All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.
Beta: Roman's Sundial
Chapter Forty-Two: Rita's Latest Article
Ron Weasley – Present Day
May 31, 2000
"Hermione?" Ron called as he entered their shared cottage.
"Oh, hey, Ron! I was just about to apparate to the Burrow; you coming?"
"I just came from there actually, I wanted to ask you something."
"Go for it," she said, as she attempted to tame her hair in a nearby mirror.
"Have you, uh, read the Prophet today?"
"No!" she said, laughing. "I don't read that rubbish!"
"Well, Rita posted an article about you today," he said slowly.
"I'm not surprised there. What did she say, that I lied about the Horcruxes?"
"No, Hermione, I, uh, think you should sit down and read this one." She gave him a puzzled look, but quietly took the Prophet from him and sat on the couch and began to read silently to herself. Ron could tell that she had finished reading the article as her eyes had stopped moving, but she never looked up. "It's obviously rubbish," Ron said right away. "Dad was there so I'm sure we can get him to say that you and Malfoy weren't there."
Hermione shook her head. "Draco and I were there, Ron."
"You were?" he repeated in disbelief. "But you and Malfoy wouldn't… You never…"
"What?" she lifted the article once more and read a line. "partaking in sexual activity?" she read aloud. "Of course not!"
"Oh," was all Ron had said. In truth, hearing that she hadn't done anything with Malfoy was very reassuring.
Hermione swore loudly, something that was completely out of character for her. "That woman is so foul!" she yelled out loud. "I should capture her again and not let her go this time! She must have been there in beetle form again, but I didn't-" her words were cut off when an owl flew in through an open window and dropped a letter into her lap before flying off again.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"I don't know; it's from the Ministry." Hermione read the letter silently to herself before speaking. "It's from Umbridge," she said, half laughing and half raging. "I am to attend a meeting with her in regards to my involvement with the Dark Mark."
"Can she do that?" Hermione nodded. "But, she can't send you to Azkaban or anything, can she?"
"I don't think so. It only says meeting, not hearing, and besides she doesn't have the authority to hold hearings; at least not yet. Draco must have gotten this too; I wonder if he's read the article yet." Ron watched her pull out her galleon and message Malfoy, when another owl flew in through the window. This time, however, the letter was dropped in front of Ron. "What's that?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," answered Ron. He picked up the envelope and noticed that the Ministry of Magic seal was on it. He opened the letter and began to read:
Dear Mr. Weasley,
I am sure by now that you have been informed of Ms. Granger's suspicious activity. As a member of the Dobwig Association, it is your responsibility to ensure that any Death Eater behavior is dealt with immediately. It is also my concern, as well as the concern of others, that Ms. Granger is a member of your association. This leads one to assume that the Dobwig Association is helping to cover up her involvement. Consider this my informal request that she be removed from the Association immediately, as well as investigated along with Mr. Malfoy. A proper demand will follow through if this is not done; I chose to contact you first as a professional courtesy. A second letter is also being sent to Mr. Potter and I know that you both will take prompt and appropriate action.
Kind regards,
Dolores Umbridge
Ron must have stood there reading the letter with his jaw dropped the entire time, as Hermione was looking at him with a look of concern. Without saying a word, he handed the letter to Hermione.
"She can't be serious!" Hermione said. "I need to go see Draco; right now. Ron, don't do anything until we talk, okay?"
"What do you mean? We aren't sacking you!"
"Well, we will talk about it tonight. I won't be at the Order meeting tonight, but have Harry come back here with you after the meeting and we will talk, okay?"
"Talk about what? Hermione, where are you going?"
"I have to go see Draco; just bring Harry here tonight!" Before Ron could say anything else to her, she was out of the cottage and had already apparated.
Draco Malfoy – Present Day
May 31, 2000
Draco was sitting at his desk in his room when he saw Hermione approaching the mansion through his large window. He hurried downstairs to meet her, before his mother could realize that she was here. "Hey," he said, as he opened the door for her.
"You didn't reply to my message," she said, as she walked in and headed straight to a couch in the sitting room.
"Sorry; I was reading something."
"The letter from Umbridge?" Draco nodded. "So, you've read the article then?"
