Chapter 8 - Hermione's Arrival

I think what I'm about to write will be the most difficult part of this letter for you to read. I thought about not mentioning it at all, but both Theo and I think I should tell you everything. Knowing what you know so far, you are bound to start asking questions. Why did the Dark Lord want to have a child at all? And, having found out about this, why didn't I choose to end the pregnancy?

If I leave these questions unanswered, you will wonder about them and imagine various answers in your mind, which might hurt you even more than the true ones. I can't give you only a part of the truth - I must tell you everything.

When I realised what the pendant meant, I took a pestle and mortar I used to grind stones for potions and I beat the pendant until it was completely pulverised. It helped me let out my anger. How dare He try and make me the mother of his heir, I thought while beating the stone with all my strength.

When I was finished, I threw away the dust and went on to cut and dye my hair as I'd planned. I wanted to visit a Healer and end the pregnancy as soon as possible, but it would be better to do that under a false name and with my appearance changed. I also made my eyebrows thicker and grew a mole on my nose using some simple charms. I was almost enjoying the transformation. I wished I had done something like that for amusement earlier, when my life wasn't in danger.

I browsed the latest issue of The Daily Prophet for' advertisements and found what I was looking for: the address of a Healer in Knockturn Alley who promised "quick help with all health problems and no questions asked." I needed someone who would not want to know my real name or see my medical records.

I Apparated to the Healer's waiting room, gave a false name to her house-elf and sat among the other patients, most of them victims of nasty curses. As I was waiting I felt more and more uneasy.

I had assumed that the Dark Lord had chosen me to give birth to his heir, but the more I thought about it the less sense it made. There had been so much talk about the sacrifices and rituals he had gone through to achieve immortality, losing some of his humanity in the process. And I had seen him with my own eyes: he was, indeed, not quite human any more.

But if he had become immortal, why would he want an heir? He obviously wanted to be the most powerful wizard alive, now and forever. An immortal wouldn't want to turn his power over to an heir. There had to be some other reason for this, I thought. I realised I wasn't quite sure I wanted to end the pregnancy. I wanted to understand his motives first.

The conflict I was feeling was probably showing in my face, because a woman sitting next to me in the waiting room decided to try and cheer me up. She told me she was a Seer and offered me a free palm reading. I didn't really want her to do it, but I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to myself by refusing.

I gave her my hand reluctantly and let her look at the lines on my palm. I flinched when she immediately said that I was pregnant, but then she went on to say that she saw a happy future for me: a daughter and a wonderful husband deeply in love with me. I said nothing, but I felt like laughing hysterically. So I'll marry the Dark Lord and live happily ever after? Fortune telling was a load of rubbish after all.

But the next sentence the Seer said changed my mind. She said the husband she saw in my future wasn't the real father of my daughter, but would love her as if she was his own. She also said I'd never see the real father again.

It sounded so impossible, but I was desperate for a glimpse of hope. I decided to believe her.

---

Harry spent the night in what used to be Percy's room. Mrs Weasley had said in a cheerful how good it was that they had a spare room now and that Harry can have a bedroom of his own; only a slight shadow that passed over her face as she was sleeping revealed that she wasn't so happy about the empty room after all.

Harry felt tired after all that had happened that day. He drifted into sleep quickly and even though he was awaken several times during the night by the ghoul in the attic, it was the best sleep he had in a long time.

He woke up to the sound of Hedwig's wings flapping; she was returning from her nightly hunt and going to sleep in her cage. Voices could be heard from downstairs. Harry got dressed quickly and went down to the kitchen. Mr Weasley was already preparing tea, and Ron and Bill were sitting at the table, talking.

"You didn't have to get up so early, Harry. I know you were tired yesterday," Arthur Weasley said.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep anymore. Hedwig woke me up," Harry said and thought to himself that this wasn't quite true - he could have slept more if he'd wanted to, but he was happy to be there and looking forward to the day.

Molly joined them very soon, and last of all Ginny; just as they were starting to slice the ham for breakfast, the screeching of brakes was heard from outside.

"That's probably Hermione! Let's go and meet her!" Ginny said, and everyone except for Bill and Molly rushed outside. Arthur led them up a small hill covered with trees, explaining to Harry on the way:

"Hermione is arriving on the Knight Bus. We told her to tell the driver to stop on a clearing at the edge of the forest. If she gave him the address of the Burrow, he would have no idea where to go. It's the protective charms we placed on the house. It's extremely difficult for anyone to find now."

