Unofficial Portkey Archive

Title: Harry Potter and the Unbreakable Link (3/20)

Author: Silvestria

E-mail: [email protected]

Category: Mystery

Keywords: Hermione Estella Harry Voldemort Aphrados

Rating: PG

Spoilers: All books

Summary: Harry loses his invisibilty cloak in a mysterious manner before his seventh year starts. Dumbledore has a past, Hermione has a dangerous secret and Voldemort is looking for someone (not Harry). Slight H/H. Rated PG. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter 3- The Train journey

Hermione had been ill. Very ill. She had caught a cold the night she gone to the palace in Greece and it had developed into some sort of nervous disorder. Now thankfully, on September the first, she was perfectly recovered.

The platform was very crowded. Hermione made her way onto the train and searched for Harry and Ron.

"Hermione! Over here!" came Ron's voice from somewhere along the carriage. "Is that Hermione? Hermione!" yelled Harry's in return. She rushed to the sound of their voices.

They were both sitting in an empty compartment, books and robes strewn around the floor. Hermione looked around happily. Finally she was back where she belonged.

Ron hadn't changed at all but Harry had grown quite a bit. He was taller than her now. She sat down next to Ron and Crookshanks crawled onto his lap.

After conversation about the holidays and other trivial topics, a constrained silence set in between the trio. Harry stared out of the window, Ron stared at Hermione and Hermione stared at Harry. She was wondering how she was going to tell Harry that she had his invisibility cloak. She did not want to tell Ron just yet. It was clear that some magic, whether good or bad she didn't know, had taken place that fateful evening, and Hermione wanted to discuss it with Harry first. Besides, her relationship with Ron had been rather taut for the last few months.

She had just opened her mouth, but Harry opened his first. He said, "I need to tell you lot what happened in the holidays."

Hermione's courage rose. "Erm, Harry, I need to talk to you."

"Fire away then."

Idiot! thought Hermione, couldn't he tell I meant alone. "Um... I meant alone actually."

"OK," replied Harry. "Beat it, Ron."

Ron, however did not beat it. He stared at Hermione, and whispered something in her ear. Harry watched her, and her face was a picture. She went very red and shouted, "RON! HOW DARE YOU? You're worse than- You! Off all people! Not that I'm offended or anything, it's just, that's so, so, like a boy," she finished lamely.

Ron had gone red too, "er, are you though?"

"NO!" cried Hermione. "You prat, now move it!" She practically pushed him out of the door.

Harry was very puzzled but said nothing. Hermione however sat down in a business-like fashion and said, "Never mind Ron. I know what you were going to say earlier. You've lost your invisibility cloak."

"How did you know? You're perfectly right and everything, but how-"

"I've got it," said Hermione reaching down and taking it out of her trunk.

Harry looked flabbergasted. "Where-what-why-when-how?"

Hermione almost laughed. "I found it, suddenly, in my hands one night, somewhere," she said evasively. She did not want to tell anyone why she had been breaking into Greek palaces just yet.

Harry looked serious. "Where exactly were you?"

She told him, missing out the motive.

"I had a dream, and it took place in those grounds that you were talking about," said Harry when she finished.

"And me, was I in it?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, that is, I don't know, there was a girl like always, but I never saw her face."

"Oh. You saw me, that girl I mean, more than once?"

"Yes, in all these different dreams. It was horrible. She'd be going round all these museums and things, and she was looking for something, and I always really wanted to talk to her, but when I approached to see who she was, she just disappeared. It was awful."

"I did go around plenty of museums in Greece, and I was looking for something specific. Actually I found it on the night I got your cloak."

"I know you found whatever it was."

"You know? How?"

Harry hesitated. How had he known that that journey in the old palace had been the last trip the girl would need to make? "I, er, sort of felt it," he said at last, knowing how stupid it would sound.

Hermione frowned and said sceptically, "Felt it?"

"Um... yeah."

Both frowned and looked out of the window.

Then, "so," they said at the same time.

"Go on!"

"No, you go on," replied Harry going red.

Hermione licked her lips, "What do we do about it?"

