Chapter VI
The Essence of Their Friendship
Harry couldn't understand why he wasn't relaxing. Ron was seated on a desk with his wand still pointed at Gargarin, "What's the matter, Harry? Relax, we only have about less than an hour left until midnight and she will be gone for good," he said.
"No, Ron, I'm thinking about something else," Harry said scratching his head. "Knocking out Gargarin was too easy. The Oarling we faced in the dungeon brushed off our spells like flies. If she was the Oarling, she was not supposed to be stunned just like that."
"So you reckon Gargarin is not an Oarling?" asked Ron. He got off the desk and stood on the floor, interested in Harry's theory. "Then, who?"
"I don't know what to think," said Harry. "Let's be on guard just the same…this might be one of her tricks."
Their heart skipped a beat when they heard sounds of running footsteps coming from the corridor, and they crouched and held their wands at the ready towards the door. It sounded like more than one was making them.
Professor McGonagall stepped inside the room, and was taken aback when she saw Gargarin on the floor, apparently stunned by Harry and Ron, and their wands pointed at her. She clutched her chest with her hand and looked at them. "My goodness, Potter and Weasley! What did you do to Professor Gargarin? Explain this! And please don't point your wands at me like that!"
"Stand back, whoever you are!" Harry shouted. "You're not Professor McGonagall!"
McGonagall seemed dazed, "What…what are you talking about, Mr. Potter? Of course, I'm Professor McGonagall. I…"
Madam Hooch came next from behind McGonagall, and she clamped a hand over her own mouth when she saw Gargarin sprawled over the floor. "Potter…Weasely…did you just stun Professor Gargarin?"
Harry and Ron did not answer them, and they still pointed their wands to the teachers with a deep look of suspicion still drawn on their faces.
"You had committed a serious offence, attacking a teacher!" Professor McGonagall said as she fanned her face with her other hand. To Harry's big surprise Dumbledore came in a few seconds later in the classroom. He did not speak and he went straight to Gargarin sweeping past McGonagall and Hooch, knelt down, and pointed his wand on her. "Ennervate!"
"Professor Dumbledore…no!" exclaimed Harry. "You don't know what you're doing…"
Gargarin came back to consciousness at once, feeling groggy, and when she saw Dumbledore she said, "H-Headmaster, what time is it? We got to get to Miss Granger…she…"
"Oh, no you won't!" roared Harry. "Professor Dumbledore, please don't listen to her! She's an Oarling!"
Professor McGonagall was taken aback when she heard Harry. "Mister Potter, that's preposterous! Gargarin…the Oarling?"
"She is! And she's been going after Hermione and we were trying to stop this Oarling from laying her hands on her!" Ron said to the teachers, he almost sounded like he was pleading to them.
"She's not an Oarling, Harry," said Dumbledore in his characteristic tone. "She is an auror."
Harry and Ron looked at each other in disbelief. "Professor Dumbledore," called Harry. "You can't be under her spell, too, can you?"
"If you want to know if I'm thinking straight, Harry, we can talk about your recent premonitions all night," Dumbledore said rather directly, but still using his trademark gentle voice.
That was enough reason for Harry to believe Dumbledore is really Dumbledore. He heard heavy slow footsteps coming from the corridor and Hagrid showed up at the door, blocking all the light from outside with his large body. "Sorry, I saw `er but lost `er, Professor Dumbledore. Cudern't find `er anywhere then. Oh, `lo der Harry, Ron." Harry and Ron waved back, still having confused looks.
Dumbledore said, "I understand, Rubeus. Please keep on looking for Miss Granger. Minerva, Madam Hooch? Carry on, please." Professor McGonagall and Madam Hootch went on separate ways. "Ye'sir! Don' worry, Harry and Ron, we'll find Hermione. See yer!" said Hagrid as he strode off.
"P-Professor Dumbledore," said Harry meekly. "I don't understand, we thought Gargarin was the Oarling. She's an auror?"
"Yes, Harry, she is the auror who is chasing the Oarling."
