Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well….
Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)
P.S. Please read and review!
In general to all of my fans – Unfortunately the message I put here last time still applies!!! So this is what I said: I am still working out all the bugs in my computer… unfortunately there are still problems…. But I'm going to try to post the rest of this a little faster… cause this is very close to the end now! I hope you will all enjoy the ending that I have planned!! :-D
Manateegirl524 – WOW!!! My story is more addictive than Reese's??? That is such a wonderful compliment!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! :-D
Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments! Hehehe! You needn't worry about your well loved potions master… though you won't find out in this story exactly what happened to him… I will tell you this… He does make future appearances in my year six and seven of my ficcys, much to the torment of Harry!! Tee hee! :-D
Butler – I'm glad you liked it!! Thank you very much! Tee hee! :-D
Athenakitty – Thank you for all the questions! Here comes more answers for you!! :-D
Kento – WELCOME!!! Your English was just fine!! Thank you for your comments and compliments… as for the relationship with Lina and Harry… With his mind on leading the Order, studying for the O.W.L.s and Quidditch… He has very little time to think of everything else…. However I will say that the relationship between Harry and Lina will grow and become much more important to the line of the story in the future… We are very close to the end of this ficcy… So when I post year six… there will be some interesting things in there!! Thank you for your candor!! I really appreciate it!! :-D
The Keymaker – Thanks! More here!! Tee hee!! :-D
11111 – WELCOME! More here! Then go get some sleep!! :-D
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – HERMIONE'S FOAL-LY
Over the next two weeks things were very tense. Not only did it seem that the homework load was increasing, but the anxiety of the approaching April first and the deadline for Wormtail to capture Harry was fast approaching. They were to have a Hogsmeade trip that weekend before the first, and at first it had been suggested that the weekend would be cancelled. However Harry thought that that was unwise. It would tip off Voldemort that somehow they had found out his plan.
So they decided to go ahead with the weekend, which all fifth and seventh years were thankful for as they needed a break from the grind. Hermione herself had nearly had a nervous breakdown from all of the stress that she had been putting onto herself to succeed. And despite a bit of stress from the knowing that something could happen, she was much more relaxed knowing that she could get out and away.
They got ready and ate their breakfast. When Hermione hit the fresh air, she seemed to instantly transform into a different person. She was relaxed, happy, and laughing at anything and everything. Harry and Ron glanced at each other feeling like Hermione had finally truly lost her mind.
They visited all of the shops, as Hermione ran from shop to shop skipping and laughing as if she were six years old again. Harry and Ron followed her as she skipped down the path toward the back side of the Dark Forest. When Hermione stopped to pick flowers beside the densest part of the forest Harry and Ron, staying close to where she was, stood and chatted quietly about their plans if anything were to happen that day.
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice Hermione walking toward the edge of the forest toward a beautiful golden Unicorn foal. Nor did they notice that Hermione was almost beckoned inside the forest by the foal. She followed the foal without looking back….
A few moments after she had entered the thickest part of the forest, Harry noticed that Hermione was gone. He swore. "Hermione's gone!" He ran to where she had been picking flowers and started running after her tracks in the mud, from a recent rain. Ron was not far behind him. They ran to the edge of the forest and noticed that the tracks led inside. They looked at each other and followed the tracks inside.
After her tracks went in a ways, they noticed another set of footprints was added to hers. There had been a bit of a struggle at first where the second set of footprints came in, then it seemed like she had been walking forcibly next to the person, using their same stride. Eventually Hermione's prints were more like sort drag marks, until there were no footprints from Hermione just a line next to the other prints where it was obvious that she was being dragged.
At that point they began running again. They hardly noticed the bushes scratching their arms as they went. They ran until they saw Hermione lying in a clearing, in fact the very same clearing that Harry had been to before, the clearing where he had seen Wormtail just two weeks ago.
They drew their wands and cautiously approached. Lying nearby Hermione's lifeless body was the Unicorn foal that she had been following. Now extremely close to the foal, Harry looked at it. It appeared to be dead, as its silvery blood flowed out around it through a terrible gash it had in the head. Harry stood up and went to Ron who was standing off to the side, seemingly in shock.
