Chapter 15: A Difficult Task
Hermione thought that defeating thirty Death Eaters would be the most difficult task of her life. But she was wrong, what she had to do next was.
After she had escaped the factory, Hermione went back to her home. She had to go back and collect Ginny Weasley's diary. It had been left there after Hermione and Pansy had gone to the factory.
As Hermione picked up the diary off the floor, she felt disgust. How could Ginny do this? Hermione wanted to burn the diary. The information in there was dangerous, and had the potential to change the World. No one should get their hands on it. But this diary was the only proof Hermione had that Ginny had indeed invented, and used a forever lasting love potion. It was also the only chance of finding a cure. Harry Potter was still under the influence of the forever lasting love potion, and if there was any chance of reversing the effects, it would be in the pages of that book.
When Hermione got back to Hogwarts she went straight to Dumbledore's office. She had a feeling that the Headmaster would be there, waiting for her. No doubt by now, Harry and Ron would have figured out that Dumbledore had not been replaced after all. And they would have undoubtedly been in contact with the Order, to tell them that Hermione had gone to check on her mother.
Hermione now had some explaining to do.
She arrived at the stone gargoyle carrying the diary in both of her hands. She wondered if the password that Professor Snape had given her at Christmas was still valid, or had it been changed? There was only one way to find out.
"Snickers" said Hermione.
Surprisingly it had worked; the stone gargoyle had moved a side to reveal the staircase. As Hermione climbed the stone staircase her heart began to race, how was she going to explain herself? How was she going to explain why she had tried to create a forever lasting love potion?
She knew that Dumbledore would understand why she sneaked out of the school tonight. But she didn't think he would be so forgiving when she told him of her attempt to create a forever lasting love potion. Never the less she was going to be completely honest, and whatever happens, whatever punishment awaited her, she would face it
She knocked on the Headmaster's door.
"Come in" said the Headmaster's voice from behind the door.
Hermione went in slowly. Inside she saw Dumbledore sat behind his desk with Harry and Ron at the other side.
"Ah, Miss Granger, please sit down." Hermione sat down next to Ron.
"Now, I understand that you've had something of an adventure today" said Dumbledore. " I believe that you've been in contact with Miss Cho Chang, and that she had some very disturbing news."
"That's something of an understatement Professor" said Hermione.
"Really? Please do tell" said Dumbledore with curiosity.
Hermione took a breath before speaking. She wondered how much Harry and Ron had told the Headmaster, had they told him about her attempt to create the forever lasting love potion? Or had they left that part out?
"Where do I start" said Hermione, looking to Harry and Ron. Ron then took a hold of her hand and held it tight for moral support. She was going to be totally honest with Dumbledore no matter what; she just wanted to know where to start. She looked into Ron's eyes, and could tell by the Way he looked at her, that he and Harry had not told Dumbledore about her involvement in creating the potion. To them, she was the one who had invented it. They didn't yet know that her potion wouldn't have worked. Nor did they know that Ginny Weasley had already invented a forever lasting love potion.
This is what made explaining herself to Dumbledore, Harry and Ron the most difficult task of her life. She had to tell them about Ginny's potion. She had to tell Harry, that the love he felt for his girlfriend wasn't real. She had to tell Ron, that his sister had manipulated his best friend. This was going to tear apart the whole Weasley family.
Taking another breath, Hermione began to speak.
"It began when Mr Parkinson started dating my mother, of course you know that. Then I get confronted by Pansy Parkinson on the Hogwarts express at the beginning of the year. She threatens to shame me to the entire school, by revealing some personal letters she found in my room, unless I agree to help her get her parents back together by creating a forever lasting love potion. I tell her it can't be done, I tell her that love potions don't last forever because they don't create real love. But she didn't care; all she wanted was for my mum and her dad to break up. For some reason I agree to try, and I manage to brew one up at the end of the term. But then, I changed my mind and realise that this is wrong, so I destroyed the potion. Of course Pansy didn't take too kindly to this and kicked the crap out of me. At one point I blacked out and woke up on the floor... Now until this morning, I thought that my potion was lost forever, but then Cho Chang tells me, that the Death Eaters have a forever lasting love potion, a way of ensuring purebloods only marry purebloods. She also tells me that the potion was invented by the daughter of a Death Eater named, Parkinson. Immediately, I thought Pansy had read my mind while I was unconscious, I also thought I was right about Mr Parkinson being a Death Eater all along, and you Professor had been mistaken."
