Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That would just be silly, and I am merely crazy.
Twisting Around
Summary: Please Help Me Hermione. The words echoed through Hermione's entire being. She knew she should say no. Every fiber of logic within her said she should say no, but her heart wouldn't let her.
Chapter 1: One Trust Broken, One Trust Strengthened
A/N: I've decided to start this out in a sort of J.K. Rowling style before breaking off into my own style.
The sun was shining down on Privet Drive. The birds were singing in the park and a light breeze rustled through the leaves on the trees. Kids were in the park, kicking the ball around in a pickup game of football. Others were playing tag, and a few just sat around watching. Everywhere, all the normal boys and girls were enjoying their vacation and the beautiful weather.
But Harry Potter was not a normal boy. He was a wizard, just returning from his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead showed the entire wizarding world who he was. He was the boy-who-lived, the boy who when he was just a year old, survived an attack by one of the most powerful and evil wizards of all time, Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter had lived, and the powers of Lord Voldemort were destroyed. Lord Voldemort barely survived, and was forced to flee, something less than human.
In fact, Harry Potter had just survived Lord Voldemort for the fourth time only a couple weeks before. In his first year, Harry had prevented Lord Voldemort from obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone and returning to power. At the end of fourth year, Lord Voldemort captured Harry and restored his power through a terrible spell that used Harry's blood as an ingredient. Harry escaped death once again, and returned to Hogwarts to warn the wizarding world of Lord Voldemort's return.
In fifth year, while Harry was taking his Ordinary Wizarding Levels, he had a vision of his godfather, Sirius Black, having been captured by Lord Voldemort. Harry led his friends to the Ministry of Magic in a rescue attempt. They descended into the Department of Mysteries, and found the room where Harry saw Sirius being held. It was a trap.
Lord Voldemort had lured Harry Potter to the ministry so that he could gain possession of a prophecy that had been told about the two of them. A furious battle ensued, in which Sirius Black died while trying to rescue Harry. Harry and his friends escaped, with the help of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of witches and wizards dedicated to defeating Lord Voldemort.
Back at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, told Harry the contents of the prophecy. Shortly after, the school year ended, and Harry and his friends rode home on the Hogwarts Express.
Now, Harry Potter was sitting on the bed in his room, staring at the wall. He could not get the events at the Ministry of Magic out of his head. He saw the battle begin, he saw his best friend Ron getting attacked by brains, his other best friend Hermione getting badly hurt by a curse, and he saw his godfather falling through the mysterious veil, passing into the land of death. Thoughts of the prophecy also ran through his mind. It was the prophecy that had ruined his life. First by being made and causing Lord Voldemort to kill his parents, and second by being kept from him, the prophecy was indirectly responsible for the death of his godfather.
Harry was furious. He was furious at Professor Dumbledore, who kept the prophecy from him, thinking it was for the best. He was also furious at Professor Snape, who let a feud with Harry's father prevent him from teaching Harry how to properly defend his mind from invasion.
Harry's anger was consuming him, and he knew it. He had to get the anger out somehow. So Harry took out some parchment, and set out to write a letter. He thought about writing to Ron, but in the end Harry decided that Hermione would be more likely to understand and to help. Harry began to write.
Dear Hermione,
I needed to tell you something. Remember the prophecy that got smashed in the Department of Mysteries? I know what it said. Dumbledore had heard it from Trelawney and he finally deemed the time right to tell me. It said "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to parents who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power that the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" Hermione, it is this prophecy that led to my parents' deaths. Voldemort heard the first two lines of the prophecy and came after me, even though it could have been me or Neville. Dumbledore thought it best to keep the prophecy from me, but he has been proven wrong. Dumbledore's maneuvering led to Sirius's death as did Snape's feud with my dad. Snape stopped teaching me occlumency after I saw one of his memories of being humiliated by my dad. I am so angry at the both of them, that words can't describe it. I know I am partly to blame, but so are they. I know this will be hard to understand, but I needed to tell somebody, and that person was you. Please don't tell anyone about this. I'd prefer to keep this between us for now. I hope you're okay with everything I just told you, and I hope you've fully recovered from your injury, especially as I am partly to blame for your nearly getting killed, as are Snape and Dumbledore. I hope you understand Hermione.
Harry
Harry then tied the letter to Hedwig's outstretched leg. "Take this to Hermione, girl" Harry told it, before the white owl took off and flew out the window.
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Hermione was in her room doing what she loved most, reading. Hearing a tapping at the window, she looked up to see Hedwig waiting outside. Her heart leapt when she saw that Harry had sent her a letter. She had been fearful that he would seclude himself from everyone after the recent events.
Hermione jumped off her bed and opened the window to let Hedwig in. Hedwig flew to the perch Hermione had installed in the room for such occasions. Taking the letter from Hedwig, Hermione sat down on the bed and started to read. Her hands began to tremble as her fear mounted. Reaching the end, Hermione dropped the letter and put her face in her hands, tears beginning to fall. Hermione knew she had to be strong and help Harry, so she wiped away her tears and moved to her desk and wrote a quick response. Hermione gave it to Hedwig, who promptly flew off back to her owner.
Hermione flopped herself down onto her bed and let her emotions take control of her for a moment. She was angry as well. She too was angry at Professors Dumbledore and Snape, angry for Harry. Hermione knew that they didn't understand Harry at all, and that their misunderstanding was doing more to hurt Harry than Voldemort ever could.
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Harry had been sleeping when Hedwig returned. It wasn't a peaceful sleep. The events in the Department of Mysteries haunted Harry in his sleep as well. Hedwig's return woke Harry, who took the reply from Hedwig, who was drinking from her water dish.
Dear Harry,
Listen to me Harry. Don't let it haunt you. You have every right to be angry at Dumbledore and Snape. I'm angry at them too. What they did was inexcusable. They didn't consider the effect that their actions would have on you. The mistakes they made were much worse than any that you might have made. You did everything I asked of you before we left, and we all chose to come with. Now, all I ask of you here is to learn from what happened. Don't let the past consume you. You must be focused on the future, now more than ever. We'll all need your help, myself included, especially myself to be honest. I hope to see you soon.
Love From
Hermione
How very much like Hermione, asking me to learn, Harry thought.
Harry got back in bed and fell asleep almost immediately, Hermione's letter still clutched in his hand.
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A/N: End of chapter 1. As always, reviews are key. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one.
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