"I vote we go to see Dumbledore," said Harry with certainty.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to tell Dumbledore. It's probably nothing."

Harry frowned.

"Let's look in the library first. There might be something there," she continued.

Harry grinned at her. "Typical! If in doubt, read a book."

"Well," she said defensively, "that's the best way, so I've found."

Harry agreed reluctantly. There was another silence.

"Shall we tell Ron?" Hermione asked.

"No, not yet," said Harry. "I don't really want to talk about it with anyone, and Ron would be just really worried."

"OK." Hermione looked unsure of whether she agreed with Harry or not, but she didn't disagree. "Shall we get him back in then?"

"Yes- no! I've just remembered!"

"Yes, what?" inquired Hermione, leaning forward eagerly.

Harry had just remembered how, in his dream he had called out to the girl, who he now knew was Hermione, how he had told her to watch out for the guards, and how he had saved her from getting thrown into Greek prison."

As he finished speaking, Hermione went very white, her eyes went round, and she clutched at Harry's hand, as if for protection.

"What is it?" asked Harry, panicky.

"Oh Heavens, Harry," she breathed. "I think I've just realised what it was."

"What what was?"

"What happened- I think I know."

"What was it?" Harry said urgently. It must have been serious to make her go so white. Hermione was usually very calm.

She suddenly went very red and said in an unnaturally loud voice, "Oh, nothing. I was wrong. Never mind what I thought. It couldn't possibly have worked. Ignore me, please."

She put her head in her hands and muttered, "Oh dear!"

Harry leaned over, "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Hermione jumped up, nearly knocking him over. She said in a tightish voice, "I'm going to get changed."

Harry nodded. He wished he knew what she knew and wouldn't tell him. It wasn't fair. He was just as involved. He got changed himself and stared out of the window. Crookshanks crawled onto his lap, purring. He stroked him absentmindedly. The cat sank his claws gently into Harry's leg.

Hermione returned and got out a book without saying anything. It was a paperback novel with a moving picture on the front of a tree swaying in the wind, a very beautiful witch holding her wand out of which sparks were flying, and a tall young man riding a dragon. Flashes of lightening illuminated the sky.

"Is it good?" Harry asked cautiously.

"So so. It's very improbable."

"What's it about?"

"Here, read the blurb." She handed it over.

Harry read, ' Another fictional masterpiece from Miss Green's repertoire. Falling in Love with Danger has the same fanciful imagination that all her books convey. This one stars Diana Walker, a romantic young witch who, on the eve of her wedding to stuffy Lord Johnson, falls in love with Andrew Lovelorn, the unorthodox mystery man who rides a dragon. However, Lovelorn is not the simplest person she could have fallen in love and Diana finds that she must exercise powers she never knew she had to save him, especially when her own parents decide to have him killed. Can Lovelorn defeat The Evil Powers, including Diana's own closest relations, and can Diana save Lovelorn from a fate worse than death? A tremendously gripping book, The Daily Prophet; a well crafted plot and a magical romance, A Magical Read; thrilling- I was unable to put it down, Witch Weekly.' Well, could you put it down?" Harry asked with a grin.

Hermione sighed. "Yes. I find it extremely boring. The textbooks are more interesting. She makes up all the spells, which is simply lazy. Her style of writing is very bad too."

Harry looked over the page she had reached and skimmed over the words. 'Diana stared at her father...Lovelorn's handsome face swan before her gleaming eyes...she shouted the final spell and as she did so another voice was heard...' "Looks like you've reached the climax, Hermione," he said tossing it back to her.

"Thanks," she said and continued reading.

Harry stared out of the window. Just at that moment Ron came in, looking hot and bothered.

"What's up?" asked Harry.

"Oh, just a brush in with Malfoy and co. Nothing to speak of."

"Did he say anything in particular?" asked Hermione sharply.

Ron shrugged, "Just wanted to know where Potty and Mudblood were, made a few snide comments, that sort of thing. Seemed in a good mood. Apparently Pansy Parkinson's going out with him now, not that I can see how that would make anyone happy, still..." Ron sat down with a philosophical shrug.

This chapter has now ended.