Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Welcome back! Sorry for the wait, but I had a couple things to do. Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope 2014's a good one. Anyway, here's the next chapter and finally, the confession! I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 5: Nightmares and Mind Magic

Harry was walking down a dark isle, dull pain throbbing in his forehead. Glowing spheres surrounded him, row by row, like a Divination teacher's supermarket. There was no other light, and the hall was completely deserted as far as Harry could see. He didn't recognize this place, but something in his head told him that he was in a lower area of the Department of Ministries. Something in his gut, however, told him that there were other people here.

Just coming here was dangerous. Fear was building up in his throat, although he wasn't sure why. His footsteps were staggered, as though he were walking on marionette strings.

He was dreaming, that much Harry was sure of. It was, in many ways, similar to the nightmare he had during the summer of the man in Riddle's house. The same feeling of confusion and dread was building up in his chest.

A scream sounded from deeper in the hallway. A familiar one.

"Harry! Harry!"

It was Sirius. He was screaming in pain, so much pain,, and then Harry heard the laughter. He would know it anywhere, because it had haunted him ever since the death of his parents. It was Lord Voldemort, and he was torturing Sirius.

"Harry!"

"Die, mongrel."

A horrible pain burst in Harry's head, burning like the stove when Petunia had pressed his hand against it, he had to get to Sirius but there was so much pain everywhere and he didn't know what was going on-

"Harry!" Someone was shaking him.

Harry jerked up in his seat and nearly hit Astoria, who was sitting right in front of him on the train's bed. The blonde squeaked in surprise and ducked, sliding to one side out of the way.

Harry's breath was shaking, his fingers clenching and unclenching, the cold nails driving into the palm of his hand. He forced himself to relax. He wasn't in a cold hallway, he was on the train with his friend. Voldemort was far away from him, and even if he was nearby he didn't have the strength to hurt anyone.

"I'm sorry Tori," he murmured distractedly. "Are you alright?"

"Me? What about you?" Astoria asked shakily, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her green eyes were wide with worry. "You started moaning and thrashing, like you were having a fit or something. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't respond for the longest time..."

Harry ran his fingers through his messy hair, taking a deep stabilizing breath. This wasn't the first time this had happened. He hadn't told anyone but Ron and Hermione about his nightmares because he didn't want to give the impression that he was weak. He knew now that Astoria wouldn't think any less of him for it. Plus, the contents of his dream worried him greatly. "It was a nightmare." He said. "About Voldemort. I've had them before."

"You have?" Astoria whispered, sliding a little closer and wrapping her arms around Harry's shoulders. She had taken to touching him reassuringly whenever she thought he was emotionally stressed out. Harry welcomed the gesture and her warmth.

"Yeah. They didn't really get bad until this year...until after Wormtail escaped. During the summer I had a dream about Voldemort killing an old man. I don't know who or where. But I can't shake this feeling that its something that actually happened."

"They're different from usual dreams. How?"

"You can tell?"

"Harry, I could feel magic rolling off you. Even normal nightmares don't usually provoke a response like that...and something about it feels wrong, forced somehow." Astoria responded, sounding pensive.

"Forced? You can do that?" Harry questioned.

"There's a branch of magic that deals explicitly with the mind," Astoria responded. "Mental magic. Its difficult to master...few people use it...and a lot of it is forbidden because it can be abused so easily and the effects are long term."

"Great," Harry muttered.

"I wondered if V-Voldemort," she tripped over the syllables, the blonde was still adjusting to saying Riddle's chosen name, "left traces of something when he tried to kill you back then."

Harry grimaced, "thanks for putting that thought in my head. Now I need to shower. Repeatedly."

"Can you tell me about the dream?" Astoria asked. Harry nodded and then explained everything that he had seen, up to the pain in his head.

Astoria frowned when he finished. "But Harry, Sirius is in Germany right now. And V-Voldemort is a barely living thing in a shack out in the wilderness. He can't have caught Sirius."

Harry let out his breath. In the panic that the dream had brought on, he had almost forgotten that. "R-Right. Of course."

But after he thought about that for a second, something more disturbing occurred to him. "He can send me dreams?" He muttered. "Is that even possible?"

Astoria put her hand on top of Harry's, her fingers brushing against his. Her brow was creased slightly, as she was in deep thought. "It's highly irregular," she said eventually. "We all know that V-Voldemort turned to some of the darkest magic in existence...but I can't imagine...there are a few spells that affect the subconsciousness while you dream...but they wouldn't have been anything he would have thought useful..."