Harry bent down and checked to see if she were still alive. "'Mione? Wake up please…." Harry shook her. At first he thought she wasn't alive and tears began to enter his eyes, but then he felt a slight movement of her body and wasn't sure what it meant.
"What do you think we should do now, Harry?" asked Harry.
"I'm not sure there is much we can do, Ron," said Ron.
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and began to weep. "No! She can't be dead! I won't let her be! 'Mione wake up!" He fell to her side and began to shake her violently as his tears dripped all over her, but to no avail.
He collapsed on top of her and wept hard. Ron walked to the foal and stuck his fingers into the blood. "I wonder." He collected a bit of its blood in a small vial that he had in his pocket after using a cleaning spell on it. He brought the vial to Hermione and much to Harry's shock and horror, Ron started trying to give the Unicorn blood to Hermione.
"Bloody hell, Harry, what in the hell do you think you're doing! You can't give her that! You'll doom her to a half life, a cursed life!"
Ron stopped and looked at Harry.
"Ron, this is the only way to save her!" Ron turned back and started pouring the blood into Hermione's mouth.
"No, I won't let you doom her life!" Harry grabbed for the vial and somehow Ron was able to get the rest into Hermione's open mouth, before Harry took the vial away.
A voice called, "Stupefy!"
Ron hit the ground. Harry scrambled to his feet
BANG. Several cords wrapped around Harry's hands and feet making it impossible to move. He looked up in horror to see that Wormtail had at last found him….
Ron truly hoped that he would be convincing enough to pull this off.
BANG. A few more cords exited the wand in Wormtail's hand and wrapped around Harry's arms and torso, effectively making his arms useless.
"So you saved me the trouble of coming after you…. Good…."
Harry hopped off backwards as Wormtail pointed the wand at Harry's chest. Harry hit a tree and could go no further.
"You have been the cause of my pain since I left your friend's pocket 2 years ago… Voldemort has punished me too many times to count because I have failed to get you…"
"You cannot do this Wormtail," said Harry. "You owe me…."
"I don't owe you anything!" spat Wormtail.
"Oh? Do you not recall what I did for you two years ago?"
"You set me free of my wonderfully dull and boring life with your friend. How can I ever thank you for that," said Wormtail in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
"No, not that."
"What then?"
"Need I remind you that it was I who saved you from death at the hand of Sirius Black…"
A look of realization spread across his face.
"You can't tell me that you forgot that…"
Wormtail looked as if he had just swallowed a bumblebee. He started stomping on the ground and swearing with many colorful metaphors. He advanced on Harry with his hands out as if he were willing kill him barehanded.
"I could kill you now and not have to repay you at all! I could claim that you were trying to attack me."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me," said Wormtail with a sneer. "I lived with the lie that I was dead for twelve years and that I had sent an innocent man to jail for what I had done. Why wouldn't I lie about this?"
"You're very proud of yourself for that, aren't you?"
"Well, I did send one of the pompous Heirs to the grave and the other to Azkaban for something I did…. Yes…. In fact I believe I am proud of that. I finally outsmarted the both of them."
Harry's eyes showed his outrage, but that was nothing in comparison to Ron's eyes, that were glowing green beneath his lids. Harry looked down at Ron and knew that Ron was not going to keep lying there much longer, if he heard much more than that.
Harry tried to change the subject. "What do you want with me?"
"Information. And I will get it when I bring you to my Master. He will be the one to extract the information from you as painfully as he wishes to."
Harry 's eyes flew wide open in horror. Ron got up and tried to sneak up on Wormtail. But Wormtail felt him coming and threw another Stupefy over his shoulder at Ron. This time his strike was true, Ron wasn't expecting that, so hadn't had time to erect a shield as he had the first time.
Wormtail placed a blinding charm on Harry. Harry said, "Hey, I can't see!" Harry knocked his glasses off of his head onto the ground. I hope that Harry will be able to find these when he wakes up. Oh and one more thing….HELP! Ron reached out with his mind and touch the nearest Order member. He thought he found one just as Wormtail started speaking again.
"That's right you are not allowed to see where we are going. Stupefy!" Harry sank into darkness.
