Decreta Conciliorum Non Ligant Reges Nostros

Chapter 3

Every night in my dreams

I see you

I feel you

That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show

You go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you opened the door

And you're here in my heart and

My heart will go on and on...

- Celine Dion, Titanic

Hermione Granger sat in her bed, wondering what Harry was doing right now. She had been really worried about him ever since the Ministry incident. He had become so withdrawn...avoiding company...not talking to anyone...at first she had thought that he just needed some time to himself...but lately she had become really worried...Harry had always been a quiet boy, but he was never laconic or taciturn...she had wanted to talk to him before they left the school, but Ron didn't let her. He still seemed to think that it was better not to breach the topic at all. Hermione knew otherwise. She had always been of the opinion that your grief lessened when you shared it with someone...she wished Harry would talk to her...to Ron...Dumbledore...someone - anyone!

She had written to Dumbledore about Harry. She knew that the old Headmaster cared for him very much...she remembered his anger when he had been told that Mundungus Fletcher had been absent from his duty and Harry had been attacked by Dementors in Privet Drive...he had been so scary...almost God-like...Hermione shook her head in awe. Dumbledore was a great wizard...no wonder Voldemort was afraid of him...anyone in their right senses would be...

Then the broom incident in their third year when Dementors had appeared on the Quidditch pitch during a Hufflepuff - Gryffindor match...and Harry, being sensitive to Dementors had lost consciousness mid-air...fifty feet above the ground...she remembered how terrible and angry Dumbledore had looked as he'd run out to the pitch, slowed Harry's fall and shot his Patronus at the Dementors...

Hermione had noticed the tender looks that the powerful Headmaster shot Harry when he thought no one was looking...Harry had mostly missed them, so had most people...but Hermione had not. She knew positively that Dumbledore loved Harry more than any other student...possibly more than any other person...

Hermione sighed and remembered feeling slightly jealous of Harry when she'd first arrived at that conclusion. She had always been the teachers' favourite, and now it had turned out that one of her favourite teachers was overtly fond of Harry...like God loved Adam more than Lucifer...but Harry was not Adam...he was an angel...

Speaking of Lucifer, her mind wandered to Snape - the perfect Lucifer...Dumbledore's fallen angel...she was quite sure that he, at least, knew how much the most powerful wizard on earth loved the Boy-Who-Lived...and that certainly didn't fare well with him...she was sure that Snape's dislike for Harry went far deeper than mere hate for his father...no man could carry a grudge that long...not even Snape...specially when Harry had proved so many times that he was not his father...and Harry was such a charming person...you couldn't help loving him...she was sure that Snape hated him more on account of Dumbledore than Harry himself...she felt a surge of sympathy for her Potions Master...he was a man who had been through a lot, if there was one...and she knew how dangerous this spying game was for him...if Voldemort suspected him even for a minute, he would be dead...

She respected the sour faced Professor for his knowledge and his willingness to enter headlong into danger for Dumbledore, but she wished that he would be a little kinder to Harry...she had been sure that his attitude to Harry would change last year...but she had been wrong...and now she understood why...it wasn't about Harry...it was about Dumbledore...

Hermione sighed. She stretched out her hand and pulled over the two replies that Harry had sent her...she felt a pang of bitterness...why should Harry have to be the one to suffer so much? She hadn't ever come across a nicer person who deserved every kind of happiness the world could provide...but he seemed to be the one destined for all the miseries...her heart cried out...why Harry? Why her Harry?

She reread the parchments for the twentieth time...

Dear Hermione,

Thanks for writing. I should say that I was surprised to receive a letter from you so soon. Thanks again, it was nice to hear from you.

I am quite fine at present [Hermione sighed; she knew that he was anything but fine at present] and it seems as the threats to the Dursleys at King's Cross paid off. They have been leaving me alone most of the time, so no trouble in that area.

How is life at your side? Hope you are enjoying a lot with your parents. Heard from Ron?

Don't worry about me. I'll be all right. [Hermione sighed again...he'd given himself out here...saying I 'will be' all right instead of I 'am' all right...she wanted nothing more than to see him and give him a tight hug...]

Love,

Harry.

Hermione thrust the letter aside. She had become even more worried when she had received this letter...he had completely side-tracked the question she had put to him - he had not mentioned Sirius at all...nor the Ministry incident...until the post-script...

She took up the second letter.

Dear Hermione,

Thanks again for your letter. There isn't anything interesting going on here, so there's nothing I can write to you about. Rest is fine.

Love,

Harry.

P.S. Yes, I do miss Sirius, in reply to your question. I miss him so much that it feel as if my heart were breaking...as if there is a big, gaping hole in my heart where he had been...you will probably scoff and say that I hadn't known him long enough to know him that well, but he was the closest thing to a parent I have ever known...and I loved him as I would have loved my own father...

