The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 20 - Trouble

Hogwarts,

Hermione spent the rest of Sunday morning in quiet reflection. The others were planning on visiting Hogsmeade after lunch. She told Harry that she wasn't going, but without giving him all the reasons.

They ate with Ginny and Ron at the Gryffindor table, but it was an awkward meal. Ron and Hermione weren't talking to each other, and Harry was so overly protective that the others were afraid to say something wrong. Hermione was lost in her thoughts, hardly looking at anybody, and not saying a word. She ate very little and, as soon as she decently could, left without a word, only touching Harry's neck in a brief caress. He followed her with his eyes for a moment and then quickly turned around to the others, ready to pounce on the first disparaging remark. He caught Ginny's concerned look and felt a pang of guilt.

They don't mean her any harm. They're probably as worried as I am.

He threw a quick glance at Ron and corrected himself. His friend was stuffing his face with food as usual, and he seemed blindingly unconcerned about Hermione's state of mind. He figured that Ron was still holding a grudge against her because of her remarks. Although he didn't want to take position in their dispute, he had to admit that she'd been less than tactful on that one.

But he was pretty mean to her.

It probably didn't mean anything. They'd had arguments before, and long periods of ignoring each other afterwards. It wouldn't last.

Over at the Slytherin's, Draco took a sip of pumpkin cider and considered the Gryffindor table attentively. He'd been released from the infirmary this morning. His ribs were still sore, and he was forbidden from doing any flying for two weeks, but he didn't really mind. As sir Comil had said, he had made his point in any case.

Ginny shot him a smile, which he returned. She kept throwing glances at Hermione and Harry. Following her gaze, Draco yearned to know what the matter with her was. He was subtle enough to realize that asking questions in public surroundings, and in Ron's hearing, would not be a good idea. He would wait for an appropriate occasion.

The meal was soon over and the students got up one after the other. Those planning to go to the village assembled near the entrance, where a sour faced Filch checked their authorizations. Harry seemed to be hesitating on whether or not to accompany the group. Ron was already in the queue with Luna. Ginny waited until she could speak with Harry out of his hearing.

"All right," she said. "What's wrong with her?"

He frowned, but the question was a legitimate one.

"I don't know." It was the truth after all, but she wasn't buying it.

"Harry, you spent the evening, the night and half of this morning together. You must have done some talking." Her eyes twinkled, and he blushed a little despite the worry he felt.

"She just needs to be by herself," he evaded.

He would have said more, if Hermione hadn't made him promise to keep the others out of it.

"Harry-"

"Don't press me, Ginny. I know you only want to help her. So do I. She's really upset, and all she wants is to ... think things over."

"What things?" she insisted.

Harry shook his head and saw Draco coming over out of the corner of his eye. He could sense that he was going to be drawn into a discussion he didn't want. It clinched his decision not to accompany them to the village. He gave Ginny an irritated look and turned away.

She swore under her breath. Draco didn't need to have overheard anything to understand what had happened.

"You pushed too fast," he said. "It would have been better to draw him out slow and gentle."

She whirled around, giving him the brunt of her frustration.

"He's my friend. I don't want to manipulate him! I want to know what the matter with Hermione is."

"Hey! That's not what I meant." Damn that girl! Is she going to infect all of us with her craziness?

Ginny calmed down somewhat, but she was still a little irked. It took him most of the trip down to Hogsmeade to get her smiling again, and by that time, he had stopped thinking altogether about Hermione Granger.

- - -

Meanwhile, said Hermione Granger was thinking about a lot of things. She had found a calm and isolated spot in the school library, which wasn't hard since most students thought there were better things to do on a Sunday afternoon, and she had started by listing all the points that she needed to address.

The most important item was Dumbledore's attitude. What he had done was, to put it simply, incredible. She had never felt such power before, not even when they had merged their magic that first time, in order to break to curse that was poisoning him. Perhaps the second one could compare with it, when all of Hogwarts had participated in the killing Voldemort, but of course she didn't remember.

She didn't remember because Dumbledore had erased her memory.

Hermione felt a chill as she realized how many of the Headmaster's actions were very difficult to understand, if not actually ambiguous.

He's a great manipulator. He got us together. A dream team to destroy Voldemort, and now that's done with, he wants us to go back to being obedient students. We discovered and used a tremendous power, and he Obliviated us afterwards. He said that fighting anti Muggle sentiment was a priority, knowing how that would motivate me, and now he's pulled the plug on FOM.

Before that, a number of his actions had been hard to follow as well. Even Harry had doubted him more than once.

Harry. He'll think I'm being paranoid, and maybe I am.

Let's look at it from the other side. What could Dumbledore want? He was clearly an enemy of Voldemort and of other Dark Lords like Grindelwald. He's acted to defend the right of minorities ...

Wait a minute. That's not really true. He acted to defend individuals likes Hagrid, Remus or Dobby, but he's never challenged the status quo.

And he clearly didn't act against Fudge. Hermione was certain that the Minister of Magic wouldn't last a second, if the Headmaster wanted someone else to take his place.

It's the same thing with Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy. How could he act like that with me, and let Lucius get away with so much?

The most likely explanation was that Dumbledore shared vital interests with the system of pureblood families. She remembered the discussion they'd had with Remus last summer. Old rituals, old families.

Suddenly, it was beginning to make sense, and it was very sobering. She had been slapped down because she was getting too close to important people. An enemy of Voldemort was not automatically a friend of Muggles. Take for instance Draco and Ginny's new friends.

And Draco didn't get the hard treatment. Surely, Dumbledore knew what he was doing with Shrummer and Trevor. Why should he get permission, and not me?

She thought that she knew the answer. It was because Draco's friends and Dumbledore were on the same side, and Amelia Bones wasn't.

All of the sudden, she felt very cold. She was confronting powerful interests, and it was probably very dangerous. Dumbledore didn't want her to be involved in this, and he could do whatever he wanted in Hogwarts. What had happened was clearly a warning. Until she was strong enough to fight them, she had better keep a very low profile, and not let anybody know that she suspected anything.

She heard a soft sound on her left, and immediately took out her wand in defense and turned toward the disturbance, crouching in a combat posture.

"Missy Hermione! Please!" said a cringing Dobby holding a plate of food. He was shaking like a leaf, and a glass of pumpkin juice was menacing to spill over. She relaxed and lowered the wand.

