~A/N> Here's another chapter :) Thanks yet again for the great response on the last chapter and sorry for
the cliffie. I guess I should have warned you guys in advance (blushes) No cliffie in this one, just a little bit of
sadness and closure. Things will start to pick up a bit soon, and there will be more H/Hr interaction as well, I hope.
The story is practically writing itself, I'm just the helpless writer, lol! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter
and if you listen to Harmony Podcast, #11 should be out tomorrow :)
"You're my what??" Harry asked in disbelief as he stood up from where he had been sitting next
to her. "You just found out you're a witch and this...this....Guardian thing, and your laying there after
being attacked by two of these Shadock beings and your telling me that I'm your charge? When you can't
even defend yourself? H-How am I supposed to take this? And why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Remus walked up to him then, putting a calming hand on his shoulder as he said, "Harry, she's trying to explain. We're all a bit confused as to what's been going on, but I think you should hear her out at least. Her lesson's with Firenze all week were to try to learn how to use her powers and gifts so that she can protect you the way she's supposed to."
"Protect me?" Harry scoffed, shrugging Remus's hand from his shoulder as he started to back away from them all. "Divination lessons my arse. I've been trying to figure out how I'm supposed to fight Voldemort now without Dumbledore's help, when deep down I know that I'm not going to survive any confrontation with him. Now I've just been told that he has some evil being on his side helping him in his mad quest for immortality!" By the end he was yelling, and he turned to glare at the portrait of Dumbledore that hung just behind him. "Damn you for all the secrets you kept from me," he shouted, and then angrily stormed out of the office, leaving them all speechless.
"I'll see if I can talk to him," Ron said, getting up from his chair. Placing his hand on Luna's shoulder, he looked down at her as she smiled knowingly up at him and said, "I'll find you later."
"Alright," she replied simply, and then watched as he walked out to go find Harry and hopefully calm him down. Luna looked at Hermione with a look of sympathy and sadness as she said, "Harry, for very good reasons, has some serious trust issues. He was just starting to let you in and now you've shocked him with this bit of news. Ron's usually good at calming him down, but this time is different, so I'm not sure how long it will take."
"So this time is worse than all the other times?" Hermoine asked, feeling guilty for not telling him sooner, even though deep down she knew Firenze had been right on insisting she not say anything. She should never have told him, or at least not this soon.
"Oh yes," Firenze replied before Luna could. Luna looked up at him and she knew that he was going to say the same thing that she was about to. "You see, even though Harry didn't know who you really were, I believe he was already letting you into his heart. He has feelings for you Miss Granger, and that is something that can be very dangerous when it comes between a Soul Guardian and their Charge. In old times, it was forbidden."
"I can understand why, but I don't have..." Hermione started, only to be stopped by Luna.
"Yes you do," she said. "It's in your Aura; it's not very strong, but it's there."
"You can read my Aura?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Miss Lovegood is one of my best students," Firenze replied, looking at the wide-eyed blonde. "She doesn't have near the number of gifts that you possess, but she is a seer and clairvoyant."
"You're much more powerful than I am, but you could say we're kindred spirits," Luna said with a smile.
"Yes we are," Hermione replied, smiling back. "It's nice to know that there are others out there that somewhat understand what I'm going through." Feeling a bit more relaxed, Hermione realized just how much she had meant what she had just said, and that she had just made her first friend in the wizarding world. Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances.
~*~
"How could she not tell me this?!" Harry raged, as Ron sat on the couch in the Head's Common Room, watching his best mate pace back and forth.
"She just found out who she really was not even a week ago mate," Ron replied. "The same night her Mum and Dad were killed by Lucius Malfoy, don't forget."
"Like I could," Harry mumbled while glaring at him.
"There's nothing you could have done to prevent it," Ron said adamantly. "You can't blame yourself for every death or injury that you-know-who and his followers cause."
"I should have destroyed that evil bastard by now," Harry said, ignoring Ron when he sighed in exasperation. "Maybe then she'd still have her family."
When his friend stayed quiet for a while, Ron looked up to find Harry staring out the window of the Common Room, but it was an unseeing stare. Whatever Harry was fixated on existed only in his mind's eye, not outside the window, and Ron had a pretty good idea what had his friend so deep in thought. "I heard that her parent's funeral is tomorrow and that they're not allowing her to go. That must be hard on her."
