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Fang stood cowering by Hagrid’s side, his fur singed but otherwise unharmed. |
And then Harry explained what happened. How he and Dumbledore had returned. How Harry had been immobilised and hidden as he watched Draco appear, then Snape arrive, and finally Bellatrix. |
Bellatrix had informed Dumbledore that Snape hadbroken the barrier that had been placed over her memories. How she recalled everything and was disgusted in the attempt of redemption, how she would take great pleasure in watching Draco murder him. |
And then Harry explained that Dumbledore had pleaded at Severus as Draco’s hand shook and before whatever was meant to occur, could, Bellatrix had cast the killing curse and then rose the Death Mark over Hogwarts. |
Hermione’s thoughts were still fogged. |
Bella was important, she was a friend, and there was a heartbroken ache slowly settling over her. |
"I know she was important to you, but that person is dead," Harry said. "You know that, don’t you?" |
Why did it feel like she was missing something? Some important puzzle piece. |
"I think she did something to me," Hermione said. "Maybe I worked out what she was planning. I think...I think I knew what was going to happen." |
"Maybe you worked out that her memories had come back?" Harry suggested. |
"Why didn’t she kill me? Why did she just..." |
"I don’t know Hermione. Maybe a part of her still cared for you enough to let you go. Maybe the memories didn’t come back all at once and she tried to protect you before she turned evil again, I don’t know. But it’s not Bella. Bellatrix murdered Dumbledore, and then she laughed. She took joy in it." |
At once, it became too much and Hermione burst into tears. On her knees, in front of Hagrid’s hut Harry stood there beside her and tried his best to comfort her. |
But it wasn’t enough. |
Bellatrix was gone, and she’d taken the last good things Hermione had, and left her with a blistering ache in its absence. |
Hermione didn’t remember seeing Dumbledore’s body, though she was sure she went with Harry to see it. |
She didn’t remember Ginny taking her and Harry both to the hospital wing. She didn’t remember explaining the gaps in her memory and how everything felt like a dream. But someone examined her. |
Professor Flitwick didn’t believe it was from a memory charm. It was only when Professor Slughorn examined her that he believe she’d had some memories forcibly removed. Likely, Hermione had resisted the memories be taken, which was the cause for the patchwork feeling. |
They had been ripped from her, for whatever reason, and pieces had been left behind. |
"Why would she want to take my memories?" Hermione asked. |
Professor Slughorn didn’t offer a solution. As a trophy, perhaps? But Hermione didn’t believe that. There was a feeling, deep inside of her, that she was missing something vital. |
"Hermione?" Ginny spoke, breaking her from her thoughts. "Hermione, is it true? Is Bella really Bellatrix Lestrange?" |
"Yes," Hermione said, remembering what the witch had said. "She threatened to go after my family," and then, the panic rose, "she promised, oh God, I have to go. I have––" |
"Miss Granger," McGonagall said, breaking her from her thoughts. "I can’t in good conscience allow you to leave. If you can wait––" |
"But what if she’s already there?" Hermione asked. "She said she was going to torture them, like she did..." her eyes moved to Neville and then back. "Please, professor. I’ll be careful, I promise. She knows where I live. She stayed with me over the summer, I––" |
And Hermione was crying again. |
There were so many arguments breaking out, so much explaining with how the Death Eaters got into the castle, asking why Dumbledore seemed to trust Snape and Bella so implicitly. Over and over again, people spoke. |
Mr and Mrs Weasley shortly arrived with Fleur and the conversations started all again. |
In the cacophony, as McGonagall became distracted listening to Harry, Hermione slipped out of the Hospital Wing, and returned to Gryffindor tower. |
At first, she went and grabbed her bag that she’d been slowly preparing, before she hesitated and looked at the trunk at the foot of the bed. Opening it up, she found herself going through Bella’s things. |
There were clothes and uniforms. But beneath all of that, carefully laid out was the dragon hide jacket Hermione had purchased her, with Treasure Island wrapped up within it. |
Taking them both, Hermione placed them inside of her bag, and then, with only a quick note that she placed on Ginny’s bed, Hermione left Hogwarts. |
She went home. Her parents were surprised, and then concerned but Hermione didn’t hesitate with what was needed to be done. |
It would have been nice to have a last meal, a last evening with them both where they watched the telly and talked about all the the things in the neighbourhood she’d missed, but Hermione didn’t know how long they had left. |
If she was honest, this has been a plan she’d formed in her mind long, long ago after her fourth year. For the last two years, she’d researched different options, but now it was time. |
Her parents memories were obliviated. They would not recall Hermione. They would not recall the wizarding world or any of the strange things she’d spoken about. |
