CHAPTER
26 Vexations And Uncanny Disappearances
The dust rose and fell
as the light caught it in its descent, making it twinkle in the
noon-time sun that was filtering through the small window of
Hermione's Den, also known as her office or her personal library.
Hermione at this moment could not see the dazzling spectacle in front
of her, being instead curled up in her squashy chair that she had
replaced for her straight-backed-office-chair that she had been using
before. Her legs were curled up underneath her and the pretty auburn
skirt was fanned out around her, giving the feeling of peace and
content.
Hermione was indeed contended as she sat back in her chair with a large book on her lap and a quill and notepad on top, her writing hand furiously scribbling down notes. She would stop briefly, tickling her chin with her quill as she thought for a second, only to return to her reading of a certain passage, while her right hand zoomed across the pad independently. She sighed as she dropped her spectacles on the book, dropping her quill next to it, to rub her eyes and sigh.
What Ron had told her a few hours ago, had given her an idea, or more to say Ron had given her the theory that the book could have been about love. Hermione being a rational person, and someone who has never quite understood the concept of love, found this theory both peculiar, hard to grasp and quite new to her. For the creator to make an object to channel and hold the power of love seemed illogical to her, and why someone would wish to do this seemed beyond her reach. Yet being Hermione, and her desire for research presented itself, Hermione pursued the theory. Of course she never expected Ron to be correct, but the more she thought and the more she read, she realised that he could very well be correct in his assumptions. Hermione marvelled at this, for once Ron had beaten her at some puzzle, a puzzle he wasn't even involved in. Well Ron Weasley certainly had changed. Hermione shifted in her seat, as she dropped the book and all the contents lying on top of it, onto the table, getting up and stretching her tired and cramped legs.
There was a light knock on her door and Hermione smoothed out the creases in her skirt and blouse, saying, "Come in". The door opened and Emily with the sleek auburn hair to her waist and deep green eyes walked in, holding her hands on her hips."Seriously, when don't I ever see you with your head in a book?" Emily asked grinning, her deep green eyes sparkling."You're starting to sound like Ron!" Hermione replied, smiling slightly at her work friend. "Anyway its what they pay me to do, to keep my head in some book or another so I can stop another catastrophe". She grinned up at her friend."Yes I heard about your great work in the explosion. According to Sue on level five it was your handy work that stopped the book killing all the Muggle-borns and turned it around so it killed the Blood Kindred", Emily added with glee. "Anyway how is dear old Ron doing anyway?""Dear old Ron?" Hermione asked raising an eyebrow"Yes I always thought him to be rather cute, and according to what I've heard from Krista's friends, he's single now too!" Emily smiled mischievously."Since when have you found Ron cute?" Hermione asked glaring at her now former friend."Oh relax Hermione!" Emily laughed heartily. "I was just teasing you, and by your reaction I can safely conclude that you have now admitted your feelings to that 'rather dashing Quidditch Keeper'!"."So to speak", Hermione replied evasively."Oh that's brilliant!" Emily cried clasping her hands together in delight. "So are you two an item now?""That I don't know yet, but we could be soon enough", Hermione replied smiling happily."Oh that is so brilliant Hermione!" Emily cried happily. "I always knew you two would end up together!""You only believe that because that is what Harry has told you to believe", Hermione replied smiling knowingly.Emily's face grew serious, "How is Harry anyway?""In a coma and the Healers don't know when he'll come out of it", Hermione replied sadly."I hope you're okay Hermione", Emily added walking towards the desk and sitting on a chair in front of it. "Is there anything I can help you with?""Well there is this annoying book still bothering me", Hermione replied opening a drawer to the left of where she was sitting and pulling out what seemed to be a large and heavy book wrapped in an old rough cloth made of linen and its colour now resembled a murky brown. Hermione laid the book on the table, scattering some parchments that were littering her desk and unfolded the cloth, to reveal to her friend a book that looked both very old and battered, but from the parts that weren't singed or burnt they both could see that the book had once been a deep red and its bindings made of the finest and most expensive leather."Is that the book, the powerful book everyone is talking about?" Emily asked with awe in her voice, as she sat up from her seat to have a better look."Yes this is the book they call 'The Greatest Thing There Is'", Hermione replied patiently."Do you have any idea what's it about?" Emily asked perplexed, as she ran a finger down the spine of the book, examining every crevice for some untold clues."I think it could be love", Hermione replied, her brow knitted as she frowned."Love?" Emily asked astonished, raising her head to look at her friend. "You had better tell me the whole story!"And so Hermione began the long process of explaining the whole story to her friend, right from the moment they started fighting the Blood Kindred, going into detail the last few seconds before the book exploded and her fears upon discovering all the others either dead or unconscious. At this point Emily stopped her with a question."But where did Malfoy go off to during