Chapter 19 "Feelings Revealed"
Whatever Hermione wanted to say to Harry that afternoon, they both didn't have the chance to talk about it for they had been together with either Ron or Ginny most of the time. Harry naturally wanted to know what was troubling Hermione again, but somehow he had slightly given up trying after seeing her seemingly returning back to her normal self - worrying about the lessons she missed and making up for them by studying some of Percy's books, which Harry and Ron knew they didn't have to open until their seventh year.
At least there was something that Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys to look for that night before going back to their usual stupor in Hogwarts (although they were quite looking forward to going back there). Fred and George had agreed to suspend their new joke shop business and return to the Burrow to get back to school the next day, Charlie (the second eldest) was due for the first day of his vacation this year from studying dragons, and Mrs. Weasley had cooked up the largest feast her family had for years. Clearly, there was a scent of a well-deserved party in the Burrow tonight, celebrating their good fortune.
Mr. Weasley had come back from work, accompanied by Fred, George, and Charlie. Everybody was ecstatic when they all greeted each other, but they didn't wait for another second to scramble for seats at the large Weasley dining table. No less than three large deep-fried whole chickens were already atop ready to be gulped down, adorned by mounds of potatoes, steak, corn, cake, and the best-tasting pumpkin juice Harry had ever savored.
"Wow, what's this all for, Mum, or are you just all happy to see me?" said Charlie, who obviously missed homemade cooking.
"You'll never know what happened while you were away, Charlie," said Mr. Weasley, who had the highest of spirits around. "We've been through the toughest times in our life, but we've pulled trough again, thanks to the help of Harry and Hermione here! The best bit of news I had today at work was that Lucius Malfoy has been suspended from the Ministry."
Everyone cheered and clapped their hands, especially Ron and Hermione who had the most extreme dislike towards the elder Malfoy. "But I thought Professor Gargarin said we didn't have enough evidence against him, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione.
"No, but we didn't take into account whose handwriting it was in the note that Harry found in Chadron's room," said Mr. Weasley happily. "It looked like his, and extra searches in the Head Boy's quarters netted a few more and they'll be scrutinized. Cornelius Fudge believed there was reasonable doubt to Malfoy's non-involvement, so while the investigation drones on, he has to be in floating status so he couldn't curse anyone trying to pin him down."
"That will shut up Draco Malfoy for sure," said George with delight. "And remember, Lucius was also sacked as Governor of Hogwarts three years ago. This'll be another humongous embarrassment for his name."
"I say it's karma," added Fred, with extreme satisfaction. "He's so determined to wreck us he'd go to any lengths to do it, and look where it got him."
"Yeah, he might still be cleared in the end, but the damage is done and that's worth a thousand Galleons for me anytime," said Ron with glee.
"Serves him right for wishing we'd become poorer," said Mr. Weasley huffily. "It's funny, he was spitting out about getting back at Mudbloods when he stormed out of the Ministry today - I don't see any connection at all since we were his targets all along - " Harry heard murmurs of agreement from almost everybody.
"The other best thing is that the Daily Prophet will carry out a story in its front page to clear Ron of taking any part of the grand conspiracy," announced Mr. Weasley happily, and seconds later every goblet around the table were clinking.
Charlie was eager to hear what really happened right from the start. Harry was more than happy to fill him in with every detail amid the oohs and ahhhs from Fred and George. What piqued Charlie's interest was the story about Norbert and Sarah.
"Really, that's amazing," said Charlie, his pudding forgotten. "I always knew dragons had intelligence of some sort, but never in that level - my friends think I'm nuts when I keep telling them dragons mind other things, too, more than their eggs."
"And we're so lucky to find Norbert there of all dragons," said Harry. "Weren't we?"
"So very lucky," Hermione sighed.
"Right, I don't want to think what might have happened to Hermione if it weren't Norbert you crossed," Charlie let out a horrified face. "Then you must've been in the Chamfield Reservation - that's where I freed Norbert when he was old enough to live wildly," said Charlie thoughtfully. "If so, we might be able to find You-Know-Who's castle hidden somewhere near there."
"As long as it's not unplottable," added Hermione. "Or else you'd take forever to find it." Charlie and Mr. Weasley nodded.
"Oh, I just remembered something," said Mr.Weasley. "Cornelius Fudge specifically asked me to give this to you, Hermione." Harry and Ron stared interestedly at Hermione as Mr. Weasley reached for something in his robes. He held out a rolled parchment and Hermione untangled the single ribbon that sealed it. Harry had to read what was written on the parchment behind Hermione, who was speechless.
