Full Circle

Chapter 11 - Jumping to Conclusions

"Miss Weasley, may I have a word with you?"

Malfoy and Ginny had been standing out in the hallway in silence when Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway of the hospital wing. Ginny jumped, startled slightly by the unexpected voice. She could feel Malfoy's body tense from two feet away.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied and quickly turned to follow the Headmistress to her office. Behind her she could hear Madame Pomfrey ask how she could help Malfoy this evening. The sound of older witch's footsteps clicking down the corridor prevented Ginny from listening to his response.

The office looked no different than it had a few hours before - the same transfiguration textbooks were lined in alphabetical order on the bookshelf while dozens of former school heads sat dozing in their portraits on the walls. Ginny took a seat in the same red stuffed chair where Hermione had fainted and look patiently at the Headmistress.

"I am assuming you know what is going on with Miss Granger." Her voice was even toned, yet held a hint of tiredness. She sat straight backed in her own chair, her hands folded neatly on the desk in front of her. A small gray tendril of hair curled at her temple having escaped her normally tight bun.

Ginny nodded. "I only really confirmed it about a week ago, actually. I begged her to tell someone, but she refused. Hermione's very serious about her education and I sense that she does not want this....situation....to stand in the way of her goals."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "I am somewhat surprised about the circumstances, because of the fact that she has always been one of Hogwarts' best students, but in some ways it answered many of my questions. Miss Granger's behavior this semester has been rather unusual and I feel somewhat relieved knowing the cause. Being in this position can be very stressful for a young woman."

"I believe it must be even more so for Hermione, particularly because she is not responsible for it," said Ginny, staring at her lap.

"Well, I should certainly say she hasn't been responsible for her actions. There are several things a witch can do to prevent such an event from happening that I'm surprised that someone as bright at Miss Granger wouldn't have done some sort of research before....", the Headmistress paused, but did not look embarrassed, "...becoming intimate with another person."

Ginny suddenly felt an unexpected warmth creep onto her cheeks. Avoiding eye contact with her professor, she replied, "Well, what if a student had not planned on becoming intimate with another person and she got herself into a situation she couldn't get out of?"

Professor McGonagall coughed slightly. "Are you suggesting Miss Granger was forced into a comprising position?"

"Well, not forced... exactly," she stammered. "Maybe it had been an accident of sorts. A little practical joke gone wrong, perhaps?" Ginny's heart was straining tightly against the bones of her ribcage and she was almost worried that her secret would come slipping out through the seams.

The Headmistress stared at her, inquisitively. "And what kind of person would trick another person into doing something like this?"

Ginny didn't even realize that she was nibbling on her fingernails, a nervous habit she hadn't done in years. "It would have definitely been a mistake. Perhaps a person created a potion that would cause two people to fall in love, but instead they stumbled into... lust." Did I really just say "lust" in front of McGonagall?" she questioned herself.

"That seems unlikely," Professor McGonagall replied. "An under aged wizard could get in a lot of trouble for creating a potion outside of school." She sounded calm, but her expression seemed highly suspicious.

The girl tore a bit of her nail away for the tip of her pinkie finger with her teeth. "But what if they created the potion during school year-"

"Miss Weasley," the older witch interrupted "Does Miss Granger realized that her actions were the result of this potion you are describing?"

Ginny felt like a violent ocean wave was crashing over her head and she was afraid to open her mouth for fear she would choke on the salty water. Finally she breathed in slowly through her nose, but the burning sensation made her eyes begin to tear. "No, she has no idea." The words felt like they were spoken from quite a distance, by someone other than her.

Professor McGonagall shook her head slowly. "I can only imagine the guilt she must feel, having to not only deal with the consequences of what she did but not being able to understand why she did something so out of character in the first place..."

"Oh, Merlin. I'm so sorry," Ginny gasped. "I really never meant for any of this to happen. It was just supposed to be an amourous potion. Nothing should have gone any further than that!"

"And I suppose your brother was the one to suggest this idea?"

Ginny stopped her panicking for a moment. "My brother?"

The Headmistress had not expected the student's obvious confusion. "Well, I know that Ron had been smitten with Miss Granger for a long time and I am sure that he did not take the end of their relationship very well. And while I don't commend his behavior, I can understand why he might dabble with magic in hopes of winning her back."

The color drained from Ginny's face, bringing out the brilliant redness of her hair. "Ron didn't help me do this, Professor. In fact, he has no idea that this even happened or that Hermione is now pregnant."

Now it was Professor McGonagall who was bewildered. "So, Mr. Weasley is not the father of her child?"

"Er...well...no." For some reason, Ginny had no expected that people might jump to this conclusion. "Actually, Harry Potter is the father."

For a moment neither woman spoke. It was only when the portraits began to stir that there was a break in the silence.

"And when exactly did this happen?" The Headmistress attempted to hold steadily to her composure, but hints of apprehension peaked through.

"I assume it occurred sometime around the evening of my passing," said a familiar voice as both teacher and student turn to stare at the portrait of Professor Dumbledore. "Oh, hello, Ginny. Sorry to surprise you like that. I would have spoken up earlier, but I only heard the tale end of you conversation as I was waking from my nap." Despite the fact that she had been raised entirely in the wizarding world, it was still somewhat disturbing to hold a conversation with someone who had died five months ago.

Dumbledore continued to speak. "What confuses me is why Sirius hadn't mentioned this situation before now. Surely, Harry would have explained his dilemma to his godfather."

This time Ginny fought with the growing ache in the pit of her stomach. "Well, I think the reason that Sirius hasn't brought up this topic is because he has no idea that something is going on. I know for a fact that Hermione has not told Harry anything."

Professor McGonagall's eyes grew wide with anxiety. "Miss Weasley, please go to Gryffindor Tower and bring Mr. Potter down to the hospital wing immediately. It's time the two of them had a much needed conversation." As Ginny scurried out of the Headmistress's office, McGonagall turned to Dumbledore with a look of determination.

"Since I became informed of the seriousness of this situation, I must insist that neither Mr. Potter nor Miss Granger leave school grounds until the circumstances have been resolved. Being away from Hogwarts will put both students, as well as the unborn child, in grave danger. Already a servant of "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" has come looking for Miss Granger."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I fear a child of Harry Potter would prove to be quite frustrating for Voldemort. He will most likely want to destroy the heir of his most disdained enemy before it is even born."

Now it was McGonagall who looked ill. She slowly removed her eyeglasses and gently wiped them clean with a handkerchief. Before exiting the office, she turned to the portrait. "I will keep you informed of the situation, Professor."

"Oh, Minerva," the old wizard sighed. "After all these years you still find it difficult to call me Albus without me reminding you that I haven't been your teacher for decades."

Placing her glasses back on her nose, she gave him a weak smile in return. "Yes, I'm sorry, Albus. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have to head down to the hospital wing."

Hogwarts Headmistress could have begun to imagine the chaos that awaited her when she entered the medical ward. Hermione was sitting up her hospital bed, staring blankly at folded piece of parchment. Ginny stood by the window and looked out across the snow covered ground as if she was praying she could see something moving in the distance. Ron was firmly planted in the center of the room, glaring at Ginny distrustfully.

"If you don't tell me what the hell is going on!" he growled at her.

"Mr. Weasley!" responded Madame Pomfrey, angrily. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"My sister comes tearing through my dormitory looking for Harry and when I tell her that the stupid git stalked off somewhere, she gets herself into a panic -calling me an insensitive moron - and leads me down a series of corridors to the school's guest quarters. We knocked on Sirius' room only to find it completely empty. No note or anything. Then she drags me up to the hospital wing where Hermione is sitting here in a borderline trance, grasping this letter in her hands. Neither of them has bothered to explain anything to me. I'm starting to think Harry was right about being kept in the dark..."

"Mr. Weasley, will you please calm down and stop shouting. This is a place for healing, not causing a ruckus!" said Professor McGonagall.

"I think he's gone," whispered Ginny. "Apparently Ron and Harry got into a fight about something-" Ron shot her a dirty look. "And I assumed he went to speak with Sirius about what had happened. But when we arrived at his room..."

"That's impossible!" replied McGonagall. "When would Potter have had time to return to the dormitory to retrieve his own possessions?"

"Probably when I was down in the kitchens getting a bit to eat," said Ron with disgust. "I knew he was angry, but I had no idea he'd pack his things up and leave."

Without responding, Professor McGonagall walked over to the fireplace in the corner of the room, removed a handful of green dust from a small ceramic jar and flung it into the flames.

"Severus Snape!" she called in a loud voice.

Within seconds, the oily haired professor's head appeared in the fire. "Yes, Minerva?" he asked, groggily.

"Have you seen Sirius?"

Snape seemed annoyed that she would wake him up her such a stupid reason. "No, Minerva. I have not seen him since we left the hospital wing a few hours ago."

"Dammit!" she groaned while her students stared at her in shock. "Quick! I need you and Narcissa to search the school for both Sirius Black and Harry Potter. I will inform the members of the Order that if either of them is spotted ANYWHERE that they must report to Hogwarts immediately!" Without another word, Snape's head disappeared.

Turning to Madame Pomfrey she asked, "Why does Sirius always act so hastily? You would figure that twelve years in Azkaban and three years on the run would have cooled off the fire in his soul." The nurse only shook her head in response.

Professor McGonagall walked over to Hermione's bedside and sat down in an empty chair. "How are you feeling, dear?"

Hermione looked up the letter in her hands. Without speaking, she handed over to the Headmistress.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sorry I didn't wake you up to tell you that I was leaving Hogwarts for awhile, but I didn't want you to try to persuade me to stay. You would think it was foolish for me to go, but that's only because you don't understand what I need to do. I'm tired of things always happening without me having any control over the situation. I can no longer just sit back and let thing continue as they are.

Please understand that in the end, I'm doing this for you. These last few months in virtual solitude has given me many things to think about. And returning to Hogwarts only confirmed what things are truly important to me. Please let Ginny, and perhaps Ron, know that everything is ok and that I'll be safe with Sirius. I hope to return shortly.

Don't worry about me, because I'm sure you have many other things on your mind at the moment. I will speak with you again soon.

Harry

Professor McGonagall silently folded the note and returned it to Hermione.

"I didn't even see him come in," said Hermione. "I heard the door open while I was sleeping and sensed that something else was in the room with me, but I didn't know what. He must have come in his invisibility cloak and sat beside me for a few minutes. Then I felt a soft kiss on my forehead and when I opened my eyes, this letter was sitting on the nightstand." She looked the older witch in the face. "He was wrong about me trying to stop him. I wouldn't have. I think it is better that he's gone."

McGonagall leaned in close to her student. "Hermione, why didn't you tell him what was going on?"

The girl looked exhausted. "We never had a chance to discuss what happened that night. Everything had been so confusing." McGonagall glanced over at Ginny who was now standing on the other side of the bed. "By the time I had realized what had happened, I didn't know how to reach him to let him know. He never bothered to write me all those months. What we did couldn't have been that important to him..."

"But he had been here at Hogwarts for over a week. I told you to tell him," Ginny sighed.

"It doesn't matter now. I could have just as easily ended the situation on my own a few months ago, but I chickened out. I just didn't think it was fair that an innocent thing should suffer as a result of my actions. So I figured I would just have the baby and give it up for adoption."

Just then Ron, who had been standing in confusion for the last ten minutes, interrupted the conversation. "Baby? What baby?"

Hermione glanced up at her friend. "I'm pregnant, Ron. Almost five months. I'm sorry I didn't mention it to anyone earlier."

Ron felt like he had simultaneously been slapped in the face and punched in the stomach. "What?" he mumbled, as he grasped for something to hold onto. Finally he succeeded in sitting down on an empty bed and pressed his fingertips onto his forehead as if trying to support his now heavy skull.

"For awhile, I kind of just hoped it would go away. When I eventually began to accept it, I didn't know who I should tell. Should I write my parents? Would they be terribly disappointed? How would you and Ginny react? Would I get expelled from school?" With these last words, she turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Due to the special circumstances, Hermione, we will make arrangements for you to continue studying here at Hogwarts. You will not be allowed to attend class, but I will ask each of the professors to provide appropriate lesson plans and homework for you to follow on your own. Then in June, after the situation is resolved, you will be able to your N.E.W.T's without any problem."

Hermione's eyes began to water with relief. "Oh thank you, Professor McGonagall. You have no idea how important finishing school is for me." The Headmistress just nodded and smiled.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of how dedicated you are to your studies, Hermione."

Ginny to felt like a load of pressure had been lifted off her chest until she noticed her brother was beginning to boil like a pot of hot water. He suddenly spoke to no one in particular, yet in a way that revealed that he might already know the answer.

"Who is the father?"

Hermione could not bring herself to look at Ron's face when she replied. She had barely sounded out the syllables of the name before Ron exploded.

"And now he just magically disappears? That spineless little....I'm going to kill him...to do this to you and then leave you to deal with the consequences. I would have never expected....going to ring his neck...can't even believe...he just got up and walked out, leaving some lame note about saving the world....what a fucking asshole!" And before any of the women in the room could stop him, Ron knocked over a shelf of glass bottles (to Madame Pomfrey's utter dismay) and stormed out of the room.

Ginny started to get up to follow him, but Hermione just held her back. "He's just overreacting, Gin. We need to give him time to calm down before I explain the truth to him. Do you honestly think he will try to listen to any of us after what he's already learned?" Her voice was surprisingly calm, almost as if the shear act of confessing had returned her to a more normal, logical state of mind.

Realizing the truth in her statement, Ginny nodded and sat back down beside her. Professor McGonagall just shook her head and excused herself so that she could send messages to the members of the Order. Madame Pomfrey quickly cleaned up the mess that Ron had made with a flick of her wand and retreated to her office in an irritated fashion.

None of them knew that somewhere out in the woods later that night, a small white owl landed most ungracefully onto Harry Potter's sleeping head. Confused by the unexpected arrival, he looked around the small clearing where he and Sirius had camped for the night. A large black dog lay snoring at Harry's feet and the owl, somewhat frightened by the sight of it, quickly dropped off the package and flew away.

Harry squinted at the brown papered parcel for a few minutes before finding his glasses sitting on the rock beside his head and putting them on. On the front there were only the printed words of his name, the back with the address:

Hocus Pocus Books, Incorporated

1142 Maple Crossing Road

Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA 08648

Tearing off the paper, Harry found a thickly bounded book, complete with gold edged pages. Scrawled on the cover in gold print was the title:

Dream Weaver

A Complete Guide to the Hidden Power of the Human Unconscious

by R. E. Melbourne.

Inside on the front page was a note that said:

"Happy Christmas, Harry!

I know you probably won't be receiving this until after the holidays, but I hope it helps you figure out things just the same.

Your Friend Always,

Hermione