Disclaimer: JK owns HP

1989

Chapter 33

When Charlie returned to Hogwarts, it was not with the warm welcome home at the gates that he had anticipated, but rather with the startling news from Sarah and Devon that an incident had occurred while he was away. He had rushed to Hermione's side in an instant, who was glued to the waiting area just outside the hospital wing awaiting news on the fate of the boy who just tried to attack her.

"It's my fault." She had said gloomily, after telling him how the accident had happened. "My being here almost got someone killed."

Charlie ended up consoling her through the night, exciting tales of his tryout forgotten for the time being while he assured her that it was not her fault. He told her that Mason had brought it upon himself, but nothing he did or said could convince her otherwise, or that this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been in the past in the first place.

The next morning, they both discovered that though Mason would survive he had been transferred to St. Mungos for more extensive healing on his brain. Madam Pomfrey had done all she could, but he was still in a coma with no way to tell if he'd ever recover mentally from the damage.

Weeks had now passed, but Hermione was still feeling a bit traumatized. She would put on a happy face in front of the other girls, but under the surface the guilt was slowly eating away at her. Though she continued to try and keep herself focused on the rest of her task pertaining to the amulets, she couldn't help but worry herself sick that she had changed the future irreparably by going down the stairs that day. What sort of chain reaction would be caused from that one small accident?

She had tried so hard not to change anything in the beginning, but now she had done just that. Her attempt to warn and prevent the two deaths of Cedric and Dumbledore from occurring in the future had been with good intentions, but it seemed that in return she had also almost caused another's unprecedented demise.

In truth, it was not just thoughts of Mason that plagued her mind, but Professor Snape as well. The form of his patronus proved that he had continued to help them long after he had killed Dumbledore, but what she couldn't understand was why. Why would he help us at all, or at least, why kill Dumbledore if he still wanted Harry to succeed at the task left to him?

Hermione needed to know the truth before she left. What if in the last moment of battle they needed Snape's help, and still didn't know if he could be trusted or not. It was too big of an if to leave in the past; and although he had always evaded the question before, that meant she was going to have to get it out of Dumbledore one way or another before then.

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"I can't believe you have actually done it." Hermione spoke out loud as she stared up at the tree line in front of her. "You are actually going to get me to go back in here of my own free will."

It was Valentines Day, and unlike the other couples sprinkled throughout Hogwarts, the activity they had planned was far from what one would consider a romantic getaway. It was time for them to uphold their part of the plan, and retrieve enough unicorn and thestral hairs to make the amulet chains with; which is why they were currently standing in front of the Forbidden Forest.

Charlie chuckled beside her, taking her hand in his as they mentally prepared for the journey ahead of them. "That I am. It's good to see you've found your sense of humor again."

"Smug bastard." She scoffed under her breath.

"What was that?" He raised one eyebrow knowingly at her.

"Nothing."

"Come on." He nudged her shoulder with his as he grinned; taking their first step forward into the forest together. "It'll be fun."

"I'll believe that when I see it." She continued to rib him in order to cover up her discomfort at having to go in here again. Of all the times she'd had to enter it before, not one had gone without an incident.

"Okay mister magical creature expert, where do you think we should start on our search?" She asked in an attempt to distract herself from flashing back to images of Umbridge, the Centaurs, and Grawp. "I'm sorry that I've not been of much help planning this lately. My mind has been preoccupied elsewhere."

"Don't worry about it Hermione. I know just where your head has been and I don't blame you one bit." Charlie stroked the back of her gloved hand with his thumb for reassurance, though in truth he only knew half of it. "But, lucky for you, it just so happens that I have our journey today almost completely plotted out already."

"You do?" She seemed extremely pleased, though slightly surprised; used to always being the one to have to plan everything.

"Yes. I do. " He claimed cheerfully, still hoping to bring her out of her state of borderline depression. "After Care of Magical Creatures class a few days ago I purposely bumped into Hagrid to ask about that foal I helped him out with a few months ago."

