Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I still do not own 'Harry Potter' or the lyric bits. No money changes hands.

A/N: This is a bad one, people. Action, drama, death… Lots of death. Kotone makes an appearance in this chapter, and I believe you're going to be seeing a bit more of her in the future. I still don't have a beta, so all errors are mine, please let me know if you spot any bad ones and I'll do my best to fix it! R & R & enjoy! ^_^

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In my eyes, indisposed,
in disguise as no one knows,
hides the face, lies the snake.
The sun in my disgrace.
Boiling heat, summer stench
'neath the black the sky looks dead.
Call my name through the cream,
and I'll hear you scream again.

Hang my head, drown my fear,
'till you all just disappear.

Excerpt from the song 'Black Hole Sun' by the band, Soundgarden.

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Chapter 14: The Dream Turned Nightmare.

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The first hour of the trip to St, Osyth was filled with an impromptu class on the operation, care and maintenance of a muggle automobile. Harry had often ridden in a car, but never paid attention to how his uncle actually drove it, always being stuck in the back seat and trying to remain as invisible as possible. Hermione explained the instrument panel, the gear positions, the brake and accelerator pedals, the hand brake and all of the switches and controls that operated the lights, wipers, windows and door locks, and of course, the stereo, which Harry paid particular attention to. She went on to explain the rules of the road, pointing out the shapes and meanings of the different road signs that they passed, how traffic lights worked and who had the right-of-way at circles and intersections. She even went so far as to explain how, in some foreign countries, the steering wheel would be placed where he was sitting, and how they drive on the right side of the road instead of the left, but assured him that that information wasn't needed for the driving test.

Hermione reluctantly pulled herself out of lecture mode when she saw Harry's eyes drooping as she was explaining the proper action to take when emergency vehicles were approaching. She quickly pointed out the controls beside the lower cushion of the seats that adjusted the back angle, tilt and position of the seat. Harry dropped the seat back into a steep recline, and within a minute was lulled to sleep by the deep thrum of the engine.

Hermione adjusted the temperature control, turning on a low heat to compensate for the chilly nighttime atmosphere. She smiled as she reached over and gently touched his cheek before turning her full attention back to the road.

It was just after midnight when Hermione pulled into the wide, circular driveway at her home. Two bright floodlights, which were activated by a motion detector, lit up the area. She activated the remote garage door opener, carefully reversed the car into the first stall and then gently nudged Harry awake while the door closed.

"Harry, we're here. I'll get our things from the boot."

He groggily opened his eyes and looked over to Hermione. He saw her give him a pleasant smile before she opened the door. His eyes subconsciously followed her behind as she gracefully lifted herself from the seat before he caught himself and looked away.

She opened the boot, stuffed the book and Harry's cloak into her overnight bag and grabbed his Firebolt while Harry stood half-asleep beside the car. After securing the garage and activating the security system, she took his hand and led him into the kitchen and through the huge living room.

He openly gawked at the opulent interior, the fine, comfortable looking sofa sitting in front of the largest television screen he had ever seen. A massive bookshelf lined one wall, all the tomes within clean and ordered. Since he was asleep when they arrived, he found himself wondering exactly how large her house actually was as she led him up the stairs up the stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor. He saw the hallway at the top of the stairs lead left and right. A long line of doors were evenly spaced along each side, reminding him of a hallway in a hotel.

Hermione pointed to the right and said, "My parents' rooms are down there." She led him to the left and pointed out her room before opening the door across from hers into a large, fully furnished guest room. The walls were painted a tasteful sage and the carpeting was a pleasant ash gray. The king-size bed sat near the center of the room, it covers matching the walls. She opened the door on the right-hand wall showing him his bathroom, which was nearly as large as the bedroom itself.

Harry turned to her, gave her a genuine smile and said, "Thanks, this is loads better than a cupboard."

A brief flare of anger surged through her at the mention of that damned cupboard. She pushed the anger down and said, "Get some rest, we have loads to do tomorrow." She opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Before closing his door, she looked back at him as he ran his hand over the bed, apparently testing the softness. She let out a sigh and entered her own room, changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, hoping that she could get at least a few hours of sleep before that 'white room' dream would certainly condemn the rest of the night.