Draco nodded again. "My mother saw it in Witch Weekly and showed me a few moments before the letter arrived."
"It's in Witch Weekly too?" she said angrily.
"Why? Where did you read it?"
"The Daily Prophet." Hermione patted the seat beside her and Draco joined her. "Well, what did she say?"
"Who?"
"Your mother, of course!"
Draco shrugged. "Not much, really. She basically said that it helps prove that we really are engaged."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "How did she really say it, Draco?"
Draco sighed. "Does it matter?" he knew it did matter however, based on the look she was giving him. "She said that we are lucky that you're a mudblood tramp and clever enough to use your skills to our advantage," he mumbled.
"Tell me how you really feel, Narcissa," she said more to herself.
"What about this Umbridge thing, then?" Draco asked, trying to change the subject.
"We have no choice but to go," said Hermione. "But she doesn't hold any power; she can't convict us, she can only investigate. We'll just tell her what we told everyone else at the clearing that day and that's it. Besides, the Ministry officials checked our wands; that's proof enough that it wasn't us."
"Who do you think it was?" Draco asked her.
Hermione shrugged. "Probably one of Grindelwald's supporters. It was probably some big joke to them to try and instill fear in the wizarding world again. Voldemort came back once, what says that he won't come back again?"
"But he can't…"
"We know that, but the majority of the wizarding world doesn't, no matter how much we tell them otherwise. They've been told too many lies over the years; I wouldn't trust what the Ministry says, either."
"We'll get through this, we just need to be quite convincing about our engagement, especially now," said Draco.
"We will be."
Draco slid closer to her and put his arm around her waist. "I know how we could be even more convincing," he said slowly. "We can make this real…"
"Draco, there's enough going on right now, I really can't be thinking about this right now."
"Then don't think; just let it happen. Right now, you and I couldn't be with anyone else even if we wanted to, so why not just go with it?" To Draco's huge surprise, Hermione leaned in and kissed him.
"I'm not promising anything," she said immediately after. "But right now, we do need to be convincing. I may not have a job soon and I may not be able to help the Order, at least not on the front lines. All I have is you right now, Draco, so don't disappoint me." He made to speak, but Hermione silenced him with her lips once more. "Now listen, we are meeting Harry and Ron at my cottage later tonight to discuss everything. They are going to an Order meeting now so let's head to the cottage and wait."
"So, I get you to myself at this cottage for the time being, right?"
Hermione playfully slapped him on the arm. "Let's go, Malfoy!"
Harry Potter – Present Day
May 31, 2000
Harry sat to a corner at the Order of the Phoenix with Ginny right beside him. For once, he was allowing Kingsley to do and say as he pleased; Harry's mind was elsewhere. After Ginny announced her pregnancy out of frustration, the room exploded. Harry remembered looking around the room for a happy face, but the only one he had seen was Jessica's. Regardless of his relationship with any of the Weasley's, at the end of the day he wasn't family, Ginny was, and all they could see was that Harry had impregnated their daughter and sister. Ginny had of course told them all to stop and to mind their own business, but Harry wouldn't forget the look of anger on Molly's face and, worse, the look of disappointment on Arthur's. "What's wrong?" Ginny whispered to him, clearly noticing that Harry was in his own head. He shook his said as if to say nothing, but she knew better. "I know you're upset that I said something, just talk to me," she said.
"Not here," he whispered back. All he needed was for the rest of the Order to find out. They would find out, of course, but he would rather that he wasn't present. He couldn't blame Ginny for spilling the news, but he wished that she had waited and followed through with the plan they had come up with. They were going to wait awhile longer and say that they got pregnant after the engagement. It wouldn't have changed the fact that Harry had gotten her pregnant out of wedlock, but it would have been more acceptable than him getting his un-engaged girlfriend pregnant. He knew that they would all think he proposed because of the pregnancy now, and not because he truly loved her and had always wanted to marry her. Harry heard Kingsley say his name, and it brought him out of his thoughts.
"Now, if you haven't yet heard, Ms. Granger was found at the scene of the Dark Mark and now Mr. Potter is being asked to dismiss her from the Dobwig Association."
"I won't," Harry said at once.
"She is clearly not here at today's meeting," Kingsley continued, not acknowledging that Harry had spoken. "So, she must feel too that it's best if she step back."
