Chapter IX: The Reversal Spell
"Ron, have you found her?" Hermione asked as she frantically looked around the Common Room.
"No and neither have any of the other first years."
"This is terrible."
Ron nodded. "You'll get in a lot of trouble for losing a first year."
"Shut up, Ron. It's terrible 'cause she could be hurt somewhere. What happens if she dies like Chad did?"
"He didn't die," Ron responded. "Well, I don't think he did anyway."
"It doesn't matter now. They've caged us in and won't tell us what's happening," Hermione broke down and sat in the middle of the room. Her hair engulfed most her head as she tried to prevent herself from weeping.
The tip of Ron's pinky finger curled underneath Hermione's eyes and wiped away the fraying tears. Whole-heartedly he embraced her suffering, hugging her body for comfort. He hadn't realized how much of a woman she had become and that she was no longer the little girl he had fell in love with.
"We've been in much worse matters than this," Ron hushed. "You didn't cry when we faced Vol… Voldemort."
Hermione's lips curled up a little when hearing that Ron was able to say His name. Not only did it show how brave Ron had become but that he was willing to do and say anything to comfort her. Staring into Ron's eyes, she suddenly said,
"Ron…"
"Yes?"
"I think… I… Where's Harry?"
Ron's heart slumped a little downward and a lot into misery. Perhaps his imagination was getting the best of him, but he kept picturing Hermione saying those three words, 'I love you.' Instead, she immediately changed the subject to another guy. What luck.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in hours."
Hermione grew concerned and frantically pushed herself against Ron in order to get up off the floor. Staggering toward the door, she realized they were still locked. And so she slumped her body next to it and rubbed her face into her hands.
***
"Destroyed? What the hell are you talking about?"
Kimberly sniffled and replied, "Lucius told me I was gonna die along with everyone else."
"Did he say when?" Harry asked, in a startlingly calm voice.
"Um," she thought to herself. "Um, oh, I don't remember. Well, wait, he did say 'soon.'"
"Look, I know you've been through hell, Kim and believe me, so have I. But there are other lives at stake here. Soon isn't good enough. For all we know, the whole school's dead."
Her skin grew pale against the stonewalling. A thin line of water smeared down her right cheek as her nose pierced in prickling pain. The thought of her mother, a broomstick impaled through her chest, lying dead in a puddle of warm blood, raced through her mind.
"I know he mumbled something more, but I couldn't hear him," Kim pleaded, trying desperately to remember.
"Perhaps I can."
"What?"
"Would you let me enter your mind? Just for a moment."
Kimberly took a step back. "You're joking, right? How are you going to do that?"
"A reversal spell."
She chuckled and then paused. "Are you mad?" She screamed. "We're not even of age yet! I know plenty of wizards, old and wise, who can't do that!"
"I don't need to be of age! Or old! Or very wise! Trust me. I can do it."
After shaking her head no several times, Kim stopped and sighed. "Fine. Do it quickly. But if you kill me, I swear I will haunt you 'til the afterlife."
Harry smiled. "Promise?" He then raised his wand and cleared his throat. The spell had to be perfect or else it would not work, and he could possibly kill Kimberly. Now, he focused his mind, cleared away the thoughts of Hogwarts destroyed and began to chant slowly.
"Remanserat, remanserat, esilia nonilius, remanserat, remanserat."
Thickness clouded Harry's mind. Gray fog, curling up against his toes and frost nipping at his thumb, curdled around him. Fire, majestic & cold, flamed about his body in a white marvelous rush. Thoughts not of his own were flashing in and out. A boy's face, then a girl's, then Harry's own reflection, then another boy and others were popping in and out of frame.
Everything was in a jumble. Incoherent thoughts rampaged throughout his mind, as if it were a shattered puzzle, pieces half crushed and twisted. So many voices, giggles and screams passing through. Where am I? Harry thought. What, no, how, no why... Oh, I don't know, I don't understand.
Somebody help me! He screamed in his thoughts. Pressure built around him, forcing him to take deeper breathes. And then a most familiar voice responded.
"Harry, don't worry. You're safe here."
"What madness is this? Kimberly? Is that you? Show yourself!"
Again, she responded, "Do not worry or trouble yourself. You came here to reflect upon my thoughts. Hurry though, time is of the essence."
Suddenly, Harry remembered what he was supposed to do. He had to retrieve memories, very important ones. But how? All around him were jumbled images and people talking, much that he did not understand or recognize. Wait, stop. What was that?
Lucius Malfoy stared back at him. He stood still like a picture, glaring back at Harry, not moving nor talking. Cautiously, Harry leaned forward and touched the image. It started to swirl counter clockwise until Harry's hand itself swirled with it. His whole body twisted and was pulled into different world, a world of the past.
"Shut up, girl!" Malfoy's voice boomed.
Harry responded without thinking and in a voice not of his own. "What are you going to do with me?"
He was seeing through the eyes of Kimberly Hooch, reliving her memories as if he was she. Quickly, Lucius gave a blow to Kimberly's face, knocking her front teeth together and pulling one back. His index finger grabbed a portion of blood seeping from her lip and licked it.
"Very pure. I had no idea the House of Hooch had such greatness. It will be a shame to lose you. But in order to save you, I must kill you." He then grabbed her chin and cheek tightly and yanked her closely. "Soon, all of Hogwarts will be in ruin. But as for you, there would be better uses of such pureness. Perhaps an exception would be made. That is why I must kill you."
As Kimberly tried to pull back, Lucius held on tighter, leaving red bruises all around her bottom face. After a few tugs, Kimberly broke free of his grasp and stumbled backward into a small ivory chair. She regained balance and responded,
"I would never help you!"
"Strong words from such a vile brat!" Lucius shouted and pointed his wand at her nose. "No, I shall not destroy you now. That will come shortly."
"Shortly?"
"In a matter of days, Hogwarts will cease to be, so save your whimpering for the soon dead!"
"Harry, did it work?" Kimberly's innocent voice interjected.
After blinking his eyes, Harry realized he was no longer in the past, in Kimberly's mind. He was back in the bathroom with chills crawling up his spine. Things became more complicated now. They didn't have much time.
"Yes, it worked. We must go to Dumbledore, now."
"What will he do? What will we say?"
As Harry started to walk away, he tilted his head slightly to mouth, "I don't know," but nothing came out. Instead, a wall hit Harry, making him realize that he couldn't trust anyone. What if Dumbledore was on their side? However mad it sounded, there was no way of telling whom to trust.
Kimberly stepped forward after Harry and looked over to the doorway. "We have two choices. Run to some authority and hope they can help. Or, we can take matters into our own hands. We can find these bad guys—"
"The Blue Bloods."
"Excuse me?"
Harry recalled the letter he had received. "Someone wanted me to meet them at Hogsmead. It was signed the Blue Bloods."
Surprisingly, Kimberly's face turned a shade of white, paler than it even was before. She stumbled back and clutched onto the sink.
"You've heard of them?" Harry asked, following her back.
"Only read about them in my Ancient History class. I wasn't supposed to, but I always read ahead."
"And?"
"Well," she began, "the Blue Bloods are another word for Pure Bloods. They aren't Death Eaters 'cause they follow no one. Instead, they chose to isolate themselves from society and live together in a, well, Mudblood free society."
Harry twitched hearing the word Mudblood, especially from Kimberly's mouth. "Then Lucius is apart of this group?"
Kimberly shrugged. "It seems so. How could Lucius have wrote that letter when he was with me the whole time?"
"I don't know. But we can find out. The secret passageway to Hogsmead is blocked, but what if we cleared that blockage?"
"Maybe. But I have a better idea, Harry. Come on, follow me."