A/N: Thanks to each one of you for your continued support.

All recognisable characters belong to JK Rowling, any you don't recognize and the plot belongs to me.

Chapter 26: Confessions

The shocked silence that greeted the new information was deafening. She looked from one face to the other, trying her best to gauge any untoward reaction from the two, but so far their faces depicted only horrified comprehension.

Say something, please? She muttered under her breath to herself and finally, Harry did oblige.

"Knowing how twisted Voldemort is, I shouldn't really be surprised. I am not quite sure why I still am, though." he stated and looked around at Ron. Hermione mirrored his action and stared openly at the taller boy herself. Ron was unnaturally silent, and Hermione found herself hoping for a reaction irrespective of its nature.

In the flickering glow of the fire in the grate, the light and shadows cast patterns on his face, making it difficult to read the hidden message in those blue eyes.

"How do you feel about it?" he asked finally, and she felt her heart sink a little lower. The mask of friendship was slowly slipping away to reveal the true doubt and mistrust underneath.

"Disgusted, revolted and scared." she replied honestly, keeping the eye contact on. A small nod of comprehension was the only reply she received, but the questions in those eyes did not fade away.

"Why would he need to murder your parents for that, Hermione? Surely they... supported him, didn't they?" Harry's discomfort in mentioning her dead parents and their allegations to the foulest wizard on the planet was evident in his tone. Hermione looked away from Ron. She was thankful that unlike him, Harry was, at least, taking it as a discussion and giving her a scope to clarify herself.

"They were not marked Death Eaters, Harry." she replied, trying her best to keep the hurt away and sound casual. If they had to make this work, she would have to stop getting sentimental and uncomfortable every time her parents or their allegiances came up.

"They did support the Dark Lord financially, but that was more of a strategy move to build the kind of society they believed in. You know a world without muggleborns and muggles. My Father never killed anyone. They never wanted this fate for me." She continued looking at the two boys but shying away from meeting their eyes by the end of the declaration in shame.

"Neither did I," She added in a small voice. "I remember, Father was very tensed the night the... the incident happened. I had been ordered to stay in my ward till the school reopened, with heavy security outside my wing." She clasped and unclasped her fingers at her lap, not looking at the two who sat opposite her on the rug, in front of the fireplace. "I-I originally assumed that the Order had me kidnapped and perhaps that was what Father had been worried about. Now I realise that perhaps he had an inkling of the Dark Lord's plans."

The momentary silence was broken once more by Harry.

"What happens now, Hermione?" She looked up to find him watching her intently although there was a marked kindness in his eyes this time.

"We fight to bring him down." She said confidently. If there was one thing that she was certain about, then, this was it.

"When Dumbledore told me about it, I had this strange feeling. I can't really express it in words, but it was like my childhood, past and present, flashed in front of my eyes." She noted the boys exchange a look before she continued with downcast eyes, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks remembering how she had thought constantly of Ron at the time.

"I won't deny that I originally thought highly of the Dark Lord's plans to restore the social order, but I was groomed that way. I have always been told that magic was our birthright, and sharing it with muggles was blasphemy. I was told that muggles and muggleborns were freaks of nature, an abomination. And we were forced into hiding by these very lowly people, when in fact, the wizardkind should be the true rulers." She laughed a little sadly.

A few things still made no sense, like why wizards should be in hiding, but the very root of her belief system had been shaken. She was fearful of believing anything that she had earlier thought to be the truth. What if even this was a lie and the Statute of Secrecy had some logical and correct base? Most importantly, nothing justified the killings, the making orphans of children, breaking families. It was an infinite downward spiral of doom which wasn't good for anybody, except perhaps the Dark Lord himself.

"Everything is different now," She said in a small voice. "What will I do with a pureblood society that has only destruction and grief all around? What will I do in a world that has no family members, no friends, not a soul to call my own? I might have my set of faults, Harry but I am not built to kill." She finished in a small voice.

"We never said you are." She looked up in a flash to see those blue eyes and a tiny glimpse of something she couldn't really pinpoint, gave her hope. It was a small breakthrough, perhaps not large enough for him to trust, but an understanding that she could possibly change. It would have to do for now.

