~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stared down from he seat behind his large oaken desk, at the two students before him. One was white with fright the other was wincing in pain gripping her arm.
Dumbledore pulled his half moon spectacles off of his face and began to clean them with a silken white handkerchief, after doing so he cleared his through and brought the room to attention.
" I have never been so disappointed in my students" he whispered. " No only did you both completely disregard the rules of the hall but of the school as well." His tone was dead and saddened.
Hermione's throat tightened, why couldn't Dumbledore just yell at them like every other teach would have, the use of guilt that Dumbledore used was more painful.
"Now as punishment for you Miss Granger." He said turning in Hermione's direction. " You will be spending three weeks of detention with your head of house, she will chose what ever punishment she sees fit for you."
Hermione nodded weakly, wincing slightly not trusting her self to speak. The pain in her arm was returning with a vengence.
Dumbledores demeanor changed as he turned to face Lucius who was paler then chalk. His eyes held no friendliness or warmth. For once Hermione wished she wasn't anywhere near him.
" Lucius Malfoy, you have been in my presence with Muggle born harassment before, I have warned you countless times that you would be expelled if you were found guilty of it again." His voice was hard and commanding. "You have been found guilty!"
Lucius was shaking as he starred blankly back at Dumbledore. Hermione felt a pain of compassion for her no longer friend. He might have been harassing her for being Muggle born but she knew parts of him weren't like the monster she met in the Slytherin common room. His mind had been poisoned.
Dumbledore was still looking at Lucius as he continued his punishment. " Lucius Malfoy it is my decision that you shall be expelled from Hogwarts, and that you will not graduate." Suddenly the coldness was gone from his eyes and a faint glint of his famous blue twinkle came back. " It is however not my decision, I think that it is only fair for the wronged party to decide your fate."
Hermione had gone temporarily deft, had he just said what she thought he just said? Damn it Dumbledore don't make me do this. She felt three pairs of eyes on her, Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lacouse who hadn't left the room but had been standing in the shadows watching.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. " Miss Granger I believe that in this case it is your decision"
Hermione turned to Lucius, she knew what she had to do, and she would end this now. She glared at Lucius for all that he had done to her, he just stared blankly back at her knowing what she was about to say.
How she loved to prove him wrong.
" Headmaster" She said in her most professional tone she could muster, never removing her eyes from Lucius. " I believe that the only punishment that would truly affect Lucius would be to spend the next three weeks in detention with the thing he seems to hate most.a Muggle born."
She couldn't believe what she had just said; she could have gotten it to stop. A thought hit her hard as she watched Lucius who looked as though he would faint. She could have stopped it, if Lucius never graduated from Hogwarts he might never had become a death eater, he would have never married and had Draco. Both father and son were responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Her parents might have never have died.
A glint appeared in her eyes, no one but Dumbledore caught it.
It was at that very moment that her brain realized the power it held she could change the past and affect the future.
" I believe that that is a just ruling Miss Granger, you may go to the infirmary now Mr. Malfoy, Professor Lacouse will assist you." He indicated to Lucius's boneless leg, Hermione surprised a laugh. He was really going to hate her tomorrow when he found the pain he was going to have to in dure from re-growing the bones in his left leg.
Professor Lacouse nodded in acknowledgement, and helped Lucius to stand. By the look on her face she was going to tare Lucius's ear off once they got out of the room. Hermione was becoming very fond of that woman.
Once they had left the room dumbledore returned his attention to Hermione. " That was a very noble thing you just did Miss Granger. Im sure that Lucius will be forever grateful to you."
" I should have never have done that" she whispered, truly angry at herself for not realizing that she had the power to end Lucius's rain of terror before it even started.
" I see that you have finally come to understand the power that you have to influence the world at this time Miss Granger" The twinkle in his eye had returned to its full glory.
" I don't know what to do headmaster." She whispered, thankfully she was able to talk; the pain in her arm was subsiding.
"Yes you do Miss Granger"
She was about to say something when the power of a thunderbolt screamed through her, white hot pain reared through her entire body, she fell back out of her chair with a scream of agony on to the soft carpeted floor.
That's when she heard it.
.......come to me........
The voice held no sound, no tone, no emotion; it was just a thought, almost a memory. It burned into her mind.
She screamed louder.
She was shaking; no she was being shaken. She could deftly feel the robe off of her left arm being ripped off of its seams. She felt the mark touch the cool air and its power increased causing her to go into a seizure of pain. Her mind went blank.
