She was in the headmaster's office, but strangely enough it was housing Albus Dumbledore instead of Minerva McGonagall.
Hermione glanced around from her perch, her scarlet and gold plumage fanned out behind her and she held her bird-like head at an angle to hear what Dumbledore was saying…
"Severus, it must be done…there is no other way." Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in his office.
"Perhaps, but it is not my job to do so…the Dark Lord has bequeathed the task upon Draco Malfoy." Severus's reply seemed coldly distant.
"We will find a way around that…you know as well as I do, that Harry cannot destroy Voldemort when there are so many who are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect him. He must be isolated from me."
Severus hesitated before he replied ,"Have you told him everything he needs to know, regarding Voldemort's past?"
Dumbledore replied softly," I have told him everything I know, and all that I have guessed. I will take him with me tonight to destroy the one that I have found. When I return I assume that Draco will be waiting to try and kill me, is that correct?"
"He confided in me only that he has found a way to let the Death Eaters in, and yes it will be tonight."
Severus paused and awkwardly asked, "I have not met any men as noble as you are…to destroy yourself for that boy, are you sure you will be able to go through with it?"
"Severus, I do it not for the boy. I do it for Harry Potter, and the fate of the world…besides, to the well organized mind, death is but the next greatest adventure…"
Dumbledore smiled sadly.
"Well, I suppose this is good-bye and I hope we meet again in another life. Thank you for all you have done…" Severus broke off uncomfortably.
"Thank you, Severus."
Hermione spread her beautiful scarlet wings and silently glided over to Dumbledore's shoulder.
"Fawkes, I must leave this world soon…, but I will only truly be gone when none here are loyal to me…"
Hermione's opal tears slid down her beak and landed on Dumbledore's silver head…. Then she flew out the window into the deep night….
Hermione woke with a start; she had drifted off while researching the properties of a Horcrux…
"What an odd dream…I can hardly remember it …it was about Snape and Dumbledore …and I was Fawkes.
Hermione shook her head and resumed her reading.
"Of the Horcruxe we will state not the means by which it may be used, for it can destroey the soule much more so than it can save the life." ...
Hermione paused to copy this information down and proceeded to the next sentence in the moldy, mottled book she was reading.
Of the Darkeste of the Evile Artes was perhaps the most foul book she had read, and being quite the bookworm, this was saying something.
"Splitting one's soule through the most wicked deed feasible and storing that parte in an objecte ensures that if the Castore of the Spell suffers from an attempte at murdere, he will not die. This is highly discouraged because of the cursede life that a creatore of a horcruxe will lead. Thus it shall not be further discussed."
Hermione paused thoughtfully and scribbled down some more in her notes.
It had been a month since the death of Dumbledore, yet the feeling of loss and helplessness hadn't left her. How could she possibly find any information regarding the Horcrux without Dumbledore?
She only had those memories. She glanced up at the silvery liquid swirling in the vials that lined the shelves of the dank, musty bedroom in which she was working. She, Harry, and Ron, had looked at every single one of them only an hour before, scouring them for any information that might aid their search. The result had been nothing.
Hermione decided that she might as well stop her research on Horcruxes for now and move on to another bit of elusive information…R.A.B.
She opened the immense volume of An International Recording of All Witches and Wizards Volume MXCIICVMCIII She hated this book, not only because she had it illegally (Mundungus had stolen it from the Ministry) but especially since it kept on getting thicker by the second, but magically never larger than the reader could handle.
She flipped to the section labeled " Baabka-Byuorning" and began skimming the list for first names beginning with the letter "R."
"Oliemeka Baabka, Lance Babbs, Ellena Bacheer,"
The Muggle way would never work.
" Tabellae Ordinatio," she muttered as she tapped the page with her wand.
"Exhibeo Increpito Initiales R A B." The words on the page immediately rearranged themselves and about a thousand of the names disappeared.
