Smoke

Smoke VI Saturday, October 18, 1997

It had been a hard six weeks for John Russell. In addition to his teaching duties, he had been spending a great deal of time collating intelligence for the Order. He had also gone out on fifteen missions for the Order, engaging in nine firefights as a member of a team. While the number of attacks on Muggles were down, there were still two or three a week. There was also at least one attack on wizarding families per week.

The hardest fight so far for Russell had been the night before, as a dozen Order members had beaten a dozen Death Eaters away from a family who did not yet know their youngest children were a witch and a wizard. On top of being tired, there was still a large pile of documents to go through after dinner. Russell sighed, and tried to decide if he had time for a short nap before dinner.

Russell jumped slightly as someone pounded excitedly on his door. Six quick strides took him from his desk to the threshold, where a trembling Second year Ravenclaw stood. "Please, sir," the androgynous child squeaked, "Professor Snape said you were to come quickly to the Infirmary, sir. A student has been cursed coming back from Hogsmeade."

"Right. Thank you. Off to dinner with you, then," Russell said. He grabbed a bag he kept packed in case of such emergencies and flooed to the Infirmary.

The very tired Snape, Pomfrey, and Russell gathered in Pomfrey's office, where Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick awaited their report. Snape started off. "She was clearly under the Imperious. It seems to have hit her from the back as she went off towards the girls' toilet at the Three Broomsticks. There is no way to learn who did it, unless we have some sort of witness."

"And if there were any witnesses, they likely would have come forward by now," McGonagall pointed out.

"Exactly," Snape agreed. "Miss Bell just barely touched the cursed necklace. Had she been in greater contact with it, she would be dead. The three of us have stabilized her for now." He glanced at Madam Pomfrey.

"I have made arrangements for her to be taken to St. Mungo's in the morning," she answered. "She should be stabilized enough to move by then."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said. Pomfrey went back out to keep an eye on Katie. "Severus, John, anything else to report?"

"The last I knew, that necklace, or at least one exactly like it, was in a certain . . . curio shop in Knockturn Alley," Russell said. "It was there in early July. I'll arrange for someone to tour the shop when it opens tomorrow morning at Eleven. I doubt if we could squeeze the purchaser out of the owner, but I can try, if you wish."

"No, no that's not necessary," Dumbledore said. "I believe I know who acquired it, and when."

Russell was looking at Snape as this was said, and Snape did not react a bit. It was this non-reaction that made Russell suspect that Snape now knew who was responsible, or at least had a good idea of who it had been.

Russell realized that this meant he now had a pretty good guess as well. After three years, he had a clear notion of how Draco Malfoy's mind worked. However, since it was also clear that both Dumbledore knew and Snape knew for certain, there was little Russell could do, except keep an eye on Draco Malfoy on top of everything else.

He hoped it would be enough.

Monday, October 20, 1997

"Good evening, Miss Granger."

"You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes, come in," Russell invited. "Since the Headmaster does not want Mister Potter to know about our meetings, I thought we could meet while they are meeting, if they start meeting often enough."

"Yes, sir." Hermione hesitated, then asked, "You don't know what they are doing tonight, do you?"

"The Headmaster merely said that he would be reviewing the life of Tom Riddle amongst other things. You now know as much as I." He smiled. "No doubt, by tomorrow afternoon, you will know a great deal more than I."

Hermione was quiet in thought for a moment, and then: "Why isn't the Headmaster teaching Harry, well, practical things?" Hermione exploded.

"Knowing your enemy is important," Russell reminded her, "but I must admit I am not certain why he is not also teaching Mister Potter other things as well. Still, you have all learned more than you suspect. After next year, all that will be left is merely your learning yourself how to put those ideas together for yourself. Everyone does it slightly differently. You must mature your magic yourselves, with as little interference as possible. That really does cause a power boost when you do it, and you must admit, you and your friends will need that."

"True, sir," Hermione admitted.

Russell smiled at her rueful tone. "However, tonight it is time for you to try your revealing and tracing spells under a variety of situations. Are you ready."

"Yes, sir."

"Feel free to vocalize them," Russell said. "Accuracy and power are most important. Silence comes after learning the basics."

"Yes, sir," Hermione said with a determined air.

"Then let us get started."

An hour later, the pair stopped. "Not bad, Miss Granger."