"I'm sorry Dobby. You startled me."

"No Missy Hermione, Dobby is very sorry. Dobby only brings food and drink for Missy Hermione. Missy Hermione is a great and strong witch, but she ate very little today, and Dobby is afraid that she will get weak."

She smiled her thanks and helped the Elf place the platter on the table. Actually she was thirsty and she took a large gulp of juice, under Dobby's approving look. A question entered her mind.

"How did you get here Dobby? I should have seen you coming from the entrance." Apparation is impossible in Hogwarts, but is that only a restriction for humans?

"Dobby is an Elf, and he knows how to move around discretely." He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice like a conspirator. "Normally, only slave Elves can do it, and only in their master's house, but Dobby learned how to do it everywhere." He puffed his chest in pride. "Dobby had to learn very strong Elvish magic in order to survive in the Malfoy's house."

She looked at him with fascination. What he had just said was extremely interesting. She couldn't leave Hogwarts, but he could, and it might prove very useful.

"I'm sure that you are a very powerful Elf Dobby," she said, smiling, "and I'm very happy that you are my friend."

The Elf beamed with pleasure.

"Missy Hermione is too kind. Dobby is only too happy to help Missy Hermione in any way she desires. Missy Hermione has only to ask."

"Thank you very much Dobby. You can be sure I will."

He disappeared, and Hermione reflected once more on how she could use his abilities for her purposes. She would need every edge she could get in the coming struggle.

Because I'm not going to let them get away with it.

'Them' was Dumbledore, and his friends in the Wizengamot, and the teaching staff as well. She would lump them all together in this, at least until she learned more.

But she would need to be devious. She would let them think that they had succeeded in blocking her interest in wizard politics, so that they would ignore her. They would be distracted, and during that time, she would learn what they were doing, and why they were doing it.

I'm not going to be able to do it alone.

Harry. The first order of business was getting Harry on her side. He would have to be convinced, and she had a good idea on how to do that. She got up and went to look for him, but before that she turned to a bookrack and quickly selected the volume she remembered being there. When she moved away, there was a new spring in her walk, and she immediately corrected it. She wasn't full of energy and resolve. She was hurt and angry, or so she should appear. It was not difficult for her to pretend such a thing, and it would be even easier in front of a teacher.

She went to the Gryffindor quarters and found that Harry was in the common room, playing cards with Seamus and Colin. He immediately shot her a questioning look which she forced herself to ignore. She walked toward one of the room's cupboard and fumbled inside, as if she was looking for something. Harry quickly left the game and walked toward her.

"Hi" he said softly.

She still looked upset, and he guessed that she was going to stay in a funk for a long time. He was almost getting ready to say something to shake her up, when she covertly directed his attention to a piece of paper in her hand. Something was written on it.

Hagrid's hut, in one hour. We'll talk.

He looked at her with a frown and saw a flash of resolve in her eye. At the same time her hand moved toward her mouth, and she shook her head sharply. From a distance it would look that she was refusing something and biting her knuckles to keep from crying, but he saw her index finger cross her lips for an instant. It was clear that she was telling him to be discrete, but why?

He tried to read her face, but it was closed up now. She turned away and left the room, taking away a book from the cupboard. Everything fitted with the impression that she wanted to go away and be alone. Typical behavior for Hermione Granger when she was upset.

Harry played along, as if he had any choice. He sighed loudly and went back to the game, ignoring the looks of sympathy from his friends.

"She'll get over it," said Seamus softly. "She always bounces back."

"Yeah," replied Harry. "I guess you're right."

They resumed playing, but the cards couldn't hold his attention anymore. He gave it up after a while. He figured that it was still too early, but he just couldn't stay inside. He went to his dorm and recovered his broom from under the bed, then, after making sure that he was alone, he opened his chest and took out the invisibility cloak, which he slipped under his shirt. The last things he needed were some warm clothes, and he got that too. Coming down to the common room, he told the others that, if Hermione came back looking for him, he would be doing some flying outside.

He went out and did just that for twenty minutes, trying not to think of anything but of the sky, his broom and the magnificent view from above. When the hour was almost up, he dived behind the Quidditch storage shack, and quickly looked around. Seeing no one, he slipped the cloak over himself, and shot off in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Since the big man had gone, it was unused and locked up, but of course that wouldn't stop any wizard from entering. Once again making sure that he was unobserved, he slipped inside where Hermione was waiting for him.

She'd cleared the central space and she was also preparing a potion. A cauldron was simmering over a very small smokeless fire. He recognized it from the equipment they'd bought for Grimauld Place. She had also taken out a bunch of blankets and pillows, and made a kind of crude nest on Hagrid's big sofa bed.

"Come in and lock the door," she said, pouring measures from the bubbling brew into two glasses.

He obeyed and added a special locking spell to make sure that no one would disturb them easily.

"Do you want me to put out some warning wards?" he asked.

"I already did that. If someone comes, we'll have time to put the evidence away. If that happens, you jump over there," she gestured toward the blankets, "and we'll just pretend to have been snogging the time away."

She was talking in that precise and decisive voice she had when she was in a middle of a project. He supposed that it meant she had fully recovered. Of course that didn't explain what all the activity and secrecy was about. He gestured toward the potion.

"What's that?"

She finished filling the glasses and carefully set them on the floor, and then she cleaned up the brewing instruments and stored them out of sight behind some of Hagrid's things. The place was so cluttered that it was very easy to hide things.

"This is the same mental enhancement potion Snape gave us when we did the merging against Voldemort," she replied. She sat cross legged on the floor and indicated that he was to do the same.

"Sit closer. We'll have to hold hands," she said.

He hesitated and his questioning look told her she was going to have to explain everything soon. She looked back and her expression was very earnest.

"I have a reason for doing all this Harry," she said. "I've been thinking. I don't like the conclusions, and I don't think you will either, but we need to be together. This is the only way I could think of to make you share what I feel."

He nodded, only half surprised. He'd seen it coming when she'd mentioned the potion. They could communicate silently, but a full mental rapport, like when they did it with the others, was something else.

"Do you think it will work?" He was curious, and a little skeptical. The last time, it had been the Six of them, and the Sorting Hat as well.

