Harry sat down next to Ron. Potions. Snape hadn't arrived yet. He
groaned and pulled out his books. On his way from leaning up from the
ground where his bag lay he noticed the empty seat next to Ron.
"Where's Hermione?"
"Don't know, mate. She wasn't at breakfast and she's not here." replied Ron, with a shrug.
Hermione opened her eyes and suppressed a yawn. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to remember what'd happened the previous night. To recollect how she'd gone to Malfoy's room and asked him to run away with her. She did however think back to her conversation with Fred about what she must do. She felt she gave a rather convincing performance as she looked over next to her at Malfoy, who was sleeping. She rolled over on her side and ran her fingers along the soft skin of his back. She hadn't truly slept with him, hadn't spent an entire night with him, alone, since they'd been locked away in Azkaban. Their current settings were much more comfortable. She smiled. He was a lot more tolerable and enjoyable when he was asleep. He couldn't make any snide comments. Nor could he play off his schizophrenic personality, and talk about how much he loved her. This was the Draco she preferred for the time being. It was still dark out. She came to the conclusion that she'd only been sleeping a couple hours, but couldn't find it in her to sleep any longer. Hermione slipped out of bed and got dressed. This caused him to stir.
"Where are you going?" he asked, softly.
"No where... I just thought I'd go down and get a bite to eat." she told him, realizing that lieing would get her nowhere. She just didn't really want his company at the moment.
"I'll come with." he sat up.
She just nodded in reply, hesitantly. He got out of bed and put back on his school robes as she had done. She was beginning to regret not thinking this plan through, seeing as neither of them had anything else to wear. They were going to raise suspicion with their school robes. Hermione threw her hair up into a messy bun with one quick sweep then followed him out of the room they were staying in at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione glanced around the hallway and realized they were staying in the same room that Fred and George had shared when they were in the past. She hadn't noticed the previous night because she had been beat with exhaustion. She felt something pull at her stomach, but brushed it off. Malfoy led her over to an empty table. The only people still around were a couple of witches bickering in the corner about potion ingredients and an old man talking over what sounded like a proposition to a hag. Hermione placed herself across from him and waited for Tom, the barkeep, to come over.
"What are you hungry for?" asked Malfoy, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning them against the tabletop.
"I'm not really sure... I think right now I could really go for some fire whiskey." she answered.
"Fire whiskey? Since when do you drink?" his tone was a bit harsh, more than he'd meant it to, she figured. She shrugged.
"I've only had it once, but found it a nice way to relieve stress." she told him, nonchalantly. Her mind flashed back to that night and she felt blush creep up along her cheekbones.
"Let me guess, with Weasley? He's the only one I know you know who's dense enough to buy it for you. Did you get sloshed then? Shag him rotten?" he sneered with jealousy.
"Shut up." she rolled her eyes, and glanced over at Tom who was making his way over to them. He took their orders and Hermione leaned in to whisper something to him. She reached into her robe pocket and extracted some gold coins, handing them to him cautiously.
"So you are going to get smashed then." he smiled.
"Not that it's any concern of yours, but yes. I will be willing to share if you desire." she sighed and figured the longer she kept him in this game of harsh words and sly comebacks, the more he might believe that she was as interested in the dark arts as she'd told him back in his room.
He didn't keep it going though; in fact he stopped talking all together. When the food and drinks arrived, Hermione paid Tom, as Malfoy hadn't made any effort to move for his own money. After she'd finished her food and had two shots of the fire whiskey, she pushed her plate aside. She leaned back in the booth and braced her back up against the wall, her legs tucked up to her chest.
"Did you really sleep with him?" asked Malfoy, after taking his third shot.
"Did you sleep with Fleur?"
"Yes."
"Yes." she simply replied. She poured another shot.
"Maybe you should slow down on the whiskey."
"Maybe you should mind your own business."
"Your health is my business. You're my girlfriend."
"Oh yes, how could I forget. The moment we ended up back together you returned to your previous state of throwing comments and insults at me any time we're not in bed together. How silly of me to forget that you actually love me."
"So why did you want to run away?" he sat his glass down.
"I told you, I just needed to get away for awhile. I needed to clear my head. We never really got a summer break. Spent most of it doing work."
"And what would you've done all summer if those events hadn't occurred. Study? Plan out long organized lists of your timetable? Try and learn new spells to teach that hopeless group, Dumbledore's-"
"Shh, don't talk about it here."