Hermione had cried for an hour when she had read his second letter. She had nightmares about Harry sitting alone in his room, crying his heart out...with no one there to comfort him...to tell him that he was not alone...that there were people who loved him...who cared for him...

She wished Dumbledore would go and meet him. Harry needed to be shown that he was loved and cared for. And the Headmaster's affection would mean a lot to him. She herself was planning to go and meet him. She could always convince her parents to drive her to Little Whinging...and she desperately wanted to see him. She knew that Harry behaved very stupidly when he was very upset...and this was more upsetting than anything he'd previously faced...

She was also worried that he might start blaming himself for Sirius' death...she knew of the nightmares he had after Cedric's death...Cedric, who had not even been a friend...and here his Godfather had met with the same fate...in front of his eyes...and all because Lord Voldemort had managed to dupe him with a false vision...

Hermione cursed herself. She could have gone to Snape herself and asked him to help her instead of telling Harry about his complex for going to rescue people...Snape would have helped them...he was, after all, on their side...then they need not have gone to the Ministry...and Sirius would not have died...she should have known that Harry would not behave rationally where Sirius' life was concerned...and she ought to have known that Kreacher was under no obligation to tell Harry the truth...

Hermione sighed. No use thinking about what could have been...she couldn't undo the past...

Her mind went back to Harry...she could see him standing there at King's Cross as they said goodbye...she could almost feel his gratitude at his realisation that they were all on his side, lined up right behind him...for the first time that day, Hermione smiled...she had been relieved to see Harry happy to find them there...

Harry was so naïve at times...it was one of the things about him that she found adorable...he hadn't expected any of them there by his side...and he had been pleasantly surprised and grateful at that...he didn't understand that he had an in-born knack of bringing out the loyal side of people...there was something about him that made people want to follow him...something that proclaimed that he would lead them; and people were happy to be led...it was not just the scar on his head...he was a born leader. Voldemort had met his match...there was no way the mad Dark Lord could defeat him...for his followers came to him out of fear and greed...Harry's came to him out of love and respect...Hermione knew that Harry's charisma was developing fast...very soon he would command the awe and respect of everyone around him...she had seen him transform from a non-descript, introverted teenager to a powerful wizard born to rule several times...though she was sure that he himself was unaware of the change...she remembered the DA lessons...how nervous Harry had been at first...then, once he'd started teaching, he had become so confident...and his confidence, unbeknownst to him, had inspired the rest of them...there had been an air of quiet assurance about him that spoke of reliability as he had addressed them again and again and taught them...he had somehow managed to make everyone comfortable...

Well, not all...she thought sourly, as she remembered Marietta...she smiled grimly as she remembered her hex and wondered if the traitor was still moving around with 'SNEAK' written across her face...she didn't regret the drastic action she'd taken...it would serve for people to know that betrayal was not to be taken lightly...punishment would be in order...Harry might be too naïve to think that people would want to betray him, but Hermione wasn't. She knew that all those who came to Harry of their own will would never betray him...they had come out of love and respect which would soon change to awe...but those who had been goaded to come, like Marietta, might not feel his charisma...for Harry was still far from mature in that regard...a few years down the line, maybe, she wouldn't have to worry about that...but then, you could never say what was up with traitors, could you? Harry, being the noble soul he was, may forgive them easily, but Hermione was harder. No one who dared to betray her Harry would go unpunished...it had to be known that there were people with Harry who were willing to serve as his Avenging Angels...for that was how Hermione saw herself and Ron...they were the Avengers...Harry was the hero...and Dumbledore was his Guardian Angel...

Her mind returned to her dreams about Harry...she had dreamt of him every single night since she'd come back...at first she had put it down to worry...but from the fourth consecutive day of dreaming, she had begun to wonder...

She'd always had a soft spot for Harry. You couldn't help it...Harry tended to elicit that particular emotion from most people...people with hearts, that is...now that she remembered, even Draco Malfoy had tried to be friendly with Harry...but he'd gone about it the wrong way...even Snape fought to protect Harry in spite of his hatred...he could have easily considered the score settled with his father after saving Harry's life once in his First year...

And he was one of her two best friends...Hermione was well aware that Ron had a crush on her...she'd known that ever since the Yule Ball in the Fourth Year...she had often wondered whether she felt the same about him or not...at first she'd thought she had...but during the previous year, she had found herself being proved wrong...it was Harry she cared about more than Ron...she was sure that Harry didn't harbour any such feeling for her...and she also felt a little guilty about Ron...because if Ron proposed to her...which was quite likely to happen, she would have to turn him down...and then there was Ginny...who had moved on from her infatuation about Harry, but he still had a very special place in her heart...

