Power of the Quill

The Power of the Quill.

Chapter 05.The Longest Day.

Harry waited impatiently in the entrance of the Great Hall for Hermione to return from her visit to Dumbledore's office. He was holding out hope that the Headmaster could find some way to get he and his friends out of this marriage law mess, or at least find a way for Hermione to stay at Hogwarts. As The-Boy-Who-Lived, he had very few true friends of his own. He really didn't want to lose anyone because of this stupid law. The loss of Sirius was almost too much for him to bear. The death of his godfather still plagued his dreams almost every night. Harry doubted he could stand losing another friend so soon after Sirius.

Harry felt someone tap him on the shoulder from behind. When he turned around, he was staring into the beautiful almond shaped eyes of Cho Chang. "Harry can I speak with you for a moment?" she asked. "Sure Cho," he answered. "In private," she said, then led him out of the hall and into the corridor.

After checking that no one was listening Cho finally said, "Harry, I was wondering, are you going to start up the D.A club again this year?" Harry looked at Cho; she was even more beautiful than he remembered at the end of his fifth year. Even though he no longer had romantic feelings for her, he still felt nervous talking to her. The truth was Harry had already been given permission by Dumbledore to continue on with the club this year. He just didn't know if he should tell Cho; she was still Marietta's best friend. Harry really wished the memory charm Shacklebolt used on her was permanent. He wouldn't have to be worry about Marietta if it was.

Harry thought about it for a moment. Cho was not only Head-Girl but also very smart. It would only be a matter of time before she figured out that the D.A club was still active. To lie to her now would serve no purpose. He just had to try to swear her to secrecy, and hope she didn't let anything slip to Marietta. "Cho I need you to promise me that you will not tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about what I say to you now."

"Of course Harry, I won't say a word," Cho answered.

"We are restarting the D.A club. Grubbly-Plank may know a few things about Care of Magical Creatures, but I doubt she knows anything about Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry said.

"I thought Dumbledore said she was only temporary until the real D.A.D.A Professor shows up." Cho said.

"Yeah, but we don't know who that is, yet. For all we know it could be someone even worse than Umbridge, if that's possible. Besides, Dumbledore is giving us his full support this time. All we have to do now is pick who we want in the club and what times we should meet."

"Well that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," Cho said with a shy look on her face. This is what Harry was afraid of, he hadn't decided yet if he was going to ask Cho to rejoin the club. He was still worried about her close friendship with Marietta and the fact that she was Head-Girl might bring some unwanted attention to the group. Another reason he didn't want her there, was that he was afraid she might be distracting to him. Harry really wanted to put his all into the club this year; he didn't think he could do that if he was always getting nervous every time he was around Cho.

On the other hand there might be some advantages to having Cho back in the group. She was a very smart and talented witch, and was very good on a broom. The fact that she was Head-Girl could come in handy if they wanted to avoid the Slytherin Prefects.

"Harry, I wanted to ask you a big favor."

"Yeah," Harry said, giving her a knowing look.

"I want you to invite Marietta to rejoin the D.A club," Cho said apprehensively.

"WHAT!" Harry shouted back at her. "Are you mad?"

"Harry let me explain," she said.

"NO," Harry said flatly, then turned to head back into the Great Hall.

"Harry please listen," she pleaded while holding onto his arm so that he couldn't leave. Harry turned back to face her, he couldn't believe Cho would ask such a thing.

"Cho, there is no way in hell I'm ever going to let Marietta back in the D.A club," he said angrily.

"Harry, this marriage law thing is really bothering her, she has already been through a whole lot this summer. I don't think she can handle this by herself. I think it would help her a lot to be with people who are in the same situation, like Hermione, Hannah, and yourself."

"She betrayed us Cho. Do you have any idea how much trouble she caused? Dumbledore was almost arrested and sent to Azkaban. Professor McGonagall ended up in St. Mungo's and Hagrid was on the run for weeks. Fred and George spent the better part of the summer making up the lost classes they missed and taking their N.E.W.T's because they were both expelled. There no way I'm ever going to forgive her, let alone trust her again," Harry said in an inflexible tone of voice.