"If we really want it, yes I think it will." Her eyes were boring into his. "But if one of us holds back, then I don't know." He didn't flinch.

"I'll never hold back on you Mione. You know that," he said simply.

She didn't say anything and just handed him his glass. They drank the stuff. She reduced the lights and they held hands and closed their eyes. They remembered the routine, and the potion helped. It made them feel detached from their bodies, almost floating. It took a few seconds and then he began to feel her mind. A mix of sharp thoughts and intense emotions. She in turn could sense the raw power and reassuring strength of his will. There was something else as well. The sweet and warm feeling of their love for each other that was in the background of every thought.

They basked in each other's minds for a moment, and then Hermione replayed, as objectively as she could, the highlights of the Auror ceremony, and then her meeting with Dumbledore. She could feel Harry's shock and revolt. His reaction was so strong that it was threatening to break the telepathic link. She soothed him and reviewed her reflections in the library. He gasped at her conclusions, hardly following the part with Dobby, and then Hermione interrupted the rapport.

She looked at him with bright eyes. The recollection had been hard for both of them. In such an exchange, the emotions tended to echo back and forth and amplify. He was breathing deeply and still trying to calm himself.

"That- That's crazy!" he finally said.

He couldn't believe that the Headmaster would do such a thing, and yet he couldn't doubt what he had experienced. She made a gesture of helplessness.

"We have the same facts," she said. "How do you explain them?"

"He wanted to protect you?" he proposed. "Because it would be too dangerous?"

"More dangerous than Voldemort?" she countered. "And why won't he help Bones? Why does he let Draco and Ginny do their things? It doesn't make sense."

He shook his head, it was very confusing. Then there were the precautions she was taking. It was logical, but it reeked of paranoia. He told her so.

"I want to learn more," she replied, "but if they see us sniffing around, then they'll close the noose around us even more." Her face was serious. "I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore could hear anything said inside the school."

"And here?"

"It's somewhat outside, and then there's something else I thought of." He expressed curiosity and she went on. "Hagrid is half giant, and therefore very resistant to magic. His place might be better protected than others from Dumbledore's snooping." She shrugged. "Anyhow, if he can hear us in here, then I don't think we'll be able to hide anything anyway."

He went back to the thing that was the hardest to accept.

"I can't believe he's an enemy." He raised his hand before she could speak. "But I understand that it's difficult for you to trust him anymore." He sighed. It broke his heart to think this of the old wizard, which he still loved dearly.

"It's not just him," she added. "He's very powerful, but he's clearly afraid of other forces. I can't imagine what they are."

Harry looked down and tried to find an alternative to her conclusions. None of this made sense, but he knew that she was sincere, and he trusted her.

"I think that we need more information before making definitive judgments," he said finally. "You may be right, but things might still be more complicated than we think."

She held his gaze. The most important thing was that he was ready to go along with her. Her thoughts must have showed because he looked at her sadly.

"You were afraid that I would take position for him and against you?" he said. She gave him a wry smile and he shook his head. "I'm with you all the way Mione. You know that," he said, looking right into her eyes.

She lowered her head.

"Sorry for being a bossy, annoying girl," she said demurely.

"Does that mean you'll never do it again?" he said with a grin.

"No." She chuckled, and then she turned serious again. "But I want us to be prepared."

"So what do you want to do?"

She told him of her plan, and she explained the reasons. He didn't like it, but he could see she had a point. If they were wrong about Dumbledore, then no real harm would be done. If it came to the worse, they would be in a situation to salvage something.

"How good an actor do you think you are?" she asked.

"Awful."

"Then you'll let me do most of it. All you have to do is commiserate, and spend as much time as possible with me."

"It could be worse."

- - -

As it happened, the first class of the next day was Transfiguration. Hermione usually sat on the first or second row, and she was always an active participant. This time however, she took a seat toward the back, not very far from the door. Ron had gone straight to their usual spot, and found himself largely isolated since Harry decided to sit next to Hermione, and Draco was already paired with another Slytherin.

Professor McGonagall frowned at the unusual arrangement, and at the cold face on her favorite pupil. She'd expected some kind of rebellion, since Hermione had never been one to accept constraints lying down, and she would wait for it to pass. She hadn't talked with the Headmaster, actually no one had seen him for two days, but she supposed that he had simply expressed his displeasure at her extra-scholar activities, and called her back in line. She wasn't aware of the details of the affair, but she fully agreed that students had no business with Ministry officials. A reprimand had been delivered. It was never pleasant, but it happened. End of story.

"Today," she said, "We are going to discuss successive Transfigurations. This is a key technique for realizing complex transformations."

The students dutifully started taking notes. Hermione wrote as well, but not with her usual intensity. Harry glanced at her and saw that she was just jotting down key words, not even bothering to align them properly.

"Can anyone tell me when, and for what specific kind of transformations, this method was first developed?" asked McGonagall.

No one seemed to know the answer, and heads turned naturally toward the one student who could be counted on to display this kind of esoteric knowledge. Hermione stayed put and stared blandly at the blackboard. The professor looked at her as well and showed a slight disappointment at the lack of response. She pursed her lips and turned toward Dean Thomas.

"Mister Thomas. Do you have any idea?"

"I don't know when it was Ma'm, but I think it was for complex mechanical devices."

"Is that an answer or a guess, Mister Thomas?" she replied severely.

"Er, it's a guess. I don't really know."

"Well, it is a wrong guess, Mister Thomas." She surveyed the room again. "Is there none among you who know anything about this?" No one replied. She faced Hermione again. "Miss Granger. I'm surprised that you don't have anything to say."

Hermione said nothing and McGonagall went on.

"Well it was Imhotep, the first great Egyptian wizard, who pioneered the procedure of decomposing the Transfigurations of animals," she said. "The idea being of course, to simplify the number of changes to make at each steps."

Hermione showed no reaction. She had opened a large book, and she shared her attention between its content and quick glances at the blackboard. The class continued and McGonagall was first annoyed, and then seriously irritated at Hermione's passivity. During the whole class, she barely managed to get a few words out of her, although she gave correct answers whenever she deigned speak up. Her practical work was excellent as usual, but once she succeeded in an exercise, she would stop there and return to reading her book. McGonagall frowned and stopped by the girl's desk to look at it. Her lips lost some color when she took a glance at the title: Advanced Transfiguration - beyond the NEWT program.

