wandered and fell upon the camera. For that moment Harry's surprised fright could be seen. The scene quickly shifted to each camera as Harry spotted them. Even the one in the apartment window.
A police car could be seen pulling up, and Harry could be seen being jabbed with something by the tall older wizard before vanishing.
More police cars pulled up and officers stormed out with weapons raised. An armoured car arriving with what looked like S.W.A.T. teams forming a guard.
There was a stand off, before a short black man in a black suit walked away from the armed guards with his arm raised; indicating he wanted them to wait.
Dumbledore himself copied the man, indicating his own troops who had pointed their wands at the muggles upon sight, to be at ease.
They met half way before the screen flickered and the news reporter could be seen once more.
"The rest of the footage has been confiscated and is unavailable for distribution." The man explained.
"Speculation that an internal civil war may be arising due to the attack has spread widely but, a spokesmen for the parliament has claimed that the 7800 are not to be treated as terrorists, citing the boy identified as Harry Potter; who is still missing, as proof of the well intentioned members of the group."
I could only stare at the screen in shock, I found myself thinking to myself moments before I fell over onto the floor in a faint, 'I had finally found out Harry's secret…'
Now why wasn't I happier about that.
AN: Sorry for the long wait, my fault entirely, big weekend and all, couldn't devout as much time to writing as I wanted to… but here it is anyway.
Oh and thank you all for the many reviews, I really appreciate the feedback.
I admit, reviews make me happy.
Aealket has agreed to beta/edit for me so thank him for making this chapter easier to read.
I had lots to explain as I was writing but I can't think of anything to say.
It may seem out of character for Hermione to suddenly realize the error of her way's so suddenly after building the chapter up around her the way I had, especially considering how I had written the story to begin with… if any of you disagree, I'd be happy to explain my reasoning in my reply.
Oh quick thing:
I was informed that the scene with Cho was iffy and to consider revising. I am going to leave it but explain what I was thinking. Personally I'm a big Cho fan. She's one of those tragic characters that I really feel for. Cedric, if there was ever such a thing, would have been her soul mate. With him gone, Cho will lead the rest of her life seeking love and someone to fill that void within her. That's not to say she needs a man to complete her, but you can all get what I'm talking about. Harry is the next best thing… being the only one in my mind capable of helping Cho on any level because of who he is and what he's been through, especially with him being there with Cedric in the end.
Why am I telling you all this… That entire scene was supposed to be about Hermione staking her claim in Harry for various reasons. For this chapter though I was trying to give Cho an excuse for being so wary of Hermione in her and Harry's final fight. It may come across as Cho is being manipulative and conniving. But I wanted to make it clear that what you read was all through Hermione's perspective… that was how she perceived it. It was also to show how paranoid Hermione was getting. How mentally, the way she was perceiving and reacting to things was unhealthy. That was supposed to tie in at the end with her epiphany of her behaviour. You can all take what you will from that section what you will. Whether you like Cho or not, it's up to you, it won't affect the story very much if you decide to interpret it a different way, but I just wanted to make it clear how I had intended it
Anyway, till next time.
Quazi