Previously: Harry and Hermione learn Arithmancy, Ron returns, Ron and Harry's friendship is destroyed.
Breakfast was a rather awkward affair for Harry and Hermione because Ron sat at the far end of the table and sent murderous looks their way the whole time. They ignored his malevolent glare as best as they could. Hermione could see that Harry was still quite put out by the sudden destruction of their friendship with Ron, but she really didn't know what to do to help him. She silently offered Harry some more toast and tried to look him in the eye.
"Harry?"
"I'm not hungry any more," he replied. Hermione nodded silently and they stood and walked out of the great hall. She rubbed his back to comfort him as they walked to the dungeons for potions; it was their first class that day. Fortunately, Harry was distracted from his preoccupation about Ron by trying to stay under Snape's radar. They were each to produce their own work, but Hermione successfully kept an eye on three different cauldrons: her own, Harry's and poor Neville's. Singlehandedly, she managed to stop a ruined potion in Harry's case, and a large explosion in Neville's all while making an O-worthy potion of her own. She was quite proud of herself by the time class was over. By the time they made it up several flights of stairs to transfiguration class, however, she was in some pain. She tried to play it off as if it were nothing, but Harry was adamant this time.
"We're going to Madame Pomfrey during lunch. Please, Hermione. Promise me you'll go."
"Well… okay. I promise," she muttered. She didn't want to take time out to take another potion, but she knew that Harry didn't need any more stress as far as his friends were involved so she let it go. Her grudging agreement made Harry smile a little, so Hermione was glad of that at least. She decided to keep trying to make him smile.
After completing the class assignment in transfiguration, Hermione transfigured a textbook into a startlingly accurate replica of Professor McGongall's animagus cat form. It couldn't walk, but its head swiveled around and hissed at some Slytherins at a nearby table, making Harry laugh quietly. Near the end of class, Professor McGonagall summoned it to the front of the room and examined it. She then shifted into her animagus form and sat right beside it, adopting the same expression for a moment before changing back.
"Very good work, Miss Granger. 10 points to Gryffindor." Hermione beamed while Harry patted her back in congratulations. The Slytherins scowled and began hurling insults at Hermione, but they stopped after Professor McGonagall animated the cat with some advanced charms to menacingly prowl about under the tables and growl at bad behavior. It turned back into the textbook after a few minutes and Harry reclaimed it for Hermione.
"You never cease to amaze me, Hermione." She smiled in response.
Their last class before lunch was Arithmancy in which they studied examples of the effects and implementation of specific rates of casting. Hermione was fascinated by the study, but Harry was generally confused. He was having trouble speeding the tempo of his casting up to a rate of three per second while making seven movements.
"Think of it like a waltz," Hermione suggested. "One-two-three, four-five-six, seven. It's okay if it's a little jerky at first."
"But Hermione, I don't even know what a waltz sounds like."
"Oh… well… how about this. I'll tap how fast it should be for you. Just divide the motion into seven parts. We can practice more later. Oh! You almost had it. Try it again!"
Suddenly, Harry got the rhythm right. It sent the pillow he was trying to banish flying into the door, nearly taking it off its hinges. It disintegrated into a maelstrom of feathers, which slowly began to descend onto the shocked class.
"Wow! Great job, Mr. Potter," the professor exclaimed. "Ten points to Gryffindor for an excellent spell magnification." Hermione's look of shock changed abruptly into delight.
"Way to go, Harry! That was incredible!" He glowed from her praise and smiled.
True to her promise, Hermione went to the hospital wing before lunch. She took a potion for pain. It contained a mild relaxant that made her fall asleep for half an hour. She wasn't very happy about that because it meant that when she woke up again she wouldn't be as sharp as usual in her other classes, but she admitted that she felt a lot better for it as they made their way to Runes.
Hermione was very near being done with her rune. The closer she got to completing it, the more those around her could feel its potential power. The sensation would go away when it had been charged, but until then the design would seek power from someone to charge it. When it was finally complete, Hermione took it to a special vice in the back of the classroom. She called Harry over to watch and to make sure nothing went wrong. She practiced the charging spell she wanted to use a few times on a blank runestone. It was the magnified version they'd recently learned in Arithmancy. After making sure she was doing it right, Hermione cast the spell on her runestone. It glowed so brightly for a moment that they both had to look away. Soon the bright light faded and eventually disappeared. Hermione carefully picked up the rune in her hand. It was still warm to the touch and felt… powerful. She handed it to Harry so he could feel what a completed rune was like. She then added a drop of her own blood to it so that it would allow her to enter the ward.
