Chapter 55 is here... Enjoy!
"No wonder she doesn't have any friends, she's a nightmare!"
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to... It's my stupid wand," apologised Ron feeling very bad, the moment he entered the hospital wing.
"Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!" cheered Hermione and Ron as Harry flew away with the snitch in his hand.
"Quidditch?" muttered Ron, intrigued and tore open the envelope. What followed was one of the most gruesome things she had ever heard. His cries were so loud, agonising, it made her insides turn. The smartest witch of her age froze the moment she found her best friend writhing in pain. Everything in her surrounding had gone silent, the only thing etched in her head were Ron's wails.
John released Hermione's mind instantly. He had no intention of reliving those memories, certainly not from someone else's perspective. Hermione gasped for breath and tried to get up from her seat, but the moment she tried, her knees buckled and she fell onto the rug off-balanced.
"Hey, hey... you alright?" inquired John as he moved closer to Hermione and tried to maintain her shape.
"I'm fine... just lost balance," replied Hermione. But her face and her expression told a different story.
"Hermione... come here," said John faintly and gave her a big hug. The one that both of them would have liked to last a lifetime.
"We don't have to do this today," whispered John.
"I keep thinking about him... I can't get his voice out of my head," whispered back Hermione.
John tightened his grip around her. "It hasn't even been 48 hours, Hermione. We need to let us recover from all of that, slowly. You can't force it..." he whispered.
"How long before he's back, do you reckon?" asked Hermione.
"A week? Maybe two?" replied John.
After a couple of minutes, John released the hug.
"Let's go again," said Hermione faintly. Though the state she was in, John knew there would no point in it. He would face no resistance whatsoever. But some people listened better when shown than when told.
John swished his wand and cried, "Legilimens," and with a flick of his wand, he began another assault on Hermione's mind.
"Has anyone told you that you're annoying?" remarked Hermione with a chuckle.
John flicked his wand at the man again, a jet of green light hit the man and he fell motionless.
"Hi Hermione!" said Harry returning the hug.
Hermione gave Harry a big hug that lasted for a few seconds and then said her goodbyes to make her way out of Platform 9 ¾.
Hermione strained her eyes. It took a second to register the sight she was witnessing. Harry had Daphne pinned to the trunk of the tree and had his tongue down her throat...
"That's enough," sighed John, disappointed and released the hold he had on Hermione's mind. Hermione was down and flat on the rug, the very next moment.
"You're not fighting back," said John faintly and cautiously.
"I am trying," retorted Hermione.
"We should not be doing this today..." sighed John.
"We should be... I'm not giving up just because it is difficult," retorted Hermione.
"You're in no state to be quoting those phrases... or having your mind explored and rummaged," snapped back John.
And with that, the pair stepped out of the room of requirement. Hermione was angry at John for discontinuing the session. Truth be told, John wasn't in any state to continue the session either.
Later that evening, John was sitting idly near the lake. To be fair to him, everyone who had been present at the scene of the incident much-preferred spending some alone time. John replayed the events of that evening, and every time he did, the envelope was opened by him and not Ron, or the envelope wasn't opened at all, or John realized the presence of a curse and confiscated it, or one of the other 150 things happened, but Ron was perfectly fine in every single one of them.
Just as he was lost in his memories, an owl dropped an envelope on him and flew away, and he jolted out of it instantly. John took out his wand and carefully sliced the cover open, while the envelope remained levitated in the air. Next, he carefully took out the enclosed letter.
With a flick of his wand, the envelope fell down and the letter remained, folded, levitated in the air. With his wand, he unfolded the letter and instantly recognized the handwriting.
"He will be fine. Will take a few weeks though.
How did it happen? The stories I have been hearing... What were you doing? Where is the source of the curse? Has it been examined?
Padfoot is there. Order as well.
How are you? Missing you big time, haven't seen you in the flesh since that day at Hogwarts. Take care of yourself. What has happened, has happened, don't bury yourself in that hole you dig for yourself. Hope to see you soon. xxx
She is safe. I'm there with her.
Without Wax
19919"
This letter was unlike Jane's. But that's what something like this does to people. Every word John read, he simultaneously heard the voice of his sister echoing in his head. Albus had already informed them all that Ron will have the Order's complete protection at the hospital. The Weasley parents were informed of the incident immediately. They were inconsolable at first, losing a daughter the way they had Ginny and then potentially losing a son, the way they would have Ron, if not for Aberforth's timely help can do that a parent. Fortunately for them, within 48 hours, they were informed that their son would make a full recovery.
{{{ The following section of the story will comprise 2 different scenes, taking place in 2 different places, simultaneously. Text in the normal font will represent one scene, and text in italics, similar to this, will represent the other scene. Hope there won't be any confusion. Enjoy reading... }}}
The following morning, Hermione was sitting by herself in the great hall when Harry walked over to her.
"Hi Hermione," greeted Harry faintly as he sat down beside her.
"Good Morning, Harry," greeted back Hermione, weakly.
"Have you seen the papers?" asked Harry, looking a little worried.
"Why? What happened?" retorted Hermione. Harry handed her the paper and pointed toward an article. As Hermione began skimming through the printed words, Harry noticed John a few feet away walking towards them.
"Hey," said Harry and waved his wands.
"Hi, Harry," greeted back John and sat opposite to the pair. John seemed to glance at Hermione, but got back a glare back from Hermione and turned away.