There might be a strange longing ache inside of them both, but they would be happy in Australia, far away from England and nowhere near where Bellatrix could get her hands on them. |
Plane tickets were booked. Visas requested and organised. |
They would be safe. |
When the Order finally arrived, her parents had long left and Hermione was found sitting on her backdoor steps with a cup of tea. She hadn’t worked out the missing piece, but she with certaint that whatever happened, the only thing that mattered was keeping Harry alive and defeating Voldemort. |
No matter the cost. |
Even if that meant going up against Bellatrix and killing her. |
No matter what she did, the past would always catch up to her. In a clear night Astoria went to bed but did not sleep that night. She chased the dreams away and illuminated her consciousness, searching for clues. Certain moments became clearer. She went back to relive some again and other studies for missed clues. It was unbearable to find out in how much pain Draco was. It was worse to trace the hints, pointing at his betrayal from the very start. |
The Dark Mark – it all got back to it. They had found him as a boy and decided to use him. Draco Malfoy was someone who could help them take the school from the inside. Maybe not just him but other Slytherin students. Kids, she told herself in fear, remembering her interactions with Theo and Pansy. And Astoria was one of them that ultimately made her someone they wanted. They could use her against Dumbledore or they could force her to join them like they did with Draco. Different scenarios played in her mind but all ended bad for her. There was no escape. |
Draco tried to keep his distance but was failing. She’d catch him staring. Sometimes he would come and talk with her. Nothing of great importance but it meant the world hearing his voice. Watching him in his school uniform. Pretending everything is normal. It was sacred to her. |
Harry refused to look at her. It was a big fallout. Astoria didn’t care. She woke up and her mind was made up. When class ended she walked through the hallways next to the Gryffindors at the Quidditch field. |
All eyes were drown to her as Astoria stood out like a sore spot in green among them. Someone said something behind her back, shouted obscenities. She ignored him. |
The first to notice her was Ron Weasely who pushed an elbow into Harry so he’d turn his head. Just as their eyes met in a glimpse of a second, Ginny got up from the benches and crossed her path. |
"I think you should leave", she said to her in a firm voice. |
Astoria liked how brave Ginny was. When she weighted her down with a look it was clear the witch was more than a pretty thing too look at. Ginny was athletic and had a fire inside of her, fire in her hair as well. The true image of a Gryffindor. Unfortunately, that meant little in front of an Elroy. Astoria took her eyepatch and looked at Ginny who gasped with horror, meeting her red eye. They all knew what it meant, as he had the same eyes. |
"Harry, I need to talk to you", Astoria announced. Everyone went silent. |
Harry peaked behind Ginny’s shoulder. His green eyes quickly looked away from her. He looked shut out from her, crossing one of his arm, holding the other with it. Like a closed door. |
"Maybe not after last night", he said quietly, refusing to look at her again. |
"This isn’t about your feelings or mines", Astoria insisted. "If I was ever a friend of yours, you will come and listen to me". |
He turned to look at her. Astoria now seemed terrifying, one of her eyes red with rage, the other a familiar brown. She changed every day and it always shocked him how much different they were becoming. But they used to be friends. They used to laugh in the dark and whisper as they made fun of Lockhart. That’s how it all began. Astoria helped them save Hermione, helped them get into Slytherin’s common room. She was his friend and Harry couldn’t ignore her call. |
He stepped forward. Ron looked at him with disapproval. Astoria turned sharply on her heel and walked off with a quick step as he followed behind. |
They strayed from the hallways. She dragged him in the forest. It was near to the place he found her unconscious on the ground. That was the last time he found her vulnerable. Now everything about her was sharp. He felt uneasy alone with her. |
"What’s wrong?", Harry said a bit too quick. Better to get it done. |
Astoria finally turned to him her face now less frozen and more readable, more human with a sort of worry over it. The wind blew her hair and it distracted him. It was always long, she never cut it. Harry used to wonder about it and as his thought began to wonder astray she quickly pulled him back with the panic in her voice. |
"I need a favor from you. It is the only thing I will ever ask of you and I don’t care if you don’t want to speak to me after it, but please do this for me". |
"What is it?", he hesitated. It all seemed unusual for her. |
"My father is coming for me", she said and it felt final, absolute like a sentence with no parole. "I ask for your help to ambush the attack, so it gives me a chance to survive it." |
"Your father?", he repeated with surprise. It was a lot to take in, she knew. |
"My father, Ilay Elroy, who escaped Azkaban and served under Voldemort’s mark. My father, who Crouch said helped Voldemort in the killing of your parents. That’s who my father Is and he is coming for me, determined to take me. I don’t know if he would prefer me dead or alive." |
