Chapter 12: Dumbledore
Harry and Hermione walked silently to professor McGonagall's office. No words were spoken between them, and no words were needed but both were thinking the same thing: where is Mundungus, and does he still have the locket? If not, where could it be? Who owns it now? How do we get it back? Or are we too late?
Questions, Harry hated them. He hated to have so many questions but not a single answer. He wanted answers, needed them, but the answers were far in the distance, and he was unable to reach any of them.
Harry was deep in his own thoughts and didn't even notice where he was going or where they were. He simply followed the sound of Hermione's feet and he didn't even notice when she spoke the password, and if he had noticed, he would have wondered where she got it. He didn't come back to his senses until he heard the knock on the door. He looked puzzled at Hermione, who was smiling at him.
Soon they heard Professor McGonagall calling them to enter, and they did. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. I've been waiting for you," she greeted softly as she sat behind her desk and looked at the two students.
"You were?" Harry was surprised to hear his own voice asking this. Seeing McGonagall nodding, he turned his gaze on Professor Dumbledore's portrait, but found it empty. McGonagall asked them to sit down and they did, after looking at one another.
"So, what brings you here this time?" she asked.
"We need to find someone and we thought that maybe you could tell us where he is," Hermione said for Harry. He was glad that he didn't have to say anything; he just couldn't find any words.
"Who is that someone and why you want to meet them?"
"This person took something from us and we'd like to get it back," Hermione said. "We're looking for Mundungus Fletcher."
"I see. And what did he take?"
"We can't say," Harry finally found his voice to speak.
"And why is that?" McGonagall asked quite sternly as she kept her eyes one both student before her.
"We just can't Professor," Hermione interrupted, hushing Harry who had opened his mouth to say something. "We know he took something very important with him from Grimmauld."
"How do you know that?"
"We saw him last year with it, but we weren't able to get to him to take it back," Harry said, losing all the passion that was left in him.
"Very well," Professor McGonagall said shortly and looked at Hermione. "Could you give me a minute with Mr. Potter?" she asked calmly and Hermione nodded. She stood up and turned around to leave but felt Harry's hand gripping hers, not letting her leave.
"Whatever you need to tell me you can tell me in front of Hermione" he said and avoided Hermione's surprised expression.
"I'm fine Harry. I'll wait you outside," she whispered quietly but Harry didn't listen to her. He was still gripping her hand and she felt her cheeks turn to a soft shade of pink.
"Alright, you may stay Miss Granger," McGonagall said and Hermione had an odd feeling that she was quite upset about it.
Hermione sat down and looked at her hands on her lap while McGonagall rose from her seat. She turned her back on the students and looked at the empty portrait hole.
"I am aware that you do not trust me. I am aware of that you probably never trusted me, not the way you trusted Albus. However," she continued and turned around just to look directly into Harry's eyes as if she wanted to dig in deep into his mind to get the answers to her own unanswered questions.
Harry didn't like it. With Dumbledore, Harry always had the feeling that he was reading his mind like an open book whenever he was looking him that intensely and now McGonagall did the same.
"I must insist that you to tell me the truth. I cannot help you with what Mundungus took from you if I do not know what it is. I expect this is something to do with You-Know-Who." McGonagall kept going. "As much as I'd like to tell you to sit back and let the Ministry take care of You-Know-Who, I know I can't ask you to do so. You wouldn't listen me and because the Ministry has no idea about the horcruxes," she continued and once again turned around to look at the portrait. "But you are not a fully trained wizard, Harry, and you don't know what dangers you are facing."
Harry snorted at that comment. How could McGonagall say this? Harry knew very well what he was facing. He had been the one who had witnessed Voldemort's return; he had been the one who had faced Voldemort almost every year since he attended Hogwarts. Of course he knew what was lay ahead of him.
"And I cannot let you do this alone. Albus wouldn't let you face these horrors alone and he himself set me to help you. I will keep my promise to him and help you in any way that I can. So now, will you please tell me what Mundungus took from the Grimmauld Place?" she asked, but her back was still facing Harry and Hermione.
