Disclaimer: While playing Minesweeper I became aware of the fact that I don't own Harry Potter…
Two or three chapter left…maybe four…
Please remember that Ryn and Annabeth are the same person. When I say Annabeth she looks like that persona, when I say Ryn, she looks like that character…hope that clears any confusion…
525,600 Minutes: In Truths That She Learned, or in Times That He Cried-
-Chapter Twenty-Eight
"I can't believe him" Annabeth said, shaking her head. Hermione was talking to the Order member in disguise before Potions class.
"Yeah, well."
"Do you want me to talk to him?"
"No!" Hermione nearly yelled. The last thing she needed was for Annabeth to go talk to Malfoy.
"Alright, suite yourself…"
The last days of March passed quickly and April didn't bother to slow down. The weather was perfect. Flowers were in full bloom. N.E.W.T.S. were approaching. And the threat of Voldemort increased.
As the days passed Hermione's mood increased. True, she was still terribly upset about what Malfoy had done, but she wasn't letting it bother her anymore. What's past is past, she had to move on. But try as she might, she knew that deep down she would never forget. She would never forget any of what they had shared. And what pained her most, it appeared that Malfoy wasn't bothered by it at all. While in all reality, he was.
He was in just the same amount of pain as she. But he would never let her know, and she would never let him see. It was now all a matter of pride.
As the last days of April took their toll, Hermione found herself walking the streets of Hogsmeade with Harry and Ron on their last trip of the school year. She couldn't help but remember the last time she was walking these streets, with someone else. She quickly shook her head. She wasn't going to let him bring her down.
The three were sitting in the Three Broomsticks having a butterbeer and talking about this and that. Suddenly, two mysterious figures made their way to the booth sitting next to the one Hermione, Harry and Ron were in. Hermione didn't take her eyes off of them, something wasn't right about them.
The two figures sat themselves down and began to talk. Without realizing it, Hermione had turned her full attention to the men's conversation, and she that Harry and Ron were listening also.
"…tonight?"
"Yes, tonight. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"And where?"
"Tonight, Godric's Hollow. The plan is ready."
"I can't believe the Dark Lord is ready so soon."
"Do you doubt him?"
"Of course not."
"Good, then tonight, Godric's Hollow."
The trio walked in silence, slowly contemplating what they had over heard. Voldemort was planning something and it was going to take place tonight. What was it? It would take place in Godric's Hollow?
"I'm going." Harry's whisper broke the silence as they casually walked down the street.
"What!" Hermione and Ron nearly yelled together.
"Tonight. What ever he's planning. I'll be there. To stop him, for good."
"Then you're not going alone." Ron said, stopping is walk and turning towards Harry. "We'll go too."
At first Hermione was going to protest. Leaving school to go confront the most evil wizard to ever live, hardly someone's idea of a vacation. But then as soon as her doubt came, it was gone. She would be fighting and she knew what her answer would be.
"No, I won't let you." Harry's voice broke Hermione from her thoughts.
"We won't let you do this alone."
"I won't have-"
"Ron's right Harry."
"I am?"
"Oh, honestly." Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends humor. "Harry, you can't and we won't let you do this alone."
Harry stared from Ron to Hermione and the back a few times more, opening his mouth a couple of times as if he were to talk. After a minute he gave a sigh, "Alright."
The three friends looked at each other and gave the others a small smile. "Let's get back to the castle." Hermione said. Harry and Ron nodded, and began to walk towards the castle. Hermione was about to take her first step when something grabbed her sleeve a pulled her into a near by alleyway. She let out a small scream to let Harry and Ron know what happened, but her mouth was covered shortly after.
"Shush! Do you want people to come back here?" the voice said once they reached the end of the alley.
"Ryn?"
"'Course." a wand tip lit a Hermione could see Ryn standing in the dark alleyway, across from her. "Who were you expecting?" her voice changed to a sarcastic whisper. "Lord Voldemort?"
Hermione stood in shock, looking at her friend. Sure, she was joking. But you hardly heard anyone joke like that, using Voldemort's name. It was very close to unthinkable, in fact, it was.
"Hermione!" yelled Harry, snapping Hermione from her thoughts.