"Oh it's not like it matters, he knows about the group by now." he downed another shot. She proceeded to do the same.
"Draco, have you ever thought about seeing a psychologist?"
"Why?" he looked at her peculiarly.
"Because I still can't figure you out. You spent all summer practically begging me to come back to you, and the moment I do we're back to where we started arguing all the time. I think you might have schizophrenia." she giggled. He scowled at her.
"I don't have a mental illness, Granger. I'm still not quite sure what you meant back there at the school about wanting to get involved with the Dark Arts. What's with the sudden change of heart?" Despite the lightheadedness and the fact that the room was beginning to spin, Hermione knew it was time to put up her front.
"You'd be surprised at what six months in the Slytherin house can do. I'm sick of this war, and I already know who's going to win. You're going to kill Harry and then Voldemort is going to take over." her voice had a slight singsong aire to it, and she broke out into giggles again.
"Don't say his name." he hissed. He grabbed her arm and lead her from the table. She quickly grabbed the bottle of Fire whiskey. They went back up to their room.
"Everyone really does have the wrong idea about Slytherin. You're not all evil and wicked. You could also say I took a bit of a fancy to Tom Riddle and well since he iis/i the same person. You could say that I'm beginning to understand him a bit more... but of course if you're not interested in the Dark Arts anymore or being a Death Eater, I could find someone else..."
"Hermione, you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into... Wait! You should know! Don't you remember anything that happened back in March? That was only a preview of what they can do. You're not a pureblood; in fact despite the recent discovery of your ancestry you're still no better than the next mudblood. They'll see that."
"Draco, dear. The Death Eaters may see that, but it really isn't about what they think is it?" she leaned across the table and rested a finger under his chin. Surprisingly the alcohol was making this act a lot easier than she thought it would be. Now if only she could remain drunk until the other figured out a way to save Harry.
"It's about what the Dark Lord thinks, and if you haven't heard the news... he's only a half-blood. Don't you remember back last October, when we were in Azkaban... when we were called to him; he addressed you and spoke to you. I have a feeling he might have recognized me. I didn't know it then of course, but I could've sworn any time he did glance at me it was with a peculiar look. He's interested..."
"He knows you work for Dumbledore. Do you really think he'd fall for you wanting to be a Death Eater? I'm surprised you thought I was dim-witted enough to fall for it. What game are you trying to play, Hermione Granger." it was more of a demand than a question.
He grabbed her wrists tightly and pulled her close to him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was dangerously annoyed. Yes, it was definitely like old times. When things got this heated between them they usually wound up in bed together. She was determined to prove to him though that she was interested in aiding Voldemort. She broke free from his grasp and leaned in close to him, her lips near his ear.
"There is no game, Draco. Haven't you noticed the way Harry and Ron act around me now? They're afraid of me. They never know what to say. They don't know how to act. You, Fred, George, and I went through something that they can't even comprehend. Whatever it was you told Harry in the kitchen, you scared him. Now with this whole mess I've created with Fred, Ginny and Ron treat me like some sort of aberration. I have no friends. It is exactly what I saw in the Vanishing Cabinet. I told you this already. Draco, I saw us together and it just fit. Your destiny has been decided and so has mine. I can either face up to it or keeping trying to avoid the inevitable. Isn't that what you're doing? By avoiding your father? By doing everything you can to piss him off? Sometimes we just have to accept our fate." Hermione whispered, breathing softly onto his ear.
She felt him shudder against her. He grabbed her arms again and forced her down onto the bed. She pulled him close, her lips violently attacking his own. He kissed down her neck, biting into the soft flesh. She let out a soft cry and pushed him off.
"So as I said, if you won't help me... then I'll find someone else or do it on my own." she remarked, sitting up.
"I still don't believe you, but if you really want to go to him, I'll take you myself. If you survive we should be able to make it back to school by the weekend." she looked back at him then threw herself on top of him. He'd bought it, at least for now.
Hermione hadn't shown up for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and now she was missing History of Magic. This was unlike her, and Harry was beginning to get extremely worried. No one had seen sight of her, not even Ginny. Malfoy hadn't shown up for DADA either, which was even odder considering he was the assistant. He put two and two together and became even more distressed. He looked over at Ron, who was peacefully taking a nap on his parchment. Harry too was on the verge of sleeping, and would be if it weren't for the thoughts running through his head a million miles a minute. Suddenly there was a loud noise coming from the hall outside the classroom it sounded like two people arguing, well more like one person arguing with them self.
