Chapter 35: Setting the Stage
September 8 - Hogwarts
A brightly flashing parchment caught Ginny Weasley's eye as she walked past the Gryffindor notice board. Several other students seemed to have noticed it as well, and we're talking excitedly about the possibility of being excused from exams. Fearing the rumors were too good to be true, Ginny pushed her way closer to the front. Its' latest notice appeared on color changing parchment and she paused for a moment to read it.
The Hogwarts Quest - winners will be excused from end of term exams, except OWLS and NEWTS - details of the quest will be announced at dinner, promptly at 6:00pm
She groaned inwardly. She was intrigued, but if it didn't get her out of her OWL exams, it probably wasn't worth it. She adjusted her school bag on her shoulder and continued out of the common room. Unfortunately for Ginny, the quest was all anyone seemed interested in talking about during the day. By a quarter till five the Great Hall was packed and Ginny was among them sitting beside Dean just down from the golden trio as they were so often called. Dean had expressed serious interest in the quest and the two had talked about the possibility of helping each other with the challenge.
Albus Dumbledore looked out at the crowded Great Hall and enjoyed the buzz of excitement in the air. He had requested that Minerva be purposely vague in the announcement of the Quest hoping to pique the student's interest. She had protested allowing the students out of exams, but he understood that it would serve as a significant factor in encouraging students to actually take part in the quest. He rose to his feet at precisely 6:00, and the hall fell silent.
"Good evening everyone, I have an important announcement to make before we tuck in for dinner this evening. This year marks the beginning of the Hogwarts quest. Teams of four, consisting of a member from each house, will have the entire school year to locate the Hogwarts treasure. The first team to figure out all the clues and find the treasure will be exempted from end of year exams, except of course, those students taking their OWL's and NEWT's. The winning students will also share the treasure that they find. Teams can also earn house points for their members through successful completion of clues. Once you have formed your team, please see Professor McGonagall for the first clue and more on the rules. Good luck to all of you who choose to compete. Tuck in," and with that the food appeared and everyone started talking at once.
"But that means we can't work together," Ron complained at the Gryffindor table as he piled food onto his plate. Suddenly, the idea of the quest no longer seemed nearly as interesting to him.
"It's supposed to encourage the houses to work together," Hermione reminded him as she poured herself some pumpkin juice. Ron didn't answer as he began to eat.
"Are you competing, Hermione?" Harry asked curious. He took a bit of his kidney pie while he waited for her response.
"I don't know, honestly. I'm not sure I'll have time with everything else," she replied evenly. "Besides, I'd need a team first."
"Ow ere we subbosed ta git a temb?" Ron mumbled his mouth full. Hermione scowled at him, and he quickly swallowed and repeated his question. "How are we supposed to get a team?"
"Talk to your friends in other houses," Hermione replied readily as if the answer were the most obvious.
"I don't have any!" Ron protested vehemently. He didn't add further comment about how he couldn't see himself working with a Slytherin on the same time. It just didn't seem right.
"Make some," Hermione suggested then took a sip of her juice. Ron didn't answer, just tucked back into his meal fuming over Hermione's response.
"I might talk to Justin," Dean said thinking aloud. Hermione shot him a grateful look. She'd known that many of the students would have trouble at first with the idea of working with the other houses, but the point of the quest was to move past that and get the students working together regardless of house.
"Luna would probably be on your team, Ron," Harry reminded his friend. Ron blushed then looked up at Harry.
"Hey, that's right," he marveled at the idea, before his face darkened. "But I'd have to work with someone in Slytherin," he almost whined, finally admitting out loud his major problem with the idea of the quest. Several others expressed similar concerns.
"Honestly," Hermione protested, "not all Slytherins are bad, and you'll need their cunning to work out some of the clues." No one had a response to that, so they settled in to eat. Harry's hand found Hermione's under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They both knew the idea would take some getting used to, but both felt the quest would ultimately be a success.
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"So what do you think of this Hogwart's Quest thing," Blaise questioned as he and Draco finished dinner and started towards the Slytherin common room. The two had remained quiet during dinner as others discussed the headmaster's announcement, and bemoaned working with the other houses.
