Story: War
Chapter: 23
Rating of Chapter: R
My other Fics: Stress, Wake Me From This Nightmare, Psychokinesis, Forlorn
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Beta: Cheryl
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things I own are the plot, any characters, spells etc that you do not recognize.
Author Notes: This chapter gives a lot of clues and reveals a few things about a certain Frenchman.
Chapter 23: Transpire
A few moments passed after the iron balls had dropped from the ceiling. Visually the attacker was nowhere to be seen - this made Harry even more concerned. He got to his feet and pulled a startled Hermione up with him. "Are you okay?" he asked, recognising the worry in her expression. She gulped a little and glanced around them anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm just a little shaken." Her tone was uncertain and Harry noticed this.
"Whoever did this won't get that close to you again. I'll be sure of it."
"It's okay Harry, I'm a big girl, and I can look after myself." Harry shook his head determinedly.
"That's not the point Hermione. I have every confidence in your abilities but you are still very much in danger. You could have been killed just now. I won't risk that happening again. I haven't be cautious enough this year, and with that I have caused you pain, pain that you don't deserve."
Hermione's eyes travelled over his facial features before she spoke, "I never thought death bothered you," she spoke softly.
"Your safety concerns me, but my possible death didn't."
"Didn't?" Hermione questioned.
Harry realised that he had yet to tell anybody about the prophecy and it's meanings, but he didn't want to burden Hermione with more of his problems. He decided his best option was to change the subject, and he did that by leading her to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Harry and Hermione took their seats at the Gryffindor table and Ron joined them shortly after. "Hi guys," he began cheerfully. "How are things?" Hermione and Harry exchanged worried glances as Harry then turned to Ron.
"Not so good actually, Hermione nearly died." Ron looked up from his plate of bacon and eggs with an alarmed expression.
"What?"
Hermione shook her head as if to brush it aside. "Don't worry Ron, I'm fine." Ron sighed with frustration.
"I want to know what happened? I'm your friend." Hermione smiled and nodded in Harry's direction.
"We were just walking," Harry began, Ron eager to hear, "and I heard a sort of tinkling sound. We continued on and then two huge iron balls fell from above us, I only just managed to get Hermione out of the way of them." It appeared Ron's eyes would pop out of his head in amazement.
"Wow, I wonder who did it?" he said. Hermione shrugged but Harry grunted.
"Harry?" Hermione questioned.
"Come on Hermione, it has to be Felipe. You've seen how many times he's tried to hurt me, now he's realised you're taken he's trying to kill you."
"Harry makes a good point," mumbled Ron, shovelling another load of eggs into his already overloaded mouth.
"Maybe," responded Hermione, who slipped into deep thought and a little worried.
"Speak of the devil," sneered Harry as he watched Felipe take a seat at a table to the right of them. Harry's knuckles turned red as he watched Felipe. "He makes me so mad, the way he prances in here like some sort of big shot, sort of reminds me of the old…"
"Hello Potter," said Draco as he arrived next to him. A little startled, Harry responded, his eyes still focused on Felipe.
"Hi Draco, what's up."
"I need you three to come with me to Dunglebore's office," he responded.
"You never get tired of insulting Professor Dumbledore do you?" Hermione asked.
Draco shrugged. "It's a hobby." He then looked back across at Harry, noticing the anger flash in his eyes. "Catch your reflection?"
"Huh?" Harry was snapped out of his gaze and turned his attention to Draco. "So, what does Dumbledore want?"
"I don't know yet, but we need to go now according to that old bat McGonagall." Before they left, Ron positioned his fork halfway off the table before placing some egg on the tines. He then rammed his fist on the part that was leaning off the table and the egg flung across the room catching Felipe in the back of the head.
Ron then watched Felipe jump from his seat and start flapping at his head. Ron caught up with Harry at the doorway. "One of Fred and George's trademark dinner tricks." He slapped hands with Harry as they made for Dumbledore's office alongside Hermione and Draco.
*
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco stood at the foot of the entrance to the Headmaster's office on the second floor. "Bonfire Toffee," spoke Harry clearly. The gargoyle's wings branched open granting them access to the winding platform to the grandest office of them all.
After knocking gently on the door Dumbledore allowed them in and they stood just inside the room. The Order were all gathered in Dumbledore's Office, still homeless.
Dumbledore's magical eyes shone at them brightly before he spoke. "Good morning students. How are you today?" Harry didn't get a chance to answer because Sirius had seized him in a tight hug. He pulled away and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Are you okay Harry?" he asked with a slight ounce of concern in his voice. Harry nodded and smiled.