"Just go get him!"
"He's in class!"
"It's important, if you don't go get him I will."
"Fine. We'll both go."
And with that the doors opened with a loud bang. Both Fred and George came rushing over to Harry. Professor Binns continued on with the lecture as if he hadn't heard a thing. Chances were that he hadn't.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked quietly.
"We found out why you-know-who brought back you-know-who." Fred whispered loudly and tugged at Harry's arm, but he resisted.
"If you hadn't noticed, I'm in class." Harry whispered harshly."Oh, stop acting like Hermione. It's not like Binns will know you're gone, anyhow." George sighed.
"Come on." Fred pulled at him, yet again.
Harry looked at Ron who was still sound asleep, then packed up his bag and followed the twins out of the classroom, ignoring the mutters and whispers of the other students. They lead him back to the library, where Fred forced him down into a chair. George thrusted a book in front of him, and the two stood with smug looks across their faces. Harry looked down at the book.
iWar Radical, Xaviar Gillium, had not only murdered one hundred and twenty three beings during the course of the war, but it also believed that he was a skilled sorcerer of the black arts, having invented a curse far worse than that of the popular bAvada Kedavra/b. The curse was known to have had such an effect on the victim that they wouldn't die, but be forced to live eternity as a ghost forced to feel a pain and suffering comparable to that of the popular b Crucio/b curse. This of course is only myth, but if discovered as fact and used, it could release an impact so powerful that all attacks attempted at the wielder, would be futile, giving them extreme power over their victims through fear and suffering./i
Harry turned over the book to read the cover, IBMythological Curses and Hexes/i/b. He looked back up at Fred and George, his stomach turning over itself and suddenly feeling extremely ill.
"How...how did you find this?" he asked, leaning against the table.
"Simple."
"We tossed a coin."
"We pulled a bunch of books out of the restricted section..."
"...and then two at a time, flipped a coin to see which ones we'd go through..."
"...and which ones we wouldn't bother with."
"If our efforts came out fruitless..."
"...then we'd go through the other pile."
"It was George who found it."
"I just flipped through the index and there was his name. First book out of the lot."
"Someone wanted us to find it."
"It had been left out on the table."
Harry's head began to spin. He hated when they finished each other's sentences. It confused him, and he was already feeling sick.
"I think you're right though. It would make sense. If the spell does exist he'll have access to it, with that he'll be nearly invincible. Have you told Dumbledore yet?" he commented.
"No, we wanted to tell you..."
"...before he could tell us not to." Fred smiled.
"Thanks, I better get back to class." Harry stood up, but bent over immediately his stomach feeling as if it had been torn in two."
"Harry, you're not looking too well."
"Maybe we should escort you to the infirmary." they both went to his side.
"No, I'm going to do my best to stay out of there this year. I'll be fine it's just stress." he straightened up, despite his insides screaming, to prove to them he was all right.
"Might be best, Pomfrey would have a fit if she saw you in there when school's just barely started."
"If you're sure you're okay, then head off to class then. Tell Ron about the news will you?"
"Yeah, all right. Hey have you two seen Hermione by chance?" he had to take the opportunity to ask. If anyone had seen her, it would most likely be Fred. The twins exchanged glances.
"Forget your class, Harry. Sit down." Fred beckoned towards the chair. Harry sat on command, becoming more anxious, his stomach pulling on itself harder. Fred sat down in the chair next to him; George loomed over his twin brother.
"Hermione's not here. Neither is Malfoy." started Fred.
"Where are they?"
"Last night, Hermione and I had a long talk. Malfoy had gone back to his father to take his place as a Death Eater. He had to. She's been spending quite a bit of time with him lately, and came to the conclusion that you were in danger. She's pretending to switch sides to save you. We figured that by doing that, she'd have a better chance at persuading him to postpone the inevitable. She left me a note early this morning. She's run off with Malfoy. She said she figured you'd be safer if he wasn't in the school, so she's taken him to London. She's going to meet with Voldemort." he finished.