"Another stupid plot by a demented old man," Draco sneered adjusting his book bag on his shoulder as he strode down the nearly deserted hall. Crabbe and Goyle had chosen to stay behind in the Great Hall as neither was finished with dinner. Draco suspected that their fathers had told them to detach themselves from him since his loyalty was in question. He was uncertain as to Blaise's motives in not giving him the cold shoulder as many in Slytherin were these days.
"The fact that you get out of exams gives it some appeal," Blaise responded feeling out the other Slytherin's true thoughts. The two lapsed into silence as a group of Hufflepuffs passed quickly.
"It would be nice to win such a contest," Draco drawled as the two made their way down a set of stairs into the dungeons and thought about the prestige of besting the other teams.
"I'm rather curious about what the treasure is," Blaise threw out as the two took a shortcut that led them to the hidden door that marked the entrance to Slytherin House. Blaise said the password "Salazar" and the two entered the common room. A few other Slytherins were huddled in groups around the room. Both sixth years ignored them making their way to the Slytherin sixth year boy's dorm. Both placed their respective bags on their trunks and removed their outer school cloaks.
"Yes, but who really wants to work with someone like Granger?" drawled Draco as he loosened his tie.
"Good point," Blaise acknowledged before adding, "although, things have been way too quiet lately, maybe this quest thing will liven things up a little." He ran a hand through his tousled dark hair and took his own tie off as he sat down on his trunk.
"Maybe," Draco replied noncommittally as he sorted through his school bag trying to decide which assignments he would work on this evening. The quest would give him the opportunity to spend some time with Hannah. He'd missed seeing and talking to her the last couple of days, more than he cared to admit. He wasn't about to say that aloud though. The two boys lapsed into silence as each worked on their own assignments.
An hour later the two were still deep in their own studies when a letter appeared in front of Draco in a puff of smoke. He cast a quick charm to check for hexes and curses. When he detected none, he snatched it out of the air recognizing the familiar handwriting of his father. Blaise had looked up at the letter's appearance and packed his books and parchment together quickly after a look from his dorm mate.
"I'll be in the common room," he called as he headed out the door. Draco just stood holding the letter for a long time after the other boy's departure. He'd done his best to not think of his father. He still blamed Potter for his father's stay in Azkaban, but he wasn't so certain he wanted to serve the Dark Lord. 'I guess father doesn't want me dead, yet,' he thought as he finally opened the letter to find out just what his father had to say to him.
Dear Draco,
I was ashamed to hear of your defection. Your mother was always weak, but I thought I did a better job of eliminating
any weaknesses in you. I realize that a life debt was involved, and have spoken to our Lord about this. He was also
impressed with your little stunt at the beginning of the school year. For these reasons, He will consider giving you
another chance if you will help him. Make me proud son.
Lucius
Draco wasn't sure how much time passed when he looked down to see the letter crumpled in his hand. When it suddenly burst into flames, he cried out in pain and dropped it. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about his father's tendencies to have all his letters ignite moments after they'd been read. The inside of his hand was now red and blistered and he cursed at the sight of it. He was horrible at healing charms. Perhaps, Blaise knew some. He, at least, knew of the letter, though Draco trusted him not to say anything about it. Slytherins didn't air that kind of information. The other boy might use it to try to blackmail him if he figured out who it was from, but he wouldn't broadcast the fact to others. He didn't know what to think of the letter. He had known for some time that his father expected him to take the Dark Mark when he reached his majority. As for himself, he hadn't been so sure about being marked. The fact that the Dark Lord had let his father sit in prison didn't sit so well with Draco. If he was so powerful, why hadn't he gotten them out of there sooner? He'd begun to think that his father wasn't going to contact him at all, since he hadn't done so already. He wondered how his father knew about the trashing of the Gryffindor common room, and then realized that everyone in and out of Hogwarts had probably heard about it by now. But why does he think I did it? All of these questions swirled through his mind as he debated his response to his father's obvious directions.