"Yeah," Harry answered in an offhand way. Something about the way Harry answered piqued Ron's interest as he sat studying his friend's posture.
"You're up to something," he stated, causing Harry to turn and look at him.
"What d'ya mean?" Harry asked, faking innocence and not doing very well. When Ron just sat there staring at him with a knowing look, he said, "Oh, alright. I have a plan to get Hermione to her parent's funeral tomorrow. But not a word of this to anyone, not even Luna."
"Bloody hell, Harry! How do you propose to get her out of the castle after what happened today and what you just found out?"
"I have a plan," Harry replied, looking Ron straight in the eyes. "What I just found out...I'll think about that after tomorrow. No one should miss their own parent's funeral, and I'll be damned if she's going to."
~*~
Once Ron had left to meet up with Luna an hour later, Harry sat in his common room catching up on his assignments when the portrait to the Head Boy and Girl's quarters announced a visitor. Asking who it was, he was surprised to hear that it was Firenze. Letting him in, Harry sat back down on the sofa as Firenze stood in front of him with a very serious look on his face. "I know what you are planning for tomorrow," he stated.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, silently swearing to make Ron pay the next time he caught him and Luna snogging in the broom cupboards.
"Miss Granger's parents are being buried tomorrow in Miller's Field," Firenze said. "I know that you plan to sneak her out of the castle so that she can go to the funeral."
"Did Ron...?" Harry started to ask, but was cut off.
"I've known you were going to do this long before you came up with the idea," Firenze stated. "I foresaw it, and I feel it is something she must do as well. She needs closure if she is to truly concentrate on her training." Holding his hand out to Harry, he said, "Make sure that the two of you drink this right before you leave. Half a vial each, and it will keep you hidden from Shadocks for three hours, and it only works once. After that, you will be in danger of being attacked."
Taking the vial from the centaur, Harry stared at the bright green liquid within it. Looking up at Firenze he said, "Thank you for this. I never got to say good-bye to my parents, and it's something I regret every day, even though it's not something I could have done anything about."
"Take care of her Mr. Potter," Firenze said as he turned to leave. "She is more important than you know, and she will be vital to your survival...everyone's survival actually."
And with that, he walked out of the portrait hole, leaving Harry with many more questions and no answers.
~*~
Hermione had tossed and turned all night long, thinking about how they would be burying her mother and father the following morning. She had begged Headmistress McGonagall to let her go, but she was told in no uncertain terms that she was not to leave the castle again. After the day she had experienced, she had left McGonagall's office mumbling some not-so-nice things which caused the portraits around her to chuckle. That just led her to become even more angry and she had stalked back to her dorm and thrown herself down on her bed. Now, at seven the next morning, she sat on one of the windowsills in the Gryffindor Common Room, staring out at the grey, dreary morning. A light haze of rain fell from the sky, matching the tears that blurred her vision at the moment that she so desperately tried to keep at bay.
She turned quickly to face the entrance into the common room when she heard the portrait open, and was surprised to see Harry walk in. When she moved and he noticed her, he walked toward her slowly, looking a bit nervous and unsure. "What are you doing here at this time of morning?" she asked.
"What are you doing up at this time of morning?" he countered, taking in the tears that made her eyes shine in the dreary light coming in from the window.
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted, moving to sit on the sofa in front of the warm fire.
Following her, Harry sat down next to her and stayed quiet for a bit. Taking a deep breath he said quietly, "Look, I know things yesterday were a bit...tense. But I also know that your parent's funeral is today and I think you should go."
"I want to go," she replied, ignoring his comment about the happenings of the day before. "But McGonagall already forbid me to leave the castle again."
"I have a plan, one that will let you attend the service, if you truly want to go. Firenze knows all about it and has even given me something that will help us to stay safe for a short period of time," he explained, all of it coming out rather quickly. Looking at her, he asked, "Do you trust me enough to take the risk so that you can go?"
She stared at him for a moment, quietly scrutinizing him and making him a little uncomfortable. "I trust Firenze," she replied slowly. "The jury is still out on you though."
