Sirius Black's Secret Love

Chapter 11 - Roller Coaster of Emotions

Hermione's attitude greatly improved once she decided to break up with Viktor Krum. She asked Harry not mention it to anyone. She didn't want to risk having rumours start and have it get leaked to The Daily Prophet or have someone send an owl to Viktor. Instead she was going to pretend that all was fine between them, until she had the chance to break up with him in person.

The rest of the Christmas holidays seemed to fly by. Hermione insisted that they use that time to work on their O.W.L. preparation. Harry started feeling like his brain was going to explode with all the information that she was stuffing inside it. He now wished that they could take the exams in January, because he was afraid of forgetting everything by the time June rolled around.

Harry was also worried about Privet Drive, Sirius and Professor Figg. The day that the students were due to return on the Hogwarts Express, Harry saw that Professor Figg had already arrived. She came up to him at breakfast at the Great Hall and quietly said she'd like to speak with him privately in her office.

As he entered her office, he felt like his stomach was tied in knots.

"So, Harry. How are you?" she asked while she gently tugged at an earlobe.

"Umm, I'm fine," he replied pushing up his glasses. "What happened that night?"

"Have a seat Harry. It's a long story."

Harry sat down and looked at her nervously.

"Well, Sirius and I were watching outside. He brought along his parchment that he made of the Privet Drive security zone. As we stood guard outside, he had one paw holding onto the map. He noticed that there were alarms going off. He also saw the figures of Lilith and Cain Lestrange were on the edge of the Zone."

Harry swallowed hard. "Then what happened?"

"Sirius barked and told me that he had to go back and that you and Hermione needed to return here immediately. He had used a Portkey to travel to the Burrow. So he returned to the Zone by Portkey."

"How come he didn't just Apparate?"

"Well...you see, the Ministry keeps close tabs on Apparitions. We wouldn't want to risk bringing Sirius on their radar screens by him Apparating."

"Oh," said Harry as he was trying to digest that thought.

"Anyway, Remus had been with Fletcher at my house and he had already left to respond when Sirius arrived. Remus had to run the few blocks to get to where the Lestranges were. Sirius arrived there just moments before him, because it was close to where he had activated the Portkey. The really bad part was that it was no longer just the Lestranges."

"Was Voldemort there?" Harry asked with dread.

"No. It was Pettigrew. Sirius and Remus both called out hexes to Stupefy. Cain and Lilith had Disapparated immediately when they saw Remus coming. Pettigrew however, transformed and ran away," she said sighing heavily.

"Do you think that Pettigrew..." he began.

She nodded. "We think he may have recognized Sirius. I mean, it was night and it was dark. Sirius's disguise works for people to see him close up. But Pettigrew would have seen him from a distance and if he saw his build and heard his voice calling out the hex...Sirius was also with Remus. It's doubtful that even Pettigrew wouldn't have put it all together. That's what really worries me," she said and then placed her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "Is Sirius going to have to leave there?"

"I don't know yet. I'm hoping not. It may be that Voldemort just wanted to test the security measures. He may decide it's too risky and not try again soon. I also worry they'll tip off the Ministry to look for Sirius in Little Whinging. Then again maybe Voldemort wants him around to deflect attention away from himself and his efforts to regroup," she sighed heavily. "My house is still probably the safest place for Sirius. I also don't know anyone else who can speak with my sentries and provide the same level of surveillance when I'm not there. But now he won't be able to leave the Zone at all. Not even for short errands. Just in case there's any Ministry personnel out and about looking for him. If he stays within the Zone, he can always watch the map and the monitor. If someone from the Ministry comes looking for him he can always escape by Floo. So for now, he'll have to have all his groceries delivered."

"Professor Dumbledore said there were a few enchantments that were destroyed?"

"Yes, that's what set off the alarms. The Lestranges were trying to destroy the Anti-Apparition charms that surround the Zone. They wanted to be able to come into your neighborhood and leave quickly by Disapparating. Thankfully, I have so many redundant enchantments and monitors that it would take them many hours to locate and destroy them all. Unfortunately they killed one of my Kneazles who was the first to respond to the alarms."

"Wait a minute. You said you were worried about Sirius Apparating. How could the Lestranges Disapparate and not have the Ministry come after them?" Harry asked.

"They could Disapparate because they were on the outside perimeter of the Zone. As for why the Ministry hasn't come forth and admitted that the Lestranges are alive and well and Apparating? That's the million galleon question isn't it? I believe it's because the Department of Magical Transportation has probably been infiltrated with Voldemort's supporters. They are not interested in following up leads to the Azkaban Five who escaped, but they'll certainly want to track down Sirius who they continue to make into their poster child," she said muttering.

"How come you had to stay there so long?"

"Well, I had to replace the enchantments and I needed to train two new Kneazles. I brought Tufty here with me and hadn't replaced him. Then when Mr. Tibbles was killed, it was vital that the full number of Kneazles were present to provide protection. Besides that, I wanted to be around in case there were any further attacks. Luckily, there weren't. I still am worried about his safety and whether or not they'll try to come after him. But they may not realize he's like a spider just waiting for something to land in his web before he attacks. If Sirius is ever in peril, you'll know because your amulet will start heating up."

