Hermione's Suicide

"He's too dangerous."

The voices floated to Hermione as she walked passed Professor Abram's office. She stopped, noticing the door was partially open, and listened.

"He must be stopped."

"Donna, do you really believe that Harry will become the next Voldemort?"

"Albus, I believe he will become something far worse than Voldemort. I believe that if we do not find a way of controlling Harry before the time comes, he will be lost to us forever. You saw how he reacted when you talked to him after Sirius' death--he nearly destroyed your office! Can you honestly allow power like that out of your control?"

"No, no, you're right.... How do you propose we stop him?"

"Kill him."

Hermione gasped and brought a shaking hand to her mouth. Kill Harry? Kill him? How could they? How could that witch? How? Why? When?

"We'll need to find a way of keeping the power of the Boy Who Lived available to us."

"I'm already working on that, Headmaster," Abram said.

"We'll need the help of Ron and Hermione. I doubt Harry would trust anyone else."

"Yes, Granger's been very cooperative with us so far, she should be trustworthy."

"I'll have to talk with her; Ron as well, if we are to be successful in our plans. How long will you need to prefect the spell?"

"I don't know."

When Harry entered the Great Hall the next morning, Draco was nowhere to be found. Confused and slightly hurt, Harry left breakfast and went to their spot by the lake, fully intent on skipping his classes that day.

When he arrived, he saw Draco sitting under the tree.

"Why weren't you at breakfast?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Are you feeling alright?"

Draco nodded. "Sorry," he said, taking a drink from his flask. "Come with me."

A feeling of dread overcame Harry. Not again, he thought desperately.

"No," he said.

"What?" Draco asked, confused. "Why not?"

"I'm not falling for it," Harry said, looking directly into Draco's eyes. He noticed that they didn't have the same crystal-clear quality they usually held, but they weren't dull and empty either, as they had been the night before.

Draco was obviously not under a spell this time.

"I'm not under a curse this time, you know," he said standing up. He walked over to the lake and picked up a rock. "You can trust me. I thought we talked about this last night." He moved to throw the rock into the lake, but at the last moment, he turned and threw the rock at Harry instead.

Draco watched in horror as the imposter dragged Harry's body into the room he was chained in.

"Harry?" he whispered, the fear striking him close to his heart.

The imposter waived a wand at Harry and suddenly Harry was chained to the wall next to Draco.

"What did you do to him?" Draco demanded, looking at his spitting image.

The imposter shrugged. "I hit him in the head with a rock."

Draco turned quickly to Harry and saw blood dripping down his face.

"DAMN YOU!" Draco bellowed. He struggled against his chains uselessly. They were so tight he could barely move his arm, let alone hope to struggle himself free of their bonds. Harry, he thought, nearly crying at the sight of the man he loved. Harry's head was slumped forward, his arms were held out, as Draco's were, forming a cross with his body. They were a foot or so off of the ground and there was a platform under their feet, but it wasn't much. Definitely not room to try and escape with. In fact, Draco was sure that if he weren't chained, he wouldn't even be able to stand on the platform.

Harry began to wake up, either from Draco's yelling or something else. He groaned and lifted his head. He tried to move his hand, but when he found it chained, he was instantly awake.

Looking frantically around, Harry saw Draco standing by a cauldron. There were shelves with herbs and potions lining the wall opposite the door and a high window in front of him. If he were still at Hogwarts, he knew he was in the dungeons.

He heard a chain move to his left and turned. He saw Draco chained to the wall next to him, struggling against his bonds. Harry turned back to the cauldron and saw Draco adding ingredients. "What?" he whispered.

He turned to the chained Draco. "Draco?" he asked.

"Harry," Draco said, tears in his eyes.

Harry looked back at the other Draco. "Who's that?" he asked softly.

"Call me Abram," the imposter said. "Professor if you prefer, but Abram nonetheless."

"Why are you doing this?" Harry asked, fighting like mad to keep his wits about him.

Abram shrugged. "You're too much of a threat, Potter," she said.

"A threat to what?" Harry asked.

"The cause," Abram answered simply. "Now sleep," she said, waiving her wand in their direction. Harry and Draco went limp with sleep.

When Harry next woke, it was to find himself falling suddenly. His breath was knocked out of his lungs as he hit the floor, un-braced. Someone, he assumed it was Abram, grabbed his hands and began to drag him across the room. He moved restlessly in his half-awake state, but was quickly waking up as he realized that this was his one chance to escape before he was killed.

Harry grabbed the wrists of the hands that were pulling him and pulled, hoping to knock the person dragging him off balance. It worked, and the form dragging Harry toppled over him. Harry sprang up and, distractedly noticing that it was indeed Professor Abram, grabbed his wand from the table he stood up next to and pointed it at Abram.

She scrambled to her feet and pulled out her own wand as Harry retrieved his.

A duel, is it?" she asked, beginning to circle Harry. "Very well, Potter, I accept. You defeat me, and you can go. But know this. In order to defeat me, you'll have to kill me because if you don't I'll just keep coming after you."

