Two weeks had passed since Hermione had received her Howler, but students were still chattering about it up and down the halls. Harry had been on constant vigil; he'd never left Hermione alone. She was getting irritated at his patronizing, but he just asked her to bear with him for the time being. Harry was just about head towards Snape's dungeon when Professor Dumbledore found him in the hallway.
"Ah Harry…do you have a moment?"
"Certainly sir."
The young man followed the elder wizard into a side classroom, which was thankfully empty for the time being. As they both entered, Dumbledore took out his wand and immediately cast a silencing charm over the room. Now, Harry knew that this was going to be serious.
"Harry, I'd like to ask you some questions, and I'd like you to be candid with me, please."
"Of course, sir."
"Very well. I'm sure that you remember the Howler that Miss Granger received several weeks ago; it has caused quite a stir in both Hogwarts and the wizarding world. By the way you responded, I could sense that you seemed to expect something would happen to Hermione. Has something happened?"
Harry wanted to confide in the older man, but he had no proof of his theories. He couldn't tell him about Cassandra because there was nothing to tell him.
"Sir, I'd really like to help, but right now, there's nothing that I can say. I have my suspicions, as I'm sure you know, but I can't voice them until I have proof."
"I understand, Harry, but you must understand that I've tried to let you choose your own path, however, I don't want you to abuse that right," he said sternly.
"I know, Professor Dumbledore, and I appreciate your confidence, but I can't really explain it. I'm almost positive about who sent Hermione the Howler, but I want to take care of this myself."
"All right, I'll allow that, if you tell who it is."
"Cassandra Cross. She's openly told me that she'll do anything to take me away from Hermione - including hurting her. I'll die before I let someone hurt Hermione, but I can't just blurt out what she's said."
"True. I've heard many of the professors talking about how polite and courteous she is, but I trust your judgment."
"There are two sides to who she is, professor - just like two sides of a coin."
"What do plan on doing, Harry?"
"I'm not sure; I guess the only thing I can do is wait for her to make a move. Cassandra is hiding something, and I have theories about who she really is. However, I need to catch her in the act."
"Very well, I won't take any action concerning your accusations of Miss Cross, but Minister Fudge was quite put out when he heard about Voldemort sending a Howler to a Hogwarts' student. Work fast, Harry; we're running short of time."
"Yes sir."
With that, the two men left the empty classroom.
The following month seemed to blow by, and the seventh years began hunkering down for the NEWTS. It was just after dinnertime, and Harry was on his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hermione was also heading for the common room, but she was stopped in her tracks as she saw Cassandra step in front of her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Cassandra, I didn't see you there," Hermione apologized.
"Going blind, are you Hermione? And here I thought Harry was the only one who needed glasses?" she snickered.
"Hey, I apologized all right; I didn't even run into you."
"Do you think I really care about that? I just want to ask you something."
"Which is?" Hermione felt her stomach turn at the sick smile that crossed the blonde's face.
"I just wanted to ask…what's Harry like in bed?"
"I beg your pardon!"
"Come on, you can tell me, is he really good?" she sneered.
"That's none of your business."
"Sure, it is; I planning on riding him very soon." That got Hermione steamed.
"I don't think so, Cassandra; Harry would never cheat on me!"
"We'll see about that, but in the meantime…how did you like your little letter?"
"That…that was you!" Hermione screeched, and her eyes narrowed. Her hand slid into her robes to find her wand; she didn't know where this conversation was headed.
"Indeed, not a bad imitation was I; it was such an easy spell; you should have seen the look on your face," she laughed evilly.
"Why are you doing this, Cassandra? Harry and I have done nothing to you."
"I want to watch both of you suffer, and the way to make him suffer is to make you suffer. Tell me, Hermione, how are your parents doing?"
The Head Girl's face went ghostly white, and her heart nearly stopped.
"What…what in bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"
Cassandra reached into her robes and drew out a scroll of paper; she smiled cruelly at Hermione and read a few lines from the parchment. The young woman's widened in shock.
"Oh my, isn't that your address? What a lucky guess? I might as well go pay a visit since I have this…" and with that Cassandra disappeared as Hermione realized that the parchment had in fact been a portkey.
"No, what is she going to do…mom…dad…"
Tears filled her eyes, and she buried her face in her hands. That was how Harry found her.
Harry was on the last leg to the common room when he saw Hermione standing in the hallway crying. He raced up to her and took her in his arms.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"Harry!" she bawled and buried her face in his chest, "She…she…"
"Hermione, slow down, what's going on?"
"Cassandra, she stopped me on the way to the common room. She had this really sinister look on her face, and she said that she was going to have you in bed real soon. When I got angry, she merely smiled and took out a piece of parchment; it was a portkey…to my house!"
"What? To your house?"
"Yes, she just disappeared a few minutes ago. What…what is she going to do? What about mom and dad?"
Harry's blood reached the boiling point in about five seconds, and he clutched Hermione's shoulders.
"Hermione, listen carefully, go to Dumbledore's office and tell him exactly what happened. I'll take care of your parents."
"But Harry…"
"Trust me, sweetheart, I made you a promise…" and with that, he disapparated right out of her arms. She silently thanked whoever was listening that Harry had that ability. Hermione turned and raced for the headmaster's office.
