A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews! The first thing I do when I get to work is check to make sure I'm still doing an OK job with this story. There are about 5 chapters left after this one. I'm going to throw in a couple angsty and fluffy chapters before getting back to the action.
Oh, I'm a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan (American baseball); I've been so since I was ten (by some cruel twist of fate I just missed the 1984 season! Argh!), so I'm not some bandwagon jumper. Tonight is Game 1 of the NLCS, so go Cubbies! C'mon Sosa! Earn your money and drive in a run or two!!
Apologies to any Marlins fans who may be reading this, but you guys already got your rings anyways ;)
27. Breakfast News and the Prophecy Revealed
It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from Hermione's shoulders. Everything felt infinitely better now that Harry was back. And not only was Harry back, but her internal conflict around Sean was proven unnecessary. She thought back over the past months at the clues and hints that Sean was Harry, and she berated herself for not putting two and two together. She also marveled at the spell Dumbledore created; it was truly a masterpiece, and very necessary: many times, she could tell Ron would have revealed the truth if not for the spell. The three of them spent most of their time together, just like old times, studying for the upcoming NEWTs. Harry seemed very grateful for the homework planner that she gave him, but she was a little embarrassed when she realized that she had given him the exact same present just two years ago.
A week after she found out the truth, the three were sitting to breakfast on a sunny Sunday morning. Her Sunday Daily arrived, and Hermione spread out the paper while Ron and Harry discussed Quidditch beside her. She gave a small gasp as she read the front page.
YOU-KNOW-WHO ATTACK CLAIMS THREE LIVES. MESSAGE FOUND FOR BOY-WHO-LIVED
By Michael Perry, Staff Reporter
Three people were killed in a late night Death Eater attack on the city of Bath. Although details are still sketchy, a source within the Auror division reports that anywhere from eight to twelve Death Eaters approached Bath from the north on broomsticks around one in the morning. They conducted several strafing runs, setting fires to many homes in the wizarding section of the city. Several homes were lost, and three wizards lost their lives fighting the blaze. Two Muggles were also killed in the attack. Eyewitness report that the Dark Mark could be seen for miles, and additional Ministry officials were brought in to Obliviate nearby Muggles.
The Daily Prophet has also learned that the word "Potter" was found inscribed below the Dark Mark. Insiders believe that You-Know-Who has grown frustrated with the disappearance of the Boy-Who-Lived and is resorting to attacks to draw him out into the open. The office of the Minister of Magic refused to comment on the latest…
Harry and Ron looked up when they heard her gasp. "What is it?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Ron said, "What has You-Know-Who done now?"
Hermione quickly folded the newspaper in half and stood, clearing her plate with a flick of her wand. "It's nothing," she said in a high-pitched voice.
"What do you mean nothing? Your face went as white as Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron said.
"It's just another attack. In Bath, this time. Three wizards and two Muggles were killed," Hermione said as she quickly gathered her things and started to walk away. Harry grabbed her wrist before she could get far.
"Hermione," he said in a low voice. "What happened?"
"It's nothing, really Sean. Please let me go, I-I have to go to the library," Hermione pleaded.
"No. Let me see the paper."
Hermione panicked. She couldn't let Harry read the story; she knew he would feel guilty and might try to do something he'd regret later. "Please Sean, trust me. You don't need to read it."
"What happened that you don't want me to know about?"
"It's nothing, just another attack. Please let me go," she begged, struggling to escape his grasp.
"Not until you give me the paper."
"Please trust me Sean. It's better this way; it's for your own good." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was the absolutely wrong thing to say. Harry's eyes narrowed, and his previously impatient face turned into one of betrayal.
"Fine!" he spat, practically throwing her wrist aside, the disgust evident in his voice. "You're the last person I expected to keep things from me, for my own good. Go! Go to the library! You think I can't find a Sunday Daily myself?" Harry turned away from her and stabbed savagely at a sausage with his fork.
Hermione just stood there. She could have kicked herself for her words. Of all the things she knew about Harry, she knew he hated being kept in the dark. The look on his face reminded her too painfully of their conversation in the empty classroom last year. She couldn't repeat that mistake. She sat down next to Harry and offered the paper to him. "I'm sorry," she said in a quiet voice. "You're right. Here."