"Or replaced." interjected Dumbledore.
"Yes well, I thought my mum was in danger, so I sneaked out to check on her.
"That is understandable" said Dumbledore. "Given the information you had at the time, I probably would have come to the same conclusion you did. So what happened after you went to check on your mother?"
"I find Pansy Parkinson waiting for me. She tells me that she never intended for the Death Eater's to get their hands on the potion, and that although her father isn't a Death Eater, her mother is. She said that she gave the potion to her mother in the hopes she would use it to get her husband back. But instead, she gave it to Voldemort. Voldemort was so impressed by what he thought was Pansy's work that he made her a Death Eater."
"Pansy Parkinson is a Death Eater now!" gasped Ron.
"Yes, she showed me the mark."
"Then how can you trust what she said was true?"
"Because the Death Eaters were manufacturing the potion, and she helped me destroy it."
"Where is Miss Parkinson now?" asked Dumbledore.
"She stayed behind with the Death Eaters. If she had left, they would have known that she had betrayed them and they would have killed her."
"I see" said Dumbledore. "It seems Miss Parkinson has a difficult path to follow. Let us hope she finds the good that is buried very deep inside herself. "
"There's something ells, Professor." said Hermione. "The potion the Death Eaters were manufacturing, wasn't mine. It turns out that the potion I made, would have worn off after a month. But there was someone ells who had already invented a love potion that lasts forever
"Who?" asked Ron.
Hermione took a moment before saying the name. "Ginny Weasley"
The room went silent. All of them were shocked
"I don't believe you." said Ron shaking his head.
"I'm afraid it's true." said Hermione. She placed the diary on Dumbledore's desk and opened the front page.
This is the diary of Ginny Weasley. The men read through the diary, and as they turned each page their expressions changed from shock, to horror. They could not believe what they were reading. At one point Harry and Ron got up from the desk and walked over to the other side of Dumbledore's office, they couldn't read on anymore. But Dumbledore read on. Hermione looked to Harry and Ron, and wondered what they must be thinking. We're they thinking, is she lying? Could this be some kind of forgery? And if so why? Hermione got up from her chair and walked over to Harry and Ron. '
"Harry I'm so sorry about all this. I know this is difficult to believe but it's true. I can hardly believe it myself.
"What I feel for Ginny is real." said Harry.
"No Harry, it's not." said Hermione. "I know you think it is, but it's not."
"How do you know that?" said Harry.
"Because at the same time you developed feelings for Ginny, is also when she finish the potion."
Harry thought back to when he first knew he had feelings for Ginny. It was in his sixth year, and he and Ron were heading back to the Gryffindor common room after one of the worst Quidditch practices ever. They had bumped into Dean Thomas and Ginny snogging. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere Harry became jealous. Harry had found it strange that he had become jealous of Dean kissing Ginny, and at the time thought that he was being protective. Yet it turned out he was in love with Ginny and a few months later they were together. Now it turned out his feelings weren't real.
Dumbledore had now finished reading the diary. He got up from his desk and joined the others.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, could I have a word with Miss Granger in private?"
"Yes Professor." said Harry.
Harry and Ron went to the door to leave the office, before they left Hermione turned to them and said.
"Harry before you go"
Harry stopped.
"I think you should know that Cho said, she never stopped thinking about you, and that she wanted to talk once this was all over. I think... I think you should talk with her."
Harry nodded in understanding; however Hermione got the impression that he wasn't going to do that. When Harry and Ron were gone Hermione and Dumbledore sat back down at the desk. Hermione wondered what Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about.
"Just one thing I want to ask you Miss Granger. Why did you tell me about your attempt to create this forever lasting love potion? You could have simply left that part out. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley didn't mention your attempt. Yet you choose to be honest, why?"
"Because I need to take responsibility for what I've done. Even though my potion wouldn't have worked, it was wrong of me to try."
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Miss Granger there's no law against brewing a love potion. However, the fact that a forever lasting love potion has been made, and used, does call for some kind of action to be done. I will inform the ministry and they will decide the best course of action."
And with that, Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment from his desk, wrote down a letter and gave it to Fawkes the phoenix to deliver.