Harry was struggling with what he should do. Should he tell her or should he keep her in the dark about it? He didn't want to drag anyone else into this and even though Professor Dumbledore had told her about the horcruxes, Harry wasn't quite ready to do talk about them with her.
"You can tell her Harry," said a tired voice what surprised Harry. He quickly looked up and saw his old Headmaster looking back at him through half-moon spectacles.
"Professor," Harry was able to say but the Headmaster's portrait hushed him by raising his hand.
"I'm not a professor anymore and definitely not a Headmaster Harry," he said, eyeing the two students who were now standing up, jaws dropped and eyes glistering with tears. "And now, I must ask you two to listen to me closely. I overheard your conversation with Professor McGonagall and I must agree with her. She others on our side are a fully trained wizards with vast knowledge of the dark arts and they are not afraid to use that knowledge for the good," the old headmaster said. "And that's why I asked Minerva to help you. You cannot handle it alone Harry, not even with the help of your friends," Albus Dumbledore added quickly as he saw Harry opening his mouth to protest. "I would be really happy if you would contact Minerva here whenever you need help and I've also talked to Minerva about training you. She agreed with me and by Monday you will begom training lessons with Remus Lupin," he finished.
"What about Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked now. "They need training as well, won't they?" he added and looked at Hermione.
"Yes, they do. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger can join your lessons with Remus, but no one else must not know it," he portrait warned them. "I am afraid I must leave now. Take care Harry and talk to Minerva so that she can help you," the old Headmaster's portrait said with wink and left before Harry could stop him.
"Can we go now?" Harry asked as he turned to Professor McGonagall. He no longer wanted to be there. Seeing his old Headmaster made him forget why he was even there.
"Harry?" Hermione asked and gave Harry a glare to remind him why they were there in the first place.
"Professor," Harry said and turned to McGonagall.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" the Headmistress said and smiled warmly.
"We think Mundungus has the locket; the real horcrux," Harry said finally with deep breath.
Hermione noticed that he was looking down at his feet and when she looked up, she saw that Professor McGonagall was shocked as she sank down on her chair.
"What makes you think that?" she asked and Harry started telling her everything. How he first arrived to Grimmauld Place and when they were cleaning, how they found a locket that no one could open and that no one knew what it was. It was a locket that they didn't even glance twice at and though was protected by dark spells. And how Kreacher took the locket away and hid it from them. He then told her how they saw Mundungus last year and saw that he stolen items from Grimmauld and that he probably had the locket.
It took half an hour for Harry to tell her everything that had been on his mind. When he was finished, Professor McGonagall was still silent. She didn't say anything for several moments.
"So you're sure that this locket you saw is a horcrux? And Mundungus has it?" she asked and both Harry and Hermione nodded. "Very well Mr. Potter. You may go now," she said and turned her gaze to the pile of papers before her.
"But professor…" Harry started.
"But what, Mr. Potter? There's nothing else for you to do. I'll contact Mundungus and see what has happened with the locket. I will take care of it as soon as possible."
"Professor…"
"You can go now," she repeated and Harry could do nothing more than turn around and leave the office, followed by Hermione.
"Now what?" Harry asked angrily as they reached to the Head students private rooms. He had been quiet all the way. "Sure, let's go and talk with the Headmistress, she knows what to do. She will help us. What's your next suggestion? Let's go straight to Voldemort and ask where the other horcruxes are?" Harry snarled angrily as he looked at Hermione.
"Harry, stop it!" Hermione shouted, but Harry didn't seem to listen.
"Of course, she'll help us, by telling us to do nothing. By asking us to sit back and wait."
"But you heard what Dumbledore said," Hermione yelled at him, interrupting him.
"It's a portrait, Hermione. What does a portrait know?"
"That's what you have been waiting for. That's what you've been hoping for all along. Don't think I haven't seen you staring at those chocolate frog cards, hoping to see Dumbledore. You've waited so long just to get a change to talk to him and now you did. If you don't want to listen me, listen to what Albus Dumbledore said to you."
Harry was a little taken a back; he thought no one knew how much he missed Dumbledore and that he had secretly been looking at the cards.