"What's up with you two?" asked Harry who seemed to notice the cold shoulder treatment.
"It's all good," replied John with a brief smile.
"Things like this happen all the time..." sighed Hermione as she gave the paper back to Harry.
"You don't think this is a coincidence?" asked Harry.
"What happened?" asked John, who had arrived just a tad late to know the context. Harry handed the paper to John, pointing at the article that consumed the entire page.
As John skimmed through the article, he read out loud random phrases from the article,
"... part of an early release procedure..."
"... concerns of a threat to wizards and muggles have been dismissed..."
"... Mr Grindelwald owes his gratitude to the anonymous source behind his release..."
"... I'm pleased to be given a chance to spend the rest of my days helping those in need..."
"... Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore, however, condemned the decision..."
"... unfortunately, the vote went against my wishes..."
John handed the paper back to Harry and looked a little indifferent.
"What do you reckon?" asked Harry.
"My Lord," exclaimed Barty Crouch Jr as he shoved a man in front of Voldemort.
"Who do we have here?" sniggered Voldemort as he pointed his finger towards the man. The next moment, the man levitated and remained hung mid-air. He was unconscious and looked bruised from the duel he had lost, just a few minutes prior, to Barty Crouch Jr.
Voldemort pointed his wand at the man, and almost instantly, he woke up gasping for breath and found himself falling from about 6 feet in height, right on his back.
"My Lord?" remarked the man in a confused and surprised tone, the moment his eyes fell on Voldemort. Almost immediately his expression seemed to turn, he looked a lot more subdued and afraid. "You're alive," he gasped and coughed a couple of times.
"How does it feel to be a failure, Redwood?" sniggered Voldemort, but there was anger hidden underneath.
"My Lord?" retorted Eldon Redwood as he knelt before the Dark Lord.
"I'm not sure what to think, Harry," retorted John.
"What do you mean?" retorted back Harry.
"He killed a lot of wizards and muggles... and he has spent over 4 decades in prison. Sure, there is a possibility that he's conning everybody, but hardly something to worry about right now, isn't it?" replied John calmly.
"Besides, this happens quite often. The prisoners are always given a choice to show they can redeem themselves, no matter how heinous their crime was," added Hermione.
"That's beside the point, Hermione... someone got him out. Someone was willing to let a man who has killed hundreds of thousands of wizards and muggles across Europe, out of prison... Am I the only one who thinks You-Know-Who could be behind this?" remarked Harry, frustrated and a little angry.
"Crucio"
Redwood twisted and turned, a most excruciating pain flowing through his body. His body writhed and after the first few times, he could no longer help but scream in agony.
Voldemort paused for just a second.
"Kill me," prayed Redwood, but hardly any sound came out of his mouth.
"Harry Potter is mine," remarked Voldemort angrily. "Crucio" and Redwood's agony resumed.
"Why would he want Grindelwald out of prison? He was active before Voldemort was even born, probably," replied John, confused.
"Why wouldn't he?" retorted Harry angrily.
John looked a little taken aback by that tone.
"Harry, perhaps you're reading into this a bit more than you should?" suggested Hermione in reply.
"This is a perfectly reasonable claim. I don't understand why I'm being ignored here," replied Harry, his tone getting angrier with every statement.
"We are not ignoring you, Harry... why would you say that?" remarked John, surprised.
"Again... because that is exactly what is happening here. Every time you have a theory, we have to stand and listen to it like you are some symbol of wisdom. But if one of us has a theory, you criticise it," replied Harry. "Where was all this wisdom with Ron, huh?" he added angrily, this time attracting the attention of nearby tables. "We stood and watched all the while he was screaming for his life. He shouldn't even have been the one to open that envelope. It was meant for me," he finished. John and Hermione stared at each other dumbfounded and speechless.
"Harry... Potter? I wasn't... trying... to kill Harry... Potter," exclaimed Redwood loudly, struggling to utter the words. Voldemort paused his torture momentarily and let the man speak his mind.
"I was trying to kill that time travelling twat," added Redwood, gasping for breath.
Voldemort looked intrigued and glanced at Barty who looked stunned as well. It wasn't often that anybody had an opportunity to gift the Dark Lord something meaningful.
"What do you know of time travel, Redwood?" asked Voldemort as he kept his wand down.
Eldon, with great strength, stood tall and rolled up the sleeves of his left arm. Voldemort pointed his wand at the Redwood's arm and instantly the arm pulled away from his body and floated mid-air.
"Tell me more," exclaimed Voldemort with a tinge of excitement and happiness on his face, as he let the arm join Redwood's body back.
"Harry, are you alright?" asked John in a whisper, well aware of the stares and silence that had taken over their surrounding.
"Of course am alright," replied Harry, a little confused. Just then, Daphne walked over to the table, looking a little rattled.
"Daphne," exclaimed Harry with a big smile on his face and got up from his seat to give her a quick kiss. Daphne sat down beside Harry and looked across at the other 3.
"Any word about Ron?" she asked.
"He will be fine. He should be out of there in a couple of weeks," replied Harry, gleaming.
"I haven't been able to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see him... on the ground," sighed Daphne with a shiver. Harry put his arm over her shoulder to comfort her. "Why would anyone do something like that?" she remarked in shock.
None of the other 3 sitting at the table had any intention of mentioning Voldemort's return, and hence keeping quiet was the option they all chose.
