A/N: You guys really don't seem to like my cliffhangers, haha. But if you've read any of my other stories you know that I love to use them every so often to keep you on your toes. Before you hate me, remember that I updated on time once more and now you get to find out what happens next! Now go on an read before you get your torches and pitchforks out.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine. Uhduh.
Enjoy!
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Magique
Chapter 12: Look With Your Heart
"Sirius!"
His voice boomed down the hall as he sprinted, his mind set on one thing and one thing only: Getting Hermione out of the dungeons. Although he knew she was strong, just the thought of her sitting atop the dirty stone floor made him mad with rage. She had no place in being there! This was just one big misunderstanding. A misunderstanding he sought to be corrected with his godfather's command. Surely Sirius would see his mistake in sending his guards to Hermione's chamber, making false claims of love enchantments and threats to the crown.
When he reached the large set of double doors at the end of the hallway he stopped and began savagely beating on them with his fists, desperate for an audience. Oh, who was he kidding? He didn't just want an audience with the king - he wanted to strangle Sirius with an inch of his life. But of course he wouldn't. The worst he could do was scream at him until his voice cracked and even then it wouldn't be enough in his mind. After all, he knew this was all a big misunderstanding and that was all. There was no need to get temperamental.
Even if the woman he loved was currently surrounded by rabid rats and an overwhelming stench of sweat and piss.
"SIRIUS!"
After a few moments of nearly knocking over the wood with his fists, the door on his right opened widely, revealing a puzzled Sirius on the other side. Harry ceased in his efforts and pushed past his godfather, not waiting for an invitation inside. Sirius furrowed his brow as he closed the door behind them, making sure to cast a strong silencing charm. It was going to be one of those visits.
Harry turned on his heel to face Sirius just as the elder wizard finished with his enchantment. His fists were throbbing but he could barely notice it through his anger. He could feel his face turning scarlet as he began to speak with a forced control over his temper, his head hung low. The result was an even more menacing tone, one that was so quiet and calm that it caused shivers up Sirius's spine.
"Why did you send guards to Hermione's chambers?"
The king frowned. "I beg your pardon?"
Harry raised his head slowly and repeated the question, this time with his anger clearly showing through the edges. "WHY DID YOU SEND GUARDS TO HERMIONE'S CHAMBERS?!"
Sirius was taken aback by his godson's sudden burst of emotion. He took a step back as he let the words sink in. "I assure you I… wait… no. No the order couldn't have been made for her."
Harry's temper never waned and his godfather mumbling to himself was not helping. "What are you talking about?"
Sirius made eye contact with Harry, his eyes shining with a mixture of fear and sadness. "An order came to my desk this morning from an Anonymous source that claimed to have knowledge on an attack aimed at you. Of course I sent guards to investigate and had them search your rooms for any enchantments-Ë®
"They searched my room?" Harry interrupted, eyes ablaze.
Sirius gave him a hard look. "Yes, they did. I was only thinking of your safety so there's no need to overreact."
"Overreact? Overre-Hermione is in the dungeons! Don't tell me that the guards actually found something in my room that led them to believe it was her?"
He meant the question as sarcastic but Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, sobering Harry. "One of the guards informed me that they had evidence against the perpetrator and that they were inside the castle. Naturally, I gave them the go-ahead to carry on and arrest the criminal who threatened your life." His eyes saddened. "I never thought that… Hermione wouldn't do anything to harm you."
"Of course she wouldn't!" Harry said, flailing his hands about. "Now if you could please tell the guards to release her from the cell she is currently occupying, I'm sure that-Ë®
"It's not as easy as that." The king interrupted. "An official charge was made. No matter what the circumstances are, this has to be treated as a formal case."
"But it's Hermione." Harry said, his frustration growing with each passing moment.
"I know, son, I know." Sirius said somberly, walking a few paces to put a hand on his shoulder. Harry flinched at the contact but did not shrug the gesture off. "I don't believe she would harm you, either. Perhaps if the charge is minimal I can wave my influence around and get her set free within the next few hours. What was her crime?"
Harry's face colored. "A love enchantment."
