The Phoenix Prophecy

Chapter One: The Prophecy

Saturday- July 5th

Harry

The dark haired angel’s soft, moist lips dissolved into the scratchy, dry linen casing of my pillow. I felt the shimmering angel steadily slipping from my grasp as I became aware of my surroundings. Even before I opened my eyes, I realized that I was hugging my pillow with my lips pressed firmly against the pillowcase.

For several moments, I lay perfectly still attempting to burn the image of the angel who had totally captivated me into my mind before she disappeared completely. The harder I concentrated on her features the more indistinct and surreal they became. ‘This is utterly ridiculous. How could something, that was so vivid and seemingly alive moments ago, be impossible to recall?’ I thought bitterly to myself.

Very frustrated, I gave up trying to visualize the angel of my dreams and opened my eyes. Bright light was streaming in the bedroom window, which caused me to squint, as my eyes were not yet accustom to the light. Gauging from the amount of light entering the room through the widow, I guessed that it must be close to seven o’clock. The air was already warm and a trifle heavy. It was going to be another hot summer’s day. Restless, I flopped over on my back and stared up at the ceiling.

This summer’s holiday had only been under way for three weeks, already I felt as if I was going to lose my mind. If this were not the last summer I was going to spend with the Dursleys, I would have been literally climbing the walls by now. I had reached an understanding – ‘of sorts’ – with Uncle Vernon the day I arrived back on Privet Drive. I agreed to stay out of their way as much as possible in exchange for their willingness to ignore the fact that I was in the house. As long as they did not assault me with their usual barrage of insults and gripes about the magical world, I would not create any awkward situations for them to have to explain to their ‘muggle’ friends. Letting Uncle Vernon know that I was now allowed to do magic away from Hogwarts may have had more than a little to do with his decision to stop berating me for my magical abilities and heritage.

The prospect of eight more weeks at the Dursleys – which would be just as miserable as the last three – was too depressing to contemplate. Yesterday afternoon, when I was in my room, staring out the window, brooding over being separated from my friends, the phone rang. My mind was so far away that at first I did not hear Uncle Vernon calling to me. After the third time he called my name, I realized that he wanted something and I went to the top of the stairs to see what that might be.

“Boy, you are wanted on the telephone,” Uncle Vernon snapped, the resentment of having to call for me more that once was showing on his ruddy, swollen face.

“Really, who is it?”

“How should I know? Hurry up boy . . . and be quick about it. I don’t want you tying up the telephone all day.”

Scowling, he returned to the living room where Aunt Petunia and Dudley were watching the television. Dudley was consuming his usual mammoth ration of caramel popcorn.

I bounded down the steps three at a time – wondering who could be calling me – and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is Harry Potter.”

“Hello, Harry. It’s me, Hermione.”

“Hey, Hermione, it’s great to hear your voice. How are you?” I asked excitedly, suddenly feeling much less depressed at the sound of her voice.

“I’m fine, Harry. How are you?”

“I’m okay – or about as well as possible, given the fact that I am where I am, if you know what I mean,” I replied, trying to talk softly enough so that none of the Dursleys would overhear me.

“I understand you. Harry, the reason I called was that I wanted to know if we could get together tomorrow.”

“Sure, Hermione, I would like that very much – but how – and where?”

“My parents are willing to drive over and pick you up. They would drop us off at Diagon Alley for the day. After they have finished their shopping, which would be later in the day, they would pick us up and take you back home.”

“Hermione, please don’t refer to this place as ‘home’. I may have to live here during the summer, but it is anything but ‘home’.”

“Sorry, Harry. Do you want to go to Diagon Alley with me tomorrow?”

“Yes, sure I do, Hermione. Anything to get away from this place . . . I’m sorry, Hermione; I did not mean that the way it sounded. I would love to spend the day with you at Diagon Alley.”

“That’s great, Harry. We will pick you up at nine o’clock sharp in the morning if that’s alright?”

“That will be fine, Hermione.”

“See you in the morning, Harry. ‘Love you’,” she said sweetly and then the line clicked and went silent.

For a moment, I just stood there listening to dead silence in the receiver. When the dial tone started buzzing in my ear, I placed the phone back on its cradle. Before returning to my room, I told Uncle Vernon that I would be out all day tomorrow, to which he just scowled at me but did not say anything.

I mounted the stairs and returned to my room feeling much better than when I had left it a few moments earlier. I had not realized just how much I missed Hermione until I heard her voice on the phone. The memories of all the times we had spent together over the past six years at Hogwarts came rushing back at me, once I sat back down in front of the window. When I was finished reliving the memories, I felt curiously happy and peaceful – but for some reason my heart ached and I felt suddenly alone.

The last six years had been filled with many wonderful times. In addition to our normal school and Gryffindor house activities, Hermione and I had attended several social events together, most of them being dances or other parties. For the past three years, Hermione had kissed me goodbye at Kings Cross station just before leaving with her parents to begin the summer holidays. This year she had taken me completely by surprise when she kissed me on the lips after hugging me goodbye. From the look on her face after she kissed me, I think that she even surprised herself.

If I shut my eyes and blotted out everything else, I could remember her hug and kiss as if it had just happened. Her long brown hair had brushed tantalizingly against the side of my face. I distinctly remembered that it smelled of peach blossoms and was soft and silky. The warmth and softness of her body was unmistakable when she hugged me tightly for a very brief moment. What I remembered vividly, and will never forget, was the look in her eyes. In a time almost too short to measure, the look in her enchanting brown eyes changed from determination, to compassion, and then to sadness.

In a sudden burst of understanding, I realized that I missed Hermione more than any other living soul. Even my longings for the close companionship Ron and I had shared over the past six years did not match my desire to be with Hermione. I missed Ron a great deal but my heart did not ache because of our separation. The ache I felt was for Hermione and her alone. To my utter shock and amazement, I realized that I was in love with her, or at least what I thought must be love. I could think of nothing else that would account for the depression I was feeling up until I heard her voice on the phone. The moment I heard her voice, I felt like I just emerged out of a deep hole into which the sun never shines.

After I admitted to myself that I was in love with her, I no longer felt as alone as I had been feeling. Now a new thought crept into my mind. ‘What if Hermione did not love me? What would I do then?’ Remembering the last two words Hermione had said just before she hung up the phone – ‘love you’ – the fear of loving her without receiving her love in return suddenly evaporated.

The remainder of the day had dragged by with almost torturing slowness. When night had fallen and it was time to go to bed, all I could think about was what I would say to her. I had rehearsed so many different ways of telling Hermione that I loved her that I could not decide which one to use, let alone keep them straight in my mind. It had taken me a dreadfully long time to fall asleep, as I could not stop thinking about our rendezvous tomorrow. Sometime after midnight – when exhaustion had at last overcome my preoccupation with what would happen when we went to Diagon Alley – I fell into a restless sleep.

Now that morning had finally arrived and it would only be a couple of hours before Hermione arrived, a new feeling swept over me . . . Panic! I felt as if my stomach was crawling with something that desperately wanted to get out. My mouth felt so dry that I would not have been surprised to find it stuffed with cotton balls. I also realized that the reason my sheets felt damp had more to do with my nervousness over our rendezvous than the temperature of the air. I tried telling myself that ‘I was just being silly’, but it did not help much.

After fifteen minutes of attempting to convince myself that I was being paranoid about the whole thing and not making any real progress, I decided to get up and take a shower. The whole time I was showering and dressing, I just kept telling myself repeatedly; ‘relax; you have nothing to worry about.’ To take my mind off the subject as much as possible, I decided to go downstairs and start making breakfast for the Dursleys. They would be waking very soon and I had found from experience that the day always went smoother if I had breakfast waiting for them when they arrived in the kitchen.

When breakfast was over and the dishes washed and dried, I had only a half hour to wait before Hermione would arrive with her parents. I returned to my room and changed into the faded jeans and dark green polo shirt I had decided to wear. The shirt was loose fitting and long enough so that it covered my wand, which I carried in my hip pocket. Since Voldemort was still on the loose and more determined that ever to kill me, I carried my wand with me wherever I went. When it came to clothes, Muggles were far ahead of wizards and witches. The jogging shoes that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago were so comfortable that I almost never took them off.

At the last minute, I decided to write a letter to Sirius. It had been several days since I had received an owl from him and I was beginning to worry. I dug out some parchment and my quill & ink from my trunk and wrote:

Sirius,

Hermione is coming to the Dursleys this morning to pick me up so that we can go to Diagon Alley for the day. It will be great to see her. I really miss her, Ron, and every one of my friends from the wizarding world. I have not had any pain in my scar, so hopefully that means Voldemort is not planning anything in the immediate future. Do you have any guess as to how long it will be before he is strong enough to try something?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Love Harry

P.S. How old were my mum and dad when they started dating?

After attaching the letter to Hedwig’s leg, I sent her on her way. At ten minutes before the hour of nine o’clock, I left my room and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. The Dursleys were still sitting around the table watching some muggle television show about a stupid fox that always managed to annihilate himself while trying to catch a skinny bird. I told them that I was leaving and was not certain when I would return. They were so busy laughing at the television that I was not sure if they heard me or not. Not caring whether they actually heard me, I closed the door to the kitchen and went to wait on the front porch for Hermione and her parents to arrive.

Hermione

I awoke to the sounds of birds singing softly outside my open window. I was lying on my stomach, hugging my pillow, feeling very contented and relaxed from the dream I had been having just before I awoke. The smile on my face instantly vanished when I looked over at the clock on my bedside table. It was just past seven o’clock, which meant that I had only one hour to bathe, do my hair and get dressed. Dad had said that we would need to leave the house by eight if we were to arrive at the Dursleys by nine.

I practically flew out of bed and into the bathroom. No time for a bath, so I took a quick shower and washed my hair as fast as I could. I knew it would not be dry when I left the house, but there was darn little I could do about it. As long as I did not arrive at the Dursleys with my head wrapped in a towel everything would be ok.

Ten minutes later – ‘a new record for me’ – I emerged from the bathroom wrapped in two towels. Crookshanks was snoozing on the foot of my bed. He lazily opened one eye and gazed at me. I was only half dressed when Crookshanks jumped down from the bed and began rubbing his body against my bare legs. Once he discovered that my legs were still quite damp he began licking them with his scratchy tongue.

“Stop that!” I admonished him, as I quickly dried my legs much to his displeasure.

“I’m sorry, Crookshanks, but I don’t have any time to play with you this morning.”

After buttoning up my pink silk blouse, I stepped into my favorite black pleated skirt. Slipping on a pair of flats, I returned to the bathroom to comb and dry my hair. Thankfully, mum knocked on my door and asked if she could do anything to help.

“Come in mum. I could sure use some help with my hair if you don’t mind,” I called out from the bathroom, teasing a snarl from my hair.

I sat down on the tall stool that I kept in my bathroom, having already wrapped a dry towel around my shoulders to keep my blouse from getting soaked. After handing mum my brush, she began to comb out my hair. When I looked up and glanced into the mirror, I noticed that mum was smiling very warmly at me.

“I take it that Harry is more than just a school chum,” mum said, when our eyes meet in the mirror.

“Yes mum, Harry is very special to me.”

“How long have you known?”

“Known what, mum?”

“That you are in love with him.”

“Mum, how did you know that?” I asked, completely astonished by her insight. It was only two days ago that I concluded that I was in love with Harry, or at least I thought that was what it must be.

“Dear, all anyone has to do is look at your face for more the a few seconds to realize that you are one very lovesick young lady. Besides, you look just like I felt when I first realized that I was in love with your father.”

“Mum, I’m so scared. What am I going to do if Harry does not love me? I know he likes me a lot. We have always gotten on well with each other at school. Even when I was furious with him for doing something that he should not have, I could never stay mad at him for long. If Harry only wants me as a good friend, I don’t know what I will do.”

“Hermione, take some advice from someone who has been in exactly the same situation you are now in. Whatever happens, it will more than likely be for the best. If it turns out that Harry loves you just as much as you love him then you will have a wonderful future together. On the other hand, if it turns out that he only sees you as a close friend then no amount of seduction on your part will make for a lasting relationship. Truly close male friends for a woman are very hard to come by. Always value that friendship very highly.”

“Mum, I know what you say is right, but I just can’t bear to think of the heartache I will feel if Harry doesn’t love me,” I replied, feeling a tear spill from one of my watery eyes and run down my cheek.

“Sweetie, don’t get yourself all worked up over what may never come to pass,” said mum, as she gently wiped the tears from my cheeks with a tissue. “Now, let’s start thinking nothing but positive happy thoughts. You don’t want Harry to see you with your eyes all bloodshot and swollen, do you?”

“No mum, I sure don’t want that. Harry has seen me cry before, but today I want to look as good as I possibly can for him,” I replied, managing to smile at her.

“That’s the spirit, Hermione. It never hurts to look as good as you can. Lord knows, Harry will see you looking less than your best, soon enough.”

With mum’s help, I finished brushing and drying my hair with ten minutes to spare. There was just enough time for me to grab a quick bite to eat before we left the house. I made sure everything I needed was in my handbag: my wand, enough money for food and books, and plenty of tissues, plus the usual assortment of makeup items. Since the day was already quite warm, and would only get warmer, I did not bother to take a jacket.

Dad backed the car out of the drive at two minutes past eight o’clock. The trip to the Dursleys seemed to take forever. The closer we got to their house the more anxious I became. When at last dad turned onto Privet Drive, I was almost beside myself with apprehension.

As we pulled into the Dursleys’ driveway, I saw Harry sitting on a chair next to the front door. The instant I saw the smile on his face all my fears vanished – well almost all of them. After dad stopped the car, I was out of the back seat and walking towards Harry before he turned the engine off. Harry had stood up as soon as we pulled into the driveway and was walking towards me. For an instant, I felt unsure of how to greet him. After one look at his beautiful, sparkling green eyes and the warm smile on his face, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. Harry wrapped his arms around me and returned my hug.

I knew that I had to kiss him right now or I would lose my nerve and the whole day would be awkward. I pulled my head back so that we were face to face, but before I could kiss him, he kissed me. It was a rather quick kiss, but it was more than enough for me just then. ‘Oh dear Lord, thank you, thank you, I am more than just a friend to him.’ I thought to myself as I took his hand in mine and led him to the car where mum and dad were standing, waiting to meet Harry for the first time.

“Mum, dad, I would like you to meet Harry Potter,” I said, feeling very proud and excited.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last,” mum and dad both replied, as dad shook Harry’s hand.

“I’m very pleased to me you,” Harry responded, smiling warmly at them. “Hermione has told me a lot about you.”