"That's the thanks I get for putting my arse on the line so that you can go?" he asked, hurt and upset with her.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me that you trust me completely," she replied. When he looked away, she smiled sadly and said, "That's what I thought. So what is this brilliant plan of yours anyway?"
"Why don't you go get dressed and meet me down here in half an hour. Is that enough time?" he asked.
"It's plenty of time," she replied. Staring at him for a moment, opening up her inner self like Firenze had been teaching her, she felt nothing but warmth radiating from Harry, and knew that what he was doing was out of the goodness of his heart. "I'll see you in thirty."
"Okay," he replied, watching her as she made her way quickly, but quietly, back up to her room. He didn't know what it was, but when she had been staring at him he could have sworn that he could feel her inside of him, which was completely ludacris. Shaking his head to clear away the thought, he quickly made his way to fetch his dad's invisibility cloak from his trunk and the Marauder's Map. They were going to have to time this perfectly and pray that Firenze and Remus both followed through with their parts.
~*~
At exactly seven-thirty, Harry walked back into the Gryffindor Common Room to find Hermione sitting alone on the couch, dressed in a black lace dress, that had fabric underneath it starting just above her breasts so that you couldn't see everything. She had plaited her hair and put her Gryffindor robe on over it so that she could carry her wand. "The service starts at nine this morning, right?"
"Right," she replied quietly.
"Okay, let's see..." Harry said, while taking the map out of an inside pocket of his robe. Hermione had noticed that he had on a pair of dress trousers and a deep blue sweater that seemed to make his eyes glow. She watched in awe as he tapped his wand tip to the blank parchment and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As she watched, transfixed, lines of ink started to appear all over the entire parchment, with moving objects that looked to be names over them. When he saw her interest in the map he smiled and said, "I'll tell you all about it later."
"Okay," she said, as she continued to watch everyone moving.
Harry studied it and noticed that McGonagall was leaving her office, for what Firenze and Remus had said was her usual time for breakfast every morning. "Okay, we have to go, right now."
The two of them hurried out of the portrait hole and made their way to McGonagall's office. Making sure that she was still seated in the Great Hall, Harry said the secret password and they rushed up the stairs. Running inside, they immediately made their way to the fireplace and Harry pulled out the vial that Firenze had given him and the small bag of floo powder that Remus had given him. Uncorking the vial, he downed exactly half of it and handed it to her, saying, "You need to drink what's left in the vial."
"What is it?" she asked as Harry impatiently looked at her and she tipped it up, allowing the green, bitter liquid to slid down her throat. Her eyes watered as she fought to keep it down while watching as Harry took a handfull of the powder that was in the bag and threw a handfull of it into the fireplace, causing giant green flames to leap up into the air. Her mouth dropped open as she asked, "What...?"
"This is the only undetectable way out of the castle, so we'll have to floo to the Leaky Cauldron and go from there." Seeing her confused look, he said, "Right, you have no idea what I'm talking about. You need to throw in a small handfull of this powder, walk into the flames and stand there. While you're standing there you have to say 'The Leaky Cauldron' in a very clear voice, or who knows where you'll end up." When she stood there staring at him in disbelief he handed the bag of floo powder to her and said, "Watch, I'll go first, and make sure you do exactly as I do, alright?"
"A-Alright," she replied, feeling her stomach tighten with the fear she was feeling at having to do this. She watched as Harry walked into the flames and said the name of their destination, and was gone in an instant. Swallowing down the fear that threatened to rise like bile in her throat, she threw down the powder like Harry had said, once the flames died down, and walked into them so that she was actually surrounded by a green fire that wasn't burning her. In a very clear tone of voice she said, "The Leaky Cauldron," and found herself being pulled away, while spinning, to her destination. She was just hoping it was the right one. When she fell out of another fireplace and Harry caught her before she hit the floor, she thanked every higher being there was that she had done it right.