She was just about to drop off when she heard a frantic bumping and clattering coming from her window. She got out of bed in a huff and saw Pigwidgeon madly fluttering just outside. She opened the window to let in the excitable little owl. It circled the room while shrilly hooting before landing on her desk. She fed the owl a few treats, and then removed the letter from its leg. She quickly scanned the note from Ron and sighed deeply. He wanted to talk about their 'relationship' again. She looked at the tiny owl, which was looking back at her expectantly.

"He wants an answer right away, right?" she asked the owl. Truthfully, she didn't know when she'd have the time for a little 'heart to heart' with him, and she really didn't want to get into that particular discussion with him again. Why can't he just take 'no' for an answer? Well, she was going to be busy today, so it will have to be Tuesday. She grabbed a quill and scribbled on the back of his note, 'Tuesday, Noon.' She tied the note back onto Pig's leg and told him, "I'll leave the window open for you, you can take that back whenever you…" Before she even finished, the tiny owl made an excited circle in her room before darting out of her window on its way back to Ottery St. Catchpole.

Harry was having a strange dream, even for him. He was in the garden in the back yard at Privet Drive, frantically grabbing garden gnomes and heaving them over the fence while desperately hoping that the Dursleys wouldn't catch sight of them. It seemed that for every one he got rid of, two more would come strolling out.

One walked out from under a bush and muttered, 'She said she loves you.' He grabbed it and said while tossing him, "I know." Another emerged and said, "You know that you love her," to which he replied while throwing it, "I know." Two more appeared, speaking in unison, "You should tell her," to which he angrily replied as he grabbed hold of them both, "I can't do that! You don't understand!"

"Potter!" The flustered voice of his uncle sounded from behind him as he turned with a horrified look on his face and hid the two gnomes that were in his hands behind his back. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I want that freak out of my house this instant!"

Harry gave him a confused frown and said to him, "Who are you talking about?"

"Don't play daft with me, just go in there and get rid of her!"

'Her?' he thought as he roughly shoved the gnomes into Vernon's hands and raced into the house. He ran through the kitchen, glanced into the empty living room and then tore up the stairs. As he reached the top, he saw Dudley and Petunia standing in the hallway staring into the bathroom. Petunia looked horror-stricken, while Dudley had an odd, blank expression, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Harry rushed to the open door and looked into the bathroom.

Hermione was standing there, in what appeared to be a huge, open clamshell where the tub would have normally sat. She was naked, facing away from the door with her long brown hair, wet and soapy, hanging down her back almost to her waist. She was running a bar of soap along her outstretched arm when she turned her head to face him. She gave him a great, beaming smile, gracefully stepped from the shell and slowly walked up to him.

He stood there in shock, trying to think of something to say to her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Her slick wet skin felt wonderful under his trembling hands. He closed his eyes as he ran them from the small of her back, up to her hair.

He thought he heard a strange, muffled scream from somewhere in the distance.

Her hair felt… well, not exactly what he expected. It was dry and slightly rough, and it strangely felt more like fur than hair. He opened his eyes and pulled away from her, shocked to see that he wasn't holding Hermione, but a large, decrepit-looking stuffed bear, and that he was no longer standing in the hallway at Privet Drive. He was sitting on a tiny cot in a small, dark room that he didn't recognize. The walls were covered with old, faded paper that was peeling in places and a few old pieces of rickety furniture were scattered around the room.

He looked down at himself and was quite disturbed to find he was wearing a worn, threadbare nightgown. His small, bare feet sticking out from under the bottom edge of the dull gray gown was frayed and some of the seams were coming apart.