“Well, let’s just hope it was all good news,” dad chuckled, as he gave Harry’s shoulder an affectionate pat.

“Are you ready to leave?” I asked Harry, as soon as the introductions were finished.

“I’m ready, Hermione, very ready.”

“Ok then, everyone into the car and we will be on our way,” said dad, winking at me which was his way of saying that he liked Harry.

Harry opened the door to the back seat for me and I climbed in and scooted over to make room for him to sit beside me. Once everyone buckled up, dad started the engine and we were off for Diagon Alley.

Harry

The trip from the Dursleys to Diagon Alley took just under an hour. Mr. Granger said that we made very good time, even considering that it was Saturday. From the moment we had fastened our seat buckles, Hermione and I held each other’s hand. We would glance at each other from time to time, looking a little sheepish whenever we glanced at each other at the same time. Most of Hermione’s parents’ questions centered on school and Quidditch. They never asked about my parents or the Dursleys. I suspected that Hermione had told them that my mum and dad were dead, murdered when I was a baby and that I was not at all happy living with the Dursleys. By the time Mr. Granger pulled the car to a stop in front of the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, I found that it was easy to talk with Hermione’s parents. They had a way of making me feel relaxed and welcome.

“Hermione, we will pick you and Harry up here at six o’clock,” Mr. Granger said, turning around to look at us.

“We will be waiting and ready dad. We really appreciate this.”

“Harry, be sure and take good care of our little girl,” Mr. Granger added, smiling at me.

“I will Sir. You can be sure of that.”

I was feeling just a little self-conscious, but at the same time honored that they seemed to have faith in me, even though they had just met me. After I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, I helped Hermione out of the car.

“My, but you are quite the gentleman today,” Hermione said, grinning at me as she took my hand and pulled herself up next to me. “It looks as if chivalry isn’t dead yet.”

“No, not yet.”

The Grangers drove away as soon as I shut the car door. We waived goodbye as they drove out of sight. The sidewalk was almost completely deserted. For an instant, I felt a searing pain in my scar, but it vanished as quickly as it had come.

“What’s wrong, Harry?” Hermione asked, apparently aware of the momentary feeling that had just swept over me.

“Nothing, Hermione, everything is fine. Let’s go inside and make our way to the Alley,” I replied a little too quickly, trying not to worry her over the fleeting sense of dread that I had just felt.

“Okay, Harry,” she replied and led me through the front door of the Leaky Cauldron without ever letting go of my hand.

Tom looked up as the bell on the door tinkled when we walked into the inn. He was stacking clean glasses behind the bar. The inn was mostly empty. Only a couple of witches and wizards were sitting in two of the booths along the back wall.

“Good morning, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger,” Tom said cheerfully, as we approached the bar.

Tom supposedly knows the name of every witch and wizard that has ever frequented the Leaky Cauldron. I had never seen him at a loss for someone’s name on my occasional visits to the inn.

“Good morning, Tom,” we both replied, when we reached the bar.

“What brings you two out on a fine day like this?”

“We have some shopping to do,” Hermione answered, before I could say anything.

“Off to the Alley for a bit of pre-school shopping, are you?”

“Actually, we are here so I can buy Harry his birthday present.”

“Ah, that’s right. Your seventeenth birthday is at the end of the month. Is that right, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Tom, that’s correct,” I replied glancing at Hermione, wondering why she had not mentioned anything about buying a birthday present before now.

“Did you happen to bring any robes or traditional clothes with you?” Tom asked, looked at each of us in turn.

“No we didn’t. Why?” I asked, puzzled by his question.

“A lot of the older wizards and witches feel that you young folks are not being true to traditions of the magical world by wearing Muggle clothes. They have pressured the Ministry of Magic to pass a prohibition against the wearing of Muggle clothes in Diagon Alley.”

“Tom, you can’t be serious,” I exclaimed, half-wondering if Tom were just pulling a practical joke on us.

“Yes, Harry, I am serious. No Muggle clothes are allowed in Diagon Alley. That’s the new law as of two weeks ago.”

“Now what are we going to do?” Hermione asked me, looking as bewildered as I felt.

“I don’t know, Hermione. Tom, are we allowed to be in here with Muggle clothes?”

“Since the Leaky Cauldron isn’t actually part of the Alley, I guess its okay. But if you would like, I can loan you a pair of robes that will cover your Muggle clothes.”

“Tom, we would appreciate that very much.”

I wondered why we had not received an owl about the new rules. Most likely, there had been an article in the Daily Prophet – which I never received at the Dursleys – about the new rules.

“Hermione, I was going to buy some new clothes for the coming school year, at the end of the summer. Now is as good a time as any to purchase some of them. Why don’t we borrow the robes Tom has offered to lend us until we can get some new traditional clothes of our own?”

“Harry, I didn’t bring enough money to purchase new clothes. I just have enough to eat and maybe buy a book or two,” Hermione replied, looking quite upset.

“I have enough money for the both of us to get some new clothes. So don’t worry about it, Hermione.”

“Harry, I couldn’t let you buy my clothes. That just wouldn’t be proper.”

“Hermione, you know very well that buying you a new outfit or two is not going to put me in the poor house. If you are going to be stubborn – then think of them as early birthday or Christmas presents.”

“Harry, my objections have nothing to do with you being able to afford the clothes. It has everything to do with the fact that a single woman does not permit a man to buy her clothes. That is, unless you are planning on registering me as your concubine.”

“Hermione, what’s a konk-u-bine,” I asked, wondering just what she meant.

“Never mind, Harry,” she replied, rolling her eyes as I had seen her do so many times before.

“I take it that I missed something,” I added, anxious to try to please her.

“Harry, I thought I was making a joke, that’s all.”

“Hermione, please tell me, what is a konk-u-bine,” I asked, as sincerely as I could.

“Its ‘con-cu-bine’, spelled: c-o-n-c-u-b-i-n-e. It means – ‘A woman who lives with a man and has a sexual relationship with him but is not married to him.’

“Hermione, you wouldn’t really allow me to do that, would you?” I asked, my jaw dropping, thunderstruck that she could even suggest such a thing.

At the same time, my face felt flushed and I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back. I had an incredible desire to kiss her, which just added to the heat I felt building up inside me.

“Harry! What kind of a girl do you take me for…I am sorry, Harry. This is my entire fault. I am not very good at making jokes. Let’s just forget the whole thing, okay?” she asked, looking very sad.

“Hermione, we both need to get some new clothes, right?”

“Yes we do, Harry.”

“Okay, how about this? I loan — that’s: l-o-a-n — you some money for whatever you wish to buy and your dad pays me back later today.”

“Harry, you’re a brat, you know that?” she said, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and when she looked up at me, I kissed her quickly, but not as quick as before, on the lips.

“Do we have a deal?” I asked, smiling as much on the inside as on the outside, as I looked into her beautiful face.

“Yes Mr. Potter, we have a deal,” she replied smiling back at me, her eyes locked with mine.

“The robes are hanging on hooks by the back door,” said Tom, bringing us back to the world we had shut out while we were talking.

Red-faced, we thanked Tom and headed for the back of the inn to find the robes. Once we put them on, we quickly made our way out of the inn and through the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley.

It was just after ten o’clock when we emerged into the Alley. The Alley was busy, but not nearly as crowded as it was in late August when everyone was trying to get the things they needed for the coming school year.

“Where shall we go first?” I asked as we started down the row of shops.

“Let’s start with ‘Madam Malkin’s Robes. We can probably find what we need for today at her Shoppe,” Hermione replied, steering us in the direction of the clothing shop.

When we entered the shop, Madam Malkin was helping two elderly witches pick out new hats.

“I’ll be with you momentarily, please feel free to look around,” Madam Malkin said to us and then returned to helping the witches.

“Hermione, I sure hope this new rule doesn’t last very long.”

I looked around at all the dark, heavy materials with easily controlled enthusiasm. Hermione’s legs in a short skirt were something that I would just as soon not bury beneath long skirts and knee high stockings. I had no idea her legs were so long and shapely.

Sirius

I knew that if I did not get out of this dingy cottage in the very near future, I was going to lose my mind completely. Living in this one room, ramshackle cottage, on the outskirts of Hogsmeade was not as bad as being in Azkaban, but some days it sure felt like it. I longed for human company. Hanging around the Three Broomsticks, as Padfoot did nothing to easy my loneliness, in fact it made it worse.

Albus kept reassuring me that the Ministry of Magic would accept the evidence he had obtained that proved Peter Pettigrew was the person who had betrayed the Potters, not me. Once they accepted that fact, I would be a free man. I hoped that I would be still alive when that day came to pass.

A fluttering sound at the side window caused me to glance in that direction. Any unexpected sound caused me to reach for my wand, ready for the worst. Through the dusty, cobweb encrusted window, I could see that an owl was perched on the windowsill, tapping its beak impatiently on the windowpane.

“Hedwig, how nice to see you,” I said to the bird after I opened the creaky window to let her in. “Harry has sent me a letter, has he?”

At the sound of my words, Hedwig raised a foot, with the attached letter, in my direction for me to see. I quickly unfastened the letter and stroked her breast, while letting her nibble a couple of dried chunks of meat from my hand. After she finished the food, she ruffled her feathers and settled down for a rest, hooting softly while I read Harry’s letter by the dim light given off from the fire in the fireplace.

Just as I finished reading the letter, I heard a soft knock on the door. The full-length robes I was wearing made it easy for me to conceal my wand. I walked over to the door and opened it just a crack to see who had come to call on me.

“Albus, how nice to see you,” I said, opening the door fully so that he could enter the room.

The look on his face told me instantly that this was not going to be a social call. I shut and bolted the door as soon as he was inside, taking just enough time to quickly scan the immediate surroundings outside the cottage.

“It’s Voldemort again, isn’t it?” I asked as soon as he turned to face me.

“Yes, I’m afraid so, Sirius. I have just received word from my source inside Voldemort’s circle that he intends to kidnap Harry, Ron or Hermione, possibly all three,” he replied. I noticed that his steel blue eyes were completely devoid of any warmth.

“Albus, are you sure your source is reliable? We have had false alarms in the past. It could be that Voldemort has intentionally leaked his intent to someone he is suspicious of, just to see if we react to the informants news.”

“I have taken what you have just said into account, Sirius. I am quite certain that the information delivered by my source, at enormous personal risk, is valid. It also fits with other pieces of information I have been receiving for the past several weeks.”

“What do you propose that we do, Albus? – Oh, by the way, I just received an owl from Harry. He and Hermione are spending the day at Diagon Alley.”

“That is most distressing – no wait, this may be to our advantage,” Albus said as he began to pace the floor in front of the fireplace, thinking aloud.

“Voldemort would not be expecting Harry or Hermione to go to Diagon Alley this early in the summer holidays. He may not have planned for this. If we act quickly, we can spirit them away before he has time to organize an attack. Knowing what I just learned this morning, we must get them out of Diagon Alley as quickly as possible, while not letting on that anything is amiss.”

“Why is it so important that no one knows that we have taken Harry and Hermione into hiding? Everyone knows that Voldemort has sworn to kill the boy.”

“Sirius, Harry is an important symbol for the wizarding world. He represents the hope that good will triumph over evil. If Harry was to die at the hands of Voldemort then many, many people will lose faith in our ability send Voldemort back into the void. Harry must remain alive if we are ever to have any chance of defeating Voldemort,” Albus said, the cold, hard conviction in his voice unmistakable.

“Albus, we can’t just hide Harry, Hermione and Ron away at Hogwarts for the rest of their natural lives. No matter how well we prepare them, at some point they are going to have to face the same risks as the rest of us.” I couldn’t help wishing that there were some way we could make them less vulnerable.

“You are correct, Sirius. I am not confident that any amount of training can prepare a person to defend himself or herself against Voldemort. I have a plan in mind, which if it succeeds, will afford Harry and Hermione considerable protection. The plan does pose a significant but acceptable risk to Harry and Hermione.

Sirius, did you know that the Portal to the Realm opened yesterday?”

“Albus, if are you are thinking of hiding them in the Realm for a week or two, I’m not sure what that buys us over keeping them at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer holidays.” I added, wishing that I could figure out a way to help my godson more than I already had.

“You’re right, of course. Sirius, sending Harry and Hermione to the Realm buys us nothing, if hiding was all that was all that I had in mind,” he replied, gazing at me intently. “What I have been contemplating for quite some time, is having Harry, Hermione and Ron attempt to obtain the ‘Impervious’ charm.”

“Albus, you can’t possible be serious — ‘never mind the pun’. It would be unthinkable to send the three of them off to the Realm all by themselves. They will be strangers in a strange land. How could they possibly survive such an ordeal? No, Albus, this just doesn’t make any sense at all,” I replied after I got over the shock of what he was suggesting.

“Sirius, I wasn’t thinking of sending Harry, Hermione and Ron by themselves,” he said a little testily.

I suddenly heard the little voice in the back of my head say ‘Watch out Sirius, trouble is headed your way.’

“What I am considering, is sending them as part of a group…assuming I could find the right person to lead the group.”

“Exactly what size group did you have in mind?” I asked, knowing very well where this discussion was going to end.

“If I am not mistaken, two adults and four teenagers would be the optimal size.”

“What makes you think that, Albus?”

“A group composed of two adults and four teenagers would be large enough to support each other if things became difficult and small enough to go relatively unnoticed. More members would attract too much attention and present logistical problems. Less members and the group might not be a viable entity.”

“Well, I can easily guess who four of the members are. Who else besides Harry, Hermione and Ron would I be taking on this little tour of the countryside?” I asked, figuring I might as well volunteer.

Sitting around here was not going to improve my outlook on life. Maybe a change of scenery and something real to do was what I needed right now. I was definitely becoming something of a grouch, even the mice stayed away from the cottage.

“I have made arrangements with a woman who teaches at Beauxbatons and one of her female students to accompany you on this quest,” Albus replied, as matter-of-factly as if we were planning the guest list for a dinner party. “The woman is about your age and single. Her student will be starting her seventh year this fall. Their qualifications make them ideally suited for this journey.”

“You wouldn’t mind telling me what those qualifications are, would you?” I asked, feeling a little piqued that he did not tell me straight out. ‘Why did I have to drag all the important details out of him?’

“The woman’s name is Madelyn O’Hara. She teaches, among other things: Defense against the Dark Arts, Potions and Emergency Medical Procedures. Her skills and knowledge in field nursing could be very useful on your quest.”

“I know that somehow that is supposed to make me feel much better, but it doesn’t,” I replied, leaving unsaid the reason why a person with field nursing abilities would be useful.