Harry nodded solemnly fingering the amulet around his neck.

"Oh and another thing," Professor Figg said with a laugh in her voice. "I must tell you that the Nadine repellent works wonderfully. Of course when I yanked a handful of hair off her head that alone may have been sufficient for her to get the idea that 'Joseph' was to be left alone. Since I spent the holidays there, she saw me several times. She would immediately turn about face and high tail it away from wherever I was. I don't think she'll pose a problem for us anymore."

"That's good," Harry said.

"Yes, I am happy about that turn of events and that I was able to spend some time with your godfather. I wish we didn't have to be apart, but sometimes these things can't be helped," she sighed. Then her face grew serious. "There's something else that I thought you should know about. This was in the Muggle press."

She brought out a newspaper clipping from The Guardian and handed it to him.

Thirteen trampled to death at rock concert

By Craig Pallas

Last night at Wembley Stadium, Ozzy Osbourne performed in front of a sold out crowd. During the second encore, something spooked the crowd and they began to stampede. Thirteen people were crushed to death as a throng of people started running away from the stage.

No one could explain what caused the hysteria and mass exodus of people.

One concert goer who identified himself only as "Blade" remarked that, "Everything was great and then I felt like I was plunged into ice water. All of a sudden I was filled with utter despair. Then people around me started screaming, pushing and running. It was chaos."

Pete Townsend of The Who called Osbourne to offer his condolences.

"That was quite decent of Pete," said Osbourne. "He had something similar happen about fifteen years ago in Cincinnati. So he called to offer his support."

This tragedy in fact was greater than the eleven people who died in December of 1979 in that Ohio city. The blame for that fatal evening was placed on the festival seating arrangements, which means that there were no reserved seats. This led to the crowd rushing the stage as soon as the doors opened in order to get prime viewing spots.

Last night's disaster is expected to result in a full inquiry by the local authorities as well as the concert industry.

Osbourne announced that he was cancelling his concerts for the next two weeks out of respect for the dead. His promoters however, did not rule out the possibility of rescheduling these concerts in the future.

One other unexplained aspect of the concert was a special effect that Osbourne and his crew deny any knowledge of. Shortly after it was realized that there were casualties, a mysterious glowing skull appeared in the air above the audience. A green snake then emerged from its mouth.

This grotesque image caused a new wave of panic in the crowd and is blamed for the death count being as high as it is. Additionally at least seventy people were treated at local hospitals for minor injuries.

Harry looked up at Professor Figg.

"Dementors," he said flatly.

She nodded. "They haven't had much opportunity in Britain in the last few years to attack crowds of people, but it's certainly recognizable if you can read the signs. Globally it happens mostly at football games and of course the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain each year."

"What about the Dark Mark? How come The Daily Prophet hasn't picked up on this?" Harry asked.

"I don't think they follow what happens in the Muggle world too closely. If they did cover this story, I'm afraid of the angle they'd take."

"Why?"

"They'd get a quote from some official at the Ministry and I'm sure they'd use it once again to point blame at Sirius. Denying the painfully obvious conclusion," she said shaking her head.

Harry now sighed heavily. "Can I show this to Ron and Hermione?"

Professor Figg considered it and then shook her head. "I'm sorry Harry, but I don't think that's wise. They'd ask you where you found out about this and we can't risk them knowing how close we are."

"But, they know there was Death Eater activity on Christmas Eve. What's wrong with you sharing this with me? After all, everyone knows that Voldemort is after me. Why wouldn't you share something that you thought might help me stay alive? They won't suspect that you've been in charge of my security for years or that Sirius is staying at your house. Believe me, they won't tell anyone about the Dementors. Please, I just need to share some things with them," he pleaded.

She looked at him carefully and then her face softened. "Okay, Harry. You can show them this article. But don't tell them about the Lestranges or Pettigrew. That's classified."

"Umm, Professor Figg? Does Professor Dumbledore know about you and Sirius?"

"He may have his suspicions, but he has never asked. Same thing with Fletcher," she said with a sly smile.

"Am I the only one who knows you two are a couple?" Harry asked.

"Well, Remus now knows about me and Sirius. After the crisis passed and Fletcher went home, the three of us were discussing the turn of events. Poor Remus. He showed the tiniest signs of interest towards me, then Sirius nearly bit his head off. So, umm, he quickly became aware that I was not available," she said slyly.

Harry smiled at the thought of his godfather becoming protective of her.

"Harry, your hair is getting a little long. Would you like me to give you a trim?" she asked.

"No, I decided to let my hair grow. That's what real wizards do. Besides," he said grinning, "my Aunt Petunia has always hated my hair. I can't wait to see what she'll say if I start sporting hair long enough to be in a pony tail."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Harry started thinking about Bill Weasley. "I wonder what she'd say if I came home with an earring."

Professor Figg had just started taking a drink of water when she heard that and wound up spitting it all over her desk.

"Harry, do you want to give her an aneurysm?" she asked while wiping up the spilled water. "Teenagers," she muttered.

"I had one more question, Professor Figg. Did you ever find out anything about Mrs. Norris?"

"There's nothing that I can share with you at this time, Harry."

Harry nodded and left her office. He found himself deep in thought about Sirius, Dementors, Death Eaters and a mysterious cat.

*

Harry waited until dinnertime when Ron had arrived back to tell his two best friends about the fatal rock concert and the link to Dementors and Voldemort.

"Whoa," said Ron with a low voice. "I just wish that I could tell Percy about this. Except that it wouldn't do any good. He'd just dismiss it and try to shift blame elsewhere. He only sees what he wants to see. Sort of like when I gave him a reading and he thought it meant that he is destined to become Minister of Magic someday."

"What did you see?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I saw two images of Percy. One where he was alone but very successful. The other where he was surrounded by family. It looked to me like he had a choice to make. He could either choose a path of concentrating solely on his career advancement and sacrifice a personal life or he could choose a family life and a lowered career goal."

"Sounds sort of like Ebeneezer Scrooge," she said.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Scrooge. He's the mean old miser in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He's alone, unloved, greedy and despised by everyone. He's given visits by three ghosts the night before Christmas and he is reminded that he was once young and in love. Except that he chose money over love. Ron," Hermione said sounding exasperated, "some things become classics because they really are good. This is one of them. You really should read it, even if it is Muggle literature."

Ron shook his head at her sadly. "Percy really worries me. He seems obsessed with advancement. It almost seems..." Ron said as he cast a look over at Malfoy, "Slytherinish."

"How was the rest of your holiday at home?" Hermione asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh it was just lovely. I wish I had stayed here instead. But I think Mum knew that Percy and Penny were going to announce their engagement. That's why she made sure everyone was home. At least the next night, Percy was over at the Clearwaters, so we didn't have any arguments on Christmas Day."

"How are your parents and Percy getting on these days?" Harry asked.

"It's pretty dicey. They haven't argued since, but they don't really speak to one another right now. It's this strange atmosphere where everyone is dancing around a subject too painful to bring up. He did start looking for a flat to move into."

"He's moving out?" Hermione asked sounding surprised.

"Oh yeah. My dad told him that he needed to move out on Christmas Eve. That was right before you and Harry left. I'm surprised you didn't hear them."

She shook her head.

"Hermione, Harry, I want to apologize to you for my family's behaviour. They shouldn't have acted that way. I'm sorry you two had to see that."

"That's okay, Ron. Believe me, if you had come over to my aunt and uncle's house it wouldn't have been a walk in the park either," Harry said.

Later that night Harry wanted to finish his Divination homework. He talked both Ron and Neville into letting him do readings for them.

"I wish that I had known that I only had to do three readings. If I hadn't done that one for my mum, the dinner might have gone better. Instead, I stirred up the wrath of Mum," Ron grumbled.

Harry still had a little of the special tea left and they sat in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room for the readings. He saw a strange image of Ron looking like he was slowly emerging from what looked like a cocoon, while Neville was surrounded by many long and dark shadows.

"Thanks, for letting me do a reading for you Neville. How was your holiday?" asked Harry.

"It was okay, I guess. I started asking Gran questions about my parents. Professor Figg wants me to learn more about them, to help jog my memory. Anyway, I did get my Gran to go into their room and bring out a few of their things. She gave me Mum's favourite perfume and my dad's old pipe with some tobacco. She wasn't too happy about that or that I was asking any questions at all about them. I don't understand her at all," Neville said sounding perplexed. "I mean, Dad was her son after all and she keeps harping about the family honour. Yet she didn't want to talk about them at all. She's just an odd old bird."

"Well, no one's got the corner on odd relatives," Harry said reassuringly.

Neville nodded.

"Hey Neville, I learned some new concentration techniques over the summer that have really helped me in Transfiguration. Would you like me to show you?"

"Yeah, that would be great Harry," Neville said sounding relieved. "Let's go upstairs I could really use the help."

*

As Valentine's Day approached Hermione started to get visibly tense. She worried about how to mark the holiday with Krum. The next Hogsmeade weekend was still over a week away. She didn't want to send him gifts that might lead him on, but she was also afraid to ignore the holiday.

She wound up sending him a plain red valentine card that said simply, "Viktor, Happy Valentine's Day - Hermione." No hearts, no lace, no promises of undying love. It was short and simple. She hoped her understatement might also send him a subtle clue that she was not head over heels in love with him.

Krum on the other hand, showered her with gifts. It took four owls to deliver everything to her. One owl brought her a large heart shaped box of chocolates. Two more owls brought her a dozen long stemmed red roses and a fourth delivered a large card with a written letter inside. Ron's face darkened as he saw the deluge of gifts pile up in front of Hermione at the dining table.

"Excuse me," he said as he abruptly left the table.

Hermione looked distinctly embarrassed as people throughout the Grand Hall were remarking about her gifts. As she started reading the letter from Krum her face grew pale.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "He wants to take our relationship to the next level."

Harry looked at her. She had shut her eyes and was shaking her head slowly, "I can't wait until this is all over."

"Do you know what you're going to say to him?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, I think so. It's not going to be easy," she sighed.

*

That Saturday marked the second Quidditch match for Gryffindor. This time they would be playing against Hufflepuff. Harry had been very impressed with how the Hufflepuff team had played against Ravenclaw in December. They had been inspired by the defensive moves that Gryffindor had used against Slytherin and tried copying them. Hufflepuff had played a very fast and tight defensive game. They had been leading 70-10 when Cho Chang caught the Golden Snitch, ending the game and causing Ravenclaw to win 160-70.

The biggest difference with this upcoming game was that for the first time since Harry started school, all the houses were united in cheering against Gryffindor. Ravenclaw was trailing Gryffindor by only thirty points in overall ranking and was hoping that a Hufflepuff win would help them in their quest for the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin was also rooting for Hufflepuff mostly because of the long-standing enmity between them and Gryffindor. This hadn't been helped by the Slytherin House's humiliating defeat by Gryffindor in November.

Harry had been practicing his team extra hard in the last two weeks before their match. The closer the match came, the more anxious everyone became. The competition between Ron and Dean for who would play as Keeper became intense. In the end, Dean narrowly edged Ron for the right to suit up for this game.

Harry had tried to cheer his best friend up by asking that Ron use his new camera to take pictures of the game and of the team. Ron happily agreed and took many candid shots of his teammates as well as snapshots during the game. He took one of his twin brothers who had their clubs raised in the air over their heads and their faces had nasty grimaces on them.

As the Hufflepuffs took to the field, Harry felt a touch of sadness. They were all wearing black armbands on the outside of their uniforms in remembrance of their late captain Cedric Diggory who should have been in his seventh year. Harry hadn't noticed the armbands before because from a distance they weren't visible since they blended in with their yellow and black uniforms. He shook hands silently with Justin Finch-Fletchley their new Keeper and captain.

The game was just as Harry had predicted it would be, fast and furious. After an hour of rough and tumble play, the game was tied 40-40. Both Dean and Justin had made some spectacular saves and the crowd had gone hoarse with cheering. The Gryffindors once again used the Queen sports anthem of "We Will Rock You" while the Hufflepuffs had invented their own cheer along with using foot stomps and clapping. The raucous sounds from the crowd had drowned out any commentary by Lee Jordan. The addition of hockey masks to the Keeper's uniform now seemed to be a normal feature to the game after Justin had worn one in his last outing. Dean did follow Harry's request and repainted his mask to have the Gryffindor mascot of a lion's face on it.

Harry had been carefully scanning the field looking for the Golden Snitch when he saw Hannah Abbott the new Hufflepuff Seeker start to dive after the glittering ball. Hannah was still quite new and not as skilled a flyer as Harry or Cho. She also only had a Comet Two-Sixty, which was no match against Cho's new Nimbus 2001 or Harry's Firebolt. He zoomed in the direction of the Snitch and quickly flew past Hannah and seized the struggling ball. The Hufflepuff team all stopped to offer their heartfelt congratulations to the Gryffindor team as the Gryffindor stand exploded with cheers.

During the party in the common room, Ron told Harry about a shop in Diagon Alley where he could send his the roll of film off to and could get the pictures back in about a week. Harry was thrilled at prospect of seeing his first wizarding photographs and sent Hedwig off the next day with the film, a short note and seven sickles to cover the cost of developing.

*

The next Saturday, Hedwig dropped a large envelope in front of Harry. He eagerly tore open the package in anticipation of seeing how the pictures turned out. He grinned as he saw the first photograph with him wearing his Quidditch uniform.

"How'd they turn out Harry?" asked Ron.

"They look great. You took some awesome pictures."

"Let me see," Ron said eagerly.

Harry started handing over the ones he had looked through. As he worked his way through the stack his heart stopped. He came to the photo taken of him and Hermione at Christmas. He cringed as he saw the image of himself smiling at the camera and then turning to look at Hermione's chest. He was horrified that his subtle glance at her neckline was caught on film.

"Harry is that the picture of us at Christmas?" Hermione asked.

"Uh, yeah. It didn't turn out," he said quickly.

"Can I see it?" she asked.

"No, it looks really bad," he said as he stuffed it inside a robe pocket.

"Har-reee, let me see it," she demanded.

"No, um, the levitation charm made it all fuzzy. You don't want to see it. But here are the pictures I took of you. They turned out really well," he said handing them to her while trying to hide the flush in his cheeks.

"Hey Hermione, you look...very pretty," Ron said admiringly as he looked over her shoulder.

"Thanks Ron," she said.

"It's almost time to go to Hogsmeade. I have to get something from my room. I'll meet you guys at the gate on the way there," Harry said as he quickly left the dining table.

Harry wanted to grab his Invisibility Cloak so he could stand by and watch over Hermione in case the break up with Krum turned nasty. He had already worked out the plan with her as to where he should stand guard. What she didn't know was that Professor Figg was going to be joining him. She of course was there as Harry's bodyguard, because he wasn't planning on staying invisible the whole time. Besides getting his Invisibility Cloak, Harry wanted to stash that embarrassing picture as far down in his trunk as possible.

Later when Harry met up with his friends from Gryffindor, he was able to split off from Ron easily. Since Ron's birthday was coming up the next week, Harry simply told him that he wanted to get him a gift. Harry agreed to meet them later at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

Once Harry left Ron, he went behind a building and brought out the Invisibility Cloak he had been hiding under his robe. Professor Figg met him and he put it over their heads and they walked over to the place Hermione had asked him to stand. She was already sitting on a bench with Krum outside of the Shrieking Shack. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers for her.

"Viktor, I need to talk with you about something," she began softly.

"Vat is it, Herm-own-ninny?" Krum said as he smoothed the hair off her shoulders.

She swallowed hard. "This has been bothering me for quite some time now. I don't think I've been fair with you."

"Vy is zat?" he asked sharply.

She sighed and continued. "I don't share the same feelings for you that you have for me. I've always wondered, why you asked me to the Yule Ball. What attracted you to me? Was it because I didn't fawn all over you like all the other girls?"

"Vell, yes, you did stand out because of that."

"Well, when you asked me to the dance, I was very flattered that someone everyone in school admired wanted me to go with him. I didn't say yes because I wanted to go with you. I said yes because I wanted to go to the dance and by going with you I'd be the envy of my school. Those are selfish reasons in my book. Then you started telling me how much you cared for me. You've been kind, sweet and thoughtful towards me. All characteristics that I admire, except that I just don't feel any different about you than before I met you. I just don't feel a spark when I think of you."

Krum started to take one of the flowers and pulled the petals off.

"When something exciting happens in my life," she continued. "I should want to share that with my boyfriend but I don't. I run to tell my best friends Ron and Harry, but as an afterthought I think to tell you in a letter a few days later. That is until you wanted me to write you every day. That was outrageous, because I didn't have anything to tell you on a daily basis. You thought I was different from all the other girls, but I'm not. I've been dating you because I was more concerned about how other people would see me than whether or not I liked being with you. I thought if I broke up with you that everyone would say I'm a fool. So I've stayed with you out of guilt and a sense of obligation. And you deserve better, Viktor. You deserve to be with a girl that loves being with you. Not because you're a famous Quidditch star or anything like that, but someone that loves Viktor Krum because of your kindness and your mournful soul. You deserve someone that loves you in return."

By this time the entire bouquet had been shredded in his hands.

"It's Harry Potter isn't it? You're in luff wiff him," he spat.

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he heard his name.

"Viktor this has nothing to do with Harry. It has to do with me. I've been feeling very uncomfortable for many months and I didn't know what was wrong with me. Then I remembered what a friend of my mum and dad had said and I understood why I was feeling so bad. He had been married for close to twenty years and had three kids. To all outward appearances they were a happy family. Then one day his wife felt moved by their minister's sermon about honesty and she felt she needed to tell her husband the truth and that's what broke their marriage apart."

"Vas she cheating on him?" he said bitterly.

"No. She told him that she had never loved him. She married him because when he proposed she thought that might be the best offer she'd ever get. So she settled for him. She never loved him and never grew to love him. Not only was she in a loveless marriage, but so was her husband. He went into a marriage thinking that they were both in love when in reality he was being denied having a wife and partner that loved him. I don't want that to happen to me or to you. And that's why I'm breaking up with you."

Harry started thinking about Cho. She was just as honest with him and while it hurt, it was better than deceiving him. He now felt sorry for Krum for the first time. He understood the difficulty of finding someone who wanted to be with you because of who he was inside and not just the fame and notoriety.

Krum's mood darkened, "How long haff you felt zis way?"

Hermione hesitated, "I started thinking of breaking up with you at Christmas, but I was afraid to. I didn't want to ruin your holiday, so I went through the motions like I have been ever since I met you. And I didn't think it would be fair to you to break up by owl post. I thought you deserved to hear this in person, that's why I'm doing it now."

Krum then grabbed Hermione and kissed her fully on the mouth. Harry felt his anger rising and he was about to attack Krum when Professor Figg gripped his wrist that was holding his wand. Just then Hermione broke the kiss and slapped him hard on the cheek.

"How dare you!" she snapped.

"I thought I deserved at least a kiss from you for coming all zis vay. And for your lying to me all zis time."

Her cheeks were flushing with anger. "I never lied to you! I never told you that I loved you or even that I cared for you."
"You visited me last summer."

"At your invitation! You kept saying how you never felt this way with any girl before. It made me feel like I had to get to know you better since you liked me so much. Instead, it wound up just being a nice trip to Eastern Europe with my parents. Seeing you was awkward, not romantic. And then you started showering me with expensive gifts. I started to feel that you were trying to buy my affection. You can't buy love," she spat. "Here's your jewellery back."

She took the ring off her hand and practically threw it in his hands. She then reached into her pocket and handed him a box that held the pearl necklace and earrings.

"And I don't appreciate anyone trying to control me. I am my own person. And I will not have anyone tell me who I can or cannot be friends with."

"Very vell, I shall go. Here's your flowers," he sneered as he threw the shredded stems and petals on the ground.

Hermione heaved a heavy sigh as she saw him walk away and then Disapparate. Harry slid out from under the Invisibility Cloak and sat down next to her. She looked up at him and then her eyes started to well up with tears. He embraced her and gently stroked her hair as she sobbed on his shoulder.

*

Later, Harry was in the common room waiting for Ron and the other students to return. Ron came in laughing and carrying on with Dean and Seamus, Harry motioned him over to the chess table.

"Umm Harry, where were you?" Ron sniffed. "I thought you were going to join us at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Er, I know, but I wound up helping Hermione instead," he blinked. "She's feeling pretty bad right now. You need to think about what you're going to say to her and try to not say something stupid that might upset her further."

Ron sat down and had a worried look on his face. "What happened?"

"She broke up with Krum and he took it badly."

"Well it's about time, she should never have gone out with him to begin with."

"That's the kind of thing I was afraid you'd say," said Harry. "Look, she went out with him because she liked having a guy pay attention to her."

"We pay attention to her."

"Yeah, we ask for her help in classes and we share all of our adventures together, but neither one of us has ever tried to hold her hand or kiss her. You know, treat her like a girl," said Harry.

"Well, she's, she's...Hermione," stammered Ron.

"And she has the same feelings that any fifteen-year old girl has. She liked the idea that someone saw something special in her. The problem was that she didn't feel the same way towards him. That's why she broke up with him. Anyway, she's upstairs and I doubt she'll come down for dinner tonight. I just wanted you to know so you can think about what you want to say to her."

"Do you think she wants me to kiss her or something?" asked Ron.

"Don't be a prat. She's hurting right now and needs her friends around her to support her. She might be interested in you, but now wouldn't be the time. Why don't you take the stuff you bought today upstairs and then we'll go to dinner," said Harry.

Ron started to eye him warily, "Tell me Harry, since when did you learn so much about girls?"

"I had a long talk with Snuffles. He knows a lot about women."

"Yeah, I bet he does," muttered Ron.

*

News of Hermione breaking up with Krum spread like wildfire throughout the school. The next day was Sunday and at mealtimes Hermione was subjected to stares and whispers by many of the older female classmates. A couple of girls actually came up to her and told her what a fool she was to break up with him. Hermione tried her best to ignore it all and to keep her head held high.

The next day however brought the news of the Granger-Krum breakup along with rumours of a Granger-Potter relationship to the entire Wizarding World. The Daily Prophet had put the story on their front page along with a picture that had been sold to them by an enterprising young photo developer. The Christmas picture where Harry and Hermione were arm and arm was gracing the front page.

"Potter! How was the view?" asked Malfoy as the Slytherin table roared with laughter.

Harry was puzzled by that remark until he got his own copy of the daily paper and recognized the picture on the front page. His face went scarlet.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Hermione.

He didn't want to show it to her, but he knew that she would eventually see it. He pushed the paper over to her side of the table and as she looked at the picture her eyes grew wide.

"I thought you said that picture didn't come out?" she said horrified.

"I am so sorry," Harry said softly as he lowered his eyes.

"He's smiling, he's smiling and then he turns his head to check out her chest. He turns his head and he's smiling, he's smiling..." Draco drawled as if he were doing play-by-play announcements.

"Ooooh, if it isn't the little love birds," taunted Pansy Parkinson as she walked by the table. "I can't believe that Viktor Krum ever went out with the likes of you. And for you to be seen in Hogsmeade right after you broke up with him, embracing Potter in public. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. And you, Harry Potter, are a lech!"

Hermione quickly left the table with her meal half finished. Harry looked at his own plate and realized that he also had lost his appetite.

Ron just looked at Harry with a low smile. "Oops. I suppose you, ah, shouldn't have sent that roll of film out to be developed," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Harry said with his hand covering his face.

"I can't blame you there, mate. I think if I saw her in that dress, I'd have the same reaction," Ron said quietly.

Harry swallowed and nodded. "Let's get to class, shall we?"

The laughter in the school regarding that photo lasted for days. It seemed that everywhere Harry went he was greeted with sly smiles, laughter and teasing. The Weasley twins were merciless in their verbal taunts towards him. The attention had shifted from Hermione's break up with Krum and was now focused solely on Harry's wandering eyes. That is until howlers arrived from Viktor Krum's mother to both Harry and Hermione. Then a new wave of jokes and taunts were unleashed on both of them.

That week in Potions class, Snape decided that it was time to have them study how to make wizard photo developing solutions.

"Perhaps, it would be wise if everyone learned how to develop their own photographs," Snape said coolly. "Then again, maybe our little celebrities like seeing their pictures in the tabloids."

Harry tried his best to keep his face impassive as the Slytherins roared with laughter once again over his embarrassment. Hermione no longer looked embarrassed by this. That's because she had begun to act as if none of this were happening. She held her head high and ignored everything, including Harry.

By Friday, it was Ron's birthday and Hermione had not talked with either Ron or Harry all week. She handed her gift to Ron and then turned to walk up the stairway to the girls' dormitories. Harry couldn't stand it any longer and followed her up the narrow stairway.

"Hermione, wait!"

"What is it, Harry?" she asked sounding irritated.

"I'm really, really sorry Hermione. I would never do anything to hurt you and I feel so bad about this," he said softly. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you."

She looked at him with a blank expression on her face.

He looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry, Hermione. You were standing right there and...you looked so beautiful in that dress. I couldn't help looking. I'm a guy," Harry said with a sheepish grin.

Hermione then gave Harry a look that he couldn't quite figure out. He didn't know if she was flattered by his attention, disturbed by it or some combination thereof.

"Are we still friends?" Harry asked.

"Of course we are," she said sounding wounded. "It's just been...really hard this last week."

"Come on downstairs, Hermione. It's Ron's birthday," he pleaded. "His mum sent a cake and it looks really yummy."

"Oh all right," she said giving in.

As they entered the common room together, Fred looked up and got a devilish grin on his face. "Sooo, we have the famous couple joining us. Can I take a picture of you two?"

"Knock it off, Fred!" Harry said firmly.

"Oh come on, Harry. We're just having a little fun," George protested.

"Well, you've had your fun. It's time to drop it."

"I don't know Harry..." Fred said with a leer directed at Hermione.

"You know Fred," Harry started with a sly smile. "I was thinking about how much the Creevey brothers have improved since the beginning of the season. I am considering having them suit up for the next game and not make them have to wait until next year."

Fred and George sobered up immediately.

"All right Captain. The subject is dropped," said Fred.

"Good. Now, Ron what gifts did you get?" asked Harry.

Ron handed both Harry and Hermione some cake.

"Smooth move there, Harry. About time someone put them in their place," Ron said admiringly. "Oh and thanks for the robe clasp."

"You're welcome. I knew you liked mine."

"Thanks for the book, Hermione."

"What book did you give him?" asked Harry.

"It's on the Royal Family."

Ron picked up the hardbound book and pointed at the cover. "Who's that?"

"That's Princess Diana."

"She's gorgeous!" Ron said with his jaw wide open.

"Exactly. She's probably the most photographed woman in the world. I still find it hard to believe that you didn't know who she was. Come sit down on the couch and I'll tell you who everyone is."

Ron started to page through the book and Hermione filled him in on gossip about the Queen, the Queen Mum and all the royals.

"That's Prince William and Prince Harry," she said pointing out the young boys.

"Prince Harry, huh?" Ron said jokingly as he looked at his friend of the same name.

"Oh yeah, growing up with the Dursleys was just like growing up in Buckingham Palace," Harry said drolly.

"Hmm, how about your brother, Prince William? Did your mum and dad treat him like a royal growing up?" Hermione teased.

"His name isn't William," Ron said. "Bill is actually short for Bilius. He was named after my dad's brother."

"Bilius? Yuck. I see why everyone calls him Bill," said Harry.

Ron nodded and then started looking at the book again, "Who's that with the big ears?"

"That's Prince Charles. He's Princess Diana's husband. Except they've been separated for about three years now. It looks like they're going to get divorced."

"Divorced?" Ron said sounding shocked. "Why would he want to divorce someone who looks like her?"

"Well, I don't think he ever loved her," explained Hermione. "He was pressured into finding someone suitable and Lady Diana Spencer fit the bill. Prince Charles never got over being in love with Camilla Parker-Bowles."

"Is there a picture of her in here?"

"No, but she's not much to look at either. Compared to Diana she's a frumpy old bat, but Charles is in love with her."

"Why? When he's got someone that looks like Diana does at home?" Ron asked.

"Maybe because Charles loves Camilla for more than her looks. I mean Diana is beautiful, but she's never been accused of being a great intellect."

Ron just sat there shaking his head and staring at the beautiful blonde in the photograph.

*

Two weeks later, Harry woke up when he heard a scream. Ron had sat bolt upright and he was panting.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head as he was trying to catch his breath. "No. I had a bad dream. It was strange. It didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a premonition."

Harry put on his glasses and looked carefully at his friend.

"Tell me about it."

"I saw Charlie. He was in trouble. I saw fire and then I heard him scream. Then silence and darkness. I don't know what I should do."

"Do you want to write to him?" Harry asked.