Fear gripped him as he heard more shouts and screams coming closer by the moment. He jumped from the cot and nearly fell over as he found that he had somehow shrunk to about four feet tall. As he ran across the room over the rough, splintery wooden floor, he glanced into an old, cracked mirror that stood next to a dresser with obviously broken, lop-sided drawers and froze in horror. The reflection glancing back at him wasn't a dark-haired, skinny boy with green eyes and a scar on his forehead, but a small… 'girl' with a mass of moving, white hair, long, pointed ears and a huge, red-lipped mouth that stretched across his face from ear to ear. Thick, black fangs protruded from between the thick lips and two sharp, golden horns stuck out from each side of his chin, giving his reflection a decidedly evil aura.

He then noticed the piercing, violet eyes. He had seen those eyes before. 'Kotone?'

He was broken out of his shock when he heard a loud bang through the thin walls coming from the room next door. He ran to the door next to the mirror and wrenched it open, revealing a closet with only a few items hanging in it, which he recognized as new Hogwarts uniforms and robes. He shut the door behind him and huddled down in a back corner, still hugging the large, brown teddy bear.

He heard the door to the room splinter from a screeched 'Reducto' in a voice that he immediately recognized.

'Bellatrix Lestrange.'

Harry began feeling dizzy, the sensation of time slowing around him caused his mind to dull. He heard the voice in his head, 'Shishi! Help me!'

He closed his eyes, a feeling of calm came over him. The closet door was pulled roughly open. He opened his eyes to find himself looking into Bellatrix's face and locking eyes with her. Bellatrix paused, with a horrified look on her face and seemed to freeze in place. Just before everything went dark, he heard that strange, ethereal voice, 'Help me, I can not hold long. Help me.'

Harry awoke in a cold sweat, being roughly shaken by a very frightened looking Hermione.

"Harry? Please wake up!"

He looked into her wide, teary eyes and said, "Hermione, I am awake!"

"Harry!" she cried as she hugged him tightly, "I was so scared! You were just sitting there with your eyes open, yelling for help!"

Harry looked around as if coming out of a daze. He was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room in just his boxers. The realization that what he had just experienced wasn't just a dream suddenly hit him.

"Kotone! She's in trouble! Do you know where that orphanage is?"

"What?" she said in surprise, "Well, I don't know exactly, it's in London, I think near St. Mungo's, or Diagon Alley."

"We need to get there," said Harry, sounding in near panic as he lifted himself from the floor and started to dress, "Death Eaters are there. I saw Bellatrix."

"Oh, no!" Hermione raced into her room and quickly dressed. A minute later, she emerged from her room wearing black sweatpants, tee shirt and matching trainers. She found Harry frantically pacing the floor.

He looked up at her as she entered, "We'll apparate to the Burrow, Ron should know where the place is, and we can use the extra wand."

Hermione nodded and with a quick turn from each of them, they disappeared with a pair of soft cracks.

All of the windows of the Burrow were dark as they raced across the yard to the front porch. Harry banged loudly on the door, then stood back from the porch and looked up at Ron's bedroom window.

"Ron!" he yelled. Getting no response, he went to the door and loudly knocked again. A few moments later, Arthur Weasley's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Who's there?"

"Mr. Weasley! It's Harry and Hermione! There's an attack going on at the Wizarding orphanage!"

There was silence for a few moments before he heard Arthur's voice again, "What was the subject…" he queried, before stopping himself, "No, someone could guess that…"

Harry let out an aggravated sigh, "Mr. Weasley, we don't have time for this! Just tell us where the place is! The Death Eaters are there now!"

"Well… It's in Diagon Alley, next to the Hortense the Hatter's shop near the entrance to Knockturn Alley."

Harry looked to Hermione. She nodded, and he saw a grim determination fill her eyes.

Hermione turned to the door and said loudly, "Please, get a hold of the Order and tell them what's happening! Tell Ron to meet us there!"

They both ran across the yard beyond the wards, being closely watched from a second floor window by a scowling, red-haired young witch.

Harry and Hermione appeared in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. Quickly tapping the appropriate brick, the archway into Diagon Alley appeared. They raced down the lane through the early morning darkness towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Harry noticed a pair of men in Ministry auror robes and ran up to them.

"Come with us, please! Death Eaters are attacking the orphanage!" said Harry quickly, his breath coming in gasping pants.