He wondered if he should speak to his mother about the letter. He knew she walked a fine line, perhaps even more so than his father. She'd always expressed a belief that the Dark Lord was right, and that pure bloods needed to rid the world of filth. However, she'd never taken the mark. She always insisted that it was because of the deniability factor. Without the mark, no one could prove she was a supporter of the Dark Lord, a fact that could play in her own and the Dark Lord's favor. Part of him wondered if she'd really joined Dumbledore's side. She refused to speak of the Dark Lord anymore, and she'd allowed Granger to spout off answers in defense, even going so far as to award points once to Gryffindor. He didn't think it wise to speak to her, yet, about his letter. Deciding not to dwell on it anymore for the moment, he pulled out his potions homework and set to work writing about the draught of the living dead, its uses, and ingredients. He had always enjoyed potions class, and could usually loose himself in the intricacies of potion making or reading about them. This time it wasn't so easy.
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September 9 - Hogwarts
Hermione stood in the center of a small clearing on a beautiful autumn morning. She closed her eyes breathing deeply. As she breathed in the scent and sounds of the forest around her, she felt an answering spark within herself. Her whole body tingled with magic.
"Terrae motus," she incanted softly and rose into the air a few feet above where she'd been standing. Wind swirled around her making her hair toss wildly around her as the ground began to quake and shift. The trees surrounding the clearing remained firmly standing, but the clearing was a mass of quivering earth with large trenches and shifting mounds of rock and dirt. Slowly the earth began to quiet and level and within minutes the clearing had returned to its former self with Hermione standing firmly upon it as if nothing at all had happened. She opened her eyes and awaited a response as she watched Albus Dumbledore stride towards her from among the trees.
"Excellent, my dear, your control has improved greatly," he congratulated her as he swept across the small clearing. Finding a suitable teacher for her training had proven nearly impossible as elemental magi were extremely rare. Until he could find someone else, the headmaster had taken to overseeing her studies himself forcing Minerva to take on even more of the headmaster duties. Minerva, in turn, had handed over many of her transfiguration duties to Tonks. Hermione smiled at the praise.
"What about Harry?" Hermione broached the question she'd wanted to ask since she found out about her elemental powers. She bit her lip worrying it with her teeth as she waited for the headmaster's response.
"I think that your control over your power will be enough for now. Until Mr. Potter fully accepts the bond between you, he will remain unable to access your powers completely." Hermione sighed. Dumbledore saw her face fall. "He will accept it in time," he assured her. Hermione nodded but a tear escaped and made its way down her cheek.
"Why don't we call it a day? I'm sure you have lessons to work on for the D.A. meeting later," he suggested. He knew her emotions would affect her control. She'd done well, and he wanted to increase her confidence in her powers and control over them.
Hermione almost protested, but decided against it. She did have work to do, and she also knew she'd have trouble reaching the almost meditative state necessary to fully control her powers when they were unleashed. As her birthday approached she could feel her literally feel her magical ability growing stronger, and it took a considerable amount of control to keep it all in check.
"Alright, professor, thank you," she said before turning and walking back towards the castle. They clearing they had used was near the edge of the forest where Hagrid often had his classes meet.
She covered the ground quickly and headed for the library. Today's D.A. lesson was already set, but she was still researching the bond and her elemental powers. She wanted to be prepared when her birthday finally arrived. The more she'd read about her powers, the more she realized that she had to be able to control them without even thinking about it. Her connection to Harry added another element to the mix, in that, his emotions and control could either strengthen or hinder her own. She didn't want to cause some major natural disaster. She also didn't want to inadvertently call upon Harry's powers and weaken him.
Sighing she pushed thoughts of what could happen away from her mind, and made her way to her usual table in the library. Leaving her book bag at the table, she retrieved the latest stack of books she'd been looking through from Madam Pince and settled in to read. She had an hour and a half until the D.A. meeting started and she wanted to get as much reading done as possible. She'd found very few books that really delved into either bonding or elemental magic, but she was determined to learn all that she could. Seeing something of interest she pulled her never out quill and parchment from her bag to take some notes. Perhaps she'd finally found a book that could be of some use.