"The first time I saw him, it was a few months after..." said Eldon and took a pause wondering how to proceed. "We all thought we had lost our leader, My Lord... But I... I wanted to avenge your death. I wanted to finish what you had started," he continued as Voldemort watched silently.
"I had been keeping an eye on the filthy mudbloods. It was around midnight. The Potter boy's uncle walked out with him in his arms and took off in his vehicle. Once they were away from the house, I was going to kill them both," continued Redwood with a vicious grin on his face.
"I would have... I had everything perfectly lined up. But he arrived and spoiled it all. I could only kill the muggle and Potter got away," he added angrily. "I tried a couple of more times, but he kept protecting the kid like he was his own. So, this one day, I decided to kill the traveller," he added and glanced at Voldemort with fear in his eyes.
"My Lord... Kill me if that's what you desire. But you have my loyalty and my word. I will kill him before he has a chance to grow up," finished Redwood.
Voldemort laughed maniacally for a few seconds and then stared at Redwood. "You will not die today, Redwood," he said.
"My Lord?" exclaimed Redwood with a tinge of relief in his tone.
"How is your old friend doing?" asked Voldemort.
"My Lord?"
"Lucius Malfoy... Redwood, I assume you are still friends with the traitor?" asked Voldemort.
"Yes, My Lord," replied Eldon Redwood.
"We should meet up in the room of requirement," exclaimed Harry just as he and Daphne were about to leave.
"Are you sure?" asked Daphne.
"That's what Ron would want. For us to continue, even if he's unable to join us," replied Harry with a smile on his face. "Tomorrow evening?" he asked and looked around.
"Sure," replied John blankly. Hermione nodded her head and Daphne seemed to agree with the idea as well.
"Brilliant... I'll let Neville and Malfoy know," remarked Harry and with that, the couple walked away from the table.
John and Hermione kept staring at each other for at least a minute post Harry's departure.
"That was weird," remarked John, breaking the silence.
"One minute he was angry... the next he was smiling..." added Hermione, looking extremely confused. "Are we sure he is alright?" she asked, concerned.
"I have honestly no idea," sighed John and with that the pair left for their classes as well.
{{{End of Section}}}
A few days went by peacefully. The Phoenix Juniors had resumed their sessions in the room of requirement. Ron had woken up at the hospital and had written a letter to Harry informing them that he was getting better. The buzz around Ron's "accident", as the students termed it had died down considerably since the first couple of days. So much so that, when the announcements for the upcoming Hogsmeade visit arrived, no one thought twice about getting excited. No one, except for the ones who witnessed the "accident" from a few feet away.
"I don't feel like moving out of the castle," remarked Daphne with a resigned tone.
"Ron should be back by then, though," sighed Harry in response.
"He's definitely not stepping out," chuckled Daphne.
After a few seconds of silence, Harry's eyes lit up a little.
"Well... there is one thing we could do..." he remarked with a naughty smile.
Daphne glanced at him eagerly.
"Most of the students will be at Hogsmeade..." he added and glanced at Daphne, expecting her to take the hint.
"Harry..." blushed Daphne. "I definitely don't want to move out of the castle, now," she added and leaned in for a brief kiss.
While most students were making plans for their Hogsmeade visit, there were 2 in particular whose focus was on something else.
One afternoon, the Gryffindors were sitting in on an excruciatingly boring class of History of Magic. Harry and John were sitting together, while Hermione was sitting a couple of rows in front. As Professor Binns' drawling monotonous voice went on and on, the students found themselves drowning in post-lunch drowsiness.
Hermione, however, was trying hard to focus on Binns' droning voice. About an hour into the class, Hermione felt something weird in her head. She had been jotting down the points emphasized by Binns when out of nowhere the thought of her parents came to her mind. She had been worrying about them ever since Voldemort's return and somehow the thoughts had resurfaced. Ignoring the thoughts, she strained hard to hear and focus on what Binns was saying. A few moments later, she found her head spinning a little. The worries she had about her parents' safety had now been replaced by random thoughts, "Ron's health", "Harry... his everything...", "Time travel..." and then suddenly Hermione realized something.
Shocked, she turned back sharply and found John staring at her, his expression turning into a small grin. Everything she had been experiencing seemed to have died down. Angrily, Hermione turned around and started focusing on the class once more. A few minutes later, the sensations began resurfacing. But this time, she knew what was going on. She closed her eyes and focused on her thoughts with all the willpower she had. It only took a minute, but she seemed to get better and better as the seconds went by. A few minutes later, when Hermione thought she was fine once again, she turned around to glance at John. He seemed to have a proud grin on his face.
Hermione approached John angrily, ready to explode when their class got over.
"Don't bother me during class," she remarked loudly.
"You did well," replied John with a broad smile.
Harry was staring at them, confused.
"What are you talking about?" he asked looking at Hermione.
"Hermione is just..." began John and got sharply interrupted by Hermione.
"John," she exclaimed loudly. "If you... I'll tell him about..." she added, leaving Harry even more intrigued.
"What are you two on about?" he asked.
"Hermione is just messing with you, Harry," replied John with a chuckle. Hermione's expression however did suggest that. But before Harry could press more on that, the pair left in their separate directions.
Later that evening, Hermione and John following their routine, met at the room of requirement.