"Oh of course!" Hermione recalled the day she had accompanied him to tend to the poor young unicorn's broken leg. "And?"

"Well it seems it's mother had sensed it was nearby way back when, and had taken to calling out for it just past the treeline. When Hagrid released it a few days later, he recalled seeing them reunite and head north toward the center of the forest. Apparently there is a bit of a herd that lives nearby a small pond in that area."

"That sounds like a good place to start, but wouldn't a water source bring lots of other creatures in as well?" Hermione asked skeptically, hoping that location wouldn't incite yet another incident upon her.

"That's correct." Charlie replied. "Which means we are going to have to be careful. We should probably use Death's cloak when we approach our destinations to be safe. The centaurs likely use that pond as their main watering hole as well, and they aren't fond of humans as it is. After Dumbledore stole one of their tails last month it wouldn't be smart of us to get caught stealing hair from another creature with their herd that close nearby."

"That sounds smart." Hermione nodded as they weaved through the tree trunks where the forest seemed to get thicker.

"And though I know they like to live in the darker parts of the forest, the only thing I haven't accounted for is how we are actually going to get the thestral hair." He revealed before turning to look at her again. "I mean, I know what they sound like, but I can't exactly see them; as I have yet to witness or come to terms with someone's death. But that day in Dumbledore's office you seemed to think that you'd be able to. Have you seen them before?"

"No." Hermione shook her head as she looked to the ground; watching where her footsteps fell. "No I haven't yet actually."

"But I thought you said you'd ridden them on two separate occasions?"

"I have." She claimed. "But both times I was helped onto them by someone else."

"Okay." He commented in thought. "So what makes you think you'll be able to see them now? I mean did you see-" Charlie cut himself off and grimaced, realizing what he was about to ask. "Sorry, I mean, are you sure you'll be able to do this?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip in thought as they continued to walk toward the center of the vast forest. It was true that no one had exactly died in her arms, but she had faced death numerous times herself since the last time she had been in the presence of a thestral. Surely all of her experiences and close calls with death during her time on the run with Harry and Ron would count.

First, there had been Bathilda Bagshot on Christmas Eve. Yes, she had already been dead long before they arrived, but when she had come across the body while Harry had been upstairs with the very snake imitating her, she was shocked beyond belief. It had been a horrific sight to experience, one that she considered directly related to witnessing the permanence of death.

Second, there was the day that they had been caught by snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor. She had been prepared to die that day as she'd writhed on the drawing room floor. In that moment she would have rather died a hundred deaths than tell Belatrix Lestrange what she wanted to know. In fact, the pain that came with that prolonged exposure to the cruciatus curse created moments where she almost welcomed it.

Lastly, was Dobby's death; which came only a few minutes after. Though she had been in and out of consciousness at the time, she could hazily remember the sight of him falling into Harry's arms; the both of them soaked with blood. He had saved her. He had saved them. But he had not been fast enough to save himself from the dagger thrown just as he had disapparated them all away. It was true that he wasn't human per say; but he had been a good friend, and the loss she felt had been overwhelming once she'd had time to process it.

Hermione shook off the three memories, hoping at least one of the experiences had been strong enough to help them today. They needed that hair, and to procure it would take someone who wasn't afraid to face death head on. Someone like her.

"Yes." She finally answered him definitively. "Yes, I'm sure."

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An hour later as planned, they were staking out the pond under the cover of the invisibility cloak. One of Charlie's arms had snaked around her waist to keep her close by; worried that any distance at all would uncover their feet or a random ankle. It was important to keep absolutely quiet and under the cover of the cloak until the perfect moment of opportunity. The plan was to try and find the same unicorn foal that had already bonded with Charlie the year before, and calmly snip a section of its mane off without being noticed.

At first they were worried, because a small group of centaurs passed them in order to partake in gathering several pouches and jugs of water from the stream; likely to take back to their colony. Luckily, however, they took no notice of them and moved on rather quickly; galloping back the way they came after their supplies had been gathered.