Harry reached up and rubbed his scar. "It's mental magic of some kind," He decided, remembering text from some of the books he had read back in France. "What I don't understand is how? How could Voldemort do this to me if he's been so weak for so long?"

Astoria bit her lip. "Maybe it was part of the scar all along. From the day he tried to kill you.

"Hell...is that even possible?"

Astoria nodded. "I think..." She paused. "I think we should take you to see someone."

Harry frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I can't imagine going into a doctor's office without people asking questions we can't answer."

"If you ask for confidentiality as the last Potter heir, it probably won't matter," Astoria said thoughtfully, "I know you don't care for it but your position does have some perks out in the world. But your problem with these dreams is real and beyond anything I can do to help it."

Harry leaned back against the wall. They were headed over the mountains into Switzerland, and the scenery would have been a spectacular viewing if he had felt inclined to watch it. But the dull throbbing pain in his head and his current situation distracted him.

He could count on his fingers the number of times he had gone to a psychiatrist or a hospital outside of the number of times Poppy had had to treat him at school. The Dursleys would have been hard pressed to give him anything to ease his pain unless he required intensive care. And anyone who had been willing to treat him had been in Vernon's pocket, meaning that they would give him no assistance outside of their jobs.

Coupling those experiences with what happened at Hogwarts during the Tournament left Harry with a very dim view of most authority figures. They were corrupt and manipulative and he'd be better off taking care of himself. Hadn't he and Tori just run away from the only thing they had that resembled a home just to get away from it all?

A bitter feeling welled up in his stomach. He'd always had to take care of himself, because no one thought him worthy of it outside of his mother, who had left his life so long ago. He had protected others because the teachers couldn't have been bothered to evacuate the school, leaving him as the only one prepared to save a comatose girl from a dangerous monster.

He'd felt lonely. So lonely, all the time. Until Tori had approached him and rescued him and given him new, warm feelings to wash away the pain of his earlier years. He didn't need the teachers that had tormented him or the friends that had turned their backs on him! He would get along just fine on his own.

But Harry couldn't deny that he didn't understand exactly what was going on inside his head, and it was beginning to frighten him. He had to do something about it and he wasn't sure where to start or what to do. Astoria touched his cheek with her slender fingers and watched him.

"It'll be alright, Harry," She said, as if she could read his thoughts. "We're in Switzerland. We're far away from Dumbledore, and he has no power in a neutral country. He won't think to look for us here anyway. The people here will be able to give you the help you need without bias."

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you Tori. Still getting used to that," He said.

Astoria scowled, as she always did when he said something that made her think about the Dursleys or the teachers back at Hogwarts. It made her green eyes harden like cold, cut emeralds. Harry couldn't help but think about her brainwashed sister, Daphne Greengrass, whenever she looked like that. That had pretty much become Daphne's default expression at the start of second year; she had seemed more uncertain before that but Pansy's influence had (mostly?) solidified her attitude.

Remembering what Astoria had told him about her family, Harry wondered if there was a time when Daphne was more like her younger sister – warm, friendly and full of life. The image wouldn't quite form in his head as he equated it with the cold girl he was familiar with.

"It shouldn't have been like that," Astoria muttered darkly.

"Well, it was," Harry said, reaching out and brushing a few stray strands of her golden hair away from her eyes. "And it isn't anymore, thanks to you. Are we at Switzerland yet?"

Astoria blushed and seemed relieved for the change of subject. "Yes. Just another twenty minutes."

"Great. I was starting to get bored of Science," Harry said, putting his hand on the large textbook on the beside table.

Astoria pouted. "Don't remind me. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt!"

"I did warn you," Harry said, laughing when Astoria pushed his shoulder in mock indignation.

Considering the real possibility that he would have to move back into the muggle world to avoid Dumbledore and those looking for him, Harry had decided that there was no better time then now to catch up on the muggle curriculum. Astoria's curiosity had gotten the better of her and she decided to join him.

Currently they were struggling through sixth grade science. Astoria had complained that wandless transfiguration was easier then this.

Within Magical Switzerland

Magical Switzerland seemed a bit more...grounded then Magical France, for lack of a better term.

