A/N: Another chapter..... Thanks again to Lady Starlight, who as usual, contributed her splendiferous expertise.
Chapter 44: A Late Realization
***********************Forty KM south of London*********************
March 15, 1998
2:00pm
Ron appeared on an empty country lane with a soft CRACK. He took a step sideways as Luna arrived, and looked to the left. Her hand slipped under the back of her jacket, and closed around the hilt of a sheathed wand. Both of them scanned the area, looking for trouble or a trap. It had happened before. Luna's eyes were oddly blank for a moment as she panned around the trees and shrubs. Her head tracked a small fox as it crossed the road in front of them, before she turned back to Ron. She blinked, hard, looked at him, and gave him a small, happy smile.
They started towards a medium-sized, two story brick house set at the end of the lane. Ron stopped at the edge of a white picket fence surrounding the garden, and made an odd gesture with his wand at a distinctively colored rock set at the base of the fence. The rock flashed green twice, and he nodded to Luna. She walked to the gate and opened it, closing it as Ron walked through.
Ron took her hand as they wandered down a winding path set between carefully manicured fruit trees. Amazingly, they were already in bloom, weeks early, Luna grinned as she smelled the scent of apple blossoms. She reached up and plucked one from a tree, placing it behind her ear. They crossed over a small stream on a wooden bridge, a few decorative fish splashed in the stream looking for food, as they stepped of it and continued up to the front door of the cottage. Ron pushed it open without knocking and stepped in, closing it after Luna had entered. He took her coat, and hung it on a set of pegs near the door, already mostly full with several cloaks, a couple of coats and a pair of luridly colored dragonhide jackets. "OI," Ron shouted.
"We' iz, in here," Fleur's voice answered him. Ron and Luna walked through the house, passing a sun-lit kitchen on the way, to enter a large living room. Bill, Fleur and the Twins were already present, waiting for them it seemed. Fleur stood, and hugged Ron, then Luna, before she waved them to seats across from her and Bill.
"You look good, Fleur," Ron commented as she resumed her seat next to Bill. Her hands folded protectively over her belly, as she leaned back on the couch. "We're here, Bill, I don't know what you wanted us for."
"Did you get out of Hogwarts without telling Harry or Hermione?" Bill asked softly. Fred and George frowned, their expressions ones of barely contained anger and at least a decent share of irritation.
"Yes," Ron replied warily, "but I don't understand why, if it were anyone else..." He shook his head, "There better be a good reason," Bill frowned and looked pointedly at Luna. Ron's face set, "She stays, or I go. Fleur is here, brother, she's no different. We'd probably be married right now if it wasn't for Mum." Fred and George looked to each other quickly but wisely chose not to comment.
Bill sighed and nodded, he stood and walked to the kitchen, as every eye followed him. He returned a moment later with five butterbeers and a bottle of pumpkin juice, which he handed to Fleur. She rewarded him with a faint smile, as he passed out the drinks to the rest and sat back down next to her. "We know that you were there the night that Ginny came back...what we don't know is the circumstances that led to her return."
"That was a mission for the Order, Bill...you remember secrecy, after all you lot kept us in the dark all fifth year," Ron said flatly. "She was found during the course of a mission." Bill flinched slightly, remembering the consequences of keeping the very people who were the ones primarily in this war, out of the loop.
Bill sighed and ran his fingers through his hair...he looked over at the twins, they seemed torn between laughing at him, and annoyance with Ron. They two had never heard the details of the night Ginny was recovered, though to be fair, they had never really asked, either. "That wasn't my decision, Ron."
Ron sighed and took a drink of his beer. He pushed himself to his feet and paced over to a large bay window set overlooking the woods outside. He gripped the sill tightly, not really seeing the trees. Luna came up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his stomach. She rested her nose in the center of his shoulder blades. "Tell them, Ronnie," she whispered, "at least about Ginny."
Ron nodded, and turned around. Luna let go and leaned back against him, as he shrugged, "We received information on where Snape was, and Harry, Hermione, Luna, Remus, Tonks and I went to capture...or eliminate him. Luna shuddered slightly, and stopped as Ron's hand came up to rest on her shoulder. He squeezed it, as she closed her eyes, remembering, "When we were getting ready to go in, Ginny came up, she was going to try for Snape herself, thought she'd do a touch of bounty hunting to get back in our good graces."
"But why?" Fleur asked, "Zhe would have been, welcome, zhe could have zaid here."