"Harry, Marietta realized she was wrong as soon as Fudge tried to arrest Dumbledore. She feels terrible about all the trouble she caused. You have no idea how much pressure her mother and Professor Umbridge were putting on her."

"We were all under pressure Cho, but Marietta was the only one to sell us out. She even sold out you, her best and probably only friend. How can you expect me to trust a person like that?"

"You don't know what it's been like for her lately, Harry. Ever since Umbridge replaced Dumbledore, people have blamed her for everything that has gone wrong at the school. Even with Dumbledore back, they still accuse her of being a spy for Fudge and the Ministry. Her own housemates make fun of her now. They keep calling her by this disgusting nick-name."

"What do they call her?" Harry asked. "Rat, fink, traitor, stoolie am I getting close?" he said sarcastically.

"No Harry, it's much worse. They call her..." Cho paused. She seemed reluctant to repeat what people were calling Marietta out loud. "They're are calling her Fudgepacker."

Harry let out a snort of laughter at hearing the nickname. It seemed a perfect fit to him.

"It's not funny, Harry," Cho said, looking annoyed.

"Well I guess it all depends on your perspective, doesn't it Cho. I think it's rather catchy myself. If you want Marietta to pal around with someone she has a lot in common with, why don't you set her up on a play date with Parkinson? I hear Pansy is fresh out of friends at the moment. The two of them seem like two peas in a pod if you ask me," Harry said seriously.

"Harry Potter, you know damn well that Marietta is nothing like Parkinson. She made a mistake, that doesn't mean she doesn't care about people," Cho said angrily.

"The only person I have ever seen Marietta care about is herself. That sounds a lot like Parkinson to me," Harry spat back at Cho.

"Well wise-ass, what you don't know is that after your fight in the Department of Mysteries last summer, Fudge had Marietta's mother bring her down to the Ministry for a interrogation. They wanted her to sign a statement saying that the D.A club was training people to overthrow the Ministry. They wanted her to give them a list of all the members' names and everything that was said and done in the club meetings. She refused, Harry. And because she wouldn't sign, her own mother threw her out. She had to spend the rest of the summer living with her Muggle relative in London."

Harry was a little surprised by this, although he wouldn't put something like this past Fudge. Both Fudge and the Ministry were very embarrassed after Voldemort had been spotted in the Ministry building. They would do anything to shift the blame from themselves to Dumbledore.

Harry could really sympathize with Marietta about having to stay with Muggle relatives for the summer. He had just finished another horrible summer at Number Four Privet Drive. On his second day there, Uncle Vernon informed Harry that he had gotten him a summer job as a stock boy at the local grocer. He spent his entire summer working there for slave wages with only one day off a week. Of course it really didn't matter how much he made, because Uncle Vernon always showed up on payday and took every last cent. "For Fifteen years of room and board, you lazy little freak," Uncle Vernon had said.

Harry thought about what Cho had said. He knew that Marietta hadn't said anything to the Ministry. If she had, it would have been in the Dailey Prophet the next day. Not to mention that a pack of Aurors probably would have showed up at Privet Drive to haul him off to Azkaban.

"Cho I appreciate the fact that she didn't sign the Ministry's statement. But that doesn't undo what she did; a lot of people got hurt because of her. I just don't see why I should give her another chance," he said sincerely. Cho cocked her head slightly to the side as she stared at him. Harry knew that the wheels were turning in that Ravenclaw head of hers.

"Harry, I can stand here all night and try to convince you to take Marietta back, but I won't. Instead I'll simply point out the facts and let you decide. Marietta is a bright wonderful person who made a mistake. You're the only one who can forgive her for that mistake, Harry. Now you can forgive her and make a loyal friend for life, or you can do what the rest of the world is doing and reject her, forcing her to become resentful and full of bitterness. So you see it's really very simple, make a friend, or possibly an enemy, for life. It's up to you Harry," Cho said in a solemn voice.

Harry wondered if Cho knew just how strong a point she had made to him. He had seen firsthand how childhood grudges and house rivalries could turn people into mortal enemies. While Harry didn't think he could ever trust Marietta fully again, he certainly didn't want to add her to the long list of enemies he already had. Harry let out a low groan, because he couldn't believe what he was about to do. "Ok Cho, I'll take her back," he said, sounding slightly bothered by the whole thing.