An hour later, Hermione was still writing furiously, intently focused on the text in front of her. Harry stood a few feet away and watched her work. Her hair was a wild mass, which he'd found was typical after her elemental lessons. Personally, he'd grown to love her hair even at its wildest as it was now. She was worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she always seemed to do when she was thinking about some problem. He'd come to the library to review their lesson plan for the D.A. session with her before the meeting.
"Hello, Hermione," he said softly, finally, as he covered the last few steps to the table. She finished whatever she was writing before looking up at him and smiling softly. Harry moved around the table and took a seat beside her. He glanced down at the books spread open before her. He wasn't surprised to see that she was researching more on elemental magic and bonding. It seemed to be the main things she studied these days, other than when they worked on defensive and offensive spells together.
"Hello, Harry," she replied as their eyes met and she once again got lost in his deep green eyes. They both leaned in and their lips met. Hermione sighed against his mouth and deepened the kiss. Harry's hand found their way into her hair pulling her closer.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," Madam Pince exclaimed and Harry and Hermione broke apart red faced and startled. "That is not acceptable behavior in this library. Leave now," she ordered raising her thin arm and pointing towards the door. They grabbed their bags and left the library quickly. Once in the hall, Hermione groaned.
"I can't believe we did that."
"We needed to leave for the meeting anyway," Harry tried to dismiss their public display of affection.
"She could ban us from the library," Hermione reminded him. Harry brushed some hair back from her face rubbing his thumb along her cheek.
"Dumbledore wouldn't let her ban you," Harry assured her smiling. He didn't regret kissing her, only that they were interrupted. Hermione smiled at him even as she trembled at his caress. She caught his hand in hers and pulled it away from her face.
"We should get moving," she said linking her fingers with his. Harry nodded. He knew he needed to move, but all he wanted to do was kiss her again.
"I feel the same way," she revealed and he squeezed her hand.
Roughly fifteen minutes and two short snogging sessions later, the two were straightening their clothes, faces flushed in front of the door to the room of requirement. Hermione glanced at her watch only to realize that they were late.
"Harry, we're late," she hissed softly. Harry just smiled. Hermione found herself smiling back, as the two entered the room to join their friends.
"Usually the professors try to be on time," Ron teased the two guessing by their still flushed faces what had kept them so long.
"My apologies," Harry said raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. "If you're all ready, we can begin." The others allowed he and Hermione to make their way across the room to a raised platform that they often used to demonstrate new spells.
"Professor Black and Professor Tonks will be joining us at our next meeting to go over some more dangerous curses, so today we are practicing shielding charms and a few diagnostic and healing related charms to help prevent any accidents at the next meeting," Hermione informed them.
"Along with protego, we will be practicing a new and stronger shielding charm. The incantation is "parmae," Harry explained glancing around the room. "It can be a difficult shield to maintain, so we want to work on that as well." He stepped back then and nodded to Hermione.
"Harry and I will be helping you with the new shielding charm, while Luna and Neville help you with the diagnostic and healing training." Luna and Neville stepped onto the stand then. Many of the students still marveled at the obvious change in Neville Longbottom. Gone was the shy, chubby boy of past years. This Neville looked lean and confident.
"Luna has been taking classes with Madam Pomfrey to study healing, so she is going to show us some of the most basic diagnostic tests that a healer would perform to check for things like broken bones, bleeding, and common ailments," Neville began only to allow Luna to finish.
"Once we have the diagnostic spells down, we will discuss how to stop bleeding and how to place the bone in a stasis until it can be healed."
"Since we have a lot to cover, we should get started. Everyone to my right will work on the shields, while everyone on my left will start out learning the diagnostic and healing spells," Harry ordered and the group broke into roughly even halves and settled in to work.
Author's Note: I haven't been writing much lately, too busy with work, and I apologize for that. I had no idea it had been so long since an update. Enjoy, and as always, I love the feedback so let me know what you think.