A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
THREE
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 18, 1995
Harry neatly folded the piece of paper that he had received from his father into four before he fed it into a shredder that proceeded to turn it into strips. He did not even bother to look at the questioning look that his partner and friend – Cadet Brooke – gave him as he led the other eight cadets who were inside their tent into staring at Harry with a questioning and incredulous expression.
The leader of the ten cadets that were sent to Hogwarts closed his eyes for a few moments as he tried to come up with a mission plan, but Harry quickly realized that he would not be able to accomplish this mission with only the nine cadets that were assigned under him. He knew that he would require the assistance of Brigadier General Arnott, and there is a chance that he might even require the assistance of the staff of Hogwarts, and that gave him scant comfort given how the staff had welcomed the brigade last night.
Harry shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He supposed that he should have seen how the teachers would welcome the brigade. After all, as was so aptly pointed out by the Deputy Headmistress during the meet-and-greet that they went through last night, this is a school, not a military camp.
There was, however, a mission to be fulfilled, and Harry had been given the mission by his father, which meant that the operation had come from the Prince of Scotland. His father might have signed the letter, but Harry knew well enough of Imperial politics and the relationship of his parents to the eldest grandson of the Empress to know that the order was endorsed by Lord Alexander.
A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry as he forced himself to return to the present. He turned his gaze toward his classmates, and as he had expected, they are all looking at him with confused expressions on their face that still somehow managed to convey their willingness to accomplish the mission that they had been given. That they had been given a mission was a conclusion that they had come to when they saw Harry shred the paper that he had received.
For a few moments, Harry wondered about the wisdom of informing the cadets of the real purpose of the mission as was advised by his father. Although these nine are classmates from the Academy – and therefore, had survived giving an Oath of Loyalty to the Golden Throne – Harry was still unsure if they should be informed that they are going to search for an object that – at last research – was capable of possessing the body of anyone who would touch it.
Harry knew, however, that his father would not have given that advice if the Potter elders thought that Harry should not take it. Faced with that, Harry knew that he should trust his father and do as he says.
"We have been given direct orders from the Prince of Scotland," Harry began, and as he had expected, ears perked up at the mention of the latest title of Lord Alexander, though Harry did not pause to allow his classmates time to speculate on what was being asked of them, instead, he continued, "We had been asked to search for an object inside the school."
"What kind of object?" Edward asked. He spoke for everyone when he asked that question, Harry knew, because the moment that he closed his mouth, the eight other cadets nodded their agreement with the question.
Unfortunately, that was a question that Harry knew he could not answer with absolute certainty. Not because he was forbidden from doing so, but rather, because he does not know how he should answer that question in the first place. The letter that his father had given him was devoid of any description of the object that they are being asked to look for.
The descriptions as to the capabilities of the object in question was detailed within the letter, as was the name of the object and the suspected history behind it, but his father had admitted that they have no idea exactly what the object that they are looking for is, instead, Lord James had advised that they use their dark magic detectors to find the missing object.
"We do not know," Harry admitted a few moments later. The looks on the faces of his fellow cadets told Harry that they are unimpressed, but before they could say anything, Harry continued, "I suspect that not even those who had given us this mission is aware of the object in question," he said, he fixed his classmates a glare and said, "It is, however, a dark object, and from the information that I had been given, it seem clear to me that it is capable of passive and active possession."
A shrill whistle came from the direction of Edward, forcing Harry and the others to turn their attention toward him. The second highest-ranking cadet amongst the group noticed that everyone was looking at him, so he proceeded to give an explanation for his rather unbecoming conduct, "We do not know what the object that we are being ordered to search for is, yet, we know that it is capable of possession," he said, "We may as well have been ordered to run over the barbed wire while the gunners are firing their machineguns at us."
Harry might not have phased it that way, but his partner was essentially correct. Back at Basic Training, cadets are asked to crawl under barbed wire while soldiers fire machineguns with live bullets over their heads. Ostensibly, it was to familiarize the cadets – and the soldiers because they also go through that in their basic training – to the sound of live bullets whizzing over their heads. Harry suspected that the only reason that it was being done was because the drill instructors love to see the cadets squirm.
"Admittedly, that is rather apt," Harry said a few moments later, and once more, attention was turned toward him. he fixed his classmates a glare before he added, "We, however, had been given these instructions, and they came straight from Lord Alexander, so if any of you have any objections, I suggest you take them up with the Prince."