"I have given up on knowing what goes on in her mind since she was ten," Ron replied bitterly.
Bill looked at the other three; Fleur gave him a wan smile, and reached out to grab his hand. "Was there...anyone else with her, Ron?
Ron took a breath, and looked at Bill evenly. "Why do you ask?" he said with very little discernable emotion.
"Did she have...Draco Malfoy with her, Ron?" Bill inquired quietly. Fred and George shot to their feet, shouting.
"WHAT..."
"THAT WANKER..."
"SHUT UP," Bill snapped, and looked to Ron, "Well, Ron, was he?"
"Wha...wha...how did you?" Ron sputtered; he looked down to Luna, then back up to Bill.
Bill sighed and took a drink of his beer, "We didn't, at least not for sure, but...Fleur was working right after Christmas and an odd request came across her desk, one of the standard random checks on accounts. She was looking at an account that shouldn't have had any activity, as it was one in the name of a D. Black...it was to give a G. Weasley, access to that account."
"So?"
"Draco gave her access to his personal account, Ron," Luna explained quietly. Ron looked down at her, and his shoulders slumped. She gave him a questioning look, their eyes locked for a moment, and he nodded. "It appears," Luna said slowly, focusing herself in the here and now, "that at some point she met up with Draco after she ran from Hogwarts. We know that by the time we found her at Spinner's End, she and him were...together."
"Is that what you wanted to know, Bill?" Ron sighed, tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair as he looked at his oldest surviving brother, "Who our sister was shagging?" his voice was worn, one of one who has seen and done too much too soon. "Since you seem so curious about the affairs of your siblings, I shagged Luna last night, twice, just so you know of course."
Bill flinched again, and looked down at his hands for an instant, "I am sorry, Ron, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that...Mum will go spare..."
"Spare...Bill, she's been going spare all year," Ron objected instantly. "She believed that Harry and Hermione conspired to drive her 'precious' daughter away. She's been...hell, she's still of the opinion at least partially that Hermione 'stole' Harry away from her precious daughter, and tore apart her precious, 'big happy family'."
"It's not that, Ron," Bill objected quickly, "it's that...we needed to know...need to find out about how to break it to Mum." He looked over at Fred and George, who were even more thoughtful, now.
Ron shook his head, "It's not up to you, Bill...I know that you, hell all of us have spent years trying to watch over her...I'm not going to any longer, this is her mess, she should get out of it on her own." Ron paused, shaking his head, "You know, the one real reason, now that I think about it, that I tried occasionally to get Ginny with Harry, and was at least, not angry, when she did get with him for those few weeks last year was more for her and my benefit than his. At least he wouldn't hut her, would protect her from herself...I was thinking more for myself and her than I was for him, of course, I know that now. She made her bed, Bill, and Merlin help me, she has to lie in it."
Bill sighed heavily, but nodded in the end. He looked up as Ron and Luna started to move towards the vestibule and their coats at a small gesture from the tallest person in the room, "Can't you two stay for dinner? Fleur and I were kind of hoping to catch up."
Ron grimaced, and looked sad for a moment, then shook his head, "No, I wish I could, but we need to get back. Merlin knows what will happen if Harry and Hermione find out we're gone without explanation. I didn't even leave a note, since you wanted to keep this meeting from them for some reason. Neither of them has been too obvious about it, but Bill," he gave the eldest Weasley sibling a penetrating look, "both of them are my kin as much as you are, I know them. If I don't show up soon, those two are coming after me; they've already lost too much. And I rather like your new house, I'd hate for those two to arrive with intent." Bill and Ron shared a chuckle at that and nodded.
******************Head's Suite, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts*****************
3:23 pm
Soft music from an enchanted Muggle stereo whispered across the room, filling the air with music from one of Hermione's CDs. She waved her bare feet in time with the song, as she laid on her and Harry's bed on her stomach, with her head down towards the foot of the bed and her bent knees on a pillow next to Harry. A large piece of torn and stained parchment was sitting open on one corner of the huge bed, set away a bit from Hermione. Harry smiled down at her absently, as he sat with his back to the headboard, a book on traps and wards propped up on his knees. He turned a page, reading through a chapter on Shocking Wards, as his free hand absently traced nonsensical patterns on the patch of skin showing at the small of her back, between the waist of her loose jeans, and her t-shirt.