Mercifully she fell into unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
" Miss Granger." A voice like ice growled at her. Hermione felt a deep sense of emptiness echoing in her.
"What?" she screamed, turning around looking in all black covered directions?
Whispers entered her head; she brought her hands up to her ears in an effort to silence them.
"I see no difference!" another voice, the same voice but only farther way echoed.
"Put your hand down you foolish girl!" It came again with more bit and power.
"Little Miss Know it all" It screamed.
Hermione flung herself to the ground, but there was no ground, she screamed for the need of silence.
"Hermione" the voice called, harder then before.
"Hermione" it called softer then she would have imagined, the voice was smooth as dark velvet.
Hermione pulled her hands from her ears and looked around in the darkness, no light, only darkness. She wiped invisible tears from her eyes as she searched out the voice.
There was a flash of forest green light, like a mist in the center was a dark hooded figure. She wanted to get closer but as she walked towards it the figure seemed to move away. She felt calm by just looking at it, it was whispering mumbled words that held importance but she just couldn't make it out.
There was another flash and the figure crumpled to the floor, she tried to scream for its loss but was held back by fear of the dark pair of blood red eyes that she could see through the green mist, no longer a forest green but a deep violent acid color.
.Come to me. It roared out to her like a boom of thunder, she turned and ran before the eyes could scream at her again.
COME TO ME! It raged.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke with a scream; she was covered in sweat. Her arm was numb from pain. She sat up from the soft couch that she found her self- lying on. A hand placed its self on her shoulder and held her down before she could sit fully upwards.
"Miss Granger I believe that it would be wise to stay where you are." Came the voice of Albus Dumbledore. It sounded sad, that in its self was strange.
She turned and met the old wizards blue eyed gaze.
"Wha - What happened Dumbledore?" she whispered.
He looked at her sadly. " It was a calling Miss Granger, every time the pain comes it is a call to you from him." She knew who him was.
" How can I stop it?" She whispered.
"Im afraid miss Granger that you cannot stop it, only Voldmort can do that." He looked at her with no emotion. " He won't stop till he gets what he wants, and the pain will kill you if he doesn't"
Hermione let out a frightened sob, it had been so long since she had cried, but the tears were starting to break down her resolve. Dumbledore placed his arms around her as she broke down into frightened cries. She let loss her pain on the old wizard's robes soaking them to his aged skin.
She slowly tired to compose herself. " Then that's it then, there's nothing that I can do."
He nodded slowly. "Im sorry Hermione, you can however prevent him from gaining from you what he wants, no magic can create what you could give him."
Hermione nodded through sodden red eyes. " I understand, how can I prevent him from doing what he wants."
" You must fight it, you will feel the calling, you must resist it. Only you can, no one else can stop you from going to him once you start. He cannot come for you so it is you who must go to him."
Tears fell silently down her face, she was going to die, and at least she could save the world from Voldmorts heir. She knew that if Voldmort created a child it would be worse then himself, the dark magic that Voldmort had embedded in himself would become part of the child from the moment of conception. It would be born with pure darkness.
Pure Evil.
A thought struck Hermione. " Dumbledore, when I was unconcious I heard Voldmort calling me, but there was another voice as well."
Dumbledore looked for once in his life surprised. " Do you know who it was?"
" I know the voice but I can place it" she whispered.
A twinkle returned to the old man's face. " I do not know why you heard a second voice Hermione, but I think it would be wise if you went back to your dorm for the rest of the day, you are excused from classes today."
Hermione was still crying. " Thank you sir" She got up and walked to the door.
"Hermione" Dumbledore called.
"Yes?"
"You might want to repair your robe before you exit this room" He indicated to her left arm which the sleeve was ripped to show her brand.
She tired to smile, pulling out her wand she whispered a quick mending charm and the robe looked as good as new.
"Good girl, don't worry your arm wont bother you for the rest of the day" He tried to smile at her.
It just wasn't fair, the poor girl wasn't even twenty and yet she held the weight of the world on her thin shoulders.
"Thank you" she whipsered to him and walked out of the office her eyes once again full of tears.
Once she had left, Dumbledore walked to his window and looked out over the blue cloud caressed sky.
" You bastard" He whispered to the sky with a smile. " And to think, you always said that I was the one who meddled in peoples affairs."
Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stared down from he seat behind his large oaken desk, at the two students before him. One was white with fright the other was wincing in pain gripping her arm.
Dumbledore pulled his half moon spectacles off of his face and began to clean them with a silken white handkerchief, after doing so he cleared his through and brought the room to attention.
" I have never been so disappointed in my students" he whispered. " No only did you both completely disregard the rules of the hall but of the school as well." His tone was dead and saddened.
Hermione's throat tightened, why couldn't Dumbledore just yell at them like every other teach would have, the use of guilt that Dumbledore used was more painful.
"Now as punishment for you Miss Granger." He said turning in Hermione's direction. " You will be spending three weeks of detention with your head of house, she will chose what ever punishment she sees fit for you."
Hermione nodded weakly, wincing slightly not trusting her self to speak. The pain in her arm was returning with a vengence.
Dumbledores demeanor changed as he turned to face Lucius who was paler then chalk. His eyes held no friendliness or warmth. For once Hermione wished she wasn't anywhere near him.
" Lucius Malfoy, you have been in my presence with Muggle born harassment before, I have warned you countless times that you would be expelled if you were found guilty of it again." His voice was hard and commanding. "You have been found guilty!"
Lucius was shaking as he starred blankly back at Dumbledore. Hermione felt a pain of compassion for her no longer friend. He might have been harassing her for being Muggle born but she knew parts of him weren't like the monster she met in the Slytherin common room. His mind had been poisoned.
Dumbledore was still looking at Lucius as he continued his punishment. " Lucius Malfoy it is my decision that you shall be expelled from Hogwarts, and that you will not graduate." Suddenly the coldness was gone from his eyes and a faint glint of his famous blue twinkle came back. " It is however not my decision, I think that it is only fair for the wronged party to decide your fate."
Hermione had gone temporarily deft, had he just said what she thought he just said? Damn it Dumbledore don't make me do this. She felt three pairs of eyes on her, Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lacouse who hadn't left the room but had been standing in the shadows watching.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. " Miss Granger I believe that in this case it is your decision"
Hermione turned to Lucius, she knew what she had to do, and she would end this now. She glared at Lucius for all that he had done to her, he just stared blankly back at her knowing what she was about to say.
How she loved to prove him wrong.
" Headmaster" She said in her most professional tone she could muster, never removing her eyes from Lucius. " I believe that the only punishment that would truly affect Lucius would be to spend the next three weeks in detention with the thing he seems to hate most.a Muggle born."
She couldn't believe what she had just said; she could have gotten it to stop. A thought hit her hard as she watched Lucius who looked as though he would faint. She could have stopped it, if Lucius never graduated from Hogwarts he might never had become a death eater, he would have never married and had Draco. Both father and son were responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Her parents might have never have died.
A glint appeared in her eyes, no one but Dumbledore caught it.
It was at that very moment that her brain realized the power it held she could change the past and affect the future.
" I believe that that is a just ruling Miss Granger, you may go to the infirmary now Mr. Malfoy, Professor Lacouse will assist you." He indicated to Lucius's boneless leg, Hermione surprised a laugh. He was really going to hate her tomorrow when he found the pain he was going to have to in dure from re-growing the bones in his left leg.
Professor Lacouse nodded in acknowledgement, and helped Lucius to stand. By the look on her face she was going to tare Lucius's ear off once they got out of the room. Hermione was becoming very fond of that woman.
Once they had left the room dumbledore returned his attention to Hermione. " That was a very noble thing you just did Miss Granger. Im sure that Lucius will be forever grateful to you."
" I should have never have done that" she whispered, truly angry at herself for not realizing that she had the power to end Lucius's rain of terror before it even started.
" I see that you have finally come to understand the power that you have to influence the world at this time Miss Granger" The twinkle in his eye had returned to its full glory.
" I don't know what to do headmaster." She whispered, thankfully she was able to talk; the pain in her arm was subsiding.
"Yes you do Miss Granger"
She was about to say something when the power of a thunderbolt screamed through her, white hot pain reared through her entire body, she fell back out of her chair with a scream of agony on to the soft carpeted floor.
That's when she heard it.
.......come to me........
The voice held no sound, no tone, no emotion; it was just a thought, almost a memory. It burned into her mind.
She screamed louder.
She was shaking; no she was being shaken. She could deftly feel the robe off of her left arm being ripped off of its seams. She felt the mark touch the cool air and its power increased causing her to go into a seizure of pain. Her mind went blank.
