Title: HP and the Truth of the Wand
Chapter 4: The Truth of the Wand
"Potter, Weasley and Malfoy!!!!!" a stern voice shouted behind them.
Harry had Malfoy in a headlock and couldn't really care less who was shouting at him. But then, he felt like an invisible hand had grabbed his throat and threw him against the wall. He was paralyzed, his arms and legs stuck to his sides. He could barely make out Ron next to him out of the corner of his eye.
The owls hooted irritably, and most flew up into the rafters. Harry was forced to look ahead… and into the stern face of Professor McGonagall.
"What in the world is going on here?!" she demanded, pointing her wand at the three of them. "I want answers! NOW!"
They all started talking at once. "Malfoy said…!" "He knows Hermione's innoncent!" "They attacked me, Professor! I just came up here to send a letter…!"
"SILENCE!" she croaked.
The three zipped their mouths shut.
"I have never seen such poor behavior from Hogwarts students!" she cried. She pointed her wand at Malfoy. "Freeitoia!"
Malfoy rubbed his wrists and neck.
"You are free to go, Mr. Malfoy. Stop by the hospital wing if you must. AND, ten points will be taken from Slytherin and you will be given detention this weekend."
"But Professor!" Malfoy objected.
"Go now, before I make it twenty!"
Malfoy rushed out of the Owlery. McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. "As for you two! Twenty points from Gryffindor, and a detention this weekend also. Honestly! In all my years of teaching, have I ever been so disgraced by my own house students!"
Harry and Ron gaped at her, at the injustice of it, but kept their mouths shut. She turned, said "Freeitoia!" to release them, and then stopped dead in her tracks. "I've almost forgotten why I came up here. Potter, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you." She turned again and walked down the stairs.
"Twenty points!" Ron declared. "Impossible! Oh, and let us not forget our detention!!!! I'd rather jab ice picks in my eyes than serve a detention with Malfoy!!!"
"I wonder what Dumbledore wants." Harry said.
"Harry, it can't be any worse than losing twenty points and a detention." Ron replied.
Boy, was he wrong.
Harry crept up to the gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," he said, remembering the password from last year and praying it still worked. The gargoyle slid over and Harry knocked on the door. Professor Dumbledore answered, and ushered him inside. Harry was shocked to see Sirius sitting in an empty chair.
"Sirius!" Harry cried.
Sirius smiled, got up, and gave him a hug. "Harry. You're looking well."
"What's this about?" he asked uncertainly. Things like this usually weren't good. Not good at all.
"Have a seat, Harry." Dumbledore said, sitting down as well.
Harry slowly sat down and turned to them.
"How has your scar been?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry nearly had three simultaneous heart attacks. He shouldn't have been too surprised, however. Dumbledore seemed to know everything about everyone.
"Well…" Harry started. "I've been having nightmares a few times, and getting blinding pain from my scar."
Sirius gave Harry a sympathetic look and turned to Dumbledore, who nodded. "What kind of nightmares?"
"He's always chasing me with his wand," Harry confessed. "And Cedric's there sometimes. I have to watch him dying over and over… and sometimes, I see his face in the sky."
"I think it's time you learned the truth," Dumbledore said. "You are no longer a child. You are of fifteen."
"What truth?" Harry asked.
"Did you ever wonder why your wand and Voldemort's wand came from the same Phoenix?" Sirius asked.
"Sorry," Harry said. "With some of the things that have happened to me lately, I sort of forgot about it."
His thoughts drifted back to Hermione and he sighed.
"One of the Phoenix feathers was given," Dumbledore said. "The other, was plucked, unwillingly taken. It is a dark crime to do such a thing to a Phoenix, as it is to kill a unicorn. The bearer of this wand would be lead down a path of darkness, while the one with the given feather will be lead to goodness."
"So… Voldemort has the wand with the plucked feather?" Harry asked.
Sirius and Dumbledore exchanged glances.
Harry rose to his feet. "You can't think that I have it!!"
"Harry," Sirius said gently. "Calm down."
"You are the bearer of the wand with the plucked feather, Harry." Dumbledore said. "Every decision we make in our life determines the outcome of our path to the dark side. If we are good, we will not go down that path. But, I must tell you that the bearer of that wand is destined to be on the dark side."
"Then why do I have it?!" Harry screeched.
"The same reason you have that scar on your forehead." Dumbledore sighed. "Your mother… for awhile, before she met your father was one of Lord Voldemort's followers. Voldemort cursed the day she left his side for your father. She was a very powerful witch. And so, Voldemort killed them, since she refused to return to him. The reason your scar is hurting and your dreams, Harry… is because Voldemort wants you on his side. And if you aren't careful, very careful, he will succeed."
Harry got up and started pacing. "NOT my mother," he said. "Please not my mother."
"She was very young and foolish, Harry." Sirius said. "When she met James, your father, she completely turned around. And when she had you… she loved you so very much. They both did. She gave her life for you."
"How can you even fathom that I would glance at the dark side?" Harry demanded. "He killed my parents for Christ's sake! He killed Diggory in cold blood!"
"I'm not implying anything," Dumbledore said. "I am merely telling you what is written in the stars."
"You sound like Trelawney," Harry spat out. Then, realized what he said and said, "Sorry,"
"I understand your anger, Harry. I truly do…" Dumbledore began.
"NO!" Harry cried. "I'M in charge of my fate, me! I'm in charge of my destiny, not the damn solar system! And I swear to you, on my life, on my parents' graves, that I will never look twice in joining Voldemort!"