Cerificate of Recognition and Honorary Membership
The Ministry of Magic is proud to present Miss Hermione Granger this Certificate of Recognition for her outstanding courage and investigative skills, which has tremendously aided the definitive resolution of London Bureau Case Number 109283-03.
This citation also certifies that the abovementioned named has been granted Honorary Membership for Underage Wizards to the Ministry of Magic, London and will enjoy the rights, benefits, and privileges accorded to her by such membership.
Signed,
Cornelius Fudge
Minister of Magic, London
Everybody around the table cheered and patted a teary eyed Hermione, although she actually didn't know what this really meant. Nevertheless she knew this was something special and to be proud of.
"This doesn't mean you can go sleuthing you want, Hermione," said Mr. Weasley, smiling, "but you'll now be taken seriously when you say something in the Ministry, you'll receive a 50-Galleon grant every term until you graduate, and it'll be easier for you to find a respectable job in the Ministry if you want to work there. Not bad. Not bad at all, right?"
Hermione, still speechless, nodded her head happily, and she looked at Harry who was beaming the most. "Wow, I'm jealous," goggled Ron.
"I got to give Dobby a set of socks and scarves - without him, I wouldn't have found that Sneakoscope," said Hermione thoughtfully.
"And I'm giving him my entire collection of maroon jumpers," said Ron, grinning, not noticing his mum's sharp stare. "I owe him."
"Along with that, Hermione, I think I'm ready to take back my plans to tell on your parents," said Mr. Weasely. "You're the real heroine; I owe you for doing everything to clear Ron and our name. I also owe Harry for saving Ron twice, so I won't give the Dursleys another reason to lock him up in his room again. Ginny's free next Summer, too." Harry, Hermione, and Ginny didn't bother to hide their joy with Mr.Weasley's sudden change of heart. "But you won't get off easily the next time around," laughed Mr.Weasley.
The rest of the night was very tremendously festive, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione thought they would never probably see a night in the Burrow with the Weasleys as blissful as this one.
-o0o-
The journey back to Hogwarts in the Hogwarts Express the next day was none different than any other trip they've taken, except for the fact that Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George had the train all to themselves for the first time ever (and probably the last). That meant they could walk around the cabins and make a ruckus inside as much as they want without anyone telling them off. Hermione thought Harry, Ron, and the twins were acting childishly as they ran around almost endlessly inside the train, sometimes pretending to be sword dueling with their wands.
"Oh, come on, Hermione," said Fred, panting. "Lighten up. When do you think can we ever do a thing this good again?"
"Yeah, give us a break," said George with a mock pleading look on his face. "We're already graduating this year, right? And for the first time in our lives there're no prefects to catch us in here - oops, my mistake," he quickly said, grinning, when Hermione brandished her prefect's badge with a snigger. While she was generally against the boys' conduct, she had joined in the end, and it was the witch with the trolley who in the end told them to behave just a few minutes left through the trip.
Just as they were told, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny reported to Dumbledore in his office as soon as they arrived before supper.
"Welcome back! Good to see you all again in one piece," said Dumbledore jovially, looking pleased, and sitting behind his enormous desk in the Headmaster's office. The four kids stood abreast in front of him as Professor McGonagall looked on proudly.
"It's great to see you in good health again, sir," said Harry.
"Feels great, too," said Dumbledore, jabbing his fists in the air like a boxer, which Ron found very funny. "I'm grateful with your and Miss Granger's efforts to get to the truth, because without your direct intervention, Professor McGonagall and I would probably never have come back.
"Also, I'm thankful just the same that Mr. Weasley here is innocent of the crime he was accused of. Even though I knew who really attempted the Death Curse, I wouldn't have been able to give testimony for Mr. Weasley due to my dreadful condition. Ultimately you have prevented Hogwarts from further falling to Lord Voldemort's hands, and the four of you deserve special awards for services of this school."
"Thank you sir," said Harry in behalf of his friends. "But, all we did was try to save Ron from being killed in Azkaban at first and from Voldemort in the end - I don't know how we have saved Hogwarts with that."
"You did, actually," said Dumbledore, smiling, and getting a baffled look from Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Let me explain - " Dumbledore shifted to a more comfortable position on his chair.
"Professor Gargarin told me about your story and what happened in Lord Voldemort's stronghold. As long as I was alive, barely, at least, Lord Voldemort couldn't complete his objective of taking over Hogwarts - the magic in the air when I'm here is still too strong for him. Jack Chadron had tried to use a Death Curse against me to pave the way for Lord Voldemort but it didn't work, as it should have, because he had used a wand not his own. The curse causes a different effect on such conditions, and the only way to reverse the spell is for the wizard who cast it will have to repent for his crime wholeheartedly. As I understand it from your story, Jack Chadron had seen the light and error in his ways, he regretted what he did, felt real sorry for it - that's why he had asked for your forgiveness, and that was enough to break me from his spell. It's magic at one of it most deepest mysteries."