Hermione let out a soft purr, arching slightly under his attentions. Across the room, on a broad window seat overlooking the lake, Crookshanks seemed to roll his eyes before he stretched out in the sun. Hermione turned a page in her own book, one on energy manipulation magic, and wrote out a long equation in a notebook with a Muggle pen. Hermione reached back, grabbing a handful of crisps from a bowl next to Harry's knee and took a bite. "Harry?"
"Yeah, Mione?" he turned a page, glancing at her, before he took a note on a stack of parchment next to him. He paused in his idle petting, she made a soft, annoyed noise and he restarted with a silent laugh.
"Do you think it's weird that I'll have a sister, that's young enough to be my own daughter?" Hermione frowned slightly, marking her page and rolling over on her back, scooting up at the same time so that her legs were resting on the headboard. She turned her head, looking at him.
Harry shrugged, and started to trace patterns on her belly. Hermione giggled softly as he flicked her belly ring. "Not if you don't," he replied quietly, as the CD changed to Dreams by the Cranberries. "Maybe it will make it easier to get your folks to babysit," he ventured after a moment, Hermione snorted, patting at his knee.
She reached up, "Come here," she commanded softly, scooting back so she was lying fully on the bed.
"And why would I want to do that?" Harry murmured, as he slowly crawled down the bed on hands and knees, having already set aside his book and notes to the table next to the bed. He leaned over her, kissing her softly, causing her to moan quietly as they rolled onto their sides facing each other.
"Cause I want to snog my husband for the rest of the afternoon," Hermione breathed as she slowly tangled her legs with his, and began to nibble lightly on his neck. Harry pulled her lips to his, as his hands slipped under her shirt, coming up to tickle the sides of her breasts. She groaned into his lips, pushing her tongue into his for a moment, before they relaxed together. Hermione buried her head in the crook of his shoulder and absently kissed it.
"What are you thinking, Mione?" Harry whispered after a second or two. He bent his head forward, kissing her forehead.
She smirked, "That we both probably have all our homework done for the rest of the year, and that if we take a nap until dinner we can shag all night."
"I always said that you were the brains of the outfit, Hermione," he leaned in, and kissed her again, pulling away to breathe. His arm tightened around her as he summoned a pillow from the other end of the bed to slide under his head, Hermione being perfectly happy with his shoulder as she rolled over to spoon back against him. They fell silent, content to be in each other's company, Hermione pulled Harry's arm around and intertwined her fingers with his as she rested their joined hands over her heart.
They remained like that, silent save for an occasional contented sigh for a half hour, dozing without quite nodding off, when the parchment suddenly flashed red, and the image of the castle that had been drawn there in neat lines of iron gall ink zoomed to a spot on the third floor. Harry and Hermione stirred, Hermione reached out with her right hand, not letting go of Harry's left, which was still cradled in the nook of her breasts and pulled the Marauders' Map to them. She tilted it to Harry, so he could see the tiny named stick figures of Ronald Weasley and Luna Lovegood emerge from the statue of the Humpbacked Witch.
"They're back," Harry mused, as he rested his chin on top of Hermione's head. She nodded silently, and pushed the map back to the corner of the bed where it had been. "Mischief Managed," Harry muttered, flicking his fingers in the direction of the map. The neat lines and words of the map faded away as he closed his eyes, and let the arm that Hermione was resting on, come up to wrap her around the waist. Hermione settled back, closing her eyes as well. They drifted off, taking the time to catch a bit of a kip.
*********************Pendle Hill, Lancashire**********************
Vague black shapes slipped through the night, under an overcast sky, depriving the neat hedgerows and gardens of the old manor house of the protecting light of the moon. A sense of creeping cold followed the forms, figures without faces as they glided silently past a gate and up a winding path towards the house. Ice formed slowly on a bush as one passed, and floated into the open lawns surrounding the house.
Slowly, more and more of the dark, cloaked figures, emerged from the darkness, filing into a loose, great circle to surround the large, multi-winged and floored house. Small flakes of snow started to fall as the air started to freeze. From behind the ring of darkness, two more figures stepped forward, striding into the open.
Both of these newcomers were cloaked, but were shorter than the tall, faceless figures that had formed the ring. A brief silver of moonlight caught the white of a half mask as one turned to the other, "This is your mission, Mulciber," he said with a small, laughing voice.