“The girl’s name is Gretchen Larsson. She is exceptionally good at potions and is very athletic. Since this journey will require a great deal of stamina and the ability to brew a very advanced potion, she should make a good addition to your group.”

“Albus, it sounds as if you have been doing much more than just considering this journey. It looks as if you have it planned out in minute detail. I will agree to lead this group, not because I think we have a chance of obtaining the charm, but because if I spend one more day in this place I will go crackers.”

“I knew I could count on you, Sirius,” Albus said, smiling at me. “Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention it, but the Ministry has accepted the evidence as to your innocence. You are now a free man.”

“Now you tell me. Why didn’t you mention that when you first arrived?” I asked, smiling while pretending to be upset.

“It must have slipped my mind, Sirius…age and all. You know how it is.”

“Yes Albus, I do indeed know how it is. Believe me, I know.”

Sighing deeply, I shook my head at the one man I trusted implicitly above all others.

“Sirius, I would like you to go to the Burrow, pick up Ron and take him to the Leaky Cauldron. I have alerted Arthur as to my intentions. He and Molly will be waiting for you. I am going to return to Hogwarts and ask Minerva and Arabella to go to Diagon Alley so that they can keep watch over Harry and Hermione.”

“What should Ron and I bring with us in the way of clothes?”

“Nothing, we will outfit the entire group at Diagon Alley.”

“Where and when should we meet up?”

“Let us meet in the back room of the Leaky Cauldron at twelve noon. That will give you plenty of time to sooth Molly’s apprehensions, as I’m sure she will have more that a one.”

“Thanks a lot Albus. Just how am I supposed to soothe her fears?”

“You might try smiling. A bath and some clean clothes wouldn’t hurt either.”

“Good day Albus,” I said, opening the door, inviting him to leave with a wave of my hand, while flashing a warm, good-natured smile. “The sooner you get Minerva and Arabella on their way to Diagon Alley, the better.”

“Until twelve sharp,” he replied as he left the cottage.

Hermione

I knew Harry was looking appreciatively at my legs; the look on his face was unmistakable. He had never looked at me this way before. I could feel little goose bumps forming on my arms from the excitement I was feeling. I also felt a little self-conscious and just a tad bit naughty. I was just starting to get an inkling of the intoxicating effect that the sight of a woman could have on a man. Emboldened by my newly discovered ability – which did not come from any book that I had read; perhaps those books were locked up in the ‘Restricted’ section of the library – I tried to reach for the top box on the shelf by standing on my tiptoes and raising my arms high over my head. I knew that this would cause my skirt to rise up a few more inches and that I was being a bit of a tease, but I couldn’t help myself. It was as if something deep within my subconscious had taken control of my actions. I was acting on instinct as I turned my head around to ask Harry a question.

“Harry, I can’t reach the top box. Could you please get it down for me?” I asked, smiling seductively.

“I can’t reach any higher than you can Hermione,” he replied, his eyes traveling up my body until they met mine.

“Maybe you should just levitate the box down,” he added, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Oh, too right you are, Harry. I wonder why I didn’t think of that in the first place,” I said as I noticed Madam Malkin heading in our direction.

“May I help you find what you are looking for?”

“We are looking for new uniforms for school,” Harry replied quickly.

“In that case, you will find them along the far wall, exactly where they have been for that past fifty years. Girls dressing rooms are on the left, boys on the right.”

“Thank you Madam Malkin,” I replied, trying very hard not to sound snippy.

Grabbing Harry’s hand, we headed for the racks of Hogwarts’ uniforms. I helped Harry pick out a new robe, pants and sweater, which was not very difficult as there was only one style from which to choose. After we had found the right size, he ducked into the dressing room to make sure everything fit correctly. While Harry was trying on his new clothes, I quickly found a new robe, skirt, sweater and knee-high socks in my size. Harry returned from the boy’s dressing room wearing the uniform I had seen him in for the past six years. When he smiled at me, I suddenly felt as if my legs were jelly.

“Nothing new, but at least the pants and robe are long enough,” said Harry, when he came to a stop in front of me and turned full circle.

“Harry, you are still the best looking wizard at Hogwarts, at least as far as I am concerned.” I said, kissing him lightly on his cheek. “Give me a minute to try on the new clothes I have picked out.”

“Okay, Hermione. I’ll just look around while you are in the dressing room.”

I noticed that Madam Malkin had not taken her eyes off us since I had kissed Harry on the cheek. What did she think I was going to do? Take Harry into the girl’s dressing room with me. Abruptly, some rumors having to do with dressing rooms that I had heard from several older girls popped into my head — at least I always thought they were just rumors. What I had considered utterly ridiculous up until today now seemed quite plausible. What a pity that all of the older girls were no longer in school.

I entered the dressing room and quickly changed into the new clothes I had picked out. As all I had to do was change skirts, pull a sweater over my head and slip on the socks and robe, it only to a couple of minutes before I returned from the dressing room. I spotted Harry over by the swimwear. He was looking through a pile of bathing trunks. Some of which were brightly colored, at least for the wizarding world.

“Which color do you think would look the best on me?” Harry asked when I walked up and stood beside him.

“I like the dark green pair. They will bring out the green in your eyes.” I replied, holding up the trunks next to his face so that I could guess how they would go with his skin color.

“Those swimming trucks are very fetching Mr. Potter – but green is the base color for Slytherin House. Don’t you feel red or yellow would be more appropriate?” asked the familiar, but often times icy voice that belonged to Professor McGonagall.

“Professor McGonagall! What are you doing here?” Harry exclaimed, as I jerked around to face her, instantly removing the swim trunks from in front of Harry’s face and dropping it on the table with the others.

“As a matter of fact…we are looking for you and Hermione,” Professor McGonagall replied, raising her eyebrows as only she can do.

“We?” Harry said, as another witch about Professor McGonagall’s age joined us. “Mrs. Figg! What are you doing here?” Harry asked the second witch, who he obviously knew and was shocked to see her in the shoppe.

“Mrs. Figg is my sister, Harry,” Professor McGonagall replied warmly, her face softening into a smile.

“Your sister,” Harry choked, while shaking his head as if he were completely bewildered.

“Yes, I know it is quite a shock, but it is true. Arabella is my younger sister.”

“Why are you having such a difficult time believing Professor McGonagall? Harry, all you have to do is look at the two of them side by side — the family resemblance is obvious,” I added, in the silence that followed Professor McGonagall’s last statement.

“Minerva, she is exactly as I pictured she would be from your description,” said Professor McGonagall’s sister, looking me over carefully.

“Excuse me, Professor McGonagall, but why is Harry so shocked that Mrs. Figg is your sister?”

“Harry has known Arabella – Mrs. Figg to him – since he was a little boy. At the request of Professor Dumbledore, she took up residence on Privet Drive so that she could keep an eye on Harry and the Dursleys. In the event that Voldemort or any of his ‘Death Eaters’ showed up, she would try to protect Harry and the Dursleys until Dumbledore and others could come to their rescue. Harry never knew that Arabella was a witch or had any connection to the magical world. For that matter neither did the Dursleys.” Professor McGonagall said all of this in a very quiet voice after looking around to make sure no one was close enough to hear.

Now I understood why Harry was so shocked to see Mrs. Figg in the shoppe. Harry quickly got over his shock and asked the question that we should have asked immediately.

“Professor, why are you looking for Hermione and me, and how did you know we were in here?”

“Professor Dumbledore sent us to find you. He told us that you and Hermione had come to Diagon Alley together. Tom, the inn keeper, told us that we would most likely find you here, as you said that you were going to buy new school uniforms.”

“How did Professor Dumbledore know we were here in Diagon Alley? Harry and I only planned this outing yesterday,” I asked, wondering just how clairvoyant the headmaster really was.

“Professor McGonagall, do you know if Professor Dumbledore has been in contact with my godfather?” Harry asked, before she could answer my question.

“Yes, Harry, I believe he has.”

“Hermione, I sent Sirius an owl this morning in which I mentioned that you and I were going to be spending the day here in Diagon Alley.”

“Well that explains how you found us. Now the only thing I would like to know is why did Professor Dumbledore send you to find us in the first place?” I asked, looking directly at Professor McGonagall.

“This is not a good place to talk,” Professor McGonagall said in a hushed voice, looking around worriedly. “Why don’t you two pay for your purchases and then we will go somewhere more private, where we can talk without being overheard.”

Harry paid Madam Malkin for our new school uniforms. I tried not to let on how upset I was by this, but when Madam Malkin looked at me suspiciously, I just stared right back at her, standing as tall and proud as I could beside Harry. ‘Let the old busy-body think whatever she wants to.’ If Professor McGonagall noticed the transaction, she did not mention it. After we finished paying for our new clothes, we headed for the door of the shoppe. Professor McGonagall seemed in quite a hurry. She told us that we could change out of our uniforms later.

Ron

Tomorrow, Fred and George were moving into the flat above the novelty shoppe in Diagon Alley, which they were going to manage. It was going to seem strange with all of my older brothers off on their own. Ginny and I would be the only two left at home. I had just finished helping Fred and George pack the last of their belongings into some old trunks they had acquired. When I heard dad’s voice downstairs in the kitchen talking with mum, I wondered why he was back so soon. He had told mum not to expect him until suppertime. A moment later, I heard dad yelling up the stairs for me to come down.

“Hi, dad, how come you’re back so soon?” I asked, as I walked into the kitchen and saw him and mum sitting across from each other at the kitchen table – mum with a worried look on her face.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” I asked, not waiting for dad to answer my first question.

“Ron, please come and sit down,” dad said as he reached across the table and patted mum’s hand affectionately.

I sat down between them, in the chair at the end of the table.

“What’s this all about?” I asked, looking back and forth between the both of them.

“Son, Professor Dumbledore has asked your mother and me to allow you to go on a journey he is organizing.”

“To where and with who?” I asked, suddenly feeling both excited and anxious over what might be in store for me.

“All that Professor Dumbledore would tell us was that Sirius Black would be leading you, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and two other women on a journey that might take up to four weeks. He did say that there was some risk to life and limb, but he felt that the rewards far outweighed the risks. You now know all that I was told, except that Sirius should be here momentarily.”

True to dad’s words, Sirius emerged from the fireplace having arrived by the Floo network.

“Good morning, everyone,” Sirius said as he stepped from the fireplace into the kitchen.

Sirius took one look at mum’s face, which was as white as a sheet, and promptly sat down beside her.

“Molly, I know it seems as if Albus is asking a lot of you and Arthur, and in some ways he is. But what you don’t know is that Albus has reliable evidence that Voldemort is planning to kidnap Harry, Hermione or Ron, possibly all three, if he can manage it.”

At this news, mum buried her face in her hands and started crying softly. I felt as if a slug was trying to crawl up my throat. Dad seemed a little dazed. All of a sudden, mum stopped crying and when I saw the look on her face, I knew that someone was going to catch unholy hell. I had never seen her look so furious; it scared me a bit to see mum looking like that.

“Arthur, if I ever get the chance, I will kill that filthy, bloody bastard. I don’t care if I have to spend the rest of my life rotting in Azkaban, I will–kill–him!” mum spat out, her voice so cold and menacing that I though she must be possessed.

“Molly, Azkaban would be overflowing if everyone who wanted to kill Voldemort got their chance,” Sirius said, placing his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

“Sirius, do you know where you are going on this journey?” dad asked, after a few moments pf silence had passed.

“Yes, I do, Arthur. If I told you where we are going, it could put Ron’s life as well as the rest of us in danger. If Voldemort were able to capture either of you he would make you talk and then he and his Death-Eaters would come after us.”

“I understand and agree that it is best we do not know where you are going,” dad replied, a quiet but determined tone in his voice.

“Ron, your mother and I are in agreement that you should undertake this journey,” dad said to me, after he looked at mum and she nodded her head in affirmation to his unspoken question. “The decision to go or not go is yours and yours alone.”

“Mum, dad, if Professor Dumbledore feels that it is necessary to undertake this journey, then I am ready to go,” I replied, my voice only shaking a little—much less than my hands.

Mum took one look at me and the tears started flowing down her cheeks. I quickly got up and knelt down in front of her so that she could wrap her arms around me. For several seconds, mum just held me tightly to her bosom.

“Ron Weasley, don’t you dare let anything happen to you. If you are hurt I will never forgive myself for letting you go,” mum said, after she stopped hugging me, wiping the tears from her face with the corner of her apron.

“Try not to worry, mum. I’ll be very careful.”

“Son, I know that you will make us very proud of you, no matter what happens. Always remember, you are a Weasley and although we may not be the wealthiest wizards around, we never go down with out a fight,” dad said, his pride in me overflowing.

“I will never forget who I am, dad. You can be sure of that,” I replied and gave him a big hug.

“Goodness, what do I need to pack for him?” mum suddenly asked Sirius.

“Nothing, Molly. Albus said that he was going to outfit us for the journey at Diagon Alley. Ron, the only thing you need to bring with you is your wand.”

“Arthur, call the others down so that they can say goodbye,” mum said, getting up from her chair very slowly.

Fred, George and Ginny came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen as soon as dad called for them. After a quick but brief explanation about my upcoming journey, I hugged my brothers and little sister goodbye. Fred and George seemed to take the news in stride, but Ginny had tears in her eyes when she hugged me goodbye.

“I’ll be back before you know it, Ginny. Try not to worry, okay?” I said, giving her an extra hug.

“Okay, Ron, I’ll try. You take care of yourself.”

“We should be going now,” Sirius said, giving mum a quick hug.

Sirius stepped into the fireplace, shouted ‘Diagon Alley’ and disappeared in a flash of Floo powder. I said goodbye one last time and followed Sirius to Diagon Alley in another flash of Floo powder.

Harry

As we stepped out the door of Madam Malkin’s shoppe a reporter, from the Daily Prophet, accosted us. He had recognized me and wanted to take my picture.

“Mr. Potter. What an unexpected surprise finding you here in Diagon Alley. I must get your picture for tomorrow’s edition of the paper. Perhaps the young woman would agree to be in the picture. I’m sure it would make the front page. I can just see the headlines; ‘Harry Potter and girlfriend…do the Alley’ kind of catchy don’t you think?”

“Mr. Samson, we do not have time for you to take any pictures today,” Professor McGonagall said, in the tone of voice she used to imply that she was not in the mood for any backtalk.

“Ah, McGonagall, I didn’t see you there. Fortunately, for our readers, you have no authority in Diagon Alley. Wizards and witches can come and go as they bloody well please, without having to obtain permission from the head-mistress,” the reporter replied, his voice dripping with loathing and bitterness.