"You don't have to worry about me Sirius." Sirius raised his eyebrows at Harry's remark before admonishing his godson.
"I wouldn't be your godfather if I didn't worry. I know about you getting thrown out of the Yule Ball, what was that all about?" A slight frown emerged on his face.
"We'll talk about this later, I promise," said Harry. Sirius smiled and turned back to Dumbledore.
"After careful consideration and discussions with our senior order members, we have come to an important decision." Harry waited anxiously for more. "We are going to attempt to reclaim Grimmauld Place. But with such a strong force opposing us it is going to be very difficult to completely take it. That is where the four of you come in." Dumbledore's eyes travelled over Harry, Ron, Draco and Hermione. "The senior members of the Order will do all they can to distract and fight off the Death Eaters. Your job will be to find an object critical to our hopes of winning this war."
"What do we need to get?" Ron asked.
"A large pool. There is a secret passage located at the basement level of Grimmauld Place. But it is located underneath Kreacher the house elf's den. The Death Eater's do not know that it is there, and we have the key."
Although Harry was extremely confused as to how they would get into the building and under Kreacher's den, he had more majestic questions on his mind. "What do we do when we get inside the room?"
"Well you will have unlocked the entrance with the special key. Then there is a dark room where the large pool is kept. They key will shrink the pool and allow you to bring it back to us."
"Elixir of Life. Lots of it."
"There was only one vial," hissed Draco.
"Calm down Mr Malfoy. When we checked your old mansion we found a hidden room containing a large glass pool filled with purple liquid. We moved it to Grimmauld Place for testing. We are not yet certain if it is the elixir, but we need to increase our tests. We have carried out a few, and discovered that it only works within ten minutes of something being dead. Clearly the more that has been made, the less powerful it is."
Hermione winced a little. "What did you test it on?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Oh just a keeled over Venus fly trap, the same one that took a bite out of my britches when I was in my youth. It was still a little nippy after I saved its life." Harry smiled and laughed lightly.
"When do we start?" Harry quizzed.
"You will leave tomorrow at six o'clock in the morning."
"Wait a minute, I'm not sacrificing my sleep to followed orders from a washed up old grandpa." Draco snapped bitterly. The remainder of the order tensed slightly but Dumbledore remained calm.
"Mr Malfoy, I know your thoughts of me, and I understand that everybody has their opinions. But you agreed to join us, and by doing that you agreed to follow my orders." Draco didn't respond, but hardly looked pleased. Dumbledore stood up and observed the students. "That is all you need to know for now, any further questions will be answered in due time."
Harry stepped out of the door and Sirius followed him. He grabbed him by the shoulder and broke him away from the others after they had moved down, and off the platform. "Get your sweatshirt on Harry, I'm going to take you for a butterbeer." Harry was somewhat surprised by Sirius wanting to take him out of school for a butterbeer, but accepted nonetheless.
*
Side by side the pair made their way to Hogsmeade, the cold, crisp wind blowing around their ears. They walked past the post office and the railroad station before Harry headed towards The Three Broomsticks. But he pulled to a halt when he realised Sirius was walking in another direction. Harry hurried over to him, "Where are we going?" he asked.
"Somewhere a little quieter. The Shrieking Shack." Harry felt the wind chill his spine at the mention of the place and he pulled his collar a little higher around his neck.
"Why are we going there?"
"Because we need to have a private chat. It's something we don't want just anybody overhearing." Harry followed on silently and they crept up the steep steps to the rundown building. Sirius walked around the back of the Shack and eyeballed the door. "How do we get in," whispered Harry.
"By force." Sirius elbowed the door forcefully and it fell forwards giving them access to the boarded up building. Harry followed Sirius inside the dark and dingy room before taking a seat on the old beds where Harry had been when he first met Sirius four years prior. Sirius placed a hand in his pockets and pulled out two bottles of butterbeer. He tossed one over to Harry and kept one for himself, flipping the cap off the top.
"This will warm you up," he said, before taking a guzzle of the drink. "Now there are some things that we are going to talk about that other people can't know. And some things I would like to talk to you about involving your personal life if you don't mind."
"This isn't a 'birds and the bees' talk is it? I thought we already did that?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, it isn't that. It's about you being thrown out of the Yule Ball. What happened?" Harry shrugged his shoulders and remained silent. "Fine, I'm sure Severus will tell me," threatened Sirius in response to Harry's silence.
"No!" said Harry briskly. "I got in a fight with a Beauxbatons student." Harry looked down at his feet, knowing his godfather would be disappointed.
