It's been a long time, but the new chapter is finally here. To my defense, I have an original work ongoing that I'm trying to focus more on. But the time has come for my Harry Potter fanfiction to be alive again.

HANNAH XII

She ate her lunch alone at her table. Her parents had gone to work today, like usual. Outside, the hot sun bore down on the city of London, burning everything. Hannah usually loved to go outside, but this summer proved to be a difficult time for any kind of outdoor activities. They were lucky that the entire Abandoned Tower was being refreshed by magic, making the temperature bearable inside. Hannah pitied Muggle homes and apartments, most of which lacked installations to maintain a cool temperature in those times. That was one of the advantages to be a witch.

Still, she would rather prefer to go out. The heatwave made the summer far less pleasant than usual. And it wasn't the only thing that made her summer more dreary than previous ones. Of course, there was the knowledge that You-Know-Who was back. Hannah's parents took it very seriously. Despite the articles in the Daily Prophet and reassurances from the Ministry of Magic, they believed Dumbledore when he declared that the most evil wizard of all time had returned. Hannah herself could hardly doubt it. Between seeing Cedric's dead body last June, hearing Dumbledore's announcement at the feast in the end of the year, and having a best friend whose family took the news even more seriously than Hannah's, it was hard to deny the evidence. The fact that her best friend dated Harry Potter only made the situation even harder to doubt. Even Parvati believed it. There wasn't a single student of Hogwarts in that Tower who believed the Ministry of Magic or the Daily Prophet over Dumbledore.

Hannah had been very afraid at the beginning. But after over a month, and without anything suspicious happening, the news of You-Know-Who's return became a hindrance for her daily life rather than a constant fear. No one died or disappeared, no strange accident happened. Instead, Hannah was forced by her parents to not leave the building without being accompanied by someone else, and Hannah was further limited in her opportunities to go out because of this new rule.

What didn't help was that her best friend spent almost all her days with Harry. Hannah was happy for Susan, of course. But she wished she could spend more time with her best friend. Ernie had come to stay a few days, and Hannah went to see Parvati and Padma from time to time, but she didn't get along as good with the twins than with Susan. She did spend some time with Harry and Susan all together, but Hannah always kind of felt like she was the person in the room that shouldn't be there when it happened.

Overall, this summer proved to be quite under Hannah's hopes. In the evening of June 24, as they dined in the Great Hall before the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, she was looking forward to the end of the term. She was excited to see the end of the Tournament and for summer holidays. Instead, her summer followed the death of one of her school comrades, a horrible heatwave and the beginning of a new dark age. She had hoped for better.

Hannah emptied her plate and placed it in the sink, to be washed later. She looked through the window. The sun bore down on buildings around. The air outside was so hot that it seemed to be burning. No, it definitely was not a good day to go outside again. She envied Susan right now. Her friend was a greater fan of inside activities. Hannah did not enjoy reading as much as her best friend did. And over a month inside, Hannah had completed all her homework. She at least had another option. Hannah picked a disc in her collection and put it in the CD player. She was welcomed by the voice of Phil Collins singing I Wish It Would Rain Down. She felt better. Music was a good way to lift your spirit up, as strange as it may sound for a song from this artist. But in her case, it made her feel better. Soon, the music moved to Another Day in Paradise. She went through the entire album, listening to the songs in the order she preferred, until she reached the end and moved to the latest album of the Weird Sisters.

Hannah seized the last exemplary of Witch Weekly and began to browse through it. By chance, just as Do the Hippogriff started, she fell upon an article on the Weird Sisters. It concerned the divorce of a member of the group. Hannah sighed. Couldn't people simply choose the right person and stay with him? That brought her to memories of her disastrous relationship with Ron. There had been pleasant times with him. The boy could be funny. But often, he behaved in such a way that Hannah doubted they were dating. She was flattered when he asked her on a date, but obviously she had almost nothing in common with him. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Her first relationship turned out to be a disaster, and she didn't want to dwell on it. She avoided to talk about Ron, especially when Susan was around. After all, she dated the best friend of Hannah's former boyfriend.

At the end of the article on the Weird Sisters, Hannah saw that the group would soon launch another album. This was the first time she heard about it. Hannah grew excited at the news. She should go and discuss about it with Susan. Her best friend was not a fan of the Weird Sisters like Hannah was. When they were kids, Hannah sometimes teased Susan by starting a disc of the Weird Sisters, despite knowing that Susan didn't enjoy their music much. Susan would then throw her a gaze full of reproach, but she wouldn't stop the music. It became a kind of occasional joke between them, with Susan smiling widely at Hannah each time she would do that and placing headphones on her ears to show she disapproved of the music choice.