Harry had not expected any takers, and, indeed, there were no takers. Not everyone inside the tent have parents who have taken fealty oaths with the Prince of Scotland like Harry, but the senior cadet also knew that everyone in the room would dare not countermand instructions from someone as well respected and high ranked as Lord Alexander.
For a few moments, there was silence inside the tent as everyone inside sought to make peace with the instructions that they had been given. Harry was amongst those who are trying to make peace with the order, because while he may have agreed with it in principle and while he may have presented it to his classmates, the truth was, he was not happy with it. As Edward had pointed out – though not directly – this had the markings of a suicide mission if one does not prepare properly for the operation.
"Alright," Edward said, breaking the increasing uncomfortable silence that had started to descend across the tent, he turned toward Harry and asked, "How do you want to do this?"
"We've been trained to spot dark magic using our wands," Harry said, and at the same time that he said that, he wished that he and his classmates could actually detect dark magic without using their focus. It would be easier because Harry did not think that they would not be accosted by professors – or even by Hogwarts students – as they walk along the halls of the castle with their wands out.
For that matter, they actually need to find a way to get into the castle. Harry had seen the orders of 'C' Brigade and Lord Alexander had specifically crafted the order to deny Brigadier General Arnott and his people permission to enter the castle unless in dire emergency – and dire emergency includes the castle being attacked or there is some sort of riot inside.
"The general needs to be informed about this," Nicholas Middleton – one of the younger cadets – said. He turned to look at Harry and said, "I am not sure what the clearance for the mission order is, Harry, but the general has to be informed that we have been given a mission at the least."
Fortunately, Harry had also been given instructions to inform their immediate commanding officer of their mission, "I have been given instructions to inform the general," Harry replied, and from the collective sighs of relief that came from the other cadets, Harry could tell that it was important for them that the brigadier be informed. Harry, however, could not figure out why the cadets are adamant on that.
He was about to ask them when the flap to their tent opened and an officer – several years older than Harry and his cadets – entered the tent. Almost instantly, Harry and his classmates snapped to attention as they faced the newly arrived officer.
"Cadet Fourth Class Potter," the unnamed lieutenant said, "You are being summoned to the headquarters of Brigadier General Arnott,"
Harry nodded, and with a shrug, the lieutenant left the tent. It was clear that he had been given instructions not to escort Harry to the command headquarters, but whether or not it was another test on the part of the brigadier, Harry does not know.
"It would appear that our commander had received his own set of instructions," Edward commented under his breath a few moments after the lieutenant had left the tent. He turned his attention toward Harry and asked, "Are you willing to take a bet?"
Harry smiled before he shook his head, "No bet," he replied, before a frown came across his face and his voice took a scolding tone, "And you should stop being a betting man, Edward, they frown at that in active service, at least, amongst the officers."
Edward merely shook his head. He refused to say anything as he joined his other classmates in watching Harry as he fixed his cover, but when Harry was about to leave the tent, Edward quickly added, "Ask the general about the duty roster when you're with him, Harry, I would hate to have come up with that when we really would not be using it,"
Harry smiled but did not deign to reply to the words of his partner. Harry had assigned Edward to come up with the duty roster that Brigadier General Arnott had demanded of him when he first met the man. Harry knew that Edward had come up with a genius division of responsibilities, but with the mission that they had been assigned, there is a chance that that task would prove to be an exercise in futility. If the cadets are going to be asked to search for something inside the castle, then there is a chance that the brigadier general would not even second the cadets to his staff as he had told Harry.
The glare of the sun surprised Harry the moment that he stepped out of the tent, but it was no worse than the glare back at Annapolis so after a few moments – moments that his eyes took to acclimate himself – he could ignore the glare and focus his attention on the rest of the camp.
Soldiers are milling in almost every direction that Harry could see. Most appear to be off-duty, the way that they are standing, but there are a few who appear to be on-duty, keeping their eyes straight toward the forest that surrounded the castle. A few were even looking at the castle.
Almost overnight, a tent city had sprung up on the grounds of Hogwarts as the soldiers of 'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division settled in for what could be their home for the next few days up to the next few months. Ordered row upon row of ten man tents were arranged in a chess-board fashion with common areas in between where rifles and other stuff that could not be brought into the tent would be stored.
Soldiers busily set up interdiction zones along the perimeter of the camp – machinegun posts every ten meters and a firing trench inside the perimeter marked by barbed wire – while others mingle at the motor pool, lending a hand to the mechanics who apparently had stayed up overnight in order to fix the trucks and armored personnel carriers of the brigade.