The other chuckled darkly, "Aye, Banner...it is." He turned to the house, "Sonorous, COME OUT YOU OLD CRONE, YOU MISSED BEING HOME LAST TIME WE CAME AND VISITED!" Next to Mulciber, Banner chuckled darkly as he began to fire random Reductors, smashing great holes in the walls of the ancient Longbottom Manor. Glass began to rain down from shattered second floor windows as Mulciber waved him to a halt half-annoyedly, "That is enough, the Dark Lord wants the old bat's head for supporting Weasley and Potter."
Banner frowned, but nodded, slipping his wand back into his robes as they waited. A moment later, their patience was rewarded. A frail old woman stomped to the door and out. She paused to shake off a tiny House Elf that was begging her to run, to hide. She stepped onto the porch, a wand held firmly in her hand. "I would thank you to leave my home, and take your dogs with you."
"You were lucky to be away visiting the last time we came to call, Longbottom," Mulciber cackled, "You shan't be as fortunate this night." He turned to the nearest of the company of Dementors that had followed him, "She is yours," a faceless hood nodded, and as one, the circle began to close.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Augusta Longbottom shouted, her voice crackling with exhaustion already as a shimmering bird, some type of condor or such, shot from her wand, circling her rapidly. A half-dozen Dementors surged forward, to be pushed back by the Patronus. They approached again, and were driven back, but only half as far...
Mulciber turned from the entertainment in front of him at a soft noise behind him and collapsed as a silver jet snapped out of the night, piercing him between the eyes. A tall Wizard in a night-black robe, the hood pulled far forward to hide his face strode out of the darkness. The very tip of a carved, ornate wand peeked from under long voluptuous sleeves as the newcomer tracked smoothly, unhurriedly as if he or she had all the time in the world, towards Banner.
A blue bolt snapped out of the wand, sending Banner's wand spinning off into the night. A casual gesture and he flew backwards into the branches of a pear tree. The branches tightened around the Death Eater, squeezing him to the bows of the tree. The interloper strode forwards, towards the Dementors. His hidden wand lifted...
Augusta collapsed on the porch, her Patronus fading away as the dark, almost-whispers of the Dementors ripped through her thoughts. They started to move towards her, and froze as one, a streak of silver tore through their ranks, scattering them like bowling pins. They scattered, the whole host running, a defeat of such numbers of their kind that had not happened in years save for a single wizard that had stopped them at a lake, then at his home, and later at Hogsmeade. Flares of dark, lightless fire appeared and vanished, as several of the dark horde vanished forever while those that could, drifted away with haste almost unknown to their kind.
The Wizard walked slowly towards the porch, and knelt, extending a hand to pull Gran Longbottom to her feet. Her eyes widened, almost comically as his hood fell back a bit. Any other observer than her could only see a head of thick, dark auburn hair, which was pulled into a long tail. "No..." Gran said disbelievingly.
"I am sorry, Augusta, I wish this were not necessary," the wizard raised his hand, "but I am sure that someone will be along presently, Obliviate." A shimmering yellow cone snapped out from his nearly concealed wand, enveloping her head. He raised his hood, covering his face once more, took a step backwards and vanished without a sound.
********************Room of Requirement, Hogwarts*************************
March 18, 1998
10:03 pm
Remus patted Neville once more on his shoulder before he stood from the crouch he was in and padded to the door. He stopped at the door, to share a quick word with Harry and Hermione, before he slipped from the room. Harry said something to Ron, who shrugged and left, following the path that the rest of DA had just taken a few minutes before. With a small tired sigh, Harry walked over to the couch set along a book-filled wall, and knelt before it.
Neville looked up from his hands, as Harry cleared his throat softly. Parvati looked to Harry, her dark eyes worried, as she looked back to her boyfriend. Lavender sat on his other side, idly running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She gave Harry a pleading gaze, in turn he gave her a tired, half-smile, "Neville, are you going to be alright?"
He shrugged. "I will be, Harry," he nodded, to some inner thought, "Gran's too stubborn, she won't let Remus hide her, says, 'She's too old to run,'" he chuckled darkly, "she's probably right. He's got someone watching the house though; it's the best anyone can ask under the circumstances." Neville glanced to the girls on either side, "Do you know who came along to help her? Gran doesn't remember anything."
Harry shook his head, "No, no idea. She was Obliviated, as was the Death Eater that Remus and Tonks found in the trees when they got there. I'm going to go. Hermione and I are heading down to the dungeons to start our patrol...just so you know, of course," Harry added, smirking just slightly, as he stood and walked back to the door where Hermione was waiting for him. Harry nodded to her, she then opened the door and started to leave.