Hannah laughed. It had been some time since she had that kind of moment with her best friend. She spent most of her time with Harry these days. Hannah didn't blame them entirely. With what Harry went through in June, You-Know-Who's return and the defamation campaign in the newspapers, Harry and Susan did need to spend time together. Susan herself was very frustrated by the situation. During the few times she and Hannah saw each other this summer, her best friend raged against the Ministry of Magic, even against her own aunt for doing nothing about the situation. Hannah understood why Susan felt like this. A large part of her family who she never got to know was slaughtered by Voldemort and his supporters before her birth. Susan had no memory of the time, of course, but if Hannah grew up being told the popular dark stories of this war, Susan spent her childhood hearing tragic stories from people who suffered through this period. Her parents and aunt who lost the family they knew, her mother who barely escaped death, her parents who hid with her after her birth until the war was over. And now that she dated a boy whose father was murdered by You-Know-Who, it only made the situation even more personal for Susan. Some of the men who participated to her family's slaughter were imprisoned at Azkaban, and Susan once confided that she feared the Dementors would release them. Hannah hoped it would never happen. For what little she knew about these people, they were the most dangerous criminals and assassins of the country. She had no wish to see them free.

She turned the pages of her magazine. It was useless to keep worrying all the time. Hannah tried to distract herself the best she could. The page she looked at gave new recipes for cakes. She thought about writing to Ernie. She wished he hadn't moved out of the building years ago. The next page was more interesting, as it discussed the latest fashion trends in Paris. Hannah had been very interested in foreign fashion last year, with students from various countries coming to Hogwarts. She even once discussed with a girl from Beauxbatons about the differences between wizarding robes in England and Spain. She was far gentler than Fleur Delacour.

She sighed. The Triwizard Tournament already seemed so far away. Her fourth year in Hogwarts had been magical, except for a few minor details. There had been the few weeks following the choosing of the champions, with the tensions between Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Hannah still regretted her behavior of that time. She didn't intimidate or mock other students like Ernie, Megan and Justin sometimes did, but she did behave coldly without reason towards people who never asked this. She now better understood why Susan was fed up with their behavior at the time. The rest of the year, however had been fantastic. The reconciliation with the Gryffindors after the first task. The three tasks themselves. The Yule Ball. The Quidditch match between the schools. Even her first serious relationship, even if it ended poorly. What a contrast with the end.

Cedric didn't deserve to die. When Ernie came to stay a few days, they raged together about this. The Daily Prophet did not even mention his death. No newspaper talked about it. Their friend was dead, and no one had seemed to give a damn about it. The Ministry of Magic didn't say a word about it. Only Dumbledore and the professors gave him some respect at the feast at the end of the year. Cedric died, and the entire world seemed to ignore it. And seeing the newspapers discrediting, insulting Dumbledore and Harry, both the person who paid tribute to Cedric and the person who brought his body back, made Hannah angry. At least, it did at first. Now, it became so repetitive that she was tired to being angry at sheets of paper. She simply ignored them. At least, Witch Weekly provided some entertainment without spending its time degrading other people.

At the end of the magazine were the small ads. Little white squares with black ink, promoting wand cleaners, Chocolate Frogs, candies from Honeydukes, school books, feathers and even legal services spread through four pages. One in particular though attracted her attention. It was as small as the other square ads, but the drawing attracted her attention, showing a person who looked like a student spewing in such a way that it made her laugh. Especially once she read the words below.

Want to escape class boredom?

Not wish to fall asleep on your teacher's voice.

PUKING PASTILLE IS THE SOLUTION!

One half to puke, the other half to heal.

Enjoy an hour way more productive than sitting in class.

Contact Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for delivery.

The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole

Two Galleons per box

Hannah frowned when she read the name of the company. Weasley. That couldn't be a coincidence. It certainly had a link with Ron. Were his parents selling joke items to skip classes now? She found it odd. When she thought of the Weasley family, the first image that came to her mind was fiery red hair like you could barely imagine. And although she and Ron weren't together for long, she knew enough of him to know that his parents were not the kind of people to sell this sort of products. As far as she knew, his father worked for the Ministry, and his mother stayed at home. Then what kind of Weasley could be selling these things.