'C' Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division is a motorized infantry brigade rather than a mechanized infantry brigade, so the brigade do not carry infantry fighting vehicles in any of its three infantry battalions. Most of the soldiers assigned to the brigade travel using open air six-by-six heavy trucks, and a few lucky others get armored personnel carriers.
The brigade headquarters of Brigadier General Arnott was set up behind the motor pool area, equally distant from the battalion headquarters of the three battalions under his command. As Harry had expected, the brigadier general has set up his own tent, but it would appear that the command vehicle of the general still serves as the headquarters of the brigade.
"Sir, Cadet Fourth Class Potter, reporting as ordered, sir," Harry said, saluting as he entered the rear cab of the command vehicle of the general where the sentry on duty assured him the general would be.
Brigadier General Arnott was in the middle of shaving his facial hair when Harry entered the cab. The general still has shaving cream over half of his face and had a razor on his right hand when he turned toward Harry, but he acknowledged the young cadet with a nod that made Harry lower his hand before the general returned to finish shaving.
Brigadier General Arnott, however, was not one to waste time, and though he returned his attention to the mirror to deal with his beard, he asked, "I take it that you had received new instructions from Lord Alexander, cadet?"
"Yes sir," Harry replied, not even bothering to nod. The general was not looking at him so there was no point in doing that, and besides, nodding is not the generally acceptable response when asked a direct question by a superior officer. Harry had to admit that he wanted to ask the general if he had also received instructions regarding the mission that Harry had received but thought better of it.
For a few moments, the general did not say anything as he was focused on his shaving. Once he was done with that ritual, however, he washed off the cream from his face and turned his attention toward Harry.
"I've also received new instructions from Lord Alexander," the general said, he motioned toward a make-shift stove where a fire was burning, so Harry assumed that the general had gotten rid of the paper with the orders through that method. "I am unhappy with the prospect of being bait, but I understand the reasoning behind the logic of my liege lord," he shook his head before he added, "In any case, it has not yet been proven without doubt that we would just be decoys in this exercise."
A sigh escaped from the lips of the general before he asked, "Have you come up with any working method that would allow you to search for this item?"
"We had been trained to look for dark items in Olympia, sir," Harry replied, "all ten of us came from Olympia Academy sir, so we could search for the item using our focus, but at the moment, our problem is how to gain access to the castle."
Brigadier General Arnott nodded. He accepted a cup of coffee from his aide – giving the man a nod of thanks – before he returned his attention toward Harry, "You and your cadets are our liaisons to the school, that should give you enough reason to be inside the castle," he paused once more before he asked, "I take it that your search method could arouse suspicion on the part of the locals?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, he removed his wand from his side holster and presented it to the commander of 'C' Brigade, "This is a typical focus, general, and when we are searching for this item, the tip of it," – and here, Harry touched the tip of the wand – "would be glowing, I do not imagine that the natives would not accost us when they see this."
Brigadier General Arnott looked thoughtful for a few moments, and Harry could not do anything but stare at his superior officer. Finally, after a few moments, the general said, "My briefings regarding the Headmaster pegged him as an unknown," he said, he stared at Harry and said, "Your own parents, Cadet, are unsure of where to place the Headmaster in our Battle Order, so I ask, do you think it is possible that the Headmaster could be trusted to assist in this matter?"
Harry thought for an answer to that question for a long time. The general seemed content to wait for the assessment of Harry and did not interrupt the train of thought of the younger man. After a few minutes, Harry finally said, "My parents are of the opinion that the Headmaster is a good man willing to do anything to defeat Voldemort," and at the blank look on the face of the general, Harry elaborated, "He was the last dark lord to scourge the magical world, sir, and he was the reason why my parents fled to the mainland, he tried to kill us all when I was one."
Brigadier General Arnott did not look distraught at the mention of the assassination attempt, unlike most of the people who had been informed. Those people are often shocked that a man would try to kill a baby, but then again, Brigadier General Arnott is an experienced soldier, and Harry was happy that the commander chose not to make a big deal of the assassination attempt.
"As I was saying, sir, the Headmaster is willing to do anything to defeat Voldemort, and whatever this thing that we had been asked to look for, my parents are sure that it has something to do with this dark lord," Harry said. He thought about informing the commander of 'C' Brigade about the fact that his parents had actually killed the physical body of the Dark Lord during the assassination attempt, but realized that that would lead to more questions that Harry is unsure if he could answer, so he decided against informing the general.
