Soul of the Enemy

By Willow Spirit

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. This is where the story really begins. From this point on, things are about to get very interesting...

Chapter 21 – Tragedy

Harry waited until classes were over on Monday before bringing up the topic of his mysterious dream. It was after supper and Harry, Ron and Hermione were making themselves comfortable in Ron's room. Alex obviously still had issues with Harry, so she had once again taken up residence in the library for the evening. That was just fine with Harry. He wasn't going to push anything between them just yet.

"So what's going on, Harry?" Hermione examined his face carefully. "You've been on edge all day, like there's something on your mind."

"I had a dream last night," Harry got straight to the point.

"Is that good or bad?" Ron asked, looking slightly uneasy. Who could blame him, though? Ron was probably thinking about the time nearly two and a half years ago when Harry saw Mr. Weasley in a dream, being attacked by a snake.

"It was more confusing than anything," Harry said in a 'go figure' tone. "But it was a warning, too. Sirius came to deliver it himself."

"Deliver?" Hermione frowned. "You make it seem like he was sent here for a reason. It was only a dream, wasn't it?"

"That's the thing, though," Harry sighed. "I'm pretty sure it was just a dream but it felt so real. I'd swear Sirius was really sitting with me in the common room…"

"Okay, hold on," Ron interrupted him. "Why don't you tell us exactly what happened from the very beginning."

So Harry launched into an explanation of his original dream, the one he had had back in January. Then he proceeded to describe the dream from last night. There was a good, long pause at the end of his story, as Ron and Hermione both tried to digest the information they had received as best they could.

"So we need to be on the look-out for this danger, whatever it is," Ron said.

"And your dream didn't give you any clues?" Hermione asked. "It could be anything or anyone?"

"Pretty much," Harry said.

"Well that really narrows it down!" Ron rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Why don't we ever get mysteries that can be solved in a minute, instead of weeks or months?"

"Because then they wouldn't be considered mysteries, Ron," Hermione said, biting her lip. "Harry, I'd say this is probably worth looking into. Maybe you should go see Dumbledore about it, but other than that I'd keep this news to yourself. The less people who know about it, the better. I'd even keep it from Alex and Ginny."

"Why?" Harry seemed to bristle at the idea.

"Well, if this danger is an actual person, we don't want this to leak out, do we?" Hermione reasoned. "We'll have a better chance of catching them if they don't think we're on to them."

"I suppose," Harry thought about it. "I agree about telling Dumbledore. God knows, he might already know but it should be done anyway. I think I might try and go see him about it now. It's not too late."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione said. She watched Harry leave the room before letting out a huge sigh. When she turned to glance anxiously at Ron, she could see that he was shaking his head at her.

"Don't say it," were his only words.

"Say what?" Hermione looked slightly puzzled.

"That Alex is the danger," Hermione opened her mouth in protest but Ron cut her off. "I know you. I know you, Hermione, and I know that was the first thought in your head when Harry told us about his dream. We've been friends for too long for me not to know that. You are totally paranoid and suspicious and…don't give me that look because you know it's true. There's no point denying it."

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed. "Maybe I am a little suspicious, but someone around here has to be. Harry has a complete blind spot when it comes to that girl. I wouldn't even bother telling him about this because I know he'd refuse to listen. I believe that Hogwarts really is in danger and I don't think his two dreams are mere coincidences."

"Maybe it's just You-Know-Who, like Harry suggested," Ron shivered at the thought. "Though I don't want the danger to be him either."

"Neither do I, Ron," Hermione rubbed her forehead. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see what Dumbledore says about it."

-----

As it turned out, Dumbledore wasn't overly concerned about this new bit of information. He did thank Harry, saying that he would keep it in mind. The days flew by until April had turned into May. Everyone was tense as usual, some more so than others because of the upcoming exams. News about Death Eater attacks kept filtering in, always grim and saddening. Ron managed to convince Hermione that nothing was wrong with Alex, but she still held onto a small bit of doubt.

Life at Hogwarts was relatively normal, until one day came that would change everything. This one Tuesday in early May would set into motion a series of events that would alter many lives.

It started off quite normally, actually. The only thing different at breakfast was Alex. She normally didn't eat much, but today she refused to eat a thing. When the morning post came, Alex became particularly tense. Classes went by smoothly, and again at lunch, Alex didn't eat. Harry asked her if she wanted to go see Madam Pomfrey, though she only shook her head in response.

