money from it, so please Mrs. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
Please, if you read, take two minutes to review.
Hermione sat; with the curtains pulled so she wouldn’t be bothered, reading in her bed. She had started from the beginning, wanting to read it as Ron had written it. He had started it this past spring, with the first entry dated at June 1st. The diary had been nothing more than a chronicle of the adventures the three of them had had while at school. Right up to this last entry.
June 12th
I have two best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Everyone knows Harry. He’s The-Boy-Who-Lived, defeated You-Know-Who fifteen, almost sixteen years ago now. Hermione, you might not know yet. But you will. She is smart. Probably smarter than most of the teachers at Hogwarts, and if we all don’t end up dead now that You-Know-Who is back, well, watch out for her.
Harry is great at everything, Seeker in his first year, the youngest player in a century at Hogwarts. You should have seen the way he fought in the Ministry against the Death Eaters. Everything he did was to protect the rest of us from getting hurt. Some of us did, and it was looking like we would all be killed until the Order showed up. Harry never stopped fighting though.
I made the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year. I was terrible the first few games. Harry saved me though, catching the snitch to end the game and put us in the lead for the win. He never got mad, only encouraged me, even though he must have been upset about always bailing me out. Then he got kicked off the team. I thought we were doomed. Then I figured out that I really could play, and I was good. I was the hero in the last game of the year. Harry and Hermione missed it. They were off helping Hagrid with his brother Grawp. I think it’s the only time I’ve ever been disappointed with them. But I understand now why they had to leave.
I still can’t figure out why Professor Dumbledore made me a Prefect. I’m not sure anyone else can figure it out either. Even Mum and Dad couldn’t hide that they expected it to be Harry. Heck, even I think it should have been.
Hermione is the other Gryffindor Prefect. That had to be the biggest no brainer decision Dumbledore has ever made. She is brilliant, as smart as Harry is powerful. I’m glad to be a Prefect. I just wish I deserved it.
I used to get jealous of them sometimes. Especially Harry, he always got the bright light and recognition. And everyone knows Hermione is the smartest witch or our age, even Snape, who hates her. He doesn’t even realize that when he calls her an insufferable know it all, that he is at least half complementing her.
I don’t anymore though. I’m used to being third of three. They always give me credit too. That’s what I like about them. Even so, I hope the day comes that they need me as much as I need them. Just once, I want to have the spotlight on me. Just once, I hope that I am someone’s first choice, and that I know it in my heart.
Hermione was crying freely, her tears falling on the open diary.
If he had just asked me, she said to herself. I would have told him. She turned the page.
September 5th
I finally got this thing back from Dumbledore. He took it with him when I asked for help protecting it. Fat lot of good it was in the end. She would still get in he told me. That’s not the big news though, this is.
THE ONE MARKED BY THE DARK LORD…. MARKED AS EQUAL BY HIM….OTHERS WILL COME IF HIS HEART IS TRUE….HE NEED NOT FIGHT ALONE….
ONE OF RED HAIR WILL RISE….POWER APPROACHING THAT OF THE DARK LORD….IN 11 YEARS THE FIRST TO OFFER FRIENDSHIP, IT WILL BE TESTED IMMEDIATELY….CHOOSE WISELY EQUAL AND HE WILL BE YOUR GENERAL, PLANNING YOUR VICTORY….HE CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY TO NEW MAGIC….HIS HEART WILL WAVER ONCE, BUT RETURN TO STAND WITH YOU AND FACE HIS GREATEST FEARS….CHOOSE WISELY EQUAL AND TWO OTHERS WILL FOLLOW….
It’s a prophecy, about me and Harry. In case you can’t figure it out; I’m the one with red hair. It is tied to the other prophecy about Harry being equal to Voldemort. Not scared of the name anymore. Dumbledore told me how to fight him. I couldn’t win, but I could prevent him from killing me now. Anyways, Harry is the only one who can beat Voldemort. One has to die for the other to live. And I’m the one who is supposed to teach Harry how to create new magic. Show him that he can save his friends and maybe himself from being killed by Voldemort. Haven’t quite worked out how I’m going to do it yet, but I’ll get it. I promise, Harry. Because if I don’t, you will die and I think I might die from a broken heart if that happened.
Dumbledore taught me how create new magic last night, stuff that no one has ever seen before. I did it too. It’s more of a belief and need based thing than a process. Hard to explain but I can do it. One hundred six points I earned Gryffindor last night, from Dumbledore himself no less. You should have seen the school today trying to figure out how we got so many.
Dumbledore told me he made me a Prefect because of the Prophecy. Harry already had too much responsibility, and he needed me to grow to fulfill it. I always wanted to be first once. Now I’m on equal footing with Harry. He might have to fight. But without me, he won’t know how. I’m not sure I like it.
Hermione read the entry again. She knew all about the night Ron had spent in Dumbledore’s office. She also knew about the prophecy. She had realized what it meant. But seeing it written in Ron’s words was horrifying. It had been bad enough to learn that Harry would have to kill, or be killed by Voldemort. Now it looked like Ron had been given the burden of teaching Harry how.