'Please, my love, make it in time.'
John and Melinda Granger were enjoying a peaceful evening in their backyard. All of a sudden, a young blond woman appeared in front of them.
"What in the world?" John gasped.
"Who are you?" Melinda asked. The young woman merely smirked.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I presume, how lovely to see you this evening."
"What do you want?"
"Why nothing, I just came by a cup of tea…and…this…"
Cassandra aimed her wand, and Melinda was flung backwards right through her kitchen window. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces, and she landed hard on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this?" John demanded.
"Oh, shut-up!" and Cassandra flung him through the backdoor.
John landed flat on his back, and he turned to see his wife covered with glass. He crawled over to her and cradled her head in his hands. She had a large gash on her forehead and several scrapes on her arms and legs.
"Melinda, can you hear me? Say something please?" he begged.
Cassandra laughed hysterically as she watched the man pleading for his wife to wake up.
"Talk all you want; both of you won't be alive much longer."
She rose into the air - almost twenty feet high. Extending her wand, a fireball ignited at its tip and began to expand outward rapidly. With the amount of magical energy in her wand, Cassandra failed to sense the apparition of another wizard.
Harry apparated directly into the Granger's kitchen, and he immediately saw the two cowering on the floor. He went to them instantly, and John Granger turned to face him. Harry quieted him before he said the wizard's name; he didn't think that Cassandra knew he could apparate out of Hogwarts.
"Quiet, Mr. Granger, can you move?" He nodded silently.
"What about your wife? Don't worry, we'll get her some help."
Harry could sense a massive spell being cast in the sky above the house. Cassandra was not in line of sight, which meant that she didn't know he was there - not with the amount of power in her spell. He had to time this exactly right.
Cassandra was ready with her spell; she held a fifty-foot wide fireball on the end of her wand.
'The muggles around here are probably scared out of the their minds.'
She looked down at the house below and smiled cruelly.
"Die, you worthless Mudbloods!"
Harry felt it when she released her spell, and it descended quickly towards the house.
"John, listen carefully, keep very still; you both will be fine," he whispered, and the older man nodded as he held his wife close.
Harry closed his eyes and called on his power.
'Gemstar, I need you, my friend. Please, protect this house and these people; they are my family.'
Just as the fireball reached the house, Harry opened his eyes, and the Phoenix exploded out of his body.
John Granger was treated with seeing a giant firebird explode out of Harry Potter's body. The flames roared through his body and his wife's, but neither of them was burned.
Harry was very careful. The phoenix expanded out to the very edge of the house just as the fireball exploded. Its flames engulfed the entire house and made it look like a towering inferno.
Inside, Harry remained by the Grangers' side - waiting for Cassandra to leave. He could hear her laughing sadistically, and his eyes narrowed. This time, she'd gone way too far; her days were numbered now.
Cassandra levitated over the burning houses for about five minutes, smiling proudly. After this, Hermione would be absolutely broken.
"All too easy," she laughed and used her portkey to disappear out of sight.
Harry could sense when she was gone, and he opened his clenched fists as the phoenix retreated back inside his body.
"Are you all right, John?" he asked worriedly.
Mr. Granger stared at Harry in utter shock. He'd just spent the last five minutes sitting in the middle of a fire, but there was not one scratch on him, his wife, or even the house. The phoenix had protected the house and used its own flames as a disguise.
"Harry…what…what just happened?"
"I'm terribly sorry, sir; I should never have let this happen. Please, let's get Mrs. Granger some help."
Before John could protest, Harry grabbed his arm as well as Melinda's, and the three disappeared.
Harry had a plan of action, but he needed to make sure that the Grangers were same for the time being. So, he took them to one place where he knew they'd be safe - Dumbledore's house.
The trio apparated into the main hallway, and Mathis turned around sharply at the unexpected arrival.
"Oh, Mr. Potter, what's happened?" he gasped, noticing the two injured with him.
"Mathis, I need a favor. These are Hermione's parents; they need to stay here for a while; they were attacked and nearly killed. Would you look after them please?"
"Of course." He clapped his hands, and several house elves appeared out of the woodwork.
"Um…Harry…what are they?" John asked.
"Don't worry, they're friendly; I promise, you'll both be fine here. Right now, I need to get back to Hogwarts before Cassandra finds out that I ever left."
"Why did she try and kill us?"
"She's trying to hurt Hermione, and you two are the obvious target. However, right now, Cassandra thinks that the two of you are dead, which could give us an advantage. I think it would be best if both you and Melinda stayed dead for the time being. That way, she'll completely ignore you two."
"But what about Hermione? She'll be devastated when she hears about it," John said worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Hermione. If it's safe enough, I'll bring her here in a few days. In the mean time, rest and get your strength back. I swear, everything is going to be all right."
"Thank you, Harry, if you hadn't come…"
"Don't thank me yet, Mr. Granger, save that for when this is over. I better go now. Mathis, I leave them to you."
"Of course, Mr. Potter, they'll be well taken care of."
"Thank you very much," and the young wizard disapparated once again.
"He is quite a young man," John Granger said in astonishment.
"That he is, sir, now, let us help you and your wife with your injuries."
Author's Notes: See, I told you action would start this chapter, but don't think that this is the last of it. I'm just getting started!