"Harry?" one of the aurors spoke.

Harry looked closer at him, "Ben?" he said, recognizing the grim-faced man that saved his life over a month ago, "Come on! Hurry!"

Harry didn't wait for a response. He took off down the alley with Hermione running right beside him. He heard the boots of the aurors a few paces behind. He heard Ben tell the other auror that he knew something like this would happen at the orphanage.

Harry noticed the buildings that they were passing were increasingly more run-down as they made their way closer to the orphanage. They soon passed the entrance to Knockturn Alley and the Hatter's shop and came upon an old Victorian-style house that definitely looked as if it had seen better days. Many of the rotted wooden shingles were missing from the walls and the staircase that led to the opened front door looked as though it were ready to collapse. The old sign above the entranceway that read 'Haversham's Home for Unwanted and Wayward Wizarding Waifs' was hanging from one rusted chain. He suddenly thought that this house made Grimmauld Place look like a palace.

Harry could hear distant yells and screams coming from inside the house. He ran up the steps two at a time and entered into the large, dark receiving room with Hermione and the two aurors directly behind. The place smelled of age and mildew, and the gas lamps on the walls didn't shed much light at all. Old, faded portraits adorned the walls, possibly of long-past administrators. A large staircase led to the second floor, and wide archways on either side of the room lead to what appeared to be a sitting room and a parlor.

Harry paused a moment, listening for where the voices were coming from, when a red hex from the top of the stairs went whizzing past him. He instinctively leapt to the side and returned a stunner while Hermione immediately cast a Protego in front of Harry. The two aurors spread out to opposite sides of the room, trying to get a clear shot at whoever was at the top of the stairs. Two more hexes flew down out of the darkness, one was deflected by Hermione's shield and the other went wide, impacting the wall behind him and blowing a rather large hole in one of the portraits, causing its occupant to seek refuge in another nearby painting.

Seeing that they were too exposed, he grabbed Hermione's hand and darted through the archway leading to the sitting room. Hermione let out a gasp as her eyes fell on the body of Miss Melanie, the stern old administrator of the orphanage, still dressed in her nightgown. She was sprawled out on the floor, her eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling, a look of surprise permanently etched on her lifeless face.

Harry pulled on Hermione's arm and led her through a door on the far side of the room. He wished he knew the layout of the old house, but he was hopeful that there was another staircase to the upper floors somewhere. The door opened into a large dining room, a long table stretched across the room, similar to the house tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, lined on each side by benches. An open doorway led into what looked to be the kitchen. Sure enough, a narrow stairway led up from the kitchen to the second floor.

As silently as they could manage on the creaky steps, they made their way up the stairs to the door at the top. Harry cracked it open, revealing a wide hallway lined with doors, most of which were hanging off their hinges. Scattered on the floor throughout the hallway, dozens of bodies lay still and silent. All were children, all in sleepwear, some with missing limbs, some lay staring blankly. A feeling of nausea washed over him as he looked on in horror. He wasn't sure if he wanted Hermione to bear witness to the grisly scene, but before he could stop her, she peeked over his shoulder. He heard her retch behind him, and he tightly closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

Looking at the end of the hallway, he saw the top of the main staircase leading to the receiving room. On either side, two Death Eaters were crouched low and firing curses down at the aurors. He could see that the aurors had very little chance of hitting either of them from their vantage point. Harry was about to send a stunner down the hall when a cloaked figure emerged from a nearby room. Antonin Dolohov's eyes were wild with excitement as he dragged the body of a small girl, no older than four, out of the room by her long, black hair. He unceremoniously dropped her in the hall and turned to enter the next room with a broad grin on his face.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and was met with Hermione's dark and angry eyes. She wiped the traces of vomit from her mouth on her sleeve, pointed her wand over his shoulder at Dolohov, and nodded to Harry whispering, "Stun him." She immediately cast a Silencio hitting him squarely in the back. He stiffened, then, with a look of shock on his face, turned around in time to see Harry's well placed Stupefy strike him in the abdomen before he silently fell to the floor.