It just isn’t fair, she said to herself, as she rocked back and forth on the bed. How can this have happened to us, to them? She turned the page.
September 6th
Hermione: you are finally here.
Even to this day, it was my finest hour. I knew Harry would go forward, and that you would try to follow. I was the only one who could get you both across safe. Harry could have got there by himself. But if you tried to follow without having played, the chess pieces would have struck you down - maybe even killed you.
So I played. I knew I would win from the first move. Chess is like that; you map out a plan and make the other player react to you. I knew from the first move that only two of us would get to the other side. I would have to sacrifice one of us.
Strange, five years before we knew of the prophecy, I knew Harry had to make it, to be the one to go on. And I couldn’t live with you being hurt. So I sacrificed myself from the start. Things were going perfectly.
Then it happened, it always does, if the opponent is good. The other side made a brilliant play. I had to counter with either you or Harry. Whichever one I chose would be at risk. It would have been suicide for the other side to take my offer. The game would have been over in two plays. I know it was stupid. Voldemort would have been back years ago if I had been wrong. But I gambled anyways, that after such a bold play, the other side wouldn’t make such a huge blunder. I risked Harry.
For a long time I wanted to be first, just once to be the savior of the day, to not be shunted to the side.
Now I realize. That what I wanted was you, Hermione. I wanted to be your first choice.
I love you Hermione, I always have.
Ronald.
“Finally!” Hermione yelped out loud.
“Harry, I’m so sorry, but I have loved him for so long. I have to try with him first,” she whispered into the night.
The next morning found Hermione awake very early. She was sitting on the couch in the common room with Crookshanks, her large orange cat, on her lap.
“Arrgh, I can’t wait for him to come down anymore,” she said out loud. “He’ll sleep all morning if he gets the chance.” Crookshanks shifted, irritated at being disturbed. Hermione stroked the cat’s head. “I’m sorry Crookshanks,” she cooed, trying to placate the cat. He started to purr again.
“Crookshanks,” she asked, “will you go get him for me?” The cat opened its eyes to look at her.
“Ronald….will you go wake him up?” Crookshanks sprang over her head bolting up the stairs to the boys’ dorm rooms.
Ron was dreaming. The Merpeople had him again, only this time Harry wasn’t coming. The water was pressing in on his chest, he couldn’t breathe, and he was drowning.
“Gahhh….“ Ron gasped waking up. Crookshanks was sitting on his chest staring at him. Ron took a swipe at the cat.
“Get off, you Bloody Menace!” Crookshanks jumped out of the way hissing back at him. Ron rolled over trying to go back to sleep.
“Bloody cat, still can’t figure out why she won’t lock you up,” he grumbled. The cat jumped back on the bed swatting at Ron’s nose.
“Arrrrgggh---get off!” Ron’s yelling woke up Neville.
“Shut it Ron, I’m trying to sleep.”
“Oh-bugger off, like I want to be up either,” Ron snapped at him. Neville was already snoring again. The cat sat on the end of Ron’s bed swatting at his feet under the blankets.
“Fine, you want to go for a walk or something. I’ll take you. Just let me shower first.” Crookshanks headed for the door, stopping to see that Ron was really getting up. Ron threw a pair of socks at the cat, missing to the right.
“I’m coming!”
Crookshanks jumped back up on Hermione’s lap.
“Did you get him?” she asked, stroking his head again. The cat started purring again, looking into her eyes.
“Thank you Crookshanks.” His eyes closed as he settled onto her lap. A short while later, Hermione heard a door open down the hallway. She picked the cat up placing him on his favorite chair by the fireplace, and turned around so she could see Ron enter the room.
“Where are you, you crazy….Hermione,” he stopped. Crookshanks lazily opened one eye to look at him. “You’re….What are you doing up so early?”
“I’m sorry about sending Crookshanks in to get you,” she said. Hermione was walking towards him. Ron looked at her, very confused.
“You sent him in to wake me up, what for?”
“Poor boy,” she teased, “it really is too early for you, isn’t it?” She was standing right in front of him now, too close. Ron was unsure of what to say. Hermione had been this close to him before, but she was behaving differently than she ever had when she was near him. That and it was getting very warm in the room.
“You really don’t know, do you?” she asked. Teasing him with his own words from the day before as she closed the last step between them. She was staring into his eyes. Ron was having trouble breathing again.
God, why does this happen to me when she is around? he asked himself.
“It’s you, Ronald. It has always been you. Harry is my second choice,” she whispered. “You were always my first choice.” Ron was drowning again, only this time he couldn’t save himself. He didn’t even want to try. She was moving closer, pressing against him now. He felt her lips gently touch his. He was too bewildered to respond to her. Hermione pulled back to look at him again.
She loves us, the voices gasped in comprehension. She chose us. Hermione was moving to kiss him again. Her lips pressed to his more forcefully than before and after moment he responded to her. It was a slow gentle kiss that Hermione pulled away from for a fraction of a second before Ron’s hand on the back of her head brought her back to him.
This third kiss encompassed the passion of all the fights from the past five years. It was everything and more than either had dreamed it to be. Hermione finally broke from him, her face flushed and heart racing in her chest.
