Hermione's Plan
Picking Up the Pieces
By Chem Prof
Chapter 17, Picking up the Pieces
They both turned to stare at the ringing phone. Hermione found herself immobilized in terror, and to her relief Harry, sensing her reluctance, reached out and summoned the phone, pressed the button and held it to her ear.
“Hel … Hello?” she choked out. “Mum? Mum! You’re alive!” she screamed. “What happened? Where are you? Is Dad okay too?” Hermione found herself laughing and crying at the same time from the rollercoaster of emotions that had just hit her. She felt Harry, who was still behind her, tighten his arms around her waist as he also reacted to the sudden turn of events.
“Hermione! We’re all right!” Emma was shouting back into her ear. “Can you hear me? We’re all right. We got out okay. We used Harry’s flower pot.”
“Yes Mum. I can hear you,” Hermione reassured her as she brought herself back under control. “I’m calmed down now.”
“We have no idea where we are,” Emma continued. “We’re in some kind of house, but it’s completely dark. The room we’re in seems to be a kitchen, but the appliances are really old and we’re not sure how to work them. We can’t find any light switches.”
Hermione laughed out loud, giddy with relief. “It’s okay, Mum, I know where you are. It’s one of the houses Harry owns. We’ll be right over. Stay put and don’t touch anything you don’t have to.”
“All right.” Emma’s voice sounded dubious. “This certainly is a grim old place.”
Hermione snorted in mirth at her mother’s unintentional pun. “It certainly is that. See you in a minute.” She disconnected the phone and slumped back against Harry as he squeezed her in his own relief, then twisted around to face him and hugged him back.
“They got out with your portkey,” she informed him happily. “Oh Harry, thank you so much. That was such a good idea. We have to go get them, though.” She pulled away and looked at him expectantly, preparing to disapparate.
“Uh Hermione,” Harry remarked with a grin. “Don’t you think we should get dressed first?”
Hermione’s eyes widened as she realized that they were still both wearing only the loincloths that had been Harry’s birthday present, and she blushed. “Oh. I suppose you’re right.”
-ooOoo-
Dan and Emma jumped as the two teens suddenly appeared in the kitchen with them with a pair of soft pops. They had hurriedly thrown on some clothing and grabbed their robes before leaving their Cambridge flat. Harry gestured to the lights and the room brightened as Hermione flung her arms around her parents, trying to hug them both at the same time. After an emotional reunion, the three Grangers finally settled themselves around the table as Harry prepared them some tea, and the adults told their story.
“We were alone in the clinic, in our office, when we heard and felt this incredible explosion. The walls of the office glowed with a bright golden light and started shaking. As soon as we figured out what was happening Dan grabbed the flower pot that we keep on his desk while we’re at work and then grabbed my hand and forced me to hold it too. Just as the glow on the walls started flickering he shouted Harry’s name and we felt this strange feeling in our stomachs and the next thing we knew we were here.”
“Harry’s name?” Hermione asked in confusion, turning toward Harry, only to see an embarrassed look on his face.
“The activation word for the portkey was ‘Potter’,” Harry muttered.
Hermione’s eyes lit up with amusement. “You made a flower pot portkey with Potter as the activation word?” she giggled.
Harry had been expecting this reaction, since it was essentially the same one her mother had had when he first made the portkey for the Grangers. However, he managed to put on an offended look. “Laugh it up, fuzzball,” he growled in his best Han Solo imitation. Hermione’s eyes widened at the apparent insult, then she burst into laughter and clapped her hands in delight as she worked out the movie reference. Then she remembered to hit him for making fun of her hair.
The teasing between the pair had the beneficial effect of lightening the mood in the room, and the adults were better able to recover their composure after their near brush with death. After a bit more joking around everyone was ready to address the situation.
They all quickly agreed that the bombing had been an attempt to kill the Grangers in order to demoralize Harry. Dan and Emma thanked the teens again for putting up the protective wards that had held long enough for them to activate the portkey. Dan suggested that they had gone after the clinic instead of the house because it was easier to find and easier to get at (it would be difficult to park an empty truck right next to their house, especially with the security of their affluent gated community). Also, it made a more visible statement. They also all grimly agreed, though, that the Granger house was a logical next target.
