Harry Potter and the Wizards of Narhassa

Chapter 16: Dream and Delusions

Sometime after Harry had gone to sleep Halloween night, dreams invaded his mind. He knew, somehow, he was dreaming... yet, it was not like a normal dream, or even a nightmare. He felt present at another scene, a scene that was happening very close by.

"Watch Potter," hissed a voice in his ear. Harry turned to his left, but saw nothing but the wall of some nondescript corridor at Hogwarts. He spun to the right, only to see a torch burning low, casting eerie shadows about the hallway.

"Who is this?" asked Harry in an alarmed tone of voice.

"You know who it is... that is a clue," replied the voice. "I want you to see what is about to happen. You and I are bound, as am I with your friend. A triangle of confusion, of which only I understand all about."

"Voldemort!" hissed Harry, turning about frantically. "Where are you?"

"Not far... Potter... not far at all. It's come to my attention that you were able to dream about me without my awareness. You spilled this kindly to the late Crouch Jr., and for that, I am grateful. It has allowed me to see some of your dreams, in addition to controlling when you can see events as I experience them. Right now, the Destroyer is on his way. I can feel his impatience finally getting the best of him."

Harry growled, but beastly noises did little to reveal Voldemort's presence.

"Why now? What is about to happen!" shouted Harry, his voice sounding so distant as the halls shook with his echo.

"Watch, Potter. Watch."

And then, Harry became aware of footsteps behind him, echoing off the walls rapidly, suggesting someone was moving toward him at a brisk pace.

A cloaked figure approached from one side of the hallway, moving through the flickering light. He was not an overly tall figure, ruling out any chance that he could be Redetyor. He paused for a moment with his cloak drawn low to his face.

"Are you here?" asked the voice, suddenly telling Harry that "he" was no "he" after all. A harsh, feminine voice called out and shook Harry all over.

"Y... yes..." replied a very familiar voice from Harry's rear. Harry turned around just in time to see Neville Longbottom pull off an Invisibility Cloak... HIS invisibility cloak. Harry gasped inaudibly as his eyes widened in disbelief. Neville Longbottom is meeting with the Redetyor? He thought, begging for an answer to jump out at him. Why would he betray me like this?

"Why... why has Seth told me to meet out here?" asked Neville, his voice shaking with stress.

"Because, Neville," said the female, drawing closer to him and rubbing the back of her hand against his cheek. "He has plans and he needs your help."

And then, with the whoosh of a cape flickering into the wind, four more figures seemed to appear from the walls on opposite side and stepped into the hallway, forming a small circle from which Harry was barely removed. One figure was Seth Redetyor, for he wore no hood and proudly dressed in his Slytherin school robes. Two others appeared to be shorter than anyone, and one of them spoke.

"We are here, master," said a voice Harry recognized from the train two months ago. This was Bradley Trahvis, the third year Beater on the Narhassa team. Likely, the boy next to him was the other beater, but Harry could only guess.

And the final cloaked figure spoke, his American accent striking a familiar nerve with Harry.

"Yeah, this is everyone," replied Alex, for there was no doubt in Harry's mind that it was him.

"Neville," said Seth, looking to the round-faced boy. "You have been most sensible in joining me, and I shall reward you."

Neville looked down at his shoes. "I don't like this."

Seth, in a show of affection Harry never would have deemed possible, broke the circle and put his hands on top of Neville's shoulders.

"I know you think Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are your friends...but name one way they have acted as such?"

Neville swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head.

"They've not shown the slightest care about how much you are suffering, Neville. What I need you to do is, when I tell you to, open the main access to the Gryffindor Common Room and allow a few of my friends to enter. They will cause a ruckus that will distract the teachers and students." Seth smiled slightly. "No one will be harmed, I give my word."

Neville sighed and looked into Seth's gray eyes. "Ok," he said weakly.

"Very good, Neville," said Seth, withdrawing something from his robe. It was a small sack that jingled in the baron corridor. "With this, you can find yourself a place to stay this winter break and summer... perhaps the Leaky Cauldron."

Neville frowned coyly at the bag, but took it. "You promise no one will be hurt?"