"Why did you get in a fight with him?" Sirius asked seriously.
"He's trying to steal Hermione from me, and he keeps making me look bad and do things wrong."
"I think somebody's jealous," suggested Sirius with a smirk. Harry snorted and raised his head.
"Why would I be jealous of that moron? I'm just angry. I walked into the common room and he was kissing Hermione." Sirius' eyes opened wide and Harry continued quickly. "He was using a love potion, but I don't know why he is so desperate to steal Hermione from me, when she has made it clear that she has no interest in him."
"Well why do you love her?"
"Because she's perfect."
"Does that answer your question?" Sirius smiled at him and Harry knew he was right.
"Yeah, I suppose. But after what happened this morning…" Harry trailed off and wondered if he should bother Sirius with the morning's events. "Never mind. So what did you want to tell me today?"
Still wondering what Harry was talking about Sirius was distracted from his own thoughts. "Ah yes. It's about Hermione. We know that she has been in danger for the past two years but we are growing more concerned for her."
"I can look after Hermione," argued Harry. Sirius placed a hand before him to stop Harry.
"Let me finish," sighed Sirius. "I know about this morning, and we have suspects."
"Who?"
"We don't know for sure, but we think the BDMS are still working for Voldemort. Dumbledore doesn't want them here but Fudge insists on it. We just need some proof that the BDMS are serving the dark side then we can force them out of the school."
"So what should I do?" Harry asked with concern.
"Just stay close to Hermione. Keep a look out for anything odd. If you do notice anything out of the ordinary inform Dumbledore right away. Use your invisibility cloak to keep tabs on the BDMS but don't make it your occupation. Your main focus should be keeping Hermione safe." Harry nodded confidently.
"Okay. Can I tell Hermione?" Sirius smiled and nodded.
"Yes Harry, you can."
*
Hermione walked slowly around a quiet passage towards the 2nd floor girls' washroom at Hogwarts. As she stepped into a quiet corner she felt a slight chill and a light breeze brush across her eyelashes. She ignored it and continued walking before noticing that a few of the candles on the wall had blown out. She stopped in her tracks when she heard footsteps, turned around sharply and was gripped by the neck from behind. Hermione's assailant dragged her into an empty room lit only by a glimpse of sunlight peering through the cracks in the blinds. She was forced back against the cold stonewall as she watched the BDMS soldier tear off his costume to reveal an elderly man, probably in his late sixties. Hermione's captor was a balding man with the remaining fringe a dull grey; he was large in stature all clothed in black.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked as calmly as she could, although she was terrified.
"Franck Dupree, I believe you already know my son," he sneered, as his eyes turned to the left where Felipe appeared, his eyes tinted with murder.
" Je peux prendre si d'ici le papa." said Felipe *I can take it from here papa* Franck acknowledged his son while grabbing a small dish to use as a Portkey. Hermione wondered how they were using Portkey's in such strong wards as Hogwarts. Felipe watched his father leave then turned to Hermione casting as spell upon her to bind her wrists. "Now 'ermione, you well give me whut I want."
"What do you want?" she stuttered. He leant his head close to her, and the crack of sunlight illuminating his face giving her a glimpse of his deteriorating visage. Thick wrinkles were transpiring through his previously smooth skin, and his hair appeared to be greying. His tongue trailed over her neckline and he licked her viciously.
"You."
"W-Why?"
"Because you are a mudblood, you can take away my pain forever. And when you do, I will take away your pain. You will be taken away from all of your troubles, from Potter, exams…from your life." Felipe's menacing, Satan-like tone sent chills through her body and she did the first thing she could think of.
"HELP!" she yelled. "HELP!" Felipe cut her off with a hard kiss. He broke off and stared into her eyes, an evil glint flashing across his demonic eyes. Suddenly the door to the room flung open prompting Felipe to jump across the room, placing his hand on something Hermione couldn't see. With a flash, he was gone.
Hermione turned her focus to the doorway where Draco was standing. "Draco, help." He walked over to her and unfastened the ropes around her wrists before staring at her curiously.
"What happened?"
"I-It was Felipe…he tied me up…he started to change…became wrinkled and grey…he said he needed me, and then…" Hermione couldn't continue, she moved her small hand to her violated lips and sobbed uncontrollably. Draco reluctantly pulled her into hug. I am never going to get used to this, he though as searched the dark room.
Author Notes: That was a pretty heavy chapter; a lot of things slowly begin revealed or at least questioned. Stay tuned for more next time.