This was originally one of the openings I was considering for my Magic Decides story. I eventually decided the Tri wizard was a better spot, mostly cause the idea of the Goblet of fire being a badass appealed to me. Yeah, it meant the couple were younger, but it also didn't extend the war while they were training. I actually wrote something like 8 or 9 chapter of this timeline, maybe i'll revisit it some day.

"Guilty."

Harry sagged in defeat. He'd tried, he really had, but from the moment he'd found out they had changed the time of his hearing he'd had a bad feeling. When he'd walked in and found it was in front of most of the Wizengamot that feeling had solidified into an iron knot in his gut. After each interruption of his explanation or dismissed attempt to justify using his Patronus, he'd seen the writing on the wall. When he'd been silenced he felt an icy cold creep over him. And once the MInister had called for a vote without allowing him to defend himself at all, he knew the railroading was complete.

"Harry James Potter, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and as you are under the age of seventeen and hold no OWLs, your magic shall be bound and your wand snapped. Sentence to be carried out immediately."

He tried to run. He made it about three steps before he was yanked back and thrown into the chain wrapped chair. The iron links wound themselves around him, holding him tight as the pink clad toady of the minister stepped forward. Even before she had spoken Harry had disliked the simpering witch, but the gleeful expression on her pudgy face made him sick.

"Oh Mister Potter, now you finally understand." She said softly, too softly for anyone else to hear, "Now you understand why you should not tell lies."

SNAP

Harry cringed at the sound, turning his head and looking away rather than watching as his wand was snapped inches from his face. The gasps from the onwatching members cause him to look back.

Floating between him and the toad cum witch was a blaze of fire. Harry was reminded of Fawkes, the headmasters Phoenix. It was as if Fawkes had burned but never consumed himself. Flaming wings spread wide and created a barrier between them, and from its beak rang song. Harry had heard phoenix song before, and as before, it filled him with hope and happiness. Many of the onlookers seemed pained however, and several clutched their left forearms as if they were in pain. Many of the rest clutched their heads or the chests. Only those that had voted against a guilty verdict seemed unaffected.

The song crescendoed, building greater, and Harry felt himself full of love and happiness. He started to feel memories well up, each as vivid as the last. Each one had a common theme though. Every one was a happy moment in his life, and each one had Hermione in it. The potion room first year, and the hug after his fight with the Basilisk second year. Casting his patronus and Riding buckbeak third year passed before he felt her reassuring hand squeeze at the choosing of the champions. He felt her arms wrap around him before the first task, and the bone crushing hug he'd gotten when he'd arrived at Grimmauld earlier that week.

"Hermione." He whispered as the love his best friend showed him swelled, filling him and he realized how much he loved her back. The flame phoenix seemed to take his whispered reverence as an indication it was time. His song ebbed, the sounds still echoing throughout the chamber, and then he flew. Circling the room twice, he seemed to catch every person's gaze, and only a few could hold it. Then he dove, he dove right past a trembling Umbridge and straight into Harry's chest. The Warmth and Love he had been feeling redoubled, soaring and taking him in a burst of power.

To everyone else's eyes, the fire crashed into Harry, then swept over him. It burned bright and hot, forcing the undersecretary to stumble back and everyone to shield their eyes. As the glow and heat faded, everyone turned to look at the middle of the room.

The only thing that remained was a pile of ash and melted iron.

Hermione Granger stared at the page in front of her, the same page she'd been trying to read for the past hour. She had retreated to the library as soon as Harry had left with Mr. Weasley for the Ministry. She knew everything should be ok, that Harry would be ok, but he couldn't shake her fear. Her magic ached, like it had all summer until Harry had shown up at headquarters. Now he was gone again and it ached once more.

It really had started at the end of the term, when the Headmaster had pulled her aside and told her not to write to Harry this summer, that he needed to deal with the events of the third task by himself. She knew that it was wrong, that it was arguably the worst way to deal with something that horrific, but this was the headmaster. She'd debated with herself for hours before agreeing not to send Harry an Owl that summer.

She had however, sent him letters. In her first one she'd said that she understood that he might not be able to write back, but she would keep writing to him, and she had right up until the headmaster had brought her to headquarters. It wasn't until he finally arrived that she learned he'd never received them, though he'd found out she had written when he found a torn up scrap of one of her letters in the rubbish bin.

Oh the look on his face, the gratitude in his eyes when he'd told her that. She sighed. Ever since she'd been able to read the Prophet and see the Ministries smear campaign against him she'd had butterflies in her stomach. Not good butterflies like when Harry held her hand, but bad ones, omens of bad things to come. Then the hearing.

Everyone had declared it rubbish, constantly saying they were sure Harry didn't need to worry about it. They never said why though, or helped him plan any defense. She had tried, but it seemed that every time she had a moment to speak to Harry about it Mrs. Weasley would show up and split them up doing different chores. She understood the need to help out, but with so many adults around, the tasks could have been done in a fraction of the time with magic.

Now Harry was out there, at the MInistry, at a Hearing to determine if they would expel him, and she could do nothing.

"Miss Granger."

Startled, she looked up but there was no one there. The door was still sealed, and she could see the faint shimmer of the privacy charm on the door. Carefully putting the book down, she looked around the room, slowly moving between the tables and bookshelves. Finally finding nothing, she shook her head. All this worrying was making her hear things.