Seth's eyes gleamed with malicious intent that only Harry could see. "Would I lie to you?"

Neville shook his head and began walking away. "No, I suppose not."

Harry bit his lip, wanting to cry out, however... he knew he was not there. He was within Voldemort's mind, who was somehow pertinent to this conversation, be it by tangible presence or through Seth's mind.

Just how long had Neville been working for Seth, Harry could not help but wonder.

"Just stay the course, Longbottom," said Seth, calling after him. "And you will get much more."

Neville disappeared at the end of the hallway, having likely ducked under Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"Do he even have the first idea what we are doing?" asked the female, her voice live with cunning and evil.

Seth shook his head. "No. He knows all he needs to know. He is not a big part of our plan, but he will provide an additional angle that our opposition will have to cover against."

The figure Harry guessed was Bradley began to speak. "Then, to discuss the real plan... on the day you tell us, I shall lead all those third year and under in open rebellion within Hogwarts, throwing the entire school into disarray."

Seth nodded slowly, while Bradley continued.

"Being too young to have a formal charge within their Minestry of Magic, we will just be expelled from Hogwarts... by then, you will have awoken Narhassa."

Alex spoke up. "Good. By the time anyone realizes that Seth and the rest of us are gone, it will be too late."

Seth also nodded slowly. "And Guardings, you and all the fourth through seventh years shall accompany me to Ben Nevis. We may have to bust some heads... I know Voldemort is out there, waiting for us to make our move."

Harry felt a dull throb within his head, as he felt a jolt of hatred pass through Voldemort's brain and into his own.

"Ha!" snickered Alex. "Like this dark wizard can compete with the powers of Narhassa!"

The hooded girl turned to him. Who this was, Harry did not even have the faintest clue... though a strange thought was running through his mind as to who it could be.

There is just no way it could be her... no way.

"You are new to the Wizarding World, and therefore foolish," she muttered, in a cold, dour tone. "Voldemort is the strongest wizard this world has ever known. Only with the power of Narhassa can we hope to defeat him."

Seth nodded slowly and ruffled his collar with a free hand. "We are not to underestimate him, lest we fail. I can always feel him within my head." Seth trailed off as all eyes turned to him. "I've felt him since as long as I can remember. As a child, I was sickly and always so weak. I was made fun of, picked on, and hurt because I could not keep up with the other boys."

Harry also watched Redetyor, listening to every word.

"When I was eleven, I felt as though I was finally recovering from my sickness... Voldemort was no longer relying upon me and draining my life force to sustain himself. He had taken that Professor at Hogwarts, in his attempt to kill Harry Potter. He used unicorn blood and the Professor to grow stronger, allowing me one single year of relative comfort."

Seth's face became twisted with rage. "And after one single year... Harry Potter ended it all for me! Some bratty, stupid eleven year old killed all but killed Lord Voldemort again. He was LESS than he was before... barely more than a figment of someone's imagination." He jerked his head up to glare at Alex and Bradley. "Can you imagine how that felt? The bastard required TWICE the amount of power he needed before to stay alive, and I was forced to give it to him. I was bedridden for more than a year, unable to go to school, unable to even go outside for a breath of fresh air!"

The circle of hooded figures remained silent, while Harry listened with a great sense of conflicting emotions.

"And oh, the pain," he laughed unsteadily. "Try drilling a hole in your chest and feeling your life blood flowing from that hole for two years... and you will have an idea of what I went through."

Seth recomposed himself.

"Finally, after a year, the pain began to go away. Wormtail, Voldemort's little lackey, had reconstructed him and began nurturing him back to health. Finally, this last summer, the pain was gone. All of it! With Voldermort's full resurrection, for the first time ever, I knew what it felt like to be my own person."

Seth fixed each one of his followers with a cold, hard glare.

"Make no mistake about it... now, I want revenge. I want Voldemort to feel the pain he made me go through, and if Harry Potter interferes, I want HIM to feel it too! Both of them caused me misery, and both of them should feel it in turn!"

The girl walked up to Seth and put her arm around his shoulders.

