The Open Link

by Ralina

AU: At the beginning of Hermione's 5th year in Hogwarts, the ministry discovers, that there must be a student with an open magical link at the school - a phenomenon that hasn't happened for more than a hundred years. Nobody knows who it is, though, not even the person themselves, but everybody seems to be out to find the Open Link, even the Dark Lord himself.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The School Counsellor

This last year of their Hogwarts career would be a special one, that much was obvious to Fred and George. As notorious troublemakers, they had learned to read people around them well enough, as their success was strongly dependent on this skill. There was definitely an air of nervousness and anticipation radiating towards them from the teacher's table in the Great Hall, a sure sign that something was up. Especially promising in that regard looked the small, stout woman that was a new addition to the teacher's table. Fred prayed she wouldn't be their new Defense Professor, as she didn't look like she would be able to defeat a spider on the wall, let alone something more sinister. Merlin, he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand another Lockhart.

Whatever news it was, Dumbledore refrained from addressing them until everyone was sated and happy from the food the skilled Hogwarts house-elves had provided. When the old wizard finally rose from his seat, Fred could tell that all eyes in the Great Hall were focused on him.

"Now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, there are some announcements I'd like to make. First, I have been notified by the ministry that some days ago the appearance of an Open Link was registered in the country. As this is a condition that only appears in children undergoing puberty, it is most likely that the affected person is here, among us. Luckily the Ministry of Magic was kind enough to send somebody willing to support and educate you, considering the many questions you might have regarding this very exciting topic." With that Dumbledore turned to the short, pink woman with the ugly bow on her head and smiled grandfatherly. "Students, please welcome Dolores Umbridge, your new School Counselor and teacher for Emotional and Attachment Education." At that, Dolores Umbridge, who was looking more and more like a toad to him, rose from her seat and looked at the students with a sickly sweet smile. Fred immediately decided that he didn't like her one bit. He could already see her in his mind's eye, sitting in a fluffy pink chair, looking at him with that same sickening smile, asking if there was something he wanted to talk to her about. It was the stuff of nightmares.

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome," Dolores Umbridge said in a high, girly voice, looking at the assembled students with her head proudly raised. "I must say, it is so lovely to be back at Hogwarts! And to see all your happy and excited faces looking up at me!" Fred grimaced. He definitely wasn't one of those happy faces, and by the looks of it, neither was anyone around him. "Hem, hem, as your teacher for Emotional and Attachment Education —EAAE for short—, it is my task to inform you about the "Open Link" situation and the risks pertaining to this condition. There is no reason for you to worry those fragile, little heads of yours, though. I will give you all the information you need to discover whether you might be the one affected and what can be done to help you in this time of need." She puffed her chest proudly. "It will be my honour to stand by your side and support you in this time of uncertainty and emotional struggles. The Ministry is very much aware of the pressure on growing youth and has sent me to help you learn how to make good decisions. Because, as a school, it is not only our task to educate and shape your minds, but also to guard and protect those fragile little hearts beating in your chests."

Fred was going to be sick, he just knew it. Was this toady woman really telling them that she intended to educate them in… well, in what? Love? Sex? Merlin, hopefully, these lessons of hers were just about the ominous condition known as the "Open Link". Otherwise, they would have to speed the invention of their Skiving Snackboxes, as they planned to call them, because there was no chance in hell that he was sitting through more than an hour of this woman talking about love and sex.

sssssssss

The Open Link and the new, related school subject was the talk of the evening, and when the next day came, almost everybody in the Great Hall could be heard talking about it. The news that there would be no other new professor in the staff and that therefore Dumbledore himself would teach DADA for students in fifth year and above, while the other teachers would split the other classes between them, had caused surprisingly little excitement. But for Hermione, this was news that made her day. Finally, they would have a competent teacher for DADA and, hopefully, the Headmaster would be able to prepare them for what was to come! Open Link or not, the Dark Lord was lurking somewhere, just waiting for the right moment to attack, and Hermione Granger wanted to be prepared. Unfortunately, her first DADA lesson wasn't until Friday, whereas her first lesson with the new school counsellor would take place right after their block of Transfiguration on Monday morning. So Hermione, Ron and Harry soon found themselves in a classroom with a bunch of over-excited students (especially Parvati and Lavender who were already very much aflame for the new school subject). More than once Hermione heard them discuss who of the Hogwarts students would be the new 'Chosen One'.