"I think we should swap sides," remarked John as the pair settled down.
"How do you mean?" asked Hermione, intrigued.
"I want you to have a taste at legilimency," replied John.
"Oh," gasped Hermione.
"Don't worry... I'm not going to make it difficult for you... not immediately anyway. In a way, you have to follow the same process. Most magic is about control, control what you are doing, over what you want. The incantations are there so that you can focus on something specific. Clear your mind, focus on what you want and you're good to begin," added John, looking at the overwhelmed look Hermione had.
"Are you sure about this? I'm afraid we are meddling with complex things... I don't want to do something accidentally and cause you trouble," replied Hermione, hesitantly.
John chuckled.
"While your concern is valid... I trust you to handle this," remarked John with a smile and then closed his eyes.
Hesitantly, Hermione had her wand pointed at John. "Legilimens," she muttered as she swished and then flicked her wand at him.
Nothing seemed to happen at first. Hermione was intently staring at John, hoping she would be able to read what was going through John's mind, but nothing of the sort happened.
It took a few seconds, but then Hermione felt it. It was the strangest sensation. She felt a sudden sense of pride and happiness ripple through her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the newly observed emotion. However hard she tried, that was the extent of her first attempt.
She opened her eyes and a couple of seconds later, John did the same.
"How did it feel?" he asked.
"I'm not sure... I can't quite explain that feeling," replied Hermione, unsure of her words.
"We have all been there... It'll take time. Let's go again... Clear your mind and try again," he said and closed his eyes.
Hermione closed her eyes as well and after a few moments, "Legilimens," she muttered and began her second attempt.
It took a few seconds, but this time around Hermione was prepared for the strange sensation. It was a happy feeling again, but different from the previous one. Hermione struggled trying to determine the exact nature of the expression but she couldn't go any further.
The pair went it again and again. Each time, Hermione seemed to make progress on one front, but miss out on another.
At the end of that session, John had a few words for her to contemplate.
"Don't think of it like reading a book," he said.
"What?" she asked.
"You've to use a bit of imagination and creativity," he added. Hermione looked confused.
"If you wanted something from me, you'd ask, right?"
"Yes"
"Exactly"
And then it dawned on Hermione. Legilimency wasn't exactly about reading what was on someone's mind, it was in a way, the ability to communicate and retrieve information from another person, just not through words.
In the sessions that followed, Hermione's attempts at legilimency started bearing some fruits. In one of her attempts, she had managed to understand what John had presented to her. A memory from when he was about 8 or 9 where he seemed to be struggling to perform magic. The experience of legilimency felt very much like dreaming. The images weren't clear, the memory wasn't cohesive and just like in a dream, Hermione wasn't necessarily able to control what she was viewing.
"Legilimens"
And the images started flashing in front of her eyes.
"... if you want to help us, you need to tell us who you are, give us more details about yourself," said Jane. "Jane… we should call the Aurors," added John.
"No… No Aurors" retorted the woman who was sitting in front of them.
And the image quickly changed.
"... Jane, I need you to come with me..." said John, he looked in his mid-twenties, slightly older than the previous flash.
"I'd never let you go alone," replied Jane as she embraced John in a big hug.
And just like that, the scene changed, this one looked very different from the previous two.
"Leave them alone," came the voice of John. A couple of spells flew by and... that can't be... Voldemort was standing opposite and he deflected whatever John threw at him, easily.
"You're going to pay for this!" exclaimed Jane as the twins coordinated an attack on Voldemort. But before she could understand what was happening, there was a cracking sound and the scene changed, the twins found themselves in a dark alley.
Hermione opened her eyes and John did so as well.
"Woah," she gasped, looking shocked.
"What happened?" asked John, surprised.
"You fought... You and Jane were there that night... and you fought You-Know-Who," remarked Hermione, stunned.
"You already knew that," retorted John, nonchalantly.
"I did... but... I don't know... I never really thought about it until just now," replied Hermione.
After a couple of minutes of silence, she continued.
"Why haven't you gone back home?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"To your time"
"You know why... We came here for a reason, can't just leave it all just like that," replied John. "Besides, I have a bone to pick with Tom Riddle... It's far too personal now," he added. John chuckled and added, "I actually do not know how to travel through time... neither does Jane. We just followed... well, you saw her in my memories. She was the one who figured out how to travel through time," replied John.
"But it doesn't make sense. Why did you travel through time, and then decide to stay here and protect us... protect Harry, Ron, Daisy and everyone else?" she remarked. And continued, "all for someone who didn't even love..." but stopped mid-sentence. She had crossed a line and John's expression had suggested that. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to," she added.
"We've chatted enough about this," replied John, but he looked hurt. "Let's resume," he added.
A few attempts went by normally. John had already started making legilimency difficult for Hermione. He wasn't an open book anymore. And Hermione was up for the challenge.
But Hermione's earlier jibe had its effect. John's defences were far more vulnerable than he'd have liked.
In what proved to be the final attempt of the evening, Hermione had perceived flashes of images involving John, at first it was with Daisy, then there was one with Remus and another woman whom Hermione presumed was Dr Kristin and then finally it landed on a conversation with Jane.
"Speaking of which, what happened to him in the chamber?" asked John, curiously. Jane's expression changed drastically.
"Now... I want you to listen to me carefully. And I want you to trust in my ability," she began.
"I have always trusted you... What is it?" asked John.