The tension in the classroom became more and palpable as it became evident that a) Hermione already knew everything that the professor was telling them, and b) she considered that she was just wasting her time. The first had been suspected before, but she had never flaunted as cheekily as today. The second thing was completely inconceivable.

When the class was finished, professor McGonagall hesitated before asking Hermione to stay and explain herself. Had it been any other student, it would have been automatic, but she found herself hampered by her affection for the girl. She had let her guard down and she was deeply hurt by the implied rejection. By the time she could decide how to address the problem, Hermione had left the classroom.

It was the same with the other classes, although since Hermione's relations with most teachers weren't as close as with McGonagall, it was less blatant. Nevertheless all professors remarked the change, with reaction ranging from incomprehension and puzzlement to annoyance and resentment. Some went so far as to make disparaging remarks, which Hermione received with unfailing indifference. Only in one particular class did the routine remained unchanged. Professor Snape was quite happy with having students work silently and efficiently, and as long as Hermione did her assigned work correctly, her lack of participation suited him perfectly. If anything he was relieved not to have to listen to what he considered her wordy display of erudition.

That night, as they came back to the Gryffindor Tower, after Hermione had gone up to her bed without a word, Ron turned toward Harry and finally demanded to know what was going on.

"What's the deal with her?" he asked. Ginny's face expressed the same question.

Harry had already decided that he was going to stay friendly with Ron, but that he would evade any discussion concerning Hermione. At least until her and Ron had resolved their differences. In his mind it was a minor thing, but annoying all the same, and it gave him a perfect out with his friend.

He explained as much to Ron, who reacted characteristically by moving way and mumbling about how complicated girls were, except for Luna, who was perfect. Ginny was harder to get rid of, but she didn't press as much as she might have. She figured on cornering Hermione in the girls' dormitory and getting her answers directly.

When the two Weasleys finally left him alone, and just as he was relaxing into his favorite chair next to fire, Harry found Alicia standing in front of him.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.

He sighed, but he smiled and indicated that she could. They hadn't talked much last term, but ever since their passage at Grimauld, he'd come to appreciate her cheerfulness and energy. Everyone thought that it was a good thing for Silena to be friends with her and her brother. The three of them had taken for their own the moniker 'trio' which had until now belonged to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I heard that you got into trouble already," he said mischievously.

She frowned and shot him a dark look. The older students were always teasing the younger ones.

"Well, I know that you and Ron got detention in your first year too," she retorted. "So there's no need to sound so superior."

Harry chuckled. He was glad to banter about something lighthearted for a change. Things were getting all too serious around this place.

"So, Moony caught you out?" he said, automatically using the man's nickname. "What were you doing out there by the way?"

"Er, I'd rather no go into that," she evaded.

Her expression suddenly changed as she recognized the word he had used. It was written on the first page of the Marauder's Guide. They had figured it must have been the pen names of the original writers: Moony, Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail.

She looked at Harry and wondered how much he knew about that. She had originally wanted to ask him questions about professor Lupin. He was Harry's legal guardian after all, so he had to know some things about the man. She realized that he probably knew even more than she hoped.

"Why do you call him Moony?" she asked.

Harry was a little surprised at her question. At first he was ready to give the full story. After all, something that had happened more than twenty years ago could not be very important, and then he remembered that Remus was a professor, and it might not be a very good thing for his students to know what mischief he had been doing in his time.

"Er, because he's a werewolf," he answered with some hesitation. "So, you know. Moony - the moon."

She nodded absently, as if it wasn't very important to her, but she had noted the hesitation and the trace of uneasiness.

"So it's just a nickname, like Padfoot or Prongs," she said as innocently as she could.

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Where did you hear these names?" he asked briskly.

She looked back at him with an expression of triumph. So he knows as well. Bingo!

"I'll tell you, if you tell me everything you know about the Marauders," she countered.

He looked at her for a moment. He was astonished and plainly trying to decide on what to do. On the one hand he had already decided that this was confidential, and that he didn't want to cause any trouble for Remus. On the other hand she already knew a lot. Maybe she had even stumbled on something which could concern his father.

And then he found that he really wanted to talk about this.

"I'll tell you," he finally said, "but you must promise not to speak of this with anyone else."

"Except Richard and Silena," she corrected. He agreed, guessing that she would share these things like he had with Ron and Hermione.

"As a matter of fact it might be better that I speak with them all," he said. "We'll do that tomorrow."

"Can't you just give me little tiny bit tonight?" she pleaded. "You know, like a goodnight story?"

She tried to pout her mouth and batted her eyelashes. It was hilarious and Harry just had to laugh. She looked vexed at first, and then she laughed with him. It felt great to release some of his tension that way. He grinned and ruffled her hair. She moved her head to escape the patronizing gesture, and that was when he saw that she had a rather unusual necklace. It was just thin leather string on which what appeared to be a pair of miniature black boots was attached by a small metal ring. He thought that it was an odd choice of jewelry, even for an eleven year old girl, but then what did he know about it?

"Harry please?" she asked again.

He knew he was going to give in to her, but he waited just a bit for the fun of it.

"Okay. I'll tell you who Padfoot and Prongs are." She jumped in excitement and let out a little squeal. Seeing her face, he just couldn't resist anymore. He knew right then that tomorrow, he would be telling them a lot more. One of the reasons was that it made him feel so good to talk about his father. By telling the story to a new generation, he would be keeping alive the memory. It wouldn't bring back the dead, but it would still be something.

"Prongs was my father and Padfoot was my Godfather, Sirius Black. The names were chosen because they were Animagi. My father could change into a stag, and Sirius into a dog."

She was fascinated. She wanted to ask a million other questions, but she knew that Richard and Silena deserved to hear it all with her. There was just one last question.

"And what about Worm-" she began. She stopped when she saw his face twist into a frightening snarl.

"NO!" he barked. He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Don't say that word please. Not to me and not to Rem-, to professor Lupin."

"I'm sorry!" she said automatically. Harry's reaction had been frightening. He was always so nice and easygoing with everybody, but in his eyes there had been more hatred than she'd ever seen before.

He looked at her and realized that he was going to have to give her some more explanation.