Cho let out a high-pitched squeal and threw her arms around him. "You truly are the hero everybody says you are, Harry Potter. I promise you will not regret this," she said sincerely.

"I better not," he said in a mock threatening tone.

"You won't, I guarantee it," she said, and then kissed him on the cheek. Harry could feel his face turning red. Probably sensing his embarrassment, Cho quickly pulled herself away from him.

"Well, I guess we should head back before all the food is gone," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he said, hoping the blush on his face wasn't too obvious.

"Ok, thanks again Harry, I will see you at the first D.A meeting," she said as she walked down the corridor to the Great Hall. Harry stopped to think about what he had just done. Not only had he agreed to accept Marietta back in the D.A club, but also had somehow invited Cho to rejoin as well. Hermione was just going to kill him.

As Harry started to enter the Great Hall, he saw Marietta standing inside the entrance. Her eyes lit up a bit as soon as she saw him. Harry looked at Cho, who was making a dash for the Ravenclaw table at high speed. 'I've been set up,' he thought to himself. Harry decided it would be best to treat this situation like a band-aid. Best to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Hello Marietta," he said in a monotone, emotionless voice.

"Hello Harry," she said sounding very nervous.

Harry stared at the girl's forehead. He was trying to see if there was any hint of the word SNEAK still there. Instinctively Marietta raised her hand to cover her forehead. "It went away after about a month," she said sounding a little embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," Harry said, not really sure that he was.

"It's ok, I guess I kind of deserved it."

"Yes you did," Harry quickly snapped back. Marietta began to look nervous again. Harry knew he needed to get this over with before Marietta broke down in a fit of tears and ran away. "Marietta I want you to rejoin the D.A club this year."

"Oh thank you Harry," Marietta said as she broke into tears. She threw her arms around him in a bear-like hug of appreciation.

Harry quickly pried himself lose from the iron grip she had around his waist. "Listen Marietta, this is not going to be that easy. You will have to prove your loyalty to the other members. In our first meeting you will explain to everyone why you did what you did, and tell us everything Fudge wanted you to say in that statement. When you're done I will put your reentry into the D.A to a vote. The only thing I can promise is that I will speak on your behalf before the vote. But I will not tell anyone they have to vote you back in, it will be completely up to them. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess it's only fair," she said sounding a little worried.

"Good, we'll let you know when the first meeting is."

"Thank you, I really do appreciate this second chance Harry," she said as she turned to head back to her house table. Suddenly she turned back around and planted a quick kiss on his right cheek. Before Harry could comment, she quickly ran off in the direction of the Ravenclaw table. Harry could feel the blush return to his face. He was beginning to wonder if girls were his Achilles' heel. He would have to ask Remus if his father was the same way. As soon as he turned to face the entrance again, a very pale-looking Hermione entered the hall.

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It had taken Hermione almost twenty minutes to make the five-minute walk from Dumbledore's office to the Great Hall. She had spent the extra time trying to go over everything that happen in the Headmaster's office. She tried to concentrate on the facts, but the sight of Dumbledore's backside kept popping back into her head.

"My God Hermione, you look like someone just walked across your grave," Harry said as he met her in the entrance.

"It was horrible Harry. It looked like two deflated white leather balloons. The extra skin hung half way down to his knees. All the moles had gray hairs coming out of them," she said, still in a kind of trance.

"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"Nothing Harry, nothing at all," she said not ever wanting to discuss what she saw again.

"What did Dumbledore have to say? Did he find a way out of this so you don't have to leave Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, he found a way to keep me at Hogwarts alright."

"How?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Well, let's just say, next year when your little messy-haired ferret is running around with Ron's redheaded albino pug, there will probably be a greasy-haired, hook-nosed, know-it-all joining them."

"You can't be serious, you're not going to marry Snape?"

"The Ministry hasn't really left me a choice on the matter Harry."

"Come on lets go get something to eat and I'll tell you all about it," Hermione said as she led the way to the Gryffindor table.