Harry's attention returned to the two Death Eaters at the top of the main staircase some fifty feet away. He could see the spells coming from the aurors harmlessly strike the ceiling above them. He had to take the chance at a long-distance shot. He flicked his wand towards the far end of the hall, putting all the power he could gather into the spell, "Reducto!"

The spell just missed the Death Eater, but it struck the wall right in front of him, showering his face with splintered wood and pulverized plaster. He dropped his wand and covered his face with his hands while screaming some unintelligible curses. The second Death Eater spun around and wildly fired a killing curse down the hallway, which ended up harmlessly striking a wall. Seeing his wounded comrade, and noticing Dolohov lying unconscious amongst the bodies in the hallway, he panicked and apparated away.

Harry burst through the door and sprinted towards the wounded Death Eater, who was still clutching his face and rolling around the floor in agony. As soon as he was close enough for an accurate shot, he stunned and bound him, and then called down the stairs, letting the aurors know the stairway was clear. He turned around to see Hermione standing over Dolohov with her wand pointed at him.

Harry started searching room-to-room, finding nothing but the bodies of children. In the first few rooms, he saw that the children never made it out of their beds. He came to a blasted open doorway and instantly recognized the room from his dream… the broken furniture, the cracked mirror, the tiny cot. He saw that the closet was open with a dark-cloaked figure just standing in the doorway with her back to the room.

"Kotone?" Harry called out.

A voice came from the inside of the closet. A deep, menacing, growl of a voice that sounded as if it belonged to Gwarp with a sore throat, "Shishi! *Tasukete!" Now Harry knew why she never spoke aloud.

Keeping his wand trained on Bellatrix, he carefully approached the closet and peeked around her to find the girl that he saw in his reflection in his dream. She was still clutching the shabby teddy bear. Her frightened, violet eyes were locked in a stare with Bellatrix's as she said in halting, broken English, "Prease, make stop. To wake soon."

"Petrificus Totalus," he incanted and watched as Bellatrix Lestrange's arms snapped to her sides, her legs snapped together and her rigid body arced stiffly to the floor. "Incarcerous!"

As soon as she hit the floor, Kotone dropped the bear, jumped up and ran right at Harry. For only an instant, a pang of fear coursed through him as the little demon approached him with her pale arms outstretched and her fanged mouth contorted in anguish. She let out a low, guttural sob, which sounded more like a growl, when he scooped her up in his arms, letting her cry onto his shoulder as he held her. He was surprised when her hair gently wrapped around his neck, as if embracing him. Her thin, tiny body shuddered in sobs as he whispered soothing words to her.

He put his arm under her bum to hoist her up higher onto his chest when he felt something odd moving under her tattered nightdress. His eyes widened when he saw a long, thin white tail with what looked like a pointed, golden barb on the end protruding from a small hole torn in the back of her dress. He tried not to appear fazed by this discovery, but couldn't help but to gawk at the pale appendage. The girl just got stranger each time he met her. Not wanting her to see the devastation in the hallway, he gently tapped his wand on her head and said quietly, 'Somnus,' and felt her body relax against him into sleep.

He looked down into Bellatrix's face and sneered. He bent down and wrenched the wand out of her hand, snapped it against his leg and threw the pieces onto her chest. He then spit in her face and said, "Azkaban's too good for you. If it were up to me, you'd die today, right here." He lifted his own wand and stunned her.

He carried Kotone from the room and saw that the two aurors were searching the rest of the rooms, looking for either survivors or more Death Eaters. He then noticed that Hermione was still standing over Dolohov with her wand in her hand and an eerie, blank expression on her face, muttering something under her breath as she repeatedly flicked her wand at the prone figure. Curious as to that she was doing, he carried the sleeping Kotone closer to her.

"Ossisindum… Ossisindum… Ossisindum…" he heard her repeating as she flicked her wand. With every flick, a small 'pop' could be heard as one of Dolohov's limbs shifted slightly as he lay stunned.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" he carefully asked her.

"Oh, you know…" she answered breathily, not looking up at him, "testing a new spell I developed. Ossisindum… Ossisindum…"

Harry was becoming concerned, "Um, what exactly does that spell do?"