“Hermione!” Emma shouted suddenly. “You have that time travel thing! You can go back and stop them!” Hermione’s heart broke all over again when she saw the pleading look in her mum’s eyes and she could hardly bear to refuse her. Harry stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulders in support as Dan did the same for Emma.
“Oh Mum, I’m so sorry, but we can’t do it,” Hermione explained sorrowfully. “It’s impossible to go back and change things that we already know have happened. If we did then there would be no reason to go back. That would put us in a paradox.” After a little thought, Dan and Emma understood, and Emma sadly relented. Hermione hugged her apologetically while Harry explained further. Both of the Grangers were surprised at the consequences of triggering the time travel paradox, and Hermione could tell that they were nervous about the potential danger the students were exposed to every time they used the device. She assured them that they were very responsible about it and took great care to avoid even being near places they had already been.
Harry steered the conversation back to the attack itself, wondering how they happened to be alone in the clinic.
“Well, it was the strangest thing, really,” Emma responded. “Neither of our 11:30 patients showed up. Brenda Jacob was supposed to bring in her son Andrew for two fillings and Carol Mitchell had an appointment for a checkup for her grandson Brandon. Both called within a few minutes of each other saying something important had come up suddenly. So we told our assistants, Mary and Stephanie, to take an early lunch. Our receptionist Amanda usually goes for her lunch break about that time anyway.”
Dan then took up the tale, not noticing the thoughtful looks Harry and Hermione exchanged. “So we retired to the office to catch up on some paperwork. It was a good thing too, because that’s where you put the strongest of those shield spells you used, and that’s where the flower pot was. The blast shook the building and the walls held long enough for me to grab the pot and grab Emma. The roof started falling in just as we escaped.”
“We can’t stop the bombing, but from what you said there are some things we can do,” Harry revealed as Hermione nodded. I think it’s likely that we will turn out to be the reason those 11:30 patients canceled out. We can also watch to see who planted the bomb and try to figure out who did it.”
“Since our minimum time is six hours, I think we’ll wait until 4:00 this afternoon, then go back to 10:00 AM,” Hermione decided. “In the meantime we need to figure out what to do with the two of you.”
“How about the beach house in Brighton?” Harry suggested. The Grangers agreed with this and the four of them settled down to work out the logistics. Part of the problem was that as far as the rest of their acquaintances knew, Harry and Hermione were at Hogwarts that week. They summoned Hedwig and gave her one of the most unusual deliveries she had ever made. Hermione dictated the note as Emma wrote.
Hermione – There’s been an attack at the clinic but WE ARE OK!! We got out safely so don’t worry. If you can get away, we are at Mr. Lupin’s house.
Hedwig gave Harry a most curious look when Harry told her to take the note to Hermione at Hogwarts, while Hermione was standing right there next to him. But she hooted a few times and then took off, trusting that her master knew what he was doing. The Grangers also left a note for Remus and Tonks, telling them not to worry, the portkey had delivered them to the house, but that Hermione had come for them and taken them somewhere safe.
While they waited an appropriate amount of time for Hedwig to reach Hermione at Hogwarts, the two students went to the Grangers’ house to check it out. They found everything in order but decided it was just too dangerous for the Grangers to return. They picked out an assortment of clothing and other essential items and decided that they could have Dobby come and get any other possessions that Dan and Emma decided they needed.
Later that afternoon the four of them arrived at the Brighton beach house. By this time Dan and Emma were getting over the shock of the attack and realized how lucky they were. As they looked around the bright, inviting cottage they loved it. Together they vowed that whatever life and the struggle their children were locked in threw at them they would do the best with it that they were able. They had been given a second chance at life and were going to make the most of it.
At 3:00 Harry and Hermione apparated away, going back to the Cambridge flat and gathering up everything they thought they might need, including their dragonhide armor, shield hats, and the invisibility cloak. At 4:00 they went back six hours, avoiding their former selves who were down in Hermione’s trunk, then apparated to the Granger house. Still finding no sign of anything amiss, they went on to the dental clinic and settled down under the invisibility cloak to watch and wait.