"Did Dumbledore ask you share this information with us?" he asked.

"No, but he did not specifically ask me not to share it with you either," She responded. "He well... He asked me to help Harry bring the Dark Lord down, though." She added finally and did not miss the shock on both their faces.

"Does it surprise you?"

"Yes and no." Replied Harry.

"Do you wish to?" asked Ron.

She answered Ron first. "Of course, I wish to, Ron!" She met his searching eyes, hoping he saw the truth in her words for once. He watched her but did not question any further. She almost huffed in frustration. His thoughts were tediously difficult to guess, but then, he looked away, and she turned towards Harry instead.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked the bespectacled boy.

"I am surprised he would confide that in you, you know the fact that we are working to bring him down. But on the other hand, I reckon I kind of guessed his plans a little myself."

"What now?" she asked. This was so much more than just friendship. This needed trust and confidence neither of which the boys had on her.

"I don't know, Hermione." Muttered Harry and she knew it was the truth. Dumbledore could team them up together, but he could not force them to trust each other. That part had to come from within. And honestly, she was the one who had massacred things there, not just once but over and over again.

She could not deny that Harry's honesty hurt. The Headmaster had given her a hope, a reason to live and fight. It was lifeline she was holding on to. It was not just about being handed a mission. It was really more of an opportunity to built bonds with the only two people she felt attached to in these lonely times. There was some light at the end of the tunnel but it depended so much on the two trusting her.

"Hermione?" She looked up and met the green eyes unable to hide the moisture gathering in her own. Harry held her hand in a brotherly sort of way which made her feel all the more worse.

"Look, I- We know you are trying, and I am sure, if Dumbledore trusts you with this, it must mean you are worthy enough. But you have to give us some time. You have to give Ron some time." She nodded a little and lowered her eyes.

Ron got up and moved away towards the window, and the two followed his motion with their eyes.

Harry let out a sigh and looked back at her, not releasing her hands yet while she continued to look at her lap.

"I know you both have come to some kind of an understanding and, believe me, I find that very mature, especially from Ron," He spoke very softly so that only she could hear him. "I don't know how you sorted it out, and I'd rather have it that way. But you need to know that Ron is still struggling. He is putting up a brave front, but I know him more than anybody. It will not be easy for him, Hermione. But he is trying."

"I know..." she whispered back.

"I know you care for him, and I seriously hope you are not faking it this time."

She met his eyes. "I am not faking anything." She said a little hurt.

"Good, don't. You've already hurt him enough for a lifetime." The fierce friend in him was back.

"I know, and I-I am sorry, I really am." She muttered softly.

He patted her hand, and with a small nod rose up, and she did the same.

"It's very late. We should leave."

"Ron?" he called and the taller boy came forward.

"Bye, Hermione, we'll see you tomorrow." Harry promised.

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye..." It was only a word he uttered and met her eyes. But it was enough for her to see the conflicts within.

"See you, Ron..." she replied in a whisper, not breaking the gaze till he looked away.

...

"Let's go to the common room." Ron suggested. Harry was lying on his back staring at the ceiling in contemplation while he was sitting hunched down at the edge of his bed.

"Alright."

They sat together on their favourite couch, and Ron waited for Harry to cast a Muffiliato before he spoke.

"What do you think?"

"Dumbledore used Legilimency on her." concluded the bespectacled boy.

"I thought so too. Why didn't she realise it though?"

"Maybe she never expected it. It's one thing reading about it, and quite another feeling it for yourself. It isn't something that is taught casually in the classes, is it?"

"So, now you trust her?"

"I don't know, Ron. But I can understand why Dumbledore would have wanted to keep her away from Voldemort."

"Yes, and she was made to interact with only me so that, he could keep her from knowing the Orders plans in case she failed his tests..."

"I think that was to get her attached to you." Harry blurted out before he could stop himself and admonished himself sternly as Ron scoffed.

"That plan failed." He was feeling a little used to be honest. Dumbledore had no right to play games like this, but then, it wasn't likely that the Professor knew about the events of the previous year. On logical grounds, though, this was a safer bet. This way if her allegiance changed she would have already bonded with the two of her future teammates and if it didn't, well, then Harry would be out of the picture anyway and so would be the older Order members who were more informed about the Order's plans.