With sighs of relief, Hermione and Charlie waited to see if any other creatures would follow, or if they would get lucky enough to spot the same foal and it's mother. Those unicorns specifically were their best chance of completing the task without risk, but if they did come across another unicorn in the process they would take what they could get.

When another twenty minutes went by without sight nor sound of any other creature, Charlie finally decided to put his plan B into action. "Stay here." He whispered; placing a single kiss to her cheek before dipping out from under the cloak.

Hermione worried that he was taking too great a risk by leaving the cover invisibility brought them, but she only nodded as he left her in their spot against a large tree trunk. She believed he could handle himself; especially when it came to magical creatures, but she raised her wand up defensively just in case.

Almost silently, Charlie slipped his backpack off his shoulders and knelt to the ground. After digging a few items out of it, he placed it on the ground beside her to mark where he'd been.

When he stood, Hermione could see that he now held a small bag filled with red apples; likely stolen from the breakfast table that morning. Slowly, he began to approach the pond; burlap sack in one hand, and a single apple held out with the other. At the same time he began to walk, he also began to whistle a soft tune. It was two notes that he would repeat over and over again after a short pause between. One after another; beckoning any creatures nearby to come hither.

After another minute of no results, Charlie brought the single apple to his lips in order to take a bite; ripping into it's flesh with his teeth. It made a perfect snapping noise as he bit into it; echoing, and sending the scent of fresh apples into the air with it.

Charlie chewed slowly, as he kept his eyes on his surroundings. Though he hoped his actions would only bring friendly creatures into their midst, there was as likely a chance that something undesirable could be lurking nearby as well.

It didn't take long before a whinnying could be heard among the trees, and Hermione nearly jumped when a flash of tan sped past the tree trunk she had been leaning against. The action startled her, but she kept her wand hand raised, and the other on the seam of the cloak; ready to throw it open in order to defend Charlie should any trouble arise.

To her genuine surprise, when she focused back on Charlie he was being approached by a small, light gold colored horse. From the looks of it, the same one they were hoping to find in the first place.

It let out a knicker as it circled him a few times, before finally coming to stand in front of him. He had grown a bit since the last time they had seen it, and it's coat was much lighter now that he was a few months older. Charlie grinned, and held the apple out to it in his palm.

"There you are, boy." He cooed at it; giving him a scratch under the chin as it chewed the apple whole. "I've been looking all over for you. Did you miss me?"

The young unicorn whinnied again and knocked the bridge of its face against Charlie's hand, as if agreeing that it had missed him. Charlie laughed at it before grabbing another apple out of his sack; which the unicorn accepted greedily.

From a distance, Hermione watched the pair with a small smile gracing her lips. She had always had a passion for the care and protection of all creatures, great and small. Adopting Crookshanks over an owl when no one else would, helping Hagrid defend Buckbeak to the wizengamot, and starting S.P.E.W. once witnessing first hand how bad house elves were treated. To her horror, it hadn't taken long to realize just how little her peers felt the same, Harry and Ron included. It had in fact been a bit disheartening to learn that no one else was as passionate about the well being of fellow magical creatures as she was.

But now here she was, years before that; watching as the one person who did feel the same loved on a small horse. He continued to stroke its face, and soothe it with his voice; feeding it more apples as he attempted to steal some of its hair without it noticing.

She continued to watch in awe as Charlie succeeded at his task; tucking a fistful of unicorn hair into his coat pocket without losing the foal's attention for even a second. At that moment, there were only two things clear in her mind.

The first, was that she had definitely chosen the right man. As much as she loved Ron, there was no way he could ever invoke the feelings in her Charlie did just by being himself. All the things she had liked about Ron beyond friendship didn't feel right anymore, as if a part of her had always wished he was just a bit more caring, or at least a little more ambitious. It felt wrong to try and compare them, especially when that was one of Ron's biggest fears beside spiders, but she just couldn't help it anymore. Charlie was everything she needed in a partner, and just as he had already known about her, she was sure he was it for her; now more than ever.