Harry and Astoria were walking down a cobblestone street through the strait roads of the city. Carts and cars floated and warped from one place to another. The atmosphere of the city seemed more relaxed, as if there was nothing out there that they found troubling. Astoria had explained to him after they had taken their trunks of the train and started walking that Magical Switzerland had been a neutral country since almost the time it had been created, for longer then its muggle counterpart. This was a smart move, because it was one of three places that managed to stay untouched in the first and only magical world war.

"I didn't know that there had been a world-wide war between the magical communities." Harry said, surprised once again at how little he knew about the world.

"There was only one, just two decades after the muggles went at it for the first time." Astoria said. "It was a such a mess. The world barely recovered. It's taken decades to repair all the damage done, and most people are just trying to forget it ever happened, especially because Grindelwald came right on its heels. Magical Germany was a mess for the longest time because of it. I understand that the muggles call the time the Great Depression."

"Yeah," Harry said. He tried to imagine wizards doing a full-scale war like the first and second ones. The idea was almost too terrifying to comprehend.

"There's a reason there are laws in tact now that are supposed to mediate how much magic wizards are allowed to do." Astoria said. "During that war, the secrecy of the wizarding world was almost blown open. They had to do so many alternations in the eyes of the muggles...hurricanes, gas leaks, things like that...and even that didn't cover everything. That's why the Minister of Magic interacts with his or her muggle counterpart now."

"I wondered about that," Harry said. "Considering how little most wizards seem to think of muggles I wondered why they bothered at all."

Astoria tilted her head in agreement.

Switzerland certainly had the shape and feel of a safe house, Harry decided after long. It was a feeling in the air as you walked down the streets. Probably part of the reason everyone else seemed so relaxed. It was considered a haven to those who were escaping unjust laws and dictations from their homelands, because Switzerland's neutrality protected it from political standoffs. Unfortunately, this went both ways; the Minister of Magic here had rooted out several Grindelwald and later Voldemort supporters who had come here to hide when their masters fell years after the fact.

Blood purity didn't mean very much in this country, outside of a few benefits her and there. Some wizards were even walking around in muggle clothes, cats and dogs running across the streets with children chasing them. Astoria paused at a tourist box and began searching through the pamphlets and flyers, and Harry took the moment simply to look around.

Hedwig chirped and flew around Harry's head, causing him to chuckle. "At least someone's having fun," He said teasingly. His familiar chirped at him before flying in the direction of the prepaid hotel.

"I think I've found someone who can help us with our problem," Astoria announced. Harry blinked, drawn back to the present. Astoria was holding a flyer.

"Doctor Branstone, Physical and Mental Healer." Harry read aloud, before blinking. "That name sounds vaguely familiar..."

Astoria nodded. "I think there was a Branstone sorted at Hogwarts this year. But it might just be a coincidence."

"It couldn't hurt, I guess."

Safferon Hospital

"Heir Potter, your confidentiality is assured." Andrea Branstone said. Her tone was polite and official, but there was a spark in her hazel eyes reminiscent of Fred and George that suggested a strong sense of humor. Her caramel colored hair was pulled back in a bun for work. She was wearing a white shirt and dark pants, flat black shoes clicking on the tiled floor of the hospital. She was fair skinned and had an elfish face.

"Thank you," Harry said.

"Can you tell me when your last visit to the hospital was?" Doctor Branstone asked, turning a page on her clipboard.

"The end of last school year at Hogwarts." Harry said.

He had been surprised at how easily this was going, and how friendly his doctor was. They hadn't been walking for long before they found the nearest hospital. Harry had been fairly nervous as he tried to properly recite the instructions that Astoria had told him about beforehand, but to his surprise the secretary accepted it without question. It must be one of the upsides of being considered noble, Harry thought. He didn't imagine things going that easily for Hermione or another muggleborn.

Andrea Branstone had been waiting for him inside the examination room. She told him that it wouldn't take long. Astoria was sitting outside in the hallway, waiting for him to finish. "I had a bit of an altercation with something dangerous." Harry added.

"Dementors," Andrea snorted. "Hogwarts is going to become the laughingstock of the magical world if it keeps up like this. It's already halfway there after that spectacular mess they made out of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I wish David would be willing to listen to my letters." She cast a diagnostic spell over Harry, who was lying on his back on the table.

"You've caused quite a stir by disappearing Mr Potter," She said. Harry tensed, but her tone was light and caused him to relax. "My daughter was quite put out by this whole fiasco. She would have liked to meet you."