"It's okay, you couldn't know that story." He sighed. "Well, lets just say that Wormtail," he spat out the word, "was their friend, but he betrayed my parent to Voldemort. His real name was Peter Pettigrew."

"Oh yes," she replied. "I remembered reading about him." She wanted to know what had become of him, but she didn't dare ask anything more. Harry guessed her thoughts, and he decided that he might as well finish that story. The happy mood he had felt before had turned to sadness.

"He's dead, he became a Death Eater and he died like the rest of them." I guess that I killed him, in a sense.

She nodded soberly.

"I'm really sorry Harry," she said very gently. "Thank you for telling me all that. I hope that you and professor Lupin will tell us more stories about your father and your godfather."

He nodded sorrowfully, but her words were kind and it helped.

"Yes," he breathed, forcing a sad smile. "I think we'd like to do that."

She smiled back and made to leave.

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Alicia."

- - -

Ministry of Magic,

Amelia Bones got Dumbledore's letter on Monday morning. It had actually arrived much sooner, but she didn't believe in having official mail delivered at her home. She gave a lot of her time to the Ministry, and her family had sacrificed much more than that, and so she felt that the weekends were sacred, except for emergencies.

So the first time she saw the envelope was when she entered her office, early in the day. It was sitting in the middle of her blotter on her large wooden desk. The Hogwarts seal very much in evidence. As soon as she saw it, she guessed that it would be bad news.

The text was short and left no room for nuance. Hermione Granger was pulling out of the FOM project. Her first reaction was bitter disappointment and annoyance. Why couldn't that stupid girl make up her mind? Then, rereading the letter, she noted some strange characteristics in the handwriting. It was strangely familiar, and then not at all what she remembered of those documents which the young student had sent her. It took her only a few minute to check this and recognize the writer as the Hogwarts Headmaster.

But the signature is Granger's.

The parchment was warded against forgery which meant that Hermione Granger had effectively read and signed the letter of her own free will, or under the Imperius charm. Bones didn't believe Dumbledore would use an Unforgivable against a student, so she had to accept the letter as genuine, along with the added information that the Headmaster didn't want the girl to participate in what they had discussed. It was a severe setback for her plans.

Amelia Bones dropped the letter on her desk, and she sat back against the back of her chair to think about this new development. When Granger had talked to her, and proposed this cooperation, she had been quick to detect the revolutionary appeal of her initiative. This was truly something which could inflame opinions among the magical world, and lead to needed adjustments.

One of the changes she considered to be more than necessary was to do away with the conservative mindset of most wizards and witches. To many of them, the status quo was fine, as were the relations with other magical species, and Muggles. They would privately agree that the situation was not perfect, but that any modification would upset a fragile equilibrium and lead to disorder, and ultimately to further trouble and injustice. The more enlightened of them, and she placed the Hogwarts Headmaster in that category, aimed for a gradual evolution of mentalities.

She believed that the slow and sure way wouldn't work, because too many forces were actively resisting against that, using fear as a powerful weapon. For a time it had been the risk of weakening wizard society in its struggle against You-know-Who, and now it was fear of giving too much power to some minorities.

As long as it was a zero sum game, the risk of losing what they had was keeping most wizard folks from accepting change, but FOM was something else. It was ambitious enough to make people dream of a better world, and to give most of them the hope of gaining something worthwhile, except for a few aristocrats who would lose a little power and influence. It was a truly revolutionary manifesto and she was confident that it could jumpstart a real change. Certainly many decent wizards would support it.

And it could start within the Wizengamot and the Ministry.

Amelia Bones did not want a bloody, rise of the masses, revolution. She believed in the importance of leadership, and that the current organization was adequate. It was the minds and the men who had to be changed.

Fudge was a mediocre Minister. He was so ineffectual that in practice, he let most powerful forces act as they wanted. They were only checked by each other, and by the threat of defensive coalitions. It was a recipe for chaos and she was privately convinced that only chance, and she had to admit, Dumbledore with his students, had kept You-Know-You from wining the war and establishing a terrible and bloody dictatorship.

But now it looks like he wants to go back to just being a Headmaster.

It was plain however that his students wanted to continue, and that the old man had cast a Finite on their ambitions. That was really too bad, but did she really need them? Ultimately she did, but maybe not at first. FOM was an idea. It could be used by her or by others, and if she won the first battle with it, then the Headmaster could probably be convinced to relent on his veto.

But I need other allies. I cannot just do it alone.

What about that other woman? The Muggle one. She was part of the project, so her presence would lend some credibility to the endeavor. Furthermore, her not being a wizard would be a powerful symbol in itself. It could well be enough for a start.

- - -

Imperial College,

Helen was working in her lab. She was supervising her latest experiments which involved the testing of a new generation of a wide spectrum antibiotic. She was preparing a set of Petri dishes with several types of bacteria. They would be used to make cultures upon which the product could be tested, in various dosages and under several conditions. It was routine work. The interesting part was designing the experiment, and interpreting the results.

"Helen," said a young man from the door. "Visitor for you."

She looked up in surprise. She wasn't expecting anybody. Visitors were rather rare during the day, and most people would call before coming in person to see her.

"Who is it, Tim?"

Timothy Dayton was one of her colleagues, and co-player in role play. He was quite younger than her and just starting his thesis.

"I don't know. Strange fellow. Black."

"Black?" She couldn't help showing a little expectation in her question as she wondered if it might be Severus. He certainly would find it easier to Apparate near the place than to find, or use, a working phone.

Tim caught the hopeful glean in her eyes. Most of her friends had noticed the little signs which betrayed a developing romance. They all knew that she was a widow, and most of them thought that it was high time for her to find someone else. He shook his head.

"Nope, not that one," he said with a grin. He had been one of the players when the strange dark man had burst into their room. "I meant black as in dark skin color. The rest of his clothes are rather pretty colorful."

She didn't see who it could be. Colorful clothes pretty much ruled Severus out. She thanked him and finished quickly before going down. Near the entrance, she saw her visitor. It was not the Hogwarts professor. In fact it was someone very different, but she sensed some of the strangeness that Tim had mentioned. That man could very well be a Wizard.

"Mrs. Parker?" said the man, very politely.

"Yes," she replied with a questioning expression.

"I am very sorry to bother you, Mrs. Parker. My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt. I work with Amelia Bones." He waited until she nodded in recognition. "She needs to talk with you. I'm afraid that it is rather urgent."