Wormtail threw Harry over his shoulder and grabbed a hold of a piece of trash from the ground. He activated the portkey, without looking back at the two people that he had left alone in the Dark Forest to die. This was lucky of course because just as he had activated the portkey… the features on Ron's face started to change. His hair suddenly became black and a scar appeared on his forehead. His clothes suddenly seemed a bit too big, and behind his eyelids. His eyes were now green. The Polyjuice Potion had finally worn off….
~~~~~~~~~
Lina Clovis sat in The Three Broomsticks trying to relax after the stressful week. It seemed like none of the students were taking her course seriously, especially the fifth years, save those that were part of the Advanced Course and also the Order. She sipped her butter beer slowly. She had just started to relax her mind when the message came through loud and clear
Help! it had said. Lina sat upright and almost spit out the Butterbeer in her mouth…. It was Ron's voice. She knew that Harry and Ron had planned on using the Polyjuice potion to switch places, just in case anything happened that day. She also knew that Hermione seemed to be on her breaking point with her own stress level. She hoped that it was the latter that Ron was calling help about, but somehow she doubted it.
Lina ran at top speed out of the pub, turning several heads as she did. Rosmerta huffed when she hadn't even paid for her butterbeer yet. When she realized this she thought, I'll just have to come back and pay you later.
She ran to the place that she had felt the message come from. When she got there she pointed her wand at Harry. "Ennervate!"
"Harry, what happened? Where's Ron?"
Harry projected into her mind exactly what happened as he sat up putting his pounding head into his hands. "Phase one, is complete of our plan…. Unfortunately it did not go as well as we had hoped. Ron is gone… taken by Wormtail and in the hands of Voldemort." He lifted his head and realized was very blind, then he remembered why. "My glasses. Do you see my glasses anywhere?"
Lina looked around. She saw them on the ground near the tree diagonally from them. She went and picked them up and handed them to him after repairing them. He put on his glasses. He looked down at Hermione. "I had no choice but to give Hermione some Unicorn blood to keep her alive. I could feel her life essence slipping away. She needs to be treated with the ancient magicks cure-all, that we made in the Advanced Potion Class back in February."
"Harry, are you all right here if I go up to the castle to get it and bring it back?"
"I could start heading back to the castle and meet you in the hospital wing…."
"That's an even better idea. Yes, do that. I'll meet you there."
With that Harry and Lina separated. Harry picked up Hermione and carried her to the castle.
~~~~~~~~~
Ron opened his eyes, saw nothing but a bright light, and shut his eyes quickly again. Things were beginning to become more focused. He realized that the clothes on him were a bit tight, the pants legs and the arms of the shirt and sweater seemed a bit short. He suddenly remembered why and realized where he must be. The ground that he was lying on was cold, hard, and damp. He listened to what was going on around him, as the light was still too bright for him to open his eyes. There were voices around him that were slowly becoming clearer.
"I don't know, Master! I swear that it was Potter when I took him from the clearing in the forest," said the exasperated voice of what Ron recognized as Wormtail. Ron got a bitter taste in his mouth when he remembered that Wormtail had fooled him and his family for twelve years, pretending that he was first Percy's and then Ron's pet rat.
"Does that look like a black haired boy with a scar in the middle of his forehead to you," said a cold cruel voice calmly.
"No," came the timid response.
"Precisely…. Crucio."
The unearthly yells and maniacal laughter that filled the small space where Ron was lying made his skin crawl. The screaming stopped, but the laughter didn't.
"Master? I thank you for your merciful punishment…." Ron heard a kiss, which he only assumed meant that Wormtail was kissing Voldemort's robes. The very thought of it turned his stomach.
Ron hear a thud as the cold cruel voice continue, "Get off of me, you pathetic Squib. I do not require that kind of devotion from you right now. If I am reading the signs that you have given me correctly, and you know that I am very rarely wrong…. Potter has some how figured out our plans…."
"Do you wish for me to call for a meeting of your loyal subjects, Master? So that we can change the plans?"
"Yes, we will call for the meeting, but not for the reason that you believe…. You have presented me with a very interesting alternative, Wormtail…. I believe that we can use this to our advantage…." The laughter began again and echoed in Ron's ears.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lina had gotten to the castle in no time. She was running up the stairs to her classroom when she almost did the impossible thing of knocking over Hagrid.
"Whoa, hol' on der, Lina. What's da rush?"
"Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacked in the forest…." She projected to him what had happened. He took off down the steps toward the back of the castle, toward his hut, praying he would be in time to help Harry, fearing that somehow Wormtail would return to get Harry as well when he discovered the truth.
"He is coming to the castle, through the forest!" Lina called after Hagrid.
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry trudged through the forest back toward the castle. Each step he took he felt as if another drop of his energy was drained away from him. He had reached the edge of the forest carrying Hermione, he suddenly felt as if his body could not move any further. He looked up and saw Hagrid coming across the lawn toward him. Why is the world spinning so fast? thought Harry.
The edges of his vision were starting to blur. He felt his strength and consciousness was slipping away from him. He tried to put Hermione down before he completely fell into darkness. He started to bend down, but felt himself falling….
~~~~~~~~
Harry found himself in a cold, damp, brightly lit, dungeon, where it was located he did not know. He looked around and saw Ron lying on the floor. Ron was bruised and unconscious. A few moments later Lucius Malfoy entered the room.
"Administer the potion." A clear looking potion was forced into Ron's mouth by an unknown Deatheater. Lucius sneered and pointed his wand at Ron's chest. "Ennervate."
Ron sat up and looked at the man in front of him with a far away, unfocused look in his eyes.
"Do you hear me?"
Ron's eyes fluttered. "Yes."
"Good. You are going to tell me everything that you know about The Order of the Phoenix."
"I do not know anything about the Order of the Phoenix."
"He is lying, sir. It was revealed by the other that he is one of the new members of the Order."
"The other is a liar and has been deceiving us for many years, whether the Master believes that or not…. I will not advise Our Lord to act on the simple words that he has given us…."
"Stupefy," said Malfoy as he pointed his wand at Ron, without even looking at him. "I will administer the other potion. Go get Our Lord…."
Malfoy took out a black muddy looking potion and again forced it into Ron's mouth. Harry was shocked when the potion changed to a bright blue as it left the vial and entered Ron's mouth. He made a note to try to find out what that potion did when he got back to his body.
Harry moved into a dark corner and sat down. He relaxed himself completely, so as not to draw attention to himself when Voldemort entered. He watched silently as Voldemort glided into the room.
"Wake him."
"Ennervate."
"What's going on here? Let me go!"
"My, my, but you are a feisty one, aren't you…?"
Ron spat on Voldemort. "What do you want from me you…." Ron chose several colorful metaphors to describe him.
Voldemort laughed. "Is that all you have? Is words to offend me?"
"Give me a wand and I'll show you what I've got," growled Ron.
"Tut tut. You might just want to reconsider your attitude, or I might not tell you what I know about your beautiful girlfriend and how your own best friend killed her…"
Ron paled. "What do you mean? Harry wouldn't kill her! She's both of our best friends! He wouldn't kill her!"
"Search your memory, you foolish boy…. Remember how jealous he was of your relationship at the beginning of the year…. He has always been in love with your girlfriend."
"No, don't believe him…. It's is not true…," muttered Harry.
"I don't believe it! I won't believe it! It can't be true… can it?"
"Crucio. You will believe."
The force of the spell caused Harry to suddenly be ripped away from the scene back to his body. He was yelling at Ron not to believe as he went.
~~~~~~~~
Hagrid watched in horror as Harry came to a stop at the edge of the forest. He was swaying and he could see that Harry was trying to put down Hermione. He landed on his knees and somehow managed to put her gently onto the ground before he collapsed on top of his friend. Hagrid picked the both of them up and carried them back to the school to the Hospital wing. The whole way back Harry was babbling incoherently.
When they finally reached the Hospital wing and Hagrid had put the two of them down, Harry sat up and said, "No, Ron. Don't believe him!" Then his voice changed. "The One True Heir will be betrayed by one of those closest to him. The Order is in jeopardy…." There was more babbling that occurred before Harry fell back to the bed, once again unconscious….
~~~~~~~~~
Harry had very vivid dreams of torture and torment. He watched as Ron slowly began to break and seemed to believe what Voldemort was telling him. But always at the end of what was being told to him, Ron would spit at Voldemort and refuse to believe that Harry would intentionally harm Hermione, though the evidence that he had seen with his own eyes was to the contrary of what he truly believed was true.