"Her name's Eleanor, right?" Harry said, the vague image of a girl who looked like Andrea sitting on the chair with the hat, getting sorted.

"Yes." Andrea said, waving her hands. Harry felt warm and tingly as a wave of golden light passed over his body. His fingers felt warm and his breathing less labored. His muscles relaxed. This must be a healing trance, he realized.

Harry watched as Andrea flitted back and forth around him, before stopping at his head. She put her fingertip on his scar and said, "Harry, I'm sorry but I'm going to need to put you out to deal with this."

A surge of uneasiness swept through Harry. "What exactly is in there?"

"Your partially possessed, Harry. I can get it out but it requires a careful hand."

"Oh, hell. Of course! Please, just get rid of it."

%&%&%&&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Harry wasn't aware of time as he floated in the darkness of unconsciousness. But he could tell when something changed. It was like the darkness around him was lifting slightly, and he heard something scream in anger. The sensation of two tightly gripping hands being removed from the sides of his head sent a shiver of pain and disgust through him, but it was over quickly.

Slowly he opened his eyes, feeling oddly cleansed, and saw Astoria hanging over his bedside. Doctor Branstone was standing right behind her, holding a crystal in one hand and looking pleased with herself.

Astoria leaned over and hugged Harry. "I was getting worried," She said. "They were taking so long."

"It's fine, Tori," Harry said with a smile, pushing himself into a sitting position. Astoria let go and he turned his attention to Andrea Branstone. "Thank you, Healer Branstone," He said formally. More naturally he asked, "What exactly was it?"

Andrea held up the crystal, where a small black gooey looking shadow was milling around, trying to find its way out. "It was extremely stubborn, very stuck," Andrea said. "But it's out now. It seemed to have been leeching on your magic, so you should be a bit stronger now. There doesn't seem to be any long-term damage caused by it. All in all, you're extremely lucky Mr. Potter. Any longer and who knows what might have happened."

Harry shrugged. "I was constantly told that they were just headaches." He said. "I would have gone to a Healer soon if I had known what it was. Thank you, again."

%%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&&

"Sirius's trial has a date," Harry told Astoria happily. He gently ruffled Hedwig's feathers and placed a dish of water and food in front of her, turning his godfather's latest letter over in his hands. Sirius had been in quite good cheer when he had written it. "It's two weeks from now."

"That's wonderful," Astoria cheered. "Does he have any details?"

"Yes." Harrry chuckled. "His defense attorney and the private investigator he hired have looked into the events that got him accused and apparently they're really not happy with what they've found. The ICW is turning a disapproving eye on Fudge and his administration because they have denied people trials. Dumbledore's tried to obstruct them a few times but that's gotten him in a good deal of trouble, apparently."

"Oooh, do tell," Astoria said eagerly. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, kicking her feet, her wild hair out of her braids again.

"Sirius's attorney, her name's Jane Pritchard, has charged him with obstruction of justice." Harry said, smirking. Astoria laughed out loud, green eyes gleaming. "She helped Cornelius Fudge start a movement to get him removed as Supreme Mugwump of the ICW because he was clearly abusing the post to his own ends. The people in Britain have protested on the grounds that he's 'the great Albus Dumbledore' but apparently Dumbledore's overseas reputation has taken a big hit with the Tri-Wizard Tournament fiasco, so not very many people are agreeing with them. Apparently there was an investigation into some of the 'irregularity' over the past twenty years and at the end of it Dumbledore was 'politely' asked to resign with his dignity in tact."

"They must have found out about the Dursleys and about his little habit of just letting dangerous situations at the school continue." Astoria remarked. "Pity they didn't decide to put that on the international post."

"Sirius says, 'in good time'," Harry read aloud, stepping back and sitting down next to Astoria. "Apparently he also got a letter from your father."

Astoria stiffened. "He did?" She said nervously.

"Yeah. Says that he wanted to send it straight to you but his owl couldn't find you. He heard Sirius was getting a trial and that he was my godfather so he sent it to him by proxy."

"What did he say?" Astoria murmured, watching Harry with wide eyes.

Harry squinted at the printing for a second before smiling and saying, "Well, according to Sirius he says that your dad said that he understands why you left," He began. Astoria smiled, a bit teary, she had been sure her father wouldn't forgive her for running off. "And he misses you. So does Daphne. He meant to blend in to pureblood high society to protect the only family he had left, not to loose them to prejudice and hate. He wants you to come home."