"Harry," Parvati said, "wait." She stood from the couch, after stopping to whisper something in her girlfriend's ear on the way before running over to the door. Behind her, Lavender pried Neville's head from his hands, before slipping onto his lap, and pressing her forehead to his. Parvati glanced back, "Harry," she muttered as she caught his gaze, "Thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Par," Harry demurred; he glanced to Hermione. She stepped to him, grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers in his as moved in close, "What about your parents, and Lav's, Parvati? Neville's parents are still in St. Mungo's, but it's sucking up all the Aurors and MLE agents the Ministry can find, until they get a decent security force of their own up and running, but both of yours are in the open...hell all of you who follow me...your families are at risk," he added guiltily.
Parvati leaned forward, shared a glance with Hermione, and kissed Harry on the cheek, he looked bemused by the action and she shrugged, "My parents ran, Harry, or rather Dad did, and Mum went with him..." she replied, her voice oddly flat, "they are in Banglapore, right now, and Lavender..." she smiled, "Lavender's parents are great, but they are Muggles, no offense, Hermione," she said quickly, and Hermione nodded, already knowing where she was going with this. "But right now, their best chance is anonymity. Hermione's parents were relatively too well known, everyone knew they were a target, that's why the Order used to keep a watch on them." Parvati glanced back at her lovers; "Lavender's parents are only really at risk, at least any more than any other Muggle, if we loose. So let's try not to, alright?" Harry snorted slightly at her bright smile; she shrugged and headed back to be with the other two.
Harry and Hermione slipped out the door, and eased it closed. Hermione threw both arms around him, eyes flickered and they reappeared nine floors down, deep in the bowels of the school, she took his hand as they started to head down the corridor, walking slowly along the halls. She glared at a pair of fifth year Slytherins, as they seemed to be sidling towards an empty classroom. They ran at her gaze, towards the entrance to their dorm. You did good with Neville, Harry.
I wish I could do more, you know that his Gran was attacked because she supported Arthur...me at the Ministry, Harry replied, flicking his wand at a broom closet and watching as it popped open to reveal a small, copper-haired girl sitting on the lap of a boy in Hufflepuff colors. "That will be 5 points from Slytherin, Natasha," she groaned, and leaned back, straightening her skirt and shirt, "and five from Hufflepuff as well, Tony." He just nodded, and helped the girl to her feet. Harry glanced at Hermione, "I'll reduce it to a warning if you two get back to your dorms, you both know curfew starts at ten these days." The two lovebirds grinned at him, and walked out, and started to turn in opposite directions. Harry rolled his eyes, "At least be a gentleman and take your girlfriend back to her dorm, Tony."
"Yes, Sir," he replied quickly, taking the girl's hand and running down the hall the direction Harry and Hermione had come from.
You know that we are going to be known for being the Heads who took the least points in Hogwarts history for snogging at this rate, Hermione observed amusedly as they started up the stairs towards the ground floor.
I talked to Remus about it, the other day...he said that Dumbledore never really took any off for it either, Harry replied, shrugging, he turned back to her, as she lagged behind him slightly. According to him, that saved my parents from going from the point makers to the point losers, for their year. Besides, do you really want to take points for snogging? He waggled his eyebrows, and she laughed.
Not really, no, not unless they make me, Hermione agreed, At least not since I was sixteen and learned that there were much more important things than who was snogging who...and where. Hermione let out a surprised squeak as Harry darted forward in a blur of black robes and kissed her. HARRY! she laughed, placing her hands on her hips and trying to glare at him unsuccessfully. Behave.
But I lose all control when you are around, Harry whispered, standing close to her. Hermione smirked slightly, as she closed even closer, molding her front to his and bringing her arms up wrap around his neck. She looked up a few inches, her right eye hidden behind a fall of hair. She leaned into Harry's hand slightly, as it came up to sweep the hair out of her eyes, before she rose on the balls of her feet, to press her lips to his.
She felt her lips opening slightly; they didn't bother to check with her brain any longer, as the kiss deepened. She broke it a minute later, and licked her lips absently, Good, she whispered, but honestly, Harry, we need to get this round done.
