Here we Go, part one of the Christmas blitz, hopefully there will be a new one shot set in the Lions universe and a chapter of Shadows up before Christmas, as well. No I don't own anything...Thanks once again to Lady Starlight for her splendiferous work on this chapter once again. And remember, nothing is simple.
Chapter 26: A Dark Intent
*******************Normandy, France*******************
November 27, 1997.
A dark, suited figure strode over the sand, towards a lone, pale-haired man standing looking out to sea, across the gray, choppy Channel towards England. The young man was leaning against a large, rusted steel barrier, which once a dark regime had hoped to help hold back the revenging light. It hadn't. He turned and glanced back, frowning, before looking back to sea. His emerald green and silver parka provided nearly the only color in the vast expanse of the beach, other than gray or brown.
A light sleet was falling over the pair as the newcomer, a black-haired, goateed man, pulled a dark gray overcoat tight and approached closer. Both him, and the original had their right hands in their pockets, clenched about something. He stopped, several feet away and waited. A minute later, the blond man turned. "What did you want Snape?" Draco snarled. He turned, his hand still on his wand, and scanned the cliffs above, a faint flicker of movement caught his gaze, and he carefully did not nod in recognition. He looked at Snape as the older man slowly reached into the pocket of his Muggle trenchcoat and pulled an embossed envelope from it. He took a step forward and placed it in Draco's unresisting, off hand. "What is this?" Draco inquired suspiciously.
Snape, sneered. He took a step back and replaced his left hand in his pocket, "On December twentieth, the Ministry is having its annual Yule Ball."
"So?"
"The Dark Lord is...displeased with your father's planning of the recent assault on the Blood-Traitor's funeral," Snape explained nastily, not mentioning the real reason that attack had not gone as planned, "he does not like to be denied his goals. You are to correct for your father's mistake." Snape retrieved a small vial with a glowing green potion from his pocket and tossed it to Draco, "You are to place that in the Minister's drink. He should die later that evening."
"And just how the ruddy hell am I supposed to get into the Ministry of Magic, Snape? Especially with the security that will be present. I am almost as wanted as you by the Aurors, not to mention Potty and his groupies. I will be Kedavra'ed on sight."
"No," Snape hissed, and pointed towards Draco's pocket, where the teen had placed the envelope, "That is an actual invitation to the event, it belonged to a pair of blood-traitors that will have no further need of it. It will pass the security screenings. At your normal drop you will find two doses of a new, improved Polyjuice variant that I have developed, the doses will last the entire night, and they give you the appearances of the two."
"Appearances?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"Yes, Draco, appearances," Snape smiled slightly, "take a date, take Parkinson, or just pick up some slag from Knockturn Alley and tell them it's a game to crash the Minister's ball...in fact that would be even better, in some ways..." Draco gave him a slow nod and turned to leave, but stopped at Snape's irritated gesture, "That is not all, Draco...you, personally have to make up in the Dark Lord's eyes; I can only do so much to redeem you. And so, the Dark Lord has another assignment for you." Draco's eyes narrowed. Snape's lethal, slow smile returned, "It has come to the attention of the Dark Lord that Ginevra Weasley is somewhere on the run, estranged from her family and the Order. Evidently, she and Potter's Mudblood had bit of a spat...You are to find her and recruit her to our cause, a jilted love is often a powerful motivation."
"And if she won't join?" Draco replied doubtfully.
"You are to leave her corpse as an example for the rest, of the consequences of refusing a...request by the Dark Lord," Snape replied and took a step back, "You have your assignment." He turned and vanished into the sleet.
Several minutes passed while Draco continued to lean against the fifty-year-old barricade before a soft tread disturbed the wet sands behind him. "You heard then?" he asked softly. A small presence came to stand next to him, the hood of an ash gray parka pulled up against the weather, hiding her features.
"Are you going to do it?" she asked as she replaced a light-colored, ash wand in her pocket. She crossed her arms across a substantial chest, for one of 5'2", and shivered slightly. Draco gave her a long glance before returning to his gazing over the Channel.
"Probably," he replied after a moment, "Does it bother you? Scrimgeour is just about as bad as Snape or Riddle in his way..."