"My love, you have enough to put Potter away into Azkaban for at least a few years. Odds are, he won't survive. We both know the struggle he is going through and how pathetically weak he is without his friends. Call your own bluff... tell the world Harry Potter tried to use the Killing Curse on you."

Seth shook off the girl's arm.

"No!" he snapped. "I will not send Potter to Azkaban. This..." The boy faltered for a moment, his emotions of pure anger and hatred getting the best of him. He paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "This is between ME and VOLDEMORT! I don't want Potter involved."

"But, man, you just said..." began Alex.

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!" shouted Seth angrily. "If Potter interferes, he'll get his... but it won't be at the hands of Dementors! Got it?"

Alex backed down slowly. "Whatever you say."

"And what if your ambitious, if not ponderous bluff goes... unheeded by Potter?" asked the smaller form of Bradley. "What then?"

Seth paused for a moment, the dim torchlight making his face burn with a cold lifeless tone. "You just worry your diversion, Trahvis. Leave Potter to me if he becomes bothersome."

The shadowy figure bowed his head slowly. "As you wish."

"I believe this concludes the meeting," said Seth calmly, crossing his arms. "You all know your specific roles. When we awaken Narhassa and are brought to glory, all of our dreams will come true. Wealth, fame, glory, power... whatever your motivation is, Narhassa can sate it so long as you are ready and able to give a maximum response when the time comes."

Alex nodded slowly, and Harry could almost here him smirking from beneath his hood. "Let no one stand in our way, then."

With that, Seth turned about and began walking in the direction Neville had gone a few minutes ago. After a moment, he faded away.

"I think Redetyor is losing it," muttered Alex, looking to his other three fellows.

Bradley looked to Alex, his hood still covering all of his face. "Sparing the Potter boy is a foolish risk. Why is he taking it?"

"Because," said the unidentified female slowly, in her dark, methodical voice. "He feels a kinship with Potter, despite what he has inadvertently done to make his life harder. Both have suffered at the hands of Voldemort... and both want revenge. I'm only surprised by the fact he has chosen to be Potter's enemy instead of his ally."

"Nevertheless," snorted Alex, as he turned to go. "I still want to crush Potter's larynx with my boot."

"You may get your chance," said the girl, calling after him as Alex began walking in the opposite direction as Seth and Neville. "If Potter interferes, Seth will have no choice but to end his life. He is not going to risk the powers of Narhassa falling into the hands of the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Good," said Bradley, taking his first few steps away, as his other companion, who had not even spoken a word, turned to leave as well. "And you, Ms. Spencer... when Longbottom lets you into Gryffindor Tower again, you had best provide a healthy distraction. We can handle the students of Hogwarts for long enough, but if the Professors are able to oppose us, we won't last long."

The girl identified as Spencer nodded slowly and clicked her tongue. "Understandable, young lad... make no mistake. The distraction I will create will be most formidable. We have a loose end in Gryffindor that I shall tie up, permanently." The girl then smiled. "... and if you take a familiar tone with me again, I'll rip off your ears and feed them to you."

Bradley did not speak any further and left the woman in the hallway alone. Finally, after a moment of reflection, the woman took off, walking in the opposite direction as Alex, Bradley and his unidentified companion went, leaving Harry alone.

"So you see," echoed the voice within his head. "We both have a common enemy, Potter."

Harry closed his eyes and swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "We don't have a common enemy, Voldemort. Redetyor and I do."

There was the sound of cackling within his head. "If he is able to awaken Narhassa, all the souls you saw him taking will be stolen. Redetyor is hardly as honorable as he sounds. Once he has the power of Narhassa, he will betray his Order, just as Salazar did."

"And then he will kill you," snapped Harry, feeling cold and sick all over. "Perhaps the ends will justify the means."

"Perhaps," hissed Voldemort inside of Harry's head. "Or, maybe... I've already found a way to protect myself from some pitiful little boy like Redetyor... and when I destroy your new friend, I, and I alone, will take the powers of Narhassa."

Harry sighed with hopelessness. "Why are you showing me this?"

Voldemort laughed again. "Why do you ask questions you already know the answer too?"

Harry thought for a moment, opening his eyes and staring at his shoes. Sure enough, the answer drifted into his head like a seashell with the tide.

"You want me to leave Hogwarts, using this information... to stop Redetyor... and when I do, you will strike at me again."

There was a moment of silence, and then a gradual, dark and mirthless chuckle. "You know what, Potter... I'll tell you the truth. You are correct. Once you leave Hogwarts to chase after Redetyor, I will do everything in my power to make sure you never see that school again."

Harry looked around defiantly. "Well, maybe I'll choose not to go!"

"You could not make that choice even if you wanted to," sneered Voldemort, his voice no longer sounding amused. "Like your father, you too will put yourself into mortal danger to save the lives of the innocent."

Desiring nothing more than to find a comeback for Voldemort's slandering of his father and assumptions about his actions, Harry opened his mouth to speak. Yet, all that came out was a blood-curdling yell of helplessness and frustration.

* * * * * * * * * * *

As motivated as Harry was to do something, however, so long as the day that House Narhassa would act remained within Seth Redetyor's head, he was powerless to do much. Telling Dumbledore about what he had seen and heard would not be a step in the right direction; Harry was not even sure if he believed it himself... perhaps it was all a trick of Voldemort's to simply lure him out of the school, and the opposite of Dumbledore helping would occur. Perhaps he would order someone to watch Harry at all times, for his own protection, preventing him from spying on Redetyor.

Such doubt clogged Harry's mind and plagued every waking moment for the next two weeks. So doubtful was he that he was unable to catch the Snitch at the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff game, allowing their third year Seeker, a young girl with only marginal skill to finally take the game, 350 to 330... one of the closest Quiddich matches in Hogwarts' History.

And it was those events that finally prompt Ron to speak to him again, in the Common Room, by the fire. Sean had been about the only one who had not taken to ignoring Harry for the next few hours, out of depression for dropping such a heart breaker to Hufflepuff.

"What happened, Harry?" asked Ron as he flopped down in the chair next to Harry. "You flew like Malfoy today."

Harry sighed deeply, inhaling through his nose. He had told Ron about his dream and the red-haired boy gave it due consideration. Hermione also considered it, but Harry did not get much of a chance to see her, as she was always in the library doing schoolwork or researching Narhassa. It was Sean, however, who sat up late at night with Harry in the Common Room, talking it over with him an exploring all possible avenues.

There major focus of discussion was Neville Longbottom. If Harry's dream was accurate, Neville was about to do something that would put all of Gryffindor Tower into jeopardy. Part of Harry wanted to throb Neville silly, however, if Harry proved to Neville that he knew about their little diversion, Neville would likely report back to Seth, and their whole plan would change.

Harry and Sean came to the decision that their knowledge of Neville's treachery must be kept low, until they found a specific date upon which Narhassa planned to act... and then find a way to deter Neville from opening the Common Room door that day using any means necessary.

"There is just a lot on my mind," explained Harry. "I feel like I'm trapped, you know?"

Ron shook his head. "No. Explain though."

Harry dug his elbows into his thighs and propped his chin upon his fists. "On one hand, Seth wants revenge against Voldemort. Yet, if I stay out of his way, he will awaken Narhassa, sacrificing the souls of all of the students in House Narhassa. On the other hand, if I interfere, Voldemort will take another shot at me, and this instance, he won't take his time finishing me off. He learned that toying with me provides ample opportunity for me to escape."

Ron smirked and slouched in his chair lazily. "Either way, we loose."

Harry glanced over to Ron. "What's so funny?"

"I don't really know," said Ron, with a humorous glint in his normally modest voice. "It's just the thought of Malfoy, holding up Gryffindor's sword and saying 'evil villain, now you will meet your end'... it doesn't really work with his 'married to You-Know-Who' image."

Harry too, cracked a rare smile at the mental picture.

"I admit," began Harry. "Malfoy does not fit the mold very well as an Heir of Gryffindor type person, but then again Ron, do you see me on par with Salazar Slytherin, just because his blood flows through my veins?"

Ron shook his head without delay. "No, I suppose I don't. But, I mean, with you... there were some clues. I mean, you speak Parceltongue and the Sorting Hat wanted you in Slytherin. Heck, you opened the Chamber of bloody Secrets. With Malfoy, the hat barely even touched his head before it cried out Slytherin... don't you remember?"

"All too well," said Harry thriftily, lifting his head from his hands. "I do not trust Malfoy. The only information that suggests Malfoy might be the Heir of Gryffindor is what he told us. We don't even know if that is how Gryffindor looked."

A small boy leaping on the sofa next to Harry and Ron and flopping down on his back momentarily interrupted further conversation.

"Hey guys!" said Sean, as he lie back into the pillows. "You guys talking about Narhassa?"

Ron raised an upper lip, not bothering to hide any contempt, however, Harry turned to Sean. "Yeah. We are talking about what Malfoy said a few weeks ago."

Sean chuckled a bit as he folded his arms behind his head. "Oh yeah, right: The Heir of Gryffindor. That's just funny. Do you really think it's him?"

Harry shook his head. "I was just saying I had my reservations about the whole situation. Then, take into consideration my dream... I think there is only one thing to do, actually."

Both Sean and Ron sat up in their seats. "What?" they asked at the same time.

There was a long silence as Harry looked between his two friends and back into the fire. "I need to talk to Redetyor before it is too late."

To Harry's surprise, this suggestion was not met with much surprise.

"If all Redetyor wants is revenge against Voldemort," began Sean. "Can't you two work out something together? Isn't that what you want too?"

Ron, perhaps on instinct, took the polar view. "Redetyor has proven his own desire to steal the souls of the students of Narhassa. He is no ally to be had."

Harry puffed out his cheeks and exhaled sharply. "All I know is that I need to do something. The last time Voldemort had time to think about catching me, I escaped by mere luck. This time, I sense that if I meet Voldemort without protection, my luck will run out. Yet, Voldemort is also right... I cannot and will not sit by while Redetyor defeats him and swaps a modern evil dark wizard for an ancient evil fallen angel demigod."

Ron looked to Sean with a begrudging leer, as if forecasting that, what he was about to say was not what he wanted to.

Harry sighed again. "I have to talk to Redetyor soon."

Ron and Sean, both not liking that idea, frowned deeply. After a tense moment of silence, Ron spoke up, snapping his head up to look at Sean.

"You don't remember anything useful from your dreams, right?" asked Ron in a hopeful voice.

Sean sighed and shook his head. "The dreams have stopped, Ron," he said downheartedly. "They somehow figured out that I am not with them. Whenever I go to my Fantastic Phenomenon class, they treat me like a virus that they want purged from the class for good. I can feel their hatred for me; it makes me scared. Even Alex insults me now when I try to speak to him."

Harry looked between Sean and Ron for a moment. It was a good sign that they were not tearing into each other like wild animals, however, it was clear that an obvious tension still existed between the two. Ron avoided Sean's eyes, sitting back in his chair.

After a few moments of silence, Sean was surprised by Hermione, who sat down next to him on the sofa... right on his legs again. Sean was quick to yelp in protest, but was also quick to put his arm around her after. Harry could almost hear Ron flushing over scarlet, without even looking at him.

"Anyway, do you guys want get some dinner?" asked Hermione. "I'd like to eat early today and get to the library before curfew to get some easy reading material."

"Ah," said Ron stiffly. "A thousand page book about ancient religion?"

"No," said Hermione factually. "For the past few weeks, I've been trying to trace the lineage of Godric Gryffindor to see if he has roots to the Malfoy family or not. I want to see if Draco is full of it. So far, there is no proof that the Malfoy's are related in any way to Godric."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I can answer that for you without a book, Hermione. He's a bloody liar, and he will die a virgin."

Hermione blinked at Ron sophisticatedly. "Well, thank you for that scientific analysis, Professor Weasley."

Harry rolled his eyes. Oh please, not now...he thought.

"It's called thinking, Hermione. Once in your life, you should forget about books and try it!" retorted Ron.

So much for begging, thought Harry with a sigh as he settled in for a long fight. Sean also looked to Harry and shook his head slowly, a smile finding its way to his face.