“I can see that your manners have not improved since you were expelled from Hogwarts, Mr. Samson. Kindly refer to me as Professor McGonagall or Miss McGonagall or not at all. Is that perfectly clear?”

While Professor McGonagall was reprimanding the reporter for his lack of proper manners, I saw a hooded figure–who had been watching us ever since we came out of the shoppe–dart down Knockturn Alley. I had a sudden feeling that something very unpleasant was about to happen. Sure enough, just as soon as Professor McGonagall managed to browbeat the reporter into silence, Lucius and Draco Malfoy emerged from Knockturn Alley, followed by the figure in the hooded robe. The Malfoys headed straight for us and I felt the hair on the back of neck prickle and stiffen.

Even though the alley was quite crowded by now, the Malfoys had no difficulty reaching us. Everyone seemed very anxious to get out of Mr. Malfoy’s way. I watched the two of them swagger across the alley; their heads held high out of arrogance instead of pride. I could feel the resentment and deep seated hatred boiling up inside of me. My heart was starting to beat faster and I was breathing deeper than normal, I knew that adrenaline was beginning to flow.

It was obvious, from the look on Mr. Malfoy’s face, to the expensive clothes he was wearing, that Draco’s father felt smugly superior to everyone else in the alley. His shoulder length, white hair glistened in the morning sun. His pale skin was in sharp contrast to his black robes. There was an unmistakable air of evil in his menacing attitude. Mr. Malfoy’s loathing and hatred for me was just as unmistakable – when he finally lowered his eyes to look at me.

“Mr. Potter, what an unpleasant surprise, meeting you and your little mudblood friend – Miss. Granger, is it not? – here in Diagon Alley,” Mr. Malfoy said, sneering at us, not even making the slightest attempt to keep the contempt and disgust he felt for the both of us hidden from view.

I locked my eyes with his, determined to outstare him, in an effort to show him that I was not afraid of him or his equally arrogant son. He was only a few inches taller than I was, but the longer I started at this vile, evil wizard—that helped Voldemort murder innocent people like my parents—the taller I felt. For several seconds neither of us said a word. The air felt charged, ready to spark into open conflict at any moment. I could smell and taste the fear in the air around us.

I had retrieved my wand and hidden it up the sleeve of my robes the moment I had seem the two of them emerge from Knockturn Alley. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Mr. Malfoy was holding his cane so that he could instantly pull his wand from it if need be. In addition to looking smug, Draco also looked as if he was hiding his wand was up the sleeve of his robes. I was not sure, and could not look, but I would have bet almost anything that Hermione had her wand ready to use if need be.

“What’s the matter Potter? Can’t you even reply when addressed? I would expect such a lack of manners and uncivilized behavior from a mudblood. They are no better than common savages are. All of them should be kept in cages so they–”

“That will be quite enough, Mr. Malfoy!” exclaimed Professor McGonagall, in an infuriated voice from behind us. “Miss Granger is my great granddaughter. I will wager she has as much if not more pure wizard blood in her than you do. I demand that you apologize to her immediately, for your utterly reprehensible remarks.”

Even though I dared not take my eyes off the Malfoys to look, I could feel the fury that was emanating from Professor McGonagall. The look of loathing on Lucius Malfoy’s face changed rapidly to barely controlled rage, his upper lip curling so that his teeth were just barely visible. I heard Hermione’s sharp intake of breath when Professor McGonagall said that she was her great granddaughter. I knew that Professor McGonagall took great pride in Hermione, especially as she was the best student at Hogwarts. I thought she was claiming to be Hermione’s great grandmother just to get Malfoy to stop insulting Hermione, by referring to her as a mudblood. It took Mr. Malfoy a few seconds to recover his voice and then he shifted his verbal assault to Professor McGonagall.

“How dare you compare me to this filthy little mudblood?” Lucius Malfoy screamed at Professor McGonagall. “She’s no better than a common slut.”

My wand was out of my sleeve and pointing directly at Lucius Malfoy’s head so fast that I did not even realize it. He must have been expecting my reaction because his wand was pointing directly at Hermione’s heart. I wanted to kill him so badly I could taste it. My heart was beating furiously, and my temples throbbed with pain. Our eyes, barely slits, were riveted to each other, the mutual hatred flowing between us like a river of molten, white-hot lava. For a brief instant, the recognition that I would do anything to kill him, showed in Lucius Malfoy’s eyes as fear. This only intensified his rage, once the moment had passed. I knew I could not kill or disarm him before he killed Hermione and he knew that fact as well. The only thing that kept me from sacrificing my life to make sure this evil monster died was Hermione. I could not bear the thought of anything happening to her, I just couldn’t. Malfoy and I had stalemated each other. Neither of us could win. We needed a miracle.

- - -

“Lower your wand Lucius or I’ll kill you and your son where you stand!” said an icy cold, menacing voice from off to my right. “You heard me Lucius, lower your wand, now, or die!” repeated a voice that I suddenly realized belonged to Sirius, my godfather.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when I realized that we now had a fighting chance to get out of this predicament, alive.

Lucius Malfoy broke eye contact with me to glance at Sirius who was just off to our right. I quickly glanced in his direction as well. Both Sirius and Ron had their wands pointed directly at the Malfoys. Ron looked almost as angry as Sirius. He was covering Draco while Sirius drew a dead bead on Lucius.

“Well, if isn’t the escaped murderer come to save Harry Potter and his little mudblood friend,” Lucius Malfoy spat out, keeping his wand pointed directly at Hermione’s heart.

From the instant Malfoy and I had drawn our wands, people in the alley had begun backing away. Once Sirius ordered the Malfoys to drop their wands everyone instantly vanished. Everyone that is, but the hooded figure directly across the alley from us and two other hooded figures a couple of shops down from where we all stood.

“Lucius, I would gladly spend the rest of my life in Azkaban – in exchange for the pleasure of killing you and your son,” Sirius snarled back, his voice as cold as death itself. “I’m telling you for the last time! Lower your wands or die!”

Lucius Malfoy hesitated for a split second. At one point, I actually thought he was going to kill Hermione and attack Sirius. When he finally began to back away, still keeping his wand pointed directly at Hermione, I started to breathe again. Draco, not realizing until the last second that his father was retreating nearly tripped over backwards in his haste to get out of his father’s way. While the Malfoys were retreating, I saw a wand emerge from the sleeve of the hooded figure on the far side of the street.

After the Malfoys reached the far side of the alley, Lucius spoke quietly to the hooded figure, while still keeping his wand and eyes directly on us. The hooded figure quickly whisked Draco into Knockturn Alley as Lucius continued his retreat in that direction. When Lucius reached the entrance to the alley, he suddenly shouted out ‘Serpenumicous’ and several dozen small snakes, about two feet long with alternating red and yellow stripes, shot out of the end of his wand and headed straight for us at amazing speed.

Professor McGonagall gasped loudly, pushing her way in front of Hermione, her wand raised. From the look of the Professor’s face, I knew that she was as frightened as she was angry. ‘Transmogrify Serpentius’ shouted Professor McGonagall as she waived her wand at the snakes. Nothing happened, the snakes still advanced on us. They would be on top of us in seconds. ‘Incendio’ she shouted and swept the flame that emanated from the end of her wand in the direction of the advancing snakes. For a brief moment, the snakes stopped advancing. As quickly as the snakes had stopped, they started up again, heading directly towards us. I tried shouting at the snakes in parseltongue to stop, but to no avail.

I suddenly felt myself rising up from the ground, as if an invisible hand was lifting me. I quickly looked around to see all four of us floating six feet above the stone-paved alley. Mrs. Figg, her wand in her hand, was levitating us into the air and out of the snake’s reach. The snakes, now directly below us, were wiggling amongst themselves in a twisted, slithering mass of black, red and yellow.

‘Finite Incantatum’ boomed the voice of Professor Dumbledore from the middle of the alley.

The snakes abruptly vanished and we floated smoothly back to the ground. As soon as our feet touched the ground, Hermione threw her arms around my neck shaking uncontrollably. At least I thought she was doing all the shaking, until I realized that I was shaking just as much as she was.

I was still enraged over the despicable things that Lucius Malfoy had said to one of the nicest souls in the whole world. When she slowly lifted her head from my chest and looked at me, I saw her broken and shattered spirit etched solidly in her face. Her tear soaked eyes showed the despair of someone who had been devastated, unable to fathom why such an awful thing could possibly happen to them.

I must have cried out in agony, as everyone suddenly turned to look at us. Unable to bear the look on Hermione’s face even for a second, I pulled her to me so that our heads were resting on each other’s shoulders. When I looked up, I saw Ron standing in front of me. Apparently, at a loss for words, Ron just placed his hand on my shoulder. I knew that I could not possibly speak just then, but I did manage a weak ‘thank you’ smile. Ron returned the smile and gave my shoulder a firm squeeze. He must have done the same for Hermione when he walked around behind me as I felt her head move and she stopped shaking quite as much.

While Ron was behind me, I noticed that the two hooded figures, that I had seen earlier, were walking towards us with their hoods pulled back. One was a red haired woman about Sirius’s age and the other was a blond girl that looked to be about my age. My anger slowly ebbed away as the strangers made their way to where Professor Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the alley, talking with Sirius. Dumbledore must have known the women by the way they greeted each other. Once he finished introducing the two of them to Sirius, they all headed towards the shoppe where we stood waiting.

“I think we should all go back inside Madam Malkin’s shoppe,” suggested Professor Dumbledore firmly.

“Hermione, you have suffered an intolerable injustice,” Professor Dumbledore began in his soft-spoken fatherly voice, once we were inside the shoppe. “I can only hope that you will consider the source of the injustice and not let Lucius Malfoy’s vicious remarks weight heavily upon you. He had but one intention and that was to attack and kill Harry in what would be construed as self defense.”

“Albus, that is utterly absurd!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed. “How could anyone think that Lucius Malfoy acted in self defense? His actions were deliberately designed to provoke a fight. He knew exactly what he was doing. If Harry or anyone had been killed, it would be nothing short of premeditated murder!”

“Am I right in assuming that Lucius kept insulting Hermione to the point where you felt compelled to force him to stop?” Professor Dumbledore asked me, his eyebrows arched, as he peered at me over the top of his glasses.

“Yes, Professor, I drew my wand first. But he called her–”

“Harry, it doesn’t matter what Lucius said, as none of it is true,” Dumbledore said, cutting me off in mid sentence. “Lucius goaded you into threatening him with your wand in public. That fact would leave the Ministry of Magic no choice but to acquit Lucius on any charges brought against him.”

“Harry, I know that you would go to any length to defend Hermione,” Professor Dumbledore continued. “Lucius Malfoy is not simply an older copy of Draco. He is smart, cunning and utter ruthless in achieving his desires. In many ways, he is to be taken even more seriously that Lord Voldemort. Voldemort has become fixated on killing you and he is no longer rational. Lucius, on the other hand, is very rational and therefore much more dangerous. Always be on your guard around him. He has a great many dark powers at his command that you are not yet equipped to handle.”

“Albus, stop berating Harry for doing what every decent wizard or witch should do when subjected to the indignities Lucius Malfoy just subjected us to,” Professor McGonagall shouted out angrily. “The only reason Harry threatened Malfoy before I did is that he is much faster when it comes to acting on instinct. I for one am very proud of what Harry did to defend the honor of my great granddaughter and I’m not ashamed to say it.”

“Minerva, I too am immensely proud of Harry,” Professor Dumbledore replied, smiling kindly at me, which dissolved the heartache that I felt for thinking that I had disappointed him. “But that still doesn’t mean that Lucius didn’t almost achieve exactly what he set out to do, and that was to kill Harry, and possibly Hermione, legally by acting in what would be taken for self defense. If you would kindly agree, I think it best we set this discussion aside until later today. Right now I would like to collect the things everyone will need for the journey and leave Diagon Alley as quickly as possible.”

“What journey?” Hermione and I both asked at the same time.

“Hasn’t anyone told you? We are going on a little outing,” Ron piped up, grinning lopsidedly at us.

“I will explain everything you need to know as soon as we are safely away from Diagon Alley,” Dumbledore added, looking first at Hermione and then me.

“Professor, my parents will be waiting outside the Leaky Cauldron to pick up Harry and me at six o’clock.”

“If it is alright with you, Hermione, I will speak to your parents before they arrive to gather up the both you,” answered Professor Dumbledore. “There are a number of things that I feel I must speak with them about. I am confident that your parents will agree to you undertaking this journey with the others – once they understand the needs and risks involved.”

“Alright, Professor, I will leave it up to you to discuss the matter with them,” Hermione replied, flashing me her first real smile since we first left the shoppe.

While Professor Dumbledore and Hermione had been discussing her parents, I glanced over at Ron. He and the new blond haired girl seemed to be taking turns looking at each other. Sirius had his back to us. He was keeping watch out the front window of the shoppe, his wand still in his hand. Once Dumbledore and Hermione were finished discussing what to do about her parents, Professor Dumbledore introduced us to the woman, Madelyn O’Hara, and the girl, Gretchen Larsson. The introductions were brief as Professor Dumbledore was very anxious for us to get the things we needed and leave Diagon Alley as soon as possible.

Hermione

Madelyn and Gretchen both smiled when introduced to the rest of us. I noticed that Gretchen seemed quite interested in Ron, as she was constantly looking at him when he was not looking her way. Professor Dumbledore asked Madelyn, Gretchen and me to pick out the clothes we would need for the journey. He asked the same of Sirius, Harry and Ron. Professor McGonagall and her sister were going to help him keep watch while we picked out the things we thought we would need.

Madelyn told us that the climate where we were going would be warm, but we would still need jackets and slacks for cool evenings. She said that we would not need to make any kind of ‘fashion statement’ as our goal was to blend in as much as possible, whatever that meant.

Gretchen and I were built very differently. I was taller, but her hips and shoulders were broader. We would not be sharing many items of clothing, except perhaps socks. Her face was more round than oval, which was accentuated by the fact that her thick, golden blond hair was woven into two long braids. Her blue eyes sparkled, but her most striking feature was her smile—when I could get her to do so. At first, she seemed a little nervous. So was I. The drama that had unfolded in the alley less than ten minutes ago would have been enough to make anyone nervous.

“Gretchen, how did you manage to get mixed up in this?” I asked, as I selected two jerseys from the pile I was looking through.

“I have been working for Madelyn for the past two summers. When your Professor Dumbledore asked her to go on this journey and to select a female student to accompany her, she selected me. Even though I don’t know where we are going or what we will be doing, I thought it would be better than spending the whole summer at school.”

“Don’t you go home for the summer holiday?”