He squinted again and did a double take. "And apparently he's under the impression that we've eloped, because he's offering to establish a contract since Sirius will be my magical guardian once he's cleared."

Astoria let out a squeak and blushed fiercely. "But – I don't – I'm not sure – I mean, it's a bit early for that, isn't it? I mean! Oh, Merlin" Overcome with embarrassment, she buried her face in her hands and groaned.

Harry looked over at her, and decided that this was the moment where he would ask. "Would you mind that terribly?" He asked as casually as he could muster.

"What?" Astoria squeaked out.

"Marrying me, sometime in the future."

Once the words were out, Harry almost wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Now he was staring at his shoes while Astoria stared at him.

"Y-you'd ask me?" Astoria managed. "Me? You like me that much?"

"You," Harry pronounced the words very carefully to avoid deteriorating into babbling and gibberish, which was extremely tempting. "are different from anyone I've ever known. You've given me support that I never got from anyone, not even my two best friends. I'm not sure exactly when I started feeling this way about you, but it was probably when I realized that you saved me by running away with me, despite anything that might happen. It got stronger the more I got to know you."

Astoria blinked, her hands clenching together. She was hearing Harry's words...she just wasn't quite sure she was understanding them. "Y-You really think so?"

"Yes," Harry said, finally getting up the courage to meet her eyes with his own green ones. "I do...care a great deal about you Tori. I admit I don't know much about love, you'll have to be patient with me. But I'm feeling...now, something I thought I was starting to feel for Hermione a lifetime ago."

He paused and then waited, Astoria's eyes were still wide but there was a dawning look on her face and she smiled. "I really liked you from the start Harry. I really started thinking about it when you asked me about marriage contracts just after we left France."

Harry blushed. "I wanted to know what your opinion was and how you'd go about it. I wanted to ask you then but I lost my nerve."

Astoria laughed, relaxing a bit and smiling warmly at Harry in a way that only she could. It still gave Harry butterflies in his chest. "A noble Heir, asking his intended's opinion on love and marriage. Completely unorthodox, unheard of, but your Harry Potter. That would be just like you, wouldn't it? You have so much that you could do for other people and yet you choose to let the people around you choose for themselves."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "I'm just a simple orphan."

Astoria's eyes misted slightly. "Not at all."

They sat there in silence for a moment before Astoria leaned over and kissed him. This time Harry didn't flinch, it had taken him a long time to adjust to accepting affectionate gestures. Harry gently slid his arms around her small frame and stroked her blonde hair.

Harry wasn't sure how long they stayed like that but eventually they broke apart. Astoria was smiling contently and resting her head on his shoulder. One of her hands was clasped in his. Harry's chin was resting in her hair; she murmured "has Sirius have anything else to report?"

Harry remembered that he hadn't quite finished reading Sirius's letter yet. He looked down at it and found where he had left out. Once he'd read a little he smiled again; it was the most he had done for as long as he could remember and it was like removing weights from his shoulders, one at a time. "I was right before, Remus is with him, and he's taken up a job as a local Auror."

"I liked Professor Lupin. He was the best defense teacher we had," Astoria said. "It's too bad that he had to resign." She shifted slightly in Harry's arms. "Do they know he's a werewolf?" She asked in concern.

"Yes," Harry said with a grin. "Doesn't mean a damn thing to them, now that he has wolfsbane to keep him sane during the nights of his transformation. Apparently in Germany this is considered a disability as opposed to making him a dark creature, so he gets compensation or it too for the days when he can't work. Good payment, friendly colleges. Remus is having a really good time. If this keeps up, he might even start talking to witches." They both got a good chuckle out of that.

"That's nice." Astoria said. "Professor Lupin could use more money. Though I have to wonder why Britain hasn't adopted those policies."

Harry snorted. "And stop oppressing and abusing people they consider below them? Really Tori, you should know purebloods better then I do,"

Astoria snorted. "Unfortunately for me, I do. I know far more then I'd like to. It's called a rhetorical question, silly."

Harry carefully folded up Sirius's letter and said, "I think I'm going to start learning Occlumeny next. There's nothing in my head anymore but I don't like the idea of leaving my mind unguarded now."

Astoria nodded. "I have decent mental shields," She said. "I can help you out."

"Thanks Tori."