“Promise me, Ronald….” she said softly to him, “promise me I’ll never be without your love again.” Ron pulled her tight to him again and buried his face in her hair, still unable to believe that he had won.
“Never Hermione, I will never let you go.” He leaned back against the wall pulling her with him. They stayed there for a long time, both alive with the comfort of not hiding from each other anymore. Crookshanks, purring contentedly, watched them closely.
“Are you hungry?” Hermione asked.
“If it means letting go of you, no,” he answered. Hermione started laughing, a laugh that Ron had never heard from her before. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard in his life.
“Come on you big prat, let’s go eat.” She pushed away from him taking his hand to pull him through the portrait hole. As they walked hand in hand down the stairs towards the Great Hall, Ron marveled at how perfectly her hand fit into his. Only one thing could bring him down now - Harry.
“Hermione, we have to tell Harry soon.” Hermione sighed.
“I have to tell him Ronald, not you. For right now, just let me be happy. I’ll have to deal with the pain of breaking his heart again soon enough.”
“I’m sorry we made you choose, Hermione.”
“There really was no choice, Ronald. I was an idiot not to have realized you were always first. If I would have shown the courage you two did, this would not have happened. I am not the one for Harry. She is still out there, somewhere, looking for him. I just hope she will love him as much as Harry will love her.”
“Hermione….does this mean you will go to the Valentines Day Ball with me?” Ron asked, trying to change the subject. She kissed him on the cheek.
“I thought you would never ask.”
The Great Hall was empty and by the time they finished, only a few other students had wandered in to eat. Hermione sat watching Ron; all she wanted to do was find some excuse to hold him tight in her arms. She reached, out taking his hand.
“Ronald, will you take me flying today?” He was surprised, she had said yes both times he had asked her to go over the summer, but had never asked him to take her.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do today?” he replied. She nodded at him; her smile was unlike any he had ever seen. Ron stood up, gulping down the rest of his pumpkin juice.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving to get his broom.
“Don’t be long, Ronald,” she called after him. As she watched him go, Hermione didn’t notice Luna approach.
“When are you going to tell Harry?” she asked, taking a seat next to Hermione.
She is always right to the point, Hermione thought to herself.
And so little tact, the first voice offered.
But somehow, she seems to be able to reach Harry. And at this point, I’m more than glad to have her around, Hermione answered.
She was also the only one besides Harry to survive the Ministry last spring without getting injured, the second voice added.
Yes she was, wasn’t she? Hermione finished her internal discussion.
“How did you know?” Hermione asked. “I wasn’t aware that we had told anyone yet,” she added.
“Oh, I knew you would pick Ron, the second I heard Malfoy’s song yesterday.”
Hermione was exasperated.
“How could you know that? I didn’t know about Ron till last night.”
“Oh, I knew he would. He was building up to it all summer,” Luna replied indifferently. “I think he was ready to tell you before Harry was. But Harry felt forced to when Cho guessed the other night after the DA meeting. Cho asked Harry if there might be another chance for them you know. He turned her down, said there was another. She told me about it during the tryouts yesterday.” Hermione felt her heart sink.
Cho still liked Harry; had asked him out. But Harry turned her down for me, and now I am going to say no to him, she felt sick to her stomach as she turned the thought over in her head. Luna was gazing off into space again. She seemed not to care that Harry was just getting over losing Sirius; was trying to deal with the thought of being murdered or murdering another and was now going to have Hermione tear his heart out.
“Ron always loved you,” Luna said, blinking when the sun came in the window hitting her eyes, “and I could see Harry fighting it. He thought he was betraying Ron by falling in love with you.” Hermione just stared at Luna, her mouth hanging open.
“I’m pretty sure Ron guessed what Harry was feeling some time this summer. So, I think they promised each other a chance, willing to let you go, if it meant that you would be happy. I don’t know why, but I understand Harry. You watch, this will be painful for him, but he will only love both of you more,” Luna finished. She stood up and began to wander away. As she did, she called over her shoulder.
“See you at the DA meeting this week.” Hermione didn’t know what to think. She wasn’t happy, sad or upset by the conversation with Luna.
She really is Loony, Hermione thought shaking her head.
Be careful what you say. Cursing your own mouth shut might not be very fun, the second voice responded.
Ron was skimming across the lake; his and Hermione’s toes were just touching the surface, kicking up spray behind them. He pulled the broom straight up and over into a giant loop. Hermione was screaming with fear and joy at the same time. At the top of the loop when they were upside down, Ron rolled the broom upright while pushing into a dive back down to the lake. The giant squid was there, just under the surface, already racing them back to the other side. Even though she was terrified, Hermione loved every second. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Ron’s waist, her face pressed firmly into his back. She wanted to go on forever, but her arms were getting tired.
“I need to rest for awhile, Ronald. Let’s land on that beach over there,” she yelled, over the rush of the air. Ron brought his broom around, taking it through two giant looping barrel rolls on the way down. He felt her clutch tighter to him as they wound down and around, the ground spiraling up towards them.