Watching his friend get tormented and hurt was almost too much for Harry to take. He just couldn't watch it any more. He opened his eyes and blinked furiously. He lay there trying to remember where he was and why. Suddenly everything came rushing back to him. He sat up fast. "Ron!! Hermione!!"
He got a sudden head rush, and put his head in his hands. Trying to calm the excruciating pain in his head he pressed one palm to his head hard, while the other reached for his glasses. He found his glasses in his hand and put them on. He reached to his collar and found that his pin had been removed. He reached over again, searching with his hand for his pin. Again it was in his hand and he put it on. Instantly the pain in his scar was reduced to a slight dull burn. He took a deep breath and looked up.
He was in shock to see that the room was full of all of the Order members, save three. They all were looking at him. Dumbledore came to his side and the rest of them left through the wall to go back to the Order room.
"I failed, didn't I? They don't want me to be leader any more, do they?"
"That is not true at all, Harry. I realize that what you are saying is your emotions talking. And that is okay, but you must realize that you are our only hope. There is no getting around that. And they all realize that. Not to mention, you saved one of your friend's lives. And that is important."
"But how do I know that I really saved her life?"
"She is lying there alive now because of your quick thinking. She would not have lasted the trip back to the castle, if you had not done what you did."
"Then why were they all looking at me like I let them down? I did let the Weasley family down…"
"No, you did not, Harry. It was important for you to do what you did, to throw off Voldemort. Ron and his family knew the risks and they agreed to what you proposed. However, what they are truly afraid of is that you will not be strong enough to fight Voldemort in just over a month and a half."
"Why wouldn't I be strong enough?"
"Because what you are about to face will be one of the most difficult times in your young life. While you have been lying here for the last week, you have roamed in and out of consciousness. Much of the time that you spent in your state of higher consciousness, you were muttering a prediction that became more elaborate each time it happened. That is why they were here. They were waiting to see what you would add to the prediction this time.
"I believe that I should go and let you rest. When you are cleared by Madam Pomfrey to do so, we need to give you a breviary of your predictions and figure out the best course of action."
"What about Hermione?"
"Miss Granger, has yet to awaken from your ordeal…. However when she does she will be filled in to what happened as well."
"Now lie back and rest. Forget about the adult worries that you are unfortunately destined to take on. Think only of what you must do now. That is heal yourself."
"Professor, can I ask one more question?"
"Just one more?"
"Why is it that I am so weak? What happened to me out there? Why did I lose consciousness when I got back to the castle?"
"Part of who you are is a healer, Harry. You had contact with Miss Granger and you took on some of the symptoms that she possessed, because you did not ground yourself and guard yourself against her ailment. So you have had a mild case of what she has."
"And what is that, exactly?"
"She was slipped a potion, by whom we are not yet sure. This potion made her act very childish and giddy the day that you went to Hogsmeade. It also allowed her to walk into a situation that she would normally be able to assess as dangerous. It essentially gave her a child's mentality. And at the same time it was poisoning her. The only cure for that potion just happens to be Unicorn blood, in it's pure form. So it is either that you die from the excruciating pain and agony of the potion as it literally burns you from inside out or you die from the cursed half life of the pure Unicorn blood. It is not much of a choice."
"Then how did I survive if I took on some of her ailment?"
"Because you were not really poisoned by the potion. You did not really have that potion running through your blood."
"Oh."
Dumbledore got up to walk away.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Harry."
"What does it mean that I am the One True Heir?"
"Have you ever sat down with the Order book and read it, Harry?"
"No, I didn't realize that I could read it…"
"Ah, yes, you thought it was just a portal, through which you were to be tested is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Now that you have passed the tests, the book will open for you to read, but I might suggest that you wait until your summer vacation to read it, as you will be very busy from now until the end of the year, due to your upcoming O.W.L.s."
"Speaking of the O.W.L.s…. What about Ron, sir? How is he going to take his?"
"We will come to that road when we cross it…. Right now, let us concentrate on just getting him home. Now, rest…."