"Book?" bellowed Hermione. "Don't use big words you don't understand! Have you even touched one all year!"

"Big words, Hermione? Are we back to the size discussion again?" snapped Ron testily.

"Hey Sean," said Harry, calling over their shouting. "Hungry?"

Sean lifted his arms from Hermione's shoulders. "Yeah, I think so." Sean pecked Hermione on the cheek, who was too busy screaming her next insult to pay him much mind. "I'll see you later, babe."

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

Long after Harry and Sean had left, Hermione and Ron had continued their verbal duel. Most of the people in the common room had enough sense to ignore them, or seek entertainment in the Great Hall or in their dorm rooms rather than tell them to keep it down.

By now, they were standing face to face, practically shouting each other's ears off.

"I'll tell you another thing!" roared Ron. "If books didn't exist in this world, you wouldn't know so much!"

Hermione cocked her head, her rage seeming to suddenly shift into amusement. "Ron, that made no sense whatsoever. Without books, no one would know so much."

Ron also bit his lips, a puzzled expression crossing over his face. "Oh yeah." He glanced around curiously, scratching the top of his head. "Hey, where'd Harry and Sean go?"

Hermione blinked, and looked around. "Um... good question. I have no idea. Did they say they were leaving?"

At that, Ron burst out laughing, collapsing into the sofa that Sean had been sitting on, holding his gut.

"Yeah, they probably did... dozens of times," laughed Ron.

Hermione also shook her head, a feminine giggle escaping from her lips as she flopped down next to Ron.

"Why do we always fight, Ron?" she asked, lying back deeply into the sofa.

Ron leaned against the arm of the sofa and visually took Hermione in, as he always did whenever she was not talking to him, or looking the other way. Her wavy, long hair billowed down her head and lapped around her shoulders with such graceless elegance that Ron could not begin to explain it. Her large, brown eyes seemed to envelope him when he looked at them, for they were always filled with a consuming hunger for something... except now. She seemed perfectly content right now to be sitting on the sofa next to him. Her body language was relaxed, showing the vague impression of a lovely soldier after a long, but successful fight.

Ron kicked off his sneakers at last and put his feet on the sofa, practically spanning the distance between them.

"I don't think anyone else is worth fighting with," said Ron, with a genuine smile on his face. "You can't fight with Harry, Malfoy is just no fun to fight with since I mean everything I say... and Sean... well..."

Ron trailed off, lowering his head to stare directly at his own knees. Hermione turned to him with a concerned look.

"Please, Ron," said Hermione softly. "What were you going to say?"

Ron's leg shook with a bit of trepidation as his face blazed over scarlet. He wanted to just get it off his chest, yet something churned within his stomach and flashed within his soul. He had analyzed this feeling before and knew it to be his inner warrior, who would never lead him to be dishonored or embarrassed.

Ron could never ignore this voice.

"It's not that important," countered Ron weakly.

Hermione did not seem to be letting him out of the corner of this conversation, however. "Yes, it is," she riposted. "What is it about Sean?"

After a long pause, his leg began quivering visibly as the nervous tension culminated. His inner warrior continued to scream at him to deny, evade, parry or otherwise avoid this question, but something within him finally allowed this voice to be quieted for a moment.

"I'm jealous of him," whispered Ron, in a voice so weak, that he barely heard it himself. Ron had no problem telling Harry this, but when it was Hermione that he spoke to... there was so much strain on his words that he found it hard to breath.

Hermione apparently heard him, for she blinked with concern. "But why?"

Now that the door was open, Ron was finding it easier and easier to put a bit more of himself out in the open for Hermione to see.

"Because," began Ron, his lip now joining his leg in a terrified jig. "He... he... got to have you."

Ron had played this scenario a thousand times within his head and each time, Hermione had slapped him, screamed at him, thrown something at him, or ran away from him. In reality, however, there was only one emotion on her face... pure shook.

"What?" she asked feebly, her face paling slightly.

At first, Ron took this as a bad sign. He was on the verge of scaring her off... she was going to freak out and hate him forever.