How can she scream and laugh at the same time? he wondered to himself, as he brought the broom gently to the ground.
As soon as his feet had touched the ground Hermione grabbed hold of him by the shoulders, spinning him around. Her foot shot behind his legs and she pushed hard against him, tripping him. Ron fell on his back, Hermione landed on top of him and pinned his arms to the ground under her legs. She pounded her fist on his chest just hard enough that it was uncomfortable.
“You were trying to scare me,” she snapped, pretending to be mad at him.
“I was not,” Ron tried to protest, but couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.
“Liar! You were trying to scare me so I would hold on to you tighter.” Ron lifted her up spilling her to the side. Scrambling to his feet, he pulled her up by her wrist with him. Hermione yelped as she tumbled over, and gasped in surprise when he pulled her up. She stood in front of him, a defiant flash in her eyes that dared him to manhandle her anymore.
“Well it worked, didn’t it?” he asked with an impish grin. She melted an instant later.
“Yes, it did.” Hermione stepped forward pressing her lips to his again. Ron took her hand leading her along the beach. They walked to the end without talking.
“I guess we missed lunch,” he commented.
“Yes, I think so. We should probably head back,” Hermione answered. Ron sighed.
“We have to tell him tonight.” Ron saw Hermione’s eyes cloud over.
“No Ronald, I have to tell him.” Hermione answered softly.
“I love you Hermione, always will.” Ron watched with his heart in his throat as the shine came back into her eyes.
“I love you Ronald, I always have.”
********************
Harry, Neville, Ginny and Cho were down at the Quidditch field again. They had climbed to the top box and spent the morning replaying different scenes from the tryouts of the day before. The positions had been posted on the Gryffindor bulletin board that morning. David Roberts, Katie Bell and Ginny were the Chasers. Ron had made Keeper. Harry was Seeker. The new Beaters were Kelly Markson, the 4th year who had flown against Harry and Ginny during Seeker tryouts, and a second year boy named David McBride. Both of them were good. Kelly was maybe even better at the Beater position than she was at Seeker. Harry had decided he would bring David and Kelly to the next DA meeting. They were the only members of the Gryffindor team who were not already part of it.
“Did you see Ron playing keeper against six chasers, and two quaffels?” Cho asked. “I’ve never seen a Keeper move so quick. I was talking with Viktor about it after the tryouts, he was really impressed.”
“Yeah Harry, I was there with her. Viktor said that if Bulgaria had had Ron for keeper at the last World Cup, they might have won,” Neville added.
The discussion had gone on for hours. Everyone seemed to think that Gryffindor would be the class of the house teams this year. Even Cho, who was Seeker and Captain for Ravenclaw, seemed to think her team would have trouble with the Gryffindors. Harry listened quietly as the discussion turned to the Seeker tryout. He hated to talk about himself. He always felt like he was bragging.
Harry had been accused of looking for the headlines that always came his way, and quite frankly, was tired of it. Once in a great while, he even wished he could return to the days before he turned eleven, when he was stuck at his aunt and uncle’s house in the cupboard under the stairs. Then he would think about Ron or Hermione, or any one of the other Weasleys. His new family made it all worth while.
Harry had reconciled with the death of his Godfather, coming to the overused but true cliché that to have known him and then lost him was better than never knowing Sirius in the first place. The only thing he was still having trouble with was having caused Sirius’ death.
Ginny had sat down next to him when they first got there in the late morning. She had leaned up against him with her head on his shoulder.
“Hey, Harry,” was all she said. Sometimes during the day, when she got really animated in the conversation, she would sit up to talk. Using her hands to show how different maneuvers had been performed by the players at the tryouts. Each time she had settled back down with her head on his shoulder. She was sleeping now.
Ginny, more so than any of the other people that Harry counted as his family, made him believe it. Even Ron couldn’t give him the comfort that his little sister could. With her there next to him, he felt at peace. Secure that he would always have the love of at least one person in the world.
Harry was only just starting to understand why she seemed to needle him. She constantly called him on it if he didn’t meet her expectations. And her expectations seemed to be getting higher. He wasn’t sure why, but it scared him that some day, he might not reach the heights she asked for.
Harry came back from his thoughts. The conversation seemed to be winding down, people just sitting quietly in the sun soaking up some of the last warm rays of the year.
“Anyone else hungry?” Neville asked. “I think I’ll head up to lunch.”
“Yeah I am too. You guys coming?” Cho asked. Ginny stirred, sitting up she stretched her arms out and smiled at Harry.
“I’m going up too, Harry. I want to go to the library for a while. Are you coming?” Harry contemplated for a moment.
“No, I think I’ll stay here a while longer.”
“Thank you for letting me use you as a pillow.”
“Anytime, Gin.”
“See you later then,” she said, hugging him goodbye.
Harry stood, leaning on the edge of the box looking out over the field. He watched Ginny, Cho and Neville walk up the slope to the school and disappear inside.
Ron and Hermione ran into Ginny as she was leaving the Great Hall. They had just missed lunch. Ginny looked at the two of them.