"It is temporary of course, Minister," said McGonagall. "Surely this will be cleared up right away. We all know that Ms. Granger would never have been involved in something as dark as that."
"She was not involved, Minerva," said Arthur. "I was one of the first to arrive at the scene; it wasn't her."
"I was also there, Arthur, and I can confirm that she was in a compromising position," Kingsley stated.
"You can't possibly believe that Hermione would do something like that!" said Ginny.
"I didn't believe that she could be found with young Mr. Malfoy without her clothing, but that happened too, didn't it?"
"The article was true?" Molly asked, shocked at what she was hearing.
"Indeed," said Kingsley.
"What is going on with these children?" Molly said, shaking her head.
"They aren't children anymore, Molly," said Arthur quietly.
"Yes, but they are all unwed! Do I need to go and make sure that Amelia isn't Ronald's?"
"She isn't, Mum!" said Ron at once.
"This is really off topic," said Ginny at once. "Kingsley, Harry and Ron will decide what to do about the Dobwig Association as that is their job. Hermione is more than welcomed at any Order meeting; she's clearly just upset right now which is why she isn't here, and I'm glad she isn't so that she doesn't have to hear all of you!"
"I am with Ms. Weasley," said McGonagall. "We should end tonight's meeting, I think." There were murmurs of agreement, and it wasn't long before the room started to clear out.
"Harry," came Ron's voice. "Hermione wants to meet us at your flat."
"Okay," said Harry. "Coming?" he said to Ginny.
"In a bit, I have to talk to a few people," she replied. Harry gave her a look but she shook her head. "It's better if it comes from me," she whispered. "And him?" she said, nodding to Ron. Ron hadn't been present for the announcement and therefore had no idea that Harry and Ginny were to be parents.
"I'll do it," said Harry grumpily. Harry and Ron arrived at the flat before Draco and Hermione. Sighing, Harry figured that it was now or never. "Er, Ron, I wanted to talk to you about your sister."
"I'm fine with it, Harry," he said at once.
"You are?" asked Harry, confused.
"Yeah, I knew one day you would, I guess the time has come."
"You're okay with your sister getting pregnant?"
"Whoa! Harry, you just got engaged, I would rather not think about you and her, you know… It's bad enough that you snog her in front of me!" Harry felt his stomach drop; Ron was talking about the engagement; he had no idea that Ginny was pregnant. "Anyway, I've always seen you as a brother," he continued. "At least now it will be official."
"Ron…" Harry said slowly, trying to determine how to tell him. "Do you and Jessica, uh, sleep together?"
"Are you kidding? Mum barely let's me in her room! Once she's able to travel again, I think I'll bring her to the cottage."
"So, you guys have never…?"
"Well, yeah, that was the basis of our relationship in the beginning, really. You know, before everything happened with Amelia."
"And with Essa?"
Ron nodded. "Everyone, even Lavender, except for Hermione of course."
"So, you understand then, that I have with Ginny-"
"Do you really think that Hermione and Draco actually went through with it?"
"What?" asked Harry, not realizing that Ron had stopped paying attention to him.
"She told me that she didn't, but Dad said that he saw…"
"I'm sure she was doing something with Malfoy, but not that, not Hermione."
"Yeah, you're right, she wouldn't."
"Listen, Ron, Ginny and I-"
"Hey!" came Hermione's voice, as she and Draco walked in.
"Hey," Harry said back, slightly frustrated.
"Thanks for meeting us," she said. "We need to talk about the Dobwig Association, the Order, and this meeting with Umbridge."
"What meeting?" asked Ron.
"She sent both Draco and I an owl saying we needed to talk to her about suspicious activity."
"Hermione, uh, what did happen?" Harry asked.
"Not what you think," Draco said, a little disappointed.
"Draco and I were there, but we weren't doing anything-"
"I wouldn't say nothing…" Draco said.
"Kissing only!" Hermione said, hitting him. "Anyway, we heard someone mutter the spell, but we couldn't see anyone."
"You heard them?" Harry repeated.
Hermione nodded. "It was a man's voice."
"Oddly enough, it was kind of familiar," said Draco, "but I can't put my finger on who it was."