Just before 11:30 they cast wordless Confundus and Compulsion charms on the Jacobs and the Mitchells, ensuring their absence from the clinic at the critical time. Then things started happening.
At 11:40 two men drove up in a van and parked directly in front of the clinic, adjusted some things in the back and got out.
“You sure this is the right place?” the first one asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” snarled the second. “The man’s paying us enough that we don’t make no mistakes.”
Neither of the teens needed to remind the other to get a good look at the men. Their pensieve memories of this scene could be instrumental in tracking them down. They were dressed very simply, in white tee shirts and jeans. Their heads were completely shaven. They did not appear to be wizards, as they exhibited no uneasiness or lack of familiarity with their muggle surroundings. If they were wizards they must have been muggleborn. And there were no muggleborn Death Eaters. By the time they left the van, climbing into a nondescript car that pulled up alongside and immediately zoomed off, the obvious conclusion was that they were just what they appeared to be, muggle terrorists.
After that point, the waiting became sheer torture. They were helpless to do anything but subtly redirect any pedestrians that happened by. They both breathed a sigh of relief when Mary, Stephanie, and Amanda came out the front door on their way to lunch.
Hermione’s heart broke fifteen minutes later as she watched the van explode, demolishing the whole front of the building, which made the rest of it collapse inward a few seconds later with a horrifying crash. Between their dragonhide armor and their shield hats they were physically safe in their vantagepoint across the street, but the emotional damage was frightful. She had so many pleasant memories of playing in the office as a child, and she grieved as she thought about how hard her parents had worked to build up their practice, now gone in an instant. Harry had his arms around her as the tears streamed down her face, and they both winced as the faint sound of Emma’s scream from inside the inferno reached them, just before it was cut off when the portkey activated.
Harry held her tight and whispered whatever comforting words he could think of in her ear as they remained hidden while sirens blared and flashing lights danced across the wreckage of the dental clinic. Eventually she managed to calm down and they observed carefully and listened unseen to the conversations of the inspectors on the scene. Finally, they returned to their apartment to discuss what they had learned and their possible courses of action while waiting until 3:00 to go back to the beach house.
They each withdrew their memory of the event and stored them in two vials, then watched them in the pensieve. They confirmed their earlier conclusion that the men in the van were not wizards. Walking up to them closely in the memory, they discovered that each had a tattoo on his left forearm, but they were not Dark Marks. They were swastikas. They eventually concluded that they were dealing with the members of some sort of white supremacist terrorist group.
Hermione found that their positions had reversed, as she was now trying to calm Harry down. He knew that this attack, just as the Weasley attack had been, was aimed at him. It was no coincidence that this had happened on his birthday. Eventually, they came to an agreement on what to do and he left Hermione and headed off to Gringotts, with as angry a look on his face as she had ever seen.
For her part Hermione headed back to Brighton, where her parents were wearing out their cell phones, systematically contacting various authorities, some coworkers, and a few friends. (She had remembered to turn hers off when they went back in time, so that it wouldn’t ring again just after noon while they were concealed outside the Grangers’ dental practice.) Dan and Emma decided to tell their closest friends and associates that they were going into hiding, for fear that they would be attacked again if the terrorists realized that they had escaped. They assured everyone that they had no idea why they had been targeted. They also managed to set up a secure time and place to meet with the police inspectors, who agreed with their plans to drop out of sight.
-ooOoo-
Harry returned to the Brighton beach house an hour later with a look of grim satisfaction on his face, to find that the three Grangers had made themselves comfortable out on the sundeck, and Dan had discovered the wet bar. After Hermione had jumped up from her lounger to give him a hug and a kiss, and Dan handed him a drink, he began to tell his story as he removed his own clothing.
He had experienced little trouble getting in to see Bladrock, and reminding him of his statement that anything could be done for the right price, asked him if Gringotts would be able to follow the money and track down the group that had carried out the bombing. Bladrock had hesitated only briefly, then with a wicked smile assured him that they would see what they could do, and Harry handed him the pensieve memories. Then Harry had asked a more challenging question – whose side was Gringotts on in this war?