“You finished reading Ron’s diary?” she asked quietly, while looking at Hermione. Hermione was scared, she remembered only too well Ginny’s towering rage yesterday. She nodded in response.
“I thought so. It has been hard to watch, you know. They’re both my brothers. They both picked my sister.” Hermione stared; she had grown close to Ginny, hoped that she thought of her like a sister. This was the second time Ginny had indicated that she did. Ginny looked at Ron.
“You and Harry made me so proud. You both love her, but refused to fight each other for her.” Ginny wiped a tear off her cheek. “I know if she had picked Harry that you would have been happy for him. Harry will be hurt, but he will be happy for both of you.” She pulled them both into a hug. “I’m done being sad about this now. I’m happy for both of you.” Ron was speechless.
How does she know Hermione picked me when we haven’t told anyone yet? he asked himself. The same thought was in Hermione’s head only she voiced the question.
“Ginny….why is it that both you and Luna seemed to know I would pick Ron before I did?”
“Because only you two idiots haven’t been able to see that you were in love with each other from the beginning,” she said with a smile. “I think even Harry knows he lost. I think he always knew that he would.”
“When you think about it, we really have been pretty stupid,” Ron said with a dumb grin on his face.
“Speak for yourself Ronald, because the only stupid thing I have done in my life was to fall in love with you,” Hermione snapped at him. But her smile gave away her true feelings. Ron could finally see them. He pretended to pout.
“You keep that up and Harry can have you.”
“Stop it, both of you. You’re starting to make me sick,” Ginny said in exasperation. Hermione sighed.
“Do you know where Harry is, Ginny?”
“He’s at the Quidditch field, Hermione.”
“Thank you.”
Harry was sitting on the bleachers resting his chin in his hands. He had his eyes closed letting the sun warm his face. Hermione knelt on the floor in front of him, she reached up taking his hands in hers. His eyes opened to look at her.
“I heard someone coming up the steps. I figured it was you. How’s Ron?” Harry asked with a smile and light dancing in his eyes.
“Very happy….and very sad, and you?” she replied.
“The same,” Harry answered. They were quiet for a long time.
“Harry, I’m so sorry. I know I sent signals to you. I was confused. If you had let me, I would have told you yes and most likely never looked back. But then Ron told me too. I have always loved him. I realized he was always first after I recovered from the shock of your confession. I never wanted to hurt you. I just wanted to be loved. I should have realized after Viktor that you need to return the love you receive. I’m so sorry that I’ve hurt you.” Harry was still smiling. He reached out with one hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes.
“I tried so hard not to love you Hermione. I have known since the fight you and Ron had after the ball in our fourth year that you would end up together. When I first started to notice you, I felt like I was betraying Ron. As long as he was around I could control it. But if it was just me and you, I was drowning.
“Then Sirius died. I swore I would never let anyone in that close again; it hurt too much to lose him. It didn’t take long for me to realize that even though it hurt. It was better to have loved Sirius than to have never known him. I decided that I was going to love as many people as I could.
“I made a family for myself. Molly, and Arthur, are like parents now. Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, and Ron are my brothers. Ginny is my sister. I tried to do the same with you. I thought I was doing well keeping you at arms length. But then you took me shopping for my birthday, and I wanted pictures of you.
“I tried not to let Ron see them. But he asked what you gave me. When he saw them, he guessed. I thought he would be mad, throw me out of his room. I thought I would lose my brother, and the first friend I had ever had.
“I underestimated him. Ron was mad, but he has changed ever since the Ministry. He simply asked me for a chance. So we promised each other that if one of us was going to tell you, they had to let the other know. That’s why you couldn’t answer me the other night. Ron still had to tell you. I know better than most the price you pay to love someone. I tried not to love you Hermione. But I couldn’t,” Harry finished. Even with the tears in his eyes, he was still smiling at her.
“You do know, that I do love you, don’t you, Harry?”
“Yes, Hermione, I do. It’s the same as Ginny and yet different. And it means as much to me as the love you would have given to me if you had told me yes.” Hermione opened his hand placing the necklace he had given her in it.
“This does not belong to me,” she said. Harry looked at the necklace in his hand. He stood up pulling her with him.
“Turn around, Hermione.” Hermione turned around and Harry reached around her neck putting the necklace on her. “Lift your hair up for me, so I can do the clasp.” She hesitated a second before doing as he asked. Harry hooked the necklace and let it settle on her neck. Hermione dropped her hair back down. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Harry hugged her close.
“Yes it does, Hermione.” She held her arms against his. They stayed there for a long time before he spoke.
“You ready for dinner?”
“No, let’s stay just a little longer.”
Harry stood there holding Hermione; once again his heart had been broken. This pain felt both better and worse than the pain of losing Sirius. Hermione was still here in this world to share her love with him, but she had chosen to give it differently than he had hoped for. The pain of that rejection was more than the pain of losing his Godfather’s love by his death. But the joy of the love she would share was better than never having taken the chance.
Harry was tired of the pain he felt from loving people. However, he was beginning to accept that in this world you had to take the bad with the good. What he didn’t have to take anymore was Voldemort taking people from him, from others. He had one sister now, Hermione, he was sure would some day be his sister-in-law. Voldemort, he resolved, would not deny him the joy of seeing it.