“No I don’t. I did not start school until I was twelve. I spend the summers helping the teachers and taking special instruction from them. It has enabled me to catch up with the other students.”

“You must miss your family. I know I sure would.”

“I try not to think about it too much,” Gretchen replied as a look of deep sorrow showed on her face and was quickly gone.

“Where are you from, originally?”

“I was born and raised in Sweden. Where are you from?”

“Up until the time I attended Hogwarts, I lived in the greater London area. Do you come from a big family?”

“Yes, I have four brothers and two sisters. Both sisters and one brother are younger than I am. The other three brothers are older.”

“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a house with that many kids. I am an only child. Until I went to Hogwarts, I never had to deal with other kids very much.”

“There were many times I wished that I had been an only child. But having brothers and sisters around kept me from being lonely, even when I wanted to be alone.”

“I used to wish that I had a brother or sister.”

“Hermione, may I ask you something personal?” Gretchen said as she finished selecting two outfits.

“Sure, Gretchen, what did you want to know?”

“Is Harry your boyfriend?”

“Well I sure hope so. Today is our first outing together. Not exactly what I would call a date, especially with the way things have turned out. Only an hour ago I thought Harry and I would be spending a quiet day together, so that we could sort out our feelings for each other.”

“Do you love him?—if you don’t want to answer, I’ll understand.”

“Yes, I do. At least, I think I do. I have never been in love before, so I am not exactly sure what it should feel like. Have you ever been in love before, Gretchen?”

“No, I haven’t, Hermione.”

“Do you have a boyfriend or someone special back at Beauxbatons?”

“No, I don’t. It probably has not helped that I am a better athlete than most of the boys at school. In addition, I have been very busy just trying to keep up with my studies. Other than Potions, I have to work my butt off, just to pass.”

“I guess I’m just one of those lucky people to which learning comes easily. I am sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I read everything I can get my hands on. Harry and Ron are always teasing me about how much I read. I have finally learned not to be a know-it-all in front of them.”

“Does Ron have a girlfriend?” Gretchen asked, glancing over to where Ron and Harry were just finishing their selections for the trip.

“No, Ron is completely unattached.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Gretchen, I have known Ron and Harry since our first year at Hogwarts. The two of them are almost inseparable. Ron has ‘a heart of gold’ and is a great guy. Do not be fooled by that silly grin he flashes around a lot. Even though he doesn’t have Harry’s wizarding abilities, Ron would stand up to a giant, or Voldemort himself, to protect you if need be.”

“Thanks, Hermione, I appreciate your opinion.”

The whole time we were picking out several outfits and a bathing suit, I felt as if there was something buzzing around in the back of my mind that I could not quite recognize. With everything that had happened in the past several minutes, I was not surprised that my mind was in total disarray. The only thing that kept me from completely falling apart was the way Harry had come to my defense. He would have died before letting anything happen to me. I am not sure how I knew that, but I did. That thought both warmed my heart and scared the hell out of me.

Thirty short, harried minutes later, all six of us had picked out the clothes we were going to take to wherever we were going. Professor Dumbledore instructed Madam Malkin to bill him personally for all of the items we had selected. Sirius and Madelyn started to put up a fuss, but he quickly silenced them and they did not pursue the matter. Mrs. Figg and Professor McGonagall took all of our packages and said they would meet us at the rendezvous point. After they had left the shoppe, traveling by Floo powder, Professor Dumbledore informed us that we would be going to Quality Quidditch Supplies, which was just three doors down on the same side of the alley.

Once it had become apparent that nothing else was going to happen in the alley, the wizards and witches returned to continue their shopping. The short trip from Madam Malkin’s to Quality Quidditch Supplies went without incident. Professor Dumbledore led the way, while Sirius and Madelyn followed behind us. Harry and I held hands the entire way, our wands being hidden up the sleeves of our free hands. This forced Ron and Gretchen to walk beside each other, which did not seem to upset either of them.

The Quidditch shop was empty except for one wizard who quickly left shortly after we entered.

“Mr. McDermott and his wife will be helping you select the proper size flying suit,” Professor Dumbledore explained, once we were alone. Since you will be traveling by broom for much of the journey, you will need a proper suit to protect you from the elements. Make sure your suit fits correctly or you will be very uncomfortable once you take to the air.”

I felt my heart sink when Professor Dumbledore mentioned that we would be spending a great deal of time flying by broomstick. If there was anything I disliked about the wizarding world, it was flying on a broom. I much preferred the way Muggles traveled by air, in jet powered aircraft. Harry must have sensed my uneasiness as he just squeezed my hand firmly, smiling warmly.

“Don’t worry about the flying, Hermione,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m sure the kind of flying we will be doing is nothing like Quidditch. Pretty tame mostly, I’d wager.”

“Harry, you know I am lousy at flying. Maybe I shouldn’t be going on this journey,” I whispered back, not really wanting to let Harry go without me. However, just the thought of flying was enough to make me nervous.

Before Harry could reply, Mrs. McDermott led Madelyn, Gretchen, and me to the women’s dressing rooms, where she was to fit us with our flying suits. She measured each of us and quickly returned with leather flying suits for us to try on. The suits had pants and a jacket that attached at the waist by means of a single zipper that ran completely around the waistband. The leather was surprisingly soft and flexible. The pants and jacket were lined with soft, cotton like material. Each leg and arm had a zipper to make the suit fit snugly. The leather was uncolored and devoid of any emblems. I had half expected the suits to be brightly colored Quidditch uniforms, from some team or other. Once I had the suit on, Mrs. McDermott showed me the tabs, which automatically fitted the suit to the contours of my body. As it was quite warm in the dressing room, I did not zip the jacket all the way up. I was the last to finish dressing. Gretchen was standing in front of the full-length mirror appraising the way the suit fit her.

“Madelyn, I thought you said that we were supposed to ‘blend in,’” Gretchen said, turning so that she could look at herself from every angle. “These suits are going to attract every two legged wolf within a hundred miles.”

I just stared at my reflection in the mirror with my mouth hanging open. I had never worn anything this form fitting in my life. Well maybe when I was a little girl, but definitely not since, I started Hogwarts.

“Hermione, if these outfits don’t get the guys attention we are in very serious trouble,” Gretchen said, chuckling as she stood next to me so that we were both visible in the mirror. I felt and saw my face redden at her remark.

“What? Haven’t you ever put a little extra wiggle in your behind, you know, just to make sure Harry notices you,” Gretchen asked, when she noticed that I seemed embarrassed by her previous remark.

“No!” I replied, shocked that she would ask me such a question.

“Oh, come on. Surely, you have done something to make sure Harry knows there is a woman underneath the heavy robes you wear at Hogwarts. What kind of clothes do you wear when you’re not wearing school uniforms?”

I suddenly remembered the sensation I felt when I knew that Harry was looking at my legs while I was wearing my pleated skirt. My feelings must have shown on my face as Gretchen smiled knowingly at me.

Mrs. McDermott handed each of us a leather helmet that fit snugly over on our heads and attached to the collar of the jacket by a single zipper. The back of the helmet was made of an expandable material so that it would accommodate our hair once we wrapped it in a bun. The helmet came with oversized goggles that did absolutely nothing for one’s appearance.

The next things to try on were leather boots, which turned out to be no problem at all. Mrs. McDermott handed each of us a pair of leather boots that were very big and told us to slip them on and stand up. Once the boots were on and we were standing, she used her wand to mold the boots to our feet in a perfect fit.

After our flying suits were completed with leather gloves, molded to our hands with a wave of Mrs. McDermott’s wand, she led us back into the main room of the shoppe where the guys were waiting. All three of the guys were trying very hard not to stare, but I was sure not one of them missed a thing. For a brief instant, Harry had the strangest look on his face, but it quickly vanished as he smiled sheepishly.

Mr. McDermott handed all six of us brooms—the likes of which I had never seen before—, backpacks with straps that slung over your shoulders, and a wristwatch. He also gave Professor Dumbledore a small square package that was about three inches on each side. Mrs. McDermott told Professor Dumbledore that she would see to it that our clothes were sent to Hogwarts.

“Is everyone ready?” Professor Dumbledore asked.

“As ready as we will ever be,” Sirius replied, looking us over carefully.

“From here you will travel by Floo powder to a small farm house just outside Hogsmeade. Say ‘Abbots Farm’ when you use the Floo powder,” Dumbledore instructed. “I will apparate to the farm and make sure everything is in order. I will contact you from there, when I am satisfied that it is safe for you to join me.”

“We will be waiting for your signal,” Sirius replied and Professor Dumbledore vanished.

For the next five minutes, Sirius and Madelyn kept a close eye on the alley while the four of us just looked around the shoppe. Once the image of Professor Dumbledore’s head materialized in the fire, we knew that it was safe to travel to the farm. Ron went first followed by Gretchen, me, Harry, Madelyn and finally Sirius.

Ron

I stepped out of the fireplace into a room that obviously not been lived in, in a great many years. The only two windows were boarded shut. Rays of sunlight penetrated between the cracks of the boards with particles of dust clearly visible in the light rays. I immediately started coughing on the dust-laden air that smelled anything but fresh. Professor Dumbledore was calling to me from the door of the house. Before I could answer him, Gretchen stumbled out of the fireplace and I swung around just in time to keep her from falling to the floor.

“Are you okay, Gretchen?” I choked out as I grabbed her around the waist and began leading her towards the door.

“I’ll be fine, Ron,” she replied as soon as we emerged into the bright sunlight and took deep breaths of fresh air.

Hermione and Harry came out of the house—both holding a hand over their mouths—a few seconds after us. Hermione grinned at us and I realized that I still had my arm around Gretchen’s waist, as she did mine.

“Gretchen, are you sure you will be alright?” I asked removing my arm from around her waist, as I suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

“Yes, I will be alright now that we are outside in the fresh air. Thanks, Ron,” she replied smiling at me.

“Professor, exactly what is this place?” Harry asked, after the dust had cleared from his lungs.

“This farm house used to belong to the Abbots; they died about twenty years ago. We use its fireplace when we wish to travel unnoticed,” Professor Dumbledore replied as Madelyn and Sirius emerged from the house choking on the dust.

“Professor, have you placed a spell on this house to keep the air unfit to breathe?” Hermione asked.

“That is very observant of you, Hermione. Yes, the spell keeps the curious from staying long, although no one has ever come here to my knowledge.”

“Now if all of you would kindly take hold of this old rake, we will Portkey to our final destination.”

Shortly after we were all holding onto the handle of the old rake, we took off flying over a succession of forests and lakes. Thirty minutes later, we landed in the center of a large clearing deep within a dense, almost primeval forest. Directly in front of us was a very large, two-story house with tall stone chimneys at each end. Smoke was curling lazily up from each of the chimneys; the unmistakable smell of burning wood filled the air. The roof appeared to be some type of wooden shingles, covered in several places by a light green moss.

By far the most distinguishing feature of the house was the large porch that stretched the entire length of the building. Many chairs, love seats, and tables were scattered about the porch. The place just felt homey to me. The fact that the sun was shining brightly and the air was warm and fresh probably had a lot to do with the way I felt.

“I have asked Professor McGonagall to stay with you while I go and talk with Miss Granger’s parents,” said Professor Dumbledore, interrupting my visual inspection of the house. “Harry, I have asked Mrs. Figg to go to the Dursleys and collect your possessions. She will inform them that you will not be returning for the remainder of the summer holidays.”

“Thank you Professor,” Harry replied with a strange look on his face.

“Harry, are you all right?” I asked, wondering why he wasn’t jumping for joy at the news of not having to return to the Dursleys for the remainder of the summer.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Ron. I just realized that I might never see them again. Just gave me a queer feeling for a moment, that’s all.”

“I should be back in a couple of hours,” Professor Dumbledore added. “In the meantime, why don’t you all relax and get acquainted with each other. As it is nearing noon, I have asked the house elves to prepare your midday meal. They will call you as soon as it is ready.”

Professor Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg vanished after a short conversation with Professor McGonagall. I noticed that Gretchen seemed a little preoccupied as she gazed at the house.

“A penny for your thoughts,” I said, turning to face her.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Ron. I was just thinking how much this house and the setting reminded me of home, that’s all.”

“Do you come from a big family?”

“Yes, I have four brothers and two sisters, seven of us in all,” she replied, suddenly looking very sad.

“You must miss them a lot.”

“Yes, I do. How many brothers and sisters do you have, Ron?”

“I have five older brothers and one younger sister. Like your family, there are seven of us as well.”

“Looks like we will have lots in common to talk about,” Gretchen replied, smiling directly at me.

“Sure seems that way,” I replied, returning her warm smile.

For the first time in my life, I felt just barely comfortable talking with a very attractive girl, other than Hermione, whom I had known for years. From the moment I had laid eyes on Gretchen, I felt myself drawn to her. Something in the way that she looked at me that made me feel good about myself. Even though Gretchen was very delightful to look at, something else—that I could not quite define—attracted me to her. All I knew was that I wanted to get to know her much better.

“Professor McGonagall, why did you tell Mr. Malfoy that I was your great granddaughter?” Hermione asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Because you are my great granddaughter and I had heard more than enough of his insults to last me two life-times,” Professor McGonagall replied smiling, as I had never see her smile before.

“But, but…you can’t be my great grandmother. It’s just not possible. Both of my parents are Muggles,” Hermione stammered, totally at a loss for what to say next—which for Hermione is a very rare event.

“Perhaps we should go and sit down, as it is going to take awhile to explain everything to your satisfaction,” Professor McGonagall said, gently placing her hand on Hermione’s shoulder. “The rest of you are more than welcome to join us if you wish.”

We all followed Professor McGonagall up the front steps to the porch where she sat down in a cluster of chairs and love seats with enough room for all of us. Harry and Hermione sat in the love seat next to Professor McGonagall, Hermione seated next to her great grandmother—‘More than a bit of a wicked shock there’. Sirius and Madelyn took the other two single chairs, which left a love seat for Gretchen and me to share. Before I had a chance to feel awkward, Gretchen sat down in the love seat and smiled invitingly at me. I quickly sat down beside her, returning her smile.

As soon as everyone was seated Professor McGonagall started talking, addressing her remarks to Hermione, but loud enough for all of us to hear.

“My fathers name was Malcolm Macgregor. He was born in 1895 in the town of Achfary, which is located at the west end of Loch More in what is known as Scotland. He married Anne MacKinnon in 1916. My brother Ian was born in 1918, I was born in 1920 and Arabella two years later in 1922. The muggles had finished their first great war of the century. However, the wizarding world was in terrible chaos because Grindelwald and his followers were terrorizing decent wizards and witches.”