Yeah, Harry muttered, his voice slightly despondent. Hermione smiled at him, kissed his cheek and stepped back, not letting go of his hand as she started to pull him along. I'd hate for some poor swot to get off'ed by some Death Nibbler, or something that snuck in. Hermione looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but didn't comment. They checked the Great Hall perfunctorily, as it wasn't a very good place to snog, without the help of an invisibility cloak, and headed up the great marble front stairs to the second floor. Hermione squeezed his hand as they passed the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's old office.
The two of them walked the long length of the hall, eventually passing through a slightly shimmering field that kept the castle's heat in, such as it was, and out onto one of the covered flying bridges that passed over the chasms in and around the castle. Owlry? Hermione asked, glancing up at the tower that loomed over them. Harry pulled her to a stop, and leaned against the bridge railing.
If you really want to look there, but who really snogs in the middle of owl dung? Harry asked distractedly, and Hermione nodded conceding his point. I was more just wanting a touch of air really. Harry fingered the rough stone for another minute. He turned slightly, searching the night as the sound of an odd howl rang out. Fluffy?
Probably, Hermione agreed, her face set, I heard McGonagall say to Sprout the other day that he was still sniffing around Hagrid's hut. She shivered slightly as a gust of wind howled across the bridge; she pushed back from the edge and pulled on Harry's hand, back towards the castle, Let's call this one a night, Harry, the Prefects can do their rounds, we already did the dungeons for them. They passed back through the ward, and climbed the moving stairs to the seventh floor. Meters shy of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione touched her wand to a blank spot in the wall, and with a clattering and grinding sound; the stones of the wall rearranged themselves into a doorway.
Hermione ran up the stairs, and entered their common room. She tossed her robe on the back of the couch as she passed, pulling her jumper over her head and flinging it on top, before she looked back at Harry as the door closed behind him. She worked at her tie as she watched Harry set his robe on top of hers, "I'm going to work on the Journals again, " she shrugged, pulling her tie off over her head and tossing it through the open door to their bedroom.
"Alright, Mione," Harry replied, dropping on the couch, and stretching out in his jeans and t-shirt he had had on under his robe for the DA meeting. Harry closed his eyes, yawning slightly as he closed his eyes and toed off his trainers. The warmth from the fire soothed him, causing him to doze off.
Harry woke up suddenly as Hermione returned, dropping on the couch, to sit curled up against his side. She tucked bare feet under her bum, and stretched her arms above her head; she gave Harry a small grin as she caught the slightly glazed look in his eyes. "See something you like, Love?"
Harry smirked slightly as he reached down to pull her into his lap. He ran his fingers under the hem of her t-shirt, pulling it up slightly, "I can improve the view," he breathed against her ear. She shivered in the comfortably warm room, leaning up to kiss him.
"I know you can," Hermione whispered, her voice low, "but we need to look through these journals, again, Baby." Harry sighed and waved his hand in the air, a stack of battered, leather-bound journals appeared on the seat next to her with a pop. "Later, Harry," Hermione promised. She slid off his lap, to rest her back against his side, and extended her legs along the length of the battered couch. "I just wish I knew what we were looking for."
"Who knows," Harry shrugged, and settled down in the couch slightly, his eyes flicked to the side as a pair of mugs of hot chocolate appeared with a pop. "We're assuming that Dumbledore found something, or observed something that will help us, some clue. Who knows if he really did, we can't very well scry for it like we did the Staff, unless you know something?"
She shook her head, reaching up to sweep an errant lock out of her eyes before she responded, "No, not unless someone uncovers a heretofore unknown Hufflepuff artifact soon, or something. She was always a bit closer to Rowena than anyone, but not really close enough for it to matter, not like say, purely for example of course, that if you say were to enchant some object, then one could use one of mine to find yours." She shrugged, and smirked slightly, "At this point, our signatures, when we bother to leave one, are virtually identical, most of the OWL students wouldn't be able to find a difference really, a couple of minor things like our sex and such probably, but that's it." Hermione took a breath, and reached over and back for the drink that Dobby had left for her. She sipped it, and reached down, setting the mug on the floor. "I do have one idea," she said slowly, thoughtfully, "Harry, remember when you thought that you were a Horcrux, and I convinced you that you weren't?"
"Yeah," he replied, crooking an eyebrow, "I'm not one now, am I?" he asked lightly, a touch too much so for casualness.
Hermione turned on the couch to face him, sitting Indian style sideways on the cushions. She reached up to stroke his cheek with two fingers, "No, Baby, you're still not one, we know what the last two are-"
"Just checking."