"She what? She'll die. She's in danger. Especially now that Gillium is back. He'll kill her on the spot." Harry jumped up from the chair. Fred stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, she's got a handle on it. She's met Tom Riddle. They were acquaintances back during our mission. She's learned to understand him in a way that you can't. I think she knows what she's doing, or at least has some idea. She'll be okay. She promised to send word if it seems as if the task is impossible. Dumbledore knows. I told George this morning, and we went to Dumbledore. They'll be back in a few days... she's doing what she has to Harry, try and understand that. It's critical though that you don't show any sympathy for her when she returns. She's told Malfoy that we're all avoiding her. She told him about the Vanishing cabinet-"
"-well not everything, just that she saw all of us ignoring her and what her life would be like if she were with him." George interjected.
"And you just let her go, just like that. You, who supposedly cared enough about her to hurt Ron by dating her," Harry shot back, accusingly.
"I do care about her, but it's something she has to do Harry. She's doing this for you, you're one of her best mates and she doesn't want to see you die."
"Well I don't want her risking her life for me. I'm not worth it. She's a better witch than I am a wizard, she's more beneficial than I am."
"Harry, you're the only one who can defeat Voldemort. If you die, he wins. Right now at this moment, it's your life that needs to be spared." reminded George. Harry sighed; he had to get out of the library. He was suddenly feeling very overwhelmed by the entire situation. If he stayed any longer he was going to pass out. His stomach was killing him and he was feeling faint.
"I have to get to class. I'll see you around." and with that he bolted out of the library.
He didn't go to class though, instead he found himself out in the courtyard. A breathe of fresh air was exactly what he needed. He didn't feel as flush and he began to calm down. The pain in his side had subsided. He made his way over to the tree overlooking the lake and sat himself down. He didn't know how long he sat there. Nor was he really paying attention to the sun's glow off the water as it stung in his eyes. This was too much for him to deal with. He needed Sirius more than ever at this point and had never felt so alone. He wanted to owl Lupin, but there was too great a risk of it being intercepted. He thought about going to Dumbledore, but even that wouldn't help seeing as only he and the twins knew of the reason for the resurrection at this point. Under normal circumstances, he would turn to Hermione in this type of situation, but she was gone. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice the warm tears as they began to flow down from his eyes, running down his face. He was just one boy, what could he do?
A/N: Woah 2 chapters within the same week! See I'm on top of things! hehehe. Although I do have to caution it might be a little while before chapter 22 goes up, just depends on if I lose my internet connection between now and the time when we'll be able to pay the bill. But I'll continue working on the story. If you read please review. I appreciate all of you who were patient enough to wait out my over-a-week hiatus.
"Where's Hermione?"
"Don't know, mate. She wasn't at breakfast and she's not here." replied Ron, with a shrug.
Hermione opened her eyes and suppressed a yawn. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to remember what'd happened the previous night. To recollect how she'd gone to Malfoy's room and asked him to run away with her. She did however think back to her conversation with Fred about what she must do. She felt she gave a rather convincing performance as she looked over next to her at Malfoy, who was sleeping. She rolled over on her side and ran her fingers along the soft skin of his back. She hadn't truly slept with him, hadn't spent an entire night with him, alone, since they'd been locked away in Azkaban. Their current settings were much more comfortable. She smiled. He was a lot more tolerable and enjoyable when he was asleep. He couldn't make any snide comments. Nor could he play off his schizophrenic personality, and talk about how much he loved her. This was the Draco she preferred for the time being. It was still dark out. She came to the conclusion that she'd only been sleeping a couple hours, but couldn't find it in her to sleep any longer. Hermione slipped out of bed and got dressed. This caused him to stir.
"Where are you going?" he asked, softly.
"No where... I just thought I'd go down and get a bite to eat." she told him, realizing that lieing would get her nowhere. She just didn't really want his company at the moment.
"I'll come with." he sat up.
She just nodded in reply, hesitantly. He got out of bed and put back on his school robes as she had done. She was beginning to regret not thinking this plan through, seeing as neither of them had anything else to wear. They were going to raise suspicion with their school robes. Hermione threw her hair up into a messy bun with one quick sweep then followed him out of the room they were staying in at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione glanced around the hallway and realized they were staying in the same room that Fred and George had shared when they were in the past. She hadn't noticed the previous night because she had been beat with exhaustion. She felt something pull at her stomach, but brushed it off. Malfoy led her over to an empty table. The only people still around were a couple of witches bickering in the corner about potion ingredients and an old man talking over what sounded like a proposition to a hag. Hermione placed herself across from him and waited for Tom, the barkeep, to come over.
"What are you hungry for?" asked Malfoy, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning them against the tabletop.
"I'm not really sure... I think right now I could really go for some fire whiskey." she answered.