"No, neither of us is a virgin any longer," she answered softly, not really taking time to consider her words, "sacrifices have to be made, he's an arsehole politician...Maybe dad will get it."
Draco nodded, and pulled the invitation from his pocket, he glanced down at her, "You are coming with me?" he asked, but the question was more of a statement than anything. She nodded silently. "Which leaves our other problem, as I suppose you want to take the Mark about as much as I want the one I have."
"A problem," she agreed, "though in some ways, this helps us, when...we assassinate the Minister, that should gain us time. For you to, um, find me."
"Yes, and Snape's head, providing that we are not blamed for Scrimgeour's death, should at least buy us sanctuary from the Order." Draco turned and looked at her askance, "Though you could have that at any time, Red." She shook her head fitfully.
"Not as long as Harry is under Granger's spell," Ginny spat, "as long as he is, then the only thing that will really secure my return is if I come back with Snape's head on a platter. It's about the only thing that will keep him from killing you on sight too," she added with a small smile. "Let's go," she grabbed his elbow and they vanished.
***************************Hogwarts*********************************
10:40 am
Howling winds accompanied the small pellets of ice battering the scattered students as they stood trying to discern just what Hagrid was going on about in the midst of this late November storm. He seemed to be cupping something in the palm of his hand, though it was hard to tell. Chunks of ice, and droplets of frigid water dotted the half-giant's beard as he went on about the beastie that he had acquired. From a bit of logical deduction, and having read the book twice, Hermione figured that was holding a Finish Ice Sparrow, as it was the only thing she could think of that they hadn't already covered that would both fit in Hagrid's hand, and liked this weather. Most of Hagrid's favorites were a touch larger after all. She shook her head forcefully, shaking bits of ice from her hair and leaned back into Harry where they were trying to share body heat.
Next to them, Ron was looking disgruntled as his heating charm had worn off, and when it was working had only served to turn the sleet and ice into frigid water as it struck him. She watched a orange trail of sparks follow the tip of his wand as he cast another, hoping to stack the effects. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the effects couldn't stack.
Next to him, Neville and Parvati were huddled together, or at least Neville was standing, trying to orient his back to the wind. Parvati's presence was implied from the bit of long, night-black hair, speckled with ice, sticking out from under Neville's cloak. A few other students were sticking out the class, more as a show of solidarity towards Hagrid than anything; most of the rest of the class hadn't even shown up. Harry? Hermione whispered.
Yeah Mione? Harry muttered as he shivered against her, neither of them had enough body fat to be anything resembling comfortable in this. Harry took a breath, summoning his powers and he felt suddenly warmer as his metabolism sped up drastically. I'm going be really hungry in a bit, he mentioned absently. He grinned as Hermione copied him, and leaned back. I always knew you were hot, Harry quipped, and she smiled slightly.
Thanks, she replied, Harry I think I know what went wrong when I was scrying for the Horcrux, Harry waited, I think that I was more focused on the item being a Horcrux than its relationship to the other Ravenclaw artifacts, I would bet it was there at some point, before he hid it, I picked up the trail, but we ran across both Tom and Nagini there, so...
Ok, then, what? Do we try again? Harry let out a soft sigh, which was lost in the winds; I don't mind telling you that I don't particularly like that idea.
She shrugged; You think I like it any better? A distant bell pierced the winds of the castle and a soft happy cheer echoed from those few brave souls out in the weather. Hagrid yelled something that the majority took to be "class dismissed," and they started trundling up to the castle. Harry and Hermione stopped at just inside the doors to the castle. Hermione gave him a small peck on the lips and backed away, waving until she was out of sight around a corner. Parvati rolled her eyes, before kissing Neville and following Hermione; she needed to go in the same direction, up towards the Library in the same wing. We'll talk later Harry, Hermione sent and felt him nod.
Parvati giggled slightly at the slightly absent look on Hermione's face, "So Hermione when are you two getting engaged?"
Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, we have talked about it," she admitted vaguely as the pair of them reached the stairs leading up to where Parvati needed to go.
"Well, good luck Hermione," Parvati said with a grin, "maybe he's waiting for Christmas, they think that they have to propose on holidays or something..."