Sirius looked at the younger man oddly, thinking he had not heard him correctly. But as Harry's face tinted into a deep red, he knew that he had not been mistaken. He snorted. "Love enchantments are nothing. If anything, she'll be banned from the library for a few weeks. Nothing too serious."
Harry nodded and Sirius's hand slid off his shoulder. His calm was short-lived, though, as a thought struck him. He spoke in a strained voice. "If it was a simple love enchantment, why would the guards have come at all?"
Sirius pressed his lips together and nodded. "I'll have to see that evidence, then."
He walked out of his chambers for a moment, speaking in hushed tones to one of the nearby guards. Harry shifted anxiously from foot to foot, waiting for him to return. This whole thing was ridiculous! Both he and Sirius knew that Hermione would never do anything that may cause harm to him. Then again, how much harm could a love enchantment have? Which led Harry to that dangerous thought: What if it wasn't simply a love enchantment? Hermione never did something half-hearted.
Don't even start! His mind screamed at him. Hermione is innocent, you twat! You know bloody well that she didn't do anything.
He sighed. Of course she didn't. She would never do something like that. It went against everything they built their friendship on. He knew she would never risk that because, well, neither would he. Their minds were similar in that way. They both valued relationships with people close to them more than anything in the world. And though she would never admit it out loud, Harry knew she loved him and Ron more than reading. He just knew it.
Sirius reentered the room and Harry directed his full attention to him. He wore a somber look and Harry's stomach churned unpleasantly, sensing bad news. "What is it?" he asked. "What did they find?"
Sirius drew in a deep breath and looked Harry in the eyes. In that moment he looked years older and Harry couldn't quite place why. It was as though his answer took a toll on him in some way.
"You're right; it wasn't just a love enchantment."
Harry felt anxiety wash over him like a sudden gust of heavy wind. Before Sirius could continue, Harry blurted. "Whatever it is, Hermione didn't do it!"
Sirius looked at Harry and saw his normal confident stance fade into the quivering form of a lost child. The king shifted his eyes away from the almost unbearable sight and continued. "I believe you, Harry. But I don't think the Court will be so kind."
"The Court?" Harry asked in confusion. "What does the Court's opinion have to do with anything?"
Sirius drew in another deep breath before answering. "The evidence that the guards found wasn't any ordinary enchantment. It was dark magic - the kind we haven't seen since the end of the war."
Harry's throat went dry. His knees began to wobble. After a few moments of silence, he felt his body teeter and before he could fall he took a few wobbly steps backward and collapsed onto a nearby sofa, his body feeling like a sand-filled dummy. All of his previous thoughts were wiped out of his mind with only dread remaining. He had thought Hermione rotting in the castle's dungeons for a few days had been bad. But now the punishment looming over her head was much worse than he could have imagined. Also adding to the looming darkness encompassing the atmosphere was the Council's obvious dislike for both Sirius and Hermione.
Sirius quickly walked over to his godson and sat down on the cushion next to him, putting a hand on his forearm, knowing that the subtle comfort was all he could offer at a time like this. He could hardly believe it when the guard informed him of the evidence they had found underneath a pillow in Harry's chambers. Now they were playing a different game entirely, one that had a significantly smaller chance of turning out well. Even if Hermione was found innocent, she may have to be forced to flee the kingdom to save her reputation, a part of her life she had just begun to rectify.
For the punishment that awaited her was no longer a slap on the wrist or a simple imprisonment. Dark magic had one sentence and one sentence only after the war. Death.
Harry's shoulders began to shake as tears of anger and misery poured out of his heavy eyes. Sirius wound his free arm around the younger man's shoulders and pulled him close. The two stayed like that, each lost in their own thoughts as they tried to think of a way to fix the mess one Anonymous note had caused.
~*~
Hermione shivered as another unseen breeze passed through her. She hugged her knees to her chest and tried her best to remain calm. The morning had gone from wonderful to horrifying in a matter of seconds. She closed her eyes and remembered the feel of Harry's lips against hers. It had been a blissful moment - one that would have become perfect if the swarm of guards hadn't broken into her rooms. Harry had been about to say something before they were interrupted and the hope she thought had died the night before had welled up in her chest faster than she could have ever imagined. He was about to say something that would change their lives, she was sure of it. But she dared not think it for fear that she would jinx it.