"Hem, hem." Hermione's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and when she looked up, she could see the new Professor had taken her position in front of the classroom. She was immediately alert, and straightened her back to look at her new teacher expectantly. "Welcome to your first lesson on EAAE, my lovely students. I am sure many of you already have a lot of questions for me, and I will be most pleased to answer all of them for you. The Ministry of Magic has finally recognized a need to provide guidance to students during such an emotionally challenging phase of your life."

Hermione nodded contemplatively. The idea of some sort of emotional education was actually a very good one, as many of the boys at Hogwarts had the emotional depth of a puddle and could surely use some help in understanding the girls around them. Still, she had the feeling that this would only be part of their new education, and she prepared herself to take detailed notes.

"Hem, hem, I am sure the most pressing question on your minds is the condition that is known as the 'Open Link'. It is very rare among witches and wizards, and even though it provides the affected individual (which we will call OL from now on) with certain powers, it also comes with many risks and responsibilities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you keep a close eye on yourself and watch for any signs of emotional anomalies or sudden strong feelings of attachment that you might experience for other people."

"You mean like love?" Ron's voice asked uncomfortably from directly behind her, and the eyes of their teacher were immediately fixed on him.

"Your name is?" she asked in a clipped tone that implied that she wasn't very fond of interruptions.

"Ron, Ron Weasley, ma'am."

Dolores Umbridge cleared her throat. "Ah yes, Mr Weasley. This is indeed a very good question, but I would kindly ask you, from now on, to raise your hand if there is a question." She smiled and Hermione could only imagine that Ron nodded mutely behind her. "The sudden feelings you might encounter may indeed feel like love or infatuation, but what you are experiencing is your magic's attempt to find a partner who can connect itself to. You see, usually a wizard's magic is locked in their magical core and cannot be touched or used by any other person, but this is not true in the case of an OL." The School Counsellor looked at them with a stern expression. "An OL's magical core is anxious to attach itself to another person's, and will be forced to do this at some point. You see, the core itself is not closed but rather experiences some sort of leak, which can lead to a slow drain of magical energy. As such, it is quite dangerous for the affected individual. This condition also makes their magic accessible to another person, and by connecting to it, the leak in the magical core can finally be closed. I think I don't need to tell you that it is important to choose the person for such a position very carefully."

At that, the class erupted in excited whispers and Hermione could at least see four hands raise into the air. Her hand was not among them.

"And you are Miss…?"

"Lavender Brown, Professor," Lavender answered proudly before she continued. "The person you forge such a connection to must be a person you love, right? I am sure it must be pure, reciprocated love and nothing else, am I correct?" the girl said in a dreamy tone, ending her question with a sigh.

Professor Umbridge smiled kindly at her student, before she let her eyes roam through the class. "That is one way to form a connection, Ms Brown, but not the only way. Feelings of admiration, deep friendship, or the need to support somebody might be enough to form a link. This type of link may not be as strong as one that is formed by love, or even marriage, or … hem, hem… sexual interaction…" —at this, the class snickered— "but it might still be enough to grant an amount of emotional stability to our 'Open Link' and share its magical powers, if only temporarily."

At that, more hands rose into the air.

"Does that mean that an OL could magically support whatever person he feels the desire to?" Seamus asked after giving his name to the Professor. The short woman nodded with a pleased smile on her face.

"This is correct, Mr Finnigan," she said and awarded him five house points. "This is the reason the Open Link needs to be found as soon as possible. The Minister himself assures you that all necessary measures will be taken to provide security and a suitable Link-Partner for him or her."

Hermione didn't like where this was going at all. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and raised her hand. Dolores Umbridge fixed her with interested eyes and a kind smile. "What's your name, dear?"

"My name is Hermione Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you are implying that the Ministry will want to choose a Partner for the Open Link? Why not let the person decide for themselves?"

Even though Dolores Umbridge's smile stayed kind, something shifted in her eyes at Hermione's words and she suddenly felt a shudder run through her body.