That had got him escorted back into a maze of offices that ended with the most ornate doorway he had ever seen, and he had found himself in the presence of Ragnok, the head of the goblin bank. There he had been pleasantly surprised to be told that they had no desire to see Voldemort take over the wizarding world, amazed to learn that they could easily seal the vaults of Death Eaters and not allow them access, and positively astounded to hear that the Ministry had never requested it. And it was not due to the Ministry being unaware of the possibility, as the goblins had long ago made the suggestion to Minister Fudge. Rather it was because of Fudge’s fear of resistance from the old-line pureblood families in the Wizengamot. Harry, only half-jokingly, instructed Hermione to add ‘take on the Wizengamot’ to her to-do list.
Once Harry had finished recounting his dealings with the goblins, the four of them relaxed and watched the sun set. Dan suggested that the cottage could use a hot tub out here on the sundeck, especially as it cooled down in the evenings and at night. Harry immediately responded by telling Dan and Emma that they should pick one out and order it, and charge it to his account. This, of course, led to a friendly debate between Dan and Harry over which one of them would be allowed to pay for it, while Hermione and Emma discussed what features it should have and what color it should be.
Despite his objections, Dan and Emma insisted on going through with the original plan of taking Harry out to dinner for his birthday. And after some initial awkwardness, the three Grangers managed to help him to overcome his guilty feelings and they all enjoyed the evening together. The lovely meal at a beachfront restaurant evoked memories of the dinners the foursome had shared at the resort when they were on their holiday in the Yucatan. Late that evening, Harry and Hermione left her parents, who assured them that they would be fine and that they loved the beach house, and returned to their Cambridge flat.
-ooOoo-
One week later, in a news story buried on the inside pages of the London Times, it would be announced that all of the members of a somewhat obscure neo Nazi group had been found dead in a warehouse. There was no indication of who was responsible. But the word quickly spread through the network of similar groups that a certain source of money was to be avoided at all costs.
-ooOoo-
(Tuesday, July 29, repeated)
Since it hadn’t actually happened yet, Harry and Hermione said nothing to Ron, Bill, and Fleur about the attack on the Grangers when they met the others at Hogwarts. Once in the Headmistress’s office they heard a familiar voice.
“Good morning my young friends,” came the greeting from the wall of portraits. Hermione immediately moved close to Harry and took his hand. This was going to be an emotional encounter.
“Hel … Hello Headmaster,” Harry managed to choke out. Hermione gave his hand a squeeze, as much for her comfort as for his, as she was having trouble controlling her own feelings. It must have helped, for Harry’s voice was more steady on his next statement. “We have quite a bit to tell you, and we have some questions for you as well.” He glanced uneasily at McGonagall. How did you politely ask the headmistress to leave her own office?
The portrait Dumbledore’s eyes gave that familiar twinkle as he chuckled. “I must say that I admire how well you followed my instructions on secrecy. But I have since taken Professor McGonagall into my confidence, and you may speak freely in front of her.” Hermione found herself annoyed with this statement. Dumbledore had made things unnecessarily difficult for Harry with those instructions, but he had shared the information with first Snape and now McGonagall. Moreover, his need to keep everyone, often including Harry, in the dark about his maneuverings had caused her fiancé untold grief. She noted with some satisfaction that the Dumbledore in the portrait showed a moment of surprise when he noticed her scowling at him.
But it quickly passed as he congratulated Harry on what he had accomplished so far, once Harry had brought him up to date on the Horcrux news. Harry then explained that Bill and Fleur were taking over the Horcrux project and that he, Hermione, and Ron wished to speak with McGonagall. McGonagall, who had been looking forward to the opportunity, quickly agreed and left the newlywed couple with the portrait and took the three teens to her old Transfiguration office.
“While what I am about to say is primarily directed at Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, part of it concerns you as well, Mr. Weasley, so I am pleased that all three of you could be present to hear it,” McGonagall began in her usual no-nonsense tone. “Simply put, I would like Mr. Potter and Miss Granger to accept the positions of Head Boy and Head Girl for the upcoming academic year. I hope to persuade you that this having the two of you in these positions is essential for Hogwarts and that it will be in your best interests as well.”