“In 1939, I married Duncan McGonagall from Lairg. He was a most charming and handsome young wizard. He was courageous and very resourceful. He was from a family that had a number of Aurors in their ancestry. I was a young girl of twenty and was madly in love with him.”

“At the time we were married, Grindelwald was at the height of his reign of terror. Shortly after we married, Duncan began working with a very powerful wizard named Albus Dumbledore. Duncan and Albus were working with a number of other wizards and witches to defeat Grindelwald.”

“A year later, we had a daughter, Margaret. By this time, Duncan and I were in a constant state of panic and dread for our daughter’s life. Grindelwald and his followers were using threats against the children of wizarding families to control them. Duncan and I decided that the best thing we could do for Margaret was to place her in a muggle home where she would never be found. When she was just three months old we gave her to a muggle family who had just lost a baby girl to diphtheria. We knew we could never see her again if she was to be safe and happy.”

Hermione, who by this time had tears freely flowing down her cheeks, was kneading Harry’s hand as if it was fresh bread dough. With his free hand, Harry grabbed some tissues from the box on the table beside him and started to dab at the tears on her face. “Thanks, Harry,” Hermione said, looking at Harry with an unmistakable look of love in her eyes.

Professor McGonagall continued on, “Duncan was murdered by Grindelwald the following year along with several other wizards and witches at what has since come to be known as the ‘Animagus Tragedy’. Over the period of the following three years, many people died, both magical and non-magical. Finally, in 1945, Dumbledore was able to defeat Grindelwald and drive the evil spirit from its human host.”

“Hermione, up until the time of Duncan’s death my emotions were constantly overwhelming me. I was constantly given to bursting into tears. I never considered that a weakness and neither should you. Duncan’s death took all of the tears I had left. I have not been able to shed a single tear since then. Hopefully none of the terrible sadness of my young adult life will fall on you.”

Hermione nodded at Professor McGonagall and said “Thank You” in a small and sad voice.

“After Duncan’s death I was completely at a loss as to what to do with myself. Albus Dumbledore finally convinced me that I should come to Hogwarts and teach. I have been there ever since.”

“Now as to your grandmother Margaret, she had a very normal muggle childhood. She was never trained in the ways of magic. I am sure she would have had the natural abilities to be a good witch. However, as she was not trained, her magical powers would have faded from sight. Margaret was very intelligent. She worked at the Oxford Library. Oh, she loved to read and was fascinated by books of all kinds. Margaret married a muggle by the name of William Stewart in 1959. She and William had one daughter, your mother Mary, in 1960. Margaret died in 1982 when you were only two years old.”

“As you know, Hermione, your mother married your father, Robert Granger in 1979 and you were born in 1980. You showed very strong magical qualities at a very early age. At that time, I contacted your parents and explained to them the facts I have just told you. At first, your parents were shocked and did not believe me. Nevertheless, as time went on, your abilities became obvious even to your mother and father. Hermione, I explained to your parents all about Hogwarts. I told them what attending Hogwarts could mean for you. Since you were their only child, it was a very difficult decision for them to let you go off to school away from home. And as they say, ‘The Rest is History.’”

“Why didn’t mum or dad ever tell me about this?” Hermione asked, after Professor McGonagall finished telling her story.

“I asked them not to tell you because Hogwarts has a rule that precludes family members of the staff from attending the school. Albus was the only person who knew that you were my great granddaughter. After all that I had been through, he decided to waive that rule in your case.”

“Is my being your great granddaughter going to cause any trouble?” Hermione asked, looking suddenly very anxious.

“No, it won’t, Hermione. So don’t you worry about it?”

“If the Malfoys believed you, it is going to be common knowledge very quickly,” Harry added. “Do you think they will be able to make trouble for Professor Dumbledore?”

“Knowing the Malfoys, I’m certain they will try, Harry. However, Albus Dumbledore is not easily intimidated by anyone. I’m quite sure you have learned that by now!”

“Yes, Professor, I have indeed noticed that,” Harry replied, grinning broadly.

One of the house-elves materialized next to Professor McGonagall, announced that the midday meal was ready, and would be served buffet style. The weather being as pleasant as it was, we all decided to fill our plates and eat out on the porch.

The main room of the house was very large with a high-pitched transparent ceiling in the center, nothing as grand as Hogwarts of course. Two large fireplaces, with windows on each side, were located to the left and right of the main entrance. A wide staircase opposite the entrance, which split in two, one path leading to the left, the other to the right, presumably led to the rooms on the second floor of the house. In the center of the room was a large dining table that could easily seat sixteen people, four on each side. Along the back wall, to the right of the stairs, was an old hutch filled with dishes and assorted drinking glasses. To the left of the stairs was a long narrow table filled with food, presumably for our midday meal. The aroma invaded my nostrils as soon as we entered the room.

In front of each fireplace stood a low wooden table about six feet square, surrounded on three sides by comfortable looking love seats. ‘Whoever furnished this place must have had couples in mind,’ I thought as I looked over the seating arrangements. Maybe married couples used this place for some form of ‘Retreat’. Along the front wall, on both sides of the entranceway, were bookshelves filled with several hundred books in varying sizes and colors. A cozy fire with more than enough books to read for the rest of your natural life, Harry was never going to get Hermione out of this room. I hoped that there would be a few Quidditch books on the shelves for him and me to read.

Scattered around the walls were the usual assortment of old pictures of wizards and witches, that watched us as we entered the room. Most of them were smiling at us. Two of the wizards looked especially grumpy—they probably had never smiled in their lives. The floor was made of wood, which creaked when we walked across it, headed for the table laden with a delicious assortment of food.

Harry and Hermione were holding hands as they looked over the room and its contents. They grinned at each other when they saw the array of love seats in front of the fireplaces. Gretchen noticed their reaction at the same time and slightly raised her eyebrows when we looked at each other. ‘What did she mean by that?’ I wondered. I hoped it was a good sign. This journey might just be something to remember.

After the ladies had filled their plates Harry, Sirius and I filled ours. I was starved, but I did not want Gretchen to know just how much I normally ate, so I only filled one plate. When we returned to the porch, we found Hermione and Gretchen sitting opposite each other at one table with Madelyn and Professor McGonagall at another table. My spirits soared as I was trying to figure out how to invite Gretchen to sit next to me. It looked as if everything had been prearranged. I had a suspicion that this was Hermione’s doing. The devilish grin on Hermione’s face more than confirmed my suspicion.

“Harry, did Sirius tell you or Ron any more about our journey while you were picking out clothes or getting fitted for your flying suits?” Hermione asked, after we had started to eat.

“No, he didn’t, Hermione. We don’t know any more about where or why we are going than you do.”

“I’m pretty sure Sirius knows where and why, but he hasn’t said anything to me,” I added between bites.

“I would assume that Professor Dumbledore will tell us everything we want to know when he returns,” Gretchen said, looking at each us.

“Gretchen, Professor Dumbledore never tells us everything we want to know,” Harry replied, a small trace of sarcasm in his voice. “He tells only the essential facts and expects us to work things out from there.”

“I don’t know about you three, but I had nothing exciting planned for the rest of the summer,” Gretchen said. “So whatever we are going to do, in wherever we are going to do it, will be a big improvement over what otherwise looked to be a long, dull summer.”

“Gretchen, you are absolutely right,” I replied. “Speaking for myself, I too didn’t have any great prospects for an interesting or unusual summer holiday. I might be wrong, but I’ll wager that by the time we return to school in the fall, we will have some very interesting stories to tell our fellow Gryffindors.”

“Ron, what is a Gryffindor?”

“Gryffindor is the house Hermione, Harry and I belong to at Hogwarts.”

“Huh?”

“Gretchen, the students who attend Hogwarts are divided into four groups, or houses. One of the house names is named Gryffindor,” Hermione explained. “The others are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. An ancient hat sorts—chooses really—which house each student is assigned to at the start of their first year.”

“Is there much rivalry between these houses?” Gretchen asked.

“Oh yeah, the house that accumulates the most points at the end of the year wins the ‘House Cup’. It’s what we work for all year,” I replied.

“Why aren’t there students from other houses going on this journey?” Gretchen asked, as she finished eating and pushed her plate away from her.

“Because Lord Voldemort isn’t interested in killing or kidnapping any of them,” I replied so sharply that I even surprised myself. “Voldemort is obsessed with killing Harry. Hermione and I being Harry’s closest friends are targets as well.”

“I’m sorry, Ron. I didn’t mean upset you,” Gretchen said meekly, staring down at the table.

“Gretchen, you didn’t upset me,” I quickly replied, placing my hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “We are all just a little touchy on the subject. Probably has something to do with constantly waiting for someone to attack us again. Like this morning in Diagon Alley.”

When Gretchen looked up at me, she had tears in her eyes. This I was completely unprepared to deal with. I felt my stomach leap to the back of my throat. The only thing I could think to do was hand her my napkin—which was somewhat dumb as she had her own—tell her to dry her tears and not to cry because we were used to these attacks. This was a lie, but Harry and Hermione didn’t say anything thankfully.

“I don’t know about you three, but I feel like going for a walk,” Hermione said, after a short silence. “Harry?”

“Good idea, Hermione,” Harry replied, standing up with Hermione.

“Gretchen, would you like to walk with us?” I asked, smiling as warmly as I knew how.

“Yes, Ron, I would like that very much,” replied Gretchen, returning my smile and reaching out a hand so that I could help her up.

Hermione asked Professor McGonagall if it would be all right for us to talk a walk around the clearing, to which she readily agreed. A minute later, we were walking through the clearing, soaking up the warmth of the sun and trying to push the thoughts of Voldemort from our minds.

Sirius

Up until the moment Albus had told me that I was exonerated in the deaths of Harry’s parents and Peter Pettigrew, I never thought I would have a chance for a normal life. The twelve years I had spent in Azkaban followed by the last three years, spent mostly in hiding, had left me with little hope of having a wife and family. Within the span of only a few hours, not only did I learn that I could walk around in broad daylight, a free man; but I also learned that a beautiful single woman was to be my partner on the journey Albus was arranging for us to take. Fate—if there is such a thing—can sure through you some unexpected curves.

Madelyn’s flame red hair was impossible to miss. It was even redder than Ron’s was. When Madelyn smiled, which she seemed to do quite often, her green eyes sparkled like emeralds reflecting the sun’s rays. The snug fitting flying suit she was wearing made it obvious that there was a very mature woman zipped inside the leather jacket and pants. Madelyn’s curves showed in all the right places. ‘Damn, she could turn out to be a major distraction if I didn’t keep my mind on business,’ I thought to myself. ‘You’re complaining? Brother, you have been out of touch way, way too long,’ said the voice of my inner self.

It had been so long since I had sat at a table with anyone other that Harry and his friends, that I was feeling more than a little self-conscious. While we ate, I let Madelyn and Minerva do most of the talking. Part of the reason for listening instead of talking, could have just been a holdover from my days spent concealing my identity. Whatever the reason, I did not say much until I had finished eating.

“Sirius, has Albus given you any indication of what our journey is about or where we will be going?” Madelyn asked, as she pushed her plate away from her and leaned back in her chair.

“Yes, Madelyn, he has. I see no reason that you should not know. We are going to journey to the Realm in an attempt to obtain the ancient ‘Impervious’ charm.”

“You’re not joking, are you?” Madelyn asked a look of astonishment on her face.

“No, Madelyn, I’m not. Albus feels that one of the best ways to protect Harry, Hermione and Ron in their fight against Lord Voldemort is for them to try to obtain the protection of the ‘Impervious’ charm. Personally, I don’t think we have much of a chance of obtaining this charm—if it even exists anymore—but I’m willing to try.”

“I’ll be damned,” Madelyn exclaimed softly.

“Well, let’s hope not,” replied Minerva, looking almost as shocked as Madelyn over the reason for our journey.

“Like most others, I’ve heard all the old tales of the Realm and the Portals that connects it to the outer worlds,” Madelyn said, her eyes wide with anticipation. “I never thought that someday I would actually be setting foot in the Realm. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be trying to obtain the ‘Impervious’ charm.”

“I imagine this is not quite what you expected when you agreed to go on this journey, is it, Madelyn?”

“No, Sirius, it sure isn’t. Not that I want to change my mind about going, you understand. It will just take me some time to get used to the idea, that’s all.”

“I’m afraid time is something we don’t have much of. Albus told me that the Portal opened yesterday and will close twenty seven days from now,” I added as I looked at Madelyn trying to gauge how she would react in a crisis. I was reasonably sure we would encounter more than one crisis on the upcoming journey.

“Well then, we will just have to be quick about it,” Madelyn replied, her voice strong and confident.

“Are Harry and Hermione romantically involved?” Madelyn asked, after several seconds of gazing at the kids wandering around the clearing.

“They are now, or at least I think they are,” I replied, looking to Minerva for her opinion.

“It would seem so, Sirius,” she replied, a soft smile crossing her face.

“Madelyn, is that a problem?” I asked, puzzled by the thoughtful look on her face.

“No, no it’s not a problem,” she replied, turning her gaze away from the kids, back to Minerva and me. For a brief moment, I though I saw a deep sadness in her eyes when she looked directly at me.

“There are days I would give almost anything to be that young and innocent again,” I said, nodding in the direction of the kids.

“I know just how you feel, Sirius, I really do,” Madelyn replied softly, as she placed her hand on top of mine.

Minerva and Madelyn spent the next couple of hours talking about the similarities and differences between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons while I half listened and half thought about what might lie ahead of us. Albus returned in mid-afternoon, looking quite satisfied. He had successfully contacted Hermione’s parents and they had given their consent for her to undertake this journey.

We decided to give the kids some more time to get to know each other. Supper would not be ready for another couple of hours. This afternoon might be the last chance they would have to spend some quiet, peaceful time just enjoying themselves. When at last a house-elf announced that the evening meal was ready, I called to the kids to return to the house.

Hermione

“Would you all please be seated?” Professor Dumbledore said indicating the main dining table, after we had all entered the main room.

Sirius and Madelyn sat in the chairs closest to the front door. Harry took my hand and led me to the chairs on Sirius’s left, while Ron and Gretchen sat opposite us. This left the head of the table, if there was a head, for Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.

When we were all seated except for Professor Dumbledore, he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face “I would like to say a few words. ‘Let’s eat.’”

At this, he took out his wand and said “Accio Feastialis”. The table was instantly filled with all sorts of different food and drink. There was roast chicken, steak, kidney pie, glazed ham, potatoes, vegetables galore, several kinds of bread and relishes. To drink, there was flasks of ice-cold pumpkin juice plus several assorted fruit juices. “Boy, I am starved,” I said to no one in particular and starting filling my plate. I noticed that everyone must have felt the same way as each of us was busy filling his or her own plates.