The second thing that was clear, due to the lack of bad incidents to occur so far, was that if she ever had to go into the forbidden forest again after this, it would only be with Charlie right by her side.

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After Charlie was finally able to escape the adolescent unicorn, surprisingly with a few apples left to spare, Hermione ushered him back under the cover of the cloak so they could set off toward their next task. They still had to acquire the thestral hairs before they could head back to the warmth of the castle.

As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest they kept their footsteps light, and their ears open; listening closely for any eerie shrieks that might lead them in the right direction. At one point they even had to stop completely as a small group of acromantulas crossed in front of them; each carrying something small, and thickly wrapped within layers of sticky web on their backs.

Hermione shivered at the thought of becoming dinner for the large cluster of arachnids, but pressed on anyway. It would be easy to turn back now, and ask either Hagrid or Dumbledore to get the hair for them instead. Except she already felt as if she was leaving too much of the amulet making to other people, and refused to push anything else onto those who were already helping her so much.

Both of them knew that thestrals prefer dark environments, but Hermione was the one with first hand knowledge of what their shrieks of communication sounded like. Though she had not been able to see them during any of her previous encounters, she had at least felt and heard them.

At last, it seemed that they had reached a clearing. The earth seemed darker here; almost ash colored, and it was here that Hermione finally heard the vaguely familiar scream she was listening for. A call that sounded just enough like a horse that it could only be the creature they were looking for.

"Was that it?" Charlie whispered as they stilled beside one another.

"Yes." Hermione whispered back. "I'm almost certain it was."

After a thorough glance around the clearing, Charlie deemed the area safe enough for them to uncloak. Just like before, he then took off his backpack that contained the pocket she had expanded in order to go through it; taking out the supplies he'd gathered specifically for luring the thestrals in toward them.

"Here, hold your arms out." He requested, as he took out a rope that had several dead ferrets attached to it.

Hermione made a face of disgust, but did hold one of her arms out. She was instantly reminded of Buckbeak, and how Hagrid had kept lines of these out by where he had been tethered in her third year.

"Hagrid likes to feed these to the Hippogriffs." Charlie began.

"Yeah, I know." She replied before he could explain further.

Charlie couldn't help but snicker at the look on her face as he looped the end of the rope in one of her hands, and placed a single dead ferret into the other. "Thestrals are carnivores, attracted to the smell of a fresh kill. So these should help you make friends." He whispered in her ear as he slipped something into her coat pocket, weighing it down slightly. "They are very intuitive, and will know you mean them no harm. But unlike the unicorn, you do not want to try and trick them. I think they will know what you want from them once you begin to interact; so show them you are friendly, and only pull what I just gave you out once they have given you their full and complete approval."

Hermione only nodded in response, worried she'd vomit from the smell of the blood if she opened her mouth. From what she could remember, the day her and her closest friends had flown to the Department of Mysteries the thestrals had swarmed them due to the blood her and Harry had been covered in at the time. She took a few steps away from Charlie in order to be in the center of the clearing, hopeful that his plan would work.

After another few minutes the sound of leaves crunching under hooved feet sent the both of them on alert. The smell of the dead ferrets had obviously lured something towards them almost instantly.

"Is it them?" Charlie asked with his wand at the ready; just in case it was not the creatures they were hoping for.

Though she did hear him, only a gasp left her lips; for at the very moment he finished speaking a small herd of thestrals had entered the clearing. Whether it had been one of her previously thought of incidents, or a combination of all three, she was not sure. But finally, after months of curiosity, it was confirmed that she could now see the skeletal winged beasts.

When she did not answer him, Charlie turned to watch her face closely; following her eyesight in order to figure out where they were.

"Can you see them?" He questioned her again.

"Yes." She whispered back to him; though her eyes were focused only on the creatures at the far end of the clearing. "Four of them."