"Or something," Hermione agreed. She watched Parvati climb the stairs out of sight to the upper floors, before she closed her eyes and fell back against the castle wall as silent tears slipped from her eyes. She felt Harry's concern across the breadth of the castle and she shrugged it off, sending back a silent reassurance that she knew that he didn't believe, but she knew he would let it pass. After a minute she pushed back off the wall, and angrily wiped tears from her eyes before she sprinted for her class, just making it in the door as Glyph flicked her wand at the doors to close them.
****************************Gryffindor Common Room**********************
Harry looked down at the pitiful wreckage that was once a neatly ordered line of chess pieces and sighed. His King looked up at him and started to berate Harry, but he wasn't in the mood to listen. Between Ron once again demonstrating the difference between his strategic mastery and Harry's instinctive tactical skills, and the melancholy feeling that he could still feel from Hermione, even though she had protested at least twice, the second more than a little annoyed at him, that she was alright, Harry really wasn't feeling up to this. In fact the only reason that they were playing at all, was that no one else would hardly play with Ron since Ginny had left, except Neville and on occasion one of the other boys when they had had enough firewhiskey or butterbeer to forget their last trouncing.
Harry glanced up and looked around the Gryffindor Common Room, which was empty save for Gabrielle and a couple of her friends: a very shy black-haired girl name Patience and a tall, for an eleven-year-old, dusky brunette, Elisa. The three first years were looking over some assignment of Tonks' and at least once Harry had heard Gabrielle utter a word that, from his limited French that he had learned from Gabby, Fleur and Hermione, wasn't exactly complementary towards the Metamorphagus.
Harry looked back over at Ron, and he knew that the fire-head had something to say that he would rather not. "What is it Ron?" Harry asked, "You've been looking at me like that all game. Is my hair on fire or something?"
Ron shook his head and looked down at the board and watched as his Queen moved over to Harry's King and decapitated him, and started to do a little dance. "I talked to Fred yesterday when he stopped by to drop off the new stock of gear," Ron began slowly.
"Yeah," Harry put in, frowning, slightly distracted as he told Hermione that he and Ron would meet her for lunch in a few minutes, "What did he have to say, Ron? Did they say anything about when they could have the resupply of the Frisbees ready?"
"Um, yeah Harry, he brought another four cases, he also has a prototype of the trap variant ready...but, Harry, he mentioned something else." Ron looked nervous and picked at loose thread on the end of his tie. Ron looked up, gratefully as a herd of third years entered, complaining about Hagrid loudly. One of them chattered incessantly about how Buckbeak was "sooo gorgeous," and several others complained loudly about flobberworms, about how boring they were. The portrait closed behind them and Harry looked back at Ron, with a penetrating look to his eye.
"Spit it out, Ron."
"Mum, well, she thinks that it would be best...considering the times that..."
Harry closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, still without opening them again, "Hermione and I aren't invited for Christmas are we?"
Ron shook his head, fitfully, "Harry...Luna and I talked, and Gred and Forge and...well if you aren't welcome than we aren't either. If you can't come to..."
Harry reached out and clasped Ron on the shoulder, "No, mate, no...you be with your family...spend what time you can with them, Hermione and I'll be alright." He stood and picked up his bag, "Let's get to lunch," Harry said with a small, little grin. He led his friend out the door, and onward to that next great adventure...lunch.
*******************************Library*******************************
9:20 pm.
Harry looked over at Hermione. She had refused to talk almost the entire evening they had been at their usual research spots in the library, pushing off any attempt to converse with him by looking into another curse or charm. For the first hour she had sat directly across from Harry, not even looking at him; but then, still without talking, she had almost leapt over the table to sit next to him, pushing their chairs together until they touched and clasping his hand under the table as if she were afraid he would leave any moment.
Finally, Harry had had enough. Glancing around and finding no one, he pulled her to her feet and dragged her far back into the stacks where no one could come up on them without a substantial effort. Hermione pulled back slightly and glared up at him, "Damn it Harry, we can do this later, we have..."
Harry shut her up with the simple expedient of kissing her. She blinked at him a couple of times as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Hermione I know, but that's not why I brought you back here."
"Then why?"