Five minutes later she had finished telling Harry everything that was said in Dumbledore's office. Of course she left out some of the more graphic comments she and Snape had made to each other. She also planned to take the part about accidentally hexing Dumbledore to her grave without telling another soul.

"Arresting people's parents. That's low even for Fudge. And you think he and Umbridge are behind these weird match-ups as well?" Harry asked.

"Why else do you think we are all marrying Slytherins? I don't think they know about Hannah being in the Club. If they did she probably would have ended up with a Slytherin to."

"Actually Hermione, only you and Ron are marrying Slytherins. I checked my contract, it said Narcissa went to Beauxbatons," Harry said.

"Well she might as well be a Slytherin. She married one and raised another," Hermione answered back. "Where's Ron?" she said, staring at the empty seat to her left.

"He already went back to Gryffindor Tower. He didn't want to take a chance of running into Parkinson, if he could help it," Harry answered.

Hermione took a quick glance over at the Slytherin table. Pansy wasn't there.

"I guess she's still in the infirmary," Harry said, looking over at the Slytherins as well.

Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating her dinner. She had way too much going on in her own life to give a rat's ass about Pansy Parkinson.

"Did I see you talking to Marietta Edgecombe when I came in?" Hermione asked.

"Uhm, yeah you did," Harry said, looking extremely guilty.

"Oh Harry, what did you do now?" she asked with a very irritated look on her face.

"Well, I was talking to Cho earlier and she suggested that it might be a good idea to ask Marietta to rejoin the D.A club," Harry said awkwardly.

"Just how the fuck could it be a good idea to let Edgecombe anywhere near the D.A club again?" she asked angrily.

"Cho made a very good point about it actually."

"Oh I bet she did," Hermione said sarcastically. "I thought you were over her Harry?"

"I am over her, that had nothing to do with it. She simply pointed out that it might be better to have Marietta as a friend, rather than an enemy. Besides, I learned something very important about Fudge from her."

"What did you learn?" Hermione asked.

"After our fight with the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, Fudge tried to get Marietta to sign a statement saying the club was training students to overthrow the Ministry."

"Edgecombe didn't sign?" Hermione asked.

"Nope," he answered.

"You know, maybe you're right. It might be a lot safer if Edgecombe did rejoin the club. At least then she'll be under a magical oath, and not able to talk to anybody about us."

"So you plan to use a magical oath again this year?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but I won't make the same mistake this time," she answered.

"What mistake?" Harry asked, looking a little puzzled.

"Well, the last oath only punished those who told about the club. That would only work if they knew about the curse in advance. This year I plan to use an oath that will not only punish, but also prevent people from talking about the club. That reminda me, I need you to go into the Chamber of Secrets and get me a Basilisk tooth. Preferably a fang."

"A Basilisk tooth, what for?" Harry asked sounding a bit nervous.

"For the new D.A loyalty oath, Harry. I found a really great one in a book at Number Twelve this summer. It partially petrifies anybody trying to break their oath, for at least a week."

"What do you mean, it partially petrifies?" Harry asked.

"Well I think they can still blink and breath. Other than that, they stay stiff as a board," Hermione answered.

"I don't think anyone's going to be breaking that oath," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione looked over at the Ravenclaw table to see Marietta. She was talking quite cheerfully to Cho. "Say Harry, you didn't invite Cho to rejoin as well, did you?" Hermione asked. Another guilty look appeared on Harry's face. "Oh Harry," she said dropping her fork to her dish and then letting out a deep sigh.

"Well I didn't really. She just assumed she was invited when I told her we'd take Marietta back."

"And of course you didn't try to correct her, did you?" she asked in a reprimanding tone of voice.

"No," Harry said quietly.

"You are so whipped Harry Potter," Hermione said accusingly.

"I am not," Harry shouted back at her.

"Are you going to go into the Chamber of Secrets and get me my tooth?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," he answered.

"See, whipped!" she said with a smile on her face.

"Stuff a sock in it Granger," he said smiling back at her.