"This may sound far-fetched, but I know what I saw," she added.
Just as Hermione got intrigued by what she saw, there was a blank. It was like the charm had worn off. And then she realized that John had blocked her off.
"Why did you do that?" asked Hermione as she opened her eyes.
"Did what?"
"You blocked me off"
"That's the point, isn't it? What's the use if I let you wander through my memories easily?" retorted John. But his expression was slightly different. He looked a little rattled, even though he tried to hide it.
"Are you still hiding something from me?" asked Hermione, surprised.
John smiled in response. But internally, he was cursing himself for letting his thoughts wander. Under no circumstance was he planning on letting the kids know about Harry's Horcrux situation. For one, it was still a theory, not a fact and for another, it had severe implications for Harry, one that he need not find out at the age of 14.
"I think we have done enough for today. Ron will be arriving in some time... we should go to the great hall," said John after a few seconds.
With that, the pair left the room of requirement.
The buzz surrounding Ron's return was well and truly high, and the Weasley twins had it all arranged with the rest of the house. The moment Ron entered the castle, he was greeted with fireworks, making Argus Filch scream at the top of his lungs. Professor McGonagall surprisingly stayed silent, some would say she even had a smile on her face.
Harry, John, Hermione, Draco, Neville and Daphne were all standing outside the great hall, waiting for him.
Harry and Hermione were the first ones to jump on Ron the moment he arrived.
Harry had the brightest smile as he hugged Ron, while Hermione had a few tears and words to spare for him. "Never, ever do that to us, ever again," she said as the trio hugged it out for more than a few seconds.
Seeing a Malfoy and a Weasley hug might have broken the wizarding world and hence the pair kept it to a few friendly words and some earned banter.
Neville gave Ron a big hug and began rambling about that evening at Hogsmeade and was quickly stopped by everyone else.
"You gave us a right fright," exclaimed Daphne as she gave Ron a big hug, making him blush a little.
And finally, it was John's turn.
And boy did they hug like never before. John too had tears in his eyes the moment he saw Ron, looking all well and healthy again.
"I heard I owe my life to you and the guy in Hog's Head, who is apparently Dumbledore's brother?" remarked Ron with a smile as John released the hug after close to a minute.
"You don't owe me anything, Ron," remarked John with a big smile.
"Let's get in, lads," remarked Fred.
"Move it along... come on... come on, let's go" remarked George. And the Weasley twins paved the way for Ron to enter the great hall.
The moment he did, everyone's heads at the tables turned towards him. And almost immediately chants of "Weasley", "Weasley", "Weasley" started echoing across the hall.
"Oh my God!" gasped Ron as he walked in, followed by everyone else who had been outside.
Even Professor McGonagall had a few kind words for him before she went back to her seat. All in all, Ron received the king's reception for his welcome.
Later that night, when everyone was back in the common room, the Weasley twins took Ron to a corner to unveil a special gift that they had created for him.
"What is it?" asked Ron as Fred and George dragged him away.
"We present to you dear brother," began Fred.
"Something very special and indeed useful equipment," added George.
"A complete magical protection kit, our first official product of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," added Fred and glanced at George.
George held out a package and exclaimed, "presenting, Jinx-Off, a protection kit, including a hat to cover your head, a cloak to cover your body... and"
"And GLOVES... So that wizards and witches like you can touch anything or anyone they want without having to worry about curses or jinxes," finished Fred as George presented the package to Ron.
"Wow..." gasped Ron as he marvelled at the twins' creation. "This is... brilliant," he remarked.
"Thanks, brother," responded the twins together.
"This one's for you," said George.
"Think of it as our tribute to you," added Fred with a chuckle as Ron joined in on the giggles.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the castle, their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart had just finished plotting a sinister plan. A couple of days back, he had received a confirmation from "Frank Bryce" aka Voldemort, to proceed with the plan. And Ron's arrival marked the perfect timing and opportunity to present it to the school.
The next morning, at breakfast, every student at Hogwarts received a special note from Gilderoy Lockhart.
Christmas Ball
Let's celebrate the holiday season with drinks, dance, music and loads of fun
An informal holidays party hosted by Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class
Date: 22nd December 1994
And in every class he went to that week, Lockhart managed to bring up the Christmas Ball. And every time he brought it up, he talked about Ron's tragic accident and how the school needed something fun and special to happily move forward.
Truth be told, most of the students were excited the moment they received their invitations.
"Why are you making that face?" remarked Harry with a chuckle as he saw Ron reading the invitation he had received.
"He's a bit extra, isn't he?" remarked Ron, sulking.
"Frankly, I love the idea," replied Harry.
Ron glared at Harry.
"Oh, come on mate... It's Christmas... this will be something new and sounds like fun," added Harry with a smile.
"Easy for you to say... you have a girlfriend," remarked Ron.
Harry chuckled and replied, "nowhere in that invitation is it mentioned we need a partner!" And added, "don't sulk, it'll be fun," he reiterated reassuringly.
Harry meant every word he said, however, unfortunately for him, fate has an interesting relationship with irony. Many would argue that the seeds of what was about to happen were sown long back, but the day of the Hogsmeade visit that preceded the Christmas Ball by a couple of weeks is when the real damage happened.