"Does this mean we confide in her about the Horcruxes as well?" asked Ron.

"I don't know... I was told I could share it with you. But not like we are leaving for a Horcrux hunt by ourselves, are we? So I guess this remains a secret."

"But don't the Horcruxes need to be destroyed to finish him? If she is to help you bring him down, she will have to be told. How can Dumbledore trust someone who was almost recruited as a Death Eater with the only way to finish him?" he mused aloud.

"Well, she doesn't have any inclination towards joining the dark side anymore, Ron. Those charms outside your hospital bed proved as much." Harry replied and Ron went silent.

"Is that one test enough?"

"And, we think Dumbledore used Leglimency." he reminded. "What if he saw something that made him believe her?" he asked.

"What if she realized and modified her thoughts?" questioned Ron instead.

"That is not so easy mate. She is smart, but not enough to fool Dumbledore. He would have found out in a flash if her memories were tampered with."

Ron looked torn, and Harry knew his best mate was putting all his thoughts on the table in his struggle to sieve through the words and find the truth.

"Look, this means, now she knows what a horrible fate she was destined to with the other camp. I think, that reason is enough for any sensible person to switch sides." Harry could not explain it in words, but he thought about being given the choice to join the ranks of his parents' killers. No matter how enticing the offer was, would anybody willingly side with the people who destroyed their family? And honestly, who in their right mind would be willing to join a band of ruthless killers? Perhaps some would, but Hermione? Harry couldn't put a finger on it, but for some strange reason, he felt an attachment towards the girl. It could be because they had both been orphaned by the same maniac. It could be because he understood her need for a family, people who cared. It could be that they shared the motivation to prevent others from losing what they had lost. Wasn't this a reason enough to trust her?

"This also means that now, she knows she can betray us and still be safe in the other camp." Contradicted Ron.

"Do you really think she'd want to ally with her parents' murderers, Ron?!"

Ron couldn't answer immediately. How could he tell Harry that a part of him was still fighting to cope up with the betrayal? How could he tell his best mate that he was tired of getting hurt every single time that he had started to trust her? And despite his promise to himself that he would rely on Dumbledore's test, he was still struggling to believe with an open mind?

"Yes, I do think she has changed allegiance." Said Harry, Because of you, he thought while Ron continued to gaze at the dying embers.

Harry could see the Headmaster's plans clearly now. He had ensured Hermione had something to hold on to, something she would be reluctant to let go if she indeed thought of choosing the other side. And the old genius had succeeded. He distinctly remembered her sitting next to Ron in the hospital wing, the tenderness in her eyes were telling enough. Did Dumbledore know what hell he had put Ron through, though? He couldn't help feeling annoyed. Headmaster or not, Dumbledore was answerable to Harry for toying with Ron even if it was for a worthy cause.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Hope you liked it. Please leave a review if possible.

This is in response to Zalini's and Notsing's discussion.

I agree with Notsing that the elite pureblood society initially thought of Voldy's plans in line with their supremacy ideologies and supported him and then, much later, realised that they had bitten off much more than they could chew.

Additionally, I also feel that Voldy never mentioned that he was a half blood himself. When in the seventh book he murders the Muggle Studies professor, he sarcastically remarks about her teaching the children to mate with muggles, even going on to suggest that any child born out of a union of wizard and muggle blood would be an abomination. This makes me wonder if even the most loyal of his followers knew about his muggle father. Quite possible no one other than Pettergrew knew, and he was not someone who was held in high regard, was he? I assume that Voldy would only flaunt his connection with Salazar Slytherin and keep even his crazy maternal side unmentioned. As it is Dumbledore was among the very few who knew his history that too after much research. I can't remember where, but I think Harry mentions his true lineage to some deatheater who retaliates very strongly suggesting that they assumed that he was a pureblood himself. Another theory I have is that, since the orthodox purebloods thought of their magic to be of highest quality, they never doubted that Voldy was anything lesser than a pureblood because all said and done, he was a very strong wizard.