Right when Hannah started to think about two twin brothers with a habit of causing chaos, someone knocked at her door. She laid down her magazine on the table and went to answer. She opened the door on someone with red hair as well, but a shade darker than Ron's.

"Susan," Hannah welcomed her best friend, brightly smiling. However, her smile faded when she noticed the expression on Susan's face. She was pale, and she was not smiling at all. Even her eyes looked like life was partly extinguished within her.

"Hi, Hannah," she said in a low, even voice. "Can we talk?"

Hannah nodded and let her friend in. She was worried now as she closed the door behind Susan.

"Is everything fine?" Hannah asked, concerned, as she led her friend to the living room where they sat on the sofa.

"Not really," Susan replied, her voice hoarse.

The few times Hannah saw Susan since the beginning of summer, her best friend looked concerned, like they all were, but not lifeless. Right now, Susan looked as if she just saw a Grim. Hannah even perceived a small trembling in her friend. She didn't understand. Something must have happened. Susan was quite well lately. She spent all her days with Harry…

Something came to Hannah's mind. Her eyes widened at the idea. There was something that could bring Susan to her in such a state.

"Susan… Please… Don't tell me that Harry broke up with you?" Hannah asked.

Only asking the question made her boiling with rage against Harry. After the Yule Ball, she heard like everyone in the school how he dumped Parvati after dating her only for a month. The revelation caused more surprise than outrage to Hannah. Parvati and Harry were not a pair she ever seriously imagined. But if he broke up with Susan too…

Her best friend, though, seemed to come back to life right after Hannah asked the question.

"What? No, what are you talking about, Hannah?"

Given the particular expression of incredulity on Susan's face, Hannah realized with relief that she had been wrong. Sometimes, she assumed the worst when it came to relationships.

"Okay. That's a relief," Hannah sighed. "So, what's going on then?"

Susan answered in an exasperated tone that contrasted entirely with her behaviour at her arrival. "Harry and I were attacked."

This time, it was Hannah who was taken aback.

"Attacked?" she asked, not sure what it meant.

"We were assaulted. By Dementors. Three days ago."

This time, Hannah's eyes truly grew wide as she realized what her friend just said. "What?! But… When? Where? What happened? Dementors? How is that possible?"

Susan went to describe her in details what happened in the evening three days ago. She needed a lot of time, for Hannah interrupted her at every turn, and Susan struggled to tell her some parts of the story. The most difficult was when Susan told her about when one of the Dementors almost kissed her. Hannah almost went on a panic streak when she said that, afraid that her best friend's soul was gone for an instant, before realizing that Susan was still very much there and alive. When Susan was done with telling her the events, Hannah was not much calmer though.

"I don't understand. Dementors? Here? In London? How is that possible? How… You could have both died."

In other circumstances, she might have found it romantic that Susan's boyfriend saved her, but this was not the time to notice that kind of things. This wasn't a task of the Triwizard Tournament, planned and arranged by adults only to make them scary. This had been a real danger, and her best friend could have died for real.

"But… are you fine, Susan? Are you really okay?" Hannah asked frantically.

"Yes, I'm fine, Hannah," Susan replied. "I'm fine, I assure you. Only…"

Hannah could see that her friend was not well. She hesitated to speak. There was something Susan wasn't telling her.

"Susan?"

"You remember two years ago? When the Dementors showed up on the Hogwarts Express? And during that game of Quidditch?"

Hannah nodded. It was hard to forget.

"It was horrible," Susan said weakly. "It was even worse than last time."

Hannah saw tears starting to roll. She moved on the sofa to hug her friend. Her hair was as smooth as always. From her general appearance, since Susan didn't seem to neglect herself, it might seem she was feeling very well. But Hannah knew Susan better than anybody, and she knew that Susan used the ritual of excessively brushing her hair to occupy her mind when she was upset or troubled. In fact, the smoothest her hair was, the more Hannah had cause for concern.

Hannah wasn't in their compartment on that day in the train, when the Dementors showed up in their life for the first time, but Susan had been extremely quiet afterwards for the rest of the evening. And she was also extremely pale after the Quidditch game where Harry fell. Hannah once wondered if Susan already had feelings for Harry back then and this was why she seemed to affected, but her friend always told her that she had no feelings for Harry aside from friendship before the Yule Ball. And seeing her current state, Hannah was certain now that her reaction back then was entirely due to Dementors.

"It's okay, Susan. It's over," Hannah tried to console her.

