Harry Potter and the Unbreakable Link

Harry Potter and the Unbreakable Link

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Chapter 1- The Invisibility Cloak

She walked swiftly down the street. The night was hot- sultry. A cool breeze, however, blew inland from the nearby sea. A few street lamps illuminated the road, that was all. The sounds of midnight revellers could be from the main streets. She looked down at the cool summer dress she was wearing. Bother, I just didn't think of the clothes! I must show up very well in white on a dark street. Typical, isn't it, she muttered to herself as she walked on, you think of everything, the rope; you even tested it for weight! And you don't notice that you'll be seen in white. I plan it to perfection, and I don't think of that! At least I always wear flat shoes, high heels would have been dreadful!

Suddenly, out of an alleyway reeled a drunkard. "Kalimera! Hic- you're a- hic- pretty thing- hic- aren't you? Kalinihta!" He reeled away. She took a few steadying breaths and leant against the peeling paint of a wall. She'd survived! Pull yourself together! He's not Voldemort in disguise! she told herself severely. All he did was gibber in Greek! It's nothing to worry about.

All the same, she did look round more often than before, what if she was caught? What if he was already there, if she was too late? Perhaps he already knew. She had thought she had been the only one to know, what if she was wrong? What if she was all wrong? If it had all been a mistake? Then common sense returned. Of course she was right! She was always right. How could she be wrong? She had researched it so well! She almost laughed. She was going to save the world!

She ran down the street and across the little square to the other side where the Palace was. She could hear the fountain playing in the centre of the square, she could smell food. Someone was cooking kebabs in a house nearby. She looked at her watch, ten minutes past two o'clock in the morning. She should be safe. The grand house was surrounded by a garden and high railings. From under the maroon dress coat she pulled a length of strong rope with a bar of wood at one end. She stuck her foot through the railings to see what the ground was like. Grass, that was fine. Checking nobody was watching, she threw the rope up so that the stick caught between the tops of the rails. Checking that it was firm, she gripped the rope in both hands and started to climb up. I'm going to save the world, she reminded herself as she pulled herself up. At the top she remembered not to look down, and holding onto the stick, so that the rope would follow, so she could use it to get out, she took a deep breath, muttered, "This is for the benefit of all mankind!" and jumped.

She landed with bent knees, on the grass safe and sound. Breathing deeply, she stood up and rolled up the rope and put it into her pocket. She looked around her, she was definitely inside the gardens, not a thing was stirring, not even a bird. There were so many shadows though. They looked so human. What if they were? What if she was being watched? Her fingers closed on that vital piece of wood, her wand, in her pocket. She couldn't do magic in the holidays, but it reassured her, even so.

Surely those leaves crackled? Oh, that I had an invisibility cloak like Harry! If only! I'd be all right then.

But Harry was safe asleep at Privet Drive or at The Burrow with Ron. Oh for his cloak! She was sure there was someone there. She spun round. No-one! Her heart beating faster than normal, she moved noiselessly around the house to look for a side entrance that wasn't locked. Oh for some company! For a minute she saw a shadow- heard a footstep. What if it was- Her imagination took hold of her.

"I say, what are you doing here?"

"Ron! Thank goodness someone's come! I'm going to save the world and you can help me!"

"Save the world, er, Hermione, that's impossible!"

"Come on anyway!"

Then the shadow was someone else- Hermione's head span.

"What are you doing here, Granger?" it inquired in a different tone from Ron.

"None of your business, Malfoy."

"Oh no! We'll see about that, Mudblood!"

he laughed, and then the laugh turned high and cold, and his face become the one she had only seen in her nightmares; a chalk white face, slit red eyes, and a flat nose.

"Noooooooooooo!" She sank down by a tree, terrified.

"Never cross the Dark Lord's path. I don't like meddlers, girl." He laughed again.

"You haven't saved the world yet, have you?" he raised his wand.

"Help! Harry! Ron!"

The laugh was crueller than ever, "Avada Kadavra!"

She fainted.

*

"Wake up! Wake up! Please wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Hermione dragged herself back to consciousness. The voice cried, "Thank goodness you woke up." Hermione spun round, no-one was there. Who had spoken? It seemed to come from her head. That was impossible, however, she knew that of course. "Look out, the guards!" yelled the voice, and this she could footsteps and voices for real.

There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to go. She was trapped, no use to run; they would hear her. It was like her worst dreams.