"Then do you know who's the Oarling, Professor?" asked Ron.
"Carina Lovic," Dumbledore replied, "and I believe your very good friend is in mortal danger."
Harry could not believe what he heard. "So why didn't you warn us while you still had all the time, professor? We were with Carina for weeks - we trusted her!" Harry paused, suddenly felt that his stomach lurch again. "Hermione's alone with her now…Oh, no! We got to find her!"
"Harry, did you say you trusted her?" Dumbledore asked, and sighed. "Then, Harry and Ron, you must completely remove that trust you gave her. It is one of the ways on how to stand against the Oarling. If you still have doubts about us, then you have not yet stopped trusting the creature."
"Where could they be right now?" asked Ron, getting desperate. "There's got to be a million places to hide in Hogwarts! We have only about half an hour left, and Hermione was with her alone for ages, and she might be the Oarling now!" Ron was now biting his fingernails.
"It's still has not happened, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, "because the Oarling must enter Hermione's body at exactly 12 midnight tonight. The Oarling will die if it changes bodies a minute too early or a minute too late. So that means you have a very small window of opportunity to prevent that from happening. Say, two minutes. BUT, you will not be able to fight it with magic. Harry, have you already found out what your dreams meant?"
"Oh, the dreams!" Harry thought aloud. Harry felt disgusted with himself for not trying to interpret his nightmares with Hermione. He had all the time in the world, and now they were getting close to losing their friend that it was almost impossible to think straight anymore. "Think! Think!" he told himself. "But it always ended when Hermione fell on the hole, Professor!" he told Dumbledore.
"And what did she fall on to, Harry?" asked Dumbledore.
"Hermione told me it was the Devil's Snare! But it doesn't make any sense…the Devil's Snare's not there anymore…it's been removed after I faced Vol…" Harry paused. It occurred to him at the same time as Ron.
Ron held Harry by the shoulders looking straight at his eyes. "Harry, that could be it! They're under the trap door that the three-headed dog used to guard. The Devil's Snare is what we used to land on! Don't you see? The trap door is the dark hole in your dreams. The room where the Devil's Snare used to be could be where the Oarling is preparing the ritual. Hermione kept falling because we cannot prevent that…she is already in there!"
"Very good, Mr. Weasley, I knew you had it in you," said Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, you gotta go and help us!" Harry said as he went to Dumbledore and pulled his arm.
"Harry, I believe you and Ron have a better chance of stopping that Oarling alone than us. You would not believe or understand it right now. As powerful as we might seem to you, we can do nothing against the creature to stop it from taking away your friend forever. You and Ron are Hermione's last hope. Go on, now! Time is running short."
Harry could not understand why Dumbledore is wimping out, but he had to trust the wise man. He respected Dumbledore very much, and he had not failed Harry even once. When they were clearing the door towards the corridor, Dumbledore called them again, and they looked back at him to listen.
"Harry, remember what I shared to you in the castle entrance that morning," the Headmaster said. "You have to promise me you won't forget it."
"Yes, I promise, Professor," said Harry although he did not know what Dumbledore was trying to tell him. He felt especially irritated when Dumbledore was being cryptic during emergencies. Why didn't he just go straight to the point? But he didn't have time to think about Dumbledore; he had to worry about stopping that monster from possessing Hermione without magic. The big question was "How?"
Harry and Ron ran as fast as they can towards the moving staircases where they could get in directly the dungeons. They remembered quite well where they went when they looked for the Sorcerer's Stone years ago during their freshmen year. It seemed like déjà vu to them as they approached the magically locked door leading to the room where Fluffy, the three-headed dog used to sleep. Ron tapped the lock with his wand and shouted, "Alohomora!" The door unlocked and they saw the trapdoor where they expected it to see, opening it. From where they looked, there seemed to be nothing down there.
"Ron, I remember we fell a long way down there," said Harry. "I think nothing will catch our fall without the Devil's Snare."