As slow as she could, Hermione took a step toward them with the single dead ferret out in front of her as an offering. Charlie simply watched what he could from behind.

The smallest of the four thestrals was the first to show interest in her. Slowly, and only taking matching steps with her as they approached one another.

"Here you are." She said softly once it was only a few paces from her; tossing the ferret directly into its eagerly awaiting mouth.

The thestral gave a cry, of what she assumed was thanks, though sounded much more sinister than that. It then flipped its treat high into the air with its teeth and caught it again, as if making a game out of it.

This movement caused a second thestral to run forward excitedly, which also caused Hermione to take a few steps back cautiously; and the two adolescent creatures began to take part in a rather morbid game of tug-o'war. The sound of the ferret's fur and spine ripping could be heard as they fought over their tasty treat.

Hermione looked at them mesmerized, though also with a little bit of disgust; while poor Charlie could only see the unlucky ferret's body being ripped to shreds by invisible forces. He was only thankful that the poor thing had already been dead before they had gotten a hold of it.

By the time it had been truly devoured, the other two thestrals had reached them as well. While Hermione had unhooked another dead ferret for the first one, the other seemed a little impatient and had started pulling at the entire rope filled with the treats in her other.

"Hey!' She laughed as she tried to tug it back toward herself unsuccessfully.

The rope ended up slipping off her gloved hand, and almost instantly the clearing became a blood bath. What started out as a four way game of ripping and shredding, ended as a game of seven; as three more thestrals had joined them. Obviously lured in by the smell of all the blood.

Once the ferrets had been well and truly devoured, one of the original thestrals approached her again. It licked a stray drop of splattered blood from her cheek before sniffing at her with its bony, leathery nose.

Hermione was not frightened as it did so, knowing that it meant her no harm. Very slowly she extended her hand, and placed it on its neck; giving it soft strokes with her fingertips.

The two of them stayed like that for several minutes as Hermione tried to bond with the creature. She stared into its hazy, glazed over eyes; hoping to convey without words what she needed from it. If they were as intuitive as both Hagrid and Charlie had claimed, they should know that she only had good intentions.

Like magic, it seemed that her wish had been granted. The thestral released a soft snort, and bowed its head downward to the ground; tilting it's long black mane in her direction.

Not wanting to spook it, Hermione ran her fingers through the hair softly. "Thank you." She bade it as she took the scissors out of her pocket with the other. "You are going to help me protect a lot of people I care about."

The thestral seemed completely at ease with her as she snipped a few hairs off here and there, just until she had gathered what she thought would be enough. And while she knew that thestrals were not hippogriffs, it seemed appropriate to bow to it once her task was done. So by way of a thank you, and to also show the others still in the area that she meant it no harm, Hermione lowered her head to the ground.

When she lifted back to it's eye level, she was surprised to see that the others had gone back into the forest already. The single one left, however, let out a single loud shriek into the slowly dimming sky. Somehow, Hermione felt that it was saying not only you're welcome, but goodbye.

And unlike the other thestrals who had wandered back the way they came, this one spread it's leathery wings and took off into the air; circling them once before leaving them alone in the clearing together.

Hermione watched it until it was out of sight. They were curious creatures; misunderstood, though a bit unnerving unless you were accustomed to them. Fascinating, and alarming all at the same time. When she finally turned back toward Charlie so they could head back, he was grinning at her with more adoration than she had ever seen from him before.

"Well would you look at that." He said; looking proud. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a penchant for magical creatures."

A/N: I was hoping to release the Valentine's Day chapter on Valentines Day, even though it was not very steamy or romantic, but it seems I am a few days late now. Either way, I'm sending lots of love to all of you for supporting this fiction of mine.

Also sorry it's been so long since my last update, the Holidays were crazy and I've also had some pet problems the past few weeks. My oldest corgi is 11 and he has some spinal issues in his old age. He can no longer walk with his hind legs and we are having to put him through physical therapy and a lot of medications. Please keep your fingers crossed for my good ol' grumpy boy.