Hermione allowed herself to slide her back down the wall and to the ground.
She brought her shaking knees to her chest and grasped her cold toes with
her even colder fingers.
'A witness?' Hermione thought, stunned. 'How could that be? I couldn't...' She rested her chin in the groove between her knees. She felt her heart weakly pulsing against her thighs. Perhaps her own memory of herself before fifth year would never kill Harry, but Ron made it clear that she was a different person. Maybe there was a chance, a slim chance, that she did kill Harry.
'But that's not me anymore!' she told herself. 'I'm not the same person I was last week.'
Hermione stayed up very late that night, if not due to the biting cold floor, then because of what seemed to be her mind arguing with her feelings. She finally fell asleep insisting to herself that no matter what changes she had gone through that year, she would never kill Harry.
'What about the witness?.'
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Harry, could I talk to you?"
"Sure, Hermione, but I thought you said you were never going to speak to me again."
"Yeah, about that... I'm really sorry. I got myself into a big mess and now I can't get out."
"And you need my help? Is that the only reason you're talking to me?"
"No! No. It's because I realized that I made a mistake by pushing you and Ron away. I made some bad choices. Some really bad choices and I don't know how to get out."
"Does this have to do with that deal you made earlier this year?"
"How--how did you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter, but if you back out of it..."
"See, that's the problem. If I do, he says he'll kill me."
"Kill you?"
There was a long pause.
"Was he serious?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Well, then of course I'll help you. On one condition, though."
"What?"
"Can we put the rest of the year behind us? Just forget it entirely?"
"Of course."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Wake up." Hermione jumped out of her sleep.
"Wake up, it's time for your wand testing." An unnaturally large guard stood in the doorway.
"Hermione? Hermione are you in there?" Hermione stopped rubbing her eyes and smiled broadly. It was her mother.
"I'm in here, mum!" She grinned as her tiny mother pushed her way authoritatively past the guard. At only five-foot three, Hermione's mother was about an inch shorter than her daughter, and about a foot shorter than the guard.
"Oh, Hermione! I was so worried when I heard you were down here. Oh, sweetie, you're freezing!" Her mother had enveloped her in a hug, then started feeling Hermione's forehead and cheeks. "I hope you didn't catch anything down here."
Normally, Hermione hated her mother's fussing, but for the first time in Hermione's life, it was welcome.
"Mum, I'm fine. Especially now that you're here." They embraced again, Hermione's mother wrapped her own extra sweater across Hermione's shoulders.
"It's time to go," the guard said impatiently. He held up something that looked like handcuffs, but were glowing an odd neon orange color. Hermione imagined they had a no-escape spell on them.
"I don't think so," Hermione's mother said with her hands on her tiny hips. "My daughter will not wear those."
The guard towered over the small woman menacingly, but she kept her ground. "All right," he said with a sigh. "But she'll have to put 'em on once we get to the fifth floor. Dumbledore's orders."
Hermione and her mother walked behind the guard, talking the entire way up.
"Where's daddy?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, he's out of the country this week. There's an important dental seminar over in the states and he didn't have time to fly back home."
"I wish he were here," Hermione lamented.
"It's probably for the best," her mother said. "You know how protective your father is. He'd make an awful scene if he knew what happened. If I were Dumbledore, and your father were here, I'd fear for my life."
Hermione nodded. Her dad was very protective of her.
"I have to put these on you now," the guard said as they reached the fifth floor.
"You'd better be glad, sir, that her father isn't here," her mother threatened the guard as he clasped Hermione's arms behind her back. "Because you'd be knocked unconscious he were."
"I'm sure," he said, rolling his eyes. "This way." He led them to a room that Hermione recognized as an empty classroom, and he opened the door. She remembered the countless times she and Harry and Ron had retreated into this very classroom to practice for the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione took a deep breath as her mother gave one of her restrained arms a reassuring squeeze, and they walked in.
Inside, a handful of people were sitting and waiting. She spotted Josh in the corner. Dumbledore was in the front of the room, next to McGonagall and Snape. A man she didn't recognize was sitting with her wand in his lap. Finally, in the corner across from Josh, a hunched figure sat. Hermione couldn't see his face.
Before she could become too curious, she was led to a chair near the front, and sat down. Her mother took a place next to her.