And Harry...she wondered how he would react if she told him that she cared more for him than as a best friend...what would he say? Would he be scared and run off and never face her again? Hermione shuddered at that. She could never bear it if that happened...she didn't want to ruin her friendship with her best friends at any cost...and Harry would require all the help he could get...all the people he could get...and she knew that she was an important part of his life...she had seen how lost he had been when Ron had refused to talk to him in their Fourth Year...she knew that it was quite likely that he cared for Ron more than he would ever care for her, and a tiny part of her resented Ron for that, but she knew that he would miss her terribly...even if it wasn't as much as Ron...

Her mind went to Cho...Harry was certainly over her...a wave of sadness passed over her as she remembered his shining red face as he'd just come back from kissing Cho...and his blushes whenever she had remarked about Cho liking him...she would never forgive Cho...no matter what...Hermione perfectly understood Cho's feelings, but she would have expected the girl to have shown a little more sensitivity towards Harry's emotions, too...she could have made Harry happy...she could have been there for Harry when Sirius died...then Hermione would not have worried so much...but Harry was alone...so alone...Cho had run off with Michael Corner...thankfully, Harry was beyond caring at that point...she could imagine what a disaster it would have been if he had cared...

A tap at her window suddenly made her look up from her thoughts. It was Hedwig. Hermione was surprised. She had not sent Harry a letter yet, and she didn't expect him to write to her of his own accord, unless...

Anxiety bore down on her as she ran to open her window. As she tore open the letter, she desperately hoped that nothing was wrong with Harry and that he wasn't in any kind of trouble...please God, let him be all right...she thought fervently. Her hands shook slightly as she started reading the letter. Hermione, get a grip on yourself, girl! You'll need your head if he's in trouble, she told herself sternly.

Dear Hermione,

Since it is usually you who writes the letters to me and I merely reply, I thought it might be a pleasant [I hope] surprise to you if I wrote to you. [Hermione raised her eyebrows and then smiled as she read the next lines.] Hedwig is partly responsible this. She would keep pushing the parchment sheets towards me and then fly to the window. I finally understood that she wanted me to write a letter.

How are you? How are studies going on? Not that I should need to ask...you have probably finished all your homework by now. [Hermione's grin widened.]

Though it has only been a week, I wish I could be back at Hogwarts. It is so boring and so lonely here. Mrs. Figg invited me to tea the other day. Her house still smells of cabbages and cats; and her cooking hasn't improved. Though she seems much better to me than earlier...she seemed worried about something, and wouldn't tell me what when I asked. I'm sure it had something to do with the Order. [Hermione frowned. What was worrying Mrs. Figg? It was likely to be something concerned with Harry...had Dumbledore told her something? Was Harry in some kind of danger?] Or maybe she thinks that I'm going mad, too. The Dursleys already think so. [Hermione's frown deepened.]

Something rather weird happened yesterday. I was sitting on a wall in Magnolia Crescent and thinking about Sirius [that was the place when I first saw him in my third year and thought that he was a Grim], I saw Dudley and his gang rounding up on poor eleven-year-old Mark Evans because he had cheeked Dudley. They were some distance away from me, but I distinctly saw [or thought I saw] a pale bluish outline around Mark. I felt really bad about the boy getting beaten up, so I walked up to Dudley and told him to leave him alone. The boy scampered off while we were arguing - quite wise of him, and exactly what I'd been hoping for. I rather enjoyed Dudley's discomfort as he tried to keep his friends off me. His reputation with them has certainly taken a downward turn because he would not let them indulge in their formerly favourite sport of 'Harry-hunting' as he is scared of the Order members doing something drastic if I appear less than normal...

I didn't see anyone else having that kind of an outline except Mark until I stared at my reflection in the mirror when I washed my face...I have a similar bluish light around me, except that it's much more solid than Mark...like a mist. Is something wrong with me? Did I imagine the light? Or is Mark Evans a wizard too? But if so, why haven't I seen this light around any one else? Do tell me what you think.

This letter has become pretty big...I think I ought to stop now. And I think I'll try to sleep now...it's quite late.

Love,

Harry.

Hermione frowned. Blue light? She remembered having read something similar. She held out an owl treat to Hedwig and started hunting for the particular book. It took her about a quarter of an hour to find the book. She quickly looked through the index and found the specific topic she was searching for.

Before she could start reading, however, there was a sudden flash of fire and a scroll and a phoenix tail-feather appeared in the sir in front of her. She knew what that meant. Dumbledore needed her for Harry. Still clutching the book, she ran out of the room, woke up her parents and explained to them that she had to leave immediately. They looked disappointed but they knew that their daughter would not leave them unless it was something important. Hermione wished them good-bye and ran back to her room, changed into a pair of jeans, stuffed her belongings into her half-packed trunk, told Hedwig to return to Harry and waited for the Portkey to activate.