Hermione's Suicide

"Miss Granger, will you please see me after class?" Professor Abram asked as she passed Hermione's desk. The bell rang and the other students got up to leave, but Hermione stayed, somehow knowing that this was about the conversation she had overheard at Christmas.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, walking up to the professor.

"I saw you, Miss Granger, on Christmas. You were eavesdropping on a conversation between the headmaster and myself. I want you to know, Miss Granger, that if you breathe one word of that conversation to the person in question, I will ensure that what you went through as a result of Rita Skeeter calling you a Scarlet Woman will seem like child's play when I am through with you. I can guarantee that you'll be getting much worse than undiluted Bubotuber Puss in your letters."

"I don't care what you do to me," Hermione said flatly. "But Harry's got to know what it is he's dealing with. Anyone who threatens his life deserves to be killed, and I will make sure of that."

"Is that a threat, Miss Granger?" Abram asked.

"Consider it a promise," Hermione answered before she walked out of the classroom.

"State your name for the record."

"Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Dumbledore said. "Would you like my credentials as well?"

"No, we're fine without those. I think we all know what you are."

"Headmaster, do you recall the events leading up to your finding Donna Abram dead in her private laboratory on October twenty ninth?"

"Donna's dead?" Dumbledore asked, his face ashen.

The prosecutor looked nervous. "Yes, in fact you are the one who alerted us to the fact. You accused Mr. Potter of the murder, saying that you saw him running around a corner as you were walking down to attend a meeting with Donna. Do you remember?"

Dumbledore shook his head, a dazed and confused look on his face. "I don't remember any of that."

"Headmaster, what day is it?"

"I don't know...."

"The date is November twenty-sixth nineteen-ninety-seven. What is the last thing you remember?"

"I was in a meeting with Donna about her appointment," Dumbledore said, clearly dazed. "It was...July, nineteen-ninety-five." He looked up at the prosecutor in shock. "Two years?" he whispered.

A member of the Wizengamot stood. "The prosecution has no case, therefore the charges of murder, destruction of property, and assault against Harry Potter are dropped. This case is dismissed. Headmaster, I suggest you go to St. Mungo's for an examination."

The Aurors holding Harry let him go and he rushed to meet Draco in the center of the room, a few feet away from Dumbledore.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked between kisses. "Merlin, I was so worried about you."

Harry held Draco close and breathed deeply, letting the smell of Draco calm him down. "God, I missed you," he said softly.

"Azkaban--Harry, how are you?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, his eyes falling on Dumbledore, who sat in the witness chair with a shocked look on his face. Harry reluctantly let Draco go and walked to the man who he once thought invincible.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

Startled, Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Murder?" he asked. "Assault? I did this?"

"You've done more than just this," Harry said softly. "Don't you remember?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No," he said simply. "What's happened?"

"First of all, you and Professor Abram wanted me dead for some other purpose I don't yet know. Hermione found out about it and she killed herself just after the holidays began. About a month ago, either you or Professor Abram cast a spell on Draco and it made him go slightly insane, he tried to drop me off of the top of the astronomy tower, then Professor Abram used a Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself as Draco. She had us both tied up in her laboratory for a while. I guess she died down there as well, but that doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because a week after Draco and I left Hogwarts, we got a letter saying that we needed to owl the school to say we weren't coming back and it had her signature on it. I thought McGonagall did all that stuff."

Dumbledore nodded. "I thought so as well," he said. "How have I missed so much?" he asked softly, more to himself than to Harry.

Harry shook his head. "You didn't miss it," he said. "You were behind it all."

Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh. "I am sorry for any pain I may have caused you, Harry," he said softly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "And I mean that for your entire life, not just the time I was unaware of what I was doing."

Harry shrugged. "You only tried to kill me twice," he said offhandedly. "You've got a few more tries before I harbor any hard feelings towards you."

"And Draco Malfoy is involved in this?" Dumbledore asked, looking passed Harry to the blonde in question.

Harry nodded. "Draco is my boyfriend," Harry said softly. "You've missed quite a bit."

Harry and Draco returned the Three Broomsticks that night.

"Harry, are you sure you're all right?" Draco asked. "You're acting the same as my father after he got out of Azkaban."

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore doesn't remember a thing," he said softly. "Not one thing."

"Maybe he was under a spell or something. Like I was."

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore's too powerful to be overcome by a spell, Draco, especially if it's the same as the one Abram used on you. I would have broken that fairly easily as well."

"Maybe he was drugged then."

"Do you think Ron was?"

Draco nodded. "Either drugged or spelled."

Harry sighed heavily and walked over to the window. "Do you think she's really dead?" he asked, looking though his reflection to the heavy snowflakes falling outside.

In the reflection, Harry saw Draco walk up behind him. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and rest his chin on Harry's shoulder. "I love you," he said softly.

"Love you," Harry replied, leaning into him.

The next morning Ron showed up while the two were eating breakfast in the pub. It was the last weekend before the Christmas holidays began and the school was out for Hogsmeade.

"I heard about what happened," he said before he sat down. "Harry, my dad...he's dead."

Harry nodded sadly. "I know," Harry said. "You tried to kill me because of it."

Ron hung his head. "Yeah, I heard about that too. I'm sorry."

Harry shook his head. "No hard feelings," he said. "You weren't exactly yourself."