"Let's test it out before class ends," she said and led him to the front of the classroom. The professor placed it on the post of an empty bed frame as that was what it was designed to protect and Hermione activated it. He then told Hermione to step inside the bed frame for testing, as the one who created the rune should be the one to bear the consequences should it fail.
"Absolutely not," Harry protested. "You're in no shape to be put in danger like that. Let me step in there to test it. If I get knocked over, I won't be hurt." Hermione frowned and looked like she were about to argue, but she saw the look of fear flash across Harry's face. She could tell he was terrified that she would be angry with him, but not afraid enough to stop him from keeping her out of harm's way. That look of fear mixed with determination melted Hermione's brief frustration. He looked down. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear the anger in her eyes if she were truly mad at him for the outburst. Said outburst never came, however. Before Harry could react, Hermione was hugging him gently.
"Oh Harry, it's okay," she whispered. "I'm not mad. How could I be mad at you for taking care of me like that? You're right, of course. All the same, I don't want you to get hurt because of a mistake I made."
"I'm not worried about me," he replied. "I trust you and your work completely. But if anything did happen, better me than you." They broke apart, and caught the professor's attention again, as he had wandered off. Harry applied his blood to the rune so that he could step inside the ward.
Harry stepped inside the protected area and the professor began testing the rune's ward. First he tried to bring his hand into the area, and it was repelled so fiercely that it spun him around. He then threw a blank runestone at Harry but the ward repelled that too. It zinged by the professor's head and shattered against the wall. Hermione wisely took cover behind a nearby stack of boxes for the final test. The professor took out his wand and sent a stunner at the ward. It bounced off and moving very fast, struck the boxes Hermione was hiding behind, sending them flying. Before anyone could move, Harry had leapt out of the bed frame and was running across the room toward the fallen boxes. Hermione was crouched behind their remains, looking shaken but unhurt.
"Hermione! Hermione, are you okay?" Harry was frantic, checking her face and arms for injuries and looking for pain in her eyes.
"You're not hurt are you? Oh how stupid of me to think that the safest place for you would be somewhere unprotected…"
"Harry," she cut him off. "I'm fine. It's okay," she said, standing up and brushing herself off.
"But…"
"Shh. It's all right. I'm not hurt, I'm fine." She gently ran her fingers through his hair, which had a surprisingly calming effect on him. He pulled her into a tight hug. He released a shuddering breath.
"I was so afraid for you," he muttered.
"I know," she replied into his shoulder. "It's okay. Look at me, I'm fine." He looked deeply into her brown eyes and relaxed. There was no pain there, just concern and affection. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek. He leaned into her touch and smiled a little, finally convinced that she was completely uninjured.
After classes, the two headed back to the hospital wing at Harry's insistence to make sure Hermione was really okay. He trusted that she wasn't feeling any pain, but he had to be sure nothing else had happened. They brought the powerful rune with them since it was complete, graded, and approved for use due to the test during class.
After explaining the incident, Hermione patiently lay down on the bed to allow Madame Pomfrey to run some tests.
"You're perfectly fine, dear. I am glad you were not injured. Harry, you can calm down now." He had been watching Hermione like a hawk ever since the accident so she got up carefully, enveloped him in a warm hug, and didn't let go until he relaxed.
"Better?" She asked quietly when he relaxed.
"Better," he replied reassuringly.
They sat down on the edge of the bed to talk for a while, mainly about what to do with the rune and if they should go downstairs for dinner or just eat in the hospital wing again.
"You should go to your dorm sometime today to put this rune on your bedpost," Hermione suggested.
"Couldn't it be stuck to yours here?" He asked, "temporarily?"
"Not very well. Runes lose their power when they're removed unless the object they were stuck on is charmed right, and I don't know the charms. Just put it on yours. I'll probably only be here for another few days. Hopefully she'll let me go up stairs again soon." Harry reluctantly agreed, though he would feel more confident of Hermione's safety should she be inside the ward instead.
They were discussing dinner when the doors of the hospital ward burst open as if someone had kicked them. Hermione jumped, startled, while Harry automatically shielded her with his body. There was not much to be afraid of, however, because at that moment, Professor Trelawney fell face-first into the room and cursed loudly at Ms. Norris. The noise brought Madame Pomfrey out of her office quickly, and she looked at her sister in amusement.
"Now Sibyl, is it really necessary to insult the cat's mother like that? Not only would Ms. Norris technically be a "daughter," and you referred to her mother as a female dog, but I'm fairly certain..." Trelawney interrupted her sister with another bout of cursing as she crawled back to her feet.
"Listen Poppy," she said, brushing her multiple scarves off with her hands, "do you remember the night I was hired? How he wouldn't tell me what I said? Dear old Albus talks in his sleep, he does. Did you know that?" Madame Pomfrey gave her sister an odd look in response.