"Okay, you levitate me in first and I'll do it for you from down there, then," Ron replied. Harry did the spell ("Wingardium Leviosa") but at first Ron went up, not down. He had to carefully guide Ron down through the trapdoor and gently to the creaky old floor below. Ron returned the favor to Harry as soon as he got in. It was dimly lit, and to Harry and Ron's dismay, totally empty. There were no doors leading to other rooms - a dead end.
"Oh, no…" said Ron feeling desperate again. "Did we make a terrible mistake?" They only had about less than 10 minutes left till midnight. Finding Hermione will now be next to impossible in Hogwarts. They have essentially failed to save her, they thought.
Harry felt like sinking and crying on the floor and Ron hung his head feeling the same way, too. The cruel silence was getting more unbearable every passing moment. Harry could not hold on to his emotions, and he just simply wanted to cry with all his might up in the air to get it all out. "HERMIONE!!!"
"Harry!!!" screamed Hermione.
They heard her muffled scream that seemed to come from below the old wooden floor. Harry and Ron could not believe their luck, and they frantically looked for any opening that will lead them down. There was nothing. Hermione still screamed for Harry's name, and Ron, frustrated for not finding the way down, jumped up and down stomping the old wooden floor. Then they heard a strong cracking noise. Harry and Ron looked at each other wide eyed because they knew what happened next. The floor collapsed 15 feet down to another room below, bringing them both down with it. They were covered in a thick cloud of dust that made Ron very sneezy.
Harry stood up and pulled Ron up toward the general direction of Hermione's screams, and they found a door up a few steps of stairs leading to a well-lit room that they opened and entered. The room seemed like a replica of the one they went to in the dungeons yesterday. Just as big, hundreds of candles were brightly illuminating the room again, and he saw the same altar near the opposite end of the wall. There were high, boarded-up windows in this part of the dungeons because they were not yet underground. The only difference with the decorations now is that Hermione was tied down on top of the altar and Carina was standing there in front of her. Carina's back was against Harry and Ron; she was dressed in the same dull gray robes the hooded Oarling wore, and her hands outstretched sideways as if she was waiting for something. Her right hand was holding a dagger. An hourglass was suspended in midair atop of them, the sand of the top half almost spent.
Hermione looked sideways at Harry and Ron, who were advancing towards the altar, and called for their name again. "Harry, Ron! Help me!" she screamed. Her eyes looked puffy and red, her cheek shiny with tears running down.
"Carina!" snarled Harry. "Let Hermione go!"
"You're too late…" said Carina, now in an different and unrecognizable voice. It was not the Carina they "knew", but a real cold-blooded Oarling; it didn't look human anymore and indescribable as it turned around to face Harry and Ron. They both had their wands out as they approached it, bellowing out all the spells they could think of. To their disappointment, their magic just kept on bouncing off the Oarling, but they kept trying anyway. The Oarling did a shield charm that lingered on without its continuous attention, preventing Harry and Ron in the middle of the room to proceed further. They scanned every surface of it with their eyes, feeling and pushing it, looking for a way around the shield; the shield they observed was only about 12 feet high from the floor, roughly half of the height of the room.
"Harry…Ron! Hurry, please," cried Hermione.
"Harry, I have an idea - levitate me in to the other side and I'll get you in, too!" Ron said in a hurry.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry commanded, guiding Ron up over the shield and gently to the other side. Ron then said, "My turn…Wingardium…" But before he could finish, the Oarling turned around again to face them and pointed its wand to Ron!
"RON! LOOK OUT!" warned Harry, but the Oarling has already attacked Ron with the Cruciatius Curse. Ron was now writhing in agonizing pain at the other side of the shield, and Harry could not do anything to help him. Harry was desperately thinking for any ideas on how to save his two friends, who were now at the clutches of the Oarling. His heart stopped when it bellowed to Ron, "Avada Kedavra!"
"NOOOOO!!!!" Harry was screaming on top of his lungs as he saw green light spark from the tip of the Oarling's wand. He only saw a glaring light that died as soon as it started. He was dreading to see the dead body of Ron when the spot in his eyesight caused by the glare would come off.
