Chapter 18
A Glimmer of Hope
The silence hung in the room for some time, as the four occupants stood looking at each other, waiting for one of the others to speak. Harry's eyes flicked between Ron and Hermione, while they remained staring at Harry. Aberforth walked around the room, oddly making little noise as he did. He came and stood between the three Hogwarts students, taking it in turns to rest his gaze on each, as if willing them to answer each others questions.
"As it seems like we are not getting anywhere with all this staring, why don't we all take a seat and have some tea?" His voice seemed to break the spell, causing all three of the students to look at him. "Ah, that's better." He pointed to each of the chairs before walking away towards the door. "I shall be back soon, make yourselves at home."
Ron, standing almost directly in front of a chair, lowered himself down into it, his eyes once more finding Harry. "So, what is this all about, Harry? Why are you here?"
Hermione flicked her gaze between Ron and Harry, not moving towards a chair, while Harry retook the seat he had vacated only moments before.
"Why do you suddenly care?" Harry turned on Ron. "Either of you?" His eyes then found Hermione's. "You proved over and over that you didn't want to complete the task of finding the Horcruxes."
"That's not true." Hermione's voice was a pitch higher than normal, annoyed at Harry's accusations. "We have been helping you."
Ron shook his head. "I knew it was a waste of time coming here." He got up from his chair, ready to leave.
"Sit down, Ron," Hermione commanded, and then took her own advice, getting comfortable in a nearby chair. "Look, Harry," her voice back to normal. "We started this together and we want to help you. I know we're all been having problems at the moment…"
"Huh," Ron interjected.
Hermione glared at Ron and then continued. "But that doesn't mean that finding the Horcruxes is not important to us. We are here, aren't we?"
Harry glanced between the two. "Which leads me to my next question, how did you know I was here?"
Ron looked at Hermione, his eyebrows raised questioningly. Harry also turned his focus to the young witch sitting across from him. Hermione had the decency to blush slightly.
"I…" She began.
"You went through my things, didn't you?" Harry cut her off.
Hermione stared at Harry and shook her head. "It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it like?" Harry practically growled.
"I heard something in the common room, and saw this dark shape flap across the room and disappear. I wasn't sure what was going on and I thought it had come to hurt you." Hermione paused, feeling suddenly very foolish. "It was only when I got to your room and found it empty that I realised it was you putting on the cloak before leaving the room."
Harry let out a slow breath. "And you looked through my things because…?"
"I was worried about you, Harry. I didn't want you creeping around on your own, doing something foolish." Hermione stopped again, looking at Harry's expression, seeing how hurt he looked at her statement. "I thought you had found the next Horcrux and were going after it alone."
Ron sat forward in his chair. "But it appears you were just coming out for tea, so I'm going back."
"And how are you going to get back into Hogwarts unseen?" Hermione asked, looking more than a little smug.
"The same way we came out, you can perform the spell on me." Ron once more rose from the chair ready to be made invisible again.
Hermione looked at Ron as if he had suddenly turned mad. "When we go back to Hogwarts, we will all go back together." She smiled. "And anyway, who will perform the spell to make you visible again if you go back alone?"
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten by Harry. "This is getting us no where." He let out another sigh, and was about to speak when the door to the room opened and the old wizard walked back in carrying a tray with steaming cups of tea on it.
Aberforth looked at the three students, a smile on his lips and his eyes twinkling. "Tea is so much better done the proper way, don't you think?" He walked over to the table between them and placed the tray on it. "I see you've all managed to find your tongues." He chuckled.
Hermione smiled and looked a little bashful. "Thank you." She reached over and started to pour some milk into her tea, as Ron and Harry looked at Aberforth.
"Or maybe not." He exclaimed as the room once more fell into silence. "It would seem that it is up to me to explain what is going on." He looked at Harry and smiled warmly. "Unless you would care to do the honours?"
Harry nodded and looked between Hermione and Ron. "Well, as you both know, we've hit a bit of a brick wall finding the Horcruxes. And I've been over and over the notes and information we have, and still I have no idea where to start." He paused and looked at Aberforth. "Then I remembered that Professor Dumbledore had a brother, he attended the funeral, and I kind of thought…"
"Harry thought that I might be able to help," Aberforth finished with a smile. "And as I had just explained to Harry before you to suddenly appeared," he once more chuckled at his little pun. "I was given some of Professor Dumbledore's things after the funeral." He suddenly looked old as he saddened at the memory of burying his brother. "I was just showing Harry an old book of tales and pictures that Albus complied throughout his life."
Ron looked at Harry. "Is there anything in there that helps?"
Harry shrugged. "I've not looked through it yet, but there might be something." He looked at Hermione. "Do you want to have a look, you were always better at this type of thing than me?"
Getting out of her seat, she leant across and took the book that Harry offered her. She settled back in her chair and opened the first page, running her eyes quickly over the writing. "This goes back ages," she declared, her eyes wide open.
Aberforth chuckled again. "Yes, Albus liked to make a note of everything. He was a very thorough old wizard." He got up from his chair. "You should see how much of his belongings I brought back from Hogwarts with me."
"Do you think you might have something that relates to his meeting Tom Riddle?" Harry asked, getting a little excited.
"Tom Riddle? Hmmm." Aberforth scratched his chin thoughtfully, causing his long beard to move against his chest. "I'm not sure I know of anything in particular, but you are more than welcome to have a look."
Harry sighed. "What we really need is another look at the memory. But with Professor Dumbledore gone, I don't suppose we'll get to see any of those again."
Another chuckle rose from Aberforth. "Ah, you need to look in the Pensieve." The elderly wizard walked over to where the three sat, each looking up at him expectantly and appearing more than a little surprised. "Like I said, Albus kept everything. I do believe that he left some memories in jars. I've not looked at them properly, but we can see if there is anything that might be useful."
Rising from his chair, Harry looked at the old wizard, his mouth open unable to find the words he wanted. His lips moved several times before he finally found his voice. "If you don't mind, we really could do with seeing whether Dum…um…Professor Dumbledore left us some idea as to where Voldemort might have left the Horcruxes." He looked at Hermione and Ron. "He must have left us some clue. He would never have left us in the dark."
"He didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter, Harry," Hermione reminded him sadly.
"Well, there's only one way to find out, let's go have a look and see what we have stored downstairs." Aberforth walked over to the door, pulling it open. "Are you coming, Mr Weasley?"
Ron got to his feet and looked at Hermione. "Coming?"
Hermione shook her head. "You three go, I'll work my way through the book and see if there is anything in here that could help." She smiled as she watched Harry, Ron and Aberforth disappear out of the door, and settled down to looking through the large book that rested in her lap. Slipping off the chair, she laid it down on the floor and began to search through it, following the course of Albus Dumbledore's life.
* * * * *
It had seemed like hours that Hermione had flicked through the pages of the book, watching as pictures grinned or played out their actions to her. Various faces that she had never seen nor would ever be able to put a name to flicked past her eyes. She had started off feeling more than a little guilty looking so closely into Dumbledore's life, but as she turned each page, it felt like he had given her permission to look at the man behind the Headmaster.
She read articles and notes, not all in the Professor's own hand. The photographs had been cut out of newspapers or taken with an old camera, and some seemed to have just been thought into existence. There was no other way for her to describe it; they merely seemed to have been willed into the book, like a snapshot of a thought or a feeling.
As she worked her way though his life, she spotted little bits and pieces that helped her to recognise what had made Dumbledore the way he had been. She saw his life with his family, instantly spotting the now familiar face of his brother standing beside him. She could see the family resemblance as they grinned from the picture, both looking far younger than she had ever seen them. Each turn, brought her closer and closer to the time she wanted, and although she knew that she could have bypassed the years before Dumbledore had met Tom Riddle, she kept on flicking through the years.