Harry lay back and tried to quell the questions running though his mind. Very soon he was asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Harry found it very difficult to study for his O.W.L.s while knowing that his friend's both still lay in peril. He found himself isolating himself in the common room at the table that Hermione usually used. Many of the other Gryffindors skirted around him. Some tried to strike up conversations with him, but seeing his anxiety, figured he would just rather be alone to study, especially when they thought that both Ron and Hermione were sick and in the Hospital wing, but unable to take visitors.
None of them really understood what exactly he was going through. Many days they found Harry asleep at the table and Harry would quickly head off to the dorm room to shower and change. The only people who were aware that he almost never slept in his bed any more were Neville, Dean, and Seamus. And of those three only one truly understood why.
The day that Hermione woke up and returned to the Gryffindor tower was one of great sorrow, but also one of happiness, too, for Harry. She walked in shortly after dinner one night. Harry, who had virtually given up hope that the next person who would walk in would be her, usually looked up every time the portrait hole opened. When he looked up and saw Hermione standing there, looking at him with tears in her eyes, he thought he was dreaming.
He got up slowly and walked to her side. He looked hopeful at her trying to penetrate her mind with a message of hope, but she was very closed to any kind of message. She simply threw her arms around his neck and hung there crying for some time. Harry held her trying to speak words of encouragement and soothing. Most people watched curiously, believing that somehow Harry and Hermione had become a couple and they had just been hiding it all year, others knew the truth.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Harry asked softly.
All she could do was nod as the tears kept falling. When they got outside she began her ranting, "He promised me! He promised he would never leave me! And now he has!!" She broke down again.
"Hermione, we'll get him back. I promise you that!"
"Really?"
"Yes."
They walked silently walked down to the lake and sat on the shore, quietly watching the giant squid move its arms about lazily.
"Harry, do you really think there is a chance that we will get him back? And please don't lie to me."
"I don't have to… I truly believe that he is still with us and that we will get him back. I can't believe anything else…."
They sat quietly again, lost deeply in their own thoughts, not even noticing they were being watched….
A pair of eyes was watching, assessing, thinking much the same as had been reported to the owner of them. As the girl put her head onto Harry's shoulder only one thought entered the mind of the owner of the eyes: Harry and this girl were together. "The Master will be very pleased to know that there is in fact another who can be used against Potter in case the first doesn't work," the cloaked figure muttered quietly.
Just at that moment there was suddenly someone else there. The cloaked figure ducked down so that the others wouldn't see. There was no sound that the cloaked figure heard, but it watched as Harry and Hermione got to their feet and follow the other boy out….
Hermione had put her head onto Harry's shoulder. She didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't had Harry at that moment. She thanked Merlin for Harry's friendship, without him she didn't know how she would make it through.
"Harry, Hermione!" yelled a familiar voice.
They looked up and around to where they heard the voice from to see Neville approaching them.
"What's up, Neville?"
"A meeting has been called by Dumbledore to brief you on everything…."
"Okay. Thanks Neville."
Harry and Hermione got up and followed Neville up to the school. When they got to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room they went in discretely and walked to the wall that they had opened before. Harry stuck his ring against the wall and it opened. They walked in pulling the door closed behind them.
Everyone was there already, except for Snape and Ron. They took their seats and Lina reached over to Hermione and took her hand, squeezing it to show her support. Percy had his back to Harry and his eyes on the floor, the expression on his face was that he was more than just a little annoyed.
Harry read what little from Percy he could, it seemed that he didn't like being called away from his work so often, being that he was now the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, as he had replaced the elder Crouch. Harry was about to say something to Percy about the importance of his role in the Order, since he could influence and bring in Witches and Wizards from other countries to help, when Dumbledore caught his eye and shook his head. Harry wasn't sure why, but he got a very bad feeling about it. He vowed to ask Dumbledore about it when he could later.
"Welcome back, Hermione," said Dumbledore softly and gently.
She tried really hard to give him a smile, but tears still threatened to roll down her cheek.
"I called this meeting for the purpose of trying to decide how best to go about dealing with what has been predicted…."
"Albus… what is it exactly that has been predicted?" asked Hermione softly.
"Ah, yes. I was just coming to the fact that you and Harry do not know exactly what is in the prediction. It stands as thus…
The One True Heir will be betrayed by one of those closest to him. The Order is in jeopardy of losing the day, if not the war, if you do not prepare for the worst. Two amongst you will be turned and will not return to the ranks, for better or worse it cannot be told, for all ends cannot yet be seen. Two of you will not survive. The day must be fought with care, or the risk of losing the war will increase. Protect the Heirs at all costs, for they now hold the key….