They remained like this for a long time, but Susan finally dried her tears and the girls separated.

"I never believed they would show up. Not here, and not so soon," Susan said.

Hannah shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. Dementors in London. That's impossible."

"I don't think anything is impossible now, Hannah. You remember what I told you about the discussion I heard between Dumbledore and Fudge?" Hannah nodded. Susan told her about this conversation before they left Hogwarts. "Dumbledore warned him that the Dementors would join… him."

Hannah knew who Susan was talking about immediately. She refused to call the man by the expression he was always referred to. For the third time today, Hannah's eyes widened. "You mean… You-Know-Who?"

Susan nodded. She didn't need to say more.

"You-Know-Who would have sent the Dementors after you?" Hannah said, panicked and horrified.

"Not after me. I think it was Harry they targeted. I just happened to be there, at the wrong place and the wrong moment."

Hannah was speechless for a very long moment. Susan resumed talking after a while, although Hannah didn't get a clear impression that Susan was actually talking to her. She looked like she was muttering to herself.

"I knew they would join him, sooner or later, but I never thought it would happen so fast. I thought… I thought they would be able to contain them at least for a time."

Hannah's mind was reeling from the news. If there were Dementors out, ready to attack them… Then no one was safe right now. She worried about her parents all of a sudden. And about her other friends. She should write to them, warn them about this. If one of them was attacked and… No, she couldn't consider such an eventuality. She couldn't think that.

"What about Harry? How is he doing?" Hannah then asked. She remembered how Harry lost consciousness when Dementors were around him. Now that she thought about it, it was a miracle that it didn't happen again three days ago. If it did, he and Susan would probably be dead right now.

"Fine, as much as I can tell," Susan answered, her voice still bleak. "I haven't seen him since we were attacked."

"What? But… He didn't come to see how you were?"

"He moved. He and his mother… They're hiding somewhere. He wrote to me. He said he couldn't tell me where he was. I think there's something stopping him from telling me, a spell or a curse, that kind of things. He said that even if he tried to write down where he was, he would fail."

"So… Harry is hiding somewhere right now?"

"Yes. I believe it's the organization that Dumbledore is leading. Probably the Order of the Phoenix. I think they hid Harry somewhere to protect him. But Harry could not confirm anything to me."

"And… You? You were attacked too? They cannot hide you as well?"

Susan weakly brushed off Hannah's concern. "I wasn't the target. It is Harry who was targeted. I was only… at the wrong place. I happened to be there."

Susan may mean that she wasn't in danger, but Hannah was worried nonetheless. "But… you're not afraid that they might come back?"

"Of course, I am. My parents don't allow me to leave the tower. And even if they did, I don't think I would."

"Me neither."

Hannah couldn't believe that only a few minutes ago, she was complaining internally about not being able to go out. She looked through the window and the city of London under heat. Who could believe that Dementors were lurking around with this temperature? Things were really not as they looked.

"Well… Let's not panic for nothing," Hannah said, trying to rationalize things. "I mean… The Tower has its own defences. We should be safe inside. The Dementors will not be able to get in."

She was trying to convince Susan as much as she tried to convince herself.

"It's not for me that I'm worried, Hannah," her best friend said. "The Dementors were not here for me." Despite this, Susan was shaking. "But Harry is in trouble."

"I guess." Yes, of course. If You-Know-Who sent Dementors for him, Harry was indeed the one with the greatest problems. Though Susan was concerned as well, being his girlfriend. "At least, if he was hidden, I suppose he's safe now."

"It's not only that. The Ministry is prosecuting him."

Hannah frowned. "Prosecuting him? For what?"

"Illegal use of magic. He could be expelled from Hogwarts and have his wand destroyed."

"What?" Hannah was in shock. "But… Wait. He used magic to protect you. That's not illegal."

"No, it's not. We can use magic outside of Hogwarts when our life is threatened. But I don't think the Ministry of Magic sees it that way."

"You mean…" Hannah linked the dots. "You think they will try to use this to expel him from Hogwarts?"

"You saw how the Daily Prophet and the Ministry treat him. And you know what Fudge thinks of him since June."

"But… That's unfair! He… Come on, you had Dementors trying to kill you! It's stupid! What did they expect? That Harry would stand by and do nothing while he let Dementors kill you both? That's ridiculous!"

"It is." Behind Susan's voice, Hannah perceived the anger and frustration. "But we shouldn't be that surprised. With the way the Minister has been behaving recently."