In the lead-up to the Hogsmeade visit, everyone had made their plans. Even the victim of the previous visit, Ron Weasley had decided not to fret too much and enjoy his time at the magical village, carefully of course. Similarly, Harry had made plans with Daphne, to stay in instead and spend some time alone at the castle since there wouldn't be too many people to bother the couple. But as a secondary plan, he had also been meaning to confront Hermione. He wasn't sure if it was the idea that Daisy had planted in him, or if it was just his mind playing games with him, or perhaps there was something to it. But, Harry had been observing how distant Hermione had become recently. They weren't spending much time together, and even when they did, it was during Phoenix Juniors' meet-up. Truth be told, it wasn't like they were in their 1st or 2nd year where everyone had ample time. 4th year had been harsh on the students, coupled with their activities in the room of requirement, none of them had any free time. The plan was set... he was going to spend some time with Hermione at Hogsmeade, and then return to Hogwarts pretty soon thereafter and spend the rest of the day with Daphne.
As planned, on the morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Harry approached Hermione.
"Hi Hermione," greeted Harry.
"Harry," exclaimed Hermione, surprised. "I thought you were staying back," she added.
"I am... but I had something to do before that," replied Harry with a smile.
"What?" asked Hermione, curiously.
"Spend some time with you," replied Harry nonchalantly.
"What?" gasped Hermione.
"Yeah... why the shock?" retorted Harry.
"Uh... I'm not shocked, just... I don't know... Spend some time with me? Why?" replied Hermione.
"We haven't been spending much time with each other, have we? And you've been really distant... I figured some time together ought to be brilliant," replied Harry confidently.
Hermione was speechless. She would have very much liked the idea of spending some time with Harry. But this was the kind of thing that had Hermione panicking about earlier that year, ever since Harry and Daphne were together. However, this time, she had something to work with.
She kept her composure and replied, "sure, let's do that," she said.
The couple of hours the pair spent together were really fun. It felt like a breath of fresh air for both participants. Inexplicably, from Harry's perspective, there felt like an invisible barrier had formed between the two all of 4th year. And well, from Hermione's perspective, she had found it painful to be around Harry, aside from her training with John, she had also managed to get away from Harry as much as possible. However, none of what she had done was something she had wanted to do from the bottom of her heart. And to have those couple of hours, spent with him, alone, without worrying about exams, studies, You-Know-Who felt really nice.
But the pair parted ways and Harry made his way back, excited for what lay ahead.
"Where were you?" asked Daphne, looking annoyed, as Harry walked up to her.
"Had gone to Hogsmeade to get a couple of things," replied Harry nonchalantly as he sat down beside her.
"Couple of things?" retorted Daphne.
"I needed some potion ingredients and polish for my broom. Hermione wanted to have a look at the books they had in Tomes and Scrolls, so we went there... I also got us some butterbeer," replied Harry casually. However, when he glanced at Daphne, something didn't feel right.
"Why... are you looking at me... like that?" he asked, confused.
"You went with Hermione to Hogsmeade?" retorted Daphne.
"Yeah"
"Why?"
"Wh... I told you, I needed... what is this about? Why are you upset?" asked Harry with a chuckle.
"You promised me that we would stay in," replied Daphne, she looked devastated and helpless.
"Daph... It's not like I went for hours and hours... I was just gone for a couple of hours," replied Harry, confused by Daphne's expression. He made a move closer to Daphne but she shrugged him off.
"Why are you acting like this?" he asked, shocked by the reception he received.
"Of all the people, Harry... it had to be her, didn't it?" remarked Daphne under her breath, but loud enough for Harry to hear.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't act oblivious, Harry..."
"I am genuinely struggling here," remarked Harry in response.
"You know how difficult it was to accept your relationship with her? And then you guys do these things... that... I mean, I can't even begin to explain how I feel," replied Daphne.
"Daph... Hermione's my best friend," retorted Harry and got a glance from Daphne. "Ron, Hermione and John... we are all best friends with each other. You don't have to ever worry about her and I... like that," he added. And continued, "it's never been like that with us," he added.
Daphne remained silent through all of that and continued her silence for a few minutes.
An agitated Harry continued, "what happened suddenly?" he asked.
"Just because I didn't say anything before..."
"Wait... you've had issues before?" he asked, surprised.
Daphne remained silent again.
"When?" reiterated Harry.
"Fine... You two are always close... like closer than any two people I have ever seen. You two are in the same house, practically eat and study together all the time. If not for this year, where we have all been spending time together for Phoenix Juniors, things would have been the same. Fine, Ron and John are there too. But Ron and Hermione, nobody thinks anything of them, do they? John, well... everyone usually is too bothered with the allegations around him. Do you know how many times I have been asked about you two? It's not just me who thinks there's something going on... everybody can see it. Apart from, of course, you," replied Daphne in one long breathless rant.
Harry looked aghast.
"I don't... know... what to say..." began Harry but paused. He wasn't sure how to respond. Anything he thought of, sounded wrong and unconvincing. "We're just friends," he reiterated.
"All 4 of you always seem to be whispering about something. Every time I see all of you, you seem to be in some serious discussion. The moment I walk over, silence falls over, or someone changes the topic. I feel like I will always be the outsider," continued Daphne.
"Just the other day, we were in the room of requirement, and I saw Hermione had the letters I had sent to you last year, before Christmas. Why did she have it?" she asked, but before Harry could respond, she went on. "All of you wear these matching... I don't know what to call them... necklace, I suppose. What even is that?" she added taking Harry's totem in hand.