Brigadier General Arnott does not need to know about those facts, anyway, because Harry knew that if Lord Alexander had thought that the commander of 'C' Brigade needs to know, the Prince would have informed the man himself.
"That being the case, Cadet, you are telling me that the Headmaster is going to assist you in this mission?" Brigadier General Arnott asked a few moments later. He looked thoughtful for a few moments before he added, "I would imagine that the operation would be easier if the Headmaster would be willing to assist."
Harry shook his head, "No doubt it would be easier, sir," Harry replied, "but I do not think that the Headmaster would see the same thing as we would in regard to this operation," he paused for a few moments before he explained, "Sir, the Headmaster is utterly convinced that he is the only one who is competent enough and intelligent enough to possess certain bits of knowledge, and we know that this item, or rather, the knowledge of how to create this item, are amongst those that the Headmaster had purposefully kept hidden from the rest of the magical world."
"You are saying that he would impede your operation because he does not think that you should know that this item exists, is that it?" Brigadier Arnott asked, and in response to the nod of Harry, he continued, "Is this item a matter of national security?"
The seemingly innocent question of the Brigadier had strings attached, Harry knew, but he could not blame the general. Harry knew that if the item in question is a matter of national security for the Holy Empire, the general would take that as a green light for his men to storm the castle and do the searching themselves, but that was precisely what Lord Alexander had wanted to avoid when he had Lord James sent Harry the letter. Although it was unstated in the instructions itself, Harry can read through the lines.
The young cadet could also tell the reason why the Prince was careful in revealing the search. If the Dark Lord were to become aware that there are those who are actively searching for his anchors, then the man – if he were still one – would be placed on alert. It does not take a genius to see that the first thing that the Dark Lord would do would be to safeguard his anchors, and despite the fact that Imperial Intelligence is the best in the world, not even they could come up with the locations of these anchors, they could not even come up with a solid number.
"His Highness does not seem to think so, Sir," Harry replied, and seeing the disappointed look on the face of his commanding officer, Harry quickly added, "If it was, sir, then there would be more of us here."
Brigadier General Arnott conceded that point by politely inclining his head toward the direction of Harry. "There is that," he conceded. He seemed to think about something before a sigh escaped from his lips, "I guess that there is nothing that could be done for our part, Cadet," he shook his head and added, "My instructions are from the prince, we are not to move into the school at a whim and could only do so if there is a clear danger."
Harry nodded, "It would take some time sir, but I believe we could find this item in question," he replied.
"Good," Brigadier General Arnott said. He paused for a few moments before he pulled a chair and he sat down. He was already seated before he fixed Harry a look and asked, "And where is that duty roster that I asked you to come up with, Cadet? Just because you have an operation does not excuse you from the fact that you are cadets in your summer tour."
Harry fought the urge to sigh at that. It would appear that the commander of 'C' Brigade was not going to cut them some slack because of the mission, but though unexpected, Harry is sure that he and his classmates would have no problem with it.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Near Inverness
Scotland, British Isles, Holy Empire of Britannia
October 18, 1995
Hermione fought the urge to grimace at the noise waves that reached his ear. She also fought the urge to stand up and pummel the young red-haired girl that was currently disparaging an unnamed 'bushy-haired, beaver, older student' into the nearest wall.
A sigh escaped from her lips as she forced herself to calm down and turn all of her attention toward her half-eaten breakfast, but she only needed to look at it once to decide that she was done, she might as well get ready for classes, especially considering that her first class for today was potions, and there was no way that Severus Snape was going to cut her some slack.
Hermione pushed herself away from the table and took to her feet, ignoring the looks that came from her two other roommates who noted that the young woman had barely touched her breakfast. The young brown-haired witch then proceeded to close her ears as she walked toward the exit to the Great Hall, an action that was required because she was not in the mood to listen to gossip, especially considering that she knew that the gossip would be about her again.
Last night's meeting with the muggle military had thrown Hermione into the center stage of gossip once more, especially when it became clear to the pureblood students who were not invited that Hermione had met with Harry James Potter. Personally, Hermione does not see any reason for the hype that surrounded the boy. Sure, the Potter heir was handsome in a childish and roguish kind of way, and he seem intelligent as well, if his position was to be of any indication, but she personally does not see any reason for the young girls of Hogwarts to practically throw their knickers at him, even if they are yet to see the young man because instead of entering the school, he went and joined his fellow soldiers at the grounds.