"What do you suppose that means? Two amongst you will be turned," asked Ginny, nervously.
Harry looked at Hermione and around the room. "It means that two of us will join Voldemort."
"You don't suppose…. Not… no it can't be!" yelled Hermione, tears starting to stream down her face again.
Harry looked at Hermione and reach across the table to grab her hand, "Look, I didn't want to tell you this before because I did not want you to lose hope, and that goes for all of you…. Ron is being tortured. He is being made to drink a very black potion and then given information to make him believe that you are dead, Hermione, and I am the one that caused your death.
"Thus far he has chosen to believe his heart, that I would never betray him, and so forth…. But I do not know how much longer he can hold out, the Black potion, whatever it is, is slowly weakening him. I have felt it, each time I have gone there and seen what they are doing to him. I know that we can bring him back, but I'm not sure if he will be the same person when we do…. He is having his will broken piece by piece, and they are brainwashing him to believe that this Order means nothing but harm to world and that I am in fact the evil that he should fight against…."
Mrs. Weasley let out a strangled cry. Ron was after all her youngest son. Mr. Weasley held her as she too began to cry.
Mr. Weasley looked up to Professor Fletcher. "What is this potion that they are giving to my son?"
Professor Fletcher swallowed hard. He had hoped that they would not ask that question. "From the description of what is happening with your son and what the potion looks like… there is only one potion it could be. It was one that was developed by a very brilliant young wizard that I taught just over 50 years ago. His name was Tom Riddle. And as we all know, that is the name that Voldemort was born with."
"So what was the potion?" asked Harry.
"He discovered it purely by chance when he left his cauldron up too high and too long when he was making a Memory potion. What it does is alter and distort the memories that are in one's mind instead of making memories clearer. It can cause the mind of a wizard to split in two. At first it is not difficult for the wizard to know the right from wrong. But slowly over time the line becomes skewed and the good can be lost altogether."
"Is there a cure?" asked Mr. Weasley in a near whisper that echoed strangely about the room.
Professor Fletcher slowly shook his head, "The only way to get a wizard out of that state of mind is to jar him back to reality, but even then it is hard to say if it would last…."
Professor Fletcher's last word hung heavily in the air, as everyone in the room tried to digest what was said. The only sounds were of Hermione and Mrs. Weasley sobbing. It broke Harry's heart to see this. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were two of the strongest witches he knew.
He turned to Dumbledore, who saw determination on Harry's face such that he had never seen before. Harry turned to Professor Fletcher. "Mundungus, I want you to leave now and figure out exactly how Tom Riddle made that potion and find a way to make a cure. Leave now and begin working on that. We will fill you in on the rest of the meeting, when it is essential for us to do so." Professor Fletcher nodded, got to his feet, and walked out through the wall leading to the dungeon.
"Well, that may answer the question as to one of the people who will be turned, but what about the other?" asked Ginny.
"That is yet unknown," answered Dumbledore. "Now, since that piece has been answered in the best way that we can… we need to further examine the rest of the prediction. I believe we have answered who it will be that will betray Harry…."
"The Order is in jeopardy of losing the day, if not the war, if you do not prepare for the worst. The day must be fought with care, or the risk of losing the war will increase. What do you suppose that means?" asked Neville.
Dumbledore looked at Harry.
"It means that Voldemort knows that we know what his plans to attack Diagon Alley. He is using that to his advantage. He's trying to gather as much information on me to try to find my other weaknesses. So that when he goes up against me, he has the advantage over me. It is a warning to me that I must be prepared for what ever he can throw at me…. But I must do all of this preparation carefully so as to not allow Voldemort to know what I suspect." Harry looked to Dumbledore for confirmation of his surmise.
Dumbledore nodded. "That is correct, Harry. However, I believe that it would behoove all of us to prepare in the same way."
The last two statements of the prediction were left unquestioned. They all knew that they must protect the Heirs at all cost and apparently those costs would be high for two of them, as they were to lose their lives doing so. The unanswered question of who would be the victims of that prediction lay untouched and unsaid, floating in the air….