Back In Britain

Hermione Granger was staring at the copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands, tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. The dress she had meant to wear to the Yule Ball before the Tri Wizard Tournament was cancelled sat forlornly on her bed, reflecting her mood quite handily. The Headline Sirius Black's trial will be held two weeks from now, Albus Dumbledore resigns from the International Confederation of Wizards in Disgrace stared back at her like an accusation. Even though she'd already absorbed all the information, ultimately at the end of the day she ended up reading the newspaper once again.

Dumbledore had been her idol ever since she entered the wizarding world. When he told her to stop interacting with Harry and to report the things he did to him, Hermione had been willing to do so, despite part of her that was nagging that she shouldn't do this to her first best friend. Dumbledore always seemed so in control, and with the pureblood wannabes bearing down on her it seemed like he had all the solutions that she would need for later in life. All she had to do was follow his instructions to the letter.

His getting removed from the ICW in disgrace, following Harry's disappearance from the school, was like a slap in the face following the one she had already received. The quotes from Sirius's prosecutor rang in her ears, "he's clearly using his status as international wizard to his own benefit. It didn't matter to him that there was an innocent person in jail. It also didn't matter to him that he was consistently putting the children in the school in mortal danger on various occasions by either ignoring the very clear dangers within the school or refusing to evacuate for reasons that are not clear at this time, for the sake of...what? His ego?"

Hermione drew her legs up onto the chair she'd been sitting on, her orderly world now in chaos. She hadn't believed this article when it first came out, she would have thought it was a supporter of Voldemort or Fudge behind this if Sirius's name hadn't been in the headline.

Instead she was given the stone cold fact that Dumbledore had done something wrong. Terribly wrong.

Not long after Harry had left the school, Hermione had begun to realize that people mostly tolerated her and Ron's prominence in the school because they were friend with him. And now that he was gone, and people were becoming ashamed of the way they had bullied him, most people were avoiding her or sending her spiteful glares at the best of times when she entered the hallway.

Her encounter with Daphne Greengrass in the hallway earlier that day had made that much perfectly clear to her.

She had stopped Daphne in the hall by cutting off the doorway and asked her if she had heard anything from her sister. The more she thought about the Slytherin girl being with Harry at all times, the most upset she got, and it must have leaked into her tone.

Daphne had stared at her for a second before raising one hand and slapping Hermione, hard, across the face. Hermione had stumbled backwards, blinking in pain.

Daphne fixed her with her famous ice princess glare and said, "How dare you ask me that?"

Hermione's cheek stung and she stared at Daphne. "What?"

"If I had thought you were actually worried about your friend, I would have answered that. But it's perfectly clear that you never cared, that you want him for your own selfish reasons." Daphne's fists clenched, she looked very unlike herself.

Daphne seldom showed much emotion at all outside of her dorm, much less anger. Few people other then Draco had directed such clear scornful fury at Hermione like she was now, perhaps that was another thing Harry's friendship had protected her from.

"You're acting innocent, but I've caught onto your act by now. You're not worried about Tori's disappearance, you want to know if she and Harry have really eloped. Am I right Granger?" Daphne asked curtly.

"That's not true," Hermione argued, pressing a hand against her stinging cheek. "I'm sorry about what happened and I want to know where he is."

"No, your not. You're not stupid Granger, you've gone out of your way to prove that over the years. Are you actually going to say to my face that you don't understand how he was treated? That you were taking advantage of his vulnerability and his need for friends because he'd never had any before?"

"W-What? What are you talking about? Harry was shy but he was a normal boy." Hermione argued.

Daphne's green eyes narrowed. "Going to play dumb? Don't insult my intelligence, Granger. Anyone who's looking – really looking – can tell that those muggles that Harry was living with abused him badly. I figured that out a month into my first year, and you're expecting me to believe that 'the smartest witch since Rowena Ravenclaw' can't tell? Even after the uncle's abuse became front page news in the muggle papers?"

Hermione's jaw dropped and she stepped back a bit. "But I was always his friend," She stammered. "It was just a stupid manliness thing."

"you really didn't know him at all did you? And you still think that you haven't done anything wrong, that this is just Harry overreacting, and that it was just a little mistake?" Daphne said scornfully.

"Just a mistake," Hermione argued, starting to get angry, "Like the one you made, right?"