Harry had been very careful since early that summer to keep tight control of the conduit between himself and the Dark Lord. Now he let it open wide. He could feel the pain in his scar building, but refused to let it affect him.
“I’m coming for you Voldemort,” Harry said out loud. “You are finished hurting the people I care about. Somehow, someway, I will beat you.”
Hermione jumped, turning around to look at him, at his first words. His green eyes were blazing and if Ginny had seemed scary yesterday, Harry was terrifying. Not to her, but she actually felt like Voldemort should be scared.
“Harry, what are you doing?” she hissed at him.
“Just letting an old friend know that his days are numbered,” Harry said. He felt Voldemort’s anger at the intrusion instantly. He began to slowly close down the connection making sure that the message had been delivered. Harry wanted to make sure Voldemort knew that he could keep him out of his mind. He also wanted Voldemort to know that he was perfectly capable of entering his mind whenever he chose to.
“Come on Harry, I think we had better go have dinner.” Hermione took his hand pulling him to the stairs.
“Yeah, that sounds good, let’s go.” He followed her willingly.
Walking to the school, the voices in Hermione’s head piped up.
We may want to talk to him about that little episode some more. We may need to talk to Dumbledore about it if he won’t listen.
I know, but not tonight. There have been too many highs and lows this weekend. All I want is dinner and bed, Hermione told them.
And a good night kiss from Ron, they shouted at her.
Yeah, that too, she answered smiling to herself.
Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk listening to the report from the picture on his right. The report was a little over a week old, and Dumbledore was kicking himself for being lazy. With his students here at school, he tended to put off hearing these things. Of course he knew which choice Hermione had made. It was impossible not to have seen it. Besides, he had had to discreetly extract himself from a private moment between the two a day or so ago. It was the second part of the report, the part about Harry letting Voldemort know he was coming for him that had escaped him till now.
“Come now, Dumbledore. You can’t say this was unexpected can you?” Phineas Nigellus asked from his picture frame.
“If, Phineas, you are referring to Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley you would be correct. However, Harry’s response, if a bit rash, shows that Miss Granger is already fulfilling part of her purpose in his training,” Dumbledore replied.
“Is it time then, to make her aware of the prophecy?” the picture asked.
“Yes, she has claimed her role. Now she needs to know what she must do.” Dumbledore waved his wand in the air releasing the Recognition charm he had placed on one page in Ron’s diary.
Phineas was laughing to himself.
“Perhaps you might share what is so funny to you, Phineas. I could use a chuckle myself,” Dumbledore remarked to the photo.
“Well Headmaster, I was just thinking that I might have liked to see the look on Voldemort’s face when Harry sent his message. Like I once said of you: I might not like Harry’s politics, but I do like his style. Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
“I think that I would agree with you, Phineas.”
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Cho were standing with their backs to each other. The other members of the DA, with wands drawn, were facing them in a much larger circle. They had spent the whole of the first two meetings preparing to run this trial.
Hermione and Ginny had been able to modify Ron’s Recognition charm. They could now make another persons wand, as long as it was unprotected by the Recognition charm, unresponsive to its owner, if for only a short while.
After Ron had explained that the words to a spell were not what made it work, that they only served to focus the mind so it could tell the wand what to do, Luna had asked if they might be able to cast the spell without speaking at all. When Harry had asked what for, it was Neville who had supplied the answer. A sneak attack, done in plain sight, if you could pull it off without saying anything and without causing your wand to shoot out a bolt of blue light, you might be able to disarm your opponent without having a spell cast against you.
“'Accio Wand!’ and the fights over,” Neville had said. Someone else pointed out that only a few wizards alive had the ability to do magic without a wand. So it had been decided that the theory would be put to the test.
One member of the DA stood to the side to serve as an official. Their job was to give the seven members of the inner circle a random amount of time, to try and cast the Recognition charm against one or more of the outer circle members’ wands without speaking. When time was up the official would yell go.
The seven members of the inner circle were supposed to retrieve the wands of the people in the outer circle. As long as the curse would wear off in a few minutes, the people making up the outer circle were free to send whatever curses they could come up with at the inner circle. This was the second time through, and the inner circle had not fared so well the first time.
“GO!”
“Accio Wands!” seven voices rang out.
“Protégo!” members of the outer circle yelled, followed by curse after curse. Three wands flew out of their owner hands towards the inner circle.
“Protégo!” the members of the inner group yelled, trying to defend themselves.
“Stop!” yelled the referee.
Harry and Ron were on the floor, hit with a Jiggly Legs curse. Cho was bald, though her hair was quickly growing back. Neville now had donkey ears and Hermione, who had been hit with a Pertrificus Totallus curse, was laying flat on her back. Ginny however, had been unharmed and was holding four wands. Only one was hers.
“Nice job Ginny,” it was her brother Fred.
“Yeah, I felt my wand go cold pretty quick. Knew I was toast,” George added.
“Yeah, me too,” Lee Jordan, their friend, added. He held his hand out to Ginny. “May I have my wand back now? Working would be preferable.” Ginny waved her wand over the other three.
