TITLE: The Cryptic
AUTHOR: Acouta (me!!!!)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry potter characters BUT I WISH I DID!!!! I'D BE A MILLIONAIRE!!!!! But I don't, nothing except this storyline. It's all J.K Rowling's.
Chapter One - Lights and Discoveries
Hermione awoke and within an instant, was sitting bolt upright in bed, fully awake. It had been a deep sleep, too. It wasn't her dream that had awoken her, she knew that; no, it was that.... that thing again. As she watched, a small circle of light which shone with a pale, barely visible blue glow, hovered in front of her for a moment and then darted away. It had been visiting.......no, she had been seeing it, every night since the summer holidays had begun. Maybe it was a sign, she was going to be in her seventh and final year of Hogwarts after all. Maybe it happened to everyone at this stage in their life. She was muggle-born, she didn't really know these things. But she didn't remember reading anything about it in any of the books on magic she'd ever read, and she'd read a few. No, something very odd was happening here, and she had to get to the bottom of it. She glanced at her bedside clock. "Four-thirteen in the morning,' she sighed, 'again.' That was the other odd thing; every night when she awoke, and the glowing orb left her room, it was four-thirteen. That had to mean something. She yawned, and could feel her eyelids drooping. "But it'll have to wait until morning.' She laid her head back down onto the pillow, and within minutes was fast asleep.
*
"What's the matter with you, Hermione? Hermione?" Her mother's voice penetrated her brain, which at this moment was clouded in a sleepy fog. "Pardon?" she yawned. "I said, what's the matter? All of the holiday you've been like this. You're always tired and pale, you used to be so active. Maybe you need vitamins." Hermione rolled her eyes behind her mum's back; her mum was driving her to London so she could go to Diagon Alley, she'd arranged to meet up with Harry and Ron. "I don't need vitamins, mum. I.......I'm just nervous about.....about going back to school.' She didn't like lying to her mother, but she just didn't think her mother would understand about pale lights floating around in her room. "It's my N.E.W.Ts this year, I can't help but think I should be revising, or something." "Oh, don't be silly, Hermione! You've been swatting up all summer! It's time you had a break. You haven't seen Harry or Ron for over a month. Aren't you looking forward to seeing them?" Of course, she was looking forward to seeing them, they were her best friends after all, and maybe they could give her some information, or advice, or something. She didn't want to try and explain it all in a letter as it took so long, and you had to wait for a reply and everything. She'd rather be able to speak to them face-to-face. But "Mm-hm," was all she said.
*
Her mum dropped her off in Vauxhall Road, and she walked from there to the Leaky Cauldron, which led to the gateway of Diagon Alley. She was wondering what she would say when she saw Harry and Ron. What would they say? She had changed quite a lot. While on holiday, she had thought at length about her final year, and, being eighteen, about how she looked.
She had stared at herself in the mirror.
"Good figure, I suppose, but look at what I'm wearing!" She had been wearing a long green skirt and a a brown jumper, with her hair just frizzed up and messy, as usual. She had decided it was time for a change. The hair was the first victim. She'd had it straightened and highlighted, with just a wispy fringe cut in, and feathered around her face. She'd then chucked out all her old, hideous clothes and bought a whole new wardrobe, consisting of jeans, fashionable tops, and many many accessories. Right now she was wearing a pair of tight-fitting bootleg faded jeans, a tight tankini top and a pair of Skechers. She'd wiped herself out money- wise on the shoes alone. Her hair fell delicately around her shoulders, she looked great (if she did say so herself). The Leaky Cauldron appeared in front of her. Her nervousness flared up inside her, but she steeled herself and pushed open the door anyway. The old pub was quiet. Suddenly she saw something move quickly out of the corner of her eye. Whatever it was, it had darted out of the back door which led to Diagon Alley. Oh well, I suppose there are a lot of strange things that come in here, she thought, and put it out of her mind. She was about to just head out the back and on her way, but then she realised she was eighteen. She could stop and have a drink, after all. She supposed it was the same for the Wizarding world as it was for the Muggle world. Casually she approached the bar. "What can I get you, m'dear?" came a voice. The speaker then hobbled into sight, it was Tom the inkeeper. "Umm, I don't know........do you have Foster's?" "What's that?" "Never mind,' she said quickly. "Carling? Carlsberg? Any lager at all?" She had tried some lager while she was on holiday once. It had been alright. Tom shook his head to all of these. "I've never 'eard of any o' them, missy," he said. "Well, what do you have then?"