"Fire whiskey? Since when do you drink?" his tone was a bit harsh, more than he'd meant it to, she figured. She shrugged.
"I've only had it once, but found it a nice way to relieve stress." she told him, nonchalantly. Her mind flashed back to that night and she felt blush creep up along her cheekbones.
"Let me guess, with Weasley? He's the only one I know you know who's dense enough to buy it for you. Did you get sloshed then? Shag him rotten?" he sneered with jealousy.
"Shut up." she rolled her eyes, and glanced over at Tom who was making his way over to them. He took their orders and Hermione leaned in to whisper something to him. She reached into her robe pocket and extracted some gold coins, handing them to him cautiously.
"So you are going to get smashed then." he smiled.
"Not that it's any concern of yours, but yes. I will be willing to share if you desire." she sighed and figured the longer she kept him in this game of harsh words and sly comebacks, the more he might believe that she was as interested in the dark arts as she'd told him back in his room.
He didn't keep it going though; in fact he stopped talking all together. When the food and drinks arrived, Hermione paid Tom, as Malfoy hadn't made any effort to move for his own money. After she'd finished her food and had two shots of the fire whiskey, she pushed her plate aside. She leaned back in the booth and braced her back up against the wall, her legs tucked up to her chest.
"Did you really sleep with him?" asked Malfoy, after taking his third shot.
"Did you sleep with Fleur?"
"Yes."
"Yes." she simply replied. She poured another shot.
"Maybe you should slow down on the whiskey."
"Maybe you should mind your own business."
"Your health is my business. You're my girlfriend."
"Oh yes, how could I forget. The moment we ended up back together you returned to your previous state of throwing comments and insults at me any time we're not in bed together. How silly of me to forget that you actually love me."
"So why did you want to run away?" he sat his glass down.
"I told you, I just needed to get away for awhile. I needed to clear my head. We never really got a summer break. Spent most of it doing work."
"And what would you've done all summer if those events hadn't occurred. Study? Plan out long organized lists of your timetable? Try and learn new spells to teach that hopeless group, Dumbledore's-"
"Shh, don't talk about it here."
"Oh it's not like it matters, he knows about the group by now." he downed another shot. She proceeded to do the same.
"Draco, have you ever thought about seeing a psychologist?"
"Why?" he looked at her peculiarly.
"Because I still can't figure you out. You spent all summer practically begging me to come back to you, and the moment I do we're back to where we started arguing all the time. I think you might have schizophrenia." she giggled. He scowled at her.
"I don't have a mental illness, Granger. I'm still not quite sure what you meant back there at the school about wanting to get involved with the Dark Arts. What's with the sudden change of heart?" Despite the lightheadedness and the fact that the room was beginning to spin, Hermione knew it was time to put up her front.
"You'd be surprised at what six months in the Slytherin house can do. I'm sick of this war, and I already know who's going to win. You're going to kill Harry and then Voldemort is going to take over." her voice had a slight singsong aire to it, and she broke out into giggles again.
"Don't say his name." he hissed. He grabbed her arm and lead her from the table. She quickly grabbed the bottle of Fire whiskey. They went back up to their room.
"Everyone really does have the wrong idea about Slytherin. You're not all evil and wicked. You could also say I took a bit of a fancy to Tom Riddle and well since he iis/i the same person. You could say that I'm beginning to understand him a bit more... but of course if you're not interested in the Dark Arts anymore or being a Death Eater, I could find someone else..."
"Hermione, you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into... Wait! You should know! Don't you remember anything that happened back in March? That was only a preview of what they can do. You're not a pureblood; in fact despite the recent discovery of your ancestry you're still no better than the next mudblood. They'll see that."
"Draco, dear. The Death Eaters may see that, but it really isn't about what they think is it?" she leaned across the table and rested a finger under his chin. Surprisingly the alcohol was making this act a lot easier than she thought it would be. Now if only she could remain drunk until the other figured out a way to save Harry.
"It's about what the Dark Lord thinks, and if you haven't heard the news... he's only a half-blood. Don't you remember back last October, when we were in Azkaban... when we were called to him; he addressed you and spoke to you. I have a feeling he might have recognized me. I didn't know it then of course, but I could've sworn any time he did glance at me it was with a peculiar look. He's interested..."
"He knows you work for Dumbledore. Do you really think he'd fall for you wanting to be a Death Eater? I'm surprised you thought I was dim-witted enough to fall for it. What game are you trying to play, Hermione Granger." it was more of a demand than a question.
