Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter and the magical World in which he now resides.

Playing God

Chapter 16

For Hermione the day never seemed to end. She kept glancing at the ticking clock fifteen minutes, feeling like an eternity had gone past in that time. By the time 5pm came around, Hermione was ready to tear her own hair out.

She hated feeling like this – it wasn't natural for her to not want to work or contribute to something that she was extensively involved in, but today she just wanted to curl up on her couch with a good book in front of her roaring fireplace.

Of course, that wasn't going to happen today, she realised when she saw Cal through the glass pane of the front door, tapping lightly on the wood. Ali sniggered beneath her hand as she flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed' and watched Hermione shrug on her coat, un-tucking her hair from beneath her collar, reaching for her bag.

"Cal Heartway." She said in a dreamy manner, hoisting her body up to sit on the counter, "if I could have a go on him, I'd die a happy woman."

"Ali!" Hermione said astonished at the pixie like girl sat before her, swinging her feet with innocence, a smile on her face.

"What? A woman's gotta eat!"

"Okay, I'm leaving now." Hermione said, not fighting the smile threatening to take over as she made her way across the shop floor, ignoring Ali's request to let her know just exactly how Cal tasted.

She opened the door with a half-smile, accepting Cal's proffered hand and closing her eyes as the tight feeling of apparition closed in on her, almost as if someone had wrapped a rubber band around her chest and tightened it, almost to the point of pain before it snapped off and she opened her eyes to see the rusty gates of Hogwarts before.

The feeling of safety that surrounded her instantly made tears spring to her eyes; It had been so long since she'd been here, since she'd been home.

Even though she had been involved in schemes and missions and adventures during her time at Hogwarts, she'd never felt under threat when she was in the walls of the castle – not until the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998 which saw her precious home destroyed, beautiful stonework and art pieces destroyed, the memories and ghosts that now haunted the old abandoned castle and the stench of death and torture around every corner had soiled the memory of Hogwarts for her, but as she and Cal walked closed to the beautiful castle, those thoughts and feeling slipped away as if she was trying to cup water in her hands and they were just trickling away, instead to be replaced with laughing faces, pranksters, bright days and caring teachers.

"You okay?" Cal asked in concern, his eyes bright.

Hermione nodded once, feeling for the first time that she'd been here that she could do this – she could save the Wizarding World if she would just give Sirius a chance. Maybe if she did, then nobody ever would feel unsafe in their home or feel that their best memories were torn away from them, instead to be replaced with dark, defying versions which were the regular fuels for nightmares.

They walked through the hallways silently, Hermione not even questioning how they had done so easily, the gates having opened when Cal tapped his wand against the giant lock and it had sprung open, wishing them a good day as they passed. By the time they got to the entrance of Dumbledore's office, Hermione had already guess that was their ultimate destination.

With a quick word of liquorice Wands, she and Cal were ascending the stairs to the Headmasters office and Hermione was feeling a mixture of nerves, revelation and happiness.

"Hello, Miss Jean. Mr Heartway told me that you would be joining us." She was greeted warmly by Albus Dumbledore, her mentor, who looked exactly as he did in her time that, for a moment, she thought that it was the Albus Dumbledore from the 90's stood before her; however, the glint in his eye was still shining bright as ever in these years and his hair was a vibrant silver instead of the worn grey that it had turned sometime in her sixth year and his hand was still immaculate and not black and decaying.

"Hello," she said shyly, feeling inadequate for some odd reason, stood before the greatest wizard of all time who she'd worked alongside, fought alongside and saved on a dozen different occasions.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chairs on the other side of his majestic desk as he sat on his throne like chair, his fingers tapping a rhythmic beat against the arm, looking at her in such a way that she felt like she was a thirteen year old student again. "Cal tells me that you're a visitor. Is that right?"

"More like a new member of this community. I'm here forever now."

"Ahhhh…" He said slowly, his fingers coming together before his chin, his eyebrow raised slightly, "the magic of the mirror does work?"

"I told you that it would." Cal said from his place stood behind her chair, his arms folded over the top of it, leaning his weight against its strong frame, "I knew that once my Uncle became a class Quidditch Player that there was some truth to the story."

"You have the mirror in your possession?"

"Uncle died last week. When I went to his funeral I watched it rebuild itself, before my very eyes."