"Well, Miss Granger, the person we are talking about will most likely be an emotionally unstable teenager that will see the need to attach to whoever seems suitable for him or her. What kind of educated decision do you expect such a person to make? I must warn you, my dear children. sexual… hem, hem… intercourse will, without doubt, create a permanent link between the OL and its partner, even though they might, at a later point, wish not to be connected to such a person any longer." Dolores Umbridge said these words with her nose wrinkled in a way that implied, that she found the idea of random or light-hearted sex absolutely despicable. Though Hermione was convinced that she wanted to wait for somebody special to engage in that kind of activity with, she knew very well that many of her classmates didn't object to having a bit of fun from time to time.

She nodded thoughtfully before carefully saying: "That would be very regrettable, indeed. What about… I'm sorry, Professor, but … what about non-amicable intercourse?" she asked, feeling her cheeks tinge pink. Behind her, she heard Parvati gasp in shock, but she willed her eyes to be fixed at the Professor. For a moment it seemed that the corner of Dolores Umbridge's eyes twitched at her words, but the encouraging smile didn't leave the woman's face.

"I can reassure you Miss Granger, in case of —how did you call it?— non-amicable intercourse, no such connection will be formed. Do not worry yourself about it."

Hermione nodded and sighed in relief. That at least was good news. If one first had to build some kind of emotional connection, this hopefully reduced the danger of Voldemort raping one of her fellow students. Hermione was sure that such an act would not be beneath him if it would increase his power. How likely would it be that one of them formed an emotional attachment to the Dark Lord, though? In case that the Open Link was a Slytherin, this actually might be a possibility, but otherwise…

"Any other questions?" Dolores Umbridge's voice pulled her from her thoughts. There were indeed many more questions, and Hermione, as did many of her classmates, soaked up every answer their Professor gave like a sponge.

ssssssssss

"Who do you think it is?" Harry asked her as they lounged together in the Gryffindor common room that evening. Her friend seemed to be in a strange mood since learning about the existence of the Open Link, and Hermione couldn't really blame him for it. The thought alone that one of them could be turned into a powerful weapon for either side of the war was exciting and scary at the same time.

Hermione sighed and put her book aside. "I don't know Harry. I think at this point it could really be anyone– well, maybe not anyone. From what we learned, the Open Link is most likely still a virgin, as the link seemed to close as soon as you… you know." She looked at her friends with pink cheeks and they nodded at her awkwardly. "And that definitely rules some people out."

The boys nodded awkwardly at her. "Are you still, I mean…" Harry looked at his friends with his cheeks completely red in embarrassment.

Ron snorted. "'Course I am, I would have told you if something that exciting happened to me, mate," he said, and clapped Harry on the back. Then the boy's eyes turned towards her. "And you?" Harry asked, and seemed to hold his breath.

Hermione sighed. "What do you think, Harry? Of course I am. I might be a year older than you, but that doesn't mean that I…"

He held his hand up in defence. "Alright, alright. I didn't want to imply anything, Hermione. I just wondered, because of you and Krum last year…"

She sighed. "Viktor and I are just friends Harry, nothing happened— well, not much…" she said, but Ron looked at her with wide eyes.

"Not much? What's that supposed to mean?"

"That is really none of your business, Ronald," Hermione said sourly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What happened between Viktor and me is supposed to stay just there, between me and him."

Ron huffed annoyedly, but he let the topic go. Instead, he turned towards Harry and said: "Do you think it could be one of us? I mean, it's possible right?"

Harry nodded with a frown. "I thought so, too. I mean, we seem to be the right age… just on the brink of adulthood. And as we are all still… you know…" he closed his mouth awkwardly.

"Well, I guess it's possible. But I mean, did you feel any different in the last weeks? Professor Umbridge said there would be some kind of… emotionality involved. Have you felt something like that?"

Harry nodded darkly. "I've felt kind of strange recently… like always on edge. I feel like I'm angry a lot, like something is simmering, just below the surface. Does that make any sense? Do you think that could be it?"

Hermione sighed. "It could be, but I don't know. If you like, I could try to find more information in the library. Not, that I don't trust the Professor, but she's working for the Ministry, right? What if she's only telling us what they want us to know? I imagine Fudge would be interested to have an OL supporting him."

Her friends nodded with wide eyes. "You're right, Hermione," Harry admitted, seeming even more unsettled. "It would totally make sense if they tell us just enough to make us afraid and run into their arms. We should definitely be careful."

They all nodded together, and just as Hermione thought the topic was closed, Harry said grimly: "With the luck I have, it'll be me." And Hermione couldn't help but agree with him. It would definitely fit the picture.