"Talk to me? Now?" said Helen in surprise. "I can give her a few minutes of course, but I'm afraid that I have a lot of things to do today and I couldn't-"

"I can have you back here in half of an hour. Would that be all right?" He gave her a very nice smile. "We would really appreciate it," he added.

She asked him for a few minutes of preparation, and returned to the lab to arrange for the rest of the setup to be finished by one of her co-workers. When she came back, she had taken her coat. He guided her outside to a discrete spot.

"I have a Portkey," he said, showing her a piece of braided rope. "We'll arrive directly at her office."

Helen remembered Portkeys, having used them before. She didn't get to have a look at the fascinating interior of the Ministry of magic. She knew about it of course, but she had never been there before. They materialized directly into Amelia Bones' office, which was not that different from the office of Muggle senior public servants, except for the moving pictures on the walls.

"Mrs. Parker, thank you very much for coming," said Bones, rising from her chair. "I know that you are busy, and I will not keep you long." She turned toward the Auror. "Thank you very much for bringing her in, Kingsley. You have been as efficient as usual."

It was a dismissal and the big man knew it. He raised his hand to his brow in an easy salute and made to leave.

"I'll be around when you need me for the return journey," he said, turning and closing the door.

Bones wasted no time in explaining the changed situation to Helen, and what she wanted of her. For her part, the younger woman was both fascinated and enthralled by the perspective of working officially with the Ministry, and alarmed that Hermione had been taken out of the picture. She tried to explain that the girl was the real inspiration behind the association, but Bones dismissed her objection with a wave of her hand.

"That may be true, but the most important thing is to have someone else than me to represent FOM. It could have been Miss Granger, and maybe I will be able to make Albus Dumbledore change his mind, but for the moment you can play that role." She marked a pause. "Actually, in addition to that, you have the advantage of having no special relationship with the school."

A little warning light lit up in Helen's head. Did her involvement with Severus count as something in that respect?

"What do you mean 'no special relationship'?" she asked. Bones looked back with a slight frown.

"I mean that you have no special association with members of the Hogwarts staff. Since the Headmaster obviously doesn't approve this project, it is vital that there be no conflict of interest."

Helen didn't like where this was going, but she wanted things to be clear from the start. Dumbledore's attitude was already a cause for concern, and there was no need to add any complications. She explained her relationship with Severus Snape, and the work they had done together.

"Ah yes, the Head of Slytherin House," sniffed Bones with a slight grimace. It was not clear whether she was more bothered with the symbol it represented, or by the hurdle she sensed was coming.

"I am afraid that it could be a problem yes," she said, looking Helen in the eye. She knew where this was probably going, but she had to ask anyway. Mentally, she damned the Hogwarts Headmaster once again.

For Helen it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. One minute, she was being promised a stimulating participation in a project which motivated her greatly. The next, she was shown the price tag, and it was suddenly much too high.

"I don't think that my private life should have anything to do with this," she answered coldly.

"It's not a question of your private life. It's your cooperation in a school related project," replied Bones. She stopped her from interrupting. "I understand that it is not officially that, but if your cooperation in that potion project becomes known, you will be considered to be tainted."

She looked at Helen and wondered if there was anything to salvage from the whole mess.

"Can I ask you to think about this, and even discuss it with professor Snape, before deciding?" she proposed. "Perhaps we could all come to a clear understanding of everyone's position."

Helen wasn't so sure, but she nodded silently. At least she didn't have to give a definite answer right now.

"I will contact you Friday," she said. "How can I do that by the way?"

Bones frowned, until she realized that Helen was a Muggle, and that she had no Owl or floo connection.

"I will have Kingsley drop by at your work, if that is agreeable to you."

"Yes, that would be fine," said Helen. "Thank you very much, and ... I'm really sorry for all these complications."

It was plain that Bones was disappointed and upset, but she made an effort to put a good face on it.

"As a woman, I understand your position," she said, "and I would probably do the same in your shoes. I cannot help but wish however, that you and Miss Granger had thought out and prepared things a little more before contacting me."

Helen grimaced and said nothing. The Ministry official was completely right and she knew it.

- - -

Hogwarts,

Harry was made to come through with his promise to Alicia. He didn't even get the chance to do his morning run first. She had been waiting in ambush, while Richard and Silena had prepared his place at the Slytherin table. With a straight face, they explained that it was a perfect time for them to talk, with few students about because of the early hour. He let himself be dragged to the dining hall. They hovered around him in a way which reminded him of Dobby, pouring him a cup of tea, a glass of juice, and buttering rolls. It was so cute, that he didn't even pretend not to appreciate their efforts.

"Okay, what do you want to know?" he asked. "And can I have some sugar please?"

"Everything of course," said Richard.

As the boy lean over the table to pass him the sugar bowl, Harry noticed a miniature bowler hat attached to a string around his neck. It reminded him of Alicia's miniature boots. Following a hunch he looked closely at Silena and saw that she too, had a pendant like the other girl.

"Where did you get those?" he asked.

"Er, it's a gift actually," said Richard, his hand automatically moving to hide the thing.

The way he said it, and the sudden defensive looks on the girl's faces, told Harry that there was something more to it than a simple present.

"Is that all?" he said with a grin. "I thought we were going to exchange secrets this morning."

Richard and Silena looked doubtful. Alicia looked at her brother and caught his eye.

"We can tell him. It's give and take after all."

Richard grimaced. He didn't see what harm it could do to let Harry know about the twins helping them, but he was wary of Hermione. He didn't expect prefects or teachers to approve what they were doing, and they had already lost the manual. He looked Harry in the eye.

"Fair's fair, but you keep it a secret, from everybody. I don't want more of our stuff to be confiscated."

Harry had to smile at that. He understood exactly what they meant, and he remembered what had happened with the Marauder's map. He swore secrecy and they explained about the name they had chosen. He remembered the old TV series nodded in appreciation at their idea. They talked for a while, but they didn't have the time to share all their secrets. He told them what he knew of the Marauders, and if anything, that amplified the three children's objective to leave as strong a legacy as they did. They explained how Fred and George gave them a riddle to solve, which led to the discovery of the Marauder's Guide.