"Ossisindum… Ossisindum… Oh, nothing serious. Ossisindum… Ossisindum…"

"Hermione?"

"Ossisindum… Ossisindum… It's just a spell that, Ossisindum… separates bones from each other by vanishing the cartilage in between them. Ossisindum… It doesn't cause pain, per se… Ossisindum… I wanted to make sure… Ossisindum… he wouldn't walk away from here… Ossisindum… without a reminder of what a horrible… Ossisindum… vile… Ossisindum… wicked thing he's done here today. Ossisindum… I hope they have plenty of Skele-Gro at Azkaban… Ossisindum… I started with his toes… Ossisindum… I'm already up to his ribs now. Ossisindum…"

When Harry grabbed her wand hand, her hollow, distant eyes rose from the Death Eater and met his. She noticed the unmoving girl in his arms and said with a deathly calm voice, "Oh, you found Kotone." She looked at the pale, unmoving little girl, "Is she dead, too?"

A lump appeared in Harry's throat as he wrapped his free arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her into an awkward hug. Her body felt as limp as Kotone's as he held the two girls to him. He heard Hermione sigh into his shoulder and say in a weak, detached voice, "I'm tired. I want to go home now."

Harry heard his name being called. He turned towards the main stairway in time to see Ron reach the top step and stop. A look of horror washed over his face when scanned the carnage in the hall. He could hear other voices echoing up from the first floor.

Harry gently pulled Hermione towards Ron, wanting to get her away from the grisly scene as quickly as possible. As he guided her down the hallway, he heard her softly say, "He was enjoying himself. He was having the time of his life… killing little children."

Ben stepped out of a room in front of him, carrying a small boy who was covered in blood and missing an arm, but still barely alive. Harry pointed out the room that held the stunned and bound Bellatrix Lestrange and told him he was leaving.

"Harry, I have to ask… How did you know?"

He nodded to the sleeping girl in his arms and said, "This little one sent me a message. She's a friend. I'm taking her, too."

He continued leading Hermione to the stairs until he heard her gasp. He turned to see her looking down at the still body of a fellow Hogwarts student, Barnabas Windon.

She couldn't take any more. Between St. Mungo's the day before and this place she had seen enough senseless death to last her a lifetime. She fell to her knees and began crying softly. Ron snapped out of his shock and rushed forward to help Harry lift her from the bloodstained floor and down the stairs.

When they made it back outside, Ron sat with Hermione on a bench in front of the hatter's shop. Harry tried to set Kotone down, but even in her sleep, her hair seemed to grip him tighter when he tried, not wanting to leave his protective arms. Ron was hugging Hermione, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her, but he was having a difficult time of it. Harry sat while holding Kotone, watching as aurors and medi-wizards were apparating in around the orphanage in groups of four and rushing into the run-down building. Soon Hermione cried herself to sleep leaning against Ron's shoulder.

"Why?" Harry asked absently as he rocked the little girl in his arms and stared straight ahead, "Why attack kids? Why did they deserve to die?"

Ron looked to Harry and then at the strange child in his arms, "That's that Kotone Oota girl? The one from St. Mungo's?"

Harry nodded.

"I'd say they were after her for a bit of revenge," Ron said softly, "It was in a special edition of the Daily Prophet last night on the hospital raid. The Death Eater she managed to capture there was Rodolphus Lestrange. They still don't know how she did it," then Ron added with a grimace, "and they didn't mention she looked like… that."

"The Prophet actually printed that?" Harry asked incredulously, "And they told how she's an orphan here, too?

Ron just nodded.

Harry sat there fuming at how the Wizarding newspaper could be so irresponsible when Kingsley Shacklebolt walked up to the strange group sitting on the bench.

"Potter, Bones said that you knew the raid was taking place. How did you find that out? Did… 'he…' tunnel into your head again?"

"No, this girl sent me a message saying that she was in trouble," Harry answered as he rocked the girl without looking up.