Tom took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling.
"We got Grindal's Old Spectacular, Strangebrew, Famous Owl, Wizardbrau, Molda's Special Hairy, Potentwasser, Throatstripper, Blindeye's, Knockdown, and this week's guest ale, Wizard's Knob." Hermione slowly took this all in. "Wh....what's the, uh, the Blindeye's like?" she asked cautiously. "Oh, I don't think you'd want that, miss." "Why not?" "The name says it all, really." "Oh." "The ladies that come in 'ere, (except the hags, they go for Throatstripper), usually go for Famous Owl. Sounds classy, they say, or somethin' like that." "Alright, I'll have half a pint of Famous Owl, please," said Hermione. "Hang on, miss, I gotta se how old you are first," said Tom. "Oh.....I forgot my I.D...." she said, sheepishly, but Tom just looked confused. "What's I.D? I do it like this," he said, reaching for his wand. "gots to be eighteen, see." He pointed his wand at Hermione, and said "Maturio!" A greenish haze surrounded Hermione. Tom smiled. "That's all in order then, miss. Half a Famous Owl?" Hermione nodded, and spent the immediate period of time after drinking it trying to get the taste out of her mouth.
The drink had been awful, but she felt decidedly less nervous as she walked through the gateway into Diagon Alley. She felt lighter on her feet, too, and happier. She passed Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's, and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions before she saw Harry. He was sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, with a huge sundae in front of him. Ron was nowhere to be seen. She walked up to him with a big grin. "Hi you!! How are you? I haven't seen you for AGES!" She stopped short at the look on his face. "What? Do I have something on me? And where's Ron?" she asked, brushing at her clothes. "He......he couldn't come," Harry said simply. "Why not?" "You'd better sit down, Hermione. I've got some terrible news." Hermione's heart beat faster. What could keep Ron away from seeing his two best friends? She knew that whatever it was, it was going to be really bad.
Harry paused, then took a long, steadying breath.
"It's Ron's dad...............he's.......he's been killed."
AUTHOR: Acouta (me!!!!)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry potter characters BUT I WISH I DID!!!! I'D BE A MILLIONAIRE!!!!! But I don't, nothing except this storyline. It's all J.K Rowling's.
Chapter One - Lights and Discoveries
Hermione awoke and within an instant, was sitting bolt upright in bed, fully awake. It had been a deep sleep, too. It wasn't her dream that had awoken her, she knew that; no, it was that.... that thing again. As she watched, a small circle of light which shone with a pale, barely visible blue glow, hovered in front of her for a moment and then darted away. It had been visiting.......no, she had been seeing it, every night since the summer holidays had begun. Maybe it was a sign, she was going to be in her seventh and final year of Hogwarts after all. Maybe it happened to everyone at this stage in their life. She was muggle-born, she didn't really know these things. But she didn't remember reading anything about it in any of the books on magic she'd ever read, and she'd read a few. No, something very odd was happening here, and she had to get to the bottom of it. She glanced at her bedside clock. "Four-thirteen in the morning,' she sighed, 'again.' That was the other odd thing; every night when she awoke, and the glowing orb left her room, it was four-thirteen. That had to mean something. She yawned, and could feel her eyelids drooping. "But it'll have to wait until morning.' She laid her head back down onto the pillow, and within minutes was fast asleep.
*
"What's the matter with you, Hermione? Hermione?" Her mother's voice penetrated her brain, which at this moment was clouded in a sleepy fog. "Pardon?" she yawned. "I said, what's the matter? All of the holiday you've been like this. You're always tired and pale, you used to be so active. Maybe you need vitamins." Hermione rolled her eyes behind her mum's back; her mum was driving her to London so she could go to Diagon Alley, she'd arranged to meet up with Harry and Ron. "I don't need vitamins, mum. I.......I'm just nervous about.....about going back to school.' She didn't like lying to her mother, but she just didn't think her mother would understand about pale lights floating around in her room. "It's my N.E.W.Ts this year, I can't help but think I should be revising, or something." "Oh, don't be silly, Hermione! You've been swatting up all summer! It's time you had a break. You haven't seen Harry or Ron for over a month. Aren't you looking forward to seeing them?" Of course, she was looking forward to seeing them, they were her best friends after all, and maybe they could give her some information, or advice, or something. She didn't want to try and explain it all in a letter as it took so long, and you had to wait for a reply and everything. She'd rather be able to speak to them face-to-face. But "Mm-hm," was all she said.