Ron’s plate was overflowing as usual. Gretchen’s plate was also well filled. With a smile on my face, I said to Ron, “Do you think you have enough food to last till breakfast?”

“You never know when or where your next meal may come. So eat while you can. That’s my motto,” he replied, grinning at Harry and me.

Harry looked at my plate and then at me and said “Hermione, looks like you don’t plan on starving any time soon yourself.”

I stuck my tongue out at him while holding my head high with as much dignity as I could fake.

Once we had all finished the last of our desserts, Dumbledore cleared the table with another wave of his wand. I noticed that Ron and Gretchen both had guilty looks on their faces. Then I realized they had managed to nick some of the desserts for a late night snack. When I was looking across the table at Ron, I realized just how much he had changed since I last saw him. He was no longer the freckle-faced boy that I remembered. He was changing into a handsome young man. He also seemed less afraid of pretty girls. He and Gretchen were talking and laughing together as if they were old friends. I knew he could not have changed that much in just three weeks. The only obvious answer was that I had never really looked at him lately.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and we all looked at him. “Now that we are all well fed, I would like to tell you why I have brought you here.”

Harry

As Professor Dumbledore started to speak, I took Hermione’s hand in mine and turned my attention to the Professor.

“Harry, Hermione, Ron, Gretchen, what I am about to tell you is something you normally wouldn’t learn about until the end of your seventh year of studies. Ron and Gretchen, both coming from wizarding families have heard many stories of ‘The Realm’, which is the magical world of our ancestors and the source of our magical abilities. The Realm is as old as time itself, or least so goes the legend. The Realm is at the center, or hub, of a group of twenty outer worlds that occupy the vertices of a dodecahedron. As you may recall a dodecahedron is a twelve-sided polygon composed of equal sized pentagons. A Portal connects each of the twenty worlds, or vertices, to its three immediate neighbors. In addition, there is a Portal between the Realm and each of its twenty outer worlds. Of the four Portals here on Earth, the three to neighboring outer worlds are always open but the Portal to the Realm is only open once every one hundred years during the time of the July lunar here on earth. When that Portal is open, wizarding folk are free to pass between the Realm and Earth.”

“Professor, I thought this whole portal story was just a myth. Are you telling us it’s real?” Ron asked.

“Yes, Ron, there really are portals to other worlds. I crossed through the portal from the Realm to this world one hundred years ago. A thousand years ago Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all came through the portal and built Hogwarts. Hogsmeade was founded while Hogwarts was being built. Most of the witches and wizards who worked on Hogwarts lived in Hogsmeade. After the school was finished, the village continued to flourish on its own.”

“I was fifty years old and had been waiting patiently for the portal to open so that I might come to this world. During those fifty years, I had studied magic under some of the brightest wizards and witches in the Realm. I noticed in my studies a constantly reoccurring theme, namely the never-ending battle between good and evil. Every charm, curse, spell, potion, hex, or ability was either associated with the attainment of power for evil purposes or the protection against evil and those who practiced it. Harry, do you remember what Voldemort said to you when he was trying to acquire the Philosopher’s Stone?” Dumbledore asked me.

“Yes, Voldemort said ‘There is no good or evil, just power and those strong enough to take it,’” I replied.

“That’s correct, Harry. In many ways, Voldemort is correct. In and of itself there is no ‘Evil’ entity that exists outside of human beings. Evil exists because of the actions of human beings who are trying to attain power through any means possible. What is the ultimate power these beings are trying to attain?” asked Professor Dumbledore.

After a brief silence in which Dumbledore looked to each of us, Hermione said, “Would that be immortality, Professor?”

“You are absolutely correct, Hermione,” Professor Dumbledore replied.

I noticed that Professor McGonagall was looking exceptionally pleased with Hermione.

Dumbledore continued. “In the pursuit of their quest for immortality, through any means possible, the perpetrator loses all of their own humanity. They become creatures without souls that end up hating the qualities that make us human. They hate and envy the rest of us for the very things they have forsaken in their quest for immortality. These foul creatures can never know the simplest feelings we take for granted. The strongest of these feelings is love. Harry, Hermione, the love that you feel for each other is one the strongest emotions in the universe. The other equally strong emotion is hate. Since the dawn of humanity these two emotions have been in a constant state of conflict.”

“Professor, where does hate come from? We are not born with it. What drives people to hate?” Gretchen asked.

“Gretchen, the most common source of hate is fear,” Dumbledore replied. “Fear is the single most debilitating emotion a person can be afflicted with, although there are many others, such as self-pity. Fear can rob us of the capacity for rational thought and compassion for our fellow humans. It is how we cope with fear and the choices we make in dealing with our fears, that determines whether we are essentially a good or evil person. You have all had to cope with fear in your life and you will again in the future. It is when you lose your capability to love that fear drives you to evil.”

“Does this make sense to all of you?” Professor Dumbledore asked. “Sirius, Madelyn, this question is directed at you as much as it is these young folks,” he added.

“Yes Albus, I understand only too well what you are saying,” replied Sirius. “When I was imprisoned in Azkaban I was almost consumed by hate. All I could think about was killing Pettigrew. I was willing to sell my soul for the chance to do just that. However, from somewhere down deep inside me I started getting flashbacks of James and Lily. Slowly the love that I had for them and they had for me was able to penetrate through my hatred. I still wanted to kill Pettigrew. It wasn’t until Harry decided that Pettigrew should live that I was able to cast off my hate and replace the emptiness with love for Harry.”

“Professor, will evil finally win out over good?” asked Ron.

“Only if we let it, Ron,” Professor Dumbledore replied. “That is why I have spent my life in the pursuit of fighting people who do evil deeds, wherever they exist. I have spent a great deal of time studying the history of human endeavors relating to good and evil.”

“During my studies I was particularly fascinated by a legend known as the ‘Phoenix Prophecy’. At its core, this tale is the story of the confrontation between good and evil. The tale tells of a young wizard and witch who will one day attempt to defeat the ‘Dark Lord’ and send his spirit back into the endless void from which it sprang. According to the tale, a young witch that is very clever will assist the young wizard, who is very courageous. The young wizard will be befriended by a Phoenix that belongs to his mentor. The young wizard is known as ‘Seeker’ and the witch as ‘Reader.’”

I was starting to get that same feeling of dread in my stomach that came over me before each of the tasks in the Tri-Wizard championship, held three years ago. My hands were also starting to sweat. Hermione must have noticed this as she gave my hand a quick squeeze and me a look of loving support. I smiled back at her rather weakly, and mouthed a silent ‘I Love You’ as Professor Dumbledore continued.

“Unfortunately the prophecy never says whether the young wizard and witch succeed or fail at their task. The tale is a little vague on the origin of the wizard or witch except for this one passage and I quote.” Dumbledore looked straight at me and said.

“‘The Seeker’s parents were killed by the evil Sorcerer Mortius when he was but a young child. Because of the Seeker’s parents’ loving sacrifice, their love was transformed into an awesome power, and was bestowed on him. The power hereafter became known as ‘The power of Lightning and Thunder.’ The symbol for this power is a scar in the shape of a bolt of lightning.’”

“Bloody Hell!” Ron burst out.

“Mr. Weasley. Kindly watch your language,” snapped Professor McGonagall.

“I’m sorry Professor,” Ron added quickly, looking quite embarrassed.

I just sat there. I could not move or speak. It was as if I was watching from a dream. Rather like the time when I fell into Professor Dumbledore’s pensive three years ago. Everyone was looking at me. I could see looks of total amazement on their faces. Even Professor McGonagall looked totally thunderstruck.

I started to hear someone calling my name very faintly. As the voice grew louder and louder I finally realized it was Hermione. She was repeating over and over ‘Oh, Harry, Oh, Harry.’ Tears were starting to stream down her face. I finally managed to reach for the glass of water that Professor Dumbledore had set in front on me.

After a sip, I was able to croak out, “I’ll be Ok. Just give me a minute.”

I could now hear Professor Dumbledore plainly. He was telling me to ‘breathe deeply and relax.’ After what seemed like an hour but was probably just a few seconds, I was able to speak normally, well as normal as anyone could under the circumstances.

I put my arm around Hermione and said to her, “I’ll be fine, don’t cry.” I looked over at Sirius and Madelyn. Both of there faces were very pale, especially Sirius. “Sirius, take the Professor’s advice. ‘Breathe deeply and relax,’” I told him. At my words, he seemed to relax a little and smiled back at me.

Ron added, “You know for once, Harry, I don’t envy you one damn bit.” At having said ‘damn’ he quickly glanced in Professor McGonagall’s direction as if to say ‘Sorry about that.’

“Harry,” said Professor Dumbledore, “One of the reasons I came to Hogwarts was so that I could keep track of all of the young wizards and witches. I was constantly watching for any sign that the prophecy might come to pass. On the night your parents were killed, Hagrid brought you to the Dursleys and I saw the lightning scar on your forehead. I knew then that the prophecy was about to begin. I hid you among the muggles to keep you safe until you could be trained in the ways of magic. When in your second year, you were able to summon Fawkes to your side; I was absolutely convinced that you were the ‘Seeker’. As for the Reader, well that too was becoming quite obvious.” Dumbledore spoke this last sentence looking directly at Hermione with a very kind and pleased look on his face.

“Hermione, are you Ok?” I asked.

She just nodded and asked “Professor do you think I could have a glass of water too?”

“Certainly you may, Hermione. In fact we could all do with something to drink.” Dumbledore waved his wand over the table and several flasks of various beverages appeared.

“Wouldn’t happen to have any Butterbeer, would you Professor?” Ron asked and everyone laughed. The laughter broke the tension and everyone seemed to be more at ease.

I said, “Professor, the legend doesn’t say whether we, I mean the ‘Seeker’ and ‘Reader’ succeed or fail. Is that right?”

“Yes, Harry, you are correct,” he replied.

“Why doesn’t it tell what happens? I asked.

“This tale is a Prophecy not a true legend. Predicting the future with any degree of certainty is utterly impossible.”

“Boy is Professor Trelawney in for a shock. Just wait until she hears about this, Harry. She will go bonkers.” Ron said this with a huge grin on his face. At this outburst, even Professor McGonagall and Hermione burst out laughing.

“I’m sure Sybil Trelawney will be able to take this in stride,” Professor McGonagall added, grinning broadly.

“Minerva, I am quite convinced that at some point in the not to distant future, Harry and Hermione are going to confront Voldemort and his followers and that one or more persons is not going to survive this encounter,” stated Professor Dumbledore in a very grave tone of voice.

At this, Sirius shouted, “Professor, you can’t possibly expect these two youngsters to take on Voldemort. There must be some other way. Surely we have enough adult wizards and witches who would be ready and willing to fight that foul creature.”

“Sirius, I truly wish there were some other option open to us. Voldemort knows that Harry is his mortal enemy and the one most likely to destroy him. Now that Hermione has freely bonded herself with Harry, the two of them represent the greatest threat to his very existence. Harry I do not intend to lose you or Hermione as I did your parents.” Professor Dumbledore said this with such fire and vengeance in his voice that both Hermione and I jumped in our chairs. Dumbledore began speaking again.

“I have worked out a plan that will give Harry and Hermione all the protection that can be done. With this added protection and help from all of us who value good and decency, I feel we have a very good chance of defeating Voldemort. In essence the plan is to place Harry and Hermione under the protection of the ‘Impervious’ charm. Use them as bait to draw out Voldemort so that he can be killed. I do not say this lightly since I am opposed to killing under any circumstance. However, Voldemort is no longer truly human. Voldemort is an evil that inhabits a body conjured up from the dead. The person that was once Tom Riddle died many years ago, consumed by the dark side of magic.” When Dumbledore finished speaking, he looked tired.

“Professor Dumbledore, I thought the ‘Impervious’ charm was just a myth.” Hermione said, looking puzzled.

“Hermione, here on Earth that charm cannot be cast.” began the Professor. “However in the Realm it is still possible and I might as well add, quite difficult to acquire.”

“Exactly how do we go about acquiring this charm?” Hermione asked her voice barely more than a whisper.

“You will all travel through the Realm collecting the necessary ingredients. Once you have all of the required ingredients, you will travel to the ‘Mountain of Fire’ where you will prepare a potion from the ingredients you have collected. After drinking the potion, you and Harry will stand in the fiery breath of a dragon. This will crystallize, or fuse, the potion into a shield that should make you impervious to most evil spells.”

I heard a loud thump next to me and looked over to see Hermione lying face down on the table in front of her.

“Hermione,” I screamed and quickly cradled her into my arms. “Please, Hermione, wake up, wake up,” I begged her.

Professor McGonagall came over to her great grand daughter, waved her wand and said ‘Wacenum’. Hermione’s eyes fluttered open and she seemed quite dazed. I helped her to sit up slowly and she took several small sips of water.

“Sorry I passed out,” she said, looking quite embarrassed.

“Don’t feel bad,” I replied. “Remember, the same thing happened to me when the Dementors got close to me, before I learned how to ward them off?”

Sirius

“Professor, do you think we could take a break and let these kids catch their breath?” I asked.

“Yes, Sirius, I think that’s an excellent idea.” Dumbledore replied.

As we got up from the table Ron and Gretchen hurried over to Harry and Hermione and they all started hugging each other. After several minutes, I beckoned Harry to come see me. I took Harry over by the fireplace.

“Harry, how are you holding up?” I asked him.

“This is pretty overwhelming,” he replied. “I think I should be able to handle all of this. I just need a little time to absorb the meaning and consequences of what Professor Dumbledore has just told all of us. Remember, Sirius, I have faced Voldemort several times in the past six years. While I do not relish the idea of going up against him again, especially now that Hermione is involved, at least I have some idea of what to expect. When Voldemort regained a human body, I was able to fight him to a draw and escape before he could kill me. Maybe I was just lucky or maybe there is something powerful associated with my scar that I don’t yet understand.”

“Harry, I am immensely proud of you,” I told him. “You have proven yourself the equal of any adult wizard or witch with the courage and resourcefulness you have displayed in facing the most hideous evil creature of our time. I too believe that you are ready to undertake this task.”

“I have something to give you, Harry.” I told him to hold out his hands and placed a gold chain in each one. “These chains belonged to your parents. I have been waiting for the right time to give them to you. I believe now is that time. The thin chain with the small heart shaped locket was you mother’s of course. The thicker braided chain belonged to your father. Your parents gave these chains to each other as symbols of their never-ending love for each other.” I was having an extremely hard time saying this, as many painful memories were flooding back into my mind.