That evening, right after the meet-and-greet, Hermione returned to her dorm and was informed by her roommates that some of their fellow Gryffindor girls are actually angry at Hermione right now because of Harry Potter. She did not think it unfair that the girls are angry at him because she met their crush when they did not, quite simply, Hermione had stopped thinking on those terms since she was nearly killed by a troll her first year.
Since that Halloween evening when she the only thing that saved her was an accidental burst of magic that made a hole the size of a muggle soccer ball on the body of the troll, Hermione had played her cards close to her chest. She never stood out – at least, not as much as she could help, because being muggle-born and being the top student was a sure way to make herself stand out – and had very few friends, none of whom could expect an invite to her home in Crawley.
Her circle of friends also lacks any male students, despite the fact that it was unique in Hogwarts because it included members of other houses. It was quite understandable given how it is this same circle that Hermione study with and because no male student wants to study with them – or study at all, come to think about it – no boy had ever ingrained himself in the social circle of Hermione, a fact that everyone became aware of last year when Hermione attended the ball – rather than go home – without a partner.
'It just seem inconceivable to me that I am expected to find a future partner amongst the male population of Hogwarts,' Hermione thought to herself as she walked past the point counter – as usual, Slytherin was leading, while Gryffindor was behind – that is used to mark the number of house points, 'If the students here are the cream of the crop, I shudder to think of the students at the other schools,' and with that, she shook her head as she tried to think of any logic behind the outdated notion of some of the pureblood girls that they could get Harry Potter a marriage contract.
'Not even a day here, and he is already getting this much attention,' Hermione thought to herself as she stepped onto the first step in the grand staircase of Hogwarts, only to pass by a group of four sixth year Ravenclaw girls who appear to be comparing notes. Hermione would have dismissed it as comparing homework had she not espied a red title on one of the papers that the girls was holding, 'Marriage Contract,' Hermione thought to herself, 'I suppose that even the so-called smart people are jumping the bandwagon, they do seem to be more excited than usual, though.'
Deciding that she needed to know more about Harry Potter – and realizing that there really was no need for her to prepare for potions class since she is as prepared as she could be, anyway – Hermione decided to make a beeline for the library. If there was anything new that she could find, she was prepared to bet that she would find it in the library rather than from the mouths of her obviously besotted classmates.
Further thoughts on her mind, however, were interrupted when Hermione finally stepped onto the second floor, and nearly fell down because she hit a wall of flesh that, while not as hard as iron, was still harder than usual.
An arm quickly shot out and grabbed hers, preventing her from taking a spill and hurting herself. Hermione could feel the warmth of that hand as it touched her naked hand, and for a few moments, that was all that she could think about that she actually failed to even raise her head and confirm who it was that held her hand and had prevented her from taking a spill.
'It's his fault anyway,' the subconscious of Hermione thought to herself, 'If he had not blocked me, I would not be in this situation,' though at the same time that she said that to herself, another part of her chided her for not paying attention to her surroundings, a lesson that she had learned just last year when she was hit by a curse fired by a still-unknown party that caused her front teeth to grow larger and larger until she sought assistance at the Hospital Wing.
"Are you alright?" a voice that Hermione had never heard before asked as the hand that held her pulled her – gently and strongly at the same time – back into safe ground. The fact that Hermione had not heard the voice before had her curious as to who this person is even if she already knew that it was one of the newcomers. She turned her gaze up – she was taller than him by a good four or five inch – and she blinked as she found herself staring at the pair of greenest eyes that she had ever seen.
'Harry James Potter,' Hermione thought to herself, 'The very man that I am heading to the library to study, somehow magically appears in front of me.'
"I…I'm fine," Hermione said as she gently removed her hand from his. He looked amused as she did so, but whether or not the amusement written on his face had something to do with the actions of Hermione or the fact that the Ravencalaw students that Hermione had passed had suddenly turned toward them with envious and angry look on their eyes, Hermione would not know, because she was not even aware that the upper year students that she had passed had taken to staring at her back with angry eyes.
"That's good," Harry replied as she subtly moved to the side. Although it was a subtle move, the subconscious of Hermione recognized the fact that he had given her a chance to bolt for it, and her subconscious – the one that implored her not to get involved with this man – urged her strongly to run. His next words, however, tore Hermione out of his indecision and forced her to stay, "You look as if you're in a hurry," Harry commented.