She moved back to her window seat and paused. There, floating just above the book, was a ball of fire. Small and flickering, it looked like one of her Bluebell flames but with normal coloring. It was floating about a meter off the floor, bobbing up and down slightly as if floating on a calm sea.

"Hello Miss Granger," The disembodied voice came from the ball of flame. "May I ask a question of you?"

"May I ask one in return?" she countered, thinking fast. She'd read patroni could be used to send messages, but never a conversation. She couldn't think of any messenger spell that could do this.

"Of course." The voice sounded amused, "First though, and I need you to be completely honest with me; do you Love Harry Potter?"

"I would like to know why you wish to know."

"I suppose that is fair," She wasn't sure, but the voice sounded female. "Your Ministry of Magic has been led astray, and a few minutes ago, found Mr. Potter guilty after denying him any chance to defend himself. Never fear, he is safe. When they snapped his wand I was able to call him to me. It was hard for him, but not damaging, and he is currently resting. The reason I ask is I have an offer for you."

"What is the offer?"

"Answer my question first please. It is only fair since I have answered yours."

"I never asked one, I only stated a fact."

"Oh I like you," The voice chuckled sweetly, "I would still ask you to answer first. Your answer may change the offer."

"I see," Hermione thought hard, thinking and rethinking, before finally acquiescing, "I do love him, though he doesn't know."

"He isn't quite as clueless as you may believe, though while you think you aren't good enough for him, he thinks he's not worthy of you. The problem is you're both wrong."

"He…"

"Yes, he does." The voice cut her off, "Now here is my offer, but hear me out because there is a cost. I can bring you to him, help you both, train you, but you can not contact anyone until your training is complete. It may be years before you can return and in that time you may have no contact with Magical Britain."

"You said magical Britain, does that mean I can contact my parents?" She asked, fighting the urge to agree instantly.

"Unfortunately not my child." The voice was definitely female now, and motherly. "Not initially at least, possibly not at all. Your parents will be questioned once you disappear, and they have no defense against the dark lord."

"Voldemort is going after my parents?! I have to go."

"Wait." Hermione paused as she almost felt the restraining hand on her shoulder. "I never said it was Tom Riddle, I said the Dark Lord. Things are not as you believe, and it is time to learn the truth."

"The truth? But my parents… Will they be ok?"

"I do not know the future, too much changes too often for any to know that, but I would be inclined to say yes. They would be seen as insignificant once he reads their minds and finds no knowledge of your whereabouts."

"Read their minds?"

"A rare magic known as Legilimency. Used to see into the thoughts of others."

"Can we do anything to protect them?"

"Right now, their best defense is ignorance. Until such a time as the confrontation is ready, the less anyone knows, the better."

"You mean the fight with Voldemort, don't you?"

"In part. The current upheaval is a symptom, and while you may not believe it, Tom Riddle is as much a victim as your friend Harry. Enough, time grows short and I need your answer. Will you stay, or will you come to the aid of your friend?"

"I'm betting if I stay I won't be able to talk to Harry for some time, right?"

"Indeed."

BANGBANGBANG

"Hermione? Are you in there? Let me in right now, young lady!" Molly Weasley's voice came through the door as the handle rattled.

"Quickly child, your decision." the urgency in that voice, the desperation, reminded her of Harry. Her Harry. And as she looked back at the ball of fire she now saw a hand, held out for her. She didn't think, she didn't decide, she just trusted. She took the hand.

"What do you mean you don't know where Harry is?"

Everyone had gathered in the Kitchen to hear the results of Harry's trial, but the news the Dumbledore brought back was less than expected.

"I mean, he disappeared in the middle of the Wizengamot and is believed to be dead." Albus said sadly. "They changed the time of the hearing and didn't notify me. I did show up early but not early enough it seems. From what I understand, they found him guilty and snapped his wand."

The gasp from all assembled broke the monologue slightly, and Albus gathered himself before continuing.

"Yes, quite unexpected I agree. However, upon his wand snapping, or so the story goes, a flaming bird came from his wand, sang a song of pain, then consumed Mr. Potter."

"Consumed?" Ron's voice asked, clearly not understanding.

"He means it burned him, don't you professor?" His sister spoke sadly, tears in her eyes.

"So they say," the headmaster confirmed. I managed to enter the chamber before the aurors cleaned the remains. I'm afraid all that was left was some melted Iron and ash. I'm curious, where is Miss Granger? I was sure she would be eager for any news."

"We're not sure, we can't find her." Molly said. "I know she was in the LIbrary, I saw her run there after Harry left. When I found she wasn't helping the others, I went to find her but I haven't succeeded yet. Don't worry though, I'm sure she'll turn up eventually."

In the days and weeks that followed, many things happened, not all of them explainable. Hermione had disappeared, as if she just walked out the door. All her belongings remained behind, all except for Crookshanks, who scampered out the front door one morning and had not been found since. Dumbledore tried to access the Potter vault, but the Goblins refused, stating he was not authorized. Not even Dumbledore's dubious claim to be his guardian saw much headway, nor did the Ministries attempt to claim it as the assets of a dead house. The Ministry made a move against Dumbledore, forcing him to take a ministry appointed instructor for the vacant DADA position. The Dark made further inroads in their campaign to control the magical world, and soon, many forgot the name of Harry Potter.