Shacklebolt glanced down at the peculiar girl and said, more to himself than to the group, "Her again? Well, we're going to need a statement from you," he said looking between Ron and Harry, then he looked to Hermione, "and your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," both Ron and Harry said in unison. Harry looked questioningly at Ron, who just shrugged and looked away.

Harry turned back to Shacklebolt, "How many survivors?"

The large auror wore an uncharacteristically subdued face as he answered, "Out of the fifty six in the building, five survived, including that girl there. We found a pair of girls hiding in the attic, and a boy hid himself in a dresser drawer. We don't know if the fifth will make it. He lost his arm, and a lot of blood. The medi-wizards are with him now, but..."

"I'll be at the ministry later today," said Harry, "I have to make arrangements for my friends here first."

Ron spoke up, "Why don't you guys come to the Burr…" Thoughts of Ginny and the elixir entered his head. Maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to have them in the same house, at least until he found out about the elixir.

"Ron, I can't apparate legally yet," making sure he said it loud enough for the nearby Shacklebolt to hear, who was walking away while talking with another auror, "and Hermione is in no condition to apparate anywhere, and I'm not going to subject either of these girls to that bloody Knight Bus. We'll just sit at the Cauldron until morning, which is only a few hours away. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with Kotone. I suppose she can stay with us at Grimmauld place, I won't let the Ministry take her, and I can't leave her here."

"You're going back there? I thought the Fidelis was broken."

"That's what we were going to try to do today, but I don't think she'll be in any condition to attempt that level of magic. We certainly didn't expect this to happen."

"I'll do it," said Hermione's tired voice. She was still resting her head on Ron's shoulder with her eyes closed, "We'll wait here until Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts, and the Apocathary shop opens, then we'll head over there."

Harry looked puzzled, "Why Gringotts?"

Hermione felt that all-too-familiar urge to snap at him, but caught herself, only letting out a tired sigh before answering, "Because the materials we'll need for the Fidelis are very expensive, and you told me earlier that you don't have much money on you."

Harry's cast his eyes downward. He supposed this would be the time to let his friends know about his financial situation.

"Hermione, do you know why I went to Privet Drive yesterday?"

Without opening her eyes, her brows furrowed in thought as she recalled the previous day's conversation, "No, you never said."

"I was there to prepare it to be sold."

She wore a confused frown when she asked, "Your uncle sent you to get his house ready for sale? You've been in touch with him?"

A pained look showed on Harry's face. He remembered how livid she became the day before when she heard about how he was treated by the Dursleys. He didn't really want an angry Hermione on his hands, but they had to know.

"It's not his house," he said quietly, "it's mine. It was left to my mother when my grandparents died, and she allowed the Dursleys to live there because my mum and dad had their own house in Godric's Hollow."

Harry carefully watched the expression on Hermione's face. She still had her eyes closed and her head resting on Ron's shoulder. Again, her brows furrowed in thought. A moment later, a bewildered frown appeared. He saw the instant that it fully registered in her mind. Her eyes snapped open and her lips practically disappeared into a thin line, reminiscent of McGonagall's fiercest expression. He could see her nostrils flaring as she breathed heavily through her nose.

When she jumped up from the bench, Ron let out a loud, "Bloody Hell!" Hermione didn't say a word, she began furiously pacing in front of the bench.

"What are you upset about? That's a good thing, isn't it?" asked Ron, "So Harry owns another house… big deal, it's not like he needs it."

"Ron, you… you daft git!" she snarled while rounding on him, "They kept him prisoner in that house all those years! In his own house, mind you… They locked him in a cupboard! He slept in a cupboard for years! They beat him, starved him, and treated him like a slave in his own house… and then, when they had to move him, they put him in an oversized closet! With twenty locks and a cat flap in the door! That's why he wants to get rid of it! Honestly, I would too, if I were in that position!"

"That's not why I'm selling it," interrupted Harry softly, "I have to sell it. I have no money."