Oh for the invisibility cloak! Harry! HARRY! Please, the cloak! I need the cloak! I wish I had the cloak! Oh, Harry, save me! She crept behind a tree and closed her eyes while she waited for the guards to come and arrest her. She couldn't think of anything to do. She couldn't even apparate or do anything that might be of use.

She could see Harry's cloak swim before her shut eyes. Oh how much she wished she had it. She felt a soft weight in her hands. She opened her eyes, (how close the guards were!) and there, in her hands was a piece of shimmering material, the invisibility cloak! Without stopping to wonder, she threw it over herself and held her breath to wait for the guards. Two thickset men walked past, revolvers in their hip pockets. Hermione understood enough Greek to realise that they had heard a noise round here and had come to investigate. They poked around a bit, then one said, "Must've been a bird or something," The other one agreed, "Come on, we've wasted enough time around here."

They walked away. Hermione let out a long breath. Fate seemed to favour her tonight! Checking that the guards really had gone, she gently took off the cloak. It really was Harry's for it said, 'J. Potter.' at one side. She didn't understand, how did she have it? Surely wishing for something didn't bring over seas to her? Was this a copy then? Was the real cloak at 4 Privet Drive as usual?

Frowning, she put it back on, she couldn't risk another close encounter like the one she had just had. She carried on walking, trying not to think of the cloak, but she couldn't. 'Well, I'm honoured to have possession of James Potter's invisibility cloak. I'll keep it very safe for Harry,' she promised.

There was the side entrance, and it wasn't locked. Heart leaping for joy at not having to break in, she slowly pushed it open. It creaked. Hermione waited a minute, no sound, and shut it behind her. I hope the guards haven't heard it, she thought.

The door led through into a long, paved corridor. Like all Mediterranean houses, it was cool and dry. The flags on the floor were broken and worn in places; she almost tripped up at one point.

She had reckoned that the room where the writing was kept would be on the ground floor, so she ignored the great, dusty, sweeping stairs. The first door she came to was the kitchen, and therefore unsuitable.

The next room looked like a sitting room. Gingerly she switched on the light, fortunately it was very feeble. She looked past the ornamental brocade chairs and the dusty grand piano. What a state of neglect this house is in, she thought sorrowfully, but saw nothing that could be called what she was looking for. She switched off the light and walked across to the next room.

She switched the light on in this room- it was the dining room. She scanned it, and her heart gave a beat of excitement. Next to the fireplace was a large glass case with a piece of paryrus in it. She approached it quickly, taking the red notebook out of her pocket as she did so. She compared the writing in the book to that on the paryrus. It was the same! She had found her goal! Now all she had to do was copy the bits she didn't have in her book. She took out her pencil and started to copy it.

*

Harry Potter woke up suddenly. He had had a funny dream. He had had others like it and he tried to remember this one. There had been the girl, of course. There always was the girl. And whenever he had looked into her face, to see who she was, he had woken up, before he could identify her.

This dream had been the strangest yet, however. He had seen the girl go through museums and great houses, in search of something, but in this dream, she had been in the grounds of a great house at night. It had been hot, he remembered and there been the shadows, not shadows, more like Priori Incantatem prowling around the grounds with him. There had been Ron and Draco Malfoy. Then suddenly the girl had collapsed. Harry had been just about to help her, when he had seen the two people, with guns. The girl was in danger from them, he didn't know how or why, but he knew she had to wake up. "Wake up! Wake up!" he remembered screaming to her and eventually she had woken. He told her about the guards and she had panicked. Then she had cried for his cloak, for him and for Ron. I'm sure I know her! he thought angrily. He furrowed his brows, but he couldn't remember what she looked like at all. And, he had given her the cloak; put it in her hands, and as he had looked up at her, he had woken up. As he always had. He desperately wanted to see her, instead of just helping her, he wanted to get to know her properly and whenever that could have happened, he woke up. It was so annoying!

He had given her the cloak though, he thought with sudden inspiration. He climbed stealthily out of bed, listened to the Dursleys to check they were asleep, then opened his trunk and put his hand into the pocket where he always kept his invisibility cloak. He almost had a heart attack.

The cloak wasn't there.

This chapter has ended.

Go to Chapter One

Go to Chapter Three

Chapter 2- The Lady

Harry was stunned. His invisibility cloak! Gone! Where? Was it possible that the lady in the dream... but that really was impossible! Invisibility cloaks did not suddenly disappear.

Harry did not know what to do. In the end he wrote to Sirius explaining exactly what had happened in his dream and afterwards. However he later wished that he had waited another day to send the letter, then he could have told Sirius about the second dream...