Hermione grinned as she began reading the mercifully brief list of 15 names.
Reginald Adair Burman …………………1935-______
Ronaldo Acton Bighting…………………1402-1491
Regulus Accursius Black…….…………1963-1990
Rebecca Adalia Burson………………… 1994-______
Roland Alidan Bae………………………...760-769
Raina Alexsavia Baird……..............1349-1379
Ryanna Arwen Billiard ………………….1693-1799
Riollo Albert Bones……..…………………1302-1302
Rissert Aelladonna Barden …………..1928-1986
Ryman Adrian Barinthess……………1902-____
Reaelame Althea Bhayanna……….1984-____
Ridsertio Alexander Barse………….1954-____
Rebella Alesti Boot….…………………1276-1365
Roderick Acario Barrett………..……1953-1991
Rosalind Antigone Bungs………..….1901-1995
"Process of Elimination, Hermione!" she muttered to herself.
Hermione crossed out all the people who were still living and those born before the twentieth century.
That left Regulus Black, Rissert Barden, Roderick Barrett and Rosalind Bungs.
It couldn't possibly be Bungs,because she had no relationship with Voldemort. She had spent most of her life in Austria researching the pollen density of the Venomous Tentacula, until she died when one of her favorite plants strangled her.
Now Hermione had three candidates left, not including the recently added Roberta Allysia Brown who had probably been born just a few moments ago.
"Indicium Revelio!" Hermione whispered as she prodded
Rissert Barden's name with her wand. Immediately a summary of Barden's life appeared wear the list of names had once been.
Born to Ameliea Frather and Rodolphus Barden, Rissert Barden was always a prudent little child, though her magical powers were quite below average she was quite famous for her Muggle cooking habits…
Hermione groaned as she skipped down the famous "Barden Spinach Prosciutto Quiche" recipe to how Barden died.
Rissert died at the age of 56 in her sleep, cause unkown, but the Healers of St. Mungo's suspect an accidentally overdosed sleeping potion.
"Definitely not her..."
Hermione scanned down to the next name on her list, Regulus Black. As a reflex, Hermione scowled at the name. His past was somewhat already quite familiar to her, but she whispered the Information Revealing charm anyway.
Brother of the infamous Sirius Black, it comes with little surprise that Regulus pursued the lifestyle of Death Eater. He was under the impression that He Who Must Not Be Named's rally was only to purify the wizard race. He was later murdered on You-Know-Who's orders when he backed out of the Dark Lord's plan to murder Cardaroc Dearborn.
Hermione pause and let out a noise of disgust. She thought she would not be able to read any more of Sirius's brother's past, and moved down to the next and last name: Roderick Barrett.
Roderick Barrett was a famous Seer of his time, a powerful wizard and alchemist as well. He spent most of his time studying the Dark Arts in an effort to be aware of the enemy's tactics.
He was a known wizard recluse, but he often disappearinged for long period'ss of time to places such as London, Fen, Wild Moor,Valley Broad, Glen, and upon his last trip to Albania, he was found dead in a forest, presumably murdered by the killing curse.
His murderer was never discovered, but, many wise wizards assume that it had something to do with his relationship with the Dark Lord.
Hermione hardly believed the words she was reading, her eyes shining she stood up and was about to rush upstairs to wake Harry and Ron to tell them the good news.
Her glee was cut short, however, when suddenly a loud ear-splitting crack resounded in the dank room, and Draco Malfoy appeared bleeding and half unconscious on the floor in front of her.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I am DREADFULLY sorry for the evil cliffie...but perhaps if you leave some nice LONG reviews, I will give answer all of your questions with nice LONG chapters! MUAHAHAHA...*grins evilly*
SPECIAL THANKS:
~My WONDERFUL reviewers
~My AMAZING Betas: Little Kitty and Potterphile12
~JKR for Lending me her characters
~Tom Felton for being HOTT!
Love,
Lilly