Hermione looked up at the staff table. Snape's chair was empty. Dumbledore was there and winked at her when she caught his eye. Hermione shuddered as the disturbing picture of her Headmaster reentered her mind. She wonder if he had any clue that she had seen his bare backside.

"Care for a nice piece of moldy ass, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"WHAT?" Hermione shouted back.

"I said, do you want a piece of lemon pie?" Harry answered, looking a little confused.

Hermione knew she would go insane if she couldn't get Dumbledore's fossilized butt out of her head. She would need to find a good memory charm or a Pensieve she could use. She would have to do something soon before she took a one-way jump off the Astronomy Tower.

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Hermione entered her dorm room to the sound of whispers and girlish giggles. Sitting on the middle four-poster bed, was Ginny, Parvati and Lavender. On the bed in front of them was a large freshly unrolled piece of parchment. "Is that my marriage contract?" Hermione asked.

"Uh, yeah, I didn't think you would mind. Seeing how you're not really going to marry Professor Snape," Ginny said as she rolled the parchment back up.

"Boy I wish that were still true," Hermione said as plopped down on the bed next to Ginny.

"You're kidding," Ginny said, sounding surprised.

"Nope, unless a miracle happens I'll be marrying the greasy bastard in less than a month."

"Well then, you really do need to read this," Ginny said as she quickly unrolled the parchment again. "This contract tells you all about Professor Snape."

"Does it tell you why he's such a Dickhead?" Hermione asked as she unbuttoned her robe and pulled it over her head. All three girls laughed at her comment.

"No it doesn't tell you that, but it does tell you about his family and everything he's done publicly up until now," Ginny said.

Hermione leaned over to look at the parchment. The first thing she noticed was Snape's family tree. Apparently, Snape was the only child of Maximilian and Natasha Snape. Maximilian's birth date made him a lot older than his wife Natasha, but they both had the same date of death, August 20, 1968. Hermione figured they must have died together somehow.

"This is weird," Parvati said pointing at the parchment. "It says here that Snape became a Potion Apprentice at only sixteen. He got his Mastership when he was only nineteen. I always thought apprenticeships were for at least four years."

"Normally they are, but the Master Wizard you're apprenticing under can send you for your Mastership test as soon as they think you're ready. Who was Snape's Master Wizard anyway?" Hermione asked.

Ginny scanned the contract for the answer. "Here it is. Nicholas Flamel."

"Really?" Hermione said sounding surprised.

"Yep, it says here Snape was the first apprentice Flamel had taken on in over a hundred years," Ginny answered.

Hermione knew she needed to read the contract thoroughly to find out as much as she could about Snape. But tonight she just didn't have the energy for it. The only thing she wanted to do now was crawl under her covers and forget this horrible day ever happened.

"I can't believe I have to lose my virginity to that mean slimy old shit," Hermione said, as she stretched out on her bed.

"You don't," Lavender said from the bed next to her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"The contract doesn't say anything about you being a virgin on your wedding night. You could get in a bunch of shags before you have to marry Snape," Lavender answered.

Hermione hadn't thought of that. It was true she could have sex with someone before she married Snape, but who? Instantly a list of candidates started to run though her brain. Of course Ron and Harry were the first to come to mind. But they were her best friends and all three were going to be married in less than a month.

"Do you have anybody in mind?" Parvati asked.

"No, not yet. I have to think about it," Hermione answered.

"What about Ron?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, Gin. It might get a bit uncomfortable afterwards, seeing how we're both about to get married." Hermione could see the touch of disappointment on Ginny's face. She knew Ginny secretly wanted her and Ron to get together. The one thing Ginny had always wanted was a sister. Hermione didn't think Pansy Parkinson was what Ginny had in mind.

"What about Draco Malfoy?" Lavender asked.

"EEEEWWWW," Hermione, Ginny and Parvati all said together.

"Why would you ever think I'd let that Sewer Slug touch me?" Hermione asked.

"Well, he is kind of attractive and charming when he wants to be. If it's only a one-shot deal, then why not a Slytherin?" Lavender said.

"I would rather have sex with a corpse," Hermione said flatly.

"You know, I was thinking about losing my virginity this year too," Ginny suddenly said.