all of this?" Emily asked.Hermione paused for am moment thinking hard. Her brow was furrowed and her fingers were clasped in front of her, like Albus Dumbledore used to do so many times while she was at school, a habit which she undoubtedly picked up from watching him."To tell you the truth, I have no idea!" Hermione replied amazed. "You know the whole time I didn't check to see and I don't remember him being on the list of deaths that I was handed earlier"."Do you think he got away?" Emily enquired."I suppose he must have", Hermione mused. "Yes that must be what happened, sure he warned me himself to get away from the cave as quick as possible. And he also said that the book exploding would kill everyone in the vicinity"."Wait a minute, if Draco Malfoy is really the leader of this Blood Kindred, why would he willingly let twenty or thirty members of the Blood Kindred die, knowing that the book was tampered with to kill only mudbloods and half-bloods. Why risk his own men, or for that matter let them die so willingly?" Emily asked perplexed."I don't know", Hermione replied. "But you're right, something is very odd about this. Its highly illogical to let twenty or thirty of your own men die if you can have the book explode killing all the muggle-borns and not have one of your men harmed. Malfoy must have been up to something"."I suppose it could just be poor stupidity", Emily mused shrugging."No I knew Malfoy back at school and as much as I hated him, I never thought of him as stupid, arrogant and selfish yes, but he ever made a mistake it was not out of stupidity but of misjudging the situation. No, Malfoy can be very clever when he wants to be", said Hermione, thinking hard."So what are you saying?" Emily asked confused."What I'm saying", Hermione shrugged her shoulders at this. "Is that I don't have a clue why Malfoy let his own men die, unless they were meant as a distraction, to which the next question can only be; why did he need a distraction?""Obviously to cover up something else that was happening at the time. I mean it's a perfect time to be doing something else, when you have over half of the country's Aurors in one cave battling with some of your men", Emily replied."It is, but lets not forget this is all speculation, we could be completely wrong about this-", Hermione added."-Or we could be completely right!" Emily interjected."But it still does not explain why Harry is in a coma and all the Blood Kindred were killed, yet none of the Aurors had no more damage than a sore head from falling to the ground. They were only knocked out", Hermione said."You said Malfoy had tampered with the power of the book, corrupting the power so it only killed Muggle-borns. Could it be that it was changed back again, so it killed all the bad guys?" Emily queried."Yes but how would you change it back, and more importantly who changed it back", Hermione sighed."Well you and Ron were the ones closest to the book when it exploded, did you see something?""No, nothing that could tell us who changed the book back"."Well did you do anything then?" Emily sighed."No, nothing that could have changed the book in any way, or at least none that I was aware of!""Go over the last few minutes before the book exploded", Emily replied."As I already said", Hermione sighed as she began the story once more. "Ron had just saved me from being hit by the Killing Curse, when we kissed", Hermione blushed at this, "And the countdown began, though we didn't hear it until it reached number three"."Why did you kiss Ron?" Emily asked curious."What?""Why did you kiss him, I mean you must have had a good reason". Emily added."Well I suppose, I just realised that I loved him", Hermione replied frowning a little as she tried to remember. "Yes that was it, I just realised that I always loved Ron, so I kissed him"."Love is a powerful emotion", Emily mused."Yes, that is what I was always told", Hermione replied baffled. "Why do you say that?""Well its just odd", Emily mused. "That you realised you loved Ron, kissed him and suddenly the book changed. I mean it killed all from the Blood Kindred, leaving you and all the Aurors unharmed"."Do you think they are connected?""Yes", Emily replied simply."I don't understand!""Neither do I Hermione, neither do I, but it seems to make sense!" Emily replied smiling at her friend. "It seems to me your love for Ron saved you all"."My love for Ron", Hermione said to herself looking down at the book lying on her desk. It was battered and charred in most places and when she opened it up, flicking through the pages she realised that the pages were empty. All the words were gone."The words are gone!" Hermione cried aloud. She flicked through the last few pages, and looked up at her friend. Then she sighed and closed the book. "It seemed to have fulfilled its purpose", to which Emily could only nod and smile."This book does act in the most mysterious ways!" Emily smiled at her friend."Say what time is it?" Hermione asked."About five two", Emily replied looking at her watch."Five to two!" Hermione cried jumping up from her seat and grabbing her suede coat from the arm of her chair. "I'm late! I'm sorry I have to go now Emily, but I promised Ron I'd meet him in Diagon Alley at two!" And with that she rushed out of her office, her coat flying behind her as she ran out of the halls of the Department of Mysteries, rushing to the elevators and impatiently jabbing at the 'up' button. When the elevator finally arrived, she ran inside, waiting impatiently with the tapping of her floor for the golden grilles to close and the lift to rise. As soon as she reached the Atrium, she pulled the grilles apart and sprinted out of the building into the deserted alleyway, where she hence Disapparated as quick as her wand would allow her.
