Chapter 27- The Anima Purgo Elixir

"We didn't think that uh…" Harry stammered.

"That you'd come down for dinner," Hermione finished quickly.

"Oh," Ron shrugged. "Well after Harry left I decided I did feel kind of hungry."

"Right," Hermione nodded nervously. "We were hungry too. Weren't we Harry?" Harry nodded stupidly, wondering how fake the situation looked.

"Ok," Ron said suspiciously as he descended the stairs. "So let's go then."

"Right," Hermione nodded again. "Let's go Harry," she ordered as she got up, brushed herself off and Harry followed suit.

They exited the common room and walked the path to the Great Hall in silence. Occasionally Hermione would glance at Harry and look away quickly before Ron could question her actions.

They walked through the large oak doors to the Great Hall and found a spot at the very end of the Gryffindor table. There was a lot of hushed chatter around them and Harry found that many of his classmates had gone out of their way to crowd to the opposite end of the table.

"So what have you two been up to all day?" Ron asked casually, piling food on his plate, apparently rediscovering his appetite.

"Me and Harry went to the library," Hermione said rather quickly.

"Oh," Ron said, shoving a few mouthfuls of food down his throat.

"Where's Cassie?" He asked after a long, uncomfortable moment of silence.

"Down there," Hermione said, nodding her head in Cassie's direction at the other end of the table.

"Oh," He said again, rather dejectedly, and he poked at his food again.

Unsure of what to do, Harry just started to stuff his face, trying (but failing) to ignore Hermione's sideways glances and Ron's glumness.

The rest of dinner passed in an extremely awkward silence, as well as the way back up to the common room. Upon entering Gryffindor Tower however, the mood seemed to lighten up a bit. Ron had asked all kinds of questions on what they had done in the library, and Hermione had gotten over some of her initial shock and supplied him with some answers. After a while, Ron went up to bed, leaving Harry and Hermione in the common room. They were in a corner by themselves, with tons of books spread out in front of them and a calendar they had quickly drawn up.

"But with Quidditch starting up again, we'll probably be having practices then," Harry said to Hermione, who rolled her eyes as she scratched out the date she planned for one of the first D.A. meetings.

"There, now you can feel free to play your ridiculously dangerous game of whacking heavy balls with sticks," Hermione said grumpily.

"That's all I ask," Harry replied. Trying to sort out a schedule turned out to be more than Harry expected. Hermione had managed to get a hold of all the times the Quidditch field was booked so they knew what houses had practice when, in order to accommodate every house. After constructing a timetable for the month it had gotten pretty late and all of the other Gryffindors had gone up to bed, leaving Harry and Hermione alone again.

"So what are we going to do?" Harry whispered, almost afraid that somebody might somehow hear him.

Hermione sighed, "I don't know. We don't know for a fact that's what's wrong with him but…"

"But what if it is?"

"Well then there must be something we can do," she said as she pulled out the textbook from earlier that evening out of the pile next to them. She flipped back to the page that she had marked with a tab. Her eyes quickly scanned the page but the puzzled look on her face remained unchanged.

"All it says its that either the spirit has to leave the vessel and move on to a next one of its own will or it can be forced out."

"Well I doubt that if it is Voldemort," Hermione's left eye twitched slightly, "that he'd just leave out of the goodness of his heart," Harry said grimily. "How can we force him out?"

"Some kind of potion called Anima Purgo Elixir."

"I've never heard of that one," Harry said thoughtfully. "Does it tell you how to make it?"

"Yes," Hermione said distantly. "It seems simple enough but it'll require a lot of work."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, it calls for a lot of very…dark…ingredients. We won't be able to get a hold of them just by raiding Snape's cabinets."

"By 'dark ingredients,' what exactly are you talking about?"

"These are the kinds of components were used in ancient times in potions used to torture people. I'm shocked to find that they can be used for any good whatsoever…as a matter of fact, a majority of them have been outlawed by the Ministry."

"This is hopeless," Harry sighed. "There's no way we're going to be able to get our hands on illegal potion making materials. Are you sure there's no other way?"

"Well," Hermione said thoughtfully as she began to pace in front of the fire. "In our first year here, Voldemort," she whispered his name, "was in control of Quirrell correct?" Harry nodded in response, unaware of where she could be going with this."

"And how did you defeat him?"

"Dumbledore said it was because of love from my parents," Harry replied. "Neither Voldemort nor Quirrell were able to handle that sort of magic. But I doubt that would work this time, Hermione."

Hermione sighed again. "You're right. Ron's known love all of his life. There's no way we could even hope that would work."

"So then the potion is our best bet?"

"I suppose so," Hermione nodded. "I just wish there was an easier way…"

After a few minutes of thoughtful silence she quietly added, "I bet they know how to make this kind of evil stuff in Durmstrang…"

A small click went off in Harry's head. "Hermione," he started, "do you still write to Krum?"

"Well yes, but recently he hasn't answered any of my letters why? Oh wait, now I get it…" Hermione said upon realizing Harry's notions and seeing the look of disappointment on his face.

"But I think we may have another source," Hermione said mischievously, a small grin spreading across her face.