Hannah paced in the living room. Susan remained on the sofa, shoulders slumped. It was totally unfair. Harry only defended himself and Susan. He did nothing wrong. Hannah had misjudged Harry in the past, but this? He was risking being banned from Hogwarts, only for doing the right thing. What was going on at the Ministry of Magic?

"But, Susan… Couldn't your aunt do something? I mean, she's heading everything that is related to justice in the Ministry. Surely, she could intervene. We could simply talk to her…"

"I can't," Susan sighed. "When Harry was summoned for his disciplinary hearing, she sent us a message that we couldn't have any contact with her until the hearing was over. She says she cannot take the risk of having conflicts of interest or to look partial. She's going to preside Harry's hearing."

"She will?" Hannah asked, surprise.

"Yes. When she took over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she decided to preside all hearings, not just criminal ones. So it will be her who will decide of Harry's sentence in her office. She will only be accompanied by a few assistants."

"Well, then… Harry only has to tell her what happened. I mean, when she hears he did that to protect you from Dementors, I don't see how she could condemn him."

"I don't think she would, but… Things are complicated at the Ministry right now. I haven't seen my aunt much lately. And many employees were fired or forced to leave because they didn't share Fudge's opinions."

"Okay, but still… Your aunt will make the decision. Harry has nothing to fear. He only needs to tell her the truth, and it will be over."

"I wish I was sure of that," Susan sighed.

Hannah could hear the discouragement in her friend's voice. Hannah had to admit that a part of her was also uncertain about Harry's fate. Would Susan's aunt ensure he was declared not guilty? Hannah met this woman a few times. She always gave her the impression of being cold, severe, unflinching. She was Susan's godmother, and Hannah's best friend only had good things to say about her, but Hannah couldn't tell she found the woman sympathetic. She didn't even know what the woman thought of Harry and Susan. What if she disapproved of their relationship and used the opportunity to get rid of Harry?

Hannah shook her head. They had to believe everything would be alright.

"You know, Dumbledore came to visit my parents yesterday," Susan said.

"Dumbledore! He came to see you?" Hannah asked, surprised.

"Yes. He wanted to make sure I was fine. And he apologized. Apparently, he was watching over Harry during summer, but they failed to stop the Dementors from attacking us. He also asked my parents if I could come to testify at Harry's hearing, but they refused. They don't want me to get into trouble."

Hannah now better understood why Susan looked so down. It wasn't only that Dementors attacked her. Her boyfriend was at risk of losing everything, and there was nothing she could do to help him. Hannah was about to reassure her once more, but Susan resumed speaking.

"I heard them talking last night. They thought I was sleeping. My parents are thinking about removing me from Hogwarts."

"WHAT?!" This was the best of the day.

"They're thinking about sending me in Quebec, at the wizarding school where my mother studied at my age. They believe I would be safer there…"

"They can't do that! You cannot leave Hogwarts, Susan. I…" That was simply too much. "You're my best friend. And you're in fifth year. We're about to get through our O.W.L.s. They cannot transfer you into another school!"

"I know, Hannah!" Susan snapped. "You think I want to move out of the school I went to for four years and the country where I was born? My parents are even thinking of moving themselves. They're afraid!"

Susan was close to tears, and Hannah saw that she fought to keep them. She sighed and looked down.

Hannah sighed as well, feeling powerless. "They cannot remove you from Hogwarts. I mean, it's probably the safest place in the world. Even You-Know-Who never dared to attack it. It… It would be nonsense to make you go somewhere else."

"I know," Susan replied darkly.

"Have you talked to your parents about this?"

"No. Not yet. The decision didn't seem to be made. They only… discussed the possibility of sending me away. I don't think they've taken their decision yet."

"We've got to talk to them," Hannah said, determined all of a sudden. "We cannot let them send you in another country. On another continent. That's madness!"

"They're not at home right now. They will be back this evening. I'll talk to them then."

Hannah nodded. "Yes, you should. They cannot send you away. I could be there if you want."

"No, Hannah, thank you. I'll talk to them alone."

Despite Hannah's determination, she saw that her best friend was still discouraged. Within the next month, she could be sent across the ocean to study in a land and school Hannah barely knew anything about. This couldn't happen. If Hannah needed to tell Susan's parents what she thought of it so her best friend would not move, she would do it. She would do anything to stop Susan from leaving England.

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Next chapter: Harry