"I want to read that book," said Harry feelingly. The bloody twins. They knew about this, and they didn't tell me.

"Well, professor Lupin has it now," said Alicia. "I just hope he'll give it back to us one day."

"But maybe it would be easier if you had a word with him," added Richard shrewdly. "After all, it's your father's too."

Harry exploded in laughter. He could understand why the kid was in Slytherin.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?" he asked. Alicia puffed and Richard looked chagrined.

"No, of course not. I'm just looking for the best objective solution," he said with as much dignity as he could.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do. Don't worry too much about Moony. He'll be on your side, but remember that he's a teacher, and that professor Snape will not be as lenient."

They nodded, and the look on Richard and Silena's faces showed that they understood that very well. They talked a little more, until too many students started to come down, including Hermione. They would have liked to share more, but all in all, they had learned a lot, and they were now really looking forward to that detention.

Hermione sat down next to the four of them. They greeted each other cheerfully, but the three youngsters stood up shortly afterwards. They left the hall, running excitedly away.

"You looked to have had a nice conversation," she said. "How are they doing?"

"Just fine," said Harry with a smile "They're really doing fine."

- - -

The next days saw a growing strain among the staff and the students, as Hermione's behavior drove every teachers, except Snape, to distraction. She continued to practice her prefect duty with the same non-nonsense attitude as before. Applying the school rules with pitiless efficiency cost her some popularity among the students, but she made up some of this by pursuing any bully, most particularly those from pureblood families, with a vengeance and an efficiency which earned her the sympathy of their victims and of most Hufflepuffs.

Relations among the Six had stabilized to a kind of uneasy truce. Hermione and Ron were still giving each other the cold shoulder, and she and Draco were more polite than really friendly together, but at least there was no more bickering, and Hermione did not pick up on sensitive subjects anymore.

She had also organized OWL revisions sessions for the fifth year students, something which everyone appreciated. Luna and Ginny welcomed it as an occasion to spend more time with her and try and get at the source of her trouble, but Hermione was doing it for more than one reason. She felt it was her duty, she liked it and it was another opportunity to irk the teachers in a manner that they couldn't address directly. That last justification was part of her plan to get back at them, and it gave her a perverse joy to use school work for that.

Ron was indifferent, or at least pretended to be. Ginny and Luna didn't understand what was going on, but they just hoped for things to get better. Draco watched it all carefully, but he was determined not to interfere for the moment. The six of them did enough things together to still be considered a group, but something precious was missing. The complicity that they had once shared was now gone, replaced by the routine of living and working under the same roof.

Unfortunately, the adults who could have helped them were not available. It was the full moon, and a bad one for Remus, Hagrid was away, Severus was locked up in his thoughts, Minerva was hurt and annoyed, and the Headmaster was invisible.

- - -

Ministry of Magic, Thursday morning,

Fudge arrived at his customary hour and immediately isolated himself in his office. Everyone had found him abnormally nervous for the past days, and for no obvious reasons. Actually, since Electra's visit, he had been dreading the moment when he would have to do her biding. He kept delaying the publication of the new law, all the while telling himself that surely they would understand that it was impossible, and maybe that they would just give up. He tried to believe it, but he couldn't ignore the terrifying threat she had made.

Yesterday, he had talked with Arthur Weasley, who was fully involved into delicate discussions with the Goblins. The man had taken on his new job with renewed energy, and everything was going rather well. The Minister had to admit that Shrummer's choice had been sound. Arthur had established new relations of trust with his Goblin homologues. A number of thorny issues had been placed on the table and were being addressed one after the other. Fudge had acknowledged the good work absently and quickly gone away. Arthur had shaken his head in puzzlement, and decided that he would not waste time trying to understand the man.

A chime from the floo terminal started Fudge from his reverie. The face of his secretary appeared.

"What is it?"

"Mrs. Umbridge wants to see you, sir," said Marge. "Something very urgent she says."

He sighed. Urgent. Everything is always urgent around here.

"All right, let her come in."

Umbridge had only recently recovered from her depression after her tenure at Hogwarts. There had been some talk of disciplinary action against her, but she had powerful friends, and they had managed to plead her case efficiently. In a spirit of letting bygones be bygones, she had been reinstated in the Ministry, although to a secondary post in an obscure sub-department. The demotion had not done anything to improve her mood.

She entered the office and marched toward him with a disquieting look on her toad like face. She was holding a leaf of papers in her hand.

"Hum hum, Minister," she said. "I have here a case that needs to be closed as soon as possible. It fact it is already running very late."

He frowned at the bother of it all. What good was it being the Minister if he had to handle every specific problems?

"What is it Dolores?"

She handed him the papers with a piercingly hard expression. A chill of apprehension ran through him as he suddenly imagined what it could be.

It's not possible. She couldn't ...

Apprehension turned to terror as he recognized the same proposal Electra had given him.

"But, but ..."

"Now Minister," she said, her eyes boring into his. "Not later, not tomorrow. Now."

He tried to argue, but she cut him down and showed him that she knew everything Electra did. He was to sign the proposal this instant and she would have it published within the hour. Despite his squirming, he was forced to accept. He scrawled his signature on the last page with a trembling hand. She snatched the papers from the desk and left him, alone and stunned, to contemplate the irreversible and devastating consequences of what he had been made to do.

Umbridge left Fudge's office and marched determinedly to the general secretary room. She gave the papers to a young wizard, instructing him to have it published in the official journal of the Ministry. It would be relayed to the Daily Prophet and other newspapers automatically the next day, but this would make it official, and it would also inform all other official magical organizations.

The wizard checked that the Minister's signature was valid and marked the document for processing. He didn't bother reading the content. Most of this stuff was incomprehensible anyway, and it wasn't his job to form an opinion. He did see that it required a proper publication number which would have to be delivered by the Minister's private staff. He placed a floo call.

"Yes?" answered Percy, putting down the cup of tea he had just poured himself.

"Dickens here, sir. There's a new law ready for announcement, and I need a reference number for it."

"What's the subject?"

The wizard looked at the headers.

"Uh, finance. Yes that's it. A new tax it seems."

"Oh, those have a special circuit now," replied Percy. "I'd better do it myself. Just give me the documents and I'll handle it."

"Thank you sir. Here it is."