The Knight bus was already on the clearing: they could already see the headlights through the leaves. But Mr Weasley stopped them from going out onto the clearing, saying it would be wiser for them to stay among the trees until the bus leaves.

Harry thought he would need some time to get used to these new security measures, but he understood that they were necessary. He was particularly glad that he was hidden behind a tree when he heard the voice of Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the Knight Bus, saying:

"What did you want us to drive you 'ere for? There's nothing 'ere but trees!"

Harry knew that Stan thought of him as a celebrity and remembered every occasion he saw him taking the Knight Bus. If he saw Harry now, he would probably talk about it for days and soon every wizard in Britain would know about his whereabouts.

Hermione's voice was heard next, saying politely but firmly:

"It's all right, this is the right place. Thank you!"

More screeching of brakes was heard as the Knight Bus drove away in a mad speed. Harry and the Weasleys could safely walk out into the clearing now. Hermione was standing there, holding her suitcase and smiling as she waved to them.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked when they approached her. "You never answered any letters."

"I'm alright. Sorry," said Harry. He was feeling really guilty after he saw how much his silence had worried both Ron and Hermione.

Mr Weasley wanted to take Hermione's suitcase and carry it, but Ron was faster. He grabbed the suitcase from Hermione's hand and started downhill towards the Burrow.

Soon they were all at the table, eating breakfast and making plans for the day. Bill was going to work immediately after breakfast, and Mrs Weasley was planning to spend the morning at the Order Headquarters, going through the Black family's Dark magic objects with Mundungus Fletcher. Arthur Weasley had planned to visit Theodosius Lovegood in the morning, and Ginny explained to Hermione that they were all going with him to see Luna.

Molly Weasley kept on urging all of them to eat more; Hermione refused a second helping of fried ham, saying it was excellent but it was dangerous for one's health to eat too much of fatty food. Although he was just about to eat a large piece of ham at that very moment, Ron said:

"It would be even worse if we were living in the eighteenth century. They had five-course breakfasts at Hogwarts then!"

Ron attempted to say it in a completely offhand manner, as if discussing history over breakfast was something he did every day. Still, he couldn't help looking just a little bit smug.

Hermione almost dropped her fork when she heard what Ron said. She asked him, her eyes shining with delight:

"You've been reading Hogwarts, a History?"

"Well, yes, just a little bit. It was interesting." Ron was still trying to speak casually. Harry glanced at Ginny and noticed that she was trying hard not to burst into laughter. But Hermione was overjoyed with Ron's sudden interest in her favourite book and spent the rest of breakfast talking to him.

After breakfast Mr Weasley said it was time to go to the Lovegoods' home and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny followed him outside.

---

The first time Harry and the Weasleys went out that morning, they had run out so fast that Wormtail was taken by surprise and didn't have time to attempt following them. Luckily for him, they had returned into the house very soon, with a girl Wormtail recognised as their friend Hermione. That horrible cat of hers didn't seem to be with her this time.

He moved from the tree where he'd been hiding during the night to a bush with a better view of the front door. After some time he saw Arthur Weasley come out through the door, and Harry and his friends came out after him.

Wormtail followed them from a safe distance, sneaking through the tall grass and under bushes. He could hear fragments of their conversation. They mentioned some people called the Lovegoods several times. Wormtail didn't know who they were, but if Harry Potter and the Weasleys kept company with them, they were important and he had to find out more.

---

Arthur Weasley was leading the way through the forest. Ron and Hermione were walking behind him, immersed in conversation. Harry and Ginny were last.

"I don't understand," Harry said, looking at Hermione. "I mean, she's smart. How can't she see that he read the book just because of her?"

Ginny smiled. "Well maybe she does realise it. As you said, she's smart."

After some time, Mr Weasley turned from path they were walking on to what seemed at first to be another path, but Harry realised it was an abandoned Muggle railway line. They walked along the railway line until they reached a clearing covered with grass. To Harry's astonishment, the grass was in some places bent down in what looked like a clumsy copy of crop circles.

In the middle of the meadow, a large train carriage stood on the railway line. It was surrounded by a small garden and in part covered with ivy. Theodosius Lovegood stood in the doorway, and Luna was looking out of one of the windows and waving at them as they approached her home.