"Ron!!!" screamed Hermione as she saw what the Oarling did to her best friend. "No, no! Please don't be dead…! Please…" she croaked and just closed her eyes and cried.
To Harry's great relief, Ron was still on the floor, breathing heavily and groaning. The Oarling was just standing there, looking at its wand. The spell was a dud, and it meant the monster didn't know how to do a Death Curse. Seeing that Ron was still rolling on the floor and that Harry was still at the other side of shield, the Oarling returned its attention to Hermione. Harry looked at the hourglass; he was running out of time fast! "C'mon, Harry, think! Think!" He urged himself. He got it…The Tri-wizard Tournament.
"Accio Firebolt!" he commanded, summoning his broomstick from the chest back at the dormitory. Soon, the broomstick broke in through the boarded windows with such force that sent splinters of wood over and around the Oarling and Hermione, hurting the eyes of the monster. The Firebolt hovered beside Harry and he quickly mounted it and sped up over the shield, pointing his wand at the ropes binding Hermione as he headed towards the altar. "Reclusio!"
The ropes snapped; Hermione was free and she quickly sat upright. Harry scooped her up by the waist and tried for the window; he would return for Ron later. Harry only got a nasty surprise when he and Hermione hit the open window hard like a wall - the Oarling had already placed shield charms on all the windows to prevent them from escaping.
Harry and Hermione fell to the floor very painfully. The Oarling moved to Hermione, who was pretty dazed, and carried her off to put her back on top of the altar, tying her up again securely with ropes coming out from its wand. Harry shook his head from the shock, and he saw the all the sand of the hourglass were now on the bottom half. "It is time…" said the Oarling. Just two minutes for Hermione…Harry thought. Just two minutes and it all be over.
He struggled to help himself up and walked painfully toward the altar. All he could now was cover Hermione up with his body to prevent the Oarling from touching her. "You cannot stop a spirit…" said the Oarling, who strangely just stood behind him.
He caught sight of Ron bravely sprinting towards the altar obviously ignoring all the pain he got from the Cruciatius Curse. Ron's momentum carried him above the altar and he punched the Oarling in the face with all his strength sending and throwing it back to the wall. Ron was ready for it to stand up again, but to his horror, a white misty spirit rose up instead from the Oarling's body, very quickly shifting changing into the form of its former victims. He stepped back and went beside Hermione, opposite Harry. The spirit was now walking very slowly toward the altar, apparently getting ready to enter her.
"You're too late…she's mine now," it said in shrill voice. A whirling mist that was spinning faster and faster also appeared on top of the altar. It turned into what look like an upside-down tornado spinning above getting bigger. Very strong winds were encircling them, making their surroundings very cold.
Harry and Ron were now frantically trying to unbind Hermione, who was screaming as she saw the spirit moving in closer. They recited all the unbinding spells they know, but they failed each time. Giving up, Harry and Ron hugged her tightly. "NOOO!!! YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!" screamed Harry at the spirit, but his heart sank when he heard Hermione start to talk.
"H-Harry, Ron…I-I just want you two to know you are both the best things that happened to me in my life…" She gazed at Harry, and said, "G-goodbye, and I really love you…my best friend…" she said with a hint of resignation in her voice, tears were now pouring in torrents from her eyes.
"Hermione, please don't talk like that!" Harry cried. "We love you, too, Hermione! I love you…" Ron cried, too; they now both felt resigned to Hermione's fate, but they didn't stop hoping for a miracle. They took another look at the spirit, now with its misty hands outstretched, getting nearer to her and the winds became stronger. Harry and Ron again bellowed out another cry as if Hermione was dying, and hugged her more tightly. Harry managed not to take his eyes off the spirit as it approached even with the amount of tears that blurred his eyesight, but he didn't dare see it take possession of Hermione, too - he refused to witness his best friend's death. He kept on looking at the spirit then the room seemed to brighten up gradually - and he witnessed the miracle unfolding around them.