Finally, she reached the period she was most interested in, and read a few of the entries that related to finding the boy. Inside there were some pictures of Dumbledore with Tom Riddle, sitting on the bed at the orphanage. Again, they appeared to be strange memory snapshots, not real photos at all. She paused, staring hard at the pictures, watching as it played out its little scene. It was hard looking at the young boy in the photo imagining him turning into the most powerful and evil wizard that she had ever known. He seemed kind of confused and lost.
Turning her attention to a little patch of writing nearby, she barely got the first line read when a sound outside caught her attention. She stopped her movements, keeping very still, barely breathing so that she could listen carefully. Another sound reached her ears, definitely coming from outside in the street. Climbing to her feet, she walked carefully to the window, intoning the spell that would once more make her invisible.
She reached the window and gazed out into the street, which seemed oddly deserted. She flicked her eyes down the length, from one end to the other, as far as she could see, but there was nothing there. She assumed she must have heard a cat or some other creature wandering around in the night. For a moment, Hermione debated going outside for a better look, but she realised she was just fretting over nothing.
As she turned to move away from the window, the door to the room opened, causing her to spin around and let out a low breath. She took a step forward as Harry and Ron re-entered the room.
"Hermione?" Harry called out, looking around the empty room. He took a step towards the book that lay on the floor, concern written on his face. "Hermione!" His voice echoed around the room, louder the second time.
"I'm here." Hermione frowned, then realised she was still invisible. A moment later she reappeared in front of the two young wizards.
Ron frowned, looking at her questioningly, but it was Harry who spoke. "Why were you hiding from us?"
Hermione shook her head. "I wasn't. I thought I heard something outside, so I made myself invisible so I could stand by the window without being seen." Her eyes flicked to each of their facing, noting the worried expressions. "There was nothing there. It must have been an animal or something."
Harry smiled and relaxed visibly. "Don't scare us like that again." He moved further into the room and sat down in the chair, as Hermione moved back over to the book she had been reading, once more sitting on the floor. "We have the location of the orphanage, well at least the direction of it from Diagon Alley. With a little work I think we can locate it."
"There's a picture in here of Dumbledore and Tom, and there is also a picture of the outside of the orphanage." Hermione pointed to two of the photographs. "There is the chance that the orphanage is no longer there. London looks so different from how it does in these pictures." She looked up at Harry. "We could be chasing rainbows here."
Harry nodded. "I know, but we have to try. The locket was hidden in the place he discovered his magic, the orphanage was the next time something good happened to him. He learnt who he was and what he could do. It was also the first time he was told about Hogwarts, it's got to mean something to him."
Hermione smiled. "Well, at least we have a clue. Do you think you can remember the directions?"
Just then the door opened again. "No need for remembering," Aberforth said as he appeared in the doorway. "I've written then down for you. Although, I think you are on a foolish mission. It is far too dangerous to be walking around the wizarding world with Lord Voldemort on the prowl." He paused. "But I doubt I could stop you going, even if I informed the Headmistress of your plans."
Harry smiled, his eyes holding a silent plea, as he took the offered paper from Aberforth. "I have to do this…"
Hermione coughed slightly, looking at Harry.
"We have to do this," he corrected himself, looking at Ron who was staring back at him, silently agreeing. "Professor Dumbledore started us on this quest, and it is our promise that we will finish what he began…together."
Hermione and Ron both smiled, all three students forgetting their troubles as they stood there before Aberforth. It was the first time in weeks that the three of them actually felt like were part of the same team again. Silently, each decided that what they were all feeling was second to finding and destroying the Horcruxes.
Aberforth smiled and nodded his head slowly in understanding. "I'm sure that Albus would be proud of each of you. And if he started you on this quest, then I believe that he had faith that you would be able to complete the task." He chuckled softly. "Albus certainly knew a person he could trust." He moved further into the room and looked at the tea that had grown cold on the tray, untouched by the three students. "Would you all like a drink before you go?"
Ron looked at Harry and Hermione then grinned. "Butterbeer would go down a treat."