"But after all the things he did against us I don't think he ever deserves our forgiveness, right?" said Ron angrily.
"Yes, I know it's difficult for all of us to pardon him because his crime was naturally unforgivable if you'd ask anyone, but the important thing is, he felt sorry for his wrongdoings and vowed never to do it again. Now, you'd ask me how I'm sure of that, and the only proof I need that he did is I'm talking with you right now. Without such resolve, I wouldn't have recovered from that endless sleep.
"To be forgiven, one must ask for forgiveness to whoever he has sinned against. It is one of the first steps toward redemption; to deserve such gift, one must promise not to do it again, and to make good on his promise. But, of course, the forgiveness won't come without paying the price for such sins, and we must all still be responsible for our actions and suffer the consequences.
"Harry, I'm asking you, how would it feel like you know you have done something wrong against a loved one and you'd ask for forgiveness from him or her and not being given chance at all even though you'd never want to do it again?"
"It would hurt a lot, and it would seem unfair, if only he'd listen," replied Harry slowly.
"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "You should feel fortunate that you're among the few ones on Earth to have real loving friends who readily forgive you for your mistakes even without you asking for it. Additionally, it's very, very rare to find friends who don't demand payment for your faults in return for outright forgiveness, because in true friendship there is mutual trust and understanding.
"Jack felt genuinely sorry for everything, and since you didn't forgive him when he asked you, he had to prove his resolve by helping you escape Lord Voldemort, unfortunately resulting in his death. No, Harry, I'm not saying that you were responsible for his death because he had it coming and he paid dearly for his transgressions. As for you, Harry, the power of love and forgiveness saved your life." Dumbledore said, giving Hermione a meaningful glance; she turned pink around the cheeks, which Harry caught. Ron, however, was busy absorbing everything Dumbledore had said and looked lost.
"Professor, Voldemort showed me how you defeated the Dark Wizard Grindewald," said Harry. "Why did he kill himself?"
"Ah, I see you already know about that," chuckled Dumbledore. "Not too many know about it, actually. Let me remember for a moment - ah, yes, he felt severely depressed because he realized too late that he committed the most ruthless things most inhuman to imagine. The only problem was nobody was ever willing to forgive him anymore. He had destroyed the lives of millions of people by genocide, and when it came for him to repent, it was all too late.
"What he did was to kill himself instead of accepting the consequences for his crime and pay for them for the rest of his life; he felt he had no other way out but death and take the 'easy' way out, which was a very big mistake. Yes, death in whatever form may effectively make you forget your past and never have to deal with the guilt for the rest of your life, but death by anybody's hands, especially your own, is not the only solution to every insurmountable problem; it is cowardice. It's far more courageous to face the future accepting the consequences of your actions than turning your back on it."
"So, Professor, if Grindewald had ever asked for your forgiveness, would you have given it to him despite his crimes?"
"Yes, Harry, personally I would have, even if people may have thought I was nutters," said Dumbledore. "But Grindewald would've still had to answer to other millions more, which admittedly, is an almost impossible feat for anyone. However, if he chose to face a life of endless guilt rather the easy way out, it would have earned him my deepest respect. He almost made the right decision, the chance for it was staring at him right at his face, but regrettably he was so full of himself and he didn't make it."
Harry couldn't help but wonder how Dumbledore knew about everything that was going on with him and his friends even though he'd slept through the whole thing. He thought that somehow this talk about forgiveness and responsibility for one's actions have had some kind of relation to what happened to him, Ron, and Hermione just a few days ago. He could remember quite vividly he hurt Hermione's feelings at one point, and he felt real bad about it when he had no chance to ask for her forgiveness for being a jerk. The next thing was that he was wishing to be dead just to forget (and made to forget) about the guilt he felt for Hermione's loss, and then came Jack Chadron's manifestation for his genuine desire for Harry and Ron to pardon him though he didn't get it (accidentally killing himself just to prove he was sincere). The greatest thing for Harry was that Hermione knew how to forgive him for almost killing her without him even asking for it, and for that he felt blessed to have a friend like her who had loyalty for him beyond belief. Or maybe she only felt too relieved the dragon turned out to be Norbert that she was just too happy to forgive him, he thought. Or maybe there was something else. Could it be what Hermione had wanted to talk about with him yesterday? Whatever feeling she had that day for him, he really wanted to know, and he made it a point to corner Hermione somewhere if not tonight, soon.