A bright blue light that repelled the spirit from advancing towards Hermione was enveloping them. The light seemed to emanate from their chests, including Hermione's, like a very strong aura. Harry and Ron saw the spirit was attempting to break into the light barrier, but it couldn't. "H-Hermione, y-you gotta see this," said an awestruck Ron.
Hermione slowly opened her eyes and saw what was happening, her mouth fell open. It occurred to Harry that this was the aura that Dumbledore told him about. He didn't know how to maintain it, or if it needed some sort of magic to keep it alight. He only prayed it would stay and protect them from the spirit of the Oarling long enough to kill it. The spirit was now shrieking and howling, getting louder and louder every second.
"That's it!" Harry exclaimed. "Ron, keep holding on to Hermione as tightly as you can! Don't let her go whatever you do!" he shouted at Ron within the ear-splitting noise and rampaging wind. Ron nodded vigorously at Harry, gritting his teeth, and held on tighter. The light became visibly stronger.
The spirit was pounding the edge of the light with its misty fists, and it was crying out in suffering. It was now hysterically banging the edge of the light more than ever, it ghostly mouth twisting and belting out sounds of bizarre wailing - this went on for another minute too long - and the whirlwind on top of the altar started to suck up the spirit. It struggled in vain to reach Hermione for a last desperate attempt for survival, but the whirlwind spun faster and faster, so fast that the Oarling could not fight it any longer.
The whirlwind pulled it up into its vortex, until the spirit of the Oarling was consumed whole, disappearing into thin air. As soon as there was no more hint of a sign of them, the aura covering Harry, Ron, and Hermione softly dissipated. It fell awfully silent as the strong winds totally died down. The only wind they felt next was the cool midnight breeze coming in from the hole in the window.
"I think it's stopped! I-It's over!" said Harry as he loosened her hold on Hermione a bit, not believing that they have survived it, but feeling very grateful and relieved at the same time. He saw that the ropes that bounded her and the shields were also gone. "It's all over! Its time was up!"
"Did you see the light around us, Harry?" asked Hermione, who was breathing heavily, sitting slowly upright the altar, and looking around with wide eyes. "That was amazing! Where did it come from? Did you do it?"
"No, I couldn't do it myself," Harry said. He then looked suddenly happy at Ron and Hermione and said, "We all did it together! It came from inside the three of us!
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry, eager to hear what he thought.
"Dumbledore told me about the aura in us. I understand it now. I reckon it was the true mark - the essence of our friendship…"
"We do not feel it but it's there - here inside us." He was pointing all of his right hand's fingers towards his chest. "It gives us a special bond that no one - and nothing - can take away a part of us. That's why the Oarling could not take Hermione away from us, Ron. The special bond helped us through it!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione felt very happy, each feeling very proud for all the three of them.
"You all right, there, `mione?" asked Ron. He now had a very deep look of concern for her like Harry.
Hermione looked at both Harry and Ron with teary and grateful eyes. She smiled and said, "Never been better…Never been better." The three of them now huddled and they hugged each other very tightly; they all broke down crying and laughing with joy.
~o0o~
The next day, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Gargarin both stepped in the hospital wing wearing happy faces. Madam Pomfrey admitted Ron and Hermione because they bore the brunt of the Oarling's spells. They were both lying snugly in their beds awake and in high spirits. Harry sat in a chair between them; he only had small cuts in his arms and face.
"So, I finally meet the three who killed off the last known Oarling in the world. You did a very admirable job, you young chaps," said Professor Gargarin, smiling proudly. Dumbledore offered her a seat and they both sat down at the foot of Hermione's bed.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled back. This was the first time they saw Professor Gargarin smile since her introduction in the Welcoming Feast.
Professor Gargarin continued on. "I understand that this Oarling, formerly Carina Lovic befriended you, am I correct? If you don't mind at all, I would like to hear how she made you believe I was the Oarling."
It was a long story, but Harry remarkably reconstructed everything, until that little commotion they had in the classroom, and went on to their last encounter with the monster. Hermione told her own story during the time when she was alone with Carina.