"I'll give you to the Ministry," Harry said simply. "I won't kill you."

Abram shrugged. "What's the ministry going to do to an Auror who is accused of killing a seventeen year old boy when that boy has no proof or witnesses?"

Harry's eyes flashed to Draco and saw that he was still unconscious.

Abram used that moment to attack using the Hurling Hex. Harry flew back and into one of the shelves. Potion bottles shattered and fell all around him.

Harry cast his next curse before he was back on his feet. "Locomotor Mortis!" he shouted. Abram's legs snapped together and she fought to keep her balance. She failed and fell, but not without sending another curse Harry's way.

"IMOBULOUS!" she shouted. Harry froze, mid-movement.

Harry struggled, but eventually worked himself free of the curse using a trick he read in a book once.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALOUS!" he shouted. Abram stopped moving as her arms snapped to her sides. Harry rushed to Draco and unlocked the chains holding him to the wall and gently helped him to the ground. "Enervate," he said softly.

Draco stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

"Harry?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "It's me," he said softly. Draco sat up and looked around, seeing the mess left from the duel.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I had a duel with Abram," Harry confessed. "She's petrified right now. We should get out of here before the spell wears off."

"Get her wand," Draco ordered, standing up. He found his wand on the table near where Harry's had been as Harry pried the wand from Abram's fingers. Her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry," he said, "but I can't have you getting free and coming after us.

Struck by a sudden idea, Harry pointed his wand at the professor once more and tried the stunning spell for the first time in his life.

A jet of red light erupted from his wand and hit the professor in the chest. Another jet erupted from Abram's wand and hit the table, shattering one of the legs. Harry realized he should have put the other wand down before he attempted the spell.

The table crashed down, causing ingredients and the cauldron to go everywhere. The potion in the cauldron washed over Abram and sizzled.

"Come on," Draco said, looking fearfully at the professor. "Before someone comes by."

"She got you last night?" Harry asked as Draco revealed the events of his capture.

Draco nodded. "You hadn't even gone inside yet," he said softly. "She came up behind me, I hadn't even turned around, and she hit me in the back of the head with something. I didn't know who she was until she told us."

"Do you think we could go to the Ministry about all this?"

Draco shook his head. "No. A. they're all on Dumbledore's side now, and if he wants you dead, there's noting we can do about it, and B. Abram is an Auror. If she gives them a reason for wanting us dead, they'll fall for it--especially if that reason is that you're bound to become the next Dark Sorcerer. No one wants a repeat of Voldemort running around on the loose, and the Daily Prophet did say that they thought the reason Voldemort went to kill you in the first place was because you would be a bigger bad than he."

Harry sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right," he said. "Merlin, I wish Hermione were here. She'd know what to do."

"Maybe there's something in her diary."

"Maybe," Harry said thoughtfully. "It's up in the dormitory, want to come with me?"

"It was in the dorm this whole time?" Draco asked. "Did you have any idea this would happen?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but I didn't really feel like going to classes, not after almost falling to my death."

"I'm so sorry," Draco said softly. "I can't believe I almost killed you."

Harry stopped walking suddenly. "You did not almost kill me, Draco," he said, placing a finger on Draco's mouth to stop any protest. "Abram almost killed me. Twice now. She was the one controlling you last night, so I don't ever want to hear you say that you almost killed me. Got it?"

Draco nodded before they kissed.

"Have either of you seen Ron?"

Harry turned around to see Ginny behind him.

"Ron's not exactly talking to me right now, Ginny," he said.

She sighed. "I know, but I haven't seen him since breakfast and I'm worried."

"Has he been to any of his classes?" Harry asked.

"Haven't you?" Ginny asked in response.

"Err, not really, no," Harry answered. "We've been...sort of tied up all day."

"Oh..." Ginny said, her face falling. "Well, if you see him, tell him I'm looking for him, will you?" she asked.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, noticing how worried she was.

"Dad's been attacked again," Ginny said. "Dumbledore won't let me go see him or mum and I'm really freaked out right now. I don't know if Ron knows, or what Ron knows, but I know Mum's got to be going out of her mind at the moment."

Harry and Draco gave each other fearful glances.

"Ginny, I'm sure your dad is going to be fine," Harry said, giving her a hug.

"It's not dad I'm worried about," Ginny confessed. "It's mum."

"Go write her," Harry suggested. "You can use Hedwig if you want, but I'm sure if you write her she'll feel better."

Ginny nodded. "Thanks, Harry," she said softly as she began to walk away.

"Do you think?" Draco asked softly as they began to walk very quickly in the opposite direction.

"I know," Harry said with a finality that proved that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Weasley was not harmed due to an accident or Death Eater attack. "Let's get to that journal."

Harry went straight to the one place he had found that was perfect for hiding everything--his invisibility cloak, and unwrapped the book he had hidden in its folds.

He opened the diary to see that a fourth entry had been revealed to him, some twenty pages or so after the third one he'd read. He sighed when he finished reading. "It's official," he said as he handed the book over to Draco. "They really do want me dead."

