Chapter 22: Prophet
"A word?" Hermione whispers to Draco as she falls into step behind him when he tried to escape after dinner. She grips his sleeve and steer him into the one of the studies. It looks remarkably cleaner than on previous stays. Hermione sits on one of the couches as Draco leans against the wall, arms crossed over his wide chest. The indifferent mask is firmly in place as he regards her. The silence stretches.
"Was Luna telling the truth? Were you planning on speaking with Ron about...about that?" she asks.
"Yes," he replies, eyes not leaving her face.
"Why?"
"I do not need that imbecile making things difficult, or rather more so, with Mother," he answers evenly. She look at her lap.
"Was that all?" she says softly. He is still looking at her, but she doesn't dare see the emotions touch his features or perhaps the lack thereof.
"It wasn't proper for him to take out his confusion on you or say such crass things, especially given the audience." Hermione nods. Glancing up at him, she has one more request.
"Don't speak with Ron, Draco," she asks. "It will not end well and I rather not...Just don't, okay?"
"I believe Lovegood already stated the odds. Anything else?"
"No."
"Goodnight Hermione," he says and slips out of the door.
"Goodnight," she whispers to the now empty room. The quiet of the room grows as she thinks over the less than 24 hours that they have had in the house. Her blood begins to boil as her thoughts turn to Ron. Her feet are propelling her forward before she consciously decides.
BAM. Ron's door smacks opens. He's sitting on the edge of the bed and jumps when Hermione enters.
"Ronald I have half a mind to take my wand to you, reminding you of your mum before I send you running back to her," she yells. Ron looks shocked and more than a little scared.
"'Mione?" he replies back weakly.
"Oh don't you dare try to 'Mione' me. I cannot believe you would say those things to me of all people," she rants, closing in on the boy. "Perhaps you don't remember, but it was only six months ago that I caught you and Lavender and then you have the gall to accusing me of being blinded and having relations of Draco."
"When did it become Draco, eh?" Ron bit back, anger giving him courage.
"When he was there for me when you weren't," she answers back coldly.
"I would have been there if you were hanging out with that snake all the time," he defends.
"Who do you think taught me occlumency, huh? I had to bloody learn. And you know what, it is not any of your bloody business who I have relations with, so grow up."
"Grow up? You're the one hanging out with Slytherins. That family is poison and that lot will be the end of us."
"Draco signed a magically binding contract that he would not work against us," she answers softly. "There was a time, you know, when you trusted me completely. I don't know when or why that changed. But after everything I have done, am still doing and will do...after everything I've...I've lost," she chokes out, "I don't understand how you could possibly question that I would ever do anything to jeopardize our chances, no matter what my feeling are."
Hermione shakes her head and doesn't bother to wipe a few tears making their way down her face. She walks out the door in steady steps despite of the hole in her chest. Harry steps out of his room next to Ron's and holds out his arms. Hermione steps into them and snakes her arms around his waist.
"Did you have a chance to grieve them?" Harry asks softly into her hair.
"I didn't even get a chance to bury them," she whispers back. "I don't know what happened to their bodies."
"I'm so sorry."
"Another set of parents sacrificed in this war," she says bitterly. She looks up into Harry's green eyes. "How many more have to die before we can put this war to bed?" He frowns and shakes his head as he releases her.
"I don't know." Harry nods to someone behind her. Hermione turns to see Draco disappearing into his room. Harry squeezes her hand. When she look at him, he smiles.
"But we will finishes this," he says. She nods with the half smile that is all that she can manage. "Get some sleep."
"You too," she says. Hermione collapses into her bed, meditating for an half an hour before allowing sleep to take her.
The next morning Hermione rips open the envelope containing Luna's prediction. Neat script stares up at her from the parchment.
Hermione's Evening, Tuesday, July 1, 1997
99.1% Hermione will corner Draco to ask him about why he wanted to speak to Ron.
-In the 0.9% that Draco escapes, 49% Hermione will yell at Ron.
86% Draco will lie and say the predominate reason for speaking with Ron is to avoid issues with his mother.
31% Hermione will not ask further about motives.
92% Hermione will ask Draco not to speak with Ron.
97% Draco will say her words do not persuade him.
-16% Draco will still talk to Ron if Hermione asks him not to.
84% Hermione will yell at Ron about the comments he made about her and Draco.
77% Hermione will forget to put up a silencing charm during their argument.
6% Ron will see reason during the argument and apologize.
-If the silencing charm is not in place, 95% Harry will comfort Hermione.
-If the silencing charm is in place, 64% Hermione cries herself to sleep and has nightmares that wake the house.
-If the silencing charm is in place, 36% Hermione will break something.