"Hermione Granger," the man holding her wand said. "Is this your wand?"
"Yes."
"Have you used anyone else's wand in the past 3 months? If so, then in what context?"
She was about to answer that she couldn't remember, but she caught Josh's eye in the corner. "Yes, I used Mr. Grumpki's wand to perform a healing charm."
"Which Mr. Grumpki?" the man asked. She suddenly realized that the man talking to her must have been Josh's brother, the Auror. It was an odd shock, because she expected another scarred and disfigured human like Moody, not a flawless news-reporter type person.
"Josh Grumpki," she nodded to Josh.
"Can you confirm that, Mr. Grumpki?" his brother asked. Josh answered yes. Hermione hated the formal questioning. She wanted to get her wand tested so she could finally be deemed innocent.
"Mr. Krum," Josh's brother said. Hermione straightened up, and looked to where he was addressing. It was Viktor sitting in the corner. At first Hermione was relieved, thinking that somebody else might be on her side. Then her eyes met his. Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she felt choked by inexplicable fear.
"Mr. Krum is this the wand you witnessed Hermione Granger using to perform the Avada Kedavra curse on Harry Potter?" Hermione's heart raced as Viktor gave his answer.
"Yes."
It was Viktor Krum. He was the witness. Hermione had little time to dwell on how or why he was even at Hogwarts in the first place. Her wand was about to be tested, so she tore her eyes away from Krum's dark gaze.
Josh's brother held her wand vertically in front of him while Dumbledore performed the spell.
"Prior Incantato!"
His wand touched the tip of Hermione's and something began to grow between the two of them. It was difficult to tell what it was, because it was like a combination of something solid and a ball of smoke.
The smoke began to take a more familiar shape as it grew to the size of a person. It became less foggy and more solid, but somehow more faded into darkness than an actual human.
The shadow of Harry Potter stood in the center of the room, his eyes filled with pain as he stared directly at Hermione.
A tear fell down her cheek, but she felt so numb it wasn't noticed until it reached the bottom of her chin
Harry's smoky form opened his mouth, forming words that were inaudible to the living world.
"Deleterious." Someone said the spell to counteract Prior Incantato.
Harry closed his mouth. Hermione felt herself lose consciousness as his shadow faded away.
'A witness?' Hermione thought, stunned. 'How could that be? I couldn't...' She rested her chin in the groove between her knees. She felt her heart weakly pulsing against her thighs. Perhaps her own memory of herself before fifth year would never kill Harry, but Ron made it clear that she was a different person. Maybe there was a chance, a slim chance, that she did kill Harry.
'But that's not me anymore!' she told herself. 'I'm not the same person I was last week.'
Hermione stayed up very late that night, if not due to the biting cold floor, then because of what seemed to be her mind arguing with her feelings. She finally fell asleep insisting to herself that no matter what changes she had gone through that year, she would never kill Harry.
'What about the witness?.'
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Harry, could I talk to you?"
"Sure, Hermione, but I thought you said you were never going to speak to me again."
"Yeah, about that... I'm really sorry. I got myself into a big mess and now I can't get out."
"And you need my help? Is that the only reason you're talking to me?"
"No! No. It's because I realized that I made a mistake by pushing you and Ron away. I made some bad choices. Some really bad choices and I don't know how to get out."
"Does this have to do with that deal you made earlier this year?"
"How--how did you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter, but if you back out of it..."
"See, that's the problem. If I do, he says he'll kill me."
"Kill you?"
There was a long pause.
"Was he serious?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Well, then of course I'll help you. On one condition, though."
"What?"
"Can we put the rest of the year behind us? Just forget it entirely?"
"Of course."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Wake up." Hermione jumped out of her sleep.
"Wake up, it's time for your wand testing." An unnaturally large guard stood in the doorway.
"Hermione? Hermione are you in there?" Hermione stopped rubbing her eyes and smiled broadly. It was her mother.
"I'm in here, mum!" She grinned as her tiny mother pushed her way authoritatively past the guard. At only five-foot three, Hermione's mother was about an inch shorter than her daughter, and about a foot shorter than the guard.
"Oh, Hermione! I was so worried when I heard you were down here. Oh, sweetie, you're freezing!" Her mother had enveloped her in a hug, then started feeling Hermione's forehead and cheeks. "I hope you didn't catch anything down here."