Hermione stopped pacing and her head quickly turned to read his expression, wanting to know if he was having them on, although she knew he wouldn't be in the current situation. Ron fully believed that he was, because he let out a chuckle and said, "Right… 'Harry Potter' and 'no money' don't even belong on the same parchment, never mind the same sentence. You inherited the entire Black family fortune, for Merlin's sake, you're the richest bloke I know!"

"Not anymore," said Harry sadly.

Hermione kneeled in front of him, putting her hands gently on his knees and looking at his face over the sleeping girl in his arms, "You're telling the truth, aren't you? What happened?"

"Vernon," he simply said while giving Hermione a meaningful look.

He could see the honest sympathy in her eyes when she asked, "How?"

"He found out that I inherited a house and money last summer. When Dumbledore came to collect me, he mentioned it in front of the Dursleys. I know my uncle caught it, because his comment about it was just about the only thing he said during Dumbledore's short visit."

Ron just stared at Harry, not entirely believing that his best mate was broke. Hermione just nodded in understanding, letting him continue.

"After we got back from school, I was staying at The Leaky Cauldron." A shadow of regret briefly passed over Hermione's eyes at the mention of that day, "I went to Gringotts the following day, and when I entered the vault it was empty, except for a box of parchment and a few coins. When I spoke with a manager, he said that they sent a statement of my account to my 'legal guardian,' which happens to be Vernon Dursley. He sent back a request with the same owl that delivered the statement to have all of the vault's contents converted to muggle Pounds and sent to Number Four, Privet Drive… on my behalf, of course."

"So that's why they left. Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry for you. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" He felt her hands squeezing his knees as she spoke.

"Bloody Hell, Harry… you aren't joking, are you?" said Ron, still with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Harry shook his head sadly, "No, I'm not. That's why I have to sell that house. How are we going to search for those… you know… without any money? And that's also why we can't get the supplies we need for the Fidelis today."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Hermione, "I'll talk to my dad about accessing my trust fund. He set one up for me to go to college when I was a baby, but of course, that was before we knew I was a witch, and Hogwarts isn't nearly as expensive as those muggle universities, and since I'm not going back this year, I have plenty. I'll get the supplies myself!" she said with an air of finality.

"Hermione…" said Harry, with a sigh of exasperation.

"Hermione, nothing!" she answered, with more than a hint of anger in her voice, "I'd sell my last pair of knickers if it would help bring an end to the bastard that caused that!" She was pointing to the line of medi-wizards levitating a stream of small, covered corpses out of the orphanage, into the street and onto a large, floating cart that was being pulled by a team of thestrals. "I swear it, Harry, you won't stop me from doing this!"

"No, what I mean to say is… well, I'm re-thinking the plan to skip our final year, which is another reason I wanted to work on getting that house sold. If the school re-opens and we do go back, we will have to leave the castle from time to time, so it will mean we'll either have to get permission, or break a few school rules. If I get the chance to talk to Dumbledore's portrait, maybe he can convince McGonagall to let us go without having to give an explanation."

As he was speaking, he saw the anger leave her eyes, replaced by a faint glimmer of excitement at the thought of going back. She already knew she would be the first choice of being Head Girl, and he knew that was one of the things she hated giving up by not going back.

"Well," she said with a small smile, "If we do go back, there's still more than enough in my trust account to cover the supplies and both of our tuitions to Hogwarts."

They both turned and noticed Ron, no longer staring disbelievingly at Harry, but at Hermione.

"Hermione!" he said in a gasp that had a bit of a whine in it, "Your family has money too?"

"Well, both of my parents are dentists, it's a very lucrative muggle profession, and my father came from a wealthy family, as well."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

She looked blankly back at him, "I didn't think it mattered. Did you expect me to go around flaunting it like Malfoy?"

Ron sat back on the bench and folded his arms grumpily over his chest.

Hermione gave a slight shrug and said, "Let's go to the Cauldron for breakfast, Tom should be up by now and serving the early-risers. My treat."

At the mention of food, Ron's moodiness ebbed a bit as he stood from the bench along with Harry, who was still carrying the sleeping demon-witch, and the four of them walked down the lane towards The Leaky Cauldron.

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A/N: * Tasukete! = Help!