Percy took the sheaf of paper as it emerged from the floo terminal. He closed the connection and started reading, while sipping his tea. When he got to the last page, he chocked in surprise and spilled liquid all over his desk.

Merlin!

He cleanup up the papers as best as he could, and reread the text of the proposal to make sure that he wasn't mistaken.

I've got to warn Dad. This is crazy. Oh Merlin! He's at Gringotts, and it's always infernal to call anybody over there with those darn security measures.

He would have to go to the bank in person. He started to get up when he saw the squat figure in the doorway.

"Please sit down, Mister Weasley," said Dolores Umbridge.

She was holding her wand in her hand, pointed right at his chest. She stepped into the office and closed the door.

"What does-"

"Stupefy!"

- - -

Hogwarts,

Minerva McGonagall was not renowned for her patience. Courage yes, and competence of course, but the stern professor was not the kind to wait calmly for things to get well. During her many years of teaching, she had lived through a lot of grief, and seen her share of hard headed and rebellious students. Perhaps she was getting old, or too involved, but Hermione Granger was driving her over the wall.

Her determined and clacking steps took her along the corridor to the Headmaster's office. She was seething with anger while reviewing the latest outrage. That pesky girl had quite simply refused to answer a direct question concerning her support lessons, explaining instead that it didn't concern the official work of the teachers. And on top of everything else, Dumbledore was still holed up in his quarters. No one had seen him since Saturday, since he'd had his so called 'getting things right' meeting with the girl.

He must know something. He will tell me, or he will have to find another Transfiguration teacher...

She called out the password in an imperious voice. Vowing to find him if she had to search the entire castle. She looked critically at the stone gargoyle, daring it to remain immobile. It took a few seconds but the statue finally trembled and moved, opening the way to the staircase. McGonagall stepped briskly on the first step, and once more, her shoes resounded sharply against the hard surface. She walked right into the inner office, only stopping before the Headmaster's desk.

"Albus! What have you done to that girl?" she asked without preliminaries at the seated figure. She saw no need to explain who she was talking about.

Dumbledore looked back with more calm than he felt. He had been expecting something like that, but it didn't make it any easier.

Action begets reaction, and I haven't seen the end of it.

"And a good day to you too, Minerva," he replied tranquilly. He had been swearing to himself never again to lose his temper. The last thing he needed right now, was to alienate more friends.

"Good day, Albus," she replied, momentarily taken aback. She took a deep breath and continued stiffly. "Please forgive my manners, but I believe I am due an explanation." Her eyes were still flashing in anger, and she was not going to be distracted from her goal.

Dumbledore had already decided that the less he said, the better. The confusion he had felt from Snape after that last explanation, made him think that no one would appreciate what the stakes were, and it would only complicate matters to have more people interfere.

And it doesn't have anything to do with the school anyway.

He looked back at the Transfiguration teacher.

"What has happened, Minerva?" he asked.

"She's become impossible, that what happened!" she exclaimed. "She refuses to speak up in class, except when addressed directly, and then only with the minimum possible answer. She looks at me, and the other teachers, as if we were prison wardens. She-"

He interrupted her.

"How is her school work? Does she neglect her prefect duties?"

"Her work is perfect as usual," replied McGonagall, biting off the words. "There is nothing I can fault her with."

"Is she insolent? Disrespectful?"

"Yes, and no." She shook her head angrily. "Albus, don't play games with me. You know what I am talking about. You did something to her, and she is getting back at all of us because of it. And she is doing it in such a way that we cannot accuse her of anything without being so evidently unfair that everyone will see it." She marched nervously in front of the desk. "Tensions are rising every day, and I do not know what to do anymore."

"I have always said that the girl-" started Phineas from his picture. He stopped himself when Dumbledore shot him a furious glance. "All right, all right. Handle this yourself. I will not bother you anymore. Sir." The former Headmaster stood up from his seat, took his coat with deliberate dignity and walked off from the picture frame. Dumbledore counted slowly to ten.

Calm. I must remain calm. Every problem has a solution, and time is often the best way to find one.

"Minerva. I think that what is really needed is to let things cool down," he said finally, projecting as much confidence as he could. He ignored her hard stare and continued. "I confess to having been a little hard to her, and such a reaction is to be expected. I am sure that if we ignore it, things will return to normal in a little while."

She looked back at him shrewdly. In all the years they had spent together, she could sense when he was firmly in control, and when he was worried. She also knew that he rarely expressed things straightforwardly.

"Albus, I know that you are hiding something from me, and I do not like it."

"Minerva I-"

At that moment the fireplace lit up with the flickering green flames of a floo call. Both of them turned to see the disembodied face of Arthur Weasley. The usually good natured man was exceptionally agitated

"Albus! I need your help," he said quickly.

Dumbledore was at first quite relieved to have something, anything, interrupt the painful conversation he was having. Whatever the emergency was, the man's need was a godsend.

"What is it, Arthur?" he asked politely.

"The Goblins are threatening to revolt!"

Dumbledore gentle face first froze in shock, and then it suddenly mirrored the alarm visible on his friend's face. A Goblin revolt was not an emergency. It was a full blown catastrophe. The last time such a thing had happened, thousands of people, of both races, had died, and the property losses had been immense.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Gringotts. We were in a routine meeting when the news of Fudge's new law was announced. The Goblins are furious. They won't believe that I knew nothing of it."

"What are you talking about? What new law?"

Arthur swallowed and regained his breath before answering.

"Fudge called for a new tax on all Gringotts transactions. One Sickle per Galleon. Completely mad. I didn't even know he had the authority to do that."

Dumbledore didn't reply immediately. His first reaction was that he must be asleep and that this was a particularly nasty dream. The balance between Wizards and Goblins was delicate at the best of times. An action like this was the equivalent of a declaration of war. No wonder the Goblins were reacting badly.

"What is happening at the Ministry?"

"I don't know a thing. I barely managed to convince them to let me make one floo call, and I'm calling you. I need you Albus. I need you now!"

The Headmaster didn't need to hear anymore. He didn't even say a word to McGonagall, expecting that she would understand, and not really caring if she didn't. He grabbed his hat, moved around his desk, and jumped into the fireplace.

Professor McGonagall remained immobile for a moment. The world was going crazy around her, and she had the unpleasant feeling that it would not stop there.

Trouble Ch20 - 1