Alex didn't even bother showing up for supper. This didn't surprise everyone else. They saw how terrible she had looked all afternoon. Harry noticed too that Alex seemed to be extremely stressed and overly alert. It was like she was waiting for a bomb to go off, or something.

Harry left supper early just so he could go and find her. He went to his room and checked the Marauder's Map. He saw her name, slightly fuzzy, but it was clear that she was outside by the lake. Running outside to meet her, he found her alone sitting near the edge of the lake, almost in the same spot where she crashed through the ice in January.

"Hey," Harry said as he joined her on the ground. "You weren't at supper. I was wondering where you were."

"I couldn't eat," Alex replied softly. Harry looked at her carefully.

"Alex, you look like you're going to be sick," Harry could see how pale her face was. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I'm fine, Potter," Alex said, obviously lying.

"If there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks, but I don't think you can do anything for me," Alex gently interrupted him. "I appreciate your concern, though."

"So what are you doing out here?" Harry noticed that Alex was carefully watching the sky.

"It's a nice night," she answered vaguely. "And I just wanted some fresh air. Thought it would make me feel better."

"I see," said Harry. They sat together in silence for a while. Harry was pleased that Alex was finally accepting his company again. It wasn't exactly like it was before, but Harry would take what he could get for now. He only wished that, in time, Alex could see how much she really meant to him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he sensed an abrupt change in Alex. As he glanced at her he could see that her entire body was rigid and tense. She held her breath as she stared apprehensively at the school. Harry followed her gaze and saw what had caught her attention: a large, majestic looking owl flying towards the school. Normally this wouldn't have mattered at all to Harry, except…

"I think that owl's heading for Gryffindor Tower," Harry said, glancing back over to Alex. To his surprise, she looked nearly as white as a ghost.

"Shit!" Alex gasped as she scrambled to her feet. "Potter, we've got to go!"

"Why?" Harry asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach. The only time he had ever seen Alex like this was the first time she had woken up in the hospital wing.

"No time to explain, let's just go!" Alex immediately took off for the front doors of the school. "I've got a bad feeling about this!"

They sprinted through the halls, ignoring everyone who kept giving them these strange looks. Harry and Alex were nearly neck and neck the entire time. The farther they ran, the faster they went. With each step, Harry's sense of panic increased. Something must be terribly wrong. Why else would Alex have been so worried?

When they finally approached the entrance to the tower, Harry shouted out the password from almost halfway down the hall. The portrait door swung open, and Harry and Alex hardly had to pause to pass through the hole. They looked expectantly around the room. The few people who were there all had saddened faces. Neville was one of them. He stepped forward and glanced at them with hollow eyes. "Ron's room," was all he muttered.

Harry felt a sickening rush through his body, as if all his blood had left him. What had happened? He barely felt Alex's hand on his arm as she pulled him towards the boy's staircase. They ran up the flights of stairs, their adrenalin giving them an extra burst of speed. Coming to a screeching halt, they stood outside Ron's closed door as if they didn't dare enter. Finally Harry's hand reached out for the doorknob, turned it, then let the door swing open with a small push.

Ron and Ginny were crouched on Ron's bed, bending over a crumpled Hermione who was sobbing quietly in Ron's sheets. Harry felt his stomach drop through the floor.

"Guys?" Harry whispered as he and Alex finally entered the room. Ron and Ginny each looked up at them, their eyes shining with tears. Hermione turned her face slightly and peered up at them from amongst the sheets.

"Harry," Hermione sobbed as she reached out for his hand. "Oh, Harry, it's…it's awful."

"It's her Mom and Dad," Ginny said quietly. "The letter just came." She pointed over to a piece of parchment that was lying on the floor. Harry released Hermione's hand for a moment and bent over to pick it up. It was a letter from the Ministry, informing her that her parents had been killed earlier today in a Death Eater attack.

"Oh, Hermione," Harry sighed as he grasped her hand once more.

"They're gone," Hermione buried her face into the sheets again. Harry glanced at the others and saw that they too looked completely useless. No one knew what they could do to help her. They didn't know what to say to make it better, or if they should say anything at all. Someone had to do something.