Hermione was pretty sure Ginny already had a certain somebody in mind. She had dated Dean Thomas briefly over the summer, but Hermione found one of Ginny's notebooks at Number Twelve with several pages full of her practicing writing the name Mrs. Harry Potter.

"You could never lose your virginity, Ginny. Your mother would kill you," Parvati said.

"I wouldn't exactly tell her, now would I?" Ginny answered.

"She'd know, they always know," Parvati said as a matter of fact.

"Not my mom," Lavender said. "She doesn't have a clue what I do here at Hogwarts."

"Neither does mine," Hermione said, knowing it was true. Her mother knew almost nothing about the Wizarding World.

"You guys really don't believe that, do you?" Parvati asked. All three girls nodded in agreement. Parvati just shook her head in disbelief, and then asked, "Did any of you get a new piece of jewelry from your moms over the summer?"

"Yeah," all three girls said together.

"Hand them over," Parvati said holding out her hand.

Hermione took off the rose-shaped locket from around her neck. Ginny removed a gold bracelet and Lavender took off a set of pearl earrings. Parvati took out her wand and pointed it at all three pieces of jewelry she held in her hand and said, "REVILUMUS COVERTUS " Hermione watched to see if anything would happen under Parvati's revealing charm. Suddenly a small red glow came from both her locket and Ginny's bracelet. One of Lavender's earrings also started glowing.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, while staring at her bracelet.

"It's a virtue charm," Parvati said, handing each girl her jewelry back. As soon as Hermione's locket touched her hand the glow turned from red to blue. Under closer inspection, the blue glow was coming from a small image of a unicorn on the back of her locket.

"How does it work?" Ginny asked.

"Well, your mothers will have a matching piece, usually a coin or a small statue of some kind. When the matching piece glows blue, your virtue is true and when it glows red you've been in somebody's bed," Parvati said with a smile.

"How did my mother get this? She's a Muggle, she doesn't know anything about magic," Hermione said, sounding a bit baffled.

"I know how she got it," Ginny said. "Your mom and mine owl each other all the time. This is just the kind of thing they would talk about."

"Parvati, my earring glowed red when you held it. Is there something you'd like to tell us?" Lavender asked. Parvati's cheeks quickly turned red. It was quite apparent to everybody in the room the girl did have a secret to share.

"Who?" Ginny asked.

Parvati sat up on the bed tucking her legs under her. "You have all got to swear you won't tell anyone, not even my sister," Parvati said.

"I swear," all three girls said together.

"Last year, after Dumbledore was gone and the twins were making Umbridge's life miserable, George asked me to help him place some fireworks up in the Astronomy Tower. Well, one thing led to another and we kind of started snogging in the tower about a week before he and Fred were caught. He told me that he would probably be leaving soon. So I decided to give him a good-bye present. One night we took some blankets up to the tower and that night he became a man and I became a woman," Parvati said with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

"How many times did you do it?" Lavender asked with a silly grin on her face.

"Three times before he left, twice in the tower and once in the greenhouse," Parvati answered happily.

"Are you sure it was always with George? Even their mother can't tell them apart," Hermione asked.

"Yes I'm sure," Parvati said, sounding a bit insulted. "They may look identical with their clothes on, but they're not the same underneath."

"What do you mean?" Lavender asked.

"It's nothing too weird. George just has this cute little half-moon shaped scar next to his bellybutton," Parvati answered looking a little embarrassed.

Ginny just let out a sigh and shook her head. "What is it?" Parvati asked.

"Parvati, you should know better than to get mixed up with my brothers. George was already a man when he took you to the tower. Mom caught them both coming out of a brothel in Knockturn Alley, when they were fifteen. And Fred is the one with the scar; he got it playing with Charlie's dragon tooth collection when he was ten."

Parvati looked absolutely furious. "Son of a bitch," she shouted as she hopped off the bed and ran to the bathroom. Once she opened the door, Parvati turned around and said, "Ginny, your brothers are all ASSHOLES!!!" Parvati then slammed the bathroom door shut. Hermione was thankful she still had the prefect's bathroom to use. She didn't think this one would be available for some time.