Professor Gargarin was amazed on the way the Oarling had penetrated them. "Carina made you believe I was the Oarling so that you would all gain your trust with her. She successfully kept you away from the truth. When you, Hermione, told her that you trusted her, you said it straight from your heart. It made a bond between you and the Oarling. That was very important for the Oarling to be able to successfully take over your body. The bond was complete and irrevocable, even after hating her for knowing what she truly is was already useless."
Hermione nodded, as she understood why Carina was very triumphant during that time.
"She may have slipped a few subtle signs that belied her claims about herself," continued Gargarin. "Do you remember anything at all?"
Ron thought for a second and said, "I reckon one was the time that she said that you, Professor Gargarin, were very mean to her EACH TIME she was admitted in Durmstrang."
Gargarin nodded. "Yes, slip of the tongue. That's one; I will explain that later…"
"And she oddly knew a lot about Hermione," Harry added, "and, er… her attempts to murder me in our first night at the dungeons. At first she really wanted to go alone for `auror work' and I reckon she was planning to do something for her altar but we were being too nosy for her taste. She really insisted that only one could go with her, and probably kill one in the process. I should have known…"
"Please don't blame yourself, Mr. Potter," said Gargarin. "The signs were too subtle to connect the whole picture."
"And I reckon I was the one who gave her that nasty gash at the back of her head," Hermione said. "The hooded Oarling got a strong whack by a flying chair in the same spot…but she made it look like she was attacked from behind that she didn't have the chance to `warn' Harry. Should've seen the signs, too."
"Yes, the Oarling can be hurt physically," said Gargarin.
Dumbledore listened very intently in their conversation. "I believe you owe Harry, Ron, and Hermione your own side of the story, Olga."
"Oh, of course, Headmaster," said Gargarin. She cleared her throat.
"Students were disappearing in Durmstrang every 8 years, mostly Seniors who never showed up for their graduation," she started her story. "It had been happening in Durmstrang for many years, but the Ministry only saw the signs about 36 years ago because of the strange pattern of events. I was a Professor in Durmstrang in those years and I was fully aware about the Oarling. We always knew who the new Oarling was every 8 years, and I was tasked to watch her closely every year. That's why Carina told you I was very mean to her each time she was admitted. She meant that it was each time she took over a new life.
"A few aurors were called in last year to Durmstrang because it was expected that the Oarling will strike again this year if the pattern were to be followed. The Oarling can only possess the body of a young witch, age 11 to 18, anytime it wants. If it can't find a body when it turns 19, it will die. We had just discovered for the first time in history how the Oarling took over a body of a young witch. The Oarling might have sensed it had a danger of being captured because it looked for a way to move to another school - its favorite playground. During that time, we were certain Carina Lovic was the girl that was taken over by the Oarling eight years ago. We had a very good chance of catching her that time. The aurors in Durmstrang were closing in on her, confiscating her things, including the altar that was found under the school. Still, we did not have enough proof to turn her in and you know why we could not arrest her without proof - what she told you was correct. The aurors were shocked when they discovered the picture of Hermione in that altar, probably stolen from Mr. Viktor Krum. The Oarling had a target.
"We found out that the girl in the picture was Miss Hermione Granger, a pupil of Hogwarts from the information of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. She was seen as a guest of Mr. Krum and that was where Carina Lovic saw her first. I reckon Krum introduced them some time during Miss Granger's stay in Durmstrang, and Carina could have found some interesting qualities in her. What was more alarming was that the Ministry of Magical Education offered a student exchange program at the most inconvenient time, Carina Lovic qualified, and she was bound for Hogwarts. That was pure luck for her.
"The Ministry of Magic pulled me out of my assignment in London to report to Headmaster Dumbledore," Gargarin continued. "Here, Cornelius Fudge introduced me to the Headmaster, and I filled him in about the Oarling. Headmaster Dumbledore was kind to divulge to me all the information about Miss Granger, her most frequently visited places, friends, enemies, and her schedule of classes. I was instructed to watch her very carefully and separate her from Carina as much as I can. I am sorry this is where I failed."