After Harry had cast a scourgify spell on them both, he took her hand in his and nodded politely to the barkeep that stood behind the bar. Walking outside into the misty day, he led her to an alley right next to the Leaky Cauldron and covered them both with the cloak, which wasn't easy since Harry was so much taller than she was. Holding the cloak in place with one hand while reaching into his robe pocket with the other, he extracted what looked to be a very old watch and told her to take hold of it with him. As soon as she did, she found herself being whisked away once again, but this time it felt as if something was pulling her along by her stomach and it made her nauseous. Finally, they landed on solid earth, Harry helping to steady her when she stumbled as her feet hit the ground. She looked through the gauzy material that Harry had covered them with and tears filled her eyes immediately. They were at Miller's Field where there were so many mourners gathered to say good-bye to her parents and here she was, hiding from them all just to keep Harry and herself safe, as well as those in attendance.
"Why don't we go stand next to that tree over there?", Harry suggested in a whisper. "That way you're close enough to hear what's being said but we're far enough away from everyone so that they won't be suspicious if they hear us."
"Okay," she replied quietly, walking with him carefully so that they stayed hidden. Standing off to one side of the tree, Hermione looked to the front row and saw that there was one chair that was vacant, and she covered her mouth with her hand as tears flooded her eyes. She knew that chair was for her, that she was supposed to be sitting there, mourning her parents. But thanks to her father's secrecy and lies, she wasn't prepared when the attack came; they were the ones to pay and now she had to stay hidden. She stared at the two coffins that were underneath the tent that had been set up thanks to the wet weather, and she ached to go up to her mother's, which she knew was the white one as her father's was black. She wanted to see her Mum one last time and tell her how much she loved her and how very sorry she was for not being able to save her. She missed her father and his death hurt her as well, but she had been closer to her Mum and it hurt to even think about her at all.
"Hermione," came an airy voice, which caused Hermione to look up at Harry with a questioning look on her face.
"What?" he asked, whispering.
"Did you just say my name?" she asked, whispering also.
"No," he answered, studying her face. She was so pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and he had the urge to take her into his arms as sadness and vulnerability seemed to radiate off of her.
"Hermione", came the voice again, and Hermione quickly spun around and gasped. Standing deeper into the woods were her parents.
"Mum? Dad?", she asked, her voice shaking uncontrollably from the fear and sadness she felt all of a sudden.
"Hermione?" Harry asked with concern in his voice as he watched her talking to herself.
"They're here," she whispered as she ran from underneath the cloak. Harry quickly followed, holding the cloak out in his outstretched arms so that hopefully no one would see her. She stopped four steps from where they stood and asked, "How is this possible? How is it I can see you?"
"It's one of your gifts," her mum answered while smiling at her. "Remember, I told you some of our ancestors could see and speak to the dead. You obviously inherited that gift as well."
"Oh," she replied, trying to get over the shock of not only seeing the spirits of her dead parents, but speaking to them as well.
"Would you please explain what's going on?" Harry asked as he looked back at the gathering and realized they wouldn't be seen as deep into the forest as they were. Folding the cloak over his arm, he looked at her, waiting for her answer.
"My parent's spirits are here, speaking to me," she replied. "It's supposedly another one of the Duvall families gifts, speaking to dead spirits."
"He knows?" her mum asked, and Hermione silently nodded in reply.
"That's good then, isn't it?" he asked, placing his arm around her, hoping it would give her some comfort. "You said you never got to say good-bye, and now you have the chance."
"I know," she replied, stifling the sob that rose through her chest and begged to be released. "But I don't want to say good-bye."
Her mother took a step closer then as she said, "I know you don't want to say good-bye Hermione, but it was our time to go. No matter what you think, none of this was your fault, it was your father and I's. We should have told you sooner."
Her dad walked up at that moment and looked down at her with a look on his face that he had never worn while alive. It was a look of love, but it held in it dispair, apology, and things left unsaid. He stood there quietly for a moment, looking from her to Harry, and when his eyes locked with hers again he said, "There is no way for me to express to you how sorry I am for the way I treated you. I acted as if you were abnormal, when in fact you were very, very special. I was self-centered and afraid of what others around us might think of me if your powers were ever exposed. I never stopped to think about how you had every right to know...you should have never found out the way you did. It's my fault that you're all alone now, and I'll never forgive myself for that."
"You have to," Hermione replied, with tears sliding down her cheeks. "I forgive you dad, but if you don't forgive yourself, you'll never truly be able to move on to whatever's waiting for us next. That means that you would be seperated from mum, and I know that's something that none of us want. You two belong together, in life and in death."
