I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Chapter 7: Mysterious Ways
A/N: Oh dear, it's been way too long since I've last updated. College sucks... :( Now that I've really gotten in the swing of things, I'm going to try to update more often. It's gotten to the point where I almost have forgotten how to write all the characters. Well, I hope you like it. Don't be too brutal. ;)


The halls of Hogwarts looked exactly how Harry had left them and in a way this disappointed him a little. It was exactly the place that he wanted to run away from and he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to run back just yet. Why was he running in the first place? It was a mere two weeks ago, but it seemed as if years had passed. The time at Hermione's had been rehabilitating in its own way and though her father didn't exactly like him, it was a hell of a lot better than the Dursley's. Though, a party in Voldemort's flat probably would be better than the Dursley's.

The two young wizards sat quietly outside the hospital wing silently with their hands lazily interlaced. "Professor Lupin appears to be doing fine. He's in good hands." Dumbledore walked out out of the hospital wing and closed the door behind before they could get a look. "Now, Harry, I have much that I wish to discuss with you, please join me in my office."

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to go, but as Hermione got up, she pulled him with her. "Miss Granger, the information that I'm going to give Harry is for Harry's ears only. I'm afraid that you can't join us." Harry's heart sunk.

"Professor, you do realize that I'm going to tell Hermione everything anyways." Harry looked up at Dumbledore and he shot him a semi-threatening look. Dumbledore was certainly a bit shocked at Harry, but he understood.

"Very well. Come, Miss Granger." He turned around and continued to lead them to his office. Unlike the rest of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's office had, in fact changed quite a bit. Harry instantly noticed that it was considerably less cozy than when he had last seen it, before Dumbledore escaped the Ministry officials. The feeling of Dumbledore's eccentricity had seemed to flee with him, but unlike he, it didn't return. It seemed like the room was turned into a headquarters for war planning and espionage on Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

"Professor... what happened here." Harry spoke up noting the drastic change in decor. "If I may be so bold, sir. It looks as if you've been taking decorating tips from Sn... Professor Snape." Harry was surprised that he was able to joke after so long. Was he really getting better?

"We've fallen on black days, Harry. My office is now reflecting the current times. Voldemort's army has just taken out a whole group of Aurors, not to mention what they did to Lupin and his company." Dumbledore's voice was grim as he walked over to the window and reflectively looked out. Harry had seen Dumbledore in distress before, but never like this. It was almost as if he was going to let Voldemort win without a fight. "I fear that this is the end."

Harry and Hermione both gave each other a worried look. "Dumbledore. This isn't something that we can just give up. We didn't lose my parents, Cedric and Sirus so we could stand down." Harry was beginning to get back his Gryffindor courage that he lost when Sirius died. He was never one to question the decisions of Albus Dumbledore, but his claims were just too outrageous to let go.

"I agree with Harry, Sir." Hermione said sheepishly, looking at the floor. She wasn't one to question Dumbledore either and she was still noticeably having trouble with it.

"Oh Harry, Hermione. There's not much more we can do. The ministry is now accepting that Voldemort is back, but I'm still not that popular... and we've lost allies since last time." Harry and Hermione both thought to the letter that they read last week about going to America to regain them as an ally. After reading it, Harry had brushed it off, because he wanted to completely leave the wizarding world. He no longer wanted to be Dumbledore's pawn. Now, he wasn't so sure how he felt. Since then he began to feel a great swell of duty towards the cause that claimed his parents' lives.

Hermione looked at him and grabbed his hand. He knew what was coming next, but he didn't officially want to accept it. "I'll go to America..." Though Dumbledore was supposed to be the cleverest person alive, he truly didn't see it coming.

"Harry... Are you sure?" He turned around and looked the boy straight in the eye. Rather than speak, he simply nodded while looking into Hermione's eyes. "There's something that I left out in the letter. The headmaster of Salem is Anton Szandor LaVey. The wickedest man outside of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Part of me thinks that he's only pulling out his alliance with us so that he can join Tom in his pure blood supremacy."

Hermione's brow wrinkled as if she were deep in thought and her eyes shifted back and forth as if she were reading an imaginary book. "Anton LaVey... why do I know that name...?" She began to pace back and forth across the room until she stopped dead in her tracks in front of Harry. "I've got it!" She shrieked. "LaVey was the founder of the Church of Satan. An alternative school for sorcery, but a few years back, he decided to become a teacher at Salem so that he could be closer to the mainstream wizarding world."

"Yes. He's certainly not afraid to use the Dark Arts on his students. A truly despicable man and if it weren't for current events, I'd probably call him worse than the Dark Lord himself." Dumbledore gave the two students a half smile and walked towards the window again. "You know that I thought long and hard before I decided to send you. I was originally going to send you and Sirius, but..." Harry's heart ached at the mention of Sirius. He knew that he would be a hell of a lot less reluctant to go if he were by his side. Then again, Hermione was going with him, so that almost made the trip worth while.

"Sir, how can you be certain that he won't use similar measures on us when we as for his help?" Hermione asked him with a bit of hope that he was fully sure that he wouldn't, but when asked, he simply turned around and muttered something neither She or Harry could understand.

"Now, I have to attend to something quickly before I send you on your way. Please while you wait, feel free to explore the grounds a bit. I'd say go visit Hagrid, but he's currently away. No matter, the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can send you two on home." Harry's heart jolted a bit when Dumbledore mentioned home. He still didn't feel entirely at home at The Granger's and he wasn't entirely sure that he ever would.