Hermione snapped her head toward the direction of Harry – her eyes had somehow found the floor the moment that she had replied to his first question – and an intense color flashed behind them. Harry merely stared at her, un-intimidated by the flash of her eyes, and she realized this. With a stutter, she apologized, "I…I'm sorry," Hermione began.
Harry smiled as he waved away the apology, "Don't," he replied, "It was my fault anyway, I was in your way and you nearly fell down the stairs, and as if that was not enough I had the gall to ask you what you are thinking about," the smile on his face broadened before he added, "My teachers would be sorely disappointed that I had forgotten my manners," he sighed theatrically.
Despite herself, Hermione smiled in amusement. She realized that she was not getting any of the hostile auras that is used to receiving from majority of the Hogwarts population, and from someone like Harry Potter too. Somehow, this made her happy, despite the fact that she does not know why.
"You were there last night, weren't you?" Harry asked, and even though he phased it as a question, it was obvious that he was already aware what the answer would be.
"Hermione Jean Granger," Hermione replied as she unconsciously extended her right hand toward Harry, completely forgetting the fact that after the so-called pure of blood students had refused to shake her hand whenever he would extend it toward them, she had promised herself that she would never extend her hand toward another magical again.
The only reaction that Harry had, however, when Hermione extended her hand toward him, was to smile at her before he accepted the offered hand, "Harry James Potter, Cadet Fourth Class, Imperial Naval Academy," he replied, feeling extremely sure that there would have been no need for him to reintroduce himself given that it was obvious that Hermione was aware of his identity. Still, she had introduced herself, so it was only proper for Harry to follow suit.
The handshake that was exchanged between Harry and Hermione was firm, but friendly. There was none of the implied threats that Hermione was used to getting from her classmates or the hopes of patronage from those that shake the hands of Harry whenever he is forced to attend a formal party back at home. It was a refreshing handshake for the two of them, despite the fact that subconsciously, both knew that this handshake could – and would – spell trouble for both of them.
As if to remind the two of them of this fact, at almost the exact moment that their hands touched, there was the sound of a notebook hitting the floor. Both Harry and Hermione turned their attention toward the source of the sound and saw the elder Ravenclaw students that Hermione had passed on her way up. The look of shock on their faces was obvious, but neither Harry nor Hermione was in any mood to inquire as to the reason behind their socked looks, not when both of them already suspect the reason.
"I was on my way to the Headmaster's Office to discuss a matter of some importance with him," Harry said as he turned his attention away from the shocked Ravenclaw students and back toward Hermione. There was a smile on his face as he asked, "Perhaps you would care to accompany me? After all, I have no idea where the office is."
Hermione also had no idea where the office is, seeing that she had never had a reason to look for that particular office before. This was reflected in the look that she gave Harry in response to his suggestion, but before she was able to reply to his suggestion verbally, she saw the look that he was giving her, and she realized that the invitation was for more than the Headmaster's Office.
Hermione made a split second decision then and there and with a smile, she nodded, "I would be more than welcome to accompany you, Mr. Potter," she said. Harry looked ready to protest with her use of his name, but before he could say anything, she cut him off, "After all, it is my job to make sure that you and your stay here be as comfortable as possible."
"Thank you, Ms. Granger," Harry replied at the same time that his peripheral vision took one last note at the stunned elder students. The naval cadet actually found himself wondering if his hostess for the day was capable of firing wand-less hexes, because the elder Ravens appear as if they had been hit with stunners.
With a mental shrug to himself, Harry decided that he does not care. He had watched the interaction of Hermione with her upperclassmen – or rather, he had watched the lack of interaction between Hermione and her upperclassmen – as she climbed the stairs to the second floor where he had been waiting. If pushed, Harry would be forced to admit that he did block the path of Hermione, not because he was being intentional cruel, but because there was something about the young witch that made Harry do it.
Trained in subtle magic arts, Harry was still unable to realize that the reason that he found the young Hermione Granger interesting was because his magic was singing to hers, and her magic was replying in kind.
Hermione stood away from Harry, her face turned toward him, and despite the fact that she looked irritated, a small amused smile was playing at her face. Harry supposed that the young witch had found the reaction of her upperclassmen amusing, but from the irritated look at her face – a look that Harry was sure was not intended for him, for if it was intended for him, he was sure that the young lady would have started complaining already, she looked the kind, just like his younger sister – Harry was able to conclude that the feelings on the face of Hermione that appeared there in response to the actions of her upperclassmen was more contempt than amused.