"At least I realized that my stupid insistence of acting like Pansy Parkinson scared my sister, that I wasn't there for her because of it, and that it was pressuring her to be something she wasn't. I regret that and I'm going to be living with it until I see her again!" Daphne snarled. Her hand tightened on her wand and Hermione mentally prepared herself to get defensive. It would be just like a Slytherin to make her point with a hex.

Daphne gave Hermione a hard glare full of contempt, pointedly putting her wand away. "But you, your best friend leaves you after you manipulate him for four years and your only concern is that he might be considering romancing a girl other then you. He was so alone and bullied that he decided to run away, and you're making it all about you."

Tears stung the edges of Hermione's eyes. "I felt something change between us last year, I thought that he felt the same way. I just didn't want to get alienated again."

"So your admitting that you set your own concerns over someone you claim to care about," Daphne said coldly.

"But I'm sorry! Where is he? Don't you know?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's hiding in a place where he can wait until Sirius has been cleared." Daphne said coolly. "Then he'll join his godfather, and if he has any sense at all, he won't be coming back here. If he and Astoria have eloped, and Merlin willing Tori decides to forgive me and father, we'll be joining them. Do you understand that? You think you can just say 'oh, I'm so dreadfully sorry, be my friend again?' and he'll just forget the way the Gryffindors treated him?"

Hermione stumbled backwards a bit. She understood that perfectly well. Harry would never want to see her again. She'd betrayed the fragile trust he'd been building up after years of being completely alone and unwanted. She would be replaced by Daphne's sister in his life.

"His redhaired stalker understands that better then you, and you were a closer friend of his," Daphne said mockingly. Hermione remembered Ginny hexing Ron in the hallways and closed her eyes tightly. "Don't wait up, Granger." She pushed her way past Hermione and headed for her next class.

Hermione stood rooted to the spot in the hallway, when a few Hufflepuffs laughed at her, at which point she ran off in tears.

Hermione sighed and came out of the memory, the newspaper still in her hands. Daphne had been right on multiple levels. Gryffindor had suffered a sharp drop ever since Harry had run away. Without their star seeker, and with Oliver Wood having graduated last year, the team was steadily loosing matches. Ron had tried out, intending to take Harry's place but he had failed quite badly. The House Cup was going to the Slytherins this year for certain. They were no longer considered the strongest house because they had abandoned one of their own.

I never should have listened to Dumbledore, Hermione thought sadly. From now on, I will make my own decisions. I won't listen to the authority that makes me turn my back on what is right. I should write to my parents. There must be a magical school that I could transfer too.

Having decided that, Hermione pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the owlery. Ron tried to get her attention but she ignored him, he was the other main reason she had abandoned Harry. This place was corrupting her, and she had to leave before it consumed her entirely.

Dumbledore was in a quandary of his own. He had lost his position at the ICW. He was disgraced in the eyes of the other nations. Sirius was getting a trial and questions about the man and his godson were being asked that he was no longer in a position to divert answers from. This was not the way he wanted things to go! If there was going to be a wizard more powerful then him, he would go down in history as the boy's mentor and father figure who gave him the power and the knowledge needed to strike down the enemy. But how could he turn this around?

Severus seemed to think that the situation was out of Dumbledore's hands, and he was cooperating with that Pritchard woman to give information about Harry's school days. Dumbledore had threatened to expose him but Severus had simply said that he owed it to Lily, and time in Azkaban was worth that – he, at least, had committed crimes that he had come to regret, unlike Black who'd been left to the dogs.

Apparently Pritchard was in talks with Amelia Bones regarding Harry, Sirius and Severus. He never should have accepted that woman's son into Hogwarts. The boy had learned too much.

Dumbledore decided that it was time for him to talk to the newspapers. That way he could start on getting this PR nightmare turned around. He just needed a scapegoat for Sirius's imprisonment...Barty Crouch would do well for that.

End Chapter

I promise a lot more Harrry/Astoria fluff next chapter. Hermione comes to an important realization and she'll be transferring to get to a better part of her life. I maintain that Hermione's a very flawed character and that she needs a realization like this, even if its a bit harsh, to start doing something about her character flaws. She'll recover. Not everyone is going to be that lucky because they refuse to recognize what they did wrong. Dumbledore's like that, he's so used to being right about everything that he can't accept it when he isn't about something serious. And yes, both Eleanor Branstone and Graham Pritchard are named characters in the book - I saw the names and thought, why not? Don't worry - it doesn't mean Harry's headed back to Britain. He has more places to see, after all!

Read and Review please!