"You alright?" accompanied Ron, as her two friends ran into the alley.
"Yeah, it's just Ryn." she said.
"OH." Harry and Ron both put their wands away. "How's it going?"
"Look," Ryn's voice became serious. Hermione had never heard he use this tone before. "You three have to promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise me you won't go looking for trouble tonight. You won't go to Godric's Holllow."
"How did you-?" Hermione was going to ask, but Ryn cut her off.
"I was following you." Ryn simply said.
"Following us? Talk about invasion of privacy," Ron began.
"Like you were doing to those Death Eaters?" Ryn smirked as Ron's ears turned pink. "Promise me you won't go. It's not going to be good if you do."
"How do you know?" Hermione asked, curiously.
"It doesn't matter." Ryn almost snapped, "Please, I'm begging you. Don't go looking for trouble and don't leave the castle. Promise me."
There was an eerie silence, the only sound was the busy street near by. "Alright." Harry broke the silence, once again.
Ryn let out a breath she had been holding. "Thank you. I'll see you around." and just as quickly as she had come, Ryn Tonks was gone.
The three friends looked down the alley at the spot where Ryn had turned onto the main road. "Come on," Harry's voice broke the silence for what seemed like the hundredth time. "We've got planning to do."
"What planning?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Harry.
Harry turned towards Hermione, "For tonight."
"But Harry, we just promised Ryn we wouldn't do anything."
"When it comes to these matters, Hermione, how many times can you say we've kept out promises?"
Annabeth walked up from the dungeons later that night. She was making her usual rounds of the castle. Casually checking for anything out of the ordinary as she pretended to roam the corridors before curfew.
She walked down the fifth floor corridor, smiling at pictures she passed when her ears picked up the sound of two people conversing.
"Hey Lavender, have you seen Hermione?"
"No, I haven't. Not sense dinner." Annabeth froze, no, they couldn't have. "Have you checked the dormitory?"
"Yeah, and the library. I've even searched for Harry and Ron, but I can't find them either."
That's all the initiative Annabeth needed before she sprinted up two flights of stairs to the Gryffindor tower.
"Hey, watch-Annabeth?" the unforgettable voice of Malfoy yelled as Annabeth carelessly ran into him. "Wait, come back!" she could hear him following her.
"Sorry!" she yelled over her shoulder, not even looking back. "Purple Pumpernickle!" she yelled the password the portrait of the fat lady. Annabeth received many shouts and glares as she ran in the Gryffindor Common Room as a Slythering, but she didn't care. She needed proof.
She sprinted up the girls dormitory to were the seventh year's stayed. She ran about Hermione's bed and saw that her traveling cloak was missing. "No, no, no…" she mumbled as she ran from the room and to the boy's dormitory.
She burst through the seventh year's boys dormitory door and looked over at Ron and Harry's areas. Like Hermione, their traveling cloaks were gone. "No!" she made to turn for the door when she stepped on a piece of parchment. She looked down to find that she was standing on a map of what appeared to be Hogwarts.
She picked it up and found that there were little dots on the map with names by them. "Impossible!" she said, astonished at the Marauder's Map. Realizing what she was holding Annabeth scanned the map ten times over, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were no where to be found. "Oh no." She through the map on the ground and ran towards the door.
She flew out of the portrait hole and once again ran into Malfoy. "Annabeth, would you-" but she didn't stop. She headed straight for the Headmaster's office, running at top speed.
"Fizzing Whizbee's!" she yelled, sliding past the stone gargoyle on the smooth floor. Regaining her footing Annabeth tumbled up the stairs, not even bothering to knock on the door when she reached it.
"Headmaster!" she yelled as she through the door open.
"Annabeth." Dumbledore's calm voice said from the middle of a staircase in the office.
"They're, they're gone." she breathed out, clutching her side and turning back into her original features.
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes fell, and his posture became rigid, and yet he still remained calm. "It is time. You know what to do, I'll alert the other's. Go! Quickly!"
Ryn nodded as she ran out the door.
Author's Note: Oh no! What will happen! Read on! Oh, and what did you all think?
More to come soon!
Your humble author,
The Lonely Goatherd