Chapter Six
A New Target
"Thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall when she brought Hermione up to his office. She nodded to Dumbledore, and then left, leaving the headmaster and Hermione alone to talk. "Have a seat, Miss Granger."
Hermione sat quickly. "T-thank you, sir." Hermione glanced at Fawkes.
"Well, then." Dumbledore peered at Hermione over his half-moon shaped spectacles. "I understand you've had a series of disturbing dreams."
"Yes." Hermione nodded.
"I want to know them. I want to know all of them.and I want to know every detail."
Hermione knew she was caught. How would she explain why she was dreaming about Malfoy? Much less his parents? "Y-yes, sir."
Hermione explained the Malfoy Manor, and Voldemort, hoping she would get past the one about Malfoy. "Sir, what about the dream with V-Voldemort? What did it mean? Why did I have it?"
Dumbledore pressed his fingers together, leaning back in his chair. "It seems that Voldemort is wanting a potion that only Professor Callon and myself can make. Since he knows he can not get it from me, he will undoubtedly try to get it from Gene."
"Why can no one else make it? What's it called? What's its purpose?" She asked him. "If.I may ask." She added quickly.
Dumbledore smiled at her. "The Robust Potion is very, very powerful. Very, very few wizards have ever been able to accomplish. Perhaps only a couple drops of it can make him the most powerful wizard in the world.and maybe even invincible. Voldemort also seems to have a new target now.other than Harry Potter."
"Who?" Hermione asked shakily.
"Well, you said yourself he wanted to get the 'Mudblood'." Dumbledore said, staring over his glasses.
"M.me?!" Hermione was shocked. "But, sir.why? Why me?"
"Hermione," Dumbledore said. It was the first time he'd addressed her by her first name. "You are a wonder to Voldemort, now. Even more than Harry."
"I don't understand."
"He finds it hard to understand how a Mudblood.so young, at that.is at your level. You are able to do some things even the teachers can not do. Some things even Voldemort can not do. He wants to use you, Hermione. He wants to get stronger, so he can use you to do his work."
Hermione's eyes fell to the floor. She never would have guessed her great knowledge would cause her to become the target of a Dark Wizard. "He wants to use me?"
"To get Harry. He knows that if you two were to ever fight, Harry wouldn't stand a chance." Hermione was horrified. Voldemort was going to try to persuade her to kill her best friend. "Hermione, you said you had three dreams. You only told me about two. I would like to hear the other."
"I." She would have to tell him the dream about Malfoy. "I was talking to Malfoy and I was thanking him for not insulting me but then he started being mean to me again and I called him a snake and a snake tongue came out of his mouth."
Dumbledore stared at her. "Yes."
Hermione stood up quickly. "May.I go, sir? I don't feel well." Hermione didn't want him asking her about why she thought she was dreaming about Malfoy.
"You may, but I must ask," Dumbledore said, standing. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Is there anything you wish to tell me?"
"No, sir." Hermione said quietly, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes. Off you go."
"Thank you, sir." Hermione went quickly out of Dumbledore's office.
He knows. Hermione thought to herself as she walked down the corridor. She decided she would just read her Advanced Charms book in the common room. She didn't feel like going to the library and looking up anything. When she got to the common room, Harry and Ron were paying Chess. "Heya, Hermione. Find anything in the library?" Ron asked her, as he watched one of his pieces struggle with Harry's.
"Um, yes. I did, there was just too much stuff, and I didn't have any parchment with me. I'll have to go back tomorrow."
"Ah." Ron said. Then laughed. "I never knew there could be too much information for you, Hermione."
"Yes, well." She said, settling into a large chair by the fire. Her ginger cat, Crookshanks, jumped into her lap as she opened her Charms book.
"Hermione," Ron said. "Please tell us what's wrong?"
"What do you mean, Ron?" Hermione said, only half-interested in what he had to say.
"Well, I mean you've been acting different lately. Not paying attention in class, staring at Malfoy." Had Ron seen her watching him sleep on the train?
"I really wasn't feeling good today in Defense, and.well, watching Malfoy.I guess I'd never really been that close to him without having a nasty comment shot at me. I suppose I quiet enjoyed it." She only half lied.
"Oh. Well is there anything Harry and I can do to help?" He asked.
"Anything at all?" Harry added.
"No," Hermione said. "But thank you. I'm fine now." She forced a smile. "I think I will go to bed, though. I'm getting a headache. See you all tomorrow." Hermione said, heading to the girls dormitory. She knew, no matter what, no one could know what Dumbledore had told her in his office. She knew it was a secret that had to be kept.
