Secrets

Chapter 15 - Memories Bared

The next Monday at breakfast Kyra received a package by owl post. It was long and thin, and heavy enough that it knocked over her orange juice glass. Lisa mopped up the spilt juice while Kyra examined the package.

"Who's it from?" Terry asked curiously?

Kyra pulled a small envelope off the package and opened it. It read:

Kyra,

Thank you, for everything. Please accept this gift as a token of my apology.

Yours,
J.

Kyra was touched, yet slightly confused. It hadn't really been Justin's fault last week, and he'd apologized to her again on Friday evening, and she'd assured him that she understood.

Nonetheless, she was intrigued, and ripped open the package. Inside was a brand new Cleansweep 12.

"Woah!" Terry exclaimed excitedly. "Those just came out last month!"

Kyra hugged the new broomstick to her chest and twirled around. She had the most wonderful boyfriend in the world! She couldn't wait to try it out at practice that evening.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts class later that morning she made a point of discussing her new broom loud enough for the Gryffindors to hear. Their final match was coming up in two weeks, and she wanted them to be worried. She also wanted Justin to overhear how much she loved her gift. He seemed excited to hear about her new broom, so she offered to show it to him if he wanted to stop by the Quidditch pitch during their practice.

She arrived at lunch a few minutes late, having stayed after class to thank him properly for the wonderful gift.

The afternoon couldn't go by quick enough, and Kyra hurried out to the Quidditch pitch right after dinner. She mounted her Cleansweep 12 and kicked off, and was immediately soaring faster and higher than she'd ever flown before. The broom was simply amazing. She flew circles around her teammates that evening. Justin showed up halfway through their practice. When the rest of the team headed to the locker room after practice, she lingered behind to talk to him for a few moments. Once they were sure no one was around to see them, they dared a short, sweet kiss before she headed off the field as well.

---

Tuesday at their M.A.P. meeting, Professor Bale paired off the Aurors-In-Training to work on Occlumency. The Thursday evening prior he had introduced the subject to Hermione and Ron, and Tuesday he had Ron working with Harry, and Hermione working with Kyra.

The girls went off to the far corner of the classroom and faced off. Kyra let Hermione go first, since the younger girl had never tried it before.

Hermione raised her wand. "Legilimens!"

Kyra was standing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Hermione seemed to have a birds-eye view of the room, and the two girls watched Lisa Turpin, Hannah Abbot, and Ernie MacMillian bid their good evening farewells and file out of the classroom.

The pretty Ravenclaw student flicked her wand at the classroom door, which swung shut of its own accord and locked. She'd been standing in front of the Professor's desk, which she now used her hands to hoist herself up onto. Professor Bale smiled at the girl and walked over to where she was sitting on the desk.

"You're really getting good at that," he complimented her as he stopped in front of her.

Kyra smiled coyly at her professor. "Well, they say practice makes perfect."

"I've always believed that was true," the Professor returned. "Especially in your case. You're my star pupil, you know," he complimented her.

She beamed at her professor. "Does that earn me a reward of some kind?" she asked.

"Of course," Professor Bale replied.

Hermione gasped as she witnessed the reward - Professor Bale closed what little distance remained between himself and the student seated on his desk and kissed her deeply. His arms reached out to embrace her, and Kyra wrapped her hands around his neck.

The Gryffindor student gasped again, much louder this time, as she was suddenly knocked backwards off her feet. She landed with a thud six feet behind where she'd been standing a moment ago. Hermione looked up at Kyra, who was now standing above her with a worried expression on her face. She held out a hand to help the other girl off the floor, and Hermione accepted it.

"Hermione, you have to promise me that you won't tell a soul what you just saw," Kyra whispered quietly, a slightly desperate look in her eyes.

Hermione smiled reassuringly at Kyra. "Don't worry about it," she replied. "It's not like you're the only one who dreams about stuff like that."

Kyra stared at her in surprise. Did Hermione actually believe she'd only witnessed a fantasy? Well, if that was the case, she certainly wasn't going to correct her.

"All right," Kyra said to Hermione. "Are you ready for this?"

Hermione nodded, so Kyra aimed her wand at the girl. " Legilimens!"

The Gryffindor was standing in a clearing of a large forest. Ron Weasley was beside her, and both were transfixed to the spot, staring fearfully at the entrance to a large, dark cave. A terrible roaring could be heard, and suddenly two long plumes of fire exploded from within the cave. Each plume was nearly twenty feet long and singed a patch of ground six feet in radius.

"Bloody 'ell!" Ron exclaimed. "We have to go in... there?" he gulped.

Hermione nodded mechanically, and raised her wand. At that moment, two massive green heads appeared in the entrance to the cave. Each was attached to a long, scaly neck, both of which were connected to an enormous body.

"A d-d-dragon??" Ron yelped. "Where's Charlie when you need him?" he whimpered.

"We're going to have to handle this ourselves," Hermione said defiantly. "Ron, run!" she screamed, as the dragon aimed its heads in their direction and opened its mouths.

The Gryffindors ran in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding being burned to a crisp by the dual dragon heads. They both gulped as the spot they had just been standing in became the largest bonfire they'd ever seen.

Hermione raised her wand, and suddenly Kyra landed on her rump with a thump.

Shaking her head to clear it, Kyra looked up to see Hermione standing over her, a hand outstretched. Kyra reached out and gripped it.