Harry didn't lift his gaze from his plate, and he didn't move for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he put down his fork and took the paper from her outstretched hand. He looked at her briefly, and then reached for a small plate of toast. "Here," he said, meeting her eyes, "Eat. You didn't finish your breakfast." Hermione took a bite of the toast gratefully, accepting it for what it is – an offer of reconciliation. He met her eyes again, understanding passing between them, before Harry turned his attention to the story. Ron read over his shoulder while Hermione watching Harry's face anxiously. She saw Harry's face change from curiosity to shock to despair. She could practically feel the guilt and anger coming in waves off of his body. Without a word, Harry stood and walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron immediately got up and followed. They shadowed him at a discrete distance as Harry walked towards an empty classroom. Ron and Hermione followed him inside and shut the door behind them. Harry's back was turned towards them, and it was silent for a full minute.
"Damn Voldemort!" Harry cried out in anger, his fists pounding on the teacher's desk. Ron winced at hearing the name.
Hermione was worried. She knew that Harry had an overdeveloped sense responsibility and gallantry, and that he could be very rash when reacting emotionally. She tried to calm him down. "Listen Sean, it's not your fault. Voldemort's been attacking cities all year long; he would have still attacked Bath whether you were in hiding or not," she said in a soothing voice. Harry didn't respond.
"Hermione's right," Ron said. "It's not your fault. You-Know-Who just gets his kicks from tormenting you. He's got an unhealthy obsession with killing you." Hermione shot Ron a look; it was times like these that she wished he were a bit more...discrete.
"Please Sean," Hermione said apprehensively. "Don't do anything rash."
"Rash?" Harry said, rounding on them. "Like what, Hermione? Rash like heading down the trap door past Fluffy? Rash like entering the Chamber of Secrets or entering the Whomping Willow? Rash like making us all go to the Department of Mysteries? Is that what you mean by rash, Hermione?" he yelled. "Or is there something else that you're trying to say? Something about a hero complex?"
Hermione paled, but she didn't back down. "That's not what I meant at all Sean. I just want you to be safe," she said, her concern clear in her eyes.
Harry looked at her angrily a moment. "Did you ever wonder why?" Harry asked suddenly.
Ron looked at Hermione in confusion. "Why what?"
Harry looked up at them. "Why Voldemort's been so obsessed with killing me?"
Hermione looked at Ron, equally confused. They both shook their heads.
"Do you remember the prophecy? The little glass ball Voldemort was after?"
Hermione nodded slowly, remembering. "Yeah, but we stopped him. The prophecy was destroyed. You and Neville both couldn't hear it over the fighting," she said.
Harry shook his head. "Neville and I couldn't hear it, but Dumbledore heard it. He heard the original version, and he told me."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other in surprise; Harry never told them this before. "Wh-What did it say?" Ron asked timidly.
"It said that the one with the power to defeat Voldemort would be born when I was born, to parents that match my parents, and that Voldemort would mark him as his equal." Pointing to his scar, Harry said, "Marked." Then he turned around again and faced out a window. He took a deep breath, and his shoulders tensed. "It also said that we both couldn't be alive at the same time, and that one of us would have to kill the other. That's why he's after me, and that's why Dumbledore seems to care so much about me. They both know that I'm the only one who can defeat Voldemort. Or die trying."
"Oh God…" Hermione whispered. She suddenly felt helpless, and she couldn't think of any words that could possibly make him feel better. She looked at Ron and could tell he was at a loss as well. So, Hermione did the only thing she could think of, what she felt that she should have done in the astronomy tower last year. She went up to Harry and hugged him, her cheek resting against his back. She felt him stiffen at her touch, and wondered for millionth time what kind of life he must have led to make him so wary of physical contact, to always feel so uncomfortable when hugged. But Hermione didn't let go; if anything, she held on tighter. For several minutes the two stood silently, unmoving. Gradually, Hermione felt his shoulders start to relax, the tension leaving his body. She felt him start to move, so she released him. He turned around, and this time, he hugged her, the first time she could ever remember him initiating a hug. They held each other for a moment, before Harry released her.
"Thanks," he said quietly, looking at her in the eyes. Hermione shivered slightly, realizing suddenly that there's been a lot of intense looks shared between them lately.
Ron came up to him, still at a loss for words. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Well, erm, you know you won't have to do any of this alone, right? We'll always stand by you, Sean."
"Promise us, Sean. Promise us that you'll let us help you, that you won't go facing him alone," Hermione pleaded.
Harry nodded and said, "I promise," but Hermione saw it in his eyes – he had no intention of keeping that promise. But she stayed silent for now, content with the knowledge that they had lifted his burden, even if only a little bit.