He had been so enraged when the guards pulled her out of the room, shooting curses at them before quickly being disarmed. After he lost his wand he continued to fight, running over to her and managing to grab the sleeve of her robe before two guards forcibly pulled him off and restrained him until she was well out of her chambers.
Her chambers. She had been taken out of her own chambers for a crime she didn't commit. The thought alone filled her with a firing rage. How dare they?! Who gave them the right to do such a thing? She heard them mention Sirius by his title but she refused to believe he would order anyone to forcibly enter her chambers. Even if she was brought up with charges such as these, she would have been called to his study, at least, if not completely pardoned. He knew she would never use such petty magic against Harry. Hell, the only magic she ever performed on the young prince was a few simple healing charms for cuts and bruises, duels excluded.
She looked around the perimeter of the cell she had been placed in. It was larger compared to the others they had passed, but that wasn't saying much. More room meant more space for grime and rats to accumulate. There was a single cot in the corner of the cell but she dared not touch it. The mattress was paper thin and had a layer of Merlin-only-knows what covering it. There were no solid walls, only long black bars providing her with zero privacy to use the hole dug into the ground for her daily needs.
The place was revolting. No wonder so many prisoners went mad here. Although she was thankful she wasn't residing in Azkaban, the fowl and frightening wizard prison located on the North Sea. The looming tower had a reputation for turning its residents mad or causing them to die of misery. Most deserved it, but the government had been known to have its few corrupt years here and there. She had no doubt that many innocent lives had been lost on the island as well, making her worry increase. She knew she had nothing to fear in the first place, since she was innocent, but the thought still made her shake in her bones.
A shout from the nearby staircase cause her to jump. She had gotten used to the quiet atmosphere in the few hours she had been down there. The ruckus continued and she strained her ears to hear what was going on. The stairs were only a few yards away and it was a straight, steep walk down. After moving to the edge of her cell, head pressed against the cool metal bars, she began to hear what was transpiring on the floor above.
"I have a message for her, that's all!"
Harry.
Her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice and she straightened her back out of reflex.
"I'm sorry, your highness, but you've been restricted access to the dungeons in light of recent events." The voice was a low baritone and stern. Hermione felt enormous distaste for the man that was keeping Harry and her apart.
"I'm the prince for Merlin's sake! I order you to let me through!"
"I can't do that, sir."
There was a long pause. Hermione wanted to call out for Harry but knew that she should hold her tongue. She didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was. By now the entire castle would think that she was mad and Harry was under the influence of a powerful love enchantment. That's how the grapevine worked.
She heard a loud sigh of frustration before he spoke again. "Can I send someone down with a message?"
The guard waited a moment before replying. "That is perfectly acceptable, sir."
"Fine. I'll send someone down within the next few minutes."
She heard angry footfalls retreating and he was gone. Hermione pushed herself from the bars and sat back down. He had a message for her? Could it be what he wanted to tell her before? No, she answered herself. He wouldn't send someone else down with a message like that. It was too personal. He would reveal that next time they saw each other.
If they saw each other.
Oh don't think like that, you sap! Her mind rebuked. You're going to see each other again. It's not like you're going to die.
Her inner thoughts calmed her and she scooted back a few feet to rest her back against the back wall, the only one covered in stone. All she had to do now was wait for the messenger Harry sent. She passed the time picking her nails and humming a familiar tune, changing it up from her earlier routine of pacing around the cell and mumbling angrily to herself. Within five minutes time, she heard the grumbling of voices at the top of the staircase once more. She suppressed her urge to rush to the front of her cell and listen, knowing whoever it was planned on coming down to see her.
She heard footsteps descending the stairs and watched intently as the messenger was revealed to her in the dim lights of the torches on the wall. She felt a grin spread on her face as she saw the familiar tuft of ginger hair. No longer resisting the urge to stand up, she propelled herself onto her feet and practically skipped to the front bars. Ron greeted her with a somber smile.