Harry's mind went in all directions at once. Most of what she had described had involved things about You-Know-Who, which Harry could not tell her, even if he wanted to.
"This is just something she gave me for my birthday," replied Harry. A lot of thoughts, but there were very few words that came to his mind.
"Listen," he said. "I'm sorry, yeah? For all the things you mentioned. I had no idea that you felt this way. Hermione and I are friends and there's absolutely nothing there other than that," he said after a pause.
"How am I supposed to believe that, when I know for a fact that she likes you," retorted Daphne, instantly.
"What?"
"Oh come on... You're smarter than that"
"What do you mean? How can you say she likes me?"
"It's the way she looks at us," replied Daphne, confidently. Upon Harry's confused look, she continued, "it's the way I used to look at you two... before we were together," she added. And with that, she got up to leave.
"Wait... where are you going?" asked Harry, taken aback.
"I'm not feeling well. See you later," she replied and left. And for the first time, Harry felt like a huge block of rock had been placed on his chest, rendering him immobile.
The following few days weren't easy. Every time he saw her, she seemed to give him the cold shoulder. Fortunately for him, the cold shoulder treatment died down gradually and the couple were back to their old ways. Which meant, the only thing on their minds, like everyone else', was the Christmas Ball.
The Christmas decorations were up. And so were the additional preparations for the ball. An area in front of the castle had been transformed into a grotto full of lights. There was a steady downward spiral of snowflakes, which made the whole scene mesmerising. At least 100 adorable-looking enchanted snowmen were roaming around, though Harry wasn't particularly sure what they were doing. By the time the evening arrived, the whole castle looked very different from what they had been used to. The students were in high spirits, especially the older ones. There was a different kind of buzz amongst the 6th and 7th-year students. A lot of them had even asked fellow classmates to be their "date" to the ball.
"Merry Christmas everyone," greeted Lockhart loudly, with a big grin which showed all his teeth, as he made a grand entrance in front of the swarm of students. There was thunderous applause from everyone who was there.
"Let the party begin," he added and cheered loudly and the applause and cheers from the students took over.
The plan had officially commenced.
With a big grin on his face, Lockhart made his way out of the centre of the crowd and started roaming around the students. He took a nice spot, slightly away from the crowd, and perfectly positioned to keep an eye on Harry and his group of friends.
"This boy has no idea what's coming from," thought Lockhart to himself as he watched Harry and Daphne, in each other's arms, dancing away to a song. A quick glance away, he saw Hermione, Ron and John... the friends of Harry Potter.
To avoid raising any suspicion, Lockhart put on his mask, let out a big grin with all his teeth showing and got up from his seat. He mingled along with the Professors with a few cheeky remarks and a few laughs with the 7th-year students who were definitely enjoying their time at the ball.
Unlike the usual feasts, this time around, it wasn't served in the great hall. This time around, it was more of a buffet system. As and when anyone wanted to grab a bite, a dessert, or get a drink, they could make their way to the large tables arranged just a few feet away from the crowd.
Lockhart wasn't interested in eating, but he had to show the world he was enjoying his time. A quick glance back at his target, and he saw the wonderful smiles on the young kids' faces. He looked away and saw Hermione and Ron talking.
It was interesting knowing Potter's friends. The Dark Lord had specifically mentioned that to Lockhart before he was sent to Hogwarts. Hermione was the clever one, the prodigy. Ron was from a big and known wizarding family, and he was best of friends with Harry. Lockhart was always curious why the Dark Lord had specifically marked John as the one to watch for. He was clever and seemed to know things, but there was nothing special about him, as far as Lockhart could tell. Well, nothing special apart from all the things his sister was in the papers for.
"Ron," exclaimed Hermione as she tried dragging him.
"Hermione... I'm not dancing... I... can't," retorted Ron strongly.
"Neither can I... don't sulk, come on," she pleaded. After a few attempts, Hermione had managed to convince Ron into dancing with her. But he lasted only a few minutes. Ron was way too self-conscious and worried about the world's opinions to let loose. Dancing with a girl, even if it was Hermione Granger, his best friend, was far away from ever happening.
The pair came made their way back with Ron looking mortified and embarrassed and Hermione laughing at the state of Ron.
"It's your turn... come on," she said glancing at John.
"Oh no... absolutely not," retorted John.
"Don't tell me you're like him," she chuckled in reply.
"I can dance... but this... will be weird," shrugged John.
"You got to do it," added Ron.
"There is nothing weird about this... come on," retorted John. John shook his head in disagreement but ended up on the dance floor with Hermione.
As the evening went by, Lockhart grew more and more anxious. He had a simple plan. Get Harry to have a butterbeer with him. Slip in a vial of sleeping draught. Take him out of the castle, from where he could apparate out instantly.
However, Lockhart started to find fault with his plan. How was he going to get Harry out of the castle without anyone noticing? How was he going to convince Harry to have a drink with him? What would happen if someone found out that the drink had been adulterated?
And slowly, panic set in. It was soon going to be now or never.
To Lockhart's surprise and slight delight, he saw John walk away from the crowd, towards what seemed to be the great hall and then the common room. That was one fewer person to worry about. From far away, he glanced back at the crowd and saw Harry and Daphne on one side, enjoying their together, Hermione and Ron, who seemed to be discussing something, and then he saw Draco Malfoy walk up to the pair.