"I'm sure," she replied dryly, "But," she went on and her tone dropped into her 'Professor's Voice', "you did give me an idea. We flirted with it earlier, but what if you were right, when you wondered if he was going to use your death to make a point. We think that he used Nagini because he had no other choice, to create the one he was going to create with your death. Think about this Harry, besides you, because of the Prophesy, which one wizard would he have been most determined to destroy, or humiliate at the time he was creating the Horcruxes, in his first war?"
"Dumbledore," Harry replied instantly to the rhetorical question.
"Exactly," Hermione said, her eyes shining with sudden excitement, Harry grinned as she took on the same exact look she had when she learned some new, interesting fact or spell, leagues beyond most of her classmates. "What if the clue really is buried in his past? What if Voldemort hid it, in a place important to Dumbledore, somewhere that Dumbledore himself would never think to look? A way to show that he was smarter than Dumbledore?"
"So Dumbledore may not have actually observed the clue that would point to the Horcrux, but Riddle might have hidden it, somewhere important to Dumbledore?"
"Yes," she reached forward and took his left hand with her right, intermingling their fingers. She looked over at the stack of journals, "That means that we need to go back over them again, with a different eye, we were looking for things, events that related to Riddle, his schooling, upbringing, life before, during and after Hogwarts. We need to do the same for Dumbledore. We didn't really look at the ones before Riddle showed up, only the last forty years or fifty years or so, and even then we just concentrated on things related to Riddle, we need to look at them all."
Harry nodded, "What about me? Should we dig more into my past? I agree that Dumbledore was his main enemy, but he did go after me and my parents," his voice tight.
Hermione squeezed his hand, and ran the thumb of hers around the palm of his, "The timing wasn't right, Harry," she whispered sympathetically, his pain having long since become hers as well. It was almost her own most fervent dream: that James and Lily were hiding with her parents in Godric's Hollow. "As far as anyone who really knew what happened that night, any part of it, Riddle is probably the only one alive who really knows, he moved against them as soon as Wormtail gave them up."
"There are almost a hundred and forty years of journals, Mione," Harry said, more thoughtful than actually complaining, "that could take forever."
"Not really," Hermione shook her head; then shrugged, "well, honestly, yes, it could, but we are not looking for some miniscule event or place in Dumbledore's life. We are looking for something that stands out in some way."
"Well, it's not at Hogwarts, we've explored here," Harry said with a touch of regret. Hermione nodded, and waved her hand at the stack. Old leather covers turned to pages filled with a tiny, neat scrawl. "What event or place in Dumbledore's life would Riddle want to discredit or defile?"
"No idea," Hermione admitted in a breath, and closed her eyes, leaning forward to bang her forehead against his thigh lightly. She turned her head, looking up at him sideways, "I swear I am only reading fiction for like...years after we beat him, Harry."
"I know, Mione," Harry chuckled, reaching down to run his fingers through her hair, he looked at the stack of Journals and sighed, "Ron is going to kill us for making him read those, again." Hermione nodded as she picked up the first journal, written at a time long before Tom Marvolo Riddle was even a delusion in his mother's mind.
*************************Room of Requirement****************************
March 25, 1998
Hermione frowned slightly as she watched Ginny stretching, bending at the waist to touch her toes. The smaller girl straightened and glanced over to the side. She found Harry sitting, cross-legged on the mats at the side of the room, waiting. Across from him, leaning against the wall near a selection of various bladed weapons, Remus and Tonks looked on with interested expressions. Tonks nodded to Hermione, she looked back to Ginny and took a breath. "Alright, Ginny," Hermione said calmly, "you are going to have several disadvantages, in a fight without wands. And since you...left, you have not received much of the training that would offset those, as we have been concentrating on your combat magics." Ginny scowled slightly but did not disagree, as Hermione continued.
Hermione began to run through the facts, her voice utterly dispassionate, as if she were talking about what might be for breakfast tomorrow "First," Hermione paused for a moment, as the door to the room opened and Luna slipped in, alone tonight as Ron had received detention for an altercation in the halls with one of Zabini's minions. McGonagall had given it regretfully; but she had had no choice, as Ron had punched the Slytherin in front of a half-dozen Hufflepuffs. Luna came to stand next to Hermione, like the other two girls, and Harry, she was wearing combat blacks, she toed off her trainers, and then her socks, leaving her barefoot on the mats. "Frankly you are small, you don't have nearly the strength that most males your age or older would, and in fact you would be at a disadvantage against many of the witches here."