"But it's not good enough, is it?" she asked.

"It's good enough to foil any student here, I would say," Russell said after full consideration. "It would likely be good enough to outdo the concealments of more than half the Death Eaters every single time, if you had enough time. Still, this was your first real attempt under these conditions." He smiled, "If it makes you feel any better, you are probably already at the point where you could start training as a curse breaker now, certainly by Christmas."

"Thank you, sir. . . ." Hermione trailed off.

"Go ahead."

Hermione asked, "Will we have until Christmas?"

Russell shrugged and said, "I believe so. I believe we will have at least until spring. However, things will likely break one way or the other between the spring equinox and the autumnal."

"Sir . . . the attacks on Muggles seem to have slowed down. . . ."

Russell considered. "Do you believe you keep this a secret from everyone?"

"Yes, sir, I believe so. I have been practicing those meditations you told me to." She smiled. "Those are the first steps towards Occlumency, aren't they?"

"They are. Try not to think about these things when you are outside the Gryffindor common room or here."

"Yes, sir!"

Russell smiled. "It turns out that the dementors plan their attacks in a pattern. Find the pattern, and you can stop the next attack. It now takes just six attacks to find the pattern, and it seems to take at least nine stopped attacks before they come up with a new pattern."

"And how do we stop a dementor attack?"

"We don't. Muggles can use ultraviolet light to both locate and drive them off."

"That's good to hear," Hermione said.

"Your parents' house and practice have been set up with invisible ultraviolet lamps, and there are special cameras going up all over Britain which not only are on the look out for anything suspicious, but which also emit a very low dose of u-v rays. It's not harmful to people or animals, but it drives the dementors crazy. And the best thing is, the Death Eaters take no notice of Muggle video cameras. They probably don't even know what they are."

"Great!"

"We've also driven the giants out of Britain, at least for the moment. They might return, of course."

"So we're winning?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No, we're holding our own," Russell said frankly. "The Ministry is still leaking like a sieve, although not to the degree it was. The Order has been working with certain segments of British Intelligence and NATO, which is why things are going well on the dementor and giant fronts. However, that leaves the Ministry to deal with the Death Eaters for the most part, and there we're not doing well, although still, better than things were going in July and August."

"If things are going better, why are you so worried, sir?"

"Because Voldemort hasn't entered into the fray in any direct way," Russell answered honestly. "Right now, only Dumbledore can stand up to him. Perhaps your friend will be ready at the end of this year or the next, but at the moment the most he could do is escape and survive."

Hermione turned slightly pale.

"Now," Russell said, "let's get you started on Occlumency. Pick a focus, and clear your mind of everything else. . . ."

Saturday, November 16, 1996

There was a very tentative knock on the door to the 'smoking room' in the Divination Tower. "Come in!"

A hot and sweaty Hermione Granger came panting into the room. "I do apologize for making you come all the way up here," Russell said. "Your message seemed to have been made in anger, rather than from being in danger, and I thought you might like the chance to think."

"Yes, sir," she panted.

Russell waved his wand twice, opening one of the windows and transforming the other chair into a fainting couch. Russell handed Hermione a large glass of cold water. "Have a seat, and tell me about what's troubling you, Miss Granger."

Hermione gulped half the glass and gave Russell a hopeless look. "Ah, a problem of being seventeen, not a problem of good and evil, I take it. Unburden yourself, Miss Granger. It will go no further, and I had many similar conversations with my daughter and one of her friends."

"Thank you, sir." Hermione gave a huge sigh, gave a small silent prayer that she was doing the right thing, and told Russell all she could about Harry's trick that morning with the Felix Felicis, Ron and Lavender's 'sucking face' (as she put it), and the confrontations that evening.

"I know how much something like that hurts, Miss Granger . . . Hermione," Russell said.

"It hurts worse than anything I ever imagined," Hermione said. She would have broken down crying, had she not sobbed herself out coming all the way up here.

"It does," Russell agreed. "It's not nearly as painful in most ways as having your wife and children murdered. Those are far deeper wounds. It's more like a long paper cut than a deep stabbing pain. Instead of bludgeoning you into numbness, being hit like you were made me feel like I was crashing on a broom that was spiraling out of control."

"Exactly," Hermione admitted.

"Did you and Mister Weasley have any sort of understanding?" Russell asked gently.