That placed Harry on the spot and he briefly wondered exactly what it was that the older students had done to Hermione to earn them the ire of the young woman – 'Obviously, it was something major, I do not think Hermione is the kind to hold grudges despite the fact that I've only met her,' Harry thought – but decided that while he really wants to know, the only way that he could know is if he would ask Hermione, and right now, he knew that even if he asked directly, the young witch would not say anything, and that is her prerogative.
"You know," Hermione said a few moments later, forcing Harry away from his reverie and back into the present. He turned his attention – his full attention – toward Hermione and watched her beautiful face as she smiled apologetically and said, "I really do not know where the office of the Headmaster is,"
"I got that impression a while ago, Miss Granger," Harry replied, "but…"
Hermione cut him off once more, "Please call me Hermione," she requested, "We're the same age and it doesn't feel right," she paused and looked at Harry with a serious expression that quickly melted into a questioning expression before she asked, "We are the same age, right?"
"As far as I know, yes," Harry replied with a smile, "I just turned fifteen this past July."
"Oh," Hermione said, she sounded disappointed so Harry took that to mean that she is either younger or older. Given that she is a woman, however, Harry suspected that it was the latter, but before Harry could further speculate, Hermione answered his unasked question, "I'm older than you," she said.
"But not by much, I am guessing," Harry replied, incorrectly assuming that Hermione was going to take offense of that fact, "Hogwarts accept students that turn eleven on the first of September right, and I know that you're on your fifth year."
"I'm sixteen," Hermione replied, before she paused – in everything including her walking, forcing Harry to halt beside her – and looked deep in thought before she turned her full attention toward Harry and asked, "If you're fifteen, how come you're already in the Naval Academy? How about your magical education?"
Harry smiled, "In the mainland, formal magical education begins at seven, informal starts earlier," he shook his head before he added, "I was three when I first started pre-school magical, though that was more playtime and naptime than real studying, the basics that I had learned there – as did most others – form the basis of my further magical education," he paused once more before he added, "I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I studied at Olympia Academy, Magical Division for both my primary and secondary education."
The eyes of Hermione widened at the mention of the school. Granted, she was unaware that Olympia Academy had a magical division. Despite the fact that she was born and still resides in the British Isles, Hermione was aware of the fame of Olympia Academy. It is the most prestigious school in the whole of the Holy Empire, if not the world. It was also the only school whose graduates are assured of a position no matter where they go, and as if to advertise that fact, twenty six of the last thirty Imperial Prime Ministers are graduates of Olympia.
"You could have joined the government…," Hermione began.
Harry smiled as he motioned for them to resume walking. Stunned by the revelation, Hermione did not move right away, prompting Harry to gently grab her hand and gently assist her in resuming their walk. The stunned Hermione allowed Harry to lead her without any protest, whereas anyone else who had dared would probably had been lying at the floor by now because of any hex that Hermione could send toward them.
"I could have," Harry admitted a few moments later, politely inclining her head toward Hermione as he did so. He smiled as he saw Hermione focus her attention toward him, "but the Academy is almost a matter of course for me."
That statement caused a confused look to appear on the face of Hermione, but before she could ask her question, Harry continued, "I was born in the British Isles, Miss Granger, but I grew up in the mainland because…," he paused for a few moments, before he added with a pained smile, "I am sure you know the reason why my family left this fair isles."
Hermione nodded, "not by much, but I know the basics," she replied. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Hermione found herself analyzing her next words.
The uncomfortable silence, however, did not last long because Harry broke it, "My father gave oath to the then Duke of New York," Harry continued, "The Potter's became vassals to the York Family, the side of the Archduke of Belleview."
'A powerful patron,' Hermione thought to herself. The young witch was aware that the family line that Harry was referring to was that of Archduke Stephen Richard of Bellleview, younger son of the current Empress of Britannia.
"Being vassals to a martial family, it was almost a matter of course for me to join the military," Harry continued, forcing Hermione out of her reverie as she was forced to return her attention toward him, "It was either West Point or Annapolis, though if I had wanted to, I could have just gone through reserve officer training course," Harry shook his head and a rueful smile came across his face as he continued, "My Lord Alexander, however, had allies in the Imperial Congress and he used those allies to secure an appointment for me to Annapolis, so, here I am."