Ron looked up at Harry and noticed that he had quite a few tiny cuts all over his face.

"Did I do all those?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, most of them I did to myself in Azkaban."

Ron shuddered. "Merlin, Harry, what..." Ron fell silent, not daring to ask the rest of the question. "Would you like to come to the Burrow for Christmas?' he asked. "Mum would probably love to have you."

Harry remembered what Mrs. Weasley's worst fear had been and nodded. "Can Draco come?" he asked.

Ron and Draco exchanged glances. "Yeah," Ron said finally. "Yeah, he can come."

Mrs. Weasley was waiting for the four of them as they stepped off the Hogwarts Express the next day. She looked thinner than Harry had ever seen her and she was far too pale to be healthy. Harry was sure her health had taken a dive with Mr. Weasley's death.

She pulled Ginny and Ron into a tight hug when she saw them first.

"I was so shocked when Dumbledore said you couldn't come," she said. She turned to Harry and Draco. "Come here," she said, pulling them both into a hug.

A hug that Harry felt had lost most of its strength.

When Harry saw her face again, he saw that it was soaked with tears.

"We're going to Floo home from Diangon Alley," she said, leading the way out to the Muggle world.

Harry chuckled at Draco's amazement when he stepped out of the fireplace. He was trying to look in every direction possible and tipped his head so far back that he nearly fell into the table. Ginny laughed at it.

Draco quickly recovered and went back to being a Malfoy. He stood up straight and kept himself from looking around in awe. Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"What?" Draco asked.

"Nothing," Harry said softly.

Mrs. Weasley was the last person through. When she entered the house, she set to work in the kitchen. "Harry, Draco, you two can take Percy's old bedroom. There's just not enough room for all of you in Ron's."

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance before looking back at Mrs. Weasley, who was watching them.

"Ginny told me," she said softly.

Harry and Draco looked at Ginny. She blushed and looked away. "It's all over school," she said. "Most everyone thinks you two ran away to get married."

Harry and Draco blushed.

"Mum wanted to know why I wasn't dating you, Harry," Ginny continued. "I had to tell her about you and Draco."

Mrs. Weasley was a wreck all through the break. Harry would constantly find himself walking in on her in tears, but she would never talk to anyone about it. She kept saying that she was fine, that she had to be strong, that no matter what, Harry was not to let anyone know about her tears.

Bill, Charley, Percy, Fred, and George all came home for Christmas. It was very subdued, being that it was the first without Mr. Weasley.

Gifts were exchanged, smiles were shared, but there was no cheer in the house. In fact, the day was so hard on Mrs. Weasley that she began to cry uncontrollably just after everyone had gone to bed. Her sobs woke up her children, who went to see her crying for the first time since they heard of their father's death.

"So she does cry," Harry heard Bill saying as the Weasley children went back to their beds.

Harry looked at Draco. "Now they know she's not superhuman," he said softly.

Draco chuckled. "They've always known," he said. "None of them ever show it, but they know."

"How do you know?" Harry asked, climbing into bed next to Draco.

"I have a family, Harry," he said softly. "My father may be a arse, but my mum's still my best friend."

"I wish I knew what that was like," Harry said softly.

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry. "You will," he said softly. "One day you will."

"When?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed. "I don't know," he said. "But I promise you, it will happen."

Harry and Draco stayed behind as Ron and Ginny went back to school.

"You two really need to go back to school," Mrs. Weasley said as the train left the station.

"No," Harry sighed. "We're needed elsewhere."

"Will you stay with me then?" she asked. "At least then I know you're safe."

Harry and Draco returned to the Three Broomsticks to check out of their room and get their things. They were walking passed Hogwarts when Dumbledore met them at the gates.

"I wish you would reconsider you decision to refrain from furthering your education," he said softly.

Harry and Draco shook their heads. "No, Headmaster," Harry said softly. "Not after what's happened."

"Donna Abram is no longer a professor at this school," Dumbledore said softly. "There is nothing to fear."

"As long as I don't have a guarantee that she's dead," Harry began, "she'll always be a threat."

Dumbledore nodded. "But you're safer inside the walls of Hogwarts than you are out there. Where are you going to go?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there," Harry said. "As for right now, we're heading back to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley really needs someone around and Bill and Charley have to leave for their missions, and Percy and the twins all have very important jobs and no longer live at home. We figured we'd stay for a little while."

Dumbledore nodded. "That's a very good idea," he said. "I'm sure Molly will appreciate that very much."

Voldemort entered the room and the one Death Eater bowed down low. "I've failed," said a feminine voice.

"Try again," Voldemort hissed.

Dear Diary, 5.20.97

I can't believe Dumbledore! He's gone mental! Today he and Abram actually ASKED me for my help. AND they want me to get Ron to help them too! They're insane! They say that it's best for the war and for Harry if we KILL him! I can't believe they would actually ASK this!

And Abram was full of herself. "You've known this was coming," she'd said. Merlin, I could kill her. Maybe I will. She deserves to die for the plans she has for Harry. How anyone can plan the destruction of another is completely beyond me. I'll bet she's a Death Eater spy for Voldemort.

Maybe she's controlling Dumbledore!

Merlin, I sound like Ron.

Sometimes Ron is right though....

Merlin, what if Dumbledore IS under control?