Dumbledore nodded at Cal's words, a deep humming sound emitting from between his lips in thought. "Do you have it on you now, Mr Heartway?"

Cal took the mirror out from his inside pocket and placed it gently on his desk before he propped his hip against the dark wood, his eyes showing his obvious amusement. "And don't call me Mr Heartway, Albie. It makes me feel like I'm forty years old and let me tell you, I have some stamina left in me, you old codger." He winked at Hermione whose jaw dropped open at the audacity that he had spoken like that to Albus Dumbledore, but he just chuckled, his fingers brushing the cool silver frame of the small mirror.

"I assume, Miss Jean, that it is I who hands this to you?"

Hermione nodded, "as well as Remus Lupin and Severus Snape." She told them, unsure if she'd said too much when she saw Dumbledore's expression fade to one of surprise.

"Huh…Snape turns good…Well, that's for sure a plot twist." Cal said almost cheerily, his arms crossed over his chest, crossing his feet at the ankle, "what turns that sour git to the side of the light?"

"I thi-"

"Before any of this story is revealed to us, I think what you are here for, Mr. Heartway, needs to take precedent," Dumbledore said with finality, raising from his seat and extracting his wand from up the sleeves of his turquoise coloured robes.

Cal rolled his eyes, but stood straight, heading from the desk and towards Hermione, extending his hand for her to take. She did so hesitantly, unsure of what their plans were.

He led her to a small picnic table situated in the corner of the room and he sat her down in one of the chairs (she noticed that it was the pink one) while he sat opposite her, his eyes on hers as he placed his right elbow on the table before him, as if they were about to engage in arm wrestling.

"No." Hermione said quickly, standing from her seat, not noticing that it toppled over, "what do you expect me to promise to you?"

"Nothing. Hermione, this unbreakable vow is for you, not me. I'm promising you my alliance and offering my silence to gain your trust." Cal told her calmly, not moving from his position.

"But Cal…Cal, you could die."

Cal shrugged, his shoulders rising briefly to his pierced ears before dropping back down, looking as if he had been defeated. "Then we'll know where my loyalties lie."

There was a silence in the office after that and Hermione felt as if she'd just been submerged in water. She'd only ever heard of one instance of the Unbreakable vow being used and that was between Severus Snape and Narcissa Malfoy, in which she begged her old Slytherin housemate to protect her son and to kill Dumbledore should Draco fail. Snape still had that curse hanging over his head, his promise waiting to be fulfilled and Dumbledore knew it.

She didn't want that for Cal.

"No, okay, I believe you!"

"Prove it." Cal said, moving his fingers as if to say 'come on' to her, almost as if it were a challenge. With a desperate look at Dumbledore (who was whistling under his breath, looking away from the both and rocking backwards and forwards on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back), she gave in with a sigh, turned and picked up her chair before sitting back in it. "Ready?"

"You don't have to do this." Hermione told him again, clasping her own right hand around his.

"I know," he answered honestly, just as the tip of Dumbledore's wands touched their bonded hands, "just makes life easier doesn't it?"

Hermione heard the solemn tone to his voice and she sighed, understanding that Cal wouldn't let her walk away of he didn't make her this vow. With a deep breath, she began: "Will you, Cal Heartway, promise to keep whatever I tell you that I deem top secret, between us and us alone?"

"I will." He said with finality as a thin stream of magic issued from Dumbledore's hand, winding around their linked hands like a fiery snake, burning red-hot momentarily against their skin.

"Will you be 100% truthful with me in return?" She asked hesitantly, feeling the nerves intensify as the atmosphere around them plunged, leaving her body shaking slightly.

"I will." Another strand flew out to wrap around them, causing the two of them to tighten their grip.

"And if, under extreme duress, you are asked about my past and secrets, will you keep quiet?" That was the one thing that she'd been dreading asking – having being tortured herself, she understood the need and desperation that fuelled your body to live and, by asking him this, she could potentially be blocking that from him.

When he answered in a strong tone and with such will and the third stream of liquid fire burned into their skin and sealed their vow, did Hermione know that, finally, in this time, she had an ally.

Taking another deep breath, she opened her mouth and, as simple as that, began telling them her story from the very beginning.

A/N: And the next chapter is up within ten minutes of the previous one!

This chapter is just a filler chapter and, after this, the story will really kick off - I hope you like it!

Kelly

xxx