*
Her mum dropped her off in Vauxhall Road, and she walked from there to the Leaky Cauldron, which led to the gateway of Diagon Alley. She was wondering what she would say when she saw Harry and Ron. What would they say? She had changed quite a lot. While on holiday, she had thought at length about her final year, and, being eighteen, about how she looked.
She had stared at herself in the mirror.
"Good figure, I suppose, but look at what I'm wearing!" She had been wearing a long green skirt and a a brown jumper, with her hair just frizzed up and messy, as usual. She had decided it was time for a change. The hair was the first victim. She'd had it straightened and highlighted, with just a wispy fringe cut in, and feathered around her face. She'd then chucked out all her old, hideous clothes and bought a whole new wardrobe, consisting of jeans, fashionable tops, and many many accessories. Right now she was wearing a pair of tight-fitting bootleg faded jeans, a tight tankini top and a pair of Skechers. She'd wiped herself out money- wise on the shoes alone. Her hair fell delicately around her shoulders, she looked great (if she did say so herself). The Leaky Cauldron appeared in front of her. Her nervousness flared up inside her, but she steeled herself and pushed open the door anyway. The old pub was quiet. Suddenly she saw something move quickly out of the corner of her eye. Whatever it was, it had darted out of the back door which led to Diagon Alley. Oh well, I suppose there are a lot of strange things that come in here, she thought, and put it out of her mind. She was about to just head out the back and on her way, but then she realised she was eighteen. She could stop and have a drink, after all. She supposed it was the same for the Wizarding world as it was for the Muggle world. Casually she approached the bar. "What can I get you, m'dear?" came a voice. The speaker then hobbled into sight, it was Tom the inkeeper. "Umm, I don't know........do you have Foster's?" "What's that?" "Never mind,' she said quickly. "Carling? Carlsberg? Any lager at all?" She had tried some lager while she was on holiday once. It had been alright. Tom shook his head to all of these. "I've never 'eard of any o' them, missy," he said. "Well, what do you have then?"
Tom took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling.
"We got Grindal's Old Spectacular, Strangebrew, Famous Owl, Wizardbrau, Molda's Special Hairy, Potentwasser, Throatstripper, Blindeye's, Knockdown, and this week's guest ale, Wizard's Knob." Hermione slowly took this all in. "Wh....what's the, uh, the Blindeye's like?" she asked cautiously. "Oh, I don't think you'd want that, miss." "Why not?" "The name says it all, really." "Oh." "The ladies that come in 'ere, (except the hags, they go for Throatstripper), usually go for Famous Owl. Sounds classy, they say, or somethin' like that." "Alright, I'll have half a pint of Famous Owl, please," said Hermione. "Hang on, miss, I gotta se how old you are first," said Tom. "Oh.....I forgot my I.D...." she said, sheepishly, but Tom just looked confused. "What's I.D? I do it like this," he said, reaching for his wand. "gots to be eighteen, see." He pointed his wand at Hermione, and said "Maturio!" A greenish haze surrounded Hermione. Tom smiled. "That's all in order then, miss. Half a Famous Owl?" Hermione nodded, and spent the immediate period of time after drinking it trying to get the taste out of her mouth.
The drink had been awful, but she felt decidedly less nervous as she walked through the gateway into Diagon Alley. She felt lighter on her feet, too, and happier. She passed Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's, and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions before she saw Harry. He was sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, with a huge sundae in front of him. Ron was nowhere to be seen. She walked up to him with a big grin. "Hi you!! How are you? I haven't seen you for AGES!" She stopped short at the look on his face. "What? Do I have something on me? And where's Ron?" she asked, brushing at her clothes. "He......he couldn't come," Harry said simply. "Why not?" "You'd better sit down, Hermione. I've got some terrible news." Hermione's heart beat faster. What could keep Ron away from seeing his two best friends? She knew that whatever it was, it was going to be really bad.
Harry paused, then took a long, steadying breath.
"It's Ron's dad...............he's.......he's been killed."