Silently, the duo exited the office and wandered outside towards the Black Lake. The setting looked oddly like fall even though it was early summer. "Harry... are you okay?" Hermione asked him in a worried tone.

"Not in the least. I'm here again and I think that I actually miss it. Despite all the pain that I'm given, I still feel at home here above all other places." Harry began to walk a bit faster until he got to the lake and looked at his reflection in the water. "Hogwarts is who I am, Hermione."

"Oh bloody hell. I've been saying that since we started." She gave him a playful swat at the back of the head and then gave him a big hug from behind. "I'm glad you're finally listening to reason. Lord knows you don't listen to me."

"I know, I know. Hermione, what would I do with out you? You've saved my life on more than one occasion. Hell, I would have died every year in some way if it weren't for your help." Harry turned around and returned the hug, placing a small kiss on top of her head. He suddenly felt an odd sensation that he seldom felt before this point. He felt a warmth form in his stomach and he liked it.

"Harry... I may have pointed you in the right direction, but it was always you who did all the fancy spell work. You beat Voldemort. You survived in the Chamber of Secrets. You saved... Sirius. You got to the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I just had the books. I never could have done that." Hermione reflected on the past and really saw how poor she was compared to Harry as a wizard.

"Yeah, well, when my biography is inevitably written, half of it better be about you." Harry smiled at her and gave her another long hug. The rest of their time was spent walking around the grounds in silence, except when they went to the Quidditch Pitch to do some flying, though most of the sound their came from Hermione screaming while on her broom. Dumbledore didn't finish for nearly an hour and when he did, the two were already returning to the castle to check up on him.

"Ah. Wonderful. Hermione, these are tickets for the QEII for the end of July. There are five of them. One for all members of your family and Harry. Also, I've enclosed four tickets for U2's upcoming show at Madison Square Garden. That will make it seem as if there's reason to go, so you don't have to mention magic to your parents if you choose not to." Dumbledore explained to them and Hermione took the envelope.

"Professor, how'd you know they were my favorite Muggle band?" Hermione asked.

"I've heard you humming a few of their songs while working before. I have quite a good ear." He winked at her and flashed a bright smile that made her smile too. "They're a favorite of mine too, though I much prefer Genesis."

Dumbledore went over their mission again and then a third time for good measure. Once he had gotten them back to The Granger home, he placed his hands on both their shoulders. "Now, for your safety, I've put several shields on your magic. If all goes well, it will not be detected at all, which will give you an added benefit. Now, I'm not going to lie and say this will be easy, but I will have you guarded... please be careful and I must say that if you succeed, the wizarding world will forever be in your debt." Without another word Dumbledore turned around and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Harry... we have until July before we have to do this. I vote we try to enjoy the rest of the summer." Harry nodded and followed Hermione inside the house.

***

Unlike her workaholic husband, Miranda Granger vastly preferred going home for lunch rather than eating at the office while completing paper work. It was never a large lunch, just a sandwich and some fruit, just something to get her through dinner. Michael was usually at a friend's house, Jake was at work, so it usually just ended up being her and Hermione. Though she never told Hermione, she really did value their lunches together and one of her biggest fears was that with Harry here, she'd be eating alone more and more.

"Hermione, I'm home!" Miranda called into the house, but their didn't seem to be an answer. She called again, but still nothing. Just as she walked passed the door that lead to the basement stares, she began to hear the grand piano. She opened the door and saw Harry at the piano and Hermione at one of the microphones singing an old Blues song that only she and her father would know the name of.

"MUM!" Hermione yelled as she stopped singing. Her eyes got wide and all the blood in her body began to flow up to her face. Harry spun around to face Mrs. Granger in a bit of a shock. "I'm sorry, I know we should have asked to use the studio first..." Hermione acted as if Madam Pince had caught them in the restricted section of the library.

Miranda pretended that she didn't hear Hermione at all, like Hermione tended to do to Harry and Ron. "You two sounded good. Now, I have some left over roast left, want me to make a Sheppard's Pie?" Without knowing what to say, they nodded their heads. Rather than getting back to playing, they put away the instruments and sat together on the piano bench.

"You know, I really should talk to your mother. She's the one who let me stay here and I have yet to give her the whole story." Harry said to break the silence. His mind flashed to the conversation with her father and he really didn't want a part two, but for some reason he didn't think he'd get that with Mrs. Granger. She seemed to be the more pleasant of the two, though Hermione was taken with both.

Hermione seemed to think about it for a few minutes before speaking. "Yes. Mum is certainly the more rational of the two. Yes, explain it in whole to her and she'll make Daddy see." Hermione went from agreeing to forcefully telling him to do it. With out another word, she pushed him up the stairs and he turned left to find Mrs. Granger cooking in the kitchen.

"Oh hello, Harry dear."

"Um... Mrs. Granger... I think we... um... have to talk."


A/N: Um... I think I'll end there. I'm not all too happy about where this chapter went, but oh well, this is what taking a break from writing gets you. The next couple chapters should pick up a bit. We'll have more from Hermione's dad, the quest will go into full swing and I believe next chapter I'm introducing a new character that I've grown to love while doing some planning. Well, I hope you enjoy, please read and review. P.S Yes, Dumbledore is a Genesis fan :)

Built by Text2Html