"Well, he does. And I must say it was quite a good prophesy. The best I've ever made, if I say so myself." She turned and saw Harry sitting on the bed beside Hermione. Neither had made a sound and were simply content to stare in a disturbed manner at the crazed woman.
"And here's the subject himself! Ohhh you poor dear. How it must be so terrible to have the weight of the world always on your shoulders. To kill or be killed, that is the question." She trailed off into a string of hacking cough-giggles while the two students and mediwitch looked highly alarmed.
"Kill...? What do you mean, professor? There's a prophesy about me?" Harry asked.
"Heh ehehe... WHAT? He hasn't TOLD you?" Sybil's moment of hilarity was shut off suddenly as if every bit of amusement in her mind was suddenly eaten by a troll.
"What? Told him what?" Hermione asked, getting very anxious and impatient with the slightly unhinged professor.
"OHHHHH!" she yelled loudly in anger as she turned and ran back out the door.
"He should NEVER fall asleep while doing my therapy appointment. Somebody should put a charm on his beard to silence him when he sleeps. Why, I never..." her voice trailed off into the distance as she evidently stormed off to talk to Dumbledore.
Madame Pomfrey looked after her sister with an indecisive look on her face, as if she were not sure whether to stun her until she calmed down, or whether this was actually a legitimate leak of information. She too knew that the subject of a prophesy should know the contents of the revelation as soon as possible, and if this prophesy involved death... even more so. She turned to see Harry looking bewildered and Hermione looking at him with concern.
"What... was that?" Harry asked. "Did that really just happen?"
"Madame Pomfrey, is there a prophesy about Harry?" Hermione asked, almost dangerously.
"Not that I know of. I assume Sybil has finally learned of the prophesy that got her hired. It's unfortunate that it has to do with you, Harry. Doubly unfortunate if it involves murder." Harry jerked a little and Hermione was quick to put an arm around him.
"It'll be okay," she insisted in a whisper. "Whatever it is, we can handle it." He nodded, though he was not very reassured.
Shortly thereafter, Trelawney returned hauling a yawning Albus Dumbledore behind her.
"TELL HIM! Tell the boy! You know what kind of disaster not telling him could create? WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD HIM YET?" Her screeches seemed to have little effect on the old wizard, but the sight of Harry's confused face and Hermione's borderline angry expression revived him slightly.
"Oh, hello you two. I'm glad to see you're up and about again, Miss Granger," he began before being interrupted from behind by Trelawney, who tripped on one of her many scarves, stumbled, and nearly knocked him down.
"Teellll them... teeeellll them..." she maniacally murmured over and over.
"Professor Dumbledore... is there a prophesy about me?" The old man sighed and nodded, before stepping to the side allowing Trelawney to fall to the floor for the second time in as many minutes. He sat down wearily in a nearby chair.
"Harry, dear boy, do you remember after you saved the stone in your first year that you asked me why Voldemort is after you? Why he keeps showing up year after year now that you're here? I didn't want to tell you, for various GOOD REASONS," he said irately at Sibyl who was sitting on the ground with a slightly deranged smile on her face.
"But it seems that I must. You see, shortly after you were born, I interviewed Professor Trelawney for a position in the school as divination teacher. She did not seem adequate and I was about to dismiss her when she spoke a real prophesy. Since the general meaning is out now," he said, pointing a glare at the professor, "I may as well let you all know. This is not to leave the room for now," he said pointedly, shutting and sealing the door with a wave of his wand. He paused before speaking again.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."
After Dumbledore finished reciting the prophesy, the entire room was silent. He took a deep breath and began his explanation.
"Harry, the prophesy could only be about either you or Neville, and you were the one Voldemort chose to mark. That mark is the scar on your head from when he first tried to kill you. Either way, he chose to try to kill you, and because of that he'll keep trying to kill you until you kill him. That's according to the prophesy. Now, we know that prophesies are only made true because those involved in them make it so. For all we know, Voldemort is actually deathly allergic to daisies and if we throw them at him, then he will die. The thing about you specifically, is that Voldemort believes that you and you alone can kill him. He's afraid of you, especially since finding out that he can't touch you due to your mother's protection over you. That seemed to him as a sign that the prophesy was fulfilled. So as far as he is concerned, he will kill you or you will kill him."
Hermione looked as if she were about to interrupt, but managed to stay silent.
"But... I don't want to be a murderer," Harry said softly. "I don't want to kill anyone. I just want to live a normal, happy life."