“Release!” She tossed them back to their owners. Neville stood over Hermione.
“Serves you right you know. I should leave you like this for hitting me in first year,” he said to her frozen form.
“Neville, you better unpetrify her, or I’ll give you a tail for those ears,” Ron called from the floor.
“You know I’m only joking. Enervate!” he called out pointing his wand at Hermione. “But I think I’ll leave you Ron,” he said with a laugh. Hermione sat up.
“Ok, everyone come in. Let’s figure out what happened. Finete!” she said, waving her wand at Harry and Ron to release the Jiggly Legs curse. She then turned to Neville and put his ears back.
“Ok, besides Fred, George, and Lee did anyone else lose control of their wand?” Harry asked. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finigan raised their hands.
“I just held on really tight when I felt it go cold, because I knew what was coming,” Seamus said.
“Me too,” added Dean.
“So, five out twelve were effectively disarmed,” Ron said. “Question is, which of us seven did it. I know I didn’t, I was working on Justin and Colin.”
“So raise your hand if you worked on one of the five people who were disarmed,” Ginny said. “Hermione, Cho, Luna, and me then, could have been any of us four that managed it,” she remarked, shaking her head. “I think we should try again, but assign targets this time.”
“Let’s pull one person out of the inner circle - that leaves twelve in the outer, two targets for each of the people in the middle. We’ll have two referees. We can start to rotate people to different areas,” Hermione offered.
“Are we going to have specific targets for the outer circle too?” Dean asked.
“No,” Harry said, “it’s good training for the people in the middle to have to defend themselves from all sides. Let’s get set up. I’ll referee this one. My legs are still twitching….Anyone want to take credit for it?” It was quiet. Harry looked around.
“Come on, I didn’t do it to myself.” Ginny was glaring at him. “You….you’re on my side!” he snapped at her.
“Defend yourself from all angles, Big Brother,” she said indifferently. Harry glared at her, but found himself shaking his head and smiling.
“Not up to standard?”
“No, Harry James.” She was definitely angry. Both thinking back to the Quidditch tryouts, Hermione and Ron looked at each other.
“Let’s take a five minute break. Then go once more tonight,” Ron said. Everyone agreed and broke apart for a few minutes. Ron was talking with Neville when George came up.
“Oy, Ron what’s with Ginny and Harry?”
“Yeah, what’s she going on about?” Fred asked.
“Long story,” Ron replied, “have to tell you some other time. Looks like Harry’s ready to go again.” He pointed. “Ask me again though, you should know about it.”
“Aiiiieee!”
Everyone in the room spun to look in the direction from where the scream had come from. Wands were drawn, and more than a few shield spells were cast. It was Cho, a pile of books was on the floor at her feet. Lying open in the middle with a pillar of light spilling from it was Ron’s Diary.
“Get back!” Harry yelled, but the light began to fade out then disappeared altogether.
“What are you doing with that?” Ginny shouted. Her eyes were blazing.
Uh-oh, Ron said to himself, moving to get between his sister and Cho.
“I tripped over the bag last session. I just picked it up to move it out of the way for the next time. It ripped, and then the book,” she said pointing at it. “Well you all saw it,” she finished looking around at the group and then back at Ginny.
Cho shrank back with her wand raised. She had seen Ginny’s temper at the tryouts. It was scary fifty feet away and now it was directed at her. Ron moved between them. Fred and George touched Ginny’s shoulder.
“Gin, its ok,” Fred said. Ginny began to deflate. Looking nervously around at each other, the DA members relaxed a little.
Hermione and Neville moved to Cho to see if she was okay. Ron looked around, Fred and George had Ginny pulled to the side and were trying to joke with her. He looked back to the diary.
Hello, what’s that? he asked himself. I never wrote anything that far in. Maybe Hermione made an entry.
Ron walked over to the diary. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten about it in the aftermath of Ginny’s display. They were starting to gather in small groups to talk about it. Ron nudged the diary with his toe. Nothing happened. He squatted down so he could read it without having to pick it up.
After Tom Riddle’s old diary had almost been responsible for killing Ginny in his second year, he didn’t need to be reminded of what could happen with diaries that were exhibiting strange magic. Ron could just make out the words. His stomach lurched; he shook his head and reread the entry.
“Bloody Hell!” he said loudly.
The room went quiet. He looked up; everyone was looking at him. Ron looked down at the diary again then back up to Harry and then to Hermione and then he reached to pick the diary up.
“Ronald, no!” Hermione screamed. Both her and Harry started towards him. His hand closed on it and he stood up holding the diary in front of him. With another look at Hermione he started to read.
THE ONE MARKED BY THE DARK LORD…. MARKED AS EQUAL BY HIM….OTHERS WILL COME IF HIS HEART IS TRUE….HE NEED NOT FIGHT ALONE….