"What's wrong Mione?" Harry asked softly, walking backwards and pulling her with him, until his back hit the wall. He pulled her, unresisting, into his arms, "What's wrong, Love?" he repeated, "You've been uptight ever since you went to Runes...did someone say something?"
"Harry," Hermione asked in a tiny, almost silent whisper, "you don't think it was a mistake to..." Her voice failed her as her eyes fell to their joined hands. Harry closed his eyes for a beat, before he tightened his arms around her, hard enough to cause a soft squeak to escape Hermione.
"Hermione...Love," Harry started then took a breath, "the only thing that I have never had second thoughts about is you, and I never will. I swear that I love you more every day, every time I look at you, every time I hear your voice or your thoughts, every time you tell me I'm being daft or," he grinned, "gasping out my name as your head explodes in ecstasy." Hermione cracked a smile as she reached up and punched his shoulder playfully. She followed Harry down as he slipped down the wall to sit on the floor, and settled herself on his lap, straddling his legs. "What brought this on Mione?"
Hermione sighed as she leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. A soft purr rumbled from her chest as Harry's fingers ran up under the sides of her skirt possessively, and she pushed into him trying to get closer. It was something Par said...she didn't mean anything by it, I know she didn't, she and Lav have become pretty good friends with me now, sometimes I wonder if Ginny had something to do with why they and I weren't always the greatest friends when we were younger...I mean we hardly ever....
What did she say, Hermione?
She was teasing, asking when you were going to pop the question. I know that a bunch of the girls have been talking about it...they wonder...
Harry grabbed her left hand in his right and held it up. Love it's up to you...we can keep on with what we are doing, ostensibly 'dating' or, his thumb touched her engagement ring, when we come back from Christmas they can see this ring, he moved his thumb down, to touch her wedding band nestled closer to her heart, or this one.
I'm tired of hiding from our friends Harry, some of them already know, the fact is under a Fidelius anyway, lets let the rest know. Almost all of them have sacrificed a lot to be here to support you...us, she paused in thought, Par, Lav, the twins...hell all the Weasleys except Molly and Arthur, just because it wouldn't be fair to Arthur, your old roommates...
Tonight?
Why not? She asked, rubbing up against him unconsciously as she stretched enough to kiss him properly. She bit her lip as she looked up at him with abnormally bright eyes as she felt him start to respond to her through the very thin single layer of silk that separated her from his jeans. But we don't have to hurry back, most of them are late to get to bed anyway...
Harry's eyes darkened as he felt her hands reaching down under her skirt to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. He laughed softly as he caught he look of absolute concentration Hermione was wearing for the simple task. She looked up at him, her bottom lip in her teeth, worried. Harry kissed her nose, Yeah...we...can...be...late I g..guess, he managed as she rose up just enough to slide his jeans and boxers down a bit. Harry felt the tingle on his stomach where she leaned against him as she muttered a charm and grinned crookedly.
Eyes met and flared slightly as Hermione slowly slid down on to his lap with a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan. Her arms went around his neck as she leaned forward to meet his lips. They sighed together as Hermione started to rock gently, side to side, up and down a bit.
Minutes passed as they barely moved, just enough for tongues to duel and hearts to race. Harry felt a rush of warmth towards his center as he let go, almost lazily, and felt Hermione follow him over the edge a moment later, sighing, as a soft pulse of energy snapped outward to disturb several of Pince's precious books. Hermione fell forward to rest damp bangs against his before she kissed him again, luxuriating in the feeling of being loved more than anything, this time being more about being together than the actual act.
"We need to go, Mione." Harry stated quietly after they had sat motionless for several minutes in the same positions in which they had finished. She pouted slightly and shook her head against his shoulder. Harry laughed, "It was your idea, Love."
"Send a Patronus or something," Hermione replied contently, "I'm happy where I'm at. They can come here."
"If we do that...Seamus probably will come here..."
"I can move now," Hermione replied, laughing. She flowed to her feet, adjusting her clothes and flicking her fingers to clean the two of them up. Hermione reached down and pulled Harry to his feet as soon as he had finished making himself more or less presentable. Harry snapped the free hand that wasn't holding Hermione's into a fist as they passed the table were they had been studying and the books, papers and quills scattered about the table, vanished with a soft pop of light.