*

The room was dark and wet and damp. The circle of Death Eaters stood round Lord Voldemort in a circle. Voldemort looked healthy and at the height of his powers. He prowled round, staring carefully at all the hooded faces.

"So," he said eventually, "we still do not know who the Potters' secret keeper is? Are we sure? Is someone keeping something back, perhaps? Severus Snape, surely you have an idea?"

A hooded figure replied in Snape's voice, "Indeed, Master, I do not know."

"I do not believe you! You must guess. Surely you are aware that the Potters have a secret keeper?" His voice started to take on a hint of menace.

Snape paused a moment then said carefully, "The Potters trust Dumbledore more than anyone, I believe."

"Professor Dumbledore? Ha! That muggle loving fool! Now I can concoct my plans for their defeat properly. The meeting is over now. Crabbe, I wish to see her ladyship as soon as possible. Now."

The wizards started to apparate away and soon only Voldemort was left in the room. He paced up and down looking tense. "I cannot hope to defeat Professor Dumbledore. Not yet anyway." He laughed.

"What is so amusing, my Lord?" Voldemort span round.

The speaker was a lady. She was very small and dressed in black robes with a hood pushed back over her forehead. She was carrying a bundle in her arms. Her hair was coal black and scraped into a tight bun. Her face was pale and sharp and she had shrewd dark eyes. Her mouth curved into a clever, sly smile.

"Nothing, Estella. Nothing. Nothing you care about."

"Oh, Tom, how cruel of you. You must know that anything that interests you must interest me as well."

"Stupid girl. Why have you brought the child, fool?"

"What else am I meant to do with it? When are you going to give me something else to do than simply nurse a crying baby like any common muggle?"

"Well said, my Lady, well said." He laughed cruelly. "That is exactly what you are going to do: give it to a muggle to nurse for you."

"Are you mad?"

"No, of course not." He paused, waiting for her to react in some way then when she didn't, continued, "Estella, I cannot hope to defeat Dumbledore, you know that."

"I know it."

"This child is the same age of the Potters' son. If I cannot reach the Potters, then this child will grow up with him and then, through little Harry, I will kill the Potters."

"Oh yes, my Lord. I can see it all. Here, listen. At the sorting- Potter, Harry. Gryffindor, of course. Bla, Bla, Bla. Voldemort, Elvira. Sure. That's going to work. Dumbledore will blow his top."

"Don't be so silly, Estella, I'm not going to do it like that and I shall make sure that you, since you wish to do something, shall be in charge of your daughter's upbringing."

"What an honour! You get to do the dirty work and I look after the children. Great! Just what I always wanted to do."

"This is not any child, Estella!" he hissed. "This is my child and your child! Think of its parentage! The daughter of the most powerful and clever wizard-"

"Think a lot of yourself, don't you?"

"-and the cleverest witch ever, I'll give you that."

"Thank you, Tom, but I still don't know exactly what you have in mind."

"This. You have heard of the prophecy, that Professor Trelawney made to me in my last year of school?"

Estella looked pitifully at him, "Really, who'd have thought it, Tom Riddle, alias Lord Voldemort, believes the pathetic Trelawney's fake predictions! Well, honestly!"

"I'm getting very fed up with you. I'll give the job to someone else if you don't stand still."

"What job? I'm listening."

"The prophecy said that our child would defeat the light."

"I seem to remember it saying the light, or the dark, eh, Tom?"

"ESTELLA! I do not remember anything of the sort."

Estella looked contemptuously away and pursed her lips. Voldemort continued. "You are an expert in Transmorphation. You will change my daughter's appearance so that she looks like the normal, unintelligent muggle she will be taken for. You will then deliver her into the care of a nice, not too bright muggle family where she will be brought up."

"What is the point of this, my lord?"

He laughed. "Not quite so clever as normal, Estella. She shall then be sent to Hogwarts believing herself to be Jane Bloggs, or whatever. There she will discover her true side as a Slytherin- my daughter, and through her cultivation of Harry Potter's friendship I shall get at the boy and through him, his parents! It is a perfect scheme."

Estella was silent for a long time, then she said, in a low voice, "Do you really expect this to work? Your schemes are always stupid. Without me to guide you through everything you would be rotting away in Azkaban by now. You've always known that, that's why you picked up insignificant Estella Green of the first year, friendless and with only her diary to talk to! Where would you be without me?!"

"You can talk! Where would you be without me then? Still plