Unofficial Portkey Archive

As usual, I still own nothing. Thanks once more to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 42: A Question of Divided Loyalties

***************************Somewhere in Ireland*********************
February 21, 1998
8:20 am

Draco Malfoy paced restlessly, muttering vile threats under his breath as he glanced at the Lycan peering on at him amusedly. He stopped and looked out a large bay window at green rolling hills, a few grazing Unicorns from the herd in the woods near by, and the crashing waves of the close shore. He spun back to Remus, who was leaning on the kitchen counter with his coffee cup held in one hand, a copy of this morning's Prophet spread out on the counter. He looked down, away from the glaring former Slytherin, and read about another attack in Glasgow, which had resulted in a running battle between a responding Auror Black Team and a half dozen Death Eaters, that had been spotted by a lone, off duty Auror picking up groceries for his eight and a half month along pregnant wife. He was currently in St Mungo's, in intensive care, he had managed to delay the Death Eaters long enough in their planned attack on a Wizarding Pre-School, for the Auror assault team to arrive.

Remus closed his eyes, as he remembered Tonks coming in crying last night. The Auror, Michael Davis, had been one of the few Aurors hired near her, and she had gone to his wedding the same year that Voldemort had returned. Remus muttered softly, as his fingers flexed unconsciously, as if claws were extending and retracting.

"When the bloody hell am I going to get out of this godforsaken place?" Draco snapped irritably, pacing over to the kitchenette in the small cottage, and slamming a cabinet door open. He grabbed a mug and filled it from the pot Remus had made, "I need to...I want to," Remus turned his head slowly, and Draco sneered, "I know that your..."

"My what, Mr. Malfoy, forgive me, Mr. Black, my kind, perhaps?" Lupin said calmly, "A wolf, bloodsnout, Spawn of Satan, half-breed? Are you implying that I am accustomed to being locked up..." his eyes tightened slightly, but his expression did not change otherwise; "I seem to have heard that you claimed Fenrir as an old, family friend."

"I had nothing to do with him, Lupin," Draco objected forcefully, his face flushing slightly, "I was a foolish boy, when I said that...I am...sorry."

"I am impressed, an apology, there is still hope for you yet," Lupin said lightly, and gifted the former Slytherin with a small smile, "Unfortunately, you do not have a choice, not if you want to remain alive. Harry agreed to hide you here in this house; it was one of the old Potter properties that was being rented through agents to Muggles until a year ago. You should be unknown here as long as you stay out of sight." Lupin set his mug down on the counter, and with a flick of his wand, the paper vanished and the mug was sparkling clean. It lifted from the counter and floated over to a rack set near the coffee maker and hung itself up. "I will be leaving now, you know how to get hold of me..."

"It's not like I can go anywhere," Draco commented bitterly, softly, "you have my wand, and there are wards on the house keeping me here or on the grounds." He paused, as his eyes cut away from Lupin's down coat towards the handwarmer pocket of the Muggle sweatshirt he was wearing, embroidered with a small green serpent on the left chest. Draco seemed to come to a decision, "Professor..." Lupin perked up at Draco's words, Draco slowly pulled a parchment envelope from his pocket and extended it to Remus, "could you give this to Ginny...I give my word that it doesn't say anything about where I am at, just a few..."

Lupin took the envelope and looked at it for a moment, before looking back to Draco, "I will."

"Thank you...Professor," Draco replied in a voice that almost showed gratitude, "and please don't let Weasley know that I wrote her, you'll probably tell Potter and Granger, but please just them, I don't want her to have to fight with her brother anymore." Remus gave one more nod and vanished with a soft POP.

*************************Hogwarts*************************

11:20 am

Harry sat alone in the Gryffindor stands and watched, with a blank expression, as the Gryffindor team shot past in formation, before breaking to the winds and setting up for practice. Harry frowned almost imperceptibly as Ginny and Dennis lined up at mid-pitch, hovering fifty feet above the painted center ring far below. Dennis flicked his wand at a small box far below, and a golden blur shot between them, and took off towards the south, unguarded hoops. Ginny and Dennis wheeled on their brooms and shot off in pursuit.

Ginny had earned her spot back, though Dennis had given her a run for her money. In the end, it had been Dennis offering to take the backup spot for the good of the team that had secured her position, even more than her performance at the tryouts. She led Dennis on a high-speed run into the trench surrounding the pitch and Harry looked away, stretching his legs out in front of him on the seat in front of him and bringing a tattered journal up to his eyes.

The key to the location of the final Horcrux remained a mystery. Harry was still reading the Journals of Albus Dumbledore, trying to determine some errant clue that the great old wizard had discounted, some random thought that he had recorded, but none seemed to grace Harry's gaze as he read on. He looked up as Lupin sat down next to him, the current DADA Professor and Gryffindor's Head of House, cradling a pair of mugs, he handed one to Harry, and smiled slightly. "Your wife sent this along," Remus mentioned smugly, "and said to mention something about it's your turn, what ever that means." Harry looked away from his favorite Professor, and de facto, Uncle, blushing slightly.

Lupin laughed, not knowing the particulars, but he had a pretty fair idea of the generalities. "I'm not going to say it..." Lupin grinned hugely as Harry looked up, "alright I am, you..."

"Don't finish," Harry warned lightly, "I can and will turn you into the world's first werenewt..." Both men laughed softly and oddly, as if they had gotten out of the habit, Harry took a sip of the hot cocoa that he could tell that Hermione had made herself from the taste, and looked at Lupin expectantly. Behind them, the Gryffindor Chasers lined up on Ron, and started to try to score. Dezmelda almost made it, missing by a fraction as Ron dove to the left.

"The shame, threatening a Professor, and being the Head Boy to boot," Lupin chided gently, "what would the Head Girl think of that?"

"She was thinking of turning you into a Skrewt actually, after Wednesday's training session," Harry retorted, his eyebrow crooking up. Both men ducked reflexively as a Bludger shot over their heads. Lupin sat up straight and laughed uproariously.

Lupin wiped his eyes with one hand before looking back at Harry, "And she used to be such a...respectful girl, I haven't seen the likes of such corruption since," he paused, smirking, "your father and Sirius and I guided your mother's development."

"Is that a compliment, or?"

"Actually," Lupin admitted wryly, "I'm not quite sure really, maybe both." Harry barked a laugh, as he stood and moved to the edge of the box and leaned on the waist-high railing. His mirth faded as he looked over the grounds, Remus came to stand next to him. The elder wizard propped his elbows on the rail and joined Harry in ostensibly watching the team. Remus chanced a glance over to see Harry's face set and firm, quite like the stones of the castle behind them at that moment. "Draco sent a letter to Ginny," Remus said quietly, barely moving his lips even though the nearest person was dozens of meters away and flitting through the air in pursuit of a small gold ball, "I put it in her locker, where she would find it. I haven't read it, it's still sealed."

"That's fine," Harry sighed as Ginny caught the Snitch and performed a laughing victory lap. "It's not like he could do much anyway, if he escapes he's as likely to be killed by a Death Eater looking to rise in the ranks as he is to be recaptured or worse by us. How did the rest of your morning go, Moony?"

"Roger and Jane send their love," Remus replied, "Jane also sent along a quilt she finished for you two, I had Dobby take it to your quarters." Harry nodded, and Lupin went on, "I acquired a few more toys for Roger, just in case. For some reason the Muggles here think that the populace should be helpless to defend themselves, luckily you can't take a wizard's wand, without a trial."

"Not that Fudge and his cronies didn't try more than once," Harry replied, "Speaking of the Ministry, how did the meeting with Arthur go?"

"Like half the bloody castle at this point," Lupin rolled his eyes slightly, "I too, am now receiving two paychecks..." he snorted, "though in my case, it's actually a restoration to where I was, before." He shook his head, "Arthur is trying to force the Ministry to pay my back pay as he ruled that my dismissal was unjust. It was just a matter of time, back then, however, I only got the position because of Albus, and kept it with the support of your parents and Sirius, they couldn't very well fire them as well, they needed them too much, but with Voldemort, gone," the quotes weren't needed, "they could, reduce, unnecessary staff."

"He bloody well might not be back today, if they had had proper staff," Harry growled impatiently. "So you're, what?"

"Covert, like you and Hermione," Lupin replied, "Not because that there is any particular reason to hide it, other than to try to hide how closely the Order and the Ministry are working now."

"It won't matter a damn bit," Harry shot back, lowly as Ron blew a whistle and the team settled to the Pitch. Ron flicked his wand in the air, and a large chalkboard appeared, complete with pre-diagramed plays. Harry waved out towards the pitch angrily, he felt a whisper at the back of his mind utter soothing words, and he closed his eyes, Sorry, Mione... Hermione appeared next to him before he could finish his thought, startling Remus who jumped back, automatically going for his wand before he realized who had appeared in the box high above the Quidditch Stadium. Hermione held Harry's eyes for a long moment, and a conversation seemed to pass, before she laughed out loud and leaned against him. "It won't matter a damn bit, Moony," Harry repeated more calmly, and once again gestured towards the pitch, Hermione's proximity soothing, but not totally blunting his point. "If we don't stop him soon, all of this is over. This castle will be razed or defiled, probably both. And when it falls, which it will if I," Hermione elbowed him, glaring slightly. Harry shrugged and pulled her in to his chest, kissing the top of her hair as she automatically leaned against him, "If we don't manage to kill the bastard, it'll be over."

Hermione pulled back and raised her head, and turned around in his arms so Harry's chin was resting on her right shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "We are going to kill him, Remus," Hermione said softly, "even if it costs us our lives, we are both dead if he kills one of us anyway. I want to know that you'll do your best to keep Mum and Dad safe, and make sure that my sister is a bit more aware of the realities in this world before she gets her letter."

"It won't come to that," Remus replied fervently. Behind him, the Gryffindor team once again lifted off, and with a whistle from the red-haired Captain, the practice resumed. "You'll both..."

"It could, Remus," Harry said softly. Hermione reached down and intertwined her fingers with his, where his hand rested lightly on her belly a few inches shy of her belly button. She pushed back against him, eyes dark as Harry went on, "Remus, Hermione and I both sent enough spell fire at him to kill any other wizard the last two times we have faced him. I blew his arm off at Beauxbatons, and he just bent down and stuck it back on...that same spell would have obliterated the Great Hall. Dumbledore could only slow him down..."

"And you will kill him, Harry," Remus replied, reaching out and placing his hand on Hermione's left shoulder as he faced them. "He's the one who's becoming desperate. His Leftenents are falling; his main source of funds is gone, and he has underestimated you at every turn. You can beat him, Harry, you know it, Dumbledore knew it, Sirius knew it, and I know it. I would never have asked Nymph to marry me, Harry if I didn't think we had a chance for a future together, and we've always known that it would be you in the end. Even before we knew The Prophecy, I had grown to know you, and I knew that Voldemort was right to fear you."

Lupin looked to the side, and watched as several Thestrals took flight from the edge of the trees far below and soared over the Pitch, death was an old friend for a Lycan. He reached back and held both of the Potters' eyes, "In the end, Harry, it's about Heart, it's cliché, I know, but its true. Voldemort has no heart, and you have ample. Trust that to see you through." Lupin looked up as the distant bells of the clock tower chimed, "I need to be leaving, I will see you this evening, then?" Harry and Hermione nodded, and Lupin slipped off, soundlessly down the stairs to the ground as Hermione leaned further back into Harry as they both stood, watching the remainder of the Quidditch practice and their best friend's leadership of same.

**********************Hogwarts*************************

February 23, 1998
5:30 am

A thin, cold, freezing mist hung over the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Small pellets of ice rained down from the sky, bouncing of the stone steps and walls and ancient leaded glass windows, with soft tinkling sounds. Not a single creature, magical or mundane, moved in the early morning gloom. It was still almost an hour before the sun pulled its way above the guardian mountains surrounding the school. Occasionally, flickers of energy lit the surrounding sky, lightening the gloom, as a particularly heavy patch would skitter off the wards at the edge of the grounds.

A small door, inset in the large, thousand-year-old, iron-banded, English Oak main doors of the castle, opened and a squat, almost toad-like figure slipped out. A floating trunk followed her, as she looked around the area worriedly, and moved with apparent haste past the frozen-over courtyard fountain and through the archway at the end. Short stumpy legs propelled the figure towards a single, waiting carriage sitting on the gravel trail leading to the edge of the Castle grounds and on towards Hogsmeade.

She froze and spun around back towards the castle as a soft cough echoed over the grounds. A figure stepped out of the shadow of the archway, fading into view as he approached. "Going somewhere, Delores?" Harry asked, his tone soft and mocking. Green eyes glittered under inky locks half covered in ice, as he stepped to one side and crossed his arms

"It is awfully-early to be about in this ghastly weather," Hermione went on; shimmering into view on Umbridge's other side causing her to jump several inches into the air. "One would almost think that you were-running." Hermione reached up, brushing ice from her hair.

"Hem...Hem," Umbridge said nervously, she took a quick step backwards as she tightened her grip around a short, stubby wand deep in the pockets of her cloak. She glanced towards the carriage waiting for her as if it would provide some semblance of safety. "I have a...early meeting at the Ministry, must be going."

"That you do," Harry allowed as he took a step forward, not glancing over as Hermione mirrored his steps, "though I rather expect that it is not the meeting that you were thinking of." He took another step towards her, and rolled his eyes slightly as she drew a short, stubby wand and pointed it at his heart.

"Stay back, Potter," she snarled, flicking her wand back and forth between him and Hermione, "I am warning you; I am a fully qualified Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Merlin help us all," Harry muttered and Hermione chuckled. He flicked his fingers and Umbridge's wand snapped with a loud, echoing crack. Her eyes grew wide as a toads as Harry gestured again and the pieces jerked from her hand, flying out over the lawn and vanishing in flames before they hit the frozen grass.

"Stay away from me," Umbridge shouted, breaking the silence of the morning. No one answered her call, however, this early in the morn.

"We are just helping you get to your...appointment," Hermione said with relish, her eyes hard. "Though, I rather think that you won't actually thank us," Hermione glanced behind Umbridge to see Tonks shimmer into view, "as your appointment is in a cell under the Ministry."

"WHAT," Umbridge sputtered, "you can't do that...I am a member of the Ministry, a special advisor to the Minister on affairs of education."

"You are a criminal, one step below a Death Eater," Tonks growled, smirking darkly as Umbridge spun to face her. "You were a Ministry official, however, as of two yesterday afternoon, you were not only dismissed from your previous post, but also under a warrant for your arrest directly from Minister Weasley on the charges of Moral Turpitude, Abuse of Power, Misappropriation of Ministry Funds and Resources and on the Abuse of Minors in your charge."

"I did no such thing, I..."

Harry held up his right hand, faint, almost invisible scars decorated the back, "Pensieves are wonderful things...they can't be fooled, and are admissible for your trial." He took another step, "Are you going to come along peacefully, or?"

"You have no right to detain me, you are just a stu..." Umbridge froze and broke off, sputtering as Harry pulled a folder from his pocket and flipped it open to reveal a glinting black badge. She turned and ran, brushing Tonks aside, as she hurried, sort of, towards the Winged Hog gates and the edge of the anti-Apparation wards.

"Please," Hermione sighed, her wand dropped into her hand and a red bolt snapped across the hundred or so yards they had let her run, impacting the short witch and sending her tumbling. Another wand flick and faintly glowing cables trussed up the ex-professor. Harry gestured with his wand, and the tied-up witch floated back towards them to drop on the grass in front of them.

Tonks glanced at each of them before bending down and touching her wand to Umbridge's head, "Somus." A yellow fan panned over her head, putting the former teacher deeper into dreamland. She stood and looked at Harry and Hermione, "That should keep her under until she wakes up in a cell." Tonks glanced around, finding a hand-sized rock. She picked it up and touched it with her wand, "Portus," the rock glowed blue for a moment, shook and settled down in her hand. Tonks placed it on Umbridge with a Sticking Charm, and knelt down to touch it with her off hand. She glanced up at the duo, "If I'm not back by breakfast, tell Minerva that I will be back in time for class." Harry nodded and Tonks and Umbridge vanished in a rush of wind and a fall of color.

Hermione smirked slightly, as she walked over to Harry and huddled close in the weather. Well, Mione, want to see if the elves are serving breakfast yet?

She shook her head against his shoulder, before stepping back and taking his hand, No, I rather think that there is still an hour that we could spend in bed. Harry grinned slowly and let her lead him back into the castle, through the small door that Umbridge had tried to escape through.

***********************Hogwarts***************************

March 3, 1998
6:30 am

"You would think," Hermione took a breath as she jumped over a large tree root that had grown over the trail, "that Ron could have gotten up to run, I thought that he was," breath, "supposed to stay in shape," another breath, "for Quidditch." Harry just shrugged, and continued to jog along the trail. He ducked under a low branch, and glanced over at her.

Mione, I don't try to understand Ron, Harry replied in his thoughts to save breath. I have enough to worry about, really. He shrugged, not breaking stride. He then grinned slightly, Besides, you really know why he didn't want to get up.

Yeah, she agreed, he's bloody lucky that Remus is Head of House, as opposed to someone like...

Minerva? Harry supplied and Hermione nodded. They passed the castle again, starting their second lap around the lake. Ron gets annoyed anyway when we talk to each other the whole run and ignore him.

True, she grinned, then her smile faded, but not from the exertion, Harry, what are we going to do if we can't find the Cup...he's thrown a rogue Quaffle, there's not a bloody place that can be confirmed as having a thing to do with him, has the Cup.

Then we just go for it I guess, and hope we beat whatever surviving Death Eaters to the last Horcrux. Take him and Nagini out, and pray we are faster than the remainder. Harry glanced up as a Knarl crawled from the underbrush and headed across the path. He frowned, being reminded by his traitorous memories of Hagrid and his lessons on the creatures.

Hermione stopped jogging as they reached a small clearing and looked back to Harry, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She bounced lightly on her balls of her feet, and with a small grin, she slowly brought her hands up to a guard position, and gave him a come-hither motion with her fingers. Harry rolled his head on his shoulders, and MOVED, snapping a kick at Hermione's head. Hermione flipped backwards, landed in a backwards roll and fired a Stunner back at him with a flick of her fingers.

Harry flicked it away with his wand, glanced up to see Hermione sprinting at him, IMPEDIMENTA, Hermione hit an invisible wall and bounced to her left several feet. Harry spun sideways as an ice-blue beam shot back from her wand, instantly freezing the huge oak he was sheltering behind. She ducked backwards as branches on the trees to either side of her came alive and swung through the space where her head had been a heartbeat before.

Hermione took a breath, her eyes lighting fully, showing up brightly in the pre-dawn gloom. Clouds of breath spilled from her lips as she reached back, drew her daggers and spun them in the palms of her hands. The blades grew to a foot and a half long, the tips of the guards growing up and extending. Let's really play.

Harry reached back and pulled the Gryffindor Sword from the air. Sure, he replied and brought the blade up to a guard position. He took a breath and started to circle to his right. Hermione began to circle as well. At some unspoken signal they shot forward, Hermione caught the sword on crossed blades and spun left and down, using the momentum of the strike. Harry caught the left blade on the sword, beat it back and deflected the right as it shot towards his side.

He flicked it through a disengage, and snapped out his left palm, a visible wave of force shot past Hermione's shoulder stripping branches from several trees and decimating an entire hedgerow. She snapped her wrist overhand, and her left dagger shot through the air, to embed several inches into a tree as Harry dodged. He batted away a blue ball of plasma with the flat of his blade, setting a five-foot tree on fire.

Hermione looked at him, summoned another fireball, and stopped suddenly as she and Harry felt a familiar presence coming up behind them slowly. She focused, pulling the energy back into her core; closing her fist over the ball, vanishing it, and took a deep breath as her eyes darkened to her normal shade. She reached out and the thrown dagger shot across the clearing and dropped into her hand. Hermione spun, re-sheathing her Daggers behind her back; they vanished, the sheath turning invisible as she turned. Her eyebrow crooked as she took in the small presence standing at the edge of the clearing. Behind her, Harry frowned slightly as he made a motion as if sheathing his sword in the back sheath where it would normally ride; it vanished into the air with a soft pop. Hermione did not look back as she felt Harry walking up behind her, and felt his slightly fast breath on her hair as he stood closely behind her.

Ginny looked up at them, as Harry glanced back and put out the still burning tree with a wave of his wand. Ginny slowly lowered the hood of her crimson Gryffindor hooded sweatshirt, and Hermione's other eyebrow rose as well. Neither of them had actually seen the youngest Weasley closely for several days, and she had changed. Her once long, red hair, was still the same color, but was now cut in a shoulder-length, shag cut. A tiny diamond stud decorated her left nostril and Ginny smiled uncomfortably, "Hi, guys."

"Umm, Ginny," Harry said vaguely, "Aren't you supposed to not be out of the castle..."

"Except in the company of a Professor or the Head Students," Ginny replied with a shrug, "I seem to be in the company of the Heads right now." She sat down on a log at the edge of the clearing and looked on.

"Ginny, what did you?" Hermione asked, running a free hand over the top of her head.

"Tonks cut it," she replied, looking up at Hermione, she flicked her gaze to Harry, then back to Hermione's, "the stud was a gift from Draco for Christmas, I had been hiding it with a spell," she added softly. "Hermione, can I talk to you...alone?" Hermione glanced back at Harry, he nodded silently and slowly, kissed her on the cheek and left, walking slowly up towards the castle.

Hermione looked down at the dead grass in the clearing, muttered a Warming Charm to stave off the rapidly encroaching chill as she cooled down from her workout and waved towards the trail, "Let's walk," she said softly. Ginny nodded and stood, automatically checking her wand as she rose to her feet. She fell in step with the taller witch, Hermione looked over at her, "I like your hair, Ginny," Hermione said for lack of something better to say.

"Thanks," Ginny replied, similarly at a sudden loss for words.

"I'm not sorry that I tried to get Harry," Ginny said suddenly as they passed around the point where Dementors once held reign, Hermione ran her tongue around the inside of her cheek, but held her retort and let the young girl continue. "But I never would have gone as far as I did..."

"You, bloody well fed Harry potions, Ginny," Hermione muttered, flatly, "I could have taken it, I think, if you had thrown yourself at him, and he took you up on the offer, I probably could have taken it, if you two would have shagged on the common room couch in front of me...as long as it was his choice." Hermione took a breath, closing her eyes as her emotions caused a spike of magic to try to fight itself up from her core, it was always so close to breaking free these days, "But, you fed him enough to beat down Dumbledore's resistance, and you kept doing it. At the levels you were feeding Harry before the end, it would have made most wizards-a Squib."

"I'm sorry..." Ginny whispered, but Hermione cut her off with a raised hand.

"Ginny...you aren't stupid, didn't you even research the effects before you..." Hermione froze, her mind flashing back, "You didn't make it, did you?" She paused as her mind filled in the blanks...

"I did actually...at least after the first time, fourth year." Ginny whispered, "the first time, when it didn't work, I started to make it myself-back when everyone was still running around, going berserk with the fallout from the Ministry. I snuck into Snape's office when he was gone on some assignment for Dumbledore, I don't know what I was looking for, I guess I was still looking...he had a Potions Text out on his desk, open to the potion. Had a whole bunch of notes in the margins about modifications to the potion. I don't know why, but I copied it down and ran before he got back."

Hermione sighed, "Where in the hell did you get the ingredients? Half of that potion is directly from the Restricted Items list."

Ginny shrugged, "Gred and Forge, who else, though they didn't know of course. They have enough Restricted ingredients laying around in the secret compartments of the shop that I was able to skim off enough...the powdered Unicorn hoof and Boomslang skin go a long way..."

Hermione shook her head and stopped, she held both hands in front of her face, "And what about me, Gin?" she almost whispered.

Ginny looked down at her hands, not daring to meet Hermione's eyes. "I guess it was that summer, I had already decided to try to get Harry...I had even started to feed him a bit of the Potion, but it wasn't affecting him, not really, not as long as you were there. I saw that I'd never be as important to him as you, no matter what I did, unless you were out of the way." She frowned slightly, "I was in Borgin and Burkes with Fred, the Twins were looking for something, I saw the amulet in the case, they had a little sign saying what it was. I slipped away, tossed on an old cloak to disguise myself and bought it." She took a breath, "I didn't even know what I was doing until I had bought it. I wasn't going to use it, I put it away in my trunk, but when we got to school, and Harry still was at your side all the time..." she trailed off.

"It all fell apart after my birthday," Hermione said into the sudden silence, "you wouldn't have known, but I was scared...I had pulled away from Harry a bit, due to...certain revelations...but yeah that's when it went downhill."

"I kept feeding him more and more, until he finally recognized me, and then, everything was perfect..."

"Was it really?" Hermione replied with very little discernable emotion.

"No," Ginny admitted, "no...when he dumped me at Dumbledore's funeral, I was in shock, I couldn't believe it. But I still thought I had a chance, I could get Dobby to up the dose and I'd see Harry again at the Wedding, and probably at the Burrow. And that you were still with my brother...we could still be that big family that Mum talked about all those years." Hermione watched her as Ginny frowned, rubbing the side of her nose, "But then he wouldn't even talk to me at the wedding, hung out with you, almost clinging to you. And then all three of you just vanished. Next time I saw or heard about you, was right after the Burrow had been attacked and it was like you two were married or something, you had stolen what was mine from me."

"It wasn't like that," Hermione, snapped, suddenly furious, she rounded on the smaller girl, who flinched as a sudden presence filled the space under the trees. The sun had finally risen above the mountains, casting a soft glow under the evergreens. "We were already fighting it off, Ginny, you still don't have any fucking clue, how powerful Harry is. We had been with each other for everything since we were eleven, Ginny, every class, every stupid Quidditch Game, every time we laughed, and every time another of our friends and family died in this fucking war that Tom started. You don't know a damn thing about him, Ginny, and in the end that's what broke your spell, more than anything. Sure I flushed the potion from his system, freeing up his magic, but his heart had already gotten free."

Hermione shook her head once more, "Go back to the castle, Ginny, before you are caught." She vanished silently, leaving only empty air behind where she had stood.

*********************Transfiguration #1, Hogwarts***************************

12:55 pm

The hall outside of Transfiguration One was filled with students milling about, waiting for their nearly tardy Professor to arrive and unlock it. Tonks had last been seen in the company of Remus, for lunch. As a consequence, Harry was expecting her to come along with about fifteen seconds to spare, trip over something, perhaps an errant Kneazle hair, and shatter the door as she tumbled into it. Harry looked down at Hermione, who was reading through her text, looking adorable, at least to him, as her lips moved silently, practicing incantations. Not that she really needed the incantation for real, but it helped for class points.

Harry slid down the wall to sit next to her on the floor against the wall, and took her free hand with his. She squeezed it, but kept on reading. No one else noticed that the pages of her book moved of their own accord, without her using her hands or a wand. Her eyes cut up to him, then around the hall, at Ron talking to Seamus and Dean about something rather unsuitable, from the occasional laugh and shouted word at the rest of the class crowded around the area.

Hermione watched, amused, as Lavender and Parvati were talking together softly, standing close in one of the small alcoves that lined the walls of the school, that were either placed there by the founders for young couples making out or defending the castle, foot by foot. They worked rather well for both, Hermione knew from personal experience. Harry's eyes followed hers, not that they really needed to, as Parvati's hands reached up to tangle in Lavender's blonde locks. The girls leaned in; lips meeting, and Hermione cut her eyes over to Harry to see his laughing ones looking back at her. He shrugged slightly as she giggled in her thoughts, and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, before pulling her wrist up to her line of sight to check the time. Where is Neville?

I think he's got the Flu. He's up in the dorm, moaning according to Ron...and since both girls are here... Harry replied smugly, Hermione reached over and slapped his arm lightly, before wrinkling her nose at him. Oh, like you weren't thinking it? She just shrugged and dropped her gaze back to her book.

Across the hall, Seamus, Ron and Dean shared an amused glance at the two girls, before turning back to their conversations, with a slight effort. The newness of the girls making out with each other, or one or both of them with Neville, had long since past and Quidditch was much more important in the grand scheme of things. At least to them. None of them noticed the soft murmuring of a couple of girls in Ravenclaw uniforms. Both of the girls were only vaguely familiar, having started at Hogwarts only this term, both being refugees from Beauxbatons. They watched as Parvati pushed against her lover more forcefully, her leg sliding between Lavender's. Hermione heard a stumbling run coming up the hall, and coughed, loudly. The girls broke apart, only holding hands as Tonks finally arrived looking flushed and out of breath.

"Sorry...got caught up in, something," she announced a touch too brightly, as she flicked her wand at the door to the classroom, unlocking it and letting them in. The class filed in, took their seats and waited as Tonks fumbled with her notes at the Professor's desk for several moments, before finding what she was looking for. She looked up, and flicked her wand behind her. The board filled in with notes, "Today, we are continuing with elemental transmutation." She looked around, "Miss Granger?"

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, and a soft groan murmured out among the class. She did not glance over to watch Harry watching her, he always did, and she carefully did not jump as he patted her thigh, rather high on her leg, I'll get you later, "Are we looking at the Atlantian theories, or the later Flamel revisions?"

Behind her, Ron mouthed, "Flamel revisions," he cut his glance to Harry, and mouthed, "whipped." Harry gave him a subtle, rude gesture.

Tonks ignored the byplay, as she nodded and paced to her desk. "Both, actually," she said and flicked her wand at the board. A rather good drawing of a Kneazle appeared, fluffing its whiskers. "But first I want to look at the difficulties in Elemental Transmutation. As you know, the amount of magic needed to change a pure element into another, such as the infamous lead to gold transformation, is immense. For non-pure substances, or items, it's almost trivial, the rearrangement of atoms and such into other forms. It is for this reason that the few wizards or witches who attempt it, often use a Familiar to help store and channel excess magic. It is almost a lost art, really, in that few even try to attempt that deep a bonding with their Familiars, if they even have one." She looked around the room and crooked an eyebrow as she saw Crookshanks looking up at her from under Harry and Hermione's table at the front. A brief shadow crossed the room from the windows overlooking the ground as a large bird soared past. Tonks was pretty sure that neither of their Familiars had been here when the class started.

Tonks swallowed heavily; as Hermione glanced down to see Crookshanks looking up at her. The Head Girl seemed to be talking to him, as he gave an almost nod, and leapt up into her lap under the table. Hermione glanced up at Tonks, as Crookshanks reached a paw over to get Harry to pet him, "Professor, can they be used in other magics than Transfiguration? Say to recharge your reserves, if you were particularly drained?"

"Theoretically, yes," Tonks replied as a brief wave of...discomfort ran through her at the thoughtful expressions on the faces of her two top students. For a brief instant, she understood the fear that certain wizards and witches, ones like Fudge and Umbridge and others, had felt in the presence of Dumbledore. She understood, not agreed with, but understood nonetheless, the reasoning that had led certain members of Scrimgeour's administration to call for the detaining of Harry, for his own good. She glanced around the room, looking at the students, and knew that she was lucky that the Heads had found each other; otherwise, Tom would be the least of their worries. She shook off the dark thought, "Though, as I said before, the Familiar bonding has to be extreme, which is not readily done by magic alone, time and compatibility make a difference."

"As to the original topic," Tonks went on hurriedly, she flicked her wand and several small heavy ingots of iron appeared, "Miss Brown, Miss Patil, if you could hand these out." She watched as Lavender and Parvati picked up the eraser-sized ingots and handed them out, one to a table. "We are going to try to convert these to silver...it is much easier than, say to gold. The incantation, is Transmuatio Ferrum Argentium, where the first element name is what you are coming from, and the second what you are going to. Also, instead of merely casting a spell and letting go, this one you have to hold until the Transfiguration is complete, otherwise the element reverts totally to its former state and cannot be changed again."

Tonks looked around the room at the class, "So does anyone want to try? I'm not going to assign extra work if you can't get this one. Flamel had to develop the Philosopher's Stone, to get this to work, though reports did say he could convert an ingot or two without it."

Hermione glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye, he gave her a tiny nod, and she raised her hand, Tonks just nodded and waved at her. Hermione flicked her wand at it, and a shimmering silver beam fanned out from the end of her wand. Slowly the small ingot started to turn silver, then just as it almost completely turned, her beam began to sputter and die. It faded away, and the ingot rapidly faded to the dull, reddish-brown it had been to begin with. The class, even the Slytherins in the back let out an audible sigh. Tonks just nodded, her smile perking up for some reason, "That was an excellent try, Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor." Hermione nodded mutely, looking disappointed, as her gaze fell to her notes.

I could have changed it, Harry, she whispered silently, petting the cat on her lap. I just didn't like how Tonks was looking at us.

I know, Mione, he thought reassuringly, patting the top of her thigh under the table. The image of a wan smile passed his thoughts, You did the right thing.

Hermione looked up, pretending to pay attention as Tonks continued her lecture, I'm getting tired of holding back, Harry. I've seen the looks that even Ron gives occasionally, they don't mean to, but they still do.

Harry licked his lips; scratching something on his parchment, I know, Love, I know.

I know, she sighed, and I'm damn tired of hiding... she ran her thumb over her left ring finger, and he gave the impression of a nod. But think about it, there are what twenty-five, thirty students in this class...how long would it take, Harry, really?

He sighed silently; It wouldn't be easy, especially not with Tonks, Ron and the so much of the DA here...several minutes to disable them...less if... He trailed off as Tonks walked back around to the front of the classroom from where she had been watching a few other students try and not even get close to Hermione's attempt. It scares me sometimes, he said unnecessarily. She nodded, writing something down on her parchment, totally unrelated to the class, just to have something to write. They could take us if they came at us all at once, of course. Especially with no room to move in here.

Merlin, we are morbid, planning to take on our best friends and family, Hermione giggled softly in her thoughts. Harry gave her a quick, covert grin, and they sat silently for the remainder of class, tuned out to the remainder of the room except them.

**************************Library********************************

8:25 pm

Hermione had, in a rare gesture of sharing, at least for this, had a large group ensconced in her corner, reviewing for a Charms exam in the morning. Of course a few of them, such as Luna, and a few other sixth years and Romilda Vane, who Hermione, frankly loathed because of her near poisoning of Ron, were there to hang out with them studying.

Or at least they were studying in the vague sense that they majority of them had their books out and open on the large table that Hermione was quite capable of filling herself with a night's reading. Seamus and Padma were leaning closely, talking softly, and occasionally sharing a kiss or soft gesture. Luna was, as usual, perched on Ron's lap, with Luna doing far more studying than Ron was ever going to manage. Across the table, Parvati and Lavender were still going at it, causing Harry to start to suspect a potion was involved. Not that the girls didn't care for each other a great deal. After his varied experiences he was hesitant to use the word, love, in the context of just any one. He knew with utter, soul deep conviction of his own feelings towards Hermione and hers to him. He was utterly convinced of Ron and Luna, and of the Weasleys and Remus and Tonks, of course. He knew that his parents had felt it, but after seventeen years of the Dursleys, incidents with crying girls, Quidditch stars, potions, amulets and plain misunderstandings he was leery of using the term in the context of others.

Parvati and Lavender were at the least, rather randy, today. He smirked at Hermione and nodded in the two girls' direction. She grinned and stood, extending her hand to him. He took it and let her lead him to the stacks, far, far in the back. Harry grinned slightly as they passed faint wards that only they or Dumbledore, had he still been here, would have detected, which Hermione had long since put up to ensure their privacy.

Hermione sighed contently as she let Harry back her into a corner. He bent slightly, nuzzling her neck and she sighed contently, happy to enjoy these few stolen moments of normalness. "Is this because of the," she sighed, "girls or?"

"Mione, you breathing gets me horny," Harry muttered against the skin of her neck. She giggled breathily, her fingers coming up to tangle in his hair. She moaned slightly as he stopped his attention, before he leaned back in, kissing her hard enough to push her back against the wall and one of her legs to come up around his waist. He pulled back a bit, and caught the flicker of disappointment fighting something else. "But you didn't drag me back here for just that, did you?" Harry sighed.

"What if I did?" she whispered, crooking an eyebrow as her nails lightly scratched his scalp.

"Then, I would possibly love you more than I already do."

"Is that possible?" she teased softly, her eyes watching his.

"I'm not really sure it is," he responded simply, and was rewarded with a beatific smile. She pushed him back a half step, and led him to a large, padded window seat. Hermione waited while he folded himself into it before curling up between his legs. "You wanted to get away from them, didn't you?"

"Yeah," she replied, as she leaned her head back, to settle in the crook of his neck. "I'm tired of studying for exams, and tests and such, when they don't even really matter." Harry pretended to be shocked; she reached down and punched his thigh. "Oh, Harry, that didn't hurt."

"It did a little," he moaned and she rolled her eyes. She settled back again, and closed her eyes as she played with the ring on his finger absently. Hermione opened her eyes after a bit and gestured oddly in the air. A large volume appeared on her lap, and Harry looked over her shoulder at it. "What's that?"

"A book," she replied smugly.

"Reaallly," Harry drawled, "and what pray tell is it about?" In lieu of an explanation she tilted the cover so he could see the title, Familiar Familiars.

"Tonks got me thinking," she whispered. "When we...end it," she murmured, tightly, "we are going to have to outlast him, I don't think that, unless we get lucky, we can end it quickly. Together, we might even, possibly be stronger than him, especially with so much of his soul lost to him. But he's got years of experience on us Harry; he can use that to counter. We need to drain him, without draining ourselves too far, at least until the end."

"We'll already have killed Nagini..."

"Yeah, if we haven't, it all will be for nothing," she agreed, "We need to practice using Crooks and Hedwig, to draw on." She frowned slightly.

"Great¸ someone else that I'll have to risk," Harry groaned. Hermione looked up and back at him, her eyes tired.

"I don't like it more than you, Harry, but...they're bonded Familiars, Harry, they get the extended lifespans to match their partners...but they die or go insane along with us too. It's the way it works-"

"Hagrid never said anything when he gave her to me," Harry said softly, painfully. Hermione reached down and squeezed his hand supportively.

"You think that I knew that it would come down to this, when I bought Crooks, Harry?" Hermione moaned. As if called, and perhaps he was, Crookshanks appeared at the end of the aisle, and ran to them. He jumped up to the window seat, and jumped on Hermione's lap. The half-Kneazle cocked his head slightly before he rose on his back legs and reached a tufted paw, with carefully retracted claws, up to pat her face. He turned his head to look at Harry over Hermione's shoulder and purred, dropping down on all fours and pushing back against his Mistress. Hermione smiled as he fell on his back and held all four paws straight up, begging for his belly to be rubbed. She began to tussle one handed with her cat as she slipped the book out from under him with the other hand and started to read.

A sudden ruckus sounded from back in the direction of where they had been studying. Hermione gave Harry a bare, quick glance before she vanished the book back to their quarters. Crookshanks looked...annoyed, but jumped from her lap and padded to the end of the aisle, looking back as the two humans followed him.

Harry and Hermione started to come out from behind the shelves and stopped, at a haughty voice. "That will be thirty points each from Gryffindor, you two should be ashamed of yourselves," a slightly accented voice announced. Harry's eyes flickered and the pair of them vanished, mostly, as a Disillusionment Charm took hold and they slowly stepped out from behind the stacks to take in the scene.

A medium height blonde girl in Ravenclaw colors and a taller rust-haired boy, in Hufflepuff togs, both of them seventh years, stood at one end of the opening to Hermione's hidden nook. Cynthia Clary and Jacob Ahern, both former Beauxbatons students, and both, now, Prefects at Hogwarts. Harry glanced over at Hermione as and caught her invisible eyes as she looked over to him. He could feel her exasperated sigh at the two as they began to pace around looking at the various students. Parvati and Lavender were glaring at the two prefects, while the others looked seriously...annoyed.

Cynthia looked down her nose at Luna, who was still sitting on Ron's lap, "And you, Lovegood, a Ravenclaw, I would expect it from it from a Gryffindor such as Weasley, they are always flaunting the rules." She smiled slightly, "another thirty from each of your houses." Harry saw Ron looking in his direction; probably noticing the slight distortion caused by the spell and shook his head.

Harry sighed, snapped his fingers and reappeared. "That is slightly, excessive, Cynthia," Harry said softly, moving around the table. She glanced over to see him and Hermione appearing from in the stacks. He looked to each side, at the students crowded around the table, then back the two prefects. In an effort to help bring the Beauxbatons students more closely into the fabric of the school, McGonagall had brought in the Prefects from the school, into the same position at Hogwarts. She had not gave either head equivalent status, only prefect status, but neither Jeanette Braxton nor Robert Smythe nor the majority of the Beauxbatons transplants had made it an issue.

Not everyone had adjusted as well. "Potter, they were..."

"What?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked to each of the students. "Everyone but Parvati, Lavender, Ron and Luna, leave," he commanded softly and, almost as if they had Apparated away, the others vanished.

Clary put her hands on her hips and scowled, "They were clearly violating rules," she pointed at Parvati, "that girl was sitting in the other's lap, such behavior, and that's not even touching what Weasley was doing and he's a Prefect." Clary looked at Hermione and then back at Harry, her face clearly displaying what she thought they had been doing.

Harry sighed, and glanced to Hermione. She shrugged before her face hardened slightly, "I realize that you are still new to this position, but you cannot take points from Ron, as he is a prefect." Clary grimaced and Ahern started to move backwards, but froze at a look from Harry. Hermione looked at each of the offenders, her face carefully blank, "Additionally, thirty points is quite excessive for snogging, as I seriously doubt that they were that far over the line, were you?" Her eyes were flint-like as she looked at each of the "miscreants" in turn.

Harry nodded, "Let's make it five points from each of the girls, and Ron, you get a night's detention with Lupin. Any arguments?" His gaze clearly communicated that there better not be. The four of them nodded and at a small gesture from Hermione, vanished, picking up their books and leaving. Harry turned to the two transplanted prefects, "Hermione and I have been busy with other matters, but I have noticed that you have been unduly harsh in your punishments."

"Potter, I..."

"No," Hermione interrupted, raising her hand in halting gesture, "Prefects are to be fair most of all. For instance, with this group, they were isolated from the main view; it could have been considered private in fact, the same as in their common room. A warning would have sufficed. Failing that, the five points that were actually taken were more than sufficient."

"You are just saying that because they were your friends," Ahern put in annoyedly.

Harry sighed, frowned, "No, not really, that's the reality of living in a school full of teenagers, I am afraid." Hermione glanced over, carefully hiding a grin at how much he sounded like Dumbledore. Harry gave her a look, at the giggles he heard in his thoughts. "You need to be more level."

"Prefects are responsible for determining punishments for infractions," Clary huffed.

"Prefects work for the Head Students, and serve at the pleasure of same," Hermione said tiredly. "Please go decide if you can continue in the role." Her eyebrows rose slightly, "To be perfectly frank, the extra prefects that we received from the integration of the Beauxbatons students are superfluous to the needs of Hogwarts, especially since the population, even with the additional students from your former school, is much lower than normal."

Harry looked over at her, nodded, and flicked his wand at their books and bags. They vanished with a soft POP. He took her hand and led her from the Library, not looking back once at the two Prefects.

There you go, next chapter, Thai food, cravings, popcorn...and some other stuff...

Built by Text2Html