*******************************Heads' Chambers**************************
11:15 pm
Harry looked back toward his bedroom for an instant as Dean and Seamus entered the room from the Gryffindor Common Room. They glanced around, Seamus looked tired, as if he had just been roused from sleep, and dropped into a couch near the fire and slumped down into the cushions. Neville nodded at them before he went back to talking to Parvati, Lavender and Ron about something involving the Cannons, the Arrows and the Wasps. Luna was sitting next to Ron, listening to the conversation with wide, unblinking eyes. Seamus looked a touch afraid of her.
A palatable sense of unease hung in the air, as the Gryffindors and Luna, who might as well have been one, waited for Harry or Hermione to explain why they had received a covert summons to their quarters. The obvious reason, a Death Eater attack or some such was on every mind. In the week since the Charlie's funeral, Voldemort's forces had gone on the offensive, a Giant attack had shattered a small village only a hundred kilometers from Hogwarts, a half-dozen werewolves had slaughtered a double-decker in Glasgow, turning ten, and a gold convoy from Gringott's had been ambushed outside of Fridley. Diagon Alley was almost deserted, with nearly no shoppers even this close to Christmas. Hogsmeade was only somewhat better.
The group looked up as Hermione came out of the bedroom, casually dressed in flannel pajama pants, bare feet, a Lions sweatshirt and with her hair tied back and a soft, unconscious sigh of relief came out. If she wasn't ready to go into something, then they probably were safe, more or less, for tonight anyway. She paced over to Harry and grabbed his hand, almost painfully, for an instant before loosening up a bit. "Thanks for coming on such short notice," Hermione said softly as she looked about the room. She caught Seamus' gaze from the couch next to Dean and dissolved into giggles. Harry fought not to laugh as well, as a two-hour old flashback flitted across their thoughts.
"Bloody hell," Seamus muttered, loudly, he looked down at his robes, then around his area, he felt his hair and eyebrows before sniffing his armpits to the whispered, "EWWs" of the girls. "What, am I on fire...did Dean turn my hair purple again?"
"No, mate," Harry replied, fighting down his humor, "no...it's nothing." He nudged Hermione, who rocked a bit on her feet before continuing.
"S...Sorry, Seamus," Hermione sputtered then got control of herself, "No, Harry and I want to tell you something...something that we should have trusted all of you with from the beginning, and Parvati, Lavender, don't be mad with Neville, he knew but the knowledge was under a Fidelius. Parvati, you sorta upset me this morning when you asked if Harry had asked me..."
"You actually are engaged?" Parvati asked happily, but stopped quickly at Hermione's headshake. She looked at Hermione oddly, then at Harry and shrugged. She glanced over at Neville who pointed to his mouth and shook his head, he couldn't say.
Hermione glanced up at Harry as she leaned back against him, before looking over at their friends and taking pity on them, "No, Par, Lavender, Seamus, Dean...Harry and I are married actually." On Harry and Hermione's ring fingers, three rings appeared with a flash, at least to those four named, as the others knew, they had already seen them. Parvati and Lavender both jumped up to hug their former roommate and, of course, examine Hermione's rings. They gave the appropriate "OHH and AWWs" before they each gave Harry a hug.
"Hey!" Neville objected, laughingly, from the couch and the two of them paced back to him and dropped on his lap in a carefully timed, one, two punch. He grunted loudly and acted as if they had hurt him, which as the two of them might together outweigh him, he was fine.
Harry led Hermione over to an unoccupied chair and sat down, as Hermione perched on the arm. "We should have told you," he looked at Hermione, she gave him a small nod and a smile, "but after Ginny..."
Four heads nodded as one, after the duel between Hermione and Ginny, the word had finally leaked to Gryffindor house, at least the sixth and seventh years anyway, exactly what Ginny had done, and what the cost had been. No one was exactly sure how that had happened as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna had all refused to talk about it, but it had. Ginny had committed one of the few unpardonable sins for a Gryffindor, entanglements and infatuations...happened, they all knew it. If that was all it had been, if she had just come on to Harry, or had an honest catfight with Hermione over him or something, she would have caused a scene, but it would have been handled, eventually. But what she had done was closer to treason than anything; Dean glanced at Ron for the briefest instant, before looking away. He didn't say anything, but the obvious parallels between Ginny and Percy were there, if all was at it seemed with Percy. Ginny's actions were proven, in many, many ways.
