Harry Potter and the Angel of Justice

Chapter Seventeen - Hermione's Very Bad Week

When Harry arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron and Ginny were sitting together in a corner, instead of their usual place beside the fire, looking very upset. The worry on their faces made him temporarily forget his recent brush with death as he approached them.

"Why the long faces? And where's Hermione?" he asked.

"She and Padma missed the prefect's meeting. Ester was furious," answered Ginny.

Ron snarled at the mention of the Head Girl's name. Ginny looked at her brother and gently patted his shoulder.

"She was having a real go at Hermione," Ginny continued, "called her all sorts of nasty things. And at the end of the meeting Ron, well - he told Ester to," said Ginny who now changed her voice to a whisper, "to go jinx herself."

Harry's face lit up and he smiled as he asked his best friend, "Right in front of all the prefects, mate?"

"Yeah. I was about to tell her where she could stick her wand, but then Hermione and Padma showed up," answered Ron irritably.

"Ester wrote Ron up for his insults, and Hermione and Padma for missing the meeting. Jason just sat there, making sure he avoided hacking off Ester, as usual, stupid git that he is. But this was Hermione's third reprimand; she's automatically suspended from prefect duties for the term," said a dejected Ginny.

"Come off it, Mars won't let that happen. He canceled her last detention and that was before he was in charge of her," counseled Harry.

"He's not in charge of the prefects. Ester knew better than trying to give her detention or having Snape dock points from Gryffindor, so she nailed Hermione on something Mars couldn't reverse," said Ron.

"Where is she, then?" asked Harry.

As if on cue, Hermione entered the Common Room through the painting, looking throughly miserable. She spotted the group by the fireplace and trudged over to them, plopping into a chair next to Harry.

"Spikes dragged me off to Professor McGonagall's office, even though Mars is supposed to be my Head of House now," said Hermione tonelessly. "I'd hoped that McGonagall would've given me some support or at least been neutral, but she just lectured me more. She said 'I've never had to suspend a Gryffindor prefect before,' and then she told me off for cheating in Potions."

"That wasn't cheating!" protested Ron.

"I know," agreed Hermione. "Ester confiscated my badge, and told me I would get it back next term if my Head of House thinks I deserve it."

"Of course Mars will," said Harry.

"I told you, Harry, Mars has nothing to do with the prefects. Anything to do with Gryffindor prefects is still handled by McGonagall," said Ron.

"Even if she does okay it, I'm still on probation until summer term."

Harry, Ron and Ginny all patted Hermione's shoulder sympathetically.

"We can't let Ester get away with this. You know that, don't you, Hermione?" said Ron.

"I know. She's gone too far, I agree, but you can't just hex her openly, Ron. Promise me that you won't," demanded Hermione.

Ron remained silent.

"Look, we'll get even, but we have to be careful. Please?" said Hermione desperately as she stared up at Ron.

"All right, but it has to be good," he said.

"Oh, it will be," replied Hermione darkly.

"Why did you miss the meeting?" asked Harry carefully.

"Padma and I finally had a breakthrough with the UAS. Just like Mars had predicted, we suddenly got it. We were hopelessly lost, and then wham. It was really quite exciting and we didn't mind the time until it was too late," answered Hermione.

The conversation was cut off when Lily suddenly flew in, crossing the room and landing on Ginny's arm. She was singing a quiet but cheerful song.

"Lily, how did you get in here?" asked Ginny, gently stroking the small bird.

"Doors can't stop her, Ginny," answered Harry.

"But why is she here now? She's never come up to the Common Room before," wondered Hermione.

Harry swallowed hard. He knew the news of Cho's attack must have reached Mars and that the American had sent Lily to watch him. Even at Hogwarts, he was to be constantly monitored. Harry sighed and then spoke. "Mars must have heard about Cho trying to kill me this evening, and sent Lily to keep a closer watch on me."

His three friends flinched violently in alarm. Ron gaped so much Harry thought his jaw was going hit the floor. Harry explained to his alarmed friends how Cho had been under the Imperious Curse; about her getting him to help her with homework to trick him into being alone with her; and about the appalling experience of being saved by Snape. He finished by telling them about Dumbledore's puzzlement over Snape's instant prognosis of the curse.

"So that's why she wrote you those lovey-dovey letters this summer even though you had that blazing row with her last year!" Ron exclaimed.

"Any why she cornered you on the train! I thought you looked terrified when she was kissing you," said Ginny, who was now beaming at him.

The look of relief on Ginny's face was matched by his own. Just five minutes ago Harry would have sworn nothing could have countered his depression over the attack and Hermione's suspension. However, Lily's song and Ginny's warm smile had done just that. He wanted very much to reach over and hug her, but Hermione interrupted his train of thought.

"Snape recognized the curse right away, you said?" asked Hermione.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." answered Harry, pulling his gaze away from Ginny. "He just looked at her eyes and said it was the Imperious Curse."

"But Dumbledore had to use a magic rod and some powder to tell? And Mars saw her twice a week and never noticed?" said Hermione suspiciously.

"That doesn't sound likely," added Ron.

They chatted for another hour about the day's events without coming to any conclusions; and then it was time for the three sixth-years to head over to the Astronomy Tower for their weekly observations of the heavens. Harry and Ron were so tired that they barely made it through the class; when they returned to their dorm, they fell asleep instantly, sprawled across their beds, still fully clothed.

While Harry would never have described Double Potions as a fun experience, Thursday's class was uncommonly dreadful. Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson constantly goaded Hermione about her suspension, and of course Snape ignored their taunting. Hermione somehow managed to tune them out, but Harry was sure Ron was going to hex them at any moment and get himself expelled. Ron managed to keep his temper, however, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when the class finally ended.

Transfiguration seemed to cheer Ron up a bit. While McGonagall was still frosty to Hermione, the day's subject was close to Ron's heart: they were to make their own Wizard Chess sets. The students picked out their materials and started transfiguring the pieces. By the end of class, Ron was glowing with pride as he presented the three pieces he had finished, two knights and a rook, to Professor McGonagall.

"Excellent work, Mr. Weasley. You and Miss Patil had outstanding results today. Ten points each for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," said McGonagall proudly.

Hermione sighed. She too had finished three pieces, and in Harry's opinion they were as good as Padma's or Ron's, but apparently McGonagall was still angry with her. Hermione showed no signs of bitterness towards Ron, however, for getting such rare praise in Transfiguration. In fact, she congratulated Ron heartily as they left class, heading for the Great Hall.

During dinner at the Gryffindor table, Hermione peered over Harry's shoulder, looking cross. "Why is she coming over here?" she asked nastily.

Harry and Ron turned to look behind them and saw Marietta Edgecombe headed directly towards them. She stopped next to Harry and squeezed in beside him. Hermione continued to glare at her.

"Harry, I've come with a message from Cho," said Marietta.

"Oh. Is she okay?" he asked.

"Yes, she's recovering nicely. Cho should be back in class on Monday, but she'd like you to visit her on Saturday if you could. She wants to apologize in person."

Harry was still nervous about being around Cho, but how could he turn her down after what she had just been through? "Yeah, I'll come by. I don't blame her for what happened."

"Thanks, Harry. She really feels horrible about everything. She'd like for Ginny to come with you, if she will," said Marietta as she stood. "But just Ginny," she added, as she glared back at Hermione before walking over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Why does she want you to come?" asked Ron as he looked at his sister. Harry wondered the same thing; Ginny just shrugged.

That evening was the first Harry could remember that Ron was more eager to do their homework than Hermione. She seemed to doing her best not to seem depressed about her suspension, but Harry could tell it bothered her deeply. She just wasn't used to being in trouble like he and Ron were.

Fridays were Harry's favorite: Double Charms in the morning, then the class he taught, and finishing the day with Defense Against the Dark Arts. Apparently the advanced class had taken Mars' assignment very seriously, as only Hannah Abbot, Zacharias Smith and Michael Corner flinched when they heard Voldemort's name spoken. Normally, failure to complete an assignment would draw loads of extra homework from Mars, but he seemed to be in a good mood and merely told the three to try harder over the weekend.

At the end of the class, Mars, as promised, split the class into three sections. Harry was to be in a group by himself; Padma and Hermione were to continue studying Mars' UAS; and the rest of the class formed the third group. Ron and Neville were selected to lead this group in defense exercises each day. Mars warned Ron and Neville that he expected them both to know the subject matter before class every session. Neville looked proud and nervous at this first-ever leadership responsibility.

The next day, Saturday, Harry, Ron and Ginny spent most of their time practicing Quidditch. In two weeks they would face Slytherin, and Ron was taking no chances on being unprepared. He drove the team quite hard, and they seemed to be responding well to his new plays and strategies. After practice, all three were too tired to do any homework, no matter how much Hermione nagged them.

Late in the afternoon, Ginny reminded Harry that they had promised to visit Cho in the hospital. Harry was still apprehensive about seeing her, but a promise was a promise, he reminded himself.

When they arrived, Madam Pomfrey led them over to Cho and told them they had only twenty minutes, which was more than enough in Harry's opinion. When Cho saw them, she sat up, looking excited, but said nothing until the nurse had left the room.

"Harry, Ginny. Come close, quickly," Cho demanded, scooting over to make room for them to sit on her bed. Harry didn't really want to get that close to her, but Ginny walked right over and sat down next to Cho, so Harry followed suit.

"First off, I am so so sorry about what happened, Harry," Cho began. "This awful red-headed wizard cursed me as I was walking over to Mandy Brocklehurst's house, and I was totally under his control. I tried to fight him, especially when he ordered me to get close to you and then kill you," said Cho, who was now crying. "But he was too strong for me; oh, please forgive me, Harry."

She sniffed and continued. "But I'm sure you know all that. There is something else though, something that I didn't tell even Dumbledore." Cho's voice dropped to a whisper and she leaned even closer to them. "Snape had been following me for over a month before I-I attacked you Harry. Oh Harry, I'm so sorry!" She broke down into sobs.

Harry could see how miserable she was, and he knew he should put his arm around her. He still didn't want to touch her, though, especially with Ginny in the room. Ginny, however, flashed him a sharp look, so he put his arm tentatively around Cho's shoulders. Cho immediately buried her head in his shoulder and cried even harder. After a few seconds she spoke with a breaking voice.

"Snape knew! He knew I was under You-Know-Who's control, but he didn't tell anyone or try to stop me. I think he wanted me to attack you so he could save you and make himself look good."

"And make Mars look bad," added Ginny darkly.

Harry nodded and thought, "No wonder that gargoyle knew Cho's condition immediately."

"Thank you both for coming, I know you didn't have to, it meant a lot," Cho gasped through her sobs. "Don't trust Snape, either of you."

"What are you two doing on that bed?" shrieked Madam Pomfrey, re-entering the room. Harry and Ginny leaped up with lightning speed. "Why is she crying?" demanded the nurse. "How dare you upset a patient in this hospital! Out!"

The nurse looked as upset as Harry had ever seen her; he and Ginny retreated quickly without even saying goodbye to Cho.

On Sunday, a mountain of homework awaited Harry, Ron and Ginny. They started working right after breakfast, and were still not done at dinner time. Hermione had finished her work in the morning, and spent the rest of the day knitting elf clothes and giving the three of them I-told-you-to-study-yesterday looks. Finally, at nine, Ron slammed down his quill with satisfaction.

"All done!" he said, turning to look at Hermione. "See, we finished even with the long Quidditch practice."

"So, you're all prepared to lead your group in the new Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson tomorrow, are you?" asked Hermione in a maddeningly superior tone.

A panicked look flew across Ron's face. He obviously was not prepared.

"Neville, did you talk to Mars about the lesson tomorrow?" called Ron.

Neville walked over from one of the other tables. "Yeah, I went to his office while you were at Quidditch practice."

Hermione's pointed stare at Ron grew even more lofty at this pronouncement. Ron did his best to ignore her and fixed his gaze on Neville. "Well, what did he say the lesson was going to be on?"

"Spacing."

"What?"

"Spacing."

"Neville, he has got to have said more than that. The spacing of what?" asked Ron, annoyed.

"Well, it was something to do with defense, I know," answered Neville hopelessly.

"How are we suppose to lead the class in the lesson knowing only that?" said Ron hotly.

"I'm not sure, actually. I'm rather worried; Mars does tend to get upset when you're not prepared," said Neville nervously, and then he went back to his table.

"That's an understatement," added Ginny darkly.

"Ron, you're going to have to see Mars tonight. You can't mess up on your first day," suggested Harry.

"I know, but it's after nine! By the time I finish talking to him, it'll be past curfew!"

"Just use his fireplace to get back, Ron," interjected Ginny. Hermione nodded in agreement as she went back to her knitting.

Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't thought any of the other students were familiar with Mars' fireplace route for getting back to Gryffindor Tower.

"C'mon, Ron, I'll go with you. I have a few questions for Mars myself," offered Harry.

As the boys made their way to Mars' office they noticed Filch's foul cat, Mrs Norris, following them.

"We're allowed to be out, you stupid fur ball. Go ahead and fetch Filch, I'm sure he really wants to see Mars," said Harry nastily at her. The cat sped off.

They knocked on the office door and heard Mars tell them to enter. When Harry opened the door, he saw Mars staring intently at the largest Galaxy Globe he had ever seen. It was at least three times the size of his own. The boys walked over to him and stood silently for a minute or so, watching him study the stars. Eventually, Harry nudged Ron in the ribs.

"Er - Mars, about the lesson tomorrow," said Ron tentatively.

"The one you are supposed to be leading and will know all about before class starts?"

"Yeah that one. I'm sorry I left it so late ...," Ron began weakly.

"That's okay, Neville managed to be early, and I doubt he remembers anything I said."

"He doesn't," agreed Harry with a laugh.

Mars smiled and then led them over to the lab. Harry braced himself, expecting to see the Grim, but its cage was nowhere in sight.

"What happened to the Grim?" asked Ron nervously.

"He's out of the way for now. Damn thing is so evil I couldn't stand it staring at me. I kept wanting to kill it," answered Mars.

At the far end of the lab were two strange-looking cylinders, about twenty feet apart, six feet high, looking like miniature Roman marble pillars.

"We will be using devices like these to hone your reflexes. Each will cast stinging charms at the target or targets designated, at the speed selected, until they reach a certain number of shots or until the target hits the pillar with its own charm," explained Mars.

He demonstrated how it worked on Ron. He touched the pillar with his hand, pointed his wand at Ron, and said "Two shots, slow speed." He told Ron to get ready to block the spell and then removed his hand.

The instant his hand was removed, a bright yellow light flew out of the pillar like a bullet, straight at Ron. He was too surprised to remember to block it, so it nailed him.

"Ouch!" he cried. He immediately readied his wand to block the second spell. This time, when the bullet of light came at him, he managed to cast the shield spell and block the charm.

"Very good, Ron! You'll want to get used to these things before class tomorrow. I've set up six of them in my classroom's lab," said Mars.

"But it doesn't have a lab, does it?" asked Harry.

"It does now. I told you I need a lot of space," answered Mars, grinning.

Harry and Ron practiced with the pillars for over two hours. It was a lot of fun, and at the end they even talked Mars into taking on both pillars at once, set on high speed. His sword focus whirled around with incredible velocity. He easily deflected the charms as he glided catlike through his combat maneuvers. After blocking forty or more shots, Mars deflected the charms back at the pillars to deactivate them.

"That was brilliant!" offered Harry as they walked back towards the door to the office.

"I can't believe we actually get to do this as a school assignment," said Ron excitedly.

"It's excellent training. Just being great at casting spells doesn't make you a good dueler. Balance, reflexes and even instincts are almost as important," said Mars sagely, opening the door. He took a few steps and then stopped suddenly.

Harry and Ron stepped around Mars to see what had alarmed him, and also froze. Dobby, the Malfoy's freed house-elf, was walking across Mars' office; as when Harry had last seen him, he was wearing about twenty of Hermione's knitted hats, multiple scarves, and enough socks to open his own shop.

"Stop!" ordered Mars.

Instead, Dobby appeared to actually speed up a bit, heading for the hallway door.

"I know you heard me, now stop! Dobby's your name, isn't it?" asked Mars.

Dobby finally stopped and slowly turned to face them. His eyes lit up as they saw Harry.

"Harry Potter, sir! Dobby did not expect to see sir while he was filling in for Winky, oh what a surprise and honor it is to see Harry Potter again," said Dobby, rushing to Harry's side.

"Hold it right there," said Mars threateningly. His wand was out and pointed at Dobby. The elf instantly froze, looking terrified.

"It seems that you're old friends with Harry here, but before you start reminiscing, you need to answer my question," said Mars sternly.

Dobby looked more scared than ever; he cringed, looking up at Mars. He managed to squeak out, "Yes, I am called Dobby, Master Mars, sir."

"Now that you're answering my questions, Dobby, there's no need to be scared. Why don't the four of us to go sit at my desk while I ask you a few more things," suggested Mars, putting his wand away.

"But Dobby has many chores to complete -"

"They can wait for now, Dobby," interrupted Mars, heading for his desk. "I've never had to use my wand to make a house-elf working for me listen before, and I want to know why I had to with you."

Dobby gulped and followed gloomily.

"Mars, Dobby's a bit odd for a house-elf, you know. He didn't mean to be rude," said Harry, as he and Ron followed Mars.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm not going to get your friend into any trouble, but I know he's hiding something. I can see it in his eyes. As soon as he tells me he'll be free to leave."

"Dobby's working for you, Mars? Not Hogwarts?" asked Ron.

"Just until tomorrow. Winky's taking a week off to see her sister in Bolton," answered Mars.

Both Ron and Harry stopped and gawked at the American.

"You hired Winky?" asked Harry incredulously.

"I had to. She was a real sad sack. I knew I had to cheer her up or she might just pass away. I told her Barty Crouch would want his long time house-elf to regain her honor. Her family had served his for decades and it was time for her to make up for her mistakes," said Mars. "But she had to agree to my terms. She gets a salary and vacations. Oh and she had to learn to cook Tex-Mex. I'm starving over here."

Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks as they sat down on the chairs around the desk. Dobby remained standing, looking nervous.

"Dobby, take a seat," said Mars as he pointed his wand at one of the desk chairs. The seat raised up so that Dobby would be able to see over the desktop.

The elf climbed into it and looked happily at Mars. "Like when I first met Harry Potter, sir, I knew of your greatness, but not your goodness. Who could have thought? Dobby sitting at the same table, well, desk, actually, with the great wizards Mars, Wheezy and Harry Potter?" Tears of joy flowed from the elf's eyes and he blew his nose loudly on one of his scarves.

Mars looked dumbfounded. Apparently he'd never seen anything like Dobby before. He turned his head and gazed questioningly at Harry.

Harry shrugged and said, "I told you he was a bit odd."

"Yeah, he's always like this," added Ron, nodding.

Mars shook his head and stared straight into Dobby's large eyes. "Dobby, it is very difficult to tell me a lie, and even if you manage, I'll know it immediately. Now tell me: why in the world are you wearing all those hats, socks and scarves?"

Dobby struggled to move his eyes away from Mars' gaze, but failed. After a few tense seconds, he squeaked, "Now that Dobby has his freedom, sir, he likes to wear clothes. He spends most of his wages on them."

"While I know you're being truthful, Dobby, you're not telling me everything," said Mars as he still stared at Dobby.

"Miss Hermy made them. She is the great Harry Potter's best friend after his Wheezy," answered the elf.

Mars cocked his head, looking confused. He turned his gaze to Harry and Ron. "Miss Hermy?"

Ron chuckled. "He means Hermione." Harry snickered softly. He and Ron both enjoyed teasing her about the name that Hagrid's little brother, the giant Grawp, called her.

Mars looked back at Dobby. "But why would she knit so many clothes for you, Dobby?"

The elf rocked himself in the chair and said nervously, "Dobby's not sure they were all meant for him."

"What are you sure of, then?" asked Mars, annoyed.

"Mars, don't be cross with him. He just doesn't want to say anything bad about Hermione," interjected Harry.

"Why would he have to do that to answer my question? The knitting job doesn't look completely horrible," said Mars.

Harry looked at Ron nervously. Ron swallowed and then spoke up. "Hermione has been knitting clothes for the house-elves for over a year. She leaves them hidden under rubbish, hoping the house-elves will pick them up accidentally when they're cleaning."

"Why would she want to trick them into picking up clothes that she knitted?" said Mars.

Harry was surprised Mars didn't already understand what Hermione was up to, but said bluntly, "Well, she wants to set them free by giving them clothes."

"Are you sure that's what she was planning?" asked Mars.

"Yeah, she told us on the first night last year," answered Ron. Harry nodded.

"And she wasn't joking about it?"

"No," said Harry and Ron.

Mars' eyes grew wide, a smile started to form on his lips and then he broke into the loudest, heartiest laugh Harry had ever heard. He bent forwards as he cackled, and beat one of his fists on the desk. Harry and Ron looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Mars, I don't see what's so funny," said Harry. "Hermione's got the house-elves too scared to clean Gryffindor Tower, so poor Dobby, who's already free, has to do it himself each night." Harry tried to hide his own annoyance.

"Oh, Harry, that's not why the other house-elves avoid the tower, I can assure you," said Mars, still trying to control his laughter. "They," he inhaled greatly, "they most likely avoid it because Hermione offended them. That's right, isn't it, Dobby?" asked Mars, in a much kinder voice.

"Yes, Master Mars sir, they finds the clothes insulting. They don't know Miss Hermy like Dobby does."

"Just when I was thinking Hermione was the most clever young witch I had ever met, this comes to my attention," said Mars, shaking his head. "I never figured she could be such a bonehead as this." He smiled at the boys.

"Bonehead? What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Do you really think a house-elf would be freed if it just picked up clothes lying around? I mean, that's ridiculous; how do you think they do your laundry?" asked Mars.

"Yeah," Harry and Ron nodded, looking enlightened.

"Besides, she isn't the master at Hogwarts; Professor Dumbledore is. Only the master or a member of his or her family can free them. You can't just waltz up to anyone's house-elf, hand them a scarf, and say, 'Off you go, partner.' I can't believe she ever thought that would work," said Mars.

Now that Harry thought about it, he realized how implausible the idea really was. He just wasn't used to Hermione making mistakes like this.

"This won't get Miss Hermy into no troubles, will it?" asked Dobby nervously.

"Nothing worse than an extra lesson, Dobby, but tell me. Why do you say Ron and Harry's last names and not Hermione's?" asked Mars.

Harry turned and looked at the elf. The same thought had just occurred to Harry.

"It's just that the other house-elves, they don't like Miss Hermy much. They says very mean things and uses her name just awful," said Dobby sadly.

"Like how?" asked Ron.

"Well Mr Wheezy sir, they says Granger instead of ... in place of ... well, dung," said Dobby and then he stood up and beat his head against the chair back three times.

"She really has upset them, hasn't she?" stated Mars.

"If she finds that out, she'll go spare," said Ron.

"I know it'll be tough, Ron, but we have to help her understand how the house-elves really feel. Her self-righteousness is a big weakness, and if we let her go on thinking she's helping, the shock that they really hate her will only be worse," said Mars somberly.

"Fine, you deliver the news that the house-elves she loves so much use her name in place of 'crap' when they swear, but leave me out of it. You don't know her temper, Mars," said Ron, waving his hands in front of him.

"You're not getting out of this, Ron. I expect you two and Ginny to help me. Make sure that y'all are up at one in the morning tomorrow night. I'll give Hermione plenty of homework, so you don't have to worry about her.

"We have to do this, guys; it may seem mean, but it would be worse without our help. Y'all go ahead and use the fireplace to get back to your tower. Dobby, you can finish your chores now," said Mars.

Dobby headed out the door, and Harry and Ron used the floo powder to return to the Gryffindor Common Room. From there, they went straight to bed. Harry sighed at the thought of the coming confrontation. Hermione was still upset about being suspended. Now, to be told that her last name was being used as a profanity by the house-elves she was so fond of might just break her heart.

Neither Harry nor Ron were in any mood to get up the next morning. The late-night training session had been fun at the time, but they were now paying for the lack of sleep. They were both still drowsy when they sat at the Gryffindor Table for breakfast, but their energy returned as they related the tale of the practice pillars to the other Gryffindors.

Ron's descriptions were especially exuberant. After a few minutes of listening to the growing excitement, Harry began to feel a little left out. He knew that while Ron, Ginny and the others would be playing with the pillars, he would be working on some project by himself. Hermione also would be excluded from the fun, but she didn't seem to mind. Harry figured that learning Mars' UAS was probably exciting to her, even though it bored the pants off him and Ron.

Hermione looked much happier today, but Harry feared what Mars might have planned for her in class, and he worried even more about the confrontation Mars was setting up for late that night. She had been having a very rough time lately, and the cause of freeing the house-elves meant a lot to her. He wished he had spoke up with his concerns last night when they were discussing the subject, but he just hadn't been able to convince himself to argue with Mars at the time.

All these concerns filled Harry with trepidation as he headed to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Mars greeted everyone brightly and winked at Harry and Ron. He then had all the students, sans Harry, Hermione and Padma, follow Ron and Neville into the newly-added lab, which was reached by a door on a wall that should have led to the outside the castle. Instead, it opened onto the lab, and Harry could hear the pupils ooh-ing and aah-ing as they entered the room for the first time.

The plan for today was to have Harry learn the reverse transfiguration charm. It was quite a complex spell, and Harry was assigned to check out three books from the library, including one from the restricted section. He sat at a table and unpacked all of his books, his scrolls, quills and ink bottles. When he had finished, Harry leaned back in the chair and heard cheerful laughter and occasional squeals from the lab next door. He sighed and wished he could be in there with them.

Mars reentered the classroom from the lab and headed over to Harry's table. Apparently, he could tell that Harry wanted to be with the others, because he spoke up immediately.

"I know you really want to join the fun, don't you?" asked Mars. Harry nodded. "Well, we can always start the reverse transfiguration charm some evening this week. Go ahead, pack up your things and join them."

Harry's face lit up. He thanked Mars and quickly started shoving things back into his bag. Meanwhile, Mars walked over to Padma and Hermione, who were drawing geometric shapes on the blackboard.

"Miss Granger," said Mars sharply. Harry, Hermione and Padma all did a double-take; Mars generally called students by their first names. "Which curve would you use in the wand movement for a tearing charm on, say, November 3^rd of next year?"

For a moment Hermione looked stumped by the question. Then she turned to the board and marked circles with her wand on two of the ellipses. She looked at the constellation maps that were on the wall, muttered to herself, and then looked at Mars. "Because Jupiter and Saturn are at these locations," she used her wand to light up two spheres on the constellation maps, "and the tearing charm is an evocation, you'd use an S-curve."

Mars looked at the map and shook his head. "I agree that if the planets were at the places you've highlighted, an S-curve would be called for in an evocation, but your plotting is completely off for next November; these positions would be for June. The planets should be here." Mars jabbed his wand at the map and the spheres moved to different constellations. "That would call for a French-curve, wouldn't it? An S-curve? You'd be lucky if the charm didn't reflect back and hit you. Good thing it was such a weak spell, don't you agree?"

Hermione looked at her markings on the ellipses and then at a table she had in one of her books. After a few seconds' perusal her head came up; her face bore a look of comprehension. "I see where I got mixed up," she said in disappointment.

"And when you're dealing with the powerful spells that I will be teaching you, Miss Granger, any mix-up can be fatal. I expect you to be much better prepared for Friday. Do you understand?" asked Mars sternly.

Hermione squeaked out a weak "Yes." She looked crushed.

"Miss Patil," said Mars.

Padma jumped. "Yes?"

"I hope you do better with your chance," said Mars. He then asked her a similar question, but with a different spell and date. Padma worked it through just as Hermione had, but Mars declared her answer correct. Padma smiled proudly.

"Very nice, Padma. I expect you both to be perfect when we try a few of these techniques on Friday. I don't want any excuses either. I would hate to think I made a mistake when I chose the two of you to study such an advanced method.

"C'mon, Harry, let's see how Ron and Neville are doing."

After Harry and Mars had entered the noisy lab, Mars pulled Harry into a corner and spoke quietly. "I know that was mean, but I had to make sure Hermione stays up late studying tonight. She won't like doing poorly in class, and I imagine she'll take what I said as a personal challenge. I'll apologize to her tonight, after we settle the house-elf clothes issue," said Mars.

There were twelve pillars in the lab, and the students were taking them on in many variations: two pupils on one pillar, one student against two pillars, two on two, three on two, and so on. Ron kept yelling at students who were teamed up to watch their spacing. Harry could see why: several of them actually stung their own teammate, instead of the pillar.

When Harry first joined in, his thoughts were still on Hermione; but as soon as he got stung, and subsequently teased about it, his mind focused on the game. By the end of the double period, it was apparent that he was the best dueler.

At lunch, Hermione wolfed down her food and then said she was off to the library to study her star tables. After she had left, Harry and Ron explained to Ginny what Mars had learned about Hermione and the house-elves, and told her of the meeting planned for late that night.

"Well, I agree that when Hermione finds out what they think of her, it might just break her heart," Ginny said. "But Mars is right; we need to take care of this now, before it gets worse, and we need to do it while her best friends are around her. Can you imagine how she would feel if they told her off and she found out what they used her name for in front of Ester or Pansy?"

Harry and Ron both agreed. Harry had never considered that possibility. As he and Ron walked outside to Hagrid's cabin, Harry swore to himself that he would never again doubt the wisdom of Mars.

The rest of the day was still very tense for Harry. He barely paid attention in Care of Magical Creatures, and after he finished dinner it was doubtful that he could have named a single thing that he had eaten. While he knew that they were doing the right thing with Hermione, he still worried about her feelings. She had never taken being wrong very well, and luckily it rarely happened. This, however, was so important to her, and she had turned out to be so spectacularly wrong, that the possible repercussions were downright scary.

That evening, Hermione was studying by herself at the table nearest Harry's Galaxy Globe. There were Astronomy and Spell Theory books piled nearby, and many scrolls of class notes dotted the table. She had worked very hard all evening, and as midnight neared, Harry was reminded of how tired she had looked in their third year, when she was using a time turner to attend classes simultaneously. He had sworn not to doubt Mars again, so he tried to think positive thoughts, and did his best to look busy until Mars arrived.

He then reached over and nudged Ron awake for the third time.

"Wha?" said Ron as his head jerked up.

"You'll make Hermione suspicious if she sees you sleeping out here," warned Harry.

"Nah, she's too caught up in that UAS rubbish," answered Ron, who promptly started snoozing again.

Apparently Ron was correct, because for the next hour Hermione never looked beyond her table. Then, at precisely 1:00 a.m., the painting of the Fat Lady opened and in walked three house-elves and one very tall wizard. Harry recognized two of the elves, Winky and Dobby. Dobby was still wearing all of Hermione's knitted clothes, but Winky looked very different from the last time Harry had seen her. She wore a hat, with holes for her large ears, a pretty blouse, and a skirt, all in the same shade of red. She and her clothes were no longer filthy, but sparkling clean; and when she walked, it was not the drunken stumble Harry had become accustomed to. Harry had never seen the third elf before, but it wore the usual uniform of a tea towel with the Hogwarts crest.

Ginny sat up straight in her chair and turned her gaze to Hermione. Harry nudged Ron awake; Ron mumbled complaints until he saw the red robes of Mars pass by. He then awoke fully and also fixed his eyes on Hermione. Hermione herself was still oblivious to the new arrivals, who walked up to her table. After a tense pause, Mars coughed to get her attention.

Hermione looked up from her books. "Oh," she said in surprise, looking over the three house-elves.

"Hermione, I'm assuming you know Dobby and Winky here," said Mars, gesturing at the two elves. Dobby smiled and bowed deeply to Hermione, while Winky merely nodded her head in recognition. "This last rascal is Soupy. He's been the head house-elf at Hogwarts for the past thirty-five years."

Hermione didn't acknowledge the introductions. She was staring intently at Dobby and all the clothes she had knitted that were now piled onto his head, neck and feet.

"We've come to speak to you about the clothes you've been leaving out for the house-elves," said Mars plainly. Soupy and Winky both grimaced at the mention of the clothes.

Hermione's look changed from curious to defiant. She looked directly at the Hogwarts head house-elf. "So, are you here to complain about the shortage of workers now that so many house-elves have been freed? Or perhaps your budget's a bit short because you actually have to pay your staff for their hard work?" she asked the head house-elf confidently.

Dobby hid his face in his hands; Winky crossed her arms and shook her head in disgust. Soupy rolled his eyes, turned his head up, and looked at Mars.

"Just as Soupy predicted. Miss Granger is as insulting and arrogant as ever. Soupy is only meeting her once, but once is enough to know," squeaked the head elf. The way he pronounced "Granger" left no doubt in Harry's mind that the elves really were using Hermione's last name as profanity.

Winky shook one of her small fingers at Hermione and said, "You is a bad witch, Miss, a very bad witch. Before, you insults my old family, and now you insults all the house-elves at Hogwarts. They all hates you, now Miss Granger!"

"Hate me?" asked Hermione in alarm.

"Winky!" said Mars sternly.

"That's not true, Winky. Dobby don't hate Miss Hermy."

Hermione blinked twice at Dobby calling her Hermy, but she recovered quickly. "Thank you, Dobby. I knew I would upset some of the reactionaries," said Hermione, giving Soupy a nasty look. "But also I know all those house-elves whom I helped will one day rejoice in their freedom." Hermione looked quite smug.

"You sees, Master Mars? You sees? Like Soupy says before, Miss Granger is all insults and no brains," said Soupy. He and Winky broke into odd laughing fits.

"Now Soupy, you and Winky promised to be civil," said Mars.

"We said we is if she is. She's not civil, just stupid," Soupy snickered. Winky joined in the head house-elf's laughter.

"What is he talking about, Mars?" asked Hermione, annoyed.

"I had hoped they would've been more helpful today. That's the sign of a good house-elf, you know," said Mars. Winky and Soupy both winced at the criticism. "I fear, however, that you've insulted them so badly that it's going to be a real chore to make amends."

"That's all right. I'm quite willing to take the abuse. It's worth it, knowing that all those elves have been set free," answered Hermione.

Winky and Soupy snickered again. Hermione looked at them crossly.

"Hermione darlin', what makes you think that any elves have been set free?" asked Mars patiently.

"I've been leaving out clothes that I've made for them each night, and the next morning they're always gone. You did say you came to speak to me about it, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I had hoped that by now you would have realized your folly. You leave your laundry for them, don't you? Why would clothes that you made be any different?" asked Mars.

"But these clothes were for them," insisted Hermione.

"And you think yourself the master of Hogwarts, do you?" asked Mars. Soupy and Winky started to giggle again, but a sharp look from Mars silenced them.

Hermione looked perplexed. She looked at all the clothes Dobby was wearing again and then said angrily, "Dobby's been taking all the clothes, hasn't he, so the others haven't been freed?"

Dobby cringed at the accusation and shook his head.

"No, Hermione," said Mars sadly. "Dobby took all the clothes because none of the other house-elves will come to Gryffindor Tower. They are deeply offended at your hopeless attempt to free them against their will. He is the only house-elf at Hogwarts that I wouldn't have to force to enter this Common Room."

"Hopeless?" squeaked Hermione.

"Yes. You are a guest to these elves, not their master. You could no more free them than Harry could have freed Dobby from the Malfoys by handing the elf a sock himself. Remember, he had to trick Lucius Malfoy into doing it.

"You have no authority or power over them, Hermione. I'm afraid that the only thing that you have accomplished is to make all of them, except for Dobby, hate you," answered Mars somberly.

"But," said Hermione, her lip wobbling slightly, "I was only trying to help them."

Soupy and Winky both sneered at her objection.

"I know, Hermione, but you don't appear to have thought it out very well. It seems your otherwise exceptional intelligence has been blinded by an equally impressive self-righteousness. You can't expect them to appreciate your intentions when you try to deceive them into doing something you want and they fear.

"You've also picked a very poor place to recruit elves to your way of thinking. None are abused at Hogwarts; they have many others elves to mingle with, and there is more work to be done here than about any other place in Britain. It's almost like heaven to them."

Soupy smiled broadly.

"But they're not compensated for their hard work, they just toil all day. They're only happy because they are brainwashed. It's horrible," objected Hermione.

"You no longer reside in the muggle world, Hermione; you must leave its logic behind. They are creatures of magic, not humans. Their deepest desire is to serve us. This is their basic drive, not just propaganda that they've been fed," said Mars. He turned to face Dobby. "Even Dobby here, who loves his freedom, would be miserable if he wasn't helping humans be fed, comfortable, and happy. Wouldn't you, Dobby?"

Dobby shuddered at the thought. "It's what makes us feel fulfilled, Miss Hermy," he explained.

"But they still should be paid, and taken care of when they're old, and it should be illegal to abuse them," demanded Hermione.

"If I were to trick you with a spell that sent you away from Hogwarts, for your own safety, would you be grateful? Would you understand that I had only your best interests in mind? Would you accept that as justification? Could you study happily in the safety of the New World, knowing you had left Harry and the Weasleys to their own destinies?" asked Mars.

Hermione looked bewildered but shook her head.

"Listen, darlin', you know that I agree with your ideals; it's just your methods that are flawed. If you really knew what made house-elves tick, what they love, what they aspire to and what's important to them, you never would've tried to trick them into freedom," Mars explained gently.

"But I read all about them. I checked out and read every book in the library that even mentioned elves," pleaded Hermione.

Mars shook his head. "How many of those books were written by house-elves?"

"Well, none, they're not really encouraged to be educated, are they?" retorted Hermione.

Mars now smiled the same sort of superior smile that Hermione usually used when she lectured Harry and Ron. "Didn't you tell me back at the Burrow that no one in Wizarding Britain really cared about house-elves?"

"Yes, I did. It was the same night you joined S.P.E.W."

Mars nodded. "Then why in the world do you think that reading a few books, written by witches or wizards who don't care about them, would let you know how house-elves really felt? Or, Miss Granger, were you more interested in how you thought they should feel?"

Three times it seemed that Hermione was going to answer his question, but she never managed to get any words out. After several seconds of silence she looked up at Mars sadly.

"D-do they really h-hate me?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I wish I could say no, Hermione, but it'd be a lie. You're going to have to work very hard to get into their good graces again. Some of them can be very stubborn," said Mars, nodding at Winky.

"Hmph," Winky replied.

"The first step is to come to an agreement about Gryffindor Tower. Now, if Hermione agrees stop leaving out clothes," Mars glanced at Hermione, who nodded carefully, "then Dobby should no longer be required to take care of the Tower himself. Right, Soupy?"

"Yes, Master Mars. Soupy will make it so," answered the house-elf.

"Next, I want the elves to let Hermione visit them in the kitchens and for them to chat with her - politely, I might add. I imagine instead of trusting books, she will want to do her own research from now on."

Hermione's face lost some of its despair, but Soupy scowled.

"That's no good. House-elves won't wants to speak with Granger," snapped Soupy.

Mars wrinkled his brow. "That was an order, Soupy. In return, Hermione will promise never to insult any of you again, right?" asked Mars, looking at her. Hermione nodded again; her eyes were tearing up. "She's muggleborn; she saw her first elf only two years ago. Y'all can cut her some slack."

Dobby and Soupy nodded.

"Mr. Mars, sir," squeaked Winky. "Does Winky has to speaks with Miss Granger too? She insults Winky's old master, Mr. Crouch."

Hermione sniffled.

"Yes, Winky, you too. When Hermione was running him down, she didn't know the whole story. No one but Barty did," answered Mars kindly. "You three can leave now," he said, waving to the elves.

After the elves had left and closed the painting behind them, Hermione sniffled again. A few tears rolled down her cheeks; she brushed them away. She tried to say something, but choked on the words. Then she sat down and buried her face in her arms on the table, sobbing loudly.

Mars glanced hotly across the room at Harry, Ron and Ginny, and pointed at Hermione. Harry could almost hear Mars thinking, "Why do you think I wanted you all here anyway?"

Ginny quickly scampered across the room to Hermione, put her arms around her and leaned her head on Hermione's. Hermione returned the embrace and sobbed on Ginny's shoulder. As Harry and Ron joined the girls, Mars left the room. Neither of the boys had a clue what to do to comfort poor Hermione. Harry elected to just sit near her quietly. It turned out to be a good plan. After another five minutes of sobbing, Hermione let go of Ginny and hugged both him and Ron. Still sniffling, she apologized for being so upset, and let Ginny lead her up to bed.

"C'mon, let's get a bit of sleep before breakfast," said Ron shaking his head. "Some week Hermione's having."

Harry just nodded and followed him up the stairway.

Chapter Eighteen - The Beetle Strikes Back

Over the next few days Harry was amazed at Hermione's resolve. While she was alone with her friends, her misery was apparent; but around others she seemed almost normal. Harry was also impressed that she could keep up with her demanding classes while feeling so downtrodden. Harry himself barely had time to think. Ron had increased quidditch practice to three times a week, and on Tuesday Harry had a evening make-up lesson with Mars to start learning the Reverse Transfiguration Charm.

Thursday's quidditch practice session was particularly exhausting, and Harry got very little homework done before he trudged off to bed. He immediately fell asleep and started dreaming about the Forbidden Forest. In the dream, he saw centaurs racing amongst the foliage, holding their composite bows tightly. Their speed and grace at dodging the trees exhilarated him. He didn't know what their prey was, but he sensed the anticipation and anxiety of the pursuers.

Soon they reached a clearing and stopped on the edge, so they were obscured by the trees. A centaur he recognized, Magorian, gave hand signals to the rest, who then spread out and readied their bows. They seemed to be pointing at a path that lead into the open area. Harry stared at the entrance uneasily as the centaurs waited. Minutes slowly passed without incident, and then, finally, noises were heard approaching the clearing. A party of twenty or so trolls walked into the open, and behind them were two Death Eaters, wearing their typical robes and foul masks.

Harry gasped loudly, but no one seemed to notice; the trolls and Death Eaters kept walking, and the centaurs didn't so much as flinch. When the trolls and dark wizards had reached the center of the clearing, Magorian loosed an arrow, and the others followed. The volley seemed to be aimed solely at the robed figures, who went down with multiple shafts piercing them.

The trolls looked confused and frightened as the centaurs fired off another round of arrows, dropping many of the monsters. The surviving trolls raised their clubs and charged, screaming, at the centaurs nearest Harry. Those centaurs put away their bows and pulled short spears out of their quivers. They held the spears in front of them like lances and charged at the approaching trolls with their own war cries.

Harry felt a rush of warmth flow from behind him. It was like sitting in an air-conditioned room on a very hot day when someone opens the door, steps in, and then closes it quickly. He turned to see the cause of this feeling, and Mars was standing before him.

"I had no idea that your divination training had caught on so well, Harry. Precognitive dreams already? Your inner eye must be greater than I believed," said the tall American, impressed.

"A dream? You mean you're visiting me in a dream again? That battle wasn't real?" asked Harry, befuddled. The trees of the forest vanished before his eyes, replaced by a misty, gray, endless plain.

"Yes, yes, and it might be, one day," answered Mars.

Harry reviewed the order of his questions before he spoke.

"One day? You're saying I'm seeing the future?"

"A future possibility. Your vision wasn't a prophecy; it isn't definite. The clearer you see it, the more likely it is, though," answered Mars.

"It looked pretty clear to me."

"To me also. Like I said, I'm surprised at how much you've managed with only subliminal training. It's such a shame that I've been prevented from instructing you until recently. Sybil tries her best, but she's just -"

"A fraud?" suggested Harry.

"Now, Harry, that's a bit harsh. She does have talent. Don't let that dramatic act fool you. If she'd just quit with the embellishments, the students might learn from her, but there's this huge chip on her shoulder. Her great-great-grandmother was a tremendous Seer, and it pains Sybil that she's just not in that league. Believe me when I say that it is very difficult to live up to expectations when an ancestor of yours is a legend," replied Mars.

"What d'you mean by subliminal?" asked Harry.

"I mean I've been training you as a Seer since your first Occlumency lesson this summer."

"But--but, why not tell me?"

"It's quite normal not to notify a young Seer when you first start teaching them. Since it's such a rare and useful talent, the students can often get rather full of themselves. There are basic training steps that need to be learned before you can harness all of your talent, but these steps are mundane compared to seeing the future, so they slack off in learning these building block skills. This often leads the young seers to develop bad habits, and then they never reach their full potential.

"Once the students know how special they are, they tend to think they know better than the instructor. Well, at least most of us were that way," said Mars with a guilty grin.

Harry smiled up at Mars.

"You'll wake any second. Get Ron and meet me in the common room," said Mars before he faded from view.

Harry and Ron worked with Mars again on the Cruciatus Curse; again, Mars had to help both of the boys with his empathy in order to get their minds in the proper state. After several hours of practice, the boys used the fireplace to return to Gryffindor Tower.

"We've still an hour before they serve breakfast." said Harry, looking at his new watch. "Is it worth trying to get in a quick nap?"

Before Ron could answer, Hermione's voice rang out behind them.

"You should probably start your Care of Magical Creatures homework. Neither of you paid much attention during the last class."

Harry and Ron spun quickly to see Hermione standing next to the Galaxy Globe behind them. If their sudden exit from the fireplace bothered her, it didn't show. She wasn't even looking at them, but was quickly changing the view that the orb presented.

"Hermione, what are you doing up at this hour?" asked Ron.

"Same as you, Ron. Studying Defense Against the Dark Arts," she replied, still looking at the globe.

Harry and Ron goggled at each other for a few seconds and then looked again at Hermione.

"So you've had extra lessons from Mars too?" asked Harry.

"Yes, of course. Mars' UAS is just incredible, but it's very complex. Padma and I need the extra sessions," answered Hermione.

"Ginny also knew about the fireplace, she must be in on it too," Ron pointed out.

"Certainly. Do you really think Mars would leave a Weasley out?" asked Hermione with a smile. "There are others as well. Haven't you two ever noticed that practically every day two or three different students look like they've been up all night?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," said Harry.

"Well, it's caused by the same thing that will make you look that way today," said Hermione as she turned back to the globe. "Now, I suggest that you two go get your books and finish Hagrid's reading before we head down for breakfast."

After the draining session they had just experienced, neither Harry nor Ron felt like studying at all. However, the shock of discovering they weren't alone in their late night studies rendered them unable to argue with Hermione, so they both fetched their books and read until breakfast.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were, unsurprisingly, the first Gryffindors to arrive in the Great Hall. Once they had filled their plates, Ginny joined them. The four of then discussed their plans for tomorrow, their first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Hogsmeade was a wizarding village located near Hogwarts, and was the largest all-wizard community in Britain. Harry had been banned from it by Professor Umbridge last year, so he was really looking forward to visiting his favorite spots in the town after such a long absence. Harry especially wanted to get a good look at the Shrieking Shack. Every time he'd been there it seemed that something had distracted him.

Ron had just started talking about what he would buy at Honeydukes when Harry again had the feeling of being watched. This feeling was much stronger than when Mars had cast the spell, so Harry was sure it was a student spying on him. Harry feigned interest in what Ron was saying, trying to look natural as he glanced about the room. There weren't many people in the Great Hall, but none of them looked suspicious.

"Harry," Hermione sounding annoyed. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh? Of course I am. Er - what did you say again?"

Hermione glared at him and answered, "I asked if you want me to pick up some quills or ink for you. I'm going to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop while I'm in Hogsmeade tomorrow. Do you need anything?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just fine," said Harry. Just as he turned his head back to the entrance, he saw a tall figure dash quickly out of the doorway. He jumped up and sprinted out of the Great Hall.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron and Hermione called after him.

He ignored them and looked down the corridors that connected to the Entrance Hall. Many students were passing him on their way in to breakfast; he could just make out one student with bushy red hair picking her way through the crowd, going in the opposite direction .

"Ester," he said to himself, turning back to the Great Hall.

When Harry returned, he saw Ginny and Hermione, along with Parvati, Katie and Lavender, all whispering amongst each other and giggling quietly. The girls all seemed entranced by the arriving mail owls, and when a small screech owl delivered a note to Ginny they gathered around her excitedly. This fuss over the post captured even Ron's attention away from his food. "What's all this, then?" asked Ron, craning his neck in an attempt to read Ginny's letter.

Ginny quickly moved the paper away from Ron's view and the girls placed themselves around her protectively.

"It's just girl talk, Ron; nothing that would interest you," answered Ginny, with a mischievous grin.

Harry, however, caught a glimpse of the message that Ginny held:

... never have managed this without your and Hermione's help. Thanks so much again. Wish me luck on Saturday.

Love from Tonks

PS I hope he isn't furious with the lot of us. Though his blue eyes are so cute when he's angry!

Harry was peering toward the top of the letter when Hermione spotted him. She snatched the paper from Ginny and folded it so that the writing was hidden. "Honestly," said Hermione, annoyed. "Since when have you two ever cared to get in touch with your feminine sides?"

The girls got up from the table, chatting as they left the Great Hall.

"Just what are they up to?" wondered Ron as he and Harry followed behind them.

"I don't know, but that letter was from Tonks," answered Harry.

"You managed to read it?"

"Just the end. Didn't make much sense though. She thanked them for their help on something and then asked them to wish her luck on Saturday. In the PS she mentioned a guy with blue eyes being cute when he's angry, I think anyways. It was just a quick look," Harry shrugged.

Ron made a face. "Ginny was right, I didn't want to hear that rubbish."

Fridays were Harry's favorite school day and had today not been one, Harry wasn't sure if he would have managed. Throughly exhausted, he and Ron were thankful that Professor Flitwick in Double Charms had them casting the Bubble Head Charm on each other. They were so amused by the look of Hermione's bushy hair squashed up inside the bubble that they laughed themselves into their second wind. Harry expected Hermione to be cross with them, but she took the teasing in stride and even managed a smile.

The rest of the day flew by for Harry. Even quidditch practice was short. Ron announced that everyone had executed their assignments so well that he was dismissing the team after an only hour. Harry privately thought that Ron only having had two hours of the sleep the night before had a lot to do with his decision; however, he kept this suspicion to himself. A short session suited him fine: Tomorrow, Saturday, was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and Harry wanted to be well rested.

Harry, Ron and Ginny warmed up in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. Quidditch practice may have been short, but it was still cold for flying around on a broomstick. Just as Harry was finally feeling nice and toasty, Hermione came through the painting and headed towards them. Ginny spotted her and jumped energetically out of her seat.

"Is he going tomorrow?" she asked Hermione.

"Yes!" Hermione smiled. "He's visiting some friends that live near the Post Office."

Ginny shrieked in delight and grabbed Hermione's hand. She dragged her quickly to Parvati and Lavender's table and then called Katie and Mary over to join them. Harry and Ron stared dully at the chatting girls, who were clearly having the time of their lives.

"Think it might be safer if we gave it a miss tomorrow?" suggested Ron.

"Probably," replied Harry. "Whatever they're planning must be big if it's cheered Hermione up this much. I still want to go though. It's been a long time since I've been to Honeydukes."

Hearing the name of his favorite sweets shop brought a smile to Ron's face. "You're right," he said happily. "We'll just be careful to stay out of the girls' way."

Saturday morning after breakfast the four friends headed out the Hogwarts gate and down the road to Hogsmeade in excellent spirits. Ron was humming the Fizzing Whizzbies jingle, Hermione and Ginny were still giddy from the night before, and Harry was looking forward to a pleasant and peaceful trip.

Shortly thereafter, they were happily strolling down the first of the Hogsmeade streets when Ginny stopped short. "There's Mars now," she said in surprise, pointing. "But that's not the way to the Post Office, is it?"

"No, it's not. He'll miss her completely that way!" answered Hermione nervously. "Change of plan, I'm afraid. Ginny, you go straight to her and lead her 'round the Shrieking Shack. I'll catch him up and make sure we rendezvous there. Harry, Ron. If we don't see you around town, then we'll all meet at The Three Broomsticks at 4:30, okay?"

Harry and Ron nodded, and both girls sped off.

"Well at least we know who the guy with blue eyes is now," said Harry.

"Never knew Tonks fancied him, though," pondered Ron.

"Think we should warn him? Just so he isn't too surprised at what they're up to?" asked Harry.

"Too late for that, mate; besides, Mars can take care of himself. To Honeydukes!" exclaimed Ron. He headed eagerly down the street and Harry followed.

Harry and Ron had an excellent time wandering about the village. After stuffing themselves at Honeydukes, they took in the sights, and even stopped by Zonko's Joke Shop. They would never buy anything from a shop that competed with George and Fred, but they figured a little spying on the enemy could be fun, if not helpful.

After they had wandered around for an hour, with no sign of Hermione or Ginny, the boys headed to The Three Broomsticks. It was only 3:45, so they sat down at a table and ordered two butterbeers. Parvati, Padma and Lavender were at a table nearby. A quarter of an hour later, Ginny entered the pub, with Luna in tow rather than Hermione. Ginny smiled at Harry and her brother as she took a seat at their table. Luna stopped at the table and stared at Ron.

"Aren't you staying for a butterbeer, Luna?" asked Ginny.

"No," said Luna softly. "I want to get back and have a look at these items Mars recommended." She gently shook her shopping bag. Her gaze had not left Ron. "Goodbye Ginny, Harry, goodbye Ronald." Luna wandered away.

Ron shook his head and looked at Ginny. "I know she's your friend, but she still creeps me out." Ginny and Harry exchanged smiles.

"So how did your little match-making scheme turn out?" asked Ron.

"Aside from the inauspicious start, quite well, actually. Hermione tried to play off running into Mars as an accident, but you know how hard it is to lie to him," answered Ginny. The boys nodded at her. "However, he seemed to think it was funny that we were setting him up with Tonks. All four of us ended up having lunch with his friends, the Herberts. Afterward, Mars and Tonks disapparated over to Diagon Alley to meet Bill and Fleur. Not sure what they're up to, though."

"Where's Hermione, then?" asked Harry.

"We ran into Luna when we left the Herberts, and Luna wanted help with some shopping, so I left with her. Hermione said she was going to the quill shop and then come straight here. She should have arrived before me," finished Ginny, looking a little concerned.

"Well, she probably decided to look for some new books or something," suggested Harry. The Weasleys agreed and they chatted merrily over another round of butter beer.

As the afternoon gave way to evening, the teenagers' mood, like the sky, darkened. At a quarter to six, they were the only students left in the Three Broomsticks, and most likely Hogsmeade; and there had still been no sign of Hermione. Ten minutes later, Harry, Ginny and Ron left the pub and looked around the emptying streets in vain, in case for some unknown reason Hermione had chosen to remain outside.

Harry sighed worriedly. "I can't see her going back to school without telling us. Something must have happened to her."

"But what?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know, but we can't just sit around and wait for her to show up any longer. Ginny, you get back to Hogwarts as fast as you can and tell Dumbledore or McGonagall Hermione's missing. Ron and I will look around the village," said Harry.

"I want to stay and look for her too!" argued Ginny.

"There's no time to discuss it, Ginny. They'll want answers about what she was doing and planning today. You were in on it; we weren't. We need you to do this. Please," said Harry desperately.

Ginny paused and gave Harry a determined nod; she turned and started jogging in the direction of Hogwarts. Harry reached down and felt for the his wand in his waist band. He knew what he had to do, but he worried about being tricked. In his fifth year, Hermione had warned Harry that Voldemort knew Harry was the heroic type. That was why, in their second year, Voldemort had kidnapped Ginny--to lure Harry into the Chamber of Secrets. Three years later, the Dark Lord had made Harry think that his godfather, Sirius Black, was being held prisoner and tortured. Voldemort knew Harry would try to save someone he loved. Harry did not want to fall for this again, but he couldn't think of any other acceptable course of action. He turned to Ron.

"We need to stick together. It could be a trap: remember the Department of Mysteries last year," said Harry darkly.

Ron swallowed hard and nodded; the two boys started scanning the buildings and alleyways for anything suspicious.

They headed slowly towards the quill shop. Harry doubted there would be any clues there, but he didn't know what else to do. They arrived at the closed store and looked around for a few fruitless minutes. Just then, Harry heard the same cacophonous music that he had on the night he first met Mars. He instinctively looked up. "Lily's here somewhere," he said. He could already feel his mood changing from fearful and despairing to confident and vengeful.

"That's her singing?" asked Ron, confused. He had only been privy to her cheerful songs.

A large bat flew up and circled the boys once. The music was much louder, and Harry longed to get his hands on the villain who had abducted his friend. After circling them, the bat started down an alley with the boys tailing Lily as quickly as they could. They followed her, mostly by ear, through streets and back alleys, and around strange buildings.

Just when Harry thought he could sprint no further, Lily began circling a foul-looking two-story building on the edge of the town proper. Ron and he slowly approached the structure, which had a small faded sign over the front door labeling it, "Frosomer's Room and Board." It looked abandoned, except that from one of its second-story windows, a flickering light glowed through a tattered curtain.

"So what do you think?" asked Ron as they stood in front of the rotting sign, catching their breath.

"It looks like Lily believes Hermione's up there, and I don't think we can wait for help, Ron. We have to go ourselves."

Ron nodded; the boys drew their wands and started up the steps. The front door was locked, but it was in such sad state that Harry knew it would be easy to force their way in. The Alohomora charm, however, was quieter, so they used it to gain entry. They stepped inside with the sound of Lily's song ringing in their ears.

It was so dark that Harry couldn't see anything until Ron said "Lumos" and lit the tip of his wand; Harry did the same. A thick coating of dust covered the floor and the surfaces of the old furniture that sat decaying throughout the large parlor. The air was stagnant and smelled of mold and wood rot. Harry moved his wand around, lighting up different parts of the room, as he looked for a staircase or a door to one.

"Harry, look: footprints in the dust!" hissed Ron, pointing his wand at the floor in front of them.

A single set of prints led deeper into the room. The feet that had made them didn't appear to be very big, but they were still too large to be Hermione's. Harry and Ron followed them through a doorway on the left side of room and into a hall. The prints led down the hall and climbed a staircase. The boys stood at the bottom of the staircase, pointing their wand lights up it, when a voice made them jump.

"No, please, not again--please, no."

"Hermione!" they whispered. Harry and Ron scampered up the steps as quickly as they could, although the need for stealth and the rickety state of the stairs slowed their ascent. From the top of the staircase, they saw, down another hall, a door with light flooding under it. As surreptitiously as they could manage, the boys crept up to the door.

"Crucio!" They heard a harsh woman's voice from inside the room and suddenly Hermione was screaming in agony. Abandoning stealth, Harry thrust his wand at the door, crying, "Alohomora!" The door burst open and Ron flung himself through it, with Harry right behind him.

They saw Hermione, tied into a desk chair by a thin cord that coiled around her. Her face was bruised, scratched, and bleeding in many places. A few feet to her right, Rita Skeeter stood, wearing a dark brown cloak, with a crazed look on her face.

Ron pointed his wand at Rita's heart. "Stupefy!" he cried, and a red beam flew at Rita, but she blocked his spell. Before Harry or Ron could get off another jinx, Rita spun her wand in a tight circle and said, "Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione shrieked as a sickly green light flashed at Ron. Harry heard the sound of invisible death rushing at his best friend. Ron dove onto the floor; the wall above his back exploded. Harry didn't know if Rita missed due to surprise or because Ron had mastered dodging from his Defense training, but at the moment he didn't care. What mattered was that she had left herself exposed to his jinx; Harry hit her dead on with a stunning spell. Skeeter flew back several feet and hit her head on a bureau that was missing its feet; she fell to the floor, spread-eagled and stunned.

"Diffindo! Diffindo!"

Harry turned his gaze to Hermione. Ron was cutting her bonds with the tearing charm. Harry hurried over and helped him with the last few coils. Once released from the coils, poor Hermione was too weak to sit up on her own and the boys had to hold her up. With what strength she could muster, Hermione turned to stare straight into Ron's eyes.

"The killing curse ..." she said weakly. "I thought - I feared - I - I," she fell silent, and her head rolled into Ron's hands.

Harry quickly checked her neck for a pulse. "Her heart's still beating, Ron. I think she's just passed out," he reassured Ron quickly. Ron acknowledged this with a worried nod. "I hope she's okay to move. We have to get her to the hospital right away," he added.

The boys lifted Hermione gently; then they heard hurried steps approaching. They quickly set her back down and readied their wands.

A tall wizard in auror robes entered the room, and swore in surprise when he saw Rita Skeeter laid out on the floor. When his eyes passed over the three teenagers, he did a series of double takes. He quickly recovered and asked, gazing worriedly at Hermione, "Is she alive?"

"Yes, but we need to get her to a healer fast," answered Ron earnestly.

"What are the three of you doing hanging around that low-life?" the auror asked, pointing at Rita.

"We weren't hanging around with that cow! She kidnapped Hermione," said Ron hotly.

"We heard her using the Cruatious Curse on our friend," added Harry.

"An unforgivable curse? Why would a sleazy reporter invite a life sentence in Azkaban to hurt this girl?" asked the auror.

Harry bit his lip. He knew exactly why Rita Skeeter wanted to hurt Hermione, but he didn't dare explain it. In their fourth year, Hermione had discovered Rita was an unregistered animagus--a condition that would land her a few years in Azkaban if the authorities found out. For her silence on the matter, Hermione only required that Skeeter not write any more slanted stories about Harry or his friends. In their fifth year, however, Hermione threatened to expose Rita's secret to the Department of Law Enforcement if she didn't write a story that Hermione wanted in print. At the time the idea seemed brilliant, but Harry realized that what Hermione had done was illegal, and he had no idea how stiff the punishment for extortion was in the wizarding world.

"They had an argument two years back. Hermione insulted her in a crowded pub; I guess Rita wanted to get even," said Ron unconvincingly.

"That doesn't sound likely," said a voice from the doorway. Harry looked over and saw another auror enter the room. Harry had seen this one before: it was the auror Bill had identified at the Premiership as a follower of Jo Ann Lennon.

"I agree, Simpson," said the first auror. "But where have you been? You were right behind me when we started to approach this building, once the boys had entered it."

"I circled around a bit to see if anyone else was near."

The first auror didn't look impressed with this answer; he had opened his mouth to speak when Harry interrupted him. "How did you know we were entering this place? Were you following us?"

"No, we've been watching her," said Simpson, pointing to the stunned reporter. "Though she gave us the slip for a few hours this afternoon. She's the one we need to ask to find out why she kidnapped this girl." He headed toward Rita with his wand in hand.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other nervously. By using the Cruciatus Curse on a human, Rita had doomed herself to a life sentence in Azkaban. It was doubtful she would care now if the aurors discovered that she was also an animagus. Harry thought it likely that she would now be more than willing to tell the aurors about Hermione's extortion.

Simpson bound Rita in a thin coil and looked ready to revive her when a flash of fire appeared in the room. Everyone turned to look as Dumbledore and Fawkes stepped out of the cloud of smoke that had formed. The phoenix immediately flew over to Hermione, landed on her lap, and started dropping tears on her face.

"Harry, Ron," said Dumbledore sharply. "What happened to Miss Granger?"

Harry quickly filled Dumbledore in on the events that occurred after Ginny had left to fetch help. The headmaster inhaled loudly as he glanced at his pupils and took in the situation. Harry looked nervously up at him, while Ron held Hermione upright. She was still unconscious, but looked markedly better from the healing power of Fawkes's tears.

Dumbledore turned to face Rita and the aurors; Harry and Ron noticed a small downy woodpecker perched on the back of his collar, hiding under his long gray hair.

"Hello, Simpson, Hollings. I suppose you want to question Miss Skeeter," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, Dumbledore," said Simpson sharply. "I am very keen to know why she would want to cause one of your students so much pain and cause herself so much trouble."
He then pointed his wand at the reporter and said, "Enervate!"

Rita shook her head woozily; her glasses were askew. She stared at the aurors and Dumbledore, then started screaming. "No!!! You must not stop me. The mudblood has to suffer!" She writhed violently on the floor, screeching like a banshee.

"Silencio!" cried Hollings, stepping toward her. She was struck dumb immediately.

"Mudblood? That's an odd thing to hear from old Rita," mused Simpson.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Because her father is muggleborn, and he's about the only person this sorry wench has ever really liked," answered Simpson.

Hollings nodded in agreement and added, "We learned a lot about her over the last year or so. Fudge was paranoid that the media was out to get him even after he issued his gag order. Once Skeeter's interview with Harry Potter here was published in the Quibbler, he wanted dirt on her so we could lock her up."

Simpson bent over the squirming Skeeter and held her still. He looked closely at her face and eyes.

"See the dark circles under her eyes? Signs of stress everywhere on her face? She might be under someone's control," suggested Simpson.

"She could be. Only one way to find out," said Hollings.

Dumbledore nodded and Simpson started digging in his robes for something.

"Professor?" said Ron nervously. "I don't mean to interrupt, but Hermione needs a healer, don't you think?"

"A carriage is on the way, Mr. Weasley. With Fawkes' help she should be alright until then," answered Dumbledore kindly. He looked at Simpson.

Simpson dumped a few sprinkles of blue powder into his hand and tapped his palm with a steel rod. Blue smoke arose from his palm and he, Hollings, and Dumbledore all peered through it into Rita's eyes. After a few seconds Simpson broke the silence."Well I guess that removes all doubt. Hollings, you want to free her?"

The other auror nodded, rolled up his sleeves, and waved his wand around Skeeter's head. "Libertasio!" Her face contorted, much as Cho's had when Dumbledore freed her. After a moment, a green mist floated away from her head and dispersed into the air. Rita stopped moving; she appeared to have passed out.

The sound of an approaching carriage carried through the window. As it stopped, a familiar voice rang out loudly. "Professor Dumbledore, are yeh up there?" yelled Hagrid.

"Yes, Hagrid! I don't think this rotting second story could support someone of your size; it'd be best to send them down to you," answered Dumbledore.

"Alright then," answered the giant.

Harry and Ron immediately lifted Hermione off the chair, slinging one of her arms over each of them.

"Mr. Weasley, if you would like to accompany Miss Granger to the hospital, please feel free. Tell Poppy I insist. But I want you to stay with me, Mr. Potter. Please come back to this room once you're finished helping," said Dumbledore. His tone suggested that this was not merely a request.

The boys acknowledged their Headmaster and carefully carried Hermione to the thestral carriage below. Hagrid looked panicky when he saw Hermione, and only agreed to leave when Ron promised to tell him the story on the ride back to Hogwarts. Harry returned to the creepy bedroom upstairs.

When Harry walked back into the room, Rita Skeeter was sitting in the chair that had been used to restrain Hermione, looking very woozy. Dumbledore and the two aurors appeared to be in the midst of a polite disagreement.

"I think it is too dangerous to try to unseal the memory charm on her so soon after being liberated. Her sanity could be damaged," stated Dumbledore.

"We have to risk it, Dumbledore. Any delay will hurt our chances of catching the caster of the Imperious Curse," argued Simpson.

"I know it's risky, Professor," Hollings agreed, "but the witch or wizard that cast the spell now knows that it has been removed. They can't be sure that an auror did it, but they'll probably assume the worst. If they're not already hiding, we might have a chance to catch them."

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, but then I insist on being the Legilimens myself."

Neither auror seemed to like the idea very much, but they agreed to Dumbledore's request. The headmaster walked over to the reporter and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Now, Rita, do not fight my spell. It will only make it worse. We have to find out who cursed you," said Dumbledore.

She nodded weakly.

Dumbledore conjured one of his typical armchairs next to Rita. He then sat down and stared into her eyes, in much the same way Mars had done with Harry during their Occlumency lessons. Rita trembled as Dumbledore's spell continued for several tense minutes.

"Yes, I have found the charm," he said softly at last. The headmaster mumbled a few unintelligible words and then broke eye contact with Rita, leaning suddenly back into his chair.

Rita looked like she now felt much better. She still seemed dazed, but appeared to be coming out of it. Harry thought Dumbledore had perhaps insisted on probing her mind himself in order to relieve some of her suffering.

The two aurors approached Rita Skeeter eagerly. "Miss Skeeter," said Hollings sternly. "Can you tell us who was controlling you with the Imperious Curse?"

Rita shook her head a bit and finally came out of her trance. She looked at Dumbledore, who smiled at her, but instead of returning his smile she screamed and scooted her chair back frantically. "You! Get away from me!" She stood up and tried to flee, but Simpson grabbed her and pushed her back into the chair.

"Calm down, witch! What's the matter with you?" asked Simpson forcefully; but Harry noticed a hint of smile on his face. Perhaps he enjoyed seeing Rita so scared?

"It's him," she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Dumbledore. "The wizard that cursed me works for him at Hogwarts!"

"What?" said Dumbledore and Harry together.

"Which wizard at Hogwarts?" asked Simpson.

She swallowed and tried to calm herself enough to speak without trembling. Then she said plainly, "A professor there cursed me and ordered me to torture Hermione Granger. He said she was an annoying know-it-all and a mudblood to boot." She spat as she said mudblood.

"Which professor, you stupid woman?" demanded Simpson angrily.

"Severus Snape."