"Now, if you would," Dumbledore started after a few silent moments, "we're going to have a special feast in the Great Hall with the rest of the school, and I'd want you to be there for everyone to see. I'll have to make a few announcements, too. Then I'll need to return to this office later to write a few clearance letters to Beatrice Runeshark - she had given up issuing Underage Wizardry violations for you all." Dumbledore chortled.
"Not to worry, I can take care of it - every magic you used today was for the good of this school I'm sure. And, Mr. Weasley, I believe our last meeting wasn't resolved at all, and we'll talk about your detention same time tomorrow night."
Ron groaned but accepted he couldn't get away from detention at all. "I hope with no more Head Boys around," he said remembering the incident in the same room a few days earlier.
"Ah, that might be possible, all the prefects have yet to meet to vote for a new one," replied Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Dear me, I hope we aren't starting a new tradition of changing Head Boys more than once a year - we're already running through with the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers…"
Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione laughed.
"I guess Professor Russelpunk will break the curse of the Defense Against the Darks arts teacher this year - the only problem to that is he is totally oblivious to so-called curse, which I had no heart to tell him last Summer. I was getting desperate when nobody applied for the job in August." Dumbledore winked. "See you all again soon, I hope you'll come to normal after your perilous adventure."
Harry, Ron, and Ginny said good night to Dumbledore and moved towards the door. Hermione, however, stood still on the spot.
"Hermione?" called Harry, stopping at the doorway to wait for her.
Hermione breathed, tightened her lips, and then glanced at Dumbledore, who smiled at her patiently. "Headmaster, if it's possible, could I talk to you in private?" she said tentatively.
-o0o-
As soon as Harry, Ron, and Ginny had left the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore offered Hermione a seat, which she gratefully took.
"Is there something that's troubling you, Hermione?" he asked warmly.
"Yes sir, there is," she replied cautiously, and then breathed deeply to prepare herself. "Ginny and talked about what happened back in Xanthius, and she told me about the very thing that Lord Voldemort had used to persuade Harry to join him. Voldemort had been attempting with no real success to break Harry with the guilt causing my 'death' and he was so remorseful about it. But as Ginny had observed, she knew there was something more profound than just the guilt Harry had been agonizing with. Voldemort knew something else about how Harry…felt about me. Voldemort seemed to use it to his fullest advantage because of what he knew."
Dumbledore nodded and smiled. "I thought you'd never talk to me about this. Continue, please…"
"Thank you, sir. It's really a shame someone as evil as Lord Voldemort could be the one to make me realize the - feelings - I thought I had for Harry ever existed. I mean, it's been there for ages - but…I was afraid to tell it to him because I might make him mad about me or something…
Dumbledore put a hand gently to cover his mouth and chuckled, which made Hermione blush. "My apologies, Hermione."
"It's quite allright, Headmaster," she laughed. "Yeah, I know you're the last person I could talk to about this, but I had made a startling connection with something that happened to us recently. You remember about the protective aura we had that the Oarling could never penetrate?"
"Vividly, Hermione."
"Well, I read about it in one of Percy Weasley's books at the Burrow and found out something about it that made me feel - er, mushy." Hermione sat up awkwardly on her chair.
"Unlike the reason you told us," she continued after regaining herself, "it's only supposed to happen with special conditions like our birthdays, the blood running in our veins, the feelings we share at the moment and many more. One thing that struck me is that only two people who are especially attached to each other could actually conjure it, not three like you said."
Dumbledore nodded slowly and fixed his half-moon spectacles firmly on his nose. "I've expected you would come up with this someday, but not this quick. But knowing how brilliant and curious you are, anything is possible." He breathed and chuckled again.
"I didn't tell you no lies back at the hospital wing the night of the Oarling, Hermione, if you were suspecting such a thing. It wasn't the right place to talk about the real causes - it's too personal with Harry, Ron, and Professor Gargarin around - since I wasn't sure who really conjured nearly half the aura back in the dungeons. It could have been either Harry or Ron. You and your friends had actually conjured that aura, that's the truth - but I knew true love between a gifted wizard and witch was the most essential requirement to produce it. Do you remember anything significant immediately before the aura had begun to manifest itself?"
Hermione thought deeply about the events during that night. What she then remembered make her drop her breath and widen her eyes in mild shock. "I - I heard Harry shout something. He was the only one I could hear…he said "We love you - I love you…" she trailed off.
Dumbledore smiled. "And what did you feel?"
Hermione swallowed when she understood. She thought she was having false hopes of getting much closer than a friend with Harry for years. A tear trickled down her cheek, and she was lost for words to say.