"Like you were fifth year?" Ginny asked softly.
Hermione frowned slightly, and nodded, "Exactly. Technically, without calling on magic she would still be a lot stronger...She is like twice my size. Hell, I think she weighs more than Ron, and he's 6' 5", but I could take her now, even without...boosting, I guess you would call it."
Ginny nodded thoughtfully, "So, you will..."
Hermione nodded, and waved towards Remus and Tonks, "Actually Remus and Tonks will act more as your instructors in this, the rest of us may spar more with you at times, which is why Luna is here...We'll start with the girls and move onto the boys." Harry grinned slightly, as he caught Remus' eyes. "Just as an example, though, let's do a small demonstration of how to escape a hold like Millicent had on me then." Hermione looked pointedly at Harry, who sighed tiredly, she turned around with a smile and to find Lupin, smirking, "Remus, if you please." Harry and Tonks chuckled slightly as Lupin walked forward slowly, and came to stand behind Hermione.
Remus looked to Ginny, "There are several holds that Death Eaters or others tend to use, breaks and chokes and such, but the one that well start out with is this." Remus grabbed both of Hermione's arms, pinning them to her side, "Slow if you please, Hermione."
Hermione took a breath, "First if it's a choke, drop your chin, pressing onto his forearm. Bite it if you can, that will often break the hold by itself, but don't rely on that, from this, I basically have two options, three if I could get my arm free, where I could counter with an elbow or possibly a fist to the groin. But if I can't, raking the leg with my instep or a nice headbutt up and back, hopefully directly into the nose, kind of like..." Hermione blurred into motion, vaguely Ginny heard a crack, and Hermione was free and Remus was staggering, "This," she finished.
Remus glared at her, around both hands, which were holding his nose, he moved to Tonks, who flicked her wand at him, evaporating the blood from a bloody nose, and taking away the pain. Hermione turned and mouthed, "Sorry," Lupin shrugged, waving it away.
Hermione stepped back as she waved Luna forward, and the blonde stepped in front of Ginny. Hermione watched for a moment longer as Luna invited Ginny to attack her several times, but was rejected almost casually. Hermione turned to Harry, reached down, and pulled him to his feet. They watched as Ginny launched a slightly clumsy punch at the blonde's head, Luna's expression never changed for an instant as she gracefully slid to the side, she spun, her right leg flashing in a precise arc and neatly clipped Ginny behind the ear. The protective wards flashed, negating most of the momentum, they had been briefly restored to test Ginny, and Ginny staggered back, shaking her head, her brown eyes flashing in anger. She charged Luna, lunging. Luna grabbed her leading arm, spinning and flinging the girl over her hip.
Luna rode the girl to the floor, pinning her arms against her sides with her legs and fired a left handed punch at the redhead's throat, stopping just as her middle knuckle grazed her trachea. "You're dead," Luna said sweetly, rolling backwards off her prospective sister-in-law, and to her feet in on smooth movement. Ginny scowled as she clambered back to her feet.
Hermione cleared her throat from the sidelines; "Luna has both a bit of natural talent and a smidgen of prior experience from what her father taught her when he was in his former career for the Ministry."
"Daddy got tired of the Ministry's lies and started the Quibbler," Luna explained vaguely, examining her nails intently.
Hermione nodded, "But most of that is Luna having trained as long as Harry or I. She started with us and Ron, as she was an obvious prime target due to her relationship with your brother." Luna smiled hugely, and began to play idly with her ring, that Hermione privately thought she hadn't taken off for anything. Which only made sense, as Hermione had only taken off her engagement ring to switch the order with her wedding ring. Luna seemed to share her thoughts, as the two much-older-than-their-actual-age teens, shared a small knowing grin.
Hermione looked back to Ginny, her face falling back to a neutral expression. "Like everything else, you'll need to learn fast, Ginny, even faster than we had to. That means that we won't be pulling our punches for long. You might want to try to make up with Dobby and Winky...they are good at bringing icepacks and pain potions," Hermione gave her a small shrug and headed for the door, where Harry was waiting, having already drifted over. "We'll leave you in Tonks and Luna's hands, Harry and I have a bit of research to get to," Hermione followed Harry through the door and stepped aside as he closed it behind them.
A/N Hmmmmmm.................. Next chapter...A reminder to the 'Chosen One....