"I don't think there's time. It takes an owl several days to get to Romania. I have the feeling that's he's in danger -- right now," Ron said.

"Could you try calling him by fire?"

"No, the Floo network doesn't extend to other countries. But maybe my dad could get a hold of him through the Ministry."

"Do you want to go to McGonagall and see if she'll let you use her fire?" Harry suggested.

"Are you kidding? Over a dream?" Ron gave a hollow laugh. "She'd scoff at me. No, we've got Divination this morning. Trelawney will just eat it up if I tell her."

"Hey you two, would you keep it down?" Seamus growled. "I'm trying to sleep. If you want to talk take it downstairs."

Harry looked at his watch, it read 5:03 am. It was still early and he would have liked to have gotten more sleep, but he looked at Ron's face and knew that he needed to talk.

"Come on, let's go downstairs for a bit," Harry whispered.

They went to the common room and talked about what to say to his parents. At first Ron had also wanted to call his mum, but after thinking about it decided against it. She was forever having bad dreams about Charlie and Bill ever since they started working abroad. She never liked where they were working and it was a constant source of worry for her. No, Ron didn't want to add to her anxiety. He'd simply try and contact his father.

When Ron spoke up in Trelawney's class and told her that he had a premonition, she shivered with excitement.

"Tell the class what you saw."

"Umm, I saw my older brother Charlie and fire. Then I heard screams and then silence and darkness."

"A premonition of Death! Ron you may have the Sight," she said with awe.

"Could I use your fire and try to contact my father? See if he can get in touch with Charlie? Maybe warn him not to go to work today?"

"Certainly. One can try to change Fate. Although I must warn you, it is rarely successful. Such is the burden of being blessed with the Inner Eye," she said as she brought down a flowerpot with floo powder. "Here, Mr. Weasley, call your father."

Ron steadied himself as he threw a pinchful of powder into the flames and called his father. A few moments passed by until Arthur Weasley's head appeared in the flames.

"Ron?" he asked. "This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Dad, I had a bad dream this morning. It was about Charlie."

"Charlie?" Mr. Weasley said with dread. "What did you see?"

"Not much Dad. It was more of a feeling than anything. I sensed he was in great danger. I saw fire and heard some screams. That's all. I'm a little worried. I've never had a dream like that before. Maybe you could try contacting him, just to see how he's doing?"

"Did you see anyone else in your dream?"

"No, just Charlie."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do. Thank you Ron. I'll send you an owl when I know anything," Mr. Weasley said as he ended the conversation.

Trelawney then went pale. "It's the Ides of March!"

"What?" asked Ron.

"This is a very bad day to be having Death Omens," she said gravely.

She then spent the rest of the class talking about Death Omens and premonitions. Harry did his best to ignore the growing uneasy feeling in his stomach.

After dinner that night, Harry had turned his mind to other things and was going over his latest essay for the History of Magic class with Hermione in the common room when they heard raucous laughter outside the portrait hole. It grew louder as Dean, Fred, and George came through laughing their heads off. Ron soon followed and was glowering at them.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

The three guys looked at each other, then at Ron and they burst out laughing once again.

Fred tried to calm himself enough to talk but his words came through between bursts of laughter. "Ron was trying the old 'put on your cloak move'...where your hand goes up in the air while you're going up the stairs...and it just happens to land it on a girl's chest as she's coming down the stairs....we were walking up the stairs...he tried to put his hand...on Parvati...and he got - "

"He got Millicent Bulstrode instead!" George roared. "She hauled off and clocked him!"

Ron's face was scarlet.

"That was the first time that any guy had ever laid a hand on Bulstrode the Barge!" Dean bellowed.

Harry looked over at Hermione and saw she was fuming. He tried to suppress a laugh but couldn't.

"Dean! That's mean," she snapped.

"Yeah, well you tell me one nice thing Millie has ever said or done towards you in the last five years," he responded.

"That's not the point Dean! Making fun of her because of her looks is sexist. I expected more from you," she said angrily.

"Oh come off it, Hermione. I don't hate Millicent Bulstrode because she's got the face of a bulldog and a body like a Mack truck. I hate her because she's mean, vicious and spiteful. I don't know anyone guy that would find that combination attractive. Come to think of it, I don't know any girl that would find that attractive either."

Hermione scowled at Dean and then turned looking angrily at Ron. "And you! What were you doing? Thinking you could just put your hand on Parvati like that. At least Harry only tried to look. He didn't try to cop a feel!"

"Don't worry Hermione," said George. "Bulstrode taught him a lesson. I doubt he'll try that trick again any time soon."

Fred put his arm around Ron's shoulders. "So Ron, you never told us, we know she's a Keeper, but just how did it feel?"

Ron's face went purple and he was just about to say something nasty in return when the portrait swung open. Professor McGonagall walked in and looked gravely serious.

"Professor...I-I didn't mean to - " Ron stammered.

Then Ginny appeared behind McGonagall, tears streaming down her face.

"It's Charlie..." Ginny began, her lips trembling. "He's dead."