99% Hermione will read this before leaving her bed or talking to others.
-That drops to 65% if Hermione wakes the house with a nightmare.
100% Hermione comes to the conclusion that Luna is a prophet after reading this.
"Oh Merlin," Hermione says aloud. "Luna is a prophet."
She heads to Luna's room without changing out of her sleeping clothes and knocks tentatively.
"Come in, Hermione" Luna's dreamy voice floats through the door. Hermione peeks her head in as she opens the door. Luna, fully dressed, sits cross legged on the bed facing the door expectantly. Hermione slips in and close the door behind her, whispering a silencing spell. Slipping a chair out from it's place at the desk, she sits.
"You read my prediction," Luna states.
"Yes," she replies, her eyebrows furrowing down. "Can you tell which predictions came true? Can you see the past?"
"I will know if I look at the predictions, can feel it," she answers lightly. "But I cannot see the past, well not in the way that you are thinking. I can see which of the futures I saw have taken place and know it as it happens. But I cannot know of someone's past that I did not see as the future first. That was my mother's gift." Luna smiles.
"You and your mother had different abilities?"
"Very few prophets can see past, present and future, only the most powerful. Most can see two, but they are intertwined. For me, I can see the possible future and then feel which future is being chosen in the present." Luna looks off over Hermione's shoulder. Silence falls over them until the older witch breaks it.
"And your mother?" Her answering smile is blinding, both heartfelt happiness and deep longing.
"She could see the past and the future for a person, like two roads stretching off of them in different directions. They were connected by the person. She could not see multiple people at once and it was tiresome to think of the all the people and how they intertwined and see each past and future."
"Can you see multiples people at once?"
"Yes, if I think of a place and time, I can see all the futures passing through there," Luna replies with a careless shrug.
"At what cost," Hermione whispers. Luna touches the other girl's hand.
"I cannot see myself," she offers. "Or how my presence will affect things, change them. Prophets can never see themselves, that is their weakness." Hermione nods.
The house takes on an eerie quiet throughout the day. The occupants taking solace alone to deal with their emotions. Ron has barely been seen outside his room, as has Mrs. Malfoy. While Mr. Lovegood spends time wandering the house, rarely interacting with others. It is this that drives Hermione to the library of the house.
Harry sits in the window alcove, staring at the colored glass. He doesn't look up as the witch enters. A small frown pulls down Hermione's lips and eyes, before she ducks her head and goes over to a shelf of tomes.
"He tortured Snape," Harry's voice floats to the girl. Hermione turns to see he is still looking at the window. With purposeful steps, she heads towards him.
"Voldemort?" she asks. He nods. "Why?"
"For killing Dumbledore so soon or so late," he replies, his tone emotionless.
"How do you know?" Harry finally looks at her.
"I watched," he whispered, voice quivering. "I opened the door and I saw through Voldemort."
"Did...did he know you were there?" she presses.
"No."
"Harry…"
"He couldn't, Hermione," Harry answers as he turns back to the window. "The connection was still bound. I just…wanted to know."
"Is Snape…?"
"Alive." Hermione sighs at that. "Voldemort was furious that he neither stopped Dumbledore from destroying three horcruxes or waited long enough that you died too. It...well Snape explained there wasn't time and that this was the only chance they would get. He'll survive."
"Good," she whispers. Hermione settles into a chair near Harry and stare at the window as well, the sparkling glass of swirling purples and blues and blacks. It is pretty, but at the moment it feels dark and foreboding.
"Do you think we can actually win?" Harry asks after a long while.
"I have to," she answers. "What was this worth if we don't?" He nods at the window.
"What came of Luna's prediction?" he says, but it seems more like filling the silence than actual curiosity.
"She's a prophet," she answers simply.
"Will that change anything?" he asks, finally turning to her once more. Hermione opens her mouth, searching for the words.
"I wouldn't have told you if it wouldn't help," Luna's voice comes from the door.
"I thought you said-" Hermione begins.
"I said I couldn't say the outcome for sure right now, but that doesn't mean that I can't help you sway it," she replies both confident and light.
"How…" Harry's voice fades beside his friend as his green eyes focus on the small blonde. Her smile is wide and bright.
"We plan," she says, as if it is the easiest thing in the world. "We plan the whole battle, making changes as necessary, when I see the possibilities swing out of our favor. You strike when we know you can win. Unless you rather not?" she adds with a wink. Harry smiles at her.
"No, that sounds good," he answers easily. The lines around his eyes seem to recede as he stares at the miracle witch, the one that shouldn't be real. Hermione slips away as Luna comes to sit next to him, letting them have their moments before there isn't a moment to spare.