A Time of Reckonings

Hey guys! I'm back with my newest chapter. I know I didn't quite get the # of reviews I wanted, but that last chapter was kinda short. It was just to give you a glimpse of the beginning of Harry's magical education, and all the grief Hermione's going through right now. Hopefully this next chapter will be longer.

To Stoneheart: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Reviews like yours keep writers like me going. I can't thrive on one sentance reviews. I need paragraphs! Tell me what you think! Thank you so much for the kind reviews!

A Time of Reckonings

Chapter 4: Prelude to A Battle

A butterfly,
Fluttered by,
And, so fascinated I,
With its pure beauty,
That, mid-flit,
I cupped my hands,
To capture it.

Stilled in my hands,
It fluttered quick, and,
I felt something,
Did brush my palms,
With gentle wing.

Sweet lullabies,
Did I sing,
To calm and comfort,
Her being.

But her beauty,
I desired,
And, it could not,
Be admired,
Trapped inside a finger cage,
However gently it was arranged,
So I slowly opened up to see,
In wondrous, shimmering gossamer,
She.

And I saw, she partly be,
Born butterfly and part faerie,
For a moment she gazed at me,
In scintillating reverie,
And a sparkling I could see,
In her fine dress of filigree.

With the slightest fairy pout,
She slyly turned our roles about,
She gave a look that captured me,
She smiled and slowly, fluttered free.

That was my dream, it said to me,
That the butterfly fairies must fly free.

Hard to find and hard to hold,
Theirs is a gift of purest gold,
As you set their spirits free,
When from your hands they unfold.

If your nectar is kept sweet,
And for her, you endless yearn,
She shall make your joy complete,
When every day, she does return.

The moral, here told
Clear and true,
What you capture,
Captures you.

****************************************************************************

Hermione felt the wind rushing through her feathers. They had figured the safest way to get to the scene of the attack would be to fly. She looked at Sahki flying next to her, the perfect seagull.

Sahki went into a dive, and Hermione followed her. She could make out the flashing red and blue lights, and the screaming and weaping. She was hit with a sudden wave of nausea, and had recollections of Voldemort's overthrowing of Hogwarts.

They fluttered down onto a building, and perched on top of it. Hermione peered down, and all she could do was stare. She could make out six bodies lying on the ground, blood flowing freely. Muggles standing around were screaming and weaping, trying to get to the bodies, only to be restrained by police officers. She looked again at the bodies. 'Four boys, two girls,' she thought. 'Whoever did this must be trying for a masacre.'

Sahki nudged Hermione with her wing. She then pointed to the wall, where Hermione could see writing glowing, newly engraved into the stone.

Granger and Poplomanu,

Yes, I know you're here. The Boy is next. Hand him over to us, and your lives may be spared. Or they may not. You have been warned.

-Draco

The pure horror was evident in both Hermione and Sahki's faces. Draco Malfoy had found them, and wanted Harry Potter. Hermione could feel her stomach twisting and turning at the thought.

'Harry,' she secretly vowed. 'I won't let anyone else die. Especially you.'

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"Harry, this is a wand. We're here in Diagon Alley to find you a wand," Hermione said in Harry's dream world.

He looked around at all the people here buying things. He could see children clustered around a store window, peering inside at brooms. Women at the apothecary, buying dragon skin for potions, and teenagers getting new robes for school.

"This is Ollivanders," Hermione said. "Here we'll get your wand." They entered the old musty shop. Hermione went to the front desk and rang the bell. Harry looked around at all the boxes lining the walls. They seemed to go on forever.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, what a plesant suprise," a voice said out of nowhere. Harry jumped and spun around. There stood Mr.Ollivander. "I've been wondering when you would grace my shop with your presence. But, down to business. Which one's your wand arm?"

Harry looked at Hermione. "His right," she supplied for him. By then, measuring tape had magically started measuring his arm, and suddenly disappeared out of sight.

"Here, try this one. Just give it a flick," Ollivander said. Harry, feeling rather foolish, waved it around. He snatched it from Harry's hand.

"Try this one."

"How about this one?"

"No? This one."

"Ah, a tricky customer! I like it. We'll find one, just wait! Oh, but try this one. Rather odd combination, dragon heartstring and holly, but let's see. Give it a wave!"

Harry took the wand, and immediately felt something. He waved it around and sparks flew out of it, knocking over a vase of black roses on the counter.

"Ah ha! Success!" Mr. Ollivander exclaimed. "That will be 12 galleons, please."

Hermione payed him and they left the shop. Harry looked at Hermione and opened his mouth to say something....

WHAM!

Harry was jerked out of sleep by his mother, who was shaking him quite violently.

"Whatdoyawant?"

"Harry, I'm afraid something's happened."

Harry shot straight up in bed. "What Mom? Tell me!"

Lisa Allen looked at her son with a sympathetic look on her face. "Earlier tonight, around 11:00, Jared, Laura, Brian, Alena, and two others were murdered over by Rookie's Bar. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. There's nothing you can do, so don't even ask. Go back to sleep, and we'll go see Holly's parents in the morning."

Harry couldn't speak, he couldn't think. 'Laura, Jared, dead? But that can't be, Laura and I were together just this evening. And Jared, we were supposed to work on our Econ project tomorrow. They can't be dead!'

Lisa gave her son a hug and said, "Go back to sleep Harry." Then she left his room.

Harry laid back down on his pillow. 'But Laura and I love each other. You don't leave someone you love,' he thought as he closed his eyes and was jerked back into sleep.

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"That's what I thought Harry, but sometimes life doesn't let our the person we love the most stay with us," Hermione said to him as he re-entered his dream world.

"How did you know?" he asked her.

"Because my real self is there, at the scene of the crime now," Hermione said, looking at him. "I know what it feels like to loose classmates."

"There's no way you know what it feels like to loose four of your best friends," Harry replied coldly, looking away from her.

Hermione looked at him. "Look at me, Harry. You remember the main hall at Hogwarts? All those students and teachers?"

"Yeah."

"Well, now they're either dead, insane, or joined up with the Dark Side," Hermione said. "I lost my best girl friends, my teachers, my parents, and my fiance as a result of the Dark Side," she said as a tear slid down her cheek. "That's why I'm training you. We need you to save the future."

Harry looked at her. Her strength amazed him. Loosing all that, yet still pushing forwards, she tried to save her world.

'It should be my world, too,' he thought.

"It can be. Just help us," Hermione said.

"Okay. I'll do it."

"Thank you."

"One question."

"Yes?"

"Who was your fiance? Will you tell me about him?"

Hermione smiled through her tears. "His name was Ron Weasley. You would've liked him had you ever met him. He was just like you. Head Boy, the guy every girl wanted to date, captain of the Quidditch team, got the highest grades, was going into the Ministry of Magic, set to be the Minister of Magic someday. The perfect guy."

Harry had absolutly no idea what half the stuff she was talking about was, but he let her continue.

"Ron was my dream guy. I met him when he was 11. I can still picture him. He had scraggly red hair, was taller than all the guys in our class, and was pretty built for a little kid. We became friends, and started dating my fifth year. Then, he proposed," she said, showing him her ring.

"That is a rock," Harry said in awe.

"Thank you. Ron's family was always scraping for money. This was his great-grandmothers, and he wanted me to have it." Hermione bent her head and started to cry. "Oh Harry, I miss him so much!" she said as she sobbed into her hands.

Harry moved to put his arms around her. "There, there, it'll all work out, Hermione. You've always got me."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Even though we only talk like this in dreams, I'll reveal myself when the time is right."

"Okay. When will the time be right?"

"You'll just know."

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Two weeks later, a memorial service on the beach was held for the six students killed in what the media was calling "a severe act of terrorism". Students lined the beach around the bonfire. Six doves were released in memory of the students.

Hermione/Amy and Sahki/Yamini stood looking out at the ocean. The sun had set, and the waves were crashing on the shore. Teenagers sat, some wrapped in blankets, talking to one another about memories shared with the deceased ones.

Hermione heard a shifting of sand next to her and looked to her left.

"Ginny. I didn't expect you yet."

Ginny Weasley gave Hermione and Sahki hugs and sat down on the sand. They sat down next to her.

"I'm here becaue of Emily." Emily was Ginny's 1 1/2 year old daughter.

"Why?" Sahki asked.

"I'm afraid of her father. He knows about Emily, but doesn't know she's his," she said. "Emily's in danger, and I can feel the power coming from her. She's only three, but I've brought her over here so hopefully she'll be safe."

"May I ask one question?" Sahki said.

"Yes," Ginny replied.

"Who is the father?"

Ginny sighed. "I'll tell you later. I thought he loved me.He had me fooled. I was a sixth year. He seduced me, and even though it was my first time, we concieved Emily. He doesn't know, though, and I have no intentions of telling him."

At that moment, a small, silver haired girl with green eyes came flying towards Hermione. "Aunt Mione!"

"Hey baby!" Hermione said as she swept Emily up into her arms for a big hug. "How is Aunt Mione's favorite girl doing?"

"Good. !" she said with a giggle.

"Well, are you ready for some fun!"

"Me n Aunt Mione goin to beach!"

"That's right. Now go see Aunt Sahki!"

"Aunt Sahki!"she said as she stretched out her arms to go to Sahki.

Sahki took her into her arms and promptly started to tell Emily all about Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Ginny looked at Hermione. "So, how are things going with Harry?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm training him in his dreams. That's what Dumbledore and McGonagall told me to do. It seems pretty successful. He knows most spells and hexes. He should be ready in a few weeks. During class, I can feel the power pouring off of him. It's overpowering."

"That's good. Now, can Emily and I stay with you?"

"Of course."

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Harry looked over at Amy. She and Yamini were talking to a girl who looked like she could be Amy's twin. And Yamini was holding a small silvered hair girl and the two were talking animatedly.

"Who's that girl with the Brits?" Laura's best friend Holly asked Harry.

"I don't know."

"It'll just feel so empty without Laura," Holly said, hugging herself to shield herself from the cold. "She always knew how to make me smile."

"You're right."

"You loved her, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

Holly looked at her feet. "That's what I thought." She sighed. "I don't know how I'll survive without her. She was my right arm."

Harry put his arm around her. "And you were her left. Don't worry Holly. I'm here for you. We can get through this together."

Holly burried her face in Harry's shoulder. "Thank you Harry," she said as she started to sob.

Harry looked up at the stars. 'Hermione, wherever you are, I'm here for you too,' he thought as he rubbed Holly's back.

*******************************************************************************************

Draco Malfoy looked at his Master on the screen in front of him.

"It's all prepared my Lord. We are ready to infiltrate the school at your command. Granger, Poplomanu, and the disgusting Weasley girl are all here. We are ready to take the Boy and use him for you."

Lord Voldemort nodded his head. "I thank you young Malfoy. I must say, you are more handy than your good-for-nothing father."

"Thank you my Lord."

"We infiltrate in two weeks."

"Yes master."