Hermione shot a glance at Harry. Try as she might to contain her excitement at being named Head Girl, she couldn’t keep the delight from her face, or control her feet which insisted on bouncing up and down like Dobby did when he was allowed to assist Harry Potter with something. She could see the corners of Harry’s mouth turn up as he observed her reaction. As much as she wanted to hug him, or give his arm a squeeze, she managed to restrain herself. She also wanted to hug him for his own reaction to the news.
She knew very well that a younger, less mature Harry Potter might have been surprised that he was being made Head Boy, and protested that he was not worthy of the honor. He might have even urged the headmistress to consider Ron for the position, out of some wrongheaded attempt to forestall his jealousy. (Hermione knew that there was no chance that Ron would be considered by McGonagall, given how irresponsible he had been about his prefect duties.)
But Harry had grown up a lot in the past month/year, and was more able to accept that he was destined to be regarded as a leader. Now his reaction to this news was acceptance for himself and happiness for Hermione. He returned her glance, smiling at the look on her face, then returned his gaze to McGonagall and she did as well. They both still wanted to hear McGonagall’s reasoning, since Harry was not necessarily convinced that returning to Hogwarts in these roles would be the wisest course of action. Hermione settled for taking hold of his hand, while Ron reached over and clapped him on the shoulder.
“I’d like to hear why you think this is essential for Hogwarts, and now that you know about the task we have ahead of us, how it will be in our best interests,” Harry asked calmly.
“Mr. Potter, Miss Granger,” McGonagall replied, her face softening a bit. “I’m going to be very frank with you. I desperately need for both of you to come back to Hogwarts in the fall. Whether we can open or not may depend on your decision.” The two students looked at each other again, this time with some uneasiness. Was she serious? Their discussions on the topic had focused on what course of action would be best for their mission. McGonagall was boldly inserting another aspect into the conversation. How could the presence of two students matter so much? Before Hermione could voice this question aloud, McGonagall proceeded to answer it.
“Mr. Potter, like it or not, you are not only the best known student at this school, but one of the most respected. Your actions during the past two weeks have made that more true than ever. I estimate that as many as half of our students’ families will be influenced by your decision as they decide whether to send their children back in the fall. I have actually been told this by many of the Gryffindor families and also quite a few from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.” She paused to let this sink in, then added with a smile. “Even two Slytherins.”
That drew a reaction out of the pair of students. Hermione nodded thoughtfully while Harry lowered his head, shaking it in resignation. McGonagall next addressed Hermione. “As for you Miss Granger, the two of you are now inextricably tied together, both by your own actions and in the public’s mind. There is no conceivable way that he would return without you, so that possibility can be discounted. While it is possible that you would return without him, I believe that neither of you would be at all satisfied with that situation. So it must be together, one way or the other.”
“If you do not attend in the fall, it will be seen by everyone as a lack of trust in the security of Hogwarts. And believe me, it will be a very public decision. Everyone in the country will know no later than September 2 if you are not present.” Harry groaned, but couldn’t dispute her assertion.
“Now,” McGonagall continued, “as to what would constitute the best course of action for the success of your mission, my previous statement applies here as well. If you were not present, everyone in the country would know about it. That includes our enemies. They are sure to wonder just what you are up to. And I’m sure that you will agree that keeping them in the dark about what you are up to is essential. Even if Mr. Weasley and his new wife are to take up the search for the Horcruxes, they will be better able to do it in secret if the enemy’s attention is directed at Hogwarts.” Hermione chanced another glance at Harry. What McGonagall had said was pretty persuasive, and she could see that he was wavering.