Aberforth laughed. "Then three mugs of Butterbeer it is." He once more disappeared from the room, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione gazing after him.
"Do you think he'll tell McGonagall?" Ron asked, looking a little worried at the prospect.
Harry shook his head. "No, I think our secret is safe with him." He frowned, looking a little confused. "I don't know what it is about him, but I trust him."
"It's because he reminds you of Dumbledore," Hermione suggested, smiling up at Harry. "He looks like Dumbledore and he kind of feels like Dumbledore." She laughed. "And from what I've read in this book about the two brothers, I'm more than a little confused. I mean…"
She paused as the door reopened, revealing first a tray containing three frothing mugs and then Aberforth himself. "Here you are, three mugs of Butterbeer." He walked over to the table and looked at the tea things still laying on its surface. "Miss Granger, would you be so kind?"
Hermione pulled out her wand and watched as the crockery disappeared. Giving her a grateful smile, Aberforth lowered the tray onto the table, pointing to the mugs. "Help yourselves."
Ron was first to take his, gulping down a long sip, before lowering the mug and wiping his lips with his hand. "Mmm, feels like a lifetime ago since we last had one of these."
Harry grinned and reached over for a mug, drinking it slightly more sedately than Ron. "Tastes better than normal and was well worth the wait." He laughed, as he too lowered his mug.
"Once you've finished your drinks, you'd all better get back to school. It will be light in a few hours, and we don't want everyone having to search for you." Aberforth noted as he looked towards the window. He then looked back at Hermione with a smile. "You might want to take the book back with you, if you can manage it. It may contain other information that you might find helpful. I'm sure Albus won't mind, especially as you are working on his quest."
"Thank you," Hermione replied as she too picked up her mug and took a sip, savouring the flavour.
Aberforth chuckled and looked back at Harry. "I'm not sure what else I might be able to help you with, but should you need to look at any more of Albus' things, don't hesitate to drop by. My brother's friends are my friends." He smiled warmly. "Of course, that doesn't mean I want you all risking yourselves to come here. If possible drop a note or something and I'll find a way of getting to you."
"We'll do whatever we can," Harry confirmed before taking another long sip of Butterbeer, licking his lips as he lowered his mug. "I think we have a good starting point now. Thank you for all your help, Mr Dumbledore."
The old wizard laughed. "It's been a while since I was called that." He moved over to the window, gazing out for a moment, before pulling the curtains closed. "The moon is bright this night; you will have no trouble seeing on your way back. Cloud cover though is much better for sneaking around unseen."
"We have the Invisibility spell," remarked Hermione, a little taken aback by Aberforth's words. "We all got here unseen…"
"Not quite as unseen as you may have imagined." Aberforth grinned. "If you know where to look, it is not hard to see anything." He chuckled to himself. "The moon does have a disadvantage of letting things be seen that some are trying to hide. It's a matter of seeing what one cannot see."
Hermione blinked, looking a little confused, suddenly being reminded of Professor Stygian and her riddles. "We'll be careful to keep to the shadows." She lowered her mug and placed it back on the tray, before lifting the heavy book from the floor. "We should get back."
Harry nodded and placed his mug next to Hermione's. He reached over to grab his cloak, as Ron continued to quickly gulp down the rest of his drink, not stopping until he had emptied his mug. Once he too had placed the mug down on the tray, the three Hogwarts students were led to the door by Aberforth.
Pausing at the door, he smiled at the two young wizards and the young witch. "Watch how you go and stop for nothing or no one." Aberforth once more looked out into the night, as if he was searching for something. "Use the spell and carry the cloak. Be careful. I shall look out for you in the future."
Looking at Hermione, Harry let out a breath, recalling the story she had told them following one of the potion classes about the invisibility spell. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Hermione nodded. "Don't worry, we'll all be together."
Ron grinned. "We made it here, Harry. I'm sure the three of us will make it back." He winked at Hermione. "And anyway, Hermione has yet to let us down with a spell."