"You forgive me? That easily?" her dad asked, surprise evident in his voice. "But I was so terrible to you, the way I acted toward you was beastly."
"Yes you were," she agreed. "But I have a teacher who's guiding me through the process of becoming a Soul Guardian. He's taught me that to harbour anger and resentment would only hinder my progress. I need all my focus on quickly learning all that I can."
"We know," her mother said sadly. "We know what's to come, and we know that this handsome young man next to you will be the one who decides the outcome. And you as well."
"Me?" Hermione asked. "What do you mean? I thought I was only meant to protect him in battle? I'm to fight too?"
"So you've seen it too," her mum stated knowingly. "Your gifts are developing rapidly, and from the looks of things you're going to be the most powerful Soul Guardian to date. From what I've seen, and yes we have been watching over you, you have all of the gifts. That's something that has never happened before and you're going to need them to keep your Charge and yourself alive. Of course being a witch as well will help." With a knowing smile blossoming on her face, she added, "We also know that young man next to you means a lot to you...more than a Charge should mean to a Soul Guardian." Hermione blushed, and her mum laughed, causing Hermione's heart to clench at the sound she had missed so much. When she sniffled, her mum looked at her, all mirth disappearing immediately. "Oh honey, I'm sorry, this is no time to be laughing."
"It's not that," Hermione replied. "It just seems like years since I've heard you laugh, when really it's just been over a week."
Harry reached out and gently wiped the tears from her left cheek as he asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, capturing his hand when it lingered on her cheek, holding fast. "It just...hurts to talk to them like this."
"I know, I spoke to my parents during my fourth year during a battle with Voldemort," he said, feeling her magic spike at the name. Impressed that she kept control of it this time, he said, "It was a spell known as 'Priori Incantatem'. It shows the last spells cast by one of the wands when they lock together during a duel because they share the same core. My wand core is phoenix feather, just like his, and it was his prior spells that were revealed. Being the evil wizard that he is, all of them were the killing curse and my parents appeared, and they helped me escape with my life that night."
After listening intently, Hermione stared at him for a moment. "That must have been awful," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. All he did was nod, telling her he was more upset by the memory than he wanted to reveal.
"There are shadocks here," her mother stated quietly, causing Hermione's eyes to widen as she remembered the feeling of the two that had passed through her.
When she involuntarily shuddered Harry asked, "What is it?"
"Shadocks," she whispered, dropping his hand and bringing her's up to rub her arms, as if trying to warm them. "Mum says they're about, so we're going to have to leave soon."
"Right," Harry replied, looking around the woods uneasily even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see them, just like he couldn't see Hermione's parents.
Hermione stared with tear-filled eyes as her mother walked up to her and wrapped her ethereal arms around her. She gasped as she could actually feel her mum's arms wrap around her and sobbed, "How? How can I feel you?"
"Because we both want it," her mum replied. Holding each other tightly for a few moments, they finally seperated, both crying freely now. "There's one thing I never got to tell you, or write in the Notebook, that you need to know. 'When the moon and lightening appear at the same time, the earth shall cease to spin and the heavens will open with love'. Please remember that, and make sure to write it in the Notebook when you get back. It's very important."
Hermione repeated the sentence to herself silently, filing it away in her memories, as she watched her dad walk up to her and hug her as well. She'd never been privvy to his hugs much growing up, and it felt so good to be wrapped in his arms as well. It made her wish they had done it more when he was still alive.
"I was such a fool and I am so sorry," he said as he reluctantly pulled away. "Never, ever forget that no matter how great a prat I was to you, I always loved you and always will." Looking up suddenly he said, "The service is done now, you two should get back under that cloak and make your way back to where you're safe."
"We need to go," Hermione said, as Harry nodded, watching the mourners milling about now. Covering them once more, Hermione took in the sight of her parents one more time, drinking in every bit of detail that she could.
"I love you both, so very much."
"And we love you dear, now and forever. We'll never be far from you, never forget that," her mum said, while her dad covered his mouth, looking upset.
Harry held the cloak over them again and wrapped his other arm around her, guiding her. She stopped suddenly and turned, looking directly at her dad as she said, "I do forgive you dad, and I love you."
He smiled and nodded, his shoulders slumped sadly as he watched her turn and walk away.