“The main reason that I see for your not returning,” the headmistress argued, “is that you won’t have the time to prepare yourselves while attending classes and carrying out your other duties. But your rather brilliant use of your time turner has now removed the time factor from consideration.” Hermione flushed at the unexpected approval from the teacher she most respected as McGonagall continued. “What remains is to ensure your freedom of movement. And I am willing to grant you unprecedented latitude in that regard. Provided that you keep me informed, you will be free to leave the castle whenever you deem necessary. That will be facilitated by another of the reasons for you to accept the Heads positions. I am certain that Miss Granger, at least, is aware that the Head Boy and Girl have their own rooms.” Harry’s head snapped up at that revelation, and he shot a look at Hermione who nodded. “In fact, since you are both from the same house, you will share the Gryffindor Head Suite. I might add that it has been twenty years since that suite was fully occupied, which was the last time that both the Head Boy and Head Girl were from Gryffindor.” Harry smiled wistfully at that remark, since she was referring to his mother and father.
This was beginning to sound better and better, Hermione thought. They would be able to use all of the resources that Hogwarts provided, provide needed leadership to the student body, live a somewhat normal life, and leave whenever necessary. They could even take a week off if they desired, spend it away from the castle at any one of their secret properties, and return without anyone even being aware that they were gone. Hermione gave Harry’s hand a squeeze to show that she was favorably inclined to the headmistress’s proposition and received one in return.
McGonagall cleared her throat to make another point. “I must remind you that there are privacy charms on the bedrooms in that suite that are similar to those that exist on the boys and girls dorms.” Hermione smiled to herself. In other words, Harry might not be able to get into her bedroom but there was nothing stopping her from getting into his. That settled the question of where they would be sleeping. Another squeeze of her hand by Harry’s let her know that he was thinking the same thing. But McGonagall was not finished. “But I can assure you that no one on the staff will bother to check up on such things as how and where you choose to spend your time while in the privacy of your suite. I believe that I can trust you to be responsible about your activities.” Hermione turned bright red at this statement, and she was certain she saw McGonagall’s mouth twitch as she uttered it. Her interpretation was that the headmistress had just told her not to get pregnant. She gave her assurance that they intended to behave responsibly, and Harry quickly joined her. While they would discuss it together before giving their final decision, it now seemed that McGonagall’s proposal was clearly the best option.
McGonagall now turned her attention to Ron, who had been almost forgotten during the previous negotiation. “Mr. Weasley will continue to have his prefect status of course, which gives him a great deal of freedom of movement as well. I was also wondering, though, if you would consent to add to your responsibilities by assuming the position of Gryffindor quidditch captain for this year.” Ron was unable to answer, as his jaw had dropped nearly to his chest. “Of course, if you think that this would be too much of a burden, I believe that I could prevail on Miss Weasley to accept.”
Ron had regained the ability to move, at least, as he was now shaking his head. Hermione smiled broadly at her friend and Harry was grinning from ear to ear. Finally Ron managed to speak. “No … I mean yes … I mean, yes I’ll do it and no you don’t need to ask Ginny.” Harry cut off anything else he might have wanted to add by shaking his hand and pounding him on the back, while Hermione wrapped him up in a hug. None of them noticed McGonagall surreptitiously wipe a tear from her eye.
-ooOoo-
When they met up with Bill and Fleur again there were congratulations and hugs for the new Head Boy, Head Girl, and Quidditch Captain. Although Harry cautioned that it wasn’t certain that they would accept the positions, Bill pointed out that it was an honor just the same. McGonagall had given her consent to their proposed activities for the upcoming week and they settled down to work out the details. They visited the Gryffindor head suite which was located in Gryffindor Tower adjacent to the common room and Bill showed them around, since he had resided in the suite himself some ten years earlier. They decided to make Gryffindor Tower their base of operations. Bill and Fleur would stay in the Head Boy’s room (Fleur didn’t bother to ask if she would be permitted, she simply moved in) and Hermione would take the Head Girl’s room, while Harry and Ron would use all seven of the Gryffindor boys’ dorms.
As Bill was anxious to get started, after lunch they headed down to the second floor and Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. McGonagall had insisted on accompanying them, and when Flitwick heard about their excursion he expressed a desire to join them. Harry considered asking Hagrid if he wanted to come along, but when Ron pointed out that it would be a tight fit for him going down the pipes he abandoned that idea. Harry stopped for a few moments of polite conversation with Moaning Myrtle, and Hermione had to bite her lip to keep a straight face while the ghost flirted with him.