"I... like you... Hermione," stammered Ron, sweat visibly pouring down from his head. "I've liked you... for so long..."

Hermione looked away from Ron, staring long and hard into the fire before them. Ron could only see one of her eyes from that angle, but it was not telling anything about her internal thoughts.

"Please, tell me you don't mean that," said Hermione softly, her eyes beginning to water up. "Please tell me that... what you are doing now... is some kind of Ron Weasley 'lead-you-on' joke."

Ron, unable to find words to express his own embarrassment or shame, just hung his head. Our friendship is gone now. She will never want to talk to me again. Great going, Ron, he thought.

Hermione sniffled slowly, as her emotions began to get the best of her. "Your friendship... is the most important thing in my life..." she began, putting a hand to her forehead. "And when you have a boyfriend who tells you how much he loves you at every turn... I don't know what to make of that."

Ron looked up for a moment, his own emotions beginning to break through his rocky hard exterior. He wanted to say the same thing, but it just was not true. He valued Harry's friendship so much more than Hermione's, and he knew it. With Harry, it was a mutual respect, the one thing Ron felt no one else gave him. Ron just did not feel Hermione respected him as much as Harry did.

"All around me," continued Hermione. "I'm surrounded by people who think I am a genius."

"Well... you are," said Ron uneasily. "But brains aren't everything."

Hermione smiled weakly, pushing a tear out of her eye. "True."

Ron sighed. He had practiced this speech well over a thousand times throughout the course of two months. It was now time to lay it on her, and not even his inner warrior would stop him.

"Hermione..." was as far as he got, before his tongue cramped up and his stomach knotted. Perhaps it would stop me... thought Ron.

Hermione looked at Ron, her eyes still moist from emotion. "Yes?"

Ron felt his speech falling apart within his head, as if some alien presence within him was grabbing the words from his lungs and running around his body with them, while Ron tried to catch him. He needed to say something... he could not leave her hanging here.

"I... love you..." he blurted out, before he even realized what he said.

Hermione's face of control fell completely aghast. "Well... I mean, Ron, I love you too," she stammered defensively. "Ever since first year... we've been... been like a family."

Ron staggered under the weight of the word 'brother,' but would not be deterred after all this time.

"No," said Ron. "I love you like... um... a girlfriend..."

Hermione shook her head. "No, Ron. You cannot mean that. Stop, please," she rasped.

"It... it hurts me when I see you together with Sean..." continued Ron, on the verge of tears itself.

"Stop it!" hissed Hermione, shaking her head in denial. She stood up, loomed over him and began scolding him. "Stop it right now! This is not fair! It's not fair to Sean!"

Ron sighed. "I can't help it Hermione," he said, the words finally easing out of his chest. "I'm in love with you..."

SLAP!

Hermione drove the palm of her hand hard into Ron's cheek, tears streaming down her face. And then, she backed off, looking at her own hand, as if only now becoming aware of what she had done. With a frustrated moan, she turned around and raced up the stairs, drawing some very confused looks from those across the Common Room.

Ron sat there in stunned silence, not even thinking and barely remembering to breath. His face did not even sting in the least bit, for the pain in his stomach, a deep feeling of shame in his chest, hurt so much more. Ron heaved a deep sigh, but at the same time, he could not help but feel proud.

He had told Hermione how he felt, and now it was over. There were no more secrets between him and her. The fact she had slapped him was of burning consequence, but it was a severe emotional response.

For a strange reason, while the shame was there, a strange feeling of liberation overshadowed it. There was nothing left for him to do... it was in Hermione's hands to shoot him down. While the prospects looked rather dim at this point, it was still nice to know that he had done everything, at last.

And despite his burning red cheek, Ron managed a smile.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Next Chapter: The beginning of the end. The date is disclosed at long last, and Hermione finds something in the library that will really help them... and perhaps the rest of the students. Also, we will come to a better understanding of why Hermione acted the way she did.

A few questions still remain: Who is the mystery woman working for Redetyor... is it Jessica, as many think? And a big question of "Is Draco or isn't he" the Heir of Gryffindor still remains. Rest assured, theses questions will be answered in time.