After all that had happened, Hermione probably would have been ostracized if she had not challenged Ginny because of the younger girl's actions, and that was even without the knowledge the rest of the Seventh Years had just learned. For that very offence, witches had, in not that terribly distant a time, faced duels to the death, even here.
All of that went unsaid, known, but unsaid as Hermione continued. "Unfortunately, you are all now bound by the Fidelius as well, sorry." No one objected, the reasons that had held for so long, still held even more now.
*****************************Headmistress' Office*************************
November 28, 1997.
8:00 am
A soft knock sounded on the ancient oaken door, and Minerva looked up from a stack of reports by her Professors on the seventh years' progress. She closed a file on Susan Bones, noting absently as she did of Tonks and Filius' observations that she was almost absent as much as she had been present this year. However, she also noticed that Remus had noted that she had had a perfect attendance in his class, but had seemed abnormally intent on offensive spells, even with her membership in what was privately called Potter's Army. Or at least it was called that amongst the staff, no one called it that in front of Harry. "Come in," she called, her soft burr cutting across the soft snores of the portraits lining the walls, that seemed to have developed a habit of sleeping in on Friday mornings.
"Are we late ma'am?" Hermione asked as she looked about the room, finding no one. She yawned slightly, covering it with her hand as Harry meandered in after her, his eyes half closed. Somehow, after the rest of the seventh years had found out that "mummy and daddy had got hitched", which was Seamus had called it after a few too many celebratory drinks, the rest of their friends had thought it a perfect time for a impromptu private party. The Irish wizard had been amazed that Hermione had agreed to it, but she had.
"No Hermione," McGonagall replied softly, "you both are exactly on time...however; I called off the staff meeting for this morning. It seems that Filius had a pressing issue he had to deal with in his own house; something about the Sanchez sisters fighting again, and Remus is still recovering from that bad reaction to his medicine. And Tonks was required to travel to the Ministry this morning," her face hardened for a moment, "to look into certain reports. Therefore we were rather lacking on staff this morning for a meeting." McGonagall waved to the comfortable armchairs in front of her desk, and nodded as the pair dropped into the chairs.
"Since you hare here, however, there are however a few things I would like to discuss with you," Minerva continued as she offered them tea and biscuits which they both declined. "First, Hermione, I would like you to talk to the Sanchez sisters, see Filius after this, they need to stop this fighting between each other over boys..." Harry was carefully quiet. "See if you can talk to them about it, they are otherwise excellent students, I would hate to have to send them packing, but I am starting to think there may be no other recourse."
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied, changing her mind and leaning forward to pour herself a cup of tea. McGonagall nodded and turned to Harry. Behind her, ice-blue eyes blinked awake but did not speak, content to listen for now.
"Harry, I would like you to look over the security requirements for tomorrow's Hogsmeade visit," she ordered softly and Harry nodded, "I approve of the plan to use DA members to evacuate students to the castle, however I want you to look over the plan to provide security to the third years again, have Mr. Weasley help you. I was going to have Remus work with you, however..." she shrugged.
"Forgive me for saying so, ma'am," Harry started, shared a look with Hermione, and glancing behind the Headmistress to find Dumbledore looking at him intently, "It seems...odd, that Remus' first dose of Wolfsbane after the funeral attack would make him this ill." Harry took a breath, "It would be-"
"Horace would not poison Remus, Harry," Dumbledore's portrait put in with a small, knowing smile, "his own mastery of the subject-"
"Goes to show what you know Dumbledore," Phineas Nigellus argued quickly. He sneered down towards Dumbledore's portrait from his perch higher up on the wall, "If a true Slytherin wanted rid of Lupin, he could..."
"Nevertheless," McGonagall snapped, cutting across the voices of the dueling paintings, "Nymphadora is taking a sample to Auror headquarters to have their forensic potion experts look at it; just in case." She frowned, and took a sip of her tea, considering, "Have you received any useful information from him, Harry?" McGonagall asked, her gaze flicking back to Dumbledore's.