"You're a confident young man, Harry." Dumbledore said. "But I must persuade you not to take any more aspirin when your scar hurts."
"Why?"
"It's a reminder of the dark side, Harry. Taking aspirin is admitting defeat to it. Choices, I daresay. You must be very careful. Just ride out the pain. It will dull on it's own it time." Dumbledore sighed.
Harry shook his head. "Done. Anything else?"
Dumbledore and Sirius looked at eachother. Then, Dumbledore said, "You're free to go, Harry."
Harry gave a half salute to them and walked out the door. This was a bit much for him to digest. But he knew it had to be true. Anything and everything was possible, when your name was Harry Potter.
"Ah, mail's here, finally!" Ron declared two mornings later. He had made Harry promise him that he wouldn't make any choices without consulting him first when he told him about the meeting.
"Maybe Hermione wrote back!" Harry cried hopefully.
Sure enough, Hedwig swooped in and dropped an envelope onto his lap.
"It's addressed to both of us," Harry said, tearing open the letter, Ron peering over his shoulder. His heart ached at the sight of Hermione's writing.
Dear Harry and Ron,
Durmstrag is beautiful, but it doesn't compare at all to Hogwarts. It's a smaller castle, and a bit drafty. Sorry about your Quidditch match, Harry. Viktor is working here. He says hello. Crookshanks is miserable. I think he misses you, Ron. (Ron grinned) I really miss you two. And I'm thrilled to hear that you love me as well, Harry. I can't wait to be with you again. Mr. Weasley told me that their meeting with Fudge got pushed back to after Christmas. Can you believe it?! That damn Skeeter woman! We're having a Hogsmeade trip this weekend! Please come, it would mean the world to me. Viktor is doing his best to make me feel at home, but it's just not the same. See you this weekend.
Love,
Hermione
Ron closed his eyes and sighed. "We can't meet her."
Harry's knuckles turned white from gripping the letter so hard as he turned to him. Her words were repating through his brain 'Viktor is doing his best to make me feel at home' and 'Viktor says hello'. "What!?" he screeched.
"Detention, remember?" Ron said.
Harry rested his face in his hands. "This can't be happening."
"Maybe McGonagall will reschedule it," Ron said brightly.
"There's no hurt in asking," Harry said. "I mean, if we tell her we'll be seeing Hermione…"
"And I can't believe the meeting with Fudge got pushed back to after Christmas!" Ron declared.
"Now's our chance," Harry said, jumping up from the table, Ron beside him. They hurried over and stood in front of Professor McGonagall.
"Professor," Harry started. "We need you to reschedule our detentions."
"Why?" she asked.
"Hermione will be in Hogsmeade this weekend," Ron said. "Please, Professor McGonagall."
"I'm sorry boys," she said. "You'll have to take it up with Professor Snape. You'll be serving detention with him."
Snape, who had heard the whole conversation grinned nastily and turned to them. "No." he hissed.
In the years to come, Harry would never remember who's brilliant idea it was to send Hermione the Invisibilty Cloak. They thought of a plan, since Hogwarts fifth years could visit Hogsmeade as often as they wished, to send Fred and George to fetch Hermione. She'd be invisible, of course, but she'd still need a little help getting inside Hogwarts. Blinded by love, or just wanting to see them very much, Hermione agreed to the rule breaking. And as Harry and Ron served their detention with Malfoy, Snape watching them like a hawk, Harry actually had a grin on his face. Finally, after about a month, he'd get to see his beautiful Hermione.
Ron elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop grinning like that. They'll know we're up to something." He paused and scratched his head. "Why does that sound so familiar?"
"Probably because either Hermione, me or Fred and George told YOU that at least six times."
"Probably," Ron agreed, doing double-time with his toothbrush.
Snape was making Harry and Ron scrub his dungeon floor with toothbrushes (no magic allowed), while he and Malfoy supervised.
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for talking," Snape hissed.
Harry couldn't care less at the moment. All he thought about was Hermione.
If it was possible for someone to get more beautiful in a month, then to Harry, Hermione had accomplished that task with flying colors. She sat ackwardly on his bed, the drapes closed around her. Harry had come up from the common room to wash his hands. (He had thought she'd still be with Fred and George) but there she was, sitting there like an angel.
"Hermione!" Harry cried, wrapping his arms around her.
"Harry!" she whispered. She settled her head into his shoulder. "Oh, I missed you!"
The Invisibility Cloak lay folded neatly beside her on the bed.
"I missed you too," Harry said, grinning and hugging her again.
"Fred and George thought that it would be better if I waited up here," she said and blushed.
Harry grinned. "You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"
Hermione scoffed. "With Fred and George Weasley with me? Ha!"
Someone or something rattled the crimson drapes covering his bed.
Panic stricken, Hermione threw the Invisibility Cloak back over her.
"Who--- who's there?" Harry called.
"It's me! Get your tongues out of each other's mouths for a minute and let me in!" Ron cried.
Giggling, Hermione threw off the Invisibility Cloak and Harry opened the drapes enough for Ron to squeeze through.
Ron grinned when he saw Hermione, and she grinned back. "Ron!"
"Herm!"
They hugged.
"So, how's Durmstrag?" Ron asked.
Hermione ruffled her nose. "Beautiful… but I hate it."
Viktor Krum sat outside on his broom, listening to Hermione's conversation with the two boys. Yes, in his mind, that's all they were. Boys. He, however, was a man. And soon, she would be his, at Durmstrag, where she belonged.
End of Chapt 4!