Seeing his mood, her grin immediately faltered as she came to a halt in front of him. "Ron… what's wrong?"
"Harry's sent me with a message for you." He explained wearily.
She nodded, egging him to go on.
He avoided her gaze as a thoughtful expression was etched onto his face. He was contemplating his words, something he only did when he had to explain something of great importance or complexity. He used to make pauses like these all the time when they were tutored by Remus as the older professor would assign them presentations once every few months. Ron hated it, of course, but he had gotten generally better as the years progressed. But it was in moments like these that showed Hermione he still wasn't over his old habit.
"I don't exactly know how to put this." He said, confirming her thoughts. "So I'm just going to come out and say it before…" He stopped himself and took a large intake of breath, meeting her eyes for the first time. His brown orbs were filled with unshed tears.
This couldn't be good.
"You're charged with practicing dark magic." He explained roughly.
Her stomach dropped. "W-what? No. No, I was charged with a love enchantment!"
He shook his head, his lips beginning to tremble. "Harry said that Sirius was told that the evidence they found against you was of dark magic making. A love enchantment, yes, but not an innocent one."
"But I never… what evidence?!"
Ron shrugged. "Harry wouldn't tell me. I reckon he doesn't know, either. Only Sirius does and he's probably keeping it hidden for good reason."
Hermione nodded. She was beginning to feel light headed. She wasn't daft - she knew what the sentence for practicing dark magic was. She had the death penalty hanging over her head in the form of a Punjab lasso. She braced herself against the gate and Ron covered her hand with his. There wasn't much you could do to comfort a person in a situation like this, so she greatly appreciated the small sentiment.
"How long do I have?" She asked, her voice just above a whisper.
"Your trial is in three days." Ron said. "The entire Court will be attending and acting as the jury."
Hermione looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes. "But that's not fair! They hate me! I'm as good as dead!"
"Don't say that." Ron reprimanded, though his voice was starting to falter. "Harry and Sirius are working on a way to get you out of it. You're not even guilty! What's the worse they can do to you?"
She pressed her lips together firmly, not wanting to think about it. It was common knowledge that the Court had wanted a reason to strip her of her title ever since she came into it after the war. Even if she was found innocent, they would question why she was accused in the first place and find some twisted way only politicians knew of to denounce her of her title and send her back to the lower town or worse - to the Muggle world.
Of course, that was an extreme look on things. But knowing the Court, it wasn't out of the question.
She sniffled as tears began to pour from her eyes. This could be the last time she spoke to Ron. She would never see Ginny, his younger sister who had recently began to study abroad in France, or the rest of the Weasley family who had been so kind to her for all these years. She could very well never speak to Harry again, never to hear the things that still remained unspoken between the two of them.
She began to sob.
She wasn't sure, but she heard Ron sniffle a few times as well. Not that she could blame him. It would be heartbreaking to anyone if their best friend and former lover was being unjustly judged on extreme charges she did not commit.
The two of them held hands and cried until the sound of footfalls interrupted them. Both she and Ron turned to see the guard looking meaningfully at them. "Time's up."
"No." Hermione said. "Please. Let him stay a few minutes longer."
The guard shook his head. "Visiting hours are over. He can come back tomorrow."
Hermione felt a warm feeling in her chest knowing Ron could come back the next day. He seemed to be calmed by the news as well as he let go of her hand and wiped furiously at his cheeks. He turned to the guard. "Can you spare one more minute for goodbyes?"
The guard looked warily at the two before nodding curtly. "One minute."
With that, the guard returned to his post at the top of the stairs.
Hermione looked at Ron with a small smile. "I hope you'll visit me tomorrow."
"I wouldn't dare decline an invitation." He replied with a similar expression. He sobered, however, as he continued to speak. "Harry doesn't have such a privilege."
"It's ghastly that people actually think he's under the influence of a love potion!" Hermione huffed.
"Well," Ron said, gaining Hermione's attention. "He hasn't really done anything to prove otherwise. He's always gone to extremes when it comes to you."
Hermione felt her cheeks color. "It's his own fault then."