"That's right, Hermione. You felt the same for Harry. Ron at the same time was there because he loved you, too, but merely as a friend. Because of him the aura, already too powerful to begin with, was enhanced to a level that the Oarling could have never imagined could be attained. The extra power that Ron contributed was very small compared to yours and Harry's, but nonetheless had made a vital contribution that night. I never knew who between Harry or Ron had the special bond with you, so I - well, chose to leave it for you to discover on your own, but I did have a hunch, and I'm glad I was right all along.
"Nevertheless, I was very certain you had the power to conjure it regardless. You must take this into account, Hermione, is that it was only Harry's voice that you heard. The aura poured out from both of you. If you haven't heard Harry say those words, it would have never happened."
Hermione steered her teary eyes at Dumbledore. She felt very happy, though she still had some lingering skepticism hanging around her heart.
"Hermione, it is now proof that I myself can't dispute. It establishes very clearly that Harry loves you more than a friend, even if he apparently doesn't know it yet. His love for you just flowed out of his heart naturally that night with the Oarling."
Dumbledore then beamed at Hermione for a long, long time.
-o0o-
Hermione didn't know how to deal with Dumbledore's revelation the night before - even though she had always sensed there was something deeper she felt for Harry inside her for years, but never from Harry. Harry had not shown any form of attraction to her since they first knew each other, except for the concern he had shown for her safety and his boundless loyalty toward her.
She was mystified why it all came so suddenly if Harry had not known about his feelings towards her. But knowing he had it all the time, Hermione had a extraordinary feeling that gave her a spring on her step as she got out of the Gryffindor tower the next morning. She had never felt so special with Harry in her whole life, and it was so wonderful. Sadly, though, since she was the girl, she would have to suffer the pain waiting for Harry to have the courage to pour out his feelings towards her. Knowing him, it would probably take forever!
But she was sure she could still patiently wait. She knew she could be as patient as a snail moving along a hundred Quidditch pitches. She also knew herself not the type to flirt with Harry to induce a romantic conversation from him, which she absolutely didn't find a big loss at all - she was completely happy being herself. She wanted the feeling to flow out of him naturally - he had to realize it and find out for himself.
But she could still scream it into his ear if he proves to be insufferably numb to all her signals, though. That will come as a last resort, she thought, laughing to herself.
She met Harry and Ron on the way to the Great Hall. Aside from the spike of excitement she now felt in her chest upon seeing Harry (who looked a little bit more handsome to her than she had ever seen him before) she was remarkably still the same Hermione that the two boys knew all these years.
"You look pretty jolly about something today, Hermione," said Harry, grinning.
"You bet!" she replied, skipping, when she had walked abreast with him and Ron.
"Any chance of us knowing what it is?"
"There is, but I'm not telling…" she teased and giggled, making Harry moan loudly. Harry shrugged and laughed softly, knowing he can't make Hermione talk so easily about her secrets, but equally happy with her nonetheless whatever made her happy that morning.
On top of that, the trio got a very pleasant surprise upon entering the Great Hall.
All the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, some Slytherins, and all teachers (except one, obviously) gave the trio a rousing hero's welcome when they entered the Great Hall. Seemingly all hands in the school had patted their backs and made a mess of their hair, and the cheering was totally deafening for the trio, but they didn't care. It was the kind of cheering Snape would've wanted for his former pet, Jack Chadron. Ironically, it was now Jack Chadron who became the latest embarrassment and smudge for the Slytherin house. Beaming broadly along the teachers' table were Dumbledore and Hagrid, who were both clapping their hands heavily, and Professor McGonagall who was shedding tears of pride.
"Dean! Neville!" cried Hermione when she saw them fighting through the sea of black robes trying to reach her, Harry, and Ron.
"Yeah, you showed them!" yelled Dean, snatching a glance towards the Malfoy and Snape as he embraced each of the trio. "We got out from our hiding place just today, can you believe we survived that?"
"No kidding!" said an impressed Hermione, who knew what Dean and Neville had gone through. "Oh, I see you've forgotten to shave!" The two boys had grown a few inches of hair around their faces and it looked like they had little beards.
"Yeah, I know," said Neville cheerfully as most of the students were returning to their seats. "I think we're keeping it for a couple of days if no one minds at all." He had taken a bit off a scrumptious looking vanilla cupcake from the top of the still devoid-of-food Gryffindor table and -
FWUMP!
The Gryffindor table roared with laughter as Neville, still oblivious of what was happening, stood in the middle of an aisle with all of his hair turned whiter than Dumbledore's. Suddenly he looked fifty years older than him. Fred and George traded high-fives and everybody knew the cake came from the twins, and Dumbledore grinned in their direction.
"Not punishable by detention, too, Severus," Dumbledore said to Snape, who was sitting beside him. He looked grumpy.