So it’s true, Harry realized bitterly, this was the legacy of her family. The worst part was that they worked with Voldemort, a dark wizard wishing his death and coming to claim it. There was only one man, one wizard, Harry thought about that could solve this situation. |
"Have you told Dumbledore?". |
"No, I can’t tell him". |
"Why?", Harry looked at her with suspicion. |
"Because he will know how I found out and they will kill him, Harry". |
Draco Malfoy, he realized, as this confirmed his biggest suspicion. He was a Death Eater and Astoria knew about it. She knew and she chose to be with him. She knew and she stayed. That left the possibility of betrayal. Maybe it was a setup to get close to him? Maybe Draco really loved her enough to risk his life for her? |
The silence was quickly overturned by anger. |
"How can I risk my life and the life of my friends on Malfoy’s word?" |
"It’s me who’s asking you, not him". |
They stared in silence. Astoria didn’t flinch. Her stare made him uncomfortable. There was so much to consider, mostly how could they do it without Dumbledore’s help. |
"I’ll have to talk to the order", Harry finally said and quickly looked away. He knew there was no need to explain, Astoria read it – saw it – in his mind. |
Her hand grabbed his as she pulled him back to herself. |
"It must be discreet. And I’ll try to take as much as possible. Can you say yes?" |
"Yes, I will help you", he sighed. |
"This isn’t everything. Hogwarts’s not safe. Do you have any idea where I can go?". |
He refused to answer for a while. The first part was true, Hogwarts wasn’t safe anymore as Umbridge infiltrated it and conquered it, one step at a time the school was falling under the control of the ministry. And Harry already knew who was infiltrating the ministry. |
If Astoria was still his friend, which his heart seemed to believe, Harry would do everything for the safety of his friends. But this wasn’t just about her. It was about Sirius and Lupin and Tonks and Ron’s family. Their safety was also a priority to him and this would only mean another risk to take. The worst part, that he would admit to himself bitterly, was that Astoria Elroy was a liability to him. She was a pureblood from a powerful and dark family, a Slytherin and Draco Malfoy’s lover. How could he bet on her with so much at risk? |
"I think I know a place.", Harry said distracted. "I’ll talk with Sirius. You know him from my mind." |
It was something he kept as a secret from her for years. Someone that important. Astoria sighed when she heard his name. It made her tired, everything about Harry felt hard and forced and complicated. Yet it was the need that bounded them together. |
"And please don’t tell Dumbledore. I know he won’t hurt him but if they suspected him in cooperation, they will torture him and kill him for it", she said as desperation cracked her voice. |
"You love him", Harry observed almost sadly. "Despite knowing he’s a Death Eater?" |
"I do", she said back to him. "I couldn’t help it". |
"I don’t understand it", he shook his head. It made perfect sense to Hermione and Ron, it seemed to excite, rather than scandalize everyone in Slytherin, and the whole school seemingly didn’t mind them, but Harry could not understand it. It made no sense to him how they were together and in love. |
"I don’t ask that of you. Just tell me will you help me with my father?" |
"I said I will always help you and I meant it. If it needs to be discrete, I’ll know to who to turn. Do you have any other useful information so we could prepare in some way?" |
"Yes, it will be Wednesday, on that field you found me once in the forest. I asked that of Draco as bait. Better they come and we expect them, then the opposite. Bellatrix Lestrange will be there with my father. Possibly another Death Eater as well". |
Harry’s eyes went wide with surprise. That was a lot of information. Bellatrix Lestrange was also a high ranking Death Eater, Sirius shared once. And more over, Draco’s aunt, yet he gave it all up. |
"Let’s say we win. We get you away safe. What happens then?" |
"I don’t imagine that will be the case", Astoria confessed to him as she looked straight into his eyes, "My father will win". |
"You shouldn’t give up that easy", Harry said as he came towards her. |
This is when he finally saw through it. There was no real rage in her, only fear that made her sharp and mad in her actions. And Astoria was afraid, terrified of what was coming for her. He didn’t say it but it made him softer. This Harry understood, he felt the same. |
"I won’t go down easy", she said firmly as her fingers twisted in fists. |
"What happens after we win, Tori?", it was a calming smile. He was always charming like that. "Because we will." |
A careless naiveness that comes to him in the worst of times, Astoria thought to herself as she found herself smiling stupidly with him. Nostalgia got the better of them both. |
"You take me somewhere safe and I stay there. I know I will be better if I manage to reach my full potential. I will go into another comma, work with Nicola". |
"Full potential?", Harry repeated, confused of what he was hearing. |
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