"And why not?" Dumbledore exclaimed. "You can. Prophesies are like smoke in the wind. The slightest breath could change everything! He thinks you have some sort of mystical power, and you might, but in reality the very idea that you have special powers might be what his weakness really is. He has become so fixated on killing you that he has, in fact, left himself open to attack in many ways. While you are here at Hogwarts, and while you are at the Dursleys' you are protected from his followers' attacks. Since it was discovered that he was with Quirrel, I managed to catch a trace of his magical aura and use the wards of the castle to ban him from the grounds permanently. Just as no one can apparate inside the wards, he can no longer so much as set a finger inside the boundary without being stunned and bound, whatever form he might be in."
"So why did you send Harry to the Dursleys?" Hermione asked, upset at Harry's treatment. Surely it wasn't as safe for him there as it would be in Hogwarts, never mind the years of abuse she knew he had endured from within. Why couldn't he have grown up in Hogwarts safely? Was he supposed to be bait in coming here? Who uses an eleven-year-old as bait?
"His mother's blood grants him protection there, and I wanted him to have a normal childhood. He needed to grow up without clouds of fangirls and the press following him everywhere he goes. I wanted him to have a childhood." Harry stood up so fast, he almost fell over. He was absolutely furious.
"What kind of childhood was I supposed to have? I lived in a cupboard! They made me their slave! They didn't feed me anything but table scraps and from the time I could walk, they made me clean and cook for them. I didn't even know my own name until Kindergarten!" He yelled angrily, shocking everyone in the room. Then, just as suddenly, his voice fell to nearly a whisper and he seemed to shrink back a bit.
"Please... please don't send me back there..." he said softly. "It's awful. I'll do anything..." While Harry now looked embarrassed at his outburst, Hermione was looking increasingly angry. She burst out in fury as soon as Harry sat back down on the bed, silent in shame.
"He shouldn't HAVE to do anything! If you're going to use him as live bait for Voldemort, at least make an effort to keep his life from being a living hell! Let him live here or let him live with me. Either way I'll protect him with my life and he won't be starved and worked to the bone all summer."
"Hermione," Harry murmured, surprised at her ardent promise of protection and the offer to live with her. She ignored him for the meantime in favor of standing up and walking closer to Dumbledore. She was trembling, Harry realized, but not in pain or weakness - in all-consuming rage. He was actually worried she might try to hit Dumbledore and contemplated getting up to stop her, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. If Dumbledore got punched, it'd be just what he deserved. Especially since Harry had been sent back to the Dursleys' twice since he'd come to Hogwarts. He definitely didn't want to go back again. If Hermione could do anything to help the situation, he certainly wouldn't stop her.
Dumbledore looked slightly alarmed at Hermione's anger, too.
"But his mother's protection..." he began,
"Protects him from Voldemort wherever he goes," Hermione interrupted fiercely. "Voldemort can't touch him regardless of where he is. Certainly there are decent wards that could be set up somewhere more humane that would keep Voldemort's followers out just as well as whatever you've put on that house."
"Perhaps..." Dumbledore mumbled. He was thoroughly ashamed of himself, now that he was thinking about it. He had been convinced that the Dursleys would take Harry in like a son, not like a slave.
"Why didn't you ever tell us, Harry?" He asked gently. Harry just shrugged. It had seemed normal to him until he'd been exposed to Hogwarts. Hermione's rage was not subsiding at all. She was still standing in a very confrontational position in front of the headmaster, waiting for his next move.
"Very well, Miss Granger. Other accommodations will be made for him as he is willing," Dumbledore said wearily, then turned to Harry. "I trust you have no redeemable belongings at the Dursleys' home?" This confused both students greatly. They were not expecting him to relent so easily. Hermione literally stumbled backwards in shock.
"You mean it?" Harry asked eagerly, standing up again.
"Yes, Harry. I do," the elderly wizard said, a twinkle beginning to return to his eyes.
Hermione sat down heavily on the bed, completely exhausted by her passionate outburst. She was beginning to smile, though. As Dumbledore stood and turned away from them, Harry's grin grew larger and he grabbed Hermione in a tight hug.
"Thank you," he whispered into her hair. His voice was breaking up, so he emphasized his gratitude by kissing Hermione warmly on the lips and holding her close to his chest. She realized that they were both shaking out of sheer emotional stress, but they were happy.
"Well, now that that's settled, I'll make a quick trip to the Dursleys' and take care of some business," Dumbledore said quietly to the two sisters who hadn't moved at all during the entire conversation. Trelawney got up and followed Dumbledore out, looking slightly dazed and confused.
So... like? Dislike? Too OOC? To abrupt? I don't even know. All I know is that this story MUST end soon. College is really busy, but it's been driving me crazy knowing that people who read this story are left without an ending. One more chapter to tie things up and it'll be done.