They both shared a brief laughter. But even the small cheer couldn't kill the dark atmosphere that hung around them like a coming storm. Ron looked at Hermione meaningfully.
"Did Harry talk to you before, you know…"
"Only briefly." She said sadly. "The guards interrupted before he could get to the point of his visit."
"But you know." Ron said with a small smile. "You're bright, Hermione. You know why he was there."
She looked sadly at him. "It would have meant more if he said it."
"You know he would have." Ron said, defending their friend. "I'll ask him to write it down for you - to write you a letter!"
Hermione shook her head. "No. Thank you, Ron. But this better remain unsaid unless spoken at the right time at the right place."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Sounds awfully picky for someone accused of using dark magic."
Hermione smiled. "I can't lose my stubbornness now, can I? It's part of my charm."
Ron chuckled and looked at her with bright eyes. "We're going to get you out of this. I promise. We'll work day and night until we find something."
Hermione nodded. "I appreciate it, thank you."
They both heard the sound of footsteps descending the staircase once more and were forced to cut their conversation short. Ron grabbed her hands and squeezed them tight through the bars, even managing a kiss on her forehead. "See you tomorrow."
"See you."
Just as the guard reached the floor, Ron spun around with his head held high and exited the room, a slight strut to his step. Hermione giggled despite herself. She watched as both figures climbed the steps and disappeared out of her sight. She waited until she could no longer hear the footsteps before collapsing onto the ground, a well of emotions pounding into her at once.
She replayed the conversation in her head. The guards had found evidence to prove she had been using dark magic on Harry in the form of a love potion. The Court would be arriving in three days' time to judge her for her crime and pass sentence. Familiar with the judicial system, she knew Sirius would have a good deciding vote since the "crime" was committed in his realm. The thought calmed her a bit. If she were to receive any punishment at all, it would be influenced at least somewhat by Sirius's vote.
There was only one sentence to be passed if she was guilty and that was death. But there were many possibilities that could befall her if she was found innocent. Not many cases were like that but Hermione knew that the Court would not pass up an opportunity to punish her for something else. Wisely, she feared the innocent verdict more.
She forced herself not to dwell on such fearful things, as she could be lost within her own head for hours. Instead, she thought of Harry. His image alone made her smile, knowing he was fighting for her alongside Sirius and now Ron. With the coming days she had no doubt the entire Weasley family would be on their side, each researching ways to avoid any possible punishment. It was nice - no, fantastic - to know she had people who cared for her doing their best to help. The friendless nine-year-old version of herself would have never guessed the amount of friends and allies she would gain in a few years' time. And it all started with a Death Eater in an alleyway.
She closed her eyes and let memories of her, Harry, and Ron growing up whirl through her mind, desperate to not let her mind enter a dark place. She remembered their first lesson together and a boy named Neville losing his toad in the library. Remus had to cancel the morning's lessons to aid the plump eleven-year-old in finding the creature named Trevor. Later that day Ron had nearly poked his eye out trying a levitation charm before she intervened. He was annoyed with her the rest of the day for correcting him but calmed down by the next lesson when he made his practice feather float.
Her mind drifted to when she was fifteen and the Yule Ball that had been held in celebration of the tournament. She had been asked by a visiting Bulgarian gentleman named Victor Krum to be his escort and she accepted, earning angry glares from Ron and a wide-eyed expression from Harry once he saw her in her periwinkle dress.
After a few minutes, all of her thoughts drifted back to Harry once more and her demeanor fell. She would most likely never speak with him again. Things would remain unspoken between them for… she didn't know how long. If they were lucky, perhaps a few days and everything would be back to normal. She would laugh at herself for overreacting. But things could also go desperately sour and she may never speak two syllables to him ever again.
Hermione cursed the Court. They had to judge her innocent. And then, after that, they had to find absolutely nothing else to charge her on so she could go about her life and get the happily ever after that she knew she deserved. She had gone through too much and witnessed things no woman of her age should to not be able to earn such a right.
She curled up in a ball on the floor, repeating those thoughts to ease herself into a dreamless slumber. She would awaken sometime that night anyhow, but would use the time to her advantage, planning out how to spend the three days before her trial.
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