ONE OF RED HAIR WILL RISE….POWER APPROACHING THAT OF THE DARK LORD….IN 11 YEARS THE FIRST TO OFFER FRIENDSHIP, IT WILL BE TESTED IMMEDIATELY….CHOOSE WISELY EQUAL AND HE WILL BE YOUR GENERAL PLANNING YOUR VICTORY….HE CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY TO NEW MAGIC….HIS HEART WILL WAVER ONCE, BUT RETURN TO STAND WITH YOU AND FACE HIS GREATEST FEARS….CHOOSE WISELY EQUAL AND TWO OTHERS WILL FOLLOW….
SHE OF BROWN HAIR….ONE FROM NONE….THE SECOND FRIEND IN 11 YEARS….POWERFUL HERSELF BUT UNCARING OF IT OR THE POWER THE FIRST TWO POSSESS….DRAWN TO THEM BY THEIR HEARTS, SHE WILL BE OFFERED THE HEART OF EACH….SHE WILL LOVE BOTH BUT WILL ONLY WANT ONE....TEMPERED BY HER GENTLE HAND THEY WILL LOSE THEIR HEADSTRONG WAYS, SHE WILL TEACH THEM RESTRAINT….SHE WILL GIVE BOTH STRENGTH, FOR EVEN THE ONE SHE FORESAKES WILL FIGHT FOR HER BEFORE HIMSELF….
Ron looked up when he finished. Harry stared at him. Hermione sat down heavily on the floor. Everyone in the DA knew part of the first prophecy about Harry. They also knew of the first two parts to this second one. Now they had the third.
“Dumbledore told me there were four parts to the prophecy. He gave me the first two, the night he taught me how to create the Recognize charm that we have been using and modifying,” Ron said, his gaze shifting over the whole of the DA.
“Dumbledore said it would be dangerous to reveal any part of the prophecy before the person who would fill the roll identified themselves. He must have placed this in the diary before he gave it back to me.” People shifted nervously, even Fred and George were quiet.
“Hermione, Dumbledore said that you could figure out what was protecting the diary in a few hours, and you did. He said I would figure it out easy because I created it to begin with. How come we didn’t find this before?” Ron asked.
“Because, Ronald, we didn’t look for it,” she answered.
“We know about the first two parts, what exactly is the third part getting at?” Lee Jordan asked.
“It means,” answered Hermione, “that I am the second.” She stood up again.
“One of brown hair,” she indicated to her head.
“One from none, my parents are both non-magic….Muggles.”
“She will be the second friend in eleven years.” Hermione looked at Harry; the others followed her gaze. He nodded to her.
Why is he smiling? the voices asked her.
“I don’t care that I am exhibiting the power I do. Nor have I ever cared about the power both Harry and Ron exhibit.”
“She will be offered the heart of both, love both, but only want one.” Hermione finished by walking to Harry, she touched his face then turned to Ron and settled into his arms. The others in the room watched her and Ron.
“So, the rumors about Harry telling you he was in love with you were true?” Lee Jordan asked. Hermione nodded at him.
“Oy, wait a second,” Fred said.
“You left out two lines, Hermione,” George picked up. The others looked at her expectantly.
“The other two lines are my task. Somehow, I am supposed to give both Ron and Harry strength. And I’m supposed to teach them both restraint,” she said with a sigh. Everyone was quiet again, thinking to themselves. It was Cho who broke the silence.
“Whatever it is that you and Ron have to do to help Harry defeat….Voldemort,” you could barely hear the name come off of her lips, “I will do everything in my power to help. Even if I have to step in front of the death curse for one of you,” she said with growing conviction.
“Thank you, Cho,” Hermione said softly.
Harry was elated. He was having trouble with what Ron was supposed to teach him, he and Ron spent time on it every day.
The problem is that even Ron, who has done it twice - ok, technically once - has not been able to do it again, the voices spoke up.
Yeah, well at least this one. I think I’ve already got figured out, Harry answered. Harry could tell Hermione was at a loss for how she was going to fulfill the prophecy. But he knew that she already had.
I’ll tell her, Ron, and Ginny about it in private, he said to himself. The others don’t really need to know anyways.
“You know what guys; I think we have done enough for tonight,” Harry addressed the group. “I’ll let you know about the next meeting, maybe even this week yet. Anyone besides Cho ready to say his name?” he asked. It was becoming a standard question he ended meetings with. He didn’t have many takers yet. And no one stepped forward now, but they were all getting to the point that they could at least hear him say Voldemort and not suffer fits. It was progress.
“You know,” he added after a second, “we don’t have to wait to practice this stuff. I’ll be trying to make your wands go dead whenever I get the chance. Just try not to land yourself in detention. And if you’re in Gryffindor, don’t cost us any points. If you’re not in my house, I don’t care how many points you cost your house,” he said, ducking to miss the pillow Luna sent his way. “Oh yeah, anyone who kills Snape’s wand, can prove you did it, and gets away with it, gets a five galleon trip to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes on me,” he added.
“Hey no fair,” George said.
“Yeah, when are we going to see Snape?” Fred added.
“What are you complaining about? You get the Galleons either way,” Lee shot at them.
“Oy,” Fred said.
“Guess you’re right,” George finished with a smile.
Authors note:
You didn't really think Hermione would pick Harry did you?