"Ron, Ginny," Alex apparently decided to take charge. Now she was motioning for them to follow her out of the room. They followed, although their expressions were a bit confused. As Alex ushered them out, she looked over her shoulder and gave Harry a little nod of encouragement. Harry just gaped at her. They were going to leave him alone with Hermione!

"I think we should leave Potter with her for now," Alex explained to the two Weasleys once the door had closed.

"Why?" Ron looked a bit angry. "I'm her best friend, too, you know. I should be in there with her right now."

"She doesn't need all of us crowding her right now," Alex pointed out. "This will be a very difficult time for her and she probably only needs one person in there for the moment. The lot of us may only overwhelm her."

Ginny nodded her head slowly in understanding but Ron wasn't about to give up just yet. "But why Harry?" Ron asked. "Why does it have to be him?"

"Because he's been through this kind of stuff before," Alex rolled her eyes. "He knows what it feels like."

"Yeah, but we…"

"Yeah, but what?" Alex countered. "So you nearly lost your father two years ago. The point is that you didn't lose him. You may have thought so for a moment but in the end he was alright. You went through a day thinking that you'd never see him again, but Hermione here will go through the rest of her life knowing that she'll never see her parents again. Harry went through the same thing with his godfather and he's had to deal with what happened to his own parents. I think he's the most qualified to help her right now."

"I agree," Ginny said.

"Fine," Ron sighed, giving into the plan. "We'll see her later, then."

"Where did everyone go?" Hermione asked, peeking up from her blankets again.

"I think they wanted to give you some space," Harry tried to hide his annoyance. How could they just leave him here to handle everything! He didn't know what to do or say!

"Oh," Hermione gave a shuddering sigh as she rolled onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for a moment before burying her face in her hands. Harry could still hear her muffled cries. "Harry, what am I going to do?" Hermione removed her hands, letting her tears slide down her face. "I honestly don't know what to do. I'm so scared. I think they had a plan for something like this but I'm not really sure. I have no idea how to handle something like this. How can anyone arrange anything during times like this!"

"Hey, whoa," Harry tried to calm her down before she became hysterical. "You don't have to think about any of that. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll have lots of help for planning…you know…"

"And I'll have to go to all my professors, too," Hermione carried on. "I've got so many essays and assignments due this week and next week. I'll probably need an extension on all of them…"

"Hermione!" Harry sat down on the side of the bed and gazed at her firmly. "Don't worry. We'll get it all sorted out eventually. You don't need those distractions right now."

"Yes I do!" Hermione cried. "It hurts too much if I think about them." For a moment she was silent, except for her uneven breaths and sniffs. Then she seemed to find the energy to continue. "They're gone, Harry, and I'll never, ever get to see them again. I'll never get to talk to them again or hear the sound of their voices. I just keep thinking about all the things I wanted to tell them and the things I'll never get to tell them. They'll never get to see me graduate or if I get married and have kids. My kids would never know their grandparents, or at least one set of them anyway. I feel so hollow inside and…so this is how it feels, Harry?"

Harry, who had been listening patiently, was slightly caught off guard by the sudden direct question. "Err…I suppose," he thought out loud. "But I think it's different for everyone. We handle death in different ways."

"I never got to tell them I loved them," Hermione sobbed, as a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes.

"I think they would've known," Harry said quietly. Following his instincts, Harry reached out and brushed her forehead with his hand. As more tears flowed down her face, Harry was hit with a sudden but not surprising revelation. In that very moment, he suddenly saw Hermione in a different light. They had much more in common than he realized. He knew that they both were only children and now they both had lost their parents…because of the same wizard. Harry knew he was an only child, but today it felt like he had gained a sister, one that he would love and protect with all his life.

Ron, Ginny and Alex came into the room a while later. They tried their best to offer her words of comfort, but words could only help so much. When it was time for bed, Ginny and Alex both left for their rooms and the original trio remained in Ron's room. With Harry on the couch and Ron on the floor, Hermione tried as best she could to get some sleep in the comfortable bed.

Once morning came, the boys scooted out of the room to allow Hermione to change. After a bit of discussion, Harry was elected to go back in and see how Hermione was holding up. When he slipped back in the room, Harry found her fully dressed, looking out the window with the curtains wide open.

"What are you looking at?" Harry asked as he slowly came up to her.

"I was afraid of this," she replied softly, not moving a muscle. "I knew it would happen, and I knew I'd have to face it this morning."

"Face what?" Harry glanced out the window, trying to see what she was looking at.