"I'm not worried about the casting, I'm more worried about being lost in the night and forever invisible." Harry explained, not looking at all happy.
"I can think of worse things being stuck as," Ron laughed. "No more school and being able to go anywhere you wanted." He cocked an eyebrow. "Tell me what's wrong with that?"
"Well, people will walk into you," Harry replied. "If anything happens to you, no one will ever find you."
"Lord You-Know-Who would never see you coming," Ron retorted.
"I'll not see me coming either," Harry shot back.
Aberforth coughed. "Now is not the time to get into a discussion about the pros and cons of invisibility. Miss Granger will get you safely turned visible once you get back into Hogwarts, of that I have no doubt." He paused and looked at the three students. "Just keep together, be careful and stop for nothing."
Harry nodded. "We'll be fine." He turned to Hermione. "Are you ready?"
Hermione smiled and raised her wand. A moment later, Harry, Ron and Hermione disappeared from view. Aberforth looked at where they were stood, smiling, before he heard their feet resound on the floor of his hallway. He waited until the footsteps sounded upon the gravel outside, and closed the door behind them.
"Okay, now we need to remain in the shadows," Hermione reminded them as they began to walk away from the door and made their way slowly along the street.
"I'll lead the way," Harry's voice drifted over to her, causing her to jump slightly.
When they used to walk under the cloak, they were able to see each other, but being totally invisible, there was no way to see what any of the others were doing. Hearing Harry's disembodied voice would take some getting used to.
"We'll go via the main street," Harry whispered. "It will be better to see if anyone is coming that way. We can stop walking so our footsteps aren't heard that way."
"I think remaining on the back street would be better," Ron replied, not wanting to draw any attention to them. "Hermione and I made it all the way to the Hog's Head without seeing anyone."
Hermione nodded, unseen by either of the two. "Ron is right, Harry. It's best to stay where no one will hear us. Going into the main street, it increases our chances of being heard."
"I don't think we have to worry about people walking around at this time of night," Harry commented, sounding a little annoyed.
"What about the people Hermione heard?" Ron sighed heavily, not sounding like he was in a mood to argue. "Let's just get back to Hogwarts as quickly as we can."
Hermione stood for a moment, just about to say something, when she heard a noise coming from further down the street. "Ssshh, there's something up ahead," she whispered quietly.
The three friends fell silent, barely making a sound with their breath. Feeling about in front of her, Hermione's hand fell upon the body of one of her companions. She tapped lightly, indicating that they should move a little forward to see what was lurking about. In her mind, she had already envisioned Professor Stygian standing up ahead, staring at them with her Death's Head smile. She could not understand why the woman's image seemed to be linked to any trouble she was expecting.
Slowly, they edged up the street, each of them somehow managing to walk without making a sound. They kept close to the buildings, despite being invisible, taking Aberforth's words to heart. They paused every time they heard a noise, careful not to draw attention to their presence.
Hermione let out a sigh, beginning to think that the sounds were made by the same creature that had drawn her to the window earlier in the night, when a shadow fell upon one of the walls further up the street, followed closely by a second. It was obvious from their position that they were not made by animals.
Confident that whatever had made the shadows in the moonlight were far enough not to hear her whisper, Hermione spoke softly. "What is it, Harry?"
"I'm not sure," Harry's voice came back at her, equally as quiet. "But it looks like…people."
"Why would they be sneaking around Hogsmead this late at night?" Ron asked.
"Probably the same as we are, Ron," Harry replied, sounding a little amused. "Trying to get somewhere without being seen."
"Who do you think it is?" Ron asked, but a hush from Harry stopped the three of them talking as the shadows appeared a little closer to them.
The three fell silent, watching with interest as the shadows made their way down the street, this time edging slowly towards them. The sound of footsteps was the only noise filling the air, other than the odd cry of an owl. Closer and closer the footsteps came, when there standing in the middle of the street, shrouded in black and yet still unmistakeable in the moonlight, stood Severus Snape.
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