“Sirius, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will treasure them always.” Harry looked over at Hermione and then back to me. “Sirius, do you think mum would understand if I gave her chain to Hermione to wear? Harry asked me tentatively.

“Harry, I think your mother would not only understand but that she would be immensely proud of you as well. I know that if she were here today, she and your dad would absolutely adore Hermione.”

“Sirius, you’re the best godfather anyone could possible ask for.” Harry said, while throwing his arms around me, giving me an enormous hug, which I wholeheartedly returned.

“Now, you better get back to Hermione before she thinks I’m trying to keep you away from her,” I said.

“Oh, Hermione would never think that,” Harry replied and walked over to where Hermione was talking to Ron and Gretchen.

I watched Harry walk back over to the other youngsters. Harry was so much like James, in every way possible. He had that same quiet personality, yet he could be fiercely competitive when he wanted to be. His love for Hermione was just like James’ love for Lily.

I had failed James and Lily. I would die before I let any harm come to Harry or Hermione. I owed them that, and much more.

Looking at Ron was like looking at me at his age. He and Harry were the best of friends. Gretchen has turned out to be an added bonus. She and Ron seem to have hit it off right away. She is just what the doctor ordered to boost Ron’s self-confidence when it comes to girls, I thought to myself.

I walked over and sat down next to Madelyn, who was talking with Albus and Minerva. She smiled at me as I sat down. Madelyn was easy to talk with. She had a very slight Irish accent, which added considerable charm to her voice.

“Albus, what are we up against?” I asked.

“Sirius, I’m not going to make light of the challenges that you will have to overcome to collect the necessary ingredients and convince the dragons that your purpose is worthy. I do feel the talents that each of you possess, when combined to accomplish your common goal, will be sufficient to succeed on this journey to the Realm and back.”

“Sirius, I asked Madam Maxime to send me a teacher and a student to undertake this journey with you. I specifically asked that if possible, the teacher should be an Animagus like you. I am happy to say the Madelyn has this ability. She can transform herself into a falcon. This could prove quite useful to you on your journey. As I mentioned before, Madelyn also has considerable experience as a field nurse. Hopefully, you will have minimal need for her abilities in this area.”

“My sentiments exactly,” I said. “What special skills does Gretchen possess?”

“Gretchen is one of the very best students Beauxbatons has ever had when it comes to potions.” Madelyn replied. “She, like me is also very competent on a broom.”

“Well it sounds as though you have thought of everything,” I said to Albus.

“Let’s hope so,” he replied.

Hermione

When Harry rejoined Ron, Gretchen, and I, he put his arm around my waist. He looked liked he wanted to say something. After talking with us for several minutes, Harry asked. “Professor Dumbledore, would it be alright if Hermione and I went out onto the porch?”

“Yes, you may. However, please don’t leave the porch.”

Harry took my hand and led me out onto the porch. When we reached a double size chair away from the front door, I wrapped my arms around Harry’s waist and laid my head on his shoulder, facing his neck. He placed one hand on my back and started stroking my hair with the other. With my ear pressed to his shoulder, I could hear his heart softly beating. The rhythmic beating was very soothing on my tattered nerves. I felt like I could stand there in his arms forever.

We stood embraced for several minutes just enjoying the mutual warmth we gave each other. Finally, Harry said, “Hermione, I would like to give you something.”

“And what would that be?” I asked, stepping back a half step so that I could look into his face.

“This chain and locket,” he replied, holding up the most beautiful gold chain and locket I had ever seen.

“Oh, Harry its beautiful,” I said in a very awed voice.

“My father gave this to my mother as a token of his love and affection for her. And now I give it to you as my token of everlasting love and affection that I feel for you.”

I could barely see the tears in Harry’s eyes, mostly because mine were flooded with tears of sheer joy. Words just failed me. I could not think of the words that would adequately express my feelings. I placed my hand on the back of his neck and gently pulled his face to mine and kissed him.

“Thank you, Harry. I would be honored to accept this gift from you. It will be my most treasured possession,” I finally managed to say.

“Harry, would you fasten the chain around my neck,” I said, lifting my hair from my neck with both hands and turning my back towards him.

Harry encircled my neck with the chain and clicked the clasp shut. Before I could turn around, he kissed me on the back of my neck. His unexpected kiss tickled me and I jumped and squealed, “Harry!” When I turned around to face him he was smiling as he looked at the locket hanging on the front of my flying suit. I suddenly frowned as I realized I did not have anything to give him in return.

He noticed this right away and said, “What’s the matter, Hermione?”

“I feel bad because I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

“I’m sure that someday you will find something that will adequately express your feelings. Until then I can wait.”

“Well here’s something to tide you over,” I said, and kissed him again. We sat down on the chair. I leaned my back against Harry and he wrapped his arms around me. I could not remember any time in my life when I felt this happy.

“Hermione, I know that the thought of everything we may have to go through is more than a little daunting. I can honestly say that I am not looking forward to being turned into human toast by some dragon.”

“Harry, I wish you hadn’t said that. Right now, it is still very terrifying to think about even being near a dragon. Let alone to let it deliberately breathe fire on you. I hope by the time we have all of the ingredients I will be able to think about this more calmly. As long as you are going to be by my side I think I will be able to do this.”

“Hun, I feel exactly the same. I know this might sound a little weird but I am glad you will be with me. The last several times I have faced Voldemort, I have had to do it alone. It is the worst feeling you can imagine. Having to face mortal peril and feel that you are all alone in the world.”

“Harry, I will always be with you. No matter what happens to us, always remember that I love you now and for all time. Even though facing Voldemort may mean grave danger to me, I want to be at your side. Believe me when I say this because it is not easy for me to think of myself actually trying to defeat Voldemort. To me, the height of excitement is reading some harrowing book in the library.”

Harry suddenly started laughing and said. “It sure would be nice if we were just reading about all of this in some story, rather than actually living it. I am tired of worrying about all of this. Let’s follow Hagrid’s advice; ‘What’s comin will come and we’ll meet it when it does.’”

I could sense that Harry had come to grips with our future, as he seemed quite relaxed. I was not relaxed, because at the very moment he started tickling me in the ribs. I am horribly ticklish, especially on the bottom of my feet, which I planned never to mention to him. I was squirming all over the chair trying to get away. I finally managed to turn around so that I could start tickling him. We keep this up for a few more seconds and then I found myself staring into his eyes. For several seconds we just looked into each other’s eyes. It was the most intense feeling I had ever felt in my life. It seemed as if the rest of the world had just faded from existence and Harry and I were the only two people in the universe. At that moment, I realized what it was like to have someone be more important to you than yourself. Harry whispered, “I love you.” Then he kissed me very tenderly.

“I love you too,” I added, blinking back a tear.

“Harry, it’s colder out here than I thought. Could we go back inside and sit by the fire?” I asked.

“Sure, let’s go.” Harry replied. We walked back into the house and went to sit by Ron and Gretchen who were seated in front of one of the fireplaces.

Ron

After Harry and Hermione went out on the front porch, I asked Gretchen if she would like to go and sit by the fire. In front of each fireplace there were three large love seats facing a low table. We sat down on one of the love seats together, turning so that we could face each other and talk. Gretchen pulled her legs up beside her as she sat down.

Gretchen, noticing that I was staring at her shoulders looked from side to side trying to figure out what I was looking at.

“It’s you hair,” I said. “My only sister Ginny has very short hair and I couldn’t help thinking how beautiful your hair would be when it wasn’t in braids.”

“Oh,” she said smiling and asked me if I would like to unbraid and brush it out for her?

“Are you serious? I’d love to,” I replied.

She reached into her handbag and retrieved a brush. She slid the elastic bands from the ends of her braids and turned her back to me.

“Unravel the braids first and begin brushing slowly at about the middle of my hair until the tangles are worked loose,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

I got my knees folded under me so that I could easily reach all of her hair and began unwinding her braids. Her hair was very soft and naturally straight. It had a light fragrance that smelled enchanting. After undoing, both braids I began to brush her hair slowly, working from the middle to the sides. This was definitely a first for me. I never knew brushing a girl’s hair could be this enjoyable.

As I brushed we talked about our families and homes. From time to time, she would look over her shoulder at me, and smile. Gretchen’s smiles were warm and friendly. Each time she smiled at me, I felt warm all over. Once when I was scooping up a hand full of hair and my fingers touched the back of her neck she shivered. “I’m Sorry,” I said.

“Oh, that’s alright. It just tickled a little,” she replied.

After what seemed like no time at all, Harry and Hermione came in from the porch. Hermione was positively glowing as she and Harry sat down on the love seat opposite us. Gretchen turned back around to face me and said “Thanks, Ron. That felt wonderful.”

“You’re welcome, Gretchen. Any time you would like me to do it again, just let me know,” I offered.

“You can count on it, Ron.”

“Hey when are you going to brush my hair?” piped up Hermione.

“Ask Harry,” I replied. I’m sure he would love to brush your hair.”

Hermione stuck her tongue out at me. “That’s not very ladylike,” I added.

“Whoever said I was a lady?’ she shot back.

As Gretchen looked over at Hermione, she immediately noticed the gold chain and locket hanging around her neck. “That’s a very nice looking locket, Hermione,” she said.

“Harry just gave it to me. It used to belong to his mother,” Hermione replied. At the mention of Harry’s mum Gretchen seemed uncertain as to what to say.

I quickly added, “She’s right, the locket is very pretty. It looks right at home around your neck, Hermione.”

“Why, thank you, both.” she said taking Harry’s hand in hers.

“Hermione, have you ever read anything about this ‘Impervious’ charm?” I asked.

“I think I remember reading something about it in ‘Ancient Charms and Potions’ three years ago, while we trying to figure out how Harry could breathe under water.”

“Are you two okay with this?” I asked them.

“Well the thought of standing still while a dragon breathes fire on you is positively terrifying,” Harry said. “I’m not sure we have any real choice though. If we do not try this and succeed, it will be only a matter of time before Voldemort kills us. We are as ready as we can be to try this charm, right Hun?”

“Yeah, right,” replied Hermione. Although from the sound of her voice, she was not very sure. But then again neither was Harry. What I personally thought of this idea I did not dare say aloud.

“Just how did you get sucked into this madness, Gretchen? I asked her.

“Well two things, I guess. One I have a real knack for potions and two I am good flyer.”

“I can see that we are going to need someone who is very good at making potions now that we know what we are attempting to do. I just wish we weren’t going to have to fly everywhere,” Hermione added.

“Why is that, Hermione?” Gretchen asked.

“It’s just that I’m not very good at flying yet. I’m constantly afraid that I will fall off or crash into something.”

“Don’t worry,” Gretchen told Hermione. “I’ll teach you how to fly. A Girl needs to learn from another girl. Boys don’t fly the same way as us girls do.”

“She’s sure got that right, right, Harry?” I said, grinning evilly.

While I was grinning at Harry, Gretchen elbowed me in the ribs none too gently. “Ouch that hurt,” I said, rubbing my sides tenderly.

“What, that was just a gentle nudge.”

“I’ll show you gentle,” I said trying to tickle her ribs. We wrestled for a couple of minutes, each trying to get at the others ribs. Harry and Hermione were grinning at us the whole time. Finally, when Gretchen and I had stalemated each other by getting our arms tangled with our hands clasped together we stopped struggling. We were face-to-face, just inches apart. We stared at each other for a long awkward moment and then we quickly let go of each other and untangled ourselves. We did not separate from each other as we sat there. I think we were both a little bit embarrassed.

Hermione changed the subject and started talking about what it would be like when we returned to Hogwarts in the fall. Gretchen was very interested in the school, our professors and the classes. She said she could not wait to meet Hagrid. Just about the time we all were starting to yawn Professor Dumbledore announced that it was time for bed. He said that he and Professor McGonagall would be placing us all under mild sleeping charms so that we could get a good night’s sleep. They would be standing watch over the house and us while we slept. Dumbledore told us that the wizard’s room was on the right and the witch’s room on the left. Bedclothes of the correct size were laid out on the beds.

We all got to our feet to head upstairs. Harry and Hermione gave each other a hug and kiss goodnight. To my astonishment, Gretchen kissed my cheek and said, “Goodnight, Ron. Thank you for everything. You have made me feel right at home.” Hermione, Gretchen, and Madelyn headed up the stairs to their room while Sirius, Harry and I headed up to ours.

Once we changed into our bedclothes and Harry had climbed into his bed, I said to him. “Harry, I am truly very happy for you and Hermione. I hope you two are able to enjoy all the happiness in the world. Oh yeah, don’t forget to name your first son after me.” I said laughing.

“Ron, right now I’ll settle for all of us still being alive for the start of school in September.”

“Harry, you sure got that right. Goodnight, Sirius.” I said and crawled into my bed.

“Goodnight, Ron, Harry.” Sirius said, getting into his own bed.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore came in and with a wave of his wand, I immediately felt very sleepy. The last thing I remember was thinking of the way Gretchen’s kiss tickled my cheek.

Gretchen

When Madelyn, Hermione and I reached our bedroom, we all immediately changed into our bedclothes. Madelyn got into her bed right away and said goodnight to us. I went over and sat on Hermione’s bed with her.

“May I see your new locket?” I asked her

She pulled it outside of her nightgown so that I could get a better look at it. “Hermione, I think there is something very special about that locket.”

“Of course there is. It was given to Harry’s mother by his father as a token of his love and now Harry has pledged his love to me with this locket,” she added as if that should have been obvious.

“No, I know that,” I replied. “What I mean is that I think there is some special charm associated with the chain and locket to help protect you from harm. If I’m right then I’ll bet that Harry doesn’t even know about it.”

“You may be right, Gretchen. Professor Dumbledore may have placed a protective charm on this before Harry’s father gave it to his mum.

“Gretchen, what do you think of Ron?” Hermione asked, suddenly changing the topic of conversation

“I really like him,” I replied. “He is easy to be with and talk to. We have a lot in common because we both come from large families. I think I am going to enjoy this trip much more because of him.”

“I don’t think Ron has ever been as comfortable around another girl the way he is with you,” said Hermione. “I think he likes you too.”

“Hermione, I really like you. I really appreciate the way you, Harry and Ron have treated me since arriving here today.”

“Thank you, Gretchen,” she replied. “I really like you too. It’s going to be very nice having another girl my own age along on the journey. I have a feeling you and I are going to become the best of friends.”

Just then Professor McGonagall came in and said “Lights out, Time for sleep.”

I gave Hermione a quick hug, which she returned, and quickly got into my own bed. The last thing I remember was thinking, “Ron Weasley, you just wait.”