"We're one step behind with this, Harry," Draco said. "Everything you find out you find after you figure it out. We need a way to get the secrets of this diary unlocked a bit faster. Maybe then you'll have a fighting chance."

The dormitory door opened and Draco shoved the book into the cloak and then shoved the cloak into Harry's trunk. They turned to the doorway to see Ron standing there, very red, and looking ready to kill.

"Ginny's looking for you, Ron," Harry said, pretending nothing was wrong with his best friend. His and clenched around his wand.

"My father is DEAD, Potter, and it's all your fault!" Ron yelled.

"Ron what--"

Ron charged for Harry and tackled him to the ground. Ron punched Harry repeatedly and Harry refused to fight back.

"I didn't do anything!" Harry kept shouting. "It's not my fault!"

"SHUT UP!" Ron roared, punching Harry. Eventually his hands closed around Harry's throat and began to choke the life from him. That was when Draco finally sprang into action.

He shoved Ron off of Harry and kicked him in the stomach. "That's for nearly killing him!" he shouted. He kicked Ron again. "That's for hitting him in the first place!" He kicked him again. "That's for accusing him of shit he didn't do!" Draco kicked Ron one final time. "And that's for my own anger!"

"Draco, come on," Harry said, reaching into his trunk for the invisibility cloak and shoving it into his school bag. The two ran from the tower and down to the Slytherin common room. Draco lead the way to his room, no questions asked from anyone, and locked the door behind him.

They both stood in the middle of the room, trying desperately to catch their breath.

"You were right," Draco said between gasps of air. "Ron was their next pawn."

Harry nodded. "It was in the diary," he said. "Hermione said that I shouldn't trust either of them if they'd gone to a meeting with Dumbledore or if they asked me to go somewhere by myself."

"And now you just can't trust Ron period."

Draco noticed that Harry's lip was bleeding and that he had a slight bloody nose. "Come here," he said, walking to the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Harry sat on the counter as Draco washed the blood from his face. "You never hit him back," Draco said as he rinsed out the washcloth he was using. "Not once. And you didn't even try to block him. Why?"

Harry mutely shook his head. "I didn't see the point in hitting someone who didn't really know what he was doing," he said softly. "And besides, even if he is under a spell of some sort, he is still my best friend."

"He was going to kill you with his bear hands, Harry," Draco said.

"You were going to let me fall from the top of the Astronomy Tower," Harry countered. "And yet I'm still--ouch!" he hissed as Draco placed the rag on his lip. "Merlin, what is that?"

"Isopropyl alcohol," Draco muttered, blushing slightly.

"You use Muggle antibiotics?" Harry asked, amazed.

"I've always used it," Draco confessed. "When your father beats you, you can't exactly go to the healer, so you find ways around it. Muggle remedies work wonders."

"You never cease to amaze me," Harry said softly, his hand cupping Draco's face. He brought his mouth to Draco's and they kissed, abandoning the attempt to clean up Harry's face.

The next morning would tell the tale of the night before by the discarded clothes showing the path Draco and Harry took from the bathroom to the bed where it would see Harry and Draco wrapped up in each other.

Draco sighed as he woke, remembering the events of the previous night. Everything had been...perfect. He had explored every inch of Harry and now knew him by heart. He memorized every scar, every nook and cranny, every freckle.... He knew exactly what to do to make Harry melt, to make him cry, to make him scream.... And Harry knew the same about Draco.

Draco sighed again and held Harry closer to him. Somehow, he knew they would make it out of this alive. Even if that meant that they would leave the school.

Draco sat up quickly. "That's it," he breathed. They would have to leave the school to save Harry's life.

"Harry," he said urgently, shaking Harry slightly to wake him up.

"Mmm, what?" Harry mumbled, rolling over.

"I know what we need to do to save your life," Draco said.

Harry's eyes fluttered open and a look crossed his face as it does when one wakes up in a strange room and has yet to remember what happened the night before.

"What?" he asked, his eyes settling back on Draco once they scanned the room.

"We have to leave," Draco answered.

Harry sat up. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Draco nodded. "Think about it," he said. "Out there you have Voldemort to worry about, but Voldemort doesn't reside in the same walls that you do. In here we've got Ron, Abram, Dumbledore and who knows how many others. In here you don't know who to trust."

Dear Diary, 3.20.97

Today I was gifted with one of the biggest shocks of my life and it has nothing to do with the threat of Harry's! In fact, it was some of the best news I've had in a LONG time!

As it turns out, Harry and Draco Malfoy have decided to put aside their differences! Harry says that they're not quite friends, but their not rivals or enemies anymore either! I'm so happy! For once there is good news!

But, as always, with the sweets come the sours.

I don't know what's going on with Abram and Dumbledore, but something has to be gong on. I don't know how to explain it, but it doesn't feel right. I feel like they're planning something. Something big. I don't know what it is yet, but I know I'll find out soon enough.