Harry shrugged and stretched his legs out in front of him, "Yes and no, he has given us a bit of information on attacks that his...friends pick up rumors on, that was one of the sources that let Mad-Eye ambush that attack on a school Tuesday in Edinburgh, but on the Horcruxes...no. He claims that he does not know any more than he has already said. I'm not sure I believe him, at least when he claims he doesn't know anything additional about how they are made, or an easier way to destroy them, but I do believe him when he says he has no idea where Tom hid the Cup or the Staff."
Hermione stood and paced over to Dumbledore's portrait, "We think that we have a way to find the Staff, but the Cup, do you have any idea where Tom might have hidden it, any wild guess that you did not trust to your journals?"
Dumbledore looked pensive as he stood and paced within the confines of his portrait. He looked out at her a couple of times, pausing and looking back into the depths of his painting as if trying to find some hidden secret there. "No, Hermione," he said after a moment of consideration, "as of yet, I cannot think of any location that I could find in the memories that I was able to obtain."
Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair, grimacing slightly as she pulled out a tangle, "So nothing then, in his past that you know of."
"Maybe it's not his past we should be looking in then, Mione," Harry put in, as he stood and walked over to join her, "maybe it's someone else's." Their eyes met for a second, her mouth opening in a silent "O", of comprehension, they both looked back at Dumbledore, "What if he used some place from my family's past, or yours, or something else entirely. What if he just stuck the thing in some random snowbank, tossed it out the window of the train as it went by," Harry's voice was frustrated as he ran both hands through his hair and scrubbed them almost violently against his scalp. Hermione fought not to laugh at his hair as she automatically reached up to try to push it back into something resembling order. Harry gave her a look, and she gave up with a sheepish shrug.
"It is an interesting theory," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully, he pulled of the half-moons decorating his nose and polished them absently on the hem of his painted robes. "I shall give it thought," he gave Minerva a glance, "however for now, I believe Minerva has something for you." Harry and Hermione looked back at the Headmistress as she used her wand to send over a gold embossed envelope, addressed to "Harry James Potter, Baron Black and Guest". Harry shared a look with Hermione, she shrugged, no one called Harry by his inherited titles from Sirius, or the one from his parents. He handed it to her, she opened it as he looked over her shoulder, to find a green and red card embossed with a twinkling Christmas tree. The card flashed as Hermione touched it, and flashed again as Harry did as well. They read it together:
Baron Black,
You and a guest are invited to the Ministry of Magic's, Four Hundred and Seventh Annual Yule Ball on the Twentieth of December at eight p.m. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to confirm your attendance.
Sincerely,
Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, he shook his head, and walked over to a garbage bin next to McGonagall's desk. It opened its jaws wide, reaching for the snack...
"Wait Harry," McGonagall said quickly. She shook her head slightly, "No Harry, you," she nodded at Hermione, "and Hermione should go."
"With respect Professor," Hermione replied, sharing Harry's thoughts, "this is just another attempt by the Minister to try to use Harry as a 'Poster Boy' for his policies. My parents are in hiding right now, because, in part, of some of his policies." A touch of fire lit her words and her eyes. Chocolate eyes flitted to emerald ones, and he nodded.
"We're not going ma'am..." Harry replied, setting the invitation on her desk. "We are not going to-"
"No Harry," McGonagall replied, "you should. For more than one reason," Harry and Hermione waited as she gathered her thoughts, "first...Lord Gryffindor," Harry frowned slightly, "it is your duty to show that you are not afraid to attend."
"I'm, not afraid to attend," Harry objected heatedly, "I just don't want to lead credence to Scrimgeour's agenda...."
"It is not just that, Harry, eventually you will need the Ministry's help," McGonagall interjected, "Not every battleground is fought with a wand or a sword." She caught Hermione's eye, before sitting back in her chair and pulling off her square-framed glasses to polish them. She replaced them and smiled at her Head Students, "Sometimes they are fought in dress robes and a cocktail gown...where the only blood being spilled is that of thoughts, and ideals."
There you go, another chapter in the journey....we still have a long way to go. Next time, which will most
likely be after Christmas, a new secret about the school will be learned, and the Slytherins start to react, and a
touch of action...shock, I know.