"When did you fight off a dragon?" Kyra asked in amazement as Hermione pulled her to her feet.

"A couple of weeks ago," Hermione responded.

The girls switched off again, and Hermione was back in Kyra's head. This time, Lisa, Kyra, Terry Boot, and Noel Goddard were seated on two four-poster beds in a dormitory that was filled with plants of various shapes and sizes.

"I thought I owed it to the three of you to tell you why Professor Bale's death bothered me so much," the Ravenclaw told her friends.

Hermione stood in the background, an invisible witness, as Kyra told her friends that she and the Professor had been dating since the beginning of February.

Hermione cried out as she slammed backwards against the wall, which had been almost ten feet behind her. She looked up to see Kyra walking towards her, her face a mask of anger and embarrassment.

Kyra knew instantly by the look of open-mouthed surprise on Hermione's face that she'd finally realized that she was seeing memories, and not fantasies. Kneeling down beside her, Kyra pleaded with the girl.

"Hermione, you can't tell anyone about this. Please," she begged quietly.

The Gryffindor girl stared at her wide-eyed, not sure how to respond. Finally she shook her head and replied, "If Professor Dumbledore asks, I won't lie."

Realizing that was probably a better response than she'd hoped for, Kyra smiled softly at Hermione. "The Headmaster already knows."

"Oh!" Hermione said in surprise. "And he's okay with it?" she asked in disbelief.

Kyra nodded.

"Oh, well then... I guess your secret is safe with me," she replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"Thank you," Kyra breathed softly. She stood up and offered Hermione her hand.

The girls resumed their practice, each of them getting better at repelling the other's attacks as class progressed.

When class was over, Hermione approached the Professor. "I was wondering if I could have a few words with you, in your office," she asked him.

"No problem," he replied courteously. "Kyra," he called out. "Swing by my office in a few minutes, and I'll get you that book."

"Thanks Professor," she replied, wondering what book he was talking about. She watched him leave with Hermione, and then realized he just wanted to see her in a few minutes.

Professor Bale followed Hermione to his office, and closed the door behind them once they were inside.

"Is something troubling you, Hermione?" he asked her gently, motioning for her to have a seat in a chair beside his desk.

Hermione sat, and watched the professor take a seat behind his desk. "I was just curious," she said. "Does Kyra know about... the Order?" she asked hesitantly.

The Professor looked at her in surprise. "Of course not," he replied. "Why do you ask?" He looked at her curiously. If he had to guess, he would assume that Kyra's memories had betrayed them to Hermione, but it was safer to pretend that she still had no idea they were involved.

"Well," she replied. "I was just wondering - what if she sees something in my head that she shouldn't?"

"That's why we're practicing," he explained to her. "But I don't think you need to worry about trusting Kyra. I think she'll be able to keep a secret if she needs to."

"Oh, okay," Hermione replied, looking slightly reassured. "Thanks, Professor," she finished, standing up to leave.

Justin watched her go, realizing she'd made a valid point. However, Kyra was bound to find out about the Order of the Phoenix at some point if he continued to see her. He trusted her with his life, and the only reason he hadn't spoken to Dumbledore about telling Kyra about the Order was because he didn't want to put her life in unnecessary danger. It was one thing to risk his life, but quite another to risk hers.

Kyra came in as Hermione exited, once again closing the door. She sat in the chair the Gryffindor had just vacated, and looked at Justin.

He looked back at her, and read her thoughts in her eyes. "She knows, doesn't she?" he asked Kyra, who nodded.

"What did she say?" she asked curiously.

"She was just concerned about you seeing something she really didn't want you to see," he told her.

Kyra laughed ruefully. "You're kidding, right?" she asked him. "After what she saw in my head, she's worried about giving up secrets to me?"

He smiled. "I think Hermione is just overly cautious."

"No kidding," Kyra said wryly. "Do you think we can trust her?"

"Did you ask her not to tell anyone?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Kyra nodded. "She told me that if the Headmaster asked, she wouldn't lie."

"And you told her he already knew?"

"Yes, and she asked if he was okay with it. I told her he was."

He nodded. "Then yes, I think we can probably trust her. I have a hunch that Hermione is good at keeping secrets," he said knowingly.

---

Slytherin did beat Hufflepuff in their match the next weekend, but the Quidditch Cup – and most likely House Cup - would belong to either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, depending upon who the victor was in their match.

The day of the match dawned sunny and clear, and surprisingly warm. The students were in high spirits, and the stands were roaring with enthusiasm for the two teams. The players lined up on the field, Madame Hooch blew the whistle, and they were off!

Kyra and her teammates played their best game of the season. They outscored the Gryffindor team by 50 points, and Cho caught the Golden Snitch before Harry to win them the game, and their first Quidditch Cup in twelve years.

Justin met Kyra in Hogsmeade the following Saturday, and the two of them secretly Apparated to a small, intimate restaurant in Edinburgh where he treated her to a lovely celebratory feast.

Two weeks later, after the horror of final exams was over, the students met for the last time en masse in the Great Hall for the final banquet. Professor Dumbledore tallied the points for the teams, and the Great Hall erupted in cheers as Ravenclaw was announced as the winning house for the first time since 1987. Everyone except Slytherin was happy for the Ravenclaws, who had completely deserved to win.

~*~