"Trouble in paradise?" smirked Draco as he sat down beside Hermione.
"What?"
"John didn't look too happy there, did he?"
"It's nothing," replied Hermione.
"Aww... did you two have a fight?" remarked Draco with a chuckle. Hermione made a weird face.
"A fight just before Christmas? That's sad," he added.
"Shut up, Malfoy," retorted Hermione. "There's nothing like that," she added.
"This is definitely going to tip the balance," chuckled Draco, infuriating Hermione further.
"Which balance?"
"Oh, you don't want to know"
"Which balance?" she repeated.
"You asked for it, Granger," remarked Draco. "We have a running bet," he added. Hermione looked at him intrigued.
"When I say we, I mean, all of us in Slytherin," he added.
"Harry and Hermione... or... John and Hermione," added Draco, cautiously, yet with a chuckle. And watched Hermione's expression turn into horror.
"What?" she gasped, shocked. "That's disgusting," she added, repulsed by what she had just heard.
"I warned you"
"Why... Why? Don't you all have better things to do?"
"It's fun," chuckled Draco.
"That's... that's just disgusting... there's nothing like that between John and me," retorted Hermione, ferociously.
"Oh, love... If the others knew some of the things I did," retorted Draco with a cheeky grin.
"What do you know?" asked Hermione, alarmed.
Draco leaned in and whispered into her ear, "you two have been sneaking into the room of requirement, haven't you? I wonder what goes in there..." he remarked.
Hermione stared at him blankly. How he could possibly know, she had no idea.
"Don't worry... your secrets are safe with me. Besides, my money is on Harry, anyway," he added and leaned away from her.
Hermione had no words and after a few seconds, Draco got up and walked away from her.
Harry who had been noticing the conversation between Hermione and Draco, and the change in Hermione's expression, decided to walk up to her.
Just as he made his way from Daphne, a tap on the shoulder made him pause and turn around.
"Professor Lockhart," he exclaimed, surprised.
"Harry... Harry... Harry... enjoying our time, are we?" remarked Lockhart with a beaming smile.
"It has been a great evening, Professor," replied Harry.
"Good... Good... Let's have a drink, shall we? To Ron's speedy recovery and to embracing being a celebrity," said Lockhart and put his arm around Harry.
"Uh... Professor, give me a minute, will you?" replied Harry and walked away from Lockhart.
"You look dull," remarked Harry as he sat down beside Hermione.
"I'm fine... Just Draco doing his thing..." muttered Hermione under her breath.
"What did he say this time?" asked Harry.
"Nothing..."
"You can't tell me?"
"He was just pulling my leg... never mind him," replied Hermione.
Harry chuckled and let it go. He looked around and saw that Ron was busy eating his way through the night. Surprisingly, John was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's John?" asked Harry, surprised.
"He went back to the common room," replied Hermione.
"Doesn't like gatherings, does he?" remarked Harry with a chuckle.
"It's not that... he was just..." retorted Hermione immediately but paused. "He was just nostalgic, that's all," she finished.
Harry gave her a curious glance.
"Are you hiding something from me?" he asked bluntly.
"Hiding? Why would you think that?" chuckled Hermione, not well enough, though.
"Huh," remarked Harry with a chuckle in return, though this one was genuine. "You're lying, aren't you? He taught you how to lie," he added.
For someone who usually had far too many words, Hermione found herself lacking them on the night.
"Yes," she replied after a few seconds.
"Why?"
Hermione smiled and turned towards Harry and gave him a small hug.
"I'm not feeling like it anymore... Merry Christmas, Harry!" she said. "See you tomorrow," she added and got up to leave.
"Good Night," remarked Harry with a big grin.
Harry got up and left for Daphne. From the corner of his eye, he could see a "not so pleased" look on Daphne's face. However, just as he took a few steps, he was once again greeted by Lockhart.
"Harry... Harry... Harry... Can't give silly old Gilderoy Lockhart company?" he remarked with a beaming grin.
"I don't drink... Professor" began Harry.
"Not even, butterbeer?" retorted Lockhart as he handed Harry a glass.
He didn't need to glance at Daphne, for he already knew how she was going to react.
"Professor... I'm full, I just had roast turkey and some pudding... I don't feel like drinking anything," retorted Harry, in a desperate attempt to get away.
There were now a few glances being made towards the pair. Lockhart looked around nervously. His plan was catastrophically failing in front of his eyes. As he remained silent for a few seconds, Harry took the opportunity to greet him and dash out of his presence. Lockhart wanted to scream Harry's name and make him stay. But he can't ever do that, not to the most famous 14-year-old in all of Britain, and definitely not in front of a school full of wizards and witches.
As Harry made his way back to Daphne and sat down beside her, there was only one thought on Lockhart's mind. He would have to somehow beg for mercy and for another chance from the Dark Lord.
Lockhart turned around, in horror of what he had done... over what he had failed to do. The moment he did, his eyes locked with John Smith, who was standing quite a distance away. The boy seemed to be panting for breath, but he was definitely staring at him. Lockhart gave a big smile and walked away.
John however put his hands into his pocket and pulled out his watch. Harry's needle had gone back to "Safe". But the question was simple. "Why was Harry's needle pointing at Mortal Danger? And why had it gone back to Safe?"
PS - Chapter 56 will be out next week