"That's helpful, though," said Harry. "Keep thinking, and let me know if you remember."
"Then what happened?" ask Ron, clearly wanting to know how the pair ended up in a compromising position.
"Well, we needed to get out of there but couldn't apparate of course because of the protective charms around the Dark Mark, and I knew that Draco would be arrested for sure because of his history, so I had to do something that would be believable enough to prove that it wasn't us."
"So you decided to have sex?" Ron blurted out.
"We did not have sex, Ronald!" Hermione said embarrassed. "We simply made it look like we were about to."
"How?"
Hermione was blushing, so Draco came to her aid. "We took off our clothes, but kept our intimates on. That way, it looked like we were going to have done it, had we not been interrupted."
"Enough about that," Harry said, not really wanting to hear about it. Hermione was like his sister, just like Ron didn't want to Hear about Ginny and Harry, he didn't want to hear about Hermione and Malfoy. "I'm not kicking you out of the Dobwig Association," he said firmly.
"You need to, Harry."
"No I don't!"
"Just temporarily. Harry, listen!" Hermione said, before he could argue. "We can't have the Ministry against us again, not this time."
"I don't care about the Ministry!"
"Well, I do! It makes it much easier to do what we need to do to stop these dark wizards if we have the cooperation of the Ministry. Otherwise, we are going to be doing it on the run again, and I don't know about you, but I don't feel like living out of a tent again!" Harry didn't say anything. He realized that she had a point, but he wasn't okay with letting her pay the price for someone else's doing. "I'm still going to be involved, Harry, more than ever! We just want the Ministry to think that I'm not."
"Fine," Harry finally said. "But I'm claiming that it is a temporary leave; that's all."
Hermione nodded. "I won't go to the next Order meeting, either. Feel it out and let me know what you think. But with Kingsley there, it's best if I don't continue for now."
"Kingsley is supposed to be on our side," said Ron angrily.
"He's nothing like Scrimgeour or Fudge, that's for sure, but he doesn't agree with how we do things," replied Hermione.
"You think he would have more faith in us after everything that we have accomplished," said Ron.
Hermione shrugged. "Whatever, you guys will keep me informed. Meanwhile, Draco and I will try and figure out who really casted the Dark Mark."
"Okay," Harry said.
"Did I miss anything important?" she asked. Ron filled her in about the meeting, including Molly's comment. "What was that about?"
"No idea," said Ron.
"I do," Harry said. "Ginny's pregnant."
Remus Lupin – The Past
November 2, 1981
Remus sat at the shabby table in the little pub just outside of Godric's Hollow. "More ale?" said a plump little lady as she approached him.
"Please," he said, sticking out his cup and allowing the waitress to refill it.
"Tough day?" she asked him.
Remus took a large swig of his drink. "You have no idea."
"Well, I hope it gets better for you."
"Thanks." Remus drank about half of his cup and then set it down again. Ensuring that the waitress was no longer near him, he placed his hand into his pocket and pulled out three documents. He smiled at Daisy's birth certificate before putting it back into his pocket, an then frowned when he looked at the other two. He had just finished registering and completing James and Lily's death certificates, and was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. Fighting back tears, he opened them up and read them for probably the sixth time that hour:
Name: Potter, James Montgomery
Date of Birth: 27 March 1960
Date of Death: 31 October 1981
Time of Death: Unknown – Estimated at 10:30 PM
Cause of Death: Avada Kedavra Curse
Name: Potter, Lily Jennifer (Nee: Evans)
Date of Birth: 30 January 1960
Date of Death: 31 October 1981
Time of Death: Unknown – Estimated at 10:45 PM
Cause of Death: Avada Kedavra Curse
Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, Remus put the documents back into his pocket. Two down, one to go.
Author's Notes: As you may have guessed, the wifi signal was horrible last weekend; luckily I had posted early for you!
Not much to say about this chapter; we are going to hit a time jump soon as we are coming up to some serious Grindelwald activity. Just wanted to remind you all that no story is going to be left unfinished. We will learn more about Sirius and his ritual knot, Malfoy and his rightful possession of the Elder wand, etc etc..
Next chapter has a great scene in my opinion; a nice little happy surprise! I really don't have much to say today lol so as always, reviews are appreciated!
Thanks!