"No," Hermione with self-loathing. "I've been waiting for the fool since last Christmas. I didn't know all I had to do was grab the git and kiss him in front of everyone. Not that it would have done any good. He doesn't like me."

'Only Granger would come to a teacher with a problem like this!' Russell thought. 'Still, she is here, she's in pain. How do I help?' Russell opted for honesty. "He probably thinks he loves you."

"It's a stupid way to show it!"

"Of course it is," Russell agreed. "Tell me, has Weasley had a girlfriend before?"

"No," Hermione agreed.

"Have you had a boyfriend?"

"Not really," Hermione admitted. "Viktor, Viktor Krum that is, and I almost dated, but not really. I was too young."

"I would imagine Weasley didn't know how to approach you. Believe it or not, if he cares for you, really cares for you, this fling with Miss Brown won't amount to much. They'll kiss a lot for a few weeks or months, and then it will die off." Hermione gave a little snort to stop herself from crying again. "I know. That's of absolutely no comfort to you right now. You're hurt, embarrassed, and angry. Normally, I would say ignore Weasley and everything around and about him, and look around and see if anyone else interested you. Now, though, I have to ask you to make a sacrifice."

"What kind?" Hermione asked.

"Don't make Potter choose between his two best friends. He needs both of you. Concentrate on what you need to learn, for his sake as well as yours and everyone else."

"I sometimes think my boggart would be seeing the dead mocking me because I didn't learn enough to save them," Hermione said with a far away look.

"I know. I know more than you will likely know for decades, and I still feel the same way at times. Don't overwork yourself like you did during your Third year. Stay available for Potter's sake. Do your school work, and work on these other projects as you were. It will hurt every time you see Weasley and Brown near each other. Just remind yourself that you are doing more important tings, even if it would be nice to have that as well."

"Cold comfort, but nevertheless true," Hermione admitted.

"Precisely," Russell agreed. "I regret I cannot offer you any better comfort."

Hermione stared at Russell, seated in the padded rocker, smoking his pipe. "Pardon me for saying so, sir, but that is very bad for you."

"Not really," Russell said. "We really are somewhat different than Muggles, Miss Granger. Did you know that most magical potions either would have no effect on Muggles, or poison them?"

"I had wondered," she admitted.

"Magic changes us, enhances us. In that respect at least, we really are better than Muggles. What we need to remember is, we all came from Muggles, and that we need Muggle culture. We may be the next evolutionary step of humanity, but if so we have not yet come close to completing that step."

"Yes, sir."

Russell conjured a basin of cold water, a towel, and a mirror for Hermione. She washed her face and pressed the wet cloth against her eyes.

"Are you ready to face the world again?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry to have bothered you for something like this."

Russell was not going to allow her to feel bad for coming to him. "In every sense, I have chosen to mentor you, Miss Granger. I promise you, I would rather talk to you when you are troubled about anything, even the antics of Ronald Weasley, than have you face these problems by yourself." He knocked the plug of ash and tobacco from his pipe, then used a pipe cleaner on it. A flick of his wand cleaned and restored the pipe cleaner. After putting the pipe back on the rack, he stood. "Let's see about getting you back to Gryffindor. It's after curfew, and I won't have you losing points."

Hermione followed him out. "Which House were you in, sir?"

"Ravenclaw. You make a fine Gryffindor, Miss Granger, but you would have made an equally good Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff."

"Thank you. Sir, have you spoke with Luna Lovegood this term?"

"Not as such. I must say, she has settled down nicely this year. I think she gained a bit of self-confidence and respect from going with you and the others to the Ministry. Why?"

"I just worry about her."

Russell thought about that. "H'mm. She has the Minor Gift of Languages, and has already learned forty-eight. Why don't you and she spend some time reading the basic Tibetan and Sanskrit material together that I gave you? It might be good for both of you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Feel free to teach her any of the revealing spells I've taught you."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, sir!" She smiled. "What about Occlumency?"

"Personally, I pity anyone who tries to read Miss Lovegood's mind, but feel free, if she is interested." 'I hope neither of you ever needs to use these,' Russell said to himself.

They met no one except Peeves on their way back to Gryffindor. Peeves said nothing, but fled before the glare of Russell. He had learned not to trifle with Russell or Snape.