Normally, Hermione hated her mother's fussing, but for the first time in Hermione's life, it was welcome.
"Mum, I'm fine. Especially now that you're here." They embraced again, Hermione's mother wrapped her own extra sweater across Hermione's shoulders.
"It's time to go," the guard said impatiently. He held up something that looked like handcuffs, but were glowing an odd neon orange color. Hermione imagined they had a no-escape spell on them.
"I don't think so," Hermione's mother said with her hands on her tiny hips. "My daughter will not wear those."
The guard towered over the small woman menacingly, but she kept her ground. "All right," he said with a sigh. "But she'll have to put 'em on once we get to the fifth floor. Dumbledore's orders."
Hermione and her mother walked behind the guard, talking the entire way up.
"Where's daddy?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, he's out of the country this week. There's an important dental seminar over in the states and he didn't have time to fly back home."
"I wish he were here," Hermione lamented.
"It's probably for the best," her mother said. "You know how protective your father is. He'd make an awful scene if he knew what happened. If I were Dumbledore, and your father were here, I'd fear for my life."
Hermione nodded. Her dad was very protective of her.
"I have to put these on you now," the guard said as they reached the fifth floor.
"You'd better be glad, sir, that her father isn't here," her mother threatened the guard as he clasped Hermione's arms behind her back. "Because you'd be knocked unconscious he were."
"I'm sure," he said, rolling his eyes. "This way." He led them to a room that Hermione recognized as an empty classroom, and he opened the door. She remembered the countless times she and Harry and Ron had retreated into this very classroom to practice for the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione took a deep breath as her mother gave one of her restrained arms a reassuring squeeze, and they walked in.
Inside, a handful of people were sitting and waiting. She spotted Josh in the corner. Dumbledore was in the front of the room, next to McGonagall and Snape. A man she didn't recognize was sitting with her wand in his lap. Finally, in the corner across from Josh, a hunched figure sat. Hermione couldn't see his face.
Before she could become too curious, she was led to a chair near the front, and sat down. Her mother took a place next to her.
"Hermione Granger," the man holding her wand said. "Is this your wand?"
"Yes."
"Have you used anyone else's wand in the past 3 months? If so, then in what context?"
She was about to answer that she couldn't remember, but she caught Josh's eye in the corner. "Yes, I used Mr. Grumpki's wand to perform a healing charm."
"Which Mr. Grumpki?" the man asked. She suddenly realized that the man talking to her must have been Josh's brother, the Auror. It was an odd shock, because she expected another scarred and disfigured human like Moody, not a flawless news-reporter type person.
"Josh Grumpki," she nodded to Josh.
"Can you confirm that, Mr. Grumpki?" his brother asked. Josh answered yes. Hermione hated the formal questioning. She wanted to get her wand tested so she could finally be deemed innocent.
"Mr. Krum," Josh's brother said. Hermione straightened up, and looked to where he was addressing. It was Viktor sitting in the corner. At first Hermione was relieved, thinking that somebody else might be on her side. Then her eyes met his. Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she felt choked by inexplicable fear.
"Mr. Krum is this the wand you witnessed Hermione Granger using to perform the Avada Kedavra curse on Harry Potter?" Hermione's heart raced as Viktor gave his answer.
"Yes."
It was Viktor Krum. He was the witness. Hermione had little time to dwell on how or why he was even at Hogwarts in the first place. Her wand was about to be tested, so she tore her eyes away from Krum's dark gaze.
Josh's brother held her wand vertically in front of him while Dumbledore performed the spell.
"Prior Incantato!"
His wand touched the tip of Hermione's and something began to grow between the two of them. It was difficult to tell what it was, because it was like a combination of something solid and a ball of smoke.
The smoke began to take a more familiar shape as it grew to the size of a person. It became less foggy and more solid, but somehow more faded into darkness than an actual human.
The shadow of Harry Potter stood in the center of the room, his eyes filled with pain as he stared directly at Hermione.
A tear fell down her cheek, but she felt so numb it wasn't noticed until it reached the bottom of her chin
Harry's smoky form opened his mouth, forming words that were inaudible to the living world.
"Deleterious." Someone said the spell to counteract Prior Incantato.
Harry closed his mouth. Hermione felt herself lose consciousness as his shadow faded away.