"Aging Angel Cakes," George publicized. "Three to a sickle! One of our newest items for the next line of Weasley's Wizard Wheezies, opening soon after graduation!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione clapped their hands loudly while they fought to regain normal breathing.
"I think I'll just shave this beard off tonight after all," Neville hooted when his hair was returning to jet-black. The Weasley twins had finally filled back the life in Hogwarts that had become missing after the conspiracy to kill Dumbledore had begun. Hogwarts was at last complete again, except for the former Head Boy whose bench was still unoccupied.
-o0o-
It was a Saturday the next day, and this allowed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny more time to recuperate ahead of their arduous schoolwork expected in this part of the term. They had just finished breakfast, and like clockwork, Owl Post had arrived. Dozens of owls delivered mail down to their eager owners.
Hermione opened up her copy of the Daily Prophet while Harry had only one letter today, but he was ecstatic to know it was from Willard. Harry and Ron were really anxious to hear from their only known friend outside of home and Hogwarts; they read it aloud while Hermione was listening on intently.
Dear Harry,
You'd never know how thrilled I was to get a letter from you. I was wondering what might have happened to you after that Graham bloke managed to curse me and break my rib into telling where you were heading the night we last saw each other. I'm sorry about that -
"Aw," said Ron. "Poor Willard. We gotta make it up for him."
"But don't worry about me, I'm recuperating and soon my brother will bring over the little doctor in my family to mend my rib. Anyway, the Daily Prophet cover story for today was enough to make me relax about you and Ron. You've done it and I'm so proud of being part of it!"
"He doesn't know about Hermione yet," said Harry, smiling, making her blush.
"Well, Stephanie, you know, my niece, reckons it's about time I need to finish my wizard training. I don't know, but it might be worth it. Well, that is, if I get over the funny feeling of having classmates forty years younger than me around. So I think I'll just spend more time on my hobby and expanding my business. Zack (You remember him back at Froth's, do you?) finally gave up his pub. Reckons he can't take it with hags secretly adding toenails to his customers' drinks anymore. He left me the key and I'm having a hard time thinking what to do with the pub, but I think I'll add Portkey and Owl Post service to my hotel.
"I think your owl is getting impatient, so I think this is where I'll go for now. Thanks very much for writing, and I'm hoping to hear from you again soon.
Willard
P.S. Stephanie wants to keep all your letters. She's going to show it off to her classmates at school."
"Well, I'm glad Willard's okay," said Harry happily. "I was beginning to worry about him."
"From what you've told me about him he's really wonderful," said Hermione. "Imagine all the help he gave you - I'd like to meet him someday."
"Hey, Hermione, so let's see what's in the Daily Prophet," said Ron, and Hermione happily obliged.
"Hey, I think this is it," said Ron, pointing to a main banner.
Conspiracy to Kill Dumbledore Solved
The Ministry of Magic today confirmed reports that the culprit of the plot to kill Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has been identified.
Incriminating evidence turned in to the Ministry by a fifth year Hogwarts student, Miss Hermione Granger, with the assistance of her close friend Harry Potter, has single-handedly cracked the case in the mystery surrounding the attempt on the life of the Dumbledore, who, along with fellow victim Professor Minerva McGonagall, have fully recovered."
"Whoa, that's great! You're making me proud of you again, Hermione," said Ron, munching his toast. Hermione was getting more flattered with all the attention.
"'The alleged lone perpetrator was identified as Jack Chadron, the recent Hogwarts Head Boy,' announced Honorable Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic in a press conference. 'He believed he was doing a service to You-Know-Who, which we all know has been thwarted by none other than Harry Potter fifteen years ago. It is unfortunate that we still have a share of deranged minds in the wizard society, and it is more disturbing to know that even young wizards in training are still aspiring for the Dark Arts to serve a defeated enemy… I reiterate my stand that You-Know-Who does not, I repeat, does not exist anymore despite the insistence of others who believe otherwise.'
Jack Chadron was killed in a battle with Ministry Wizards where he went into hiding north of Scotland after being implicated by Miss Granger's evidence pointing him as the culprit."
"I can't believe he's still that ignorant of what's happening all around us," said Harry angrily. "He's still covering up the true facts!"
"Yeah, that's quite dangerous - I'm sure Dumbledore isn't pleased about Fudge at all," Hermione said looking at Dumbledore who was eating his fruit merrily. Harry read on.
"In light of these developments, the Ministry of Magic wishes to point out that, Ronald Weasley, the fifth-year Hogwarts student who was earlier accused for the crime, had no participation whatsoever with the plot to kill Dumbledore. 'The boy escaped with the help of Harry Potter from being incarcerated to Azkaban with the valid fear that there was also a sub-plot to silence the former accused in the prison to cover up for Mr. Chadron,' Minister Fudge said. 'Harry Potter only did that to save his best friend during a time we wouldn't have believed of such plot would've existed, and therefore he isn't liable for Article 7 Section 2 of the Wizard Penal Code - giving assistance to a fugitive.