"Professor, Hermione said you were in Durmstrang when she visited the school," Harry cut in. "You even plucked a hair strand from her without even asking."
Gargarin laughed. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't me, Mister Potter. I was already in London doing my assignment during that time. That was Carina Lovic using Polyjuice Potion. How she got a part of me is a mystery. She probably had her own advance plan on how to paint me as the Oarling because she was expecting me to be sent in to continue watching her like the last 24 years. She needed a sample of Miss Granger to study her …uhm, from head to toe."
Hermione suddenly turned pink.
"The Oarling needed to study the habits and personality of its intended victim before striking," Gargarin continued. "Carina had no time to cram, and she also had no more time to look for alternative victims. That's why she was aggressively pursuing Miss Granger here. Even if the Oarling gets the essence of Miss Granger, she won't act like the real one anymore. It has total control of the body of its victim. What Carina told you about not telling any difference between the real Hermione and the Oarling-Hermione was a total lie."
"A very good liar, she was," said Ron, twisting his face. "She was so very convincing - she even led us to believe she was the auror! I was very impressed with her. I hate myself for being tricked like that all the time."
"Please don't blame yourself, Mister Weasley," Gargarin told Ron. "You were only concerned about the safety of your best friend. Things would certainly get confusing that time."
"The whirling mist you all saw above the altar was supposed to get Miss Granger's soul when the Oarling entered her body," said Dumbledore. "Instead it took the Oarling's when its time was up. Good work for finding her in time, Ron and Harry."
"Thank you," said Harry and Ron and they turned to smile at Hermione.
"Professor Dumbledore, so why didn't you just warn us about Carina earlier?" asked Ron. "We could have shunned her like a leper."
"The existence of the Oarling has been a closely guarded secret for as long as anyone can remember," replied Dumbledore. "These creatures caused terror among the young wizards and witches during the peak of their population in 1843, which I believe was only 7 Oarlings. During that time, too many young witches ended up killing each other thinking that the bodies of their friends were taken over. But they didn't know an Oarling could not be killed physically and by magic. The only way to kill an Oarling is to deny it the chance of taking over another body, like you and our forefathers did. So you see, it is a very dangerous and powerful creature. The Oarlings were believed to have been extinct for many generations, and recently it was again believed that there was one who survived for more than a hundred years and she might be attempting to establish a foothold here at Hogwarts.
"The Ministry of Magic didn't want a repeat of that panic so the information was agreed to be kept secret between me, and the auror - Professor Gargarin here. She was assigned to stop it from carrying on with the ritual since she is the most experienced auror in the trail of an Oarling. Professor Gargarin had a very good plan to prevent Carina Lovic from getting Hermione without telling your friend anything about it. But that changed one night when Professor Gargarin discovered a very elaborate altar in the dungeons when she suspected that Mr. Filch was attacked to free up that area in Hogwarts, but that idea came only to Professor Gargarin's mind a few days later."
"I thought about that myself, too, Professor," Ron said proudly.
Dumbledore smiled. "Good work, Mister Weasley. Our auror here found a parchment that suggested the Oarling had only one day left."
"That's when me and Carina saw Professor Gargarin walking in the dungeons with a scary look in her face," said Harry. "And I saw the same parchment. She probably didn't mind hiding it when she was there alone in the room. She was expecting me to be dead after that."
"That's right. I called for an emergency meeting with a select group of teachers and that's where we had to divulge the information about the Oarling," Dumbeldore continued. "You should have seen their faces. Professor McGonagall wanted to warn Hermione about the danger early in the morning, and to her alone only, not even to her closest friends. But unfortunately, Carina Lovic had been one step ahead of us, and she led you to believe the Oarling can even control the minds of many people at once, which is again a very big lie.
"We then took desperate measures when we could not get hold of Hermione for the whole day last night; we decided to take her ourselves rather forcefully for her safety," Dumbledore said. "Harry, you and your friends proved to be very slippery indeed."