Mercifully she fell into unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
" Miss Granger." A voice like ice growled at her. Hermione felt a deep sense of emptiness echoing in her.
"What?" she screamed, turning around looking in all black covered directions?
Whispers entered her head; she brought her hands up to her ears in an effort to silence them.
"I see no difference!" another voice, the same voice but only farther way echoed.
"Put your hand down you foolish girl!" It came again with more bit and power.
"Little Miss Know it all" It screamed.
Hermione flung herself to the ground, but there was no ground, she screamed for the need of silence.
"Hermione" the voice called, harder then before.
"Hermione" it called softer then she would have imagined, the voice was smooth as dark velvet.
Hermione pulled her hands from her ears and looked around in the darkness, no light, only darkness. She wiped invisible tears from her eyes as she searched out the voice.
There was a flash of forest green light, like a mist in the center was a dark hooded figure. She wanted to get closer but as she walked towards it the figure seemed to move away. She felt calm by just looking at it, it was whispering mumbled words that held importance but she just couldn't make it out.
There was another flash and the figure crumpled to the floor, she tried to scream for its loss but was held back by fear of the dark pair of blood red eyes that she could see through the green mist, no longer a forest green but a deep violent acid color.
.Come to me. It roared out to her like a boom of thunder, she turned and ran before the eyes could scream at her again.
COME TO ME! It raged.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke with a scream; she was covered in sweat. Her arm was numb from pain. She sat up from the soft couch that she found her self- lying on. A hand placed its self on her shoulder and held her down before she could sit fully upwards.
"Miss Granger I believe that it would be wise to stay where you are." Came the voice of Albus Dumbledore. It sounded sad, that in its self was strange.
She turned and met the old wizards blue eyed gaze.
"Wha - What happened Dumbledore?" she whispered.
He looked at her sadly. " It was a calling Miss Granger, every time the pain comes it is a call to you from him." She knew who him was.
" How can I stop it?" She whispered.
"Im afraid miss Granger that you cannot stop it, only Voldmort can do that." He looked at her with no emotion. " He won't stop till he gets what he wants, and the pain will kill you if he doesn't"
Hermione let out a frightened sob, it had been so long since she had cried, but the tears were starting to break down her resolve. Dumbledore placed his arms around her as she broke down into frightened cries. She let loss her pain on the old wizard's robes soaking them to his aged skin.
She slowly tired to compose herself. " Then that's it then, there's nothing that I can do."
He nodded slowly. "Im sorry Hermione, you can however prevent him from gaining from you what he wants, no magic can create what you could give him."
Hermione nodded through sodden red eyes. " I understand, how can I prevent him from doing what he wants."
" You must fight it, you will feel the calling, you must resist it. Only you can, no one else can stop you from going to him once you start. He cannot come for you so it is you who must go to him."
Tears fell silently down her face, she was going to die, and at least she could save the world from Voldmorts heir. She knew that if Voldmort created a child it would be worse then himself, the dark magic that Voldmort had embedded in himself would become part of the child from the moment of conception. It would be born with pure darkness.
Pure Evil.
A thought struck Hermione. " Dumbledore, when I was unconcious I heard Voldmort calling me, but there was another voice as well."
Dumbledore looked for once in his life surprised. " Do you know who it was?"
" I know the voice but I can place it" she whispered.
A twinkle returned to the old man's face. " I do not know why you heard a second voice Hermione, but I think it would be wise if you went back to your dorm for the rest of the day, you are excused from classes today."
Hermione was still crying. " Thank you sir" She got up and walked to the door.
"Hermione" Dumbledore called.
"Yes?"
"You might want to repair your robe before you exit this room" He indicated to her left arm which the sleeve was ripped to show her brand.
She tired to smile, pulling out her wand she whispered a quick mending charm and the robe looked as good as new.
"Good girl, don't worry your arm wont bother you for the rest of the day" He tried to smile at her.
It just wasn't fair, the poor girl wasn't even twenty and yet she held the weight of the world on her thin shoulders.
"Thank you" she whipsered to him and walked out of the office her eyes once again full of tears.
Once she had left, Dumbledore walked to his window and looked out over the blue cloud caressed sky.
" You bastard" He whispered to the sky with a smile. " And to think, you always said that I was the one who meddled in peoples affairs."