'Furthermore, we have a reason to believe that allegations of former Death Eaters working within this Ministry are true and they have been assisting Jack Chadron with his personal scheme to kill the Headmaster. It was probably a grudge against Dumbledore, but they were foiled, and we'll expect a full internal investigation soon in this Ministry. We'll know soon who they are.'"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sighed in disappointment despite the good news. Minister Fudge obviously was still in a state of denial about Voldemort's return. They had actually seen him, but people would believe anything that was written in the Daily Prophet, and if they insisted publicly they had met the Dark Lord to contest the report, they might probably land in St. Mungo's. It didn't help at all to keep everyone from the truth while Voldemort was biding his time scheming his next move. They only had to trust none other than the greatest wizard in the world, Dumbledore, who seemed to be on top of things always, and that had somehow gave them the much-needed confidence they would need to be able to survive these dark times.
"They didn't write about Lucius Malfoy like I hoped they would," said Ron, as he glanced towards Draco, who still had his chin up. "Look at Draco, he still thinks he owns the school or something."
"He's confident his father could still get away," said Harry, looking sharply at Draco. "They could pay their way out if they wanted to."
"Aside from that, we have nothing on Lucius yet, hard to admit," said Hermione with disappointment. "I shudder to think what he'd do when he does get cleared. Mr. Weasley said he was cursing about Mudbloods when he stormed out the Ministry…"
"He'll curse everyone, I expect, but if he'd be venting his ire on Muggle-borns, he's got to go through us to get to you," said Harry to Hermione, and she smiled back. For Hermione, Harry will always be her hero as he had been for years.
Just then, Goyle spitted something out like mad, and subsequently there was a commotion ensuing at the Slytherin table, which Snape strangely ignored.
Harry and Hermione stared at Ron. "What?" he said, looking innocent and while hiding his snigger, but he failed miserably after holding it up for too long, laughing along with his classmates.
-o0o-
Later the same day, Hermione was sitting down alone on the warm grass at a secluded spot beside the lake to think deeply about her past experiences, especially the connection they had to her secret feelings with Harry. She hadn't joined either Harry or Ron like she usually did each Saturday, which Harry found very unusual. Harry had turned Hogwarts upside down looking for her, and he finally found her in her spot by the lake where she was lost in thought.
"Hagrid told me I could find you here," said Harry from behind, panting, which made her jump. Hermione felt a rush of nervous excitement upon seeing him again. What made her even more excited was that Ron wasn't around at all. She made a quick breathing exercise in the hope to conceal her blush.
"What's up with you?" asked Harry next.
"Oh, yeah," she said. "I just needed to be alone for a moment." She grinned.
"Hmm, am I bothering you? I think I should - "
"No," she said quickly. "I'm done," she grinned again. "Really."
Harry nodded his head curtly, and settled in to crouch down a few feet beside her, throwing pebbles on the water. "Well, you see, I just noticed you were acting strange lately, a little quiet than your usual self," he said still gazing around the lake. "Then I realized I've never really thanked you for saving our lives back there."
"Oh," said Hermione quietly.
"So, thank you," said Harry.
"You're welcome," replied Hermione, smiling. It was an awkward moment for both of them, especially for Hermione, and they just stared out towards the lake for a few minutes. She was fumbling for something to say to Harry that at least would steer her off from being too self-conscious at the moment. Thankfully, Harry gave her a clue on what to talk about.
"You know, I've been wanting to talk to you about this, but I really refuse to believe you couldn't transfigure that cup into the proper hat back at the Burrow. It's just not like you. I mean, you're the most powerful witch in training at Hogwarts!"
Hermione laughed, feeling flattered. "Thank you about that, Harry, but I hope you didn't take this the wrong way," she began, "but it's something happening that I don't want to admit. You see, it's beginning to worry me now."
"Oh?" said Harry, getting concerned. "But I know you said it was silly."
"Yeah, I know I did, but I thought I was being was silly at first because I seem kind of paranoid about something that might not be true, but sometimes it happens once in a while…"
Harry gave Hermione an even more worried look. "Hermione, I think you're beginning to scare me again. I've lost count of how many times we've had conversations like this."
"Uh, sorry, but don't laugh now, you see, when I do the wrong kind of magic, something usually bad happens to me. Nothing actually bad happened to me yet, so I think it's still going to happen, isn't it?"
"Again, just when did you start being so superstitious?" said Harry calmly. "I haven't known you to be this way."