"But Professor Dumbledore, where were you all the time when this was all happening?" asked Hermione.
"I was here all the time in Hogwarts, Hermione," he replied. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged confusing looks. "I was just in my office. Harry, didn't I tell you once that I didn't need an invisibility cloak to get invisible?"
"Oh…yeah," said Harry, recalling Dumbledore told him that years ago. "But why did you pretend to be away, Professor? We could have told you what was happening."
"I'm very sorry if I had to do that, Harry," Dumbledore answered. "I wanted the Oarling to have a false sense of security. Without me, it would embolden itself to do what it wants to do, but at the same time, we would be taking a great risk out of the life of Hermione. Professor Gargarin and I can take that Oarling on ourselves, but that would take days at best - we were ready for that. It only changed when Professor Gargarin discovered that parchment and that was a blessing that she did. We already knew when the Oarling's time was up and when it would do its ritual. We had to evacuate Hermione last night, and only last night, when it was too late for the Oarling to find another victim and everybody would be secured in their dormitories. If we evacuated Hermione too early, the Oarling will resort to kidnapping another student and we will never know whom it got, and we will be having an Oarling in one of our student witches."
"But, then, why didn't Carina just stay and relax in the common room?" asked Ron.
"She was afraid to be cornered in that part of Hogwarts, Mister Weasley," Gargarin answered for Dumbledore. "If we caught her there, we would certainly take Hermione away from her, and prevent her from getting the other girls as well. She had to remain very slippery for as long as necessary until midnight."
"Well, that explains everything…except for one thing, Professor Gargarin," said Hermione. "If you wanted to protect me, why did you have to be so mean? I mean…you are apparently a lovely lady now."
"I told you were overdoing it, Olga," said Dumbledore, smiling.
"Well, I admit that it was one of my worst miscalculations, Miss Granger," said Gargarin. "I thought you would get afraid of me catching you with Carina Lovic. Professor Dumbledore said one of your worst fears is to lose Gryffindor so many points out of your actions. You have a very good personality, I should have known. It made you even closer with her instead. Sorry about that."
"No, no need to apologize, Professor," said Hermione, smiling. "You were just doing a good job." Gargarin said, "Thanks."
"So where's Carina's body now, Professor Gargarin?" asked Ron next. "We left her in the dungeons. I hope Hogwarts won't get into trouble with her parents, I mean, the school would apparently be responsible for her when she was exchanged here…I hope not."
"You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Weasley," answered Gargarin. " Her body has been retrieved and is now being transported back to Bulgaria, where she will be given a proper burial. The Ministry of Magic there will talk with her parents. They know how to take care of that problem."
"I really do feel sad about the real Carina," said Hermione. "I wonder what she was like before she was possessed by that Oarling." Everyone fell silent for a few moments wondering the same thing.
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry called softly. "You knew about the aura, and you knew it was a way on how to stop the Oarling, so why didn't you just tell us how to do it?"
"If I gave the answer right away, Harry, you would not have achieved that kind of protection like the one you had back there," replied Dumbledore patiently. "The strong devotion you gave among yourselves has been an important part to form that protection. If I again told you the answer, you will only imagine the feeling - halfheartedly at best. And that light would have not been strong enough to save Hermione. What you felt for her was real, and what she also felt for you - and Ron - was as authentic as yours. That is what was important."
Dumbledore especially gave Harry and Hermione a few extra knowing glances, and then smiled imperceptibly.
"Harry, remember that little scuffle with Malfoy?" asked Hermione, her face brightening up with her idea. "That's why the Oarling could not come near us. I think our emotions were running very high for the three of us. We acted as real good friends. And Ron looked rather cute with the Arnulfulus charm."
Ron covered his eyes with his hands, and everybody laughed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were now all beaming at each other, feeling more proud of their friendship than ever before. They all felt things will be better for them from now on. They have understood the meaning of true friendship and they have become inseparable by heart.
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