A New Target
"Thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall when she brought Hermione up to his office. She nodded to Dumbledore, and then left, leaving the headmaster and Hermione alone to talk. "Have a seat, Miss Granger."
Hermione sat quickly. "T-thank you, sir." Hermione glanced at Fawkes.
"Well, then." Dumbledore peered at Hermione over his half-moon shaped spectacles. "I understand you've had a series of disturbing dreams."
"Yes." Hermione nodded.
"I want to know them. I want to know all of them.and I want to know every detail."
Hermione knew she was caught. How would she explain why she was dreaming about Malfoy? Much less his parents? "Y-yes, sir."
Hermione explained the Malfoy Manor, and Voldemort, hoping she would get past the one about Malfoy. "Sir, what about the dream with V-Voldemort? What did it mean? Why did I have it?"
Dumbledore pressed his fingers together, leaning back in his chair. "It seems that Voldemort is wanting a potion that only Professor Callon and myself can make. Since he knows he can not get it from me, he will undoubtedly try to get it from Gene."
"Why can no one else make it? What's it called? What's its purpose?" She asked him. "If.I may ask." She added quickly.
Dumbledore smiled at her. "The Robust Potion is very, very powerful. Very, very few wizards have ever been able to accomplish. Perhaps only a couple drops of it can make him the most powerful wizard in the world.and maybe even invincible. Voldemort also seems to have a new target now.other than Harry Potter."
"Who?" Hermione asked shakily.
"Well, you said yourself he wanted to get the 'Mudblood'." Dumbledore said, staring over his glasses.
"M.me?!" Hermione was shocked. "But, sir.why? Why me?"
"Hermione," Dumbledore said. It was the first time he'd addressed her by her first name. "You are a wonder to Voldemort, now. Even more than Harry."
"I don't understand."
"He finds it hard to understand how a Mudblood.so young, at that.is at your level. You are able to do some things even the teachers can not do. Some things even Voldemort can not do. He wants to use you, Hermione. He wants to get stronger, so he can use you to do his work."
Hermione's eyes fell to the floor. She never would have guessed her great knowledge would cause her to become the target of a Dark Wizard. "He wants to use me?"
"To get Harry. He knows that if you two were to ever fight, Harry wouldn't stand a chance." Hermione was horrified. Voldemort was going to try to persuade her to kill her best friend. "Hermione, you said you had three dreams. You only told me about two. I would like to hear the other."
"I." She would have to tell him the dream about Malfoy. "I was talking to Malfoy and I was thanking him for not insulting me but then he started being mean to me again and I called him a snake and a snake tongue came out of his mouth."
Dumbledore stared at her. "Yes."
Hermione stood up quickly. "May.I go, sir? I don't feel well." Hermione didn't want him asking her about why she thought she was dreaming about Malfoy.
"You may, but I must ask," Dumbledore said, standing. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Is there anything you wish to tell me?"
"No, sir." Hermione said quietly, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes. Off you go."
"Thank you, sir." Hermione went quickly out of Dumbledore's office.
He knows. Hermione thought to herself as she walked down the corridor. She decided she would just read her Advanced Charms book in the common room. She didn't feel like going to the library and looking up anything. When she got to the common room, Harry and Ron were paying Chess. "Heya, Hermione. Find anything in the library?" Ron asked her, as he watched one of his pieces struggle with Harry's.
"Um, yes. I did, there was just too much stuff, and I didn't have any parchment with me. I'll have to go back tomorrow."
"Ah." Ron said. Then laughed. "I never knew there could be too much information for you, Hermione."
"Yes, well." She said, settling into a large chair by the fire. Her ginger cat, Crookshanks, jumped into her lap as she opened her Charms book.
"Hermione," Ron said. "Please tell us what's wrong?"
"What do you mean, Ron?" Hermione said, only half-interested in what he had to say.
"Well, I mean you've been acting different lately. Not paying attention in class, staring at Malfoy." Had Ron seen her watching him sleep on the train?
"I really wasn't feeling good today in Defense, and.well, watching Malfoy.I guess I'd never really been that close to him without having a nasty comment shot at me. I suppose I quiet enjoyed it." She only half lied.
"Oh. Well is there anything Harry and I can do to help?" He asked.
"Anything at all?" Harry added.
"No," Hermione said. "But thank you. I'm fine now." She forced a smile. "I think I will go to bed, though. I'm getting a headache. See you all tomorrow." Hermione said, heading to the girls dormitory. She knew, no matter what, no one could know what Dumbledore had told her in his office. She knew it was a secret that had to be kept.