"I know, and supposedly I'm not," Hermione said, standing up and she paced around. "But it just came to me - out of the blue - like something's making me."
"Maybe you should just relax," said Harry patiently. "I think all what has happened lately may be getting to us, so I guess we need a little more time to recover." Harry maintained his gaze at Hermione. "Here's what I think - I'm positive you've already broken what you thought was a bad omen back in the Burrow. You didn't die in the hands of the dragon. I thought that was it - the bad omen, I mean - but it turned out okay. So you're clear."
"It was Norbert, Harry," she reminded him.
"That's exactly my point," said Harry, his eyes widening. "If you were to die that day because of the 'omen', it didn't happen! And you didn't get to see Voldemort like you were afraid of. See?"
Hermione smiled. Harry's statement had logic, but she was quite sure he was just trying hard to make her feel better and she was thankful for it, although there was still something nagging inside her thoughts. "Thanks, Harry, I suppose you're right but…there's something a want to ask…"
"Yes?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me how…you really felt back there thinking I was dead," she said slowly, fixing her eyes on the grass. "You said you wanted to die, too, because of it. Why, Harry?"
Harry breathed. The memory was very difficult to relive, but he did his best to answer Hermione's question in the sincerest way he could possibly do.
"Of course, I thought I was never going to see you again. That would be a very big loss! I thought never again I'll never see your…" he trailed off and kept quiet. He had surprised even himself. He swore he wanted to say "eyes"!
"Yes?" Hermione said, looking expectant about something. Harry gazed at her; her face had become brighter.
"Nothing - it's nothing," said Harry quickly, feeling sweat trickle down his forehead. He stared blankly ahead the lake, wondering where that came from. It was something entirely new for him - that's what he thought at the moment, at least. Unfortunately they never had the chance to delve further into the subject.
"Hey, I've been looking all over for you two!" said Ron suddenly on top of an incline behind Harry and Hermione. Harry and Hermione snapped their head towards his direction. "You'll never know what happened!" Ron went on. "Neville had a fight with Draco and Goyle, and he guess what - he won!"
"Why? What happened?" said Hermione, her eyes round with surprise.
"Goyle thought Trevor was a chocolate frog -"
Harry and Hermione looked at Ron suspiciously. "Ron, did you…"
"No, I did not!" Ron said severely, knowing what Hermione thought. "You gotta believe me! But that's not important - the Gryffindors are throwing a hero's party for him back in the tower. Won't be fun without you two there - see you there, okay?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, still, not convinced, and they couldn't help but doubt Ron again for repeating his Trevor practical joke after getting into big trouble with it. "Ron!" they both groaned, and lazily trudged up to climb the hill towards him. Ron, however, ran off ahead of them and disappeared from their view.
"Oh, there's something else I'd like to ask you, Hermione," said Harry, taking his time walking up the small hill. Hermione looked at him, intrigued. "If you'd been eaten by the dragon back there, would you still think of forgiving me?"
Hermione had a good laugh at Harry's silly question. "If I became a ghost I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!" she quipped. "I thought we already talked about that - that's over so forget it. Anyway whatever happens, Harry, you'll always be my - best friend. Right - my best friend."
Fighting awkwardness, she kissed Harry's cheek and gave him a supposedly quick hug. It was hug that betrayed Hermione's last statement - she didn't want to let go for a long time.
"Thanks," Harry said, beaming after they broke apart. "That was - uh - probably the longest hug you've ever given me."
Hermione slightly panicked when she realized. "Oh, I forgot my book, I'll be with you in a sec," she said quickly.
Harry took a step ahead of her. Hermione pointed her wand at her book that was on the ground where she came from and muttered, "Accio!"
Nothing happened. "Hmmm, I think my wand actually needs servicing," she said, shrugging, shaking her wand.
"So, I guess that's the real problem and not an omen like you're thinking. Wait, I'll get your book for you the old fashioned way," Harry said and he ran towards Hermione's book to pick it up. He returned a short while later with it, panting a little.
"Tell you what, we'll go to Olivander's during the holidays to have it looked at. He'll know what to do, don't worry."
"Yeah, I guess," Hermione said, waving her wand around. Brilliant blue sparks were left in its wake. She smiled, feeling satisfied.
Harry innocently put an arm around Hermione's shoulder, and she wrapped her own arm around Harry's waist. They both walked back towards Hogwarts castle cheerfully, feeling at ease with each other's touch. They looked forward for the party back in Gryffindor tower with the mutual hope that they would finally have a trouble-free term ahead of them. Or so they thought.
Shadow the Dark Fortress Act 1:
Fugitives of the Ministry
Next Chapter: start of Act 2.