"Yes that's what I've been waiting for. But if I would have known that all he would say is to sit back, I wouldn't have waited so long. It's just a portrait, Hermione. He can't help me now and I just realized that."
"What did you expect then? That he would smile and wish you good luck?" Hermione asked as she folded her arms across her chest. "That's not the point Harry, so drop it."
"You're right, that's not the point."
"Then what's the problem?" she shrieked.
"You and your genius idea to go talk to Professor McGonagall."
"How was I to know that she would throw us out of her office!"
"What did you expect?" Harry asked mimicking Hermione. That made her even more frustrated.
"I don't know. I just thought…"
"You just thought? Thought what?"
"Thought we needed to talk to someone who's older and smarter than us. And nothing bad happened, right? She will take care of the horcrux and…"
"Will she really?" Harry asked sarcastically as he took a step closer to Hermione.
"Yes, she said…"
"I know what she said. I was there and heard it."
"Then what's the problem Harry? She said she will destroy it. Get rid of it."
"And you believe her, right?"
"Of course."
"Well I don't. She didn't seem to believe us at all and she said she would speak to Mundungus about the locket. Do you think Mundungus will give it to her and admit that he took it?"
"No I…"
"You what Hermione? Can't you see, she said it just to calm us down! She said it to make us believe that everything is alright. And it worked on you, as far as I can see."
"Harry…"
"Can't you see I have to do this alone? Can't you see that talking to the Headmistress won't help?" Harry pleaded as he put his hands on Hermione's shoulder and shook her a little bit, so she would lift her gaze from the floor to meet his. "Can't you see that Dumbledore himself gave me this mission? He set me to destroy the horcruxes, no one else. I can't go and ask someone else to do this for me; I have to do this on my own. Why can't you see that?"
"If you knew it, why did you listen to me?"
"You would have gone without me," Harry said, letting go of her. "And I wanted to believe that you were right and I was wrong. I hoped that perhaps I could get this burden off of my shoulders."
"I just wanted to help you," Hermione said and touched his cheek.
"No you don't," Harry answered and took her hand that was still lingering on his cheek and pushed it away, but didn't let go.
"That's a lie and you know it," Hermione remarked.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I need you to stay away from all of this," Harry said and knew that they had completely changed the subject. They no longer talked about horcruxes or getting help from someone else. They were now talking about themselves, about they're relationship. At least he was.
Everything that he said to her held a hidden meaning. He hoped that Hermione would understand what he meant; he hoped that she was saying the same to him.
He was admitting his true feelings for her, though she may not have realized what he really wanted to say. He hadn't even admitted his feelings towards Hermione to himself and now there he was, opening up his heart to her. And it didn't felt so wrong at all. Far from it, it felt so right. He had never been so good with emotions. First he was afraid of asking Cho out in fourth year and then he just attacked Ginny with a kiss in sixth year. But he knew Hermione was different than those two girls. She would most likely hex him if he kissed her suddenly and would think that he was asking her out just as friends. So this was the only way he knew how to reveal his feelings. If only she would get it. If only she would understand.
"Can't you see I'm more hurt seeing you like that? Suffering silently, acting like a hero but wanting to be normal just like everyone else," Hermione said and took her hand from his. Harry felt his heart sink-she didn't realize what he had meant. "You can't protect me or keep me away from this. No matter what, I am already in it and I will not back away. I am going to help you and be with you, like it or not."
"Hermione, you don't…" Harry started but the look in Hermione's eyes made him shut up.
"First off, you try to push us, push me away from your life, then you get all worked up only because I truly believed that McGonagall could help us so you could live your life properly and not think about horcruxes all the time. No matter what the prophecy said or what the true meaning of it is, it does not mean you can't have a normal life. You can't hide from life, Harry. You can't hide yourself from everything. The prophecy is not a reason why you shouldn't live normally. Forget the prophecy and start living! Do it one day at a time and with the help of your friends you will succeed in life and in beating Voldemort," Hermione bellowed with strong emotions.
No other words were needed for Harry to do what he was going to do. He grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and closed the distance between them. He finally kissed her and she felt just how long he had yearned to do so.