"The Sun," Hermione answered. "Last night I felt terrible. I'm not as bad now, but last night was much worse. It felt like the whole world had come to an end. But there was this little voice in the back of my head. It was saying, 'come on, Hermione. This isn't the end of the world, you'll see. You'll wake up tomorrow and life will move on.' And that voice was right. The Sun did rise and life is moving on."

"Yeah, that does happen, unfortunately," Harry sighed.

"And it's like I have this choice to make," Hermione continued. "I can stay in one place forever, feeling alone and sad, or I could move on with the rest of the world. But what if I'm not ready to make that choice yet?"

"You don't have to yet," Harry said. "Let yourself grieve first before you do anything else."

Harry was only a bit surprised when Hermione spun around and fell into his arms. He hugged her tightly, giving her all the support that she needed. "Will it ever get better?" she asked, trying to hold back the tears.

"Eventually," Harry said thoughtfully. "Some days will be good, some days will be bad. You might have a bunch of good days followed by one sudden bad day. You'll think about them less and less until you realize that you've gone through days without thinking about them. When that happens you shouldn't feel guilty. It just means that you're moving on with your life. You won't ever forget about them completely. There'll be a bunch of little things that will remind you of them but hopefully they'll be good memories."

"I hope so, too," Hermione whispered. Standing there in his arms, she realized how grateful she was to have a friend like Harry. It's not that she didn't appreciate Ron's friendship, her feelings for Harry were just…well, different. Harry understood so much because he had been through so much. She loved his simple, quiet comfort. It felt so right, like a familiar, loving comfort you'd get from your family. Hermione knew that if she could pick anyone in the world to be her brother, she would choose Harry.

"So when are you leaving?" Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"In a little bit," Hermione reluctantly pulled away and wiped around her eyes. "I think someone from the Order is coming to get me, at least that's what McGonagall said last night. We'll Apparate someplace where I can help get things ready for the funeral. I don't know how long I'll be gone, though. Maybe a week, it all depends on how things go."

"I'm glad you'll be coming back," Harry smiled softly.

"Well, of course," Hermione let out a weak laugh. "I'm definitely coming back to finish the year. It's what I want and I'm sure they'd want it for me, too. I just hope I can keep myself together over the next few days. Right now, I'm feeling like I'm about to break down at any moment."

Harry could see how Hermione was desperately trying to stay strong. Her face clearly showed that there was a battle going on inside of her. "You'll be able to do it," Harry assured her. "And we'll all be here when you get back. We'll give you all the help you need."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said gratefully. "You know, now that I think about it, you're the only one who hasn't told me that you're sorry or that everything will be okay."

Harry only shrugged in response. "I guess it's because everyone else says those things," he said. "After a while it sort of becomes annoying. I know everyone means well, but it's hard hearing the same words over and over again. I've definitely experienced it before so I didn't want to put you through the same thing."

"That's so thoughtful of you," Hermione glanced back out the window before letting out a huge sigh. "I suppose I should go pack some clothes. It'll be time for me to go soon."

"Then let's get you ready," Harry draped an arm around her shoulders, then they both headed for the door.

-----

About forty-five minutes later, there was a small crowd gathered at Hogwarts' front doors to say goodbye to Hermione. Harry, Ron, Alex, Ginny, and Neville, as well as Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid were there. The students were a bit stunned when they saw Remus Lupin walking up the path that lead to the gates. When he reached Hermione, he put an arm around her and gave her a sort of half-hug.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents," he said softly to her. "They must have been wonderful people to have raised a girl like you."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione sniffed.

"It's just Remus now, remember," Remus smiled.

One by one, everyone gave their goodbyes. Harry, Ginny, Hagrid, and Ron gave Hermione huge hugs each, while Neville and Alex hung back and merely nodded their heads in farewell. Even McGonagall and Dumbledore gave Hermione a quick hug.

With one last tearful look at her friends, Hermione set off with Remus towards the gates. Once on the other side they would then Apparate to their destination. As soon as they were out of sight, Ron turned to Harry with a serious expression on his face.

"We need to talk."

-----

A/N: I know, poor Hermione's parents. This is an important element of my story line, though, so you'll see how it fits in later. I didn't kill them off just for a little bit of drama. As always, please review.

Next Chapter: Hermione returns...Malfoy discovers a secret about Alex...Alex goes off the deep end