Hermione nodded. Imperial politicking was not her area of expertise, but she is at least aware enough of the non-magical world that she was not completely lost with what Harry had said. She returned her attention toward Harry as they entered a covered walkway that she knew would lead them to the lake, "Why Annapolis?" she asked.
Harry smiled, "My Lord was a product of Annapolis," he replied, and seeing the confused expression on the face of his companion, Harry continued, "Lord Alexander is not really my lord, you understand, I am only fifteen and I have to be at least twenty one before I could give an Oath of Affiliation, but I am the son and the heir of my parents, and Lord Alexander is their liege."
Both Harry and Hermione had to squint their eyes for a few moments as the rays of the sun shining at full blast caught them unprepared. It only took them a few moments to adjust to the glare, however, and when they came to, Harry found himself staring at the lake of Hogwarts. A smile – one not unnoticed by Hermione – came across the face of Harry and he said, "It's beautiful."
Hermione found herself nodding in agreement, "I never really noticed," she admitted in disappointment, "but you're right, it is beautiful."
"I imagine that you and your friends have many picnics here," Harry commented off-handedly, "Back in Olympia, me and my friends used to camp around the lake, its an artificial lake, mind you, so it can't be as beautiful as this, but if we wanted a real lake, there are plenty outside school grounds," the smile on his face broadened before he said, "And the Sound, how could I forget the Sound? It is easily the most beautiful body of water that I had ever seen."
'Puget Sound,' Hermione thought to herself as she realized that that must be what Harry was talking about, but the words that came out of her mouth next had nothing to do with that body of water, "I have no close friends here, Mr. Potter," she replied in an almost formal manner that alerted Harry that the girl was about to close her door on the inroads that he had been doing to earn her friendship.
"Call me Harry," Harry replied almost immediately, aware that that was a tactic to stop Hermione from closing herself from him. It helped that Harry wanted Hermione to call him by his first name.
"Harry," Hermione replied, as if she was testing the name.
Harry smiled and nodded at the sound that came from the mouth of Hermione, but the last words that had came out of her mouth before she decided to call him by his first name demanded some clarification, and Harry ploughed on, "What do you mean you do not have any close friends, Hermione?" she asked, consciously adopting to using her first name.
"Just that," Hermione replied. The neutral look on her face alerted Harry that something was very wrong, but he decided against asking as she continued, "I have always have had a hard time making friends."
Harry nodded. He could certainly understand what she is going through, though not for a second did he imagine that he knows what she is going through, "I can understand that," he finally said a few moments later, and before Hermione could say anything, Harry added, "But you have one friend in me, Hermione, I do hope that we could be friends."
Hermione paused for a few moments, caught by surprise by what Harry had said, "Are you sure you want me to be your friend?" she asked curiously, "There are a lot of others out there who want to be your friends, Harry,"
"They are only interested in making friends with me because of my name, Hermione, not because of who I am," he replied with an easy smile. He turned his full attention toward Hermione and said, "I do not think you are like that Hermione, but then again, I have to confess, I think I know your uncle."
"Uncle Richard?" Hermione asked, and when Harry nodded, Hermione realized that she should have known, "Last time we heard from him, he is in New Zealand." That fact brought a sad smile to the face of Hermione. Her Uncle Richard was her favorite uncle, a favoritism brought about by the fact that while other aunts and uncles would give her toys for her birthdays and for Christmas, Uncle Richard would bring her books that she could read and actually enjoy.
Harry smiled, "Would you like to see him, Hermione? This weekend?" Harry asked, and at the confused look on the face of Hermione, Harry said, "We're not going to New Zealand, mind," he chuckled, "He's coming here."
Hermione blinked, but before she could say anything, Harry clarified, "Its supposed to be a surprise inspection, but its probably going to be more of a surprise for the Hogwarts staff," he smiled and implored her, "Please don't tell them."
Hermione's tone was bitter and told Harry that he needed to investigate the past experiences of Hermione Granger in this school more, "They won't listen to me anyway," she replied off-handedly, before a smile came across her face, "It would be lovely to see Uncle Richard again."
"Good," Harry replied, "It's a date then."
Hermione blinked, unsure if she had heard Harry correctly. She could have sworn that he said 'date', but there was no way that that would be how this excursion should be classified right? In any case, there are a lot of other girls – prettier and with more worthy bloodlines – that Harry could take with him, but it took her only one look at Harry to know that she got it right.
The smile on the face of Harry was contagious and she found herself smiling, "It's a date," she finally agreed, unaware that by saying that, she had made the day of the young man who stood in front of her.