Only Ron and Hermione had heard Harry speak Parseltongue before, in second year, and while Fleur and Bill had witnessed it in pensieve memories, it was a first for McGonagall and Flitwick. All six of them shuddered at the hissed command to the sink to open up, since it was creepy in any case. Once the sink stopped moving and the pipe was exposed Fleur gave Harry a look that clearly said, ‘You can’t possibly expect me to go down that disgusting pipe!’
Hermione caught Fleur’s look and managed to stifle a laugh, but she was also dubious about the prospect. Not that she wasn’t willing, or indeed hadn’t already followed Harry into equally disturbing places. But McGonagall, though – in contrast to Fleur – managing to keep an impassive expression on her face, was equally displeased.
“Having gone to school with Tom Riddle, I am quite certain that he did not slide down this filthy pipe whenever he wished to enter the Chamber.” Flitwick, who had been a professor at the time and had taught Riddle in Charms, agreed. Some investigation by Bill and Flitwick soon revealed a hidden set of stairs, and a few minutes later Bill worked out a way to counter the concealment ward and to activate them. All that remained was another word in Parseltongue from Harry. Soon they were riding a moving staircase down along the now expanded pipe with Harry and Ron just looking at each other and shaking their heads while Hermione rolled her eyes at them.
The professors were suitably awed when they passed the twenty-foot snakeskin but the others only grinned at each other, since what awaited them was much more impressive. It took a while to clear away the rubble from the collapsed tunnel, since among them only Flitwick would be able to fit through the small opening that a twelve year old Harry and an eleven year old Ginny had crawled back through. The twisting and turning tunnel seemed longer to Hermione in real life than it had in the pensieve memory, and they all grimaced once again when Harry hissed at the wall with the twin serpents. The wall slid apart and they entered the Chamber.
A quick search turned up nothing aside from an impressive basilisk carcass, although Bill identified several promising spots where hidden rooms might exist. Flitwick commented to McGonagall that Slughorn would love to have a go at the dead basilisk for potions ingredients. McGonagall retorted that she would have to come up with something in return that the potions master could do for her. Hermione exchanged a smile with Harry as they recalled how the greedy Potions professor traded favors.
After supper they sat around the Heads common room and discussed the week ahead. Since they had a busy day ahead of them the next day they decided it was time for bed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to the Gryffindor common room while Bill and Fleur disappeared into the Head Boy’s bedroom. Hermione gave Ron a quick hug and kissed Harry good night as Ron headed up the stairs. At Harry’s raised eyebrow she smiled sweetly at him.
“I have to kiss you goodnight six more times yet this evening. I’ll see you in the morning. Sooner if you’re good.”
-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-
Author Notes:
A/N #1 As most readers probably expected, I couldn’t bring myself to kill the Grangers. I hope no one was too disappointed.
A/N #2 Regarding Dumbledore bashing. Hermione’s annoyance with the headmaster and her scowl at his portrait are as far as that will go in this story. I find myself in agreement, though, with those who take exception to Dumbledore’s neglect and manipulation of Harry in canon. Indeed, there have been some very convincing ‘well-intentioned but hurtful Dumbledore’ fanfictions where Harry gets fed up and lets Dumbledore know he won’t put up with it any more. (No Thanks and Dumbledore’s Army come to mind.)
However, this story is based on the events of Half Blood Prince, and there is no evidence in that story that Harry has any such thoughts. He backs down immediately from his perfectly legitimate questions regarding Snape when Dumbledore hints that he might not take Harry with him to find the Horcrux if Harry doesn’t drop it. All that said, Dumbledore’s role in this story is essentially finished. Any more information they need from him will be obtained off screen, by Bill or McGonagall.
A/N #3 If McGonagall’s reasons for Harry and Hermione to come back to Hogwarts sound familiar, it’s because she used some of the same reasons in Soul Searching. (Hey, if they worked once, they should work again, right?)
A/N #4 The names of all original characters in this story, as well as in my other stories, are those of relatives of mine. So far I’ve used my children, my brothers, my wife’s sisters, and most of my nephews and nieces.