He grabbed her wrists tightly and pulled her close to him. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was dangerously annoyed. Yes, it was definitely like old times. When things got this heated between them they usually wound up in bed together. She was determined to prove to him though that she was interested in aiding Voldemort. She broke free from his grasp and leaned in close to him, her lips near his ear.
"There is no game, Draco. Haven't you noticed the way Harry and Ron act around me now? They're afraid of me. They never know what to say. They don't know how to act. You, Fred, George, and I went through something that they can't even comprehend. Whatever it was you told Harry in the kitchen, you scared him. Now with this whole mess I've created with Fred, Ginny and Ron treat me like some sort of aberration. I have no friends. It is exactly what I saw in the Vanishing Cabinet. I told you this already. Draco, I saw us together and it just fit. Your destiny has been decided and so has mine. I can either face up to it or keeping trying to avoid the inevitable. Isn't that what you're doing? By avoiding your father? By doing everything you can to piss him off? Sometimes we just have to accept our fate." Hermione whispered, breathing softly onto his ear.
She felt him shudder against her. He grabbed her arms again and forced her down onto the bed. She pulled him close, her lips violently attacking his own. He kissed down her neck, biting into the soft flesh. She let out a soft cry and pushed him off.
"So as I said, if you won't help me... then I'll find someone else or do it on my own." she remarked, sitting up.
"I still don't believe you, but if you really want to go to him, I'll take you myself. If you survive we should be able to make it back to school by the weekend." she looked back at him then threw herself on top of him. He'd bought it, at least for now.
Hermione hadn't shown up for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and now she was missing History of Magic. This was unlike her, and Harry was beginning to get extremely worried. No one had seen sight of her, not even Ginny. Malfoy hadn't shown up for DADA either, which was even odder considering he was the assistant. He put two and two together and became even more distressed. He looked over at Ron, who was peacefully taking a nap on his parchment. Harry too was on the verge of sleeping, and would be if it weren't for the thoughts running through his head a million miles a minute. Suddenly there was a loud noise coming from the hall outside the classroom it sounded like two people arguing, well more like one person arguing with them self.
"Just go get him!"
"He's in class!"
"It's important, if you don't go get him I will."
"Fine. We'll both go."
And with that the doors opened with a loud bang. Both Fred and George came rushing over to Harry. Professor Binns continued on with the lecture as if he hadn't heard a thing. Chances were that he hadn't.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked quietly.
"We found out why you-know-who brought back you-know-who." Fred whispered loudly and tugged at Harry's arm, but he resisted.
"If you hadn't noticed, I'm in class." Harry whispered harshly."Oh, stop acting like Hermione. It's not like Binns will know you're gone, anyhow." George sighed.
"Come on." Fred pulled at him, yet again.
Harry looked at Ron who was still sound asleep, then packed up his bag and followed the twins out of the classroom, ignoring the mutters and whispers of the other students. They lead him back to the library, where Fred forced him down into a chair. George thrusted a book in front of him, and the two stood with smug looks across their faces. Harry looked down at the book.
iWar Radical, Xaviar Gillium, had not only murdered one hundred and twenty three beings during the course of the war, but it also believed that he was a skilled sorcerer of the black arts, having invented a curse far worse than that of the popular bAvada Kedavra/b. The curse was known to have had such an effect on the victim that they wouldn't die, but be forced to live eternity as a ghost forced to feel a pain and suffering comparable to that of the popular b Crucio/b curse. This of course is only myth, but if discovered as fact and used, it could release an impact so powerful that all attacks attempted at the wielder, would be futile, giving them extreme power over their victims through fear and suffering./i
Harry turned over the book to read the cover, IBMythological Curses and Hexes/i/b. He looked back up at Fred and George, his stomach turning over itself and suddenly feeling extremely ill.
"How...how did you find this?" he asked, leaning against the table.
"Simple."
"We tossed a coin."
"We pulled a bunch of books out of the restricted section..."
"...and then two at a time, flipped a coin to see which ones we'd go through..."
"...and which ones we wouldn't bother with."
"If our efforts came out fruitless..."
"...then we'd go through the other pile."
"It was George who found it."
"I just flipped through the index and there was his name. First book out of the lot."
"Someone wanted us to find it."
"It had been left out on the table."
Harry's head began to spin. He hated when they finished each other's sentences. It confused him, and he was already feeling sick.
"I think you're right though. It would make sense. If the spell does exist he'll have access to it, with that he'll be nearly invincible. Have you told Dumbledore yet?" he commented.
"No, we wanted to tell you..."
"...before he could tell us not to." Fred smiled.
"Thanks, I better get back to class." Harry stood up, but bent over immediately his stomach feeling as if it had been torn in two."
"Harry, you're not looking too well."
"Maybe we should escort you to the infirmary." they both went to his side.
"No, I'm going to do my best to stay out of there this year. I'll be fine it's just stress." he straightened up, despite his insides screaming, to prove to them he was all right.
"Might be best, Pomfrey would have a fit if she saw you in there when school's just barely started."
"If you're sure you're okay, then head off to class then. Tell Ron about the news will you?"
"Yeah, all right. Hey have you two seen Hermione by chance?" he had to take the opportunity to ask. If anyone had seen her, it would most likely be Fred. The twins exchanged glances.
"Forget your class, Harry. Sit down." Fred beckoned towards the chair. Harry sat on command, becoming more anxious, his stomach pulling on itself harder. Fred sat down in the chair next to him; George loomed over his twin brother.
"Hermione's not here. Neither is Malfoy." started Fred.
"Where are they?"
"Last night, Hermione and I had a long talk. Malfoy had gone back to his father to take his place as a Death Eater. He had to. She's been spending quite a bit of time with him lately, and came to the conclusion that you were in danger. She's pretending to switch sides to save you. We figured that by doing that, she'd have a better chance at persuading him to postpone the inevitable. She left me a note early this morning. She's run off with Malfoy. She said she figured you'd be safer if he wasn't in the school, so she's taken him to London. She's going to meet with Voldemort." he finished.
"She what? She'll die. She's in danger. Especially now that Gillium is back. He'll kill her on the spot." Harry jumped up from the chair. Fred stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, she's got a handle on it. She's met Tom Riddle. They were acquaintances back during our mission. She's learned to understand him in a way that you can't. I think she knows what she's doing, or at least has some idea. She'll be okay. She promised to send word if it seems as if the task is impossible. Dumbledore knows. I told George this morning, and we went to Dumbledore. They'll be back in a few days... she's doing what she has to Harry, try and understand that. It's critical though that you don't show any sympathy for her when she returns. She's told Malfoy that we're all avoiding her. She told him about the Vanishing cabinet-"
"-well not everything, just that she saw all of us ignoring her and what her life would be like if she were with him." George interjected.
"And you just let her go, just like that. You, who supposedly cared enough about her to hurt Ron by dating her," Harry shot back, accusingly.
"I do care about her, but it's something she has to do Harry. She's doing this for you, you're one of her best mates and she doesn't want to see you die."
"Well I don't want her risking her life for me. I'm not worth it. She's a better witch than I am a wizard, she's more beneficial than I am."
"Harry, you're the only one who can defeat Voldemort. If you die, he wins. Right now at this moment, it's your life that needs to be spared." reminded George. Harry sighed; he had to get out of the library. He was suddenly feeling very overwhelmed by the entire situation. If he stayed any longer he was going to pass out. His stomach was killing him and he was feeling faint.
"I have to get to class. I'll see you around." and with that he bolted out of the library.
He didn't go to class though, instead he found himself out in the courtyard. A breathe of fresh air was exactly what he needed. He didn't feel as flush and he began to calm down. The pain in his side had subsided. He made his way over to the tree overlooking the lake and sat himself down. He didn't know how long he sat there. Nor was he really paying attention to the sun's glow off the water as it stung in his eyes. This was too much for him to deal with. He needed Sirius more than ever at this point and had never felt so alone. He wanted to owl Lupin, but there was too great a risk of it being intercepted. He thought about going to Dumbledore, but even that wouldn't help seeing as only he and the twins knew of the reason for the resurrection at this point. Under normal circumstances, he would turn to Hermione in this type of situation, but she was gone. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice the warm tears as they began to flow down from his eyes, running down his face. He was just one boy, what could he do?
A/N: Woah 2 chapters within the same week! See I'm on top of things! hehehe. Although I do have to caution it might be a little while before chapter 22 goes up, just depends on if I lose my internet connection between now and the time when we'll be able to pay the bill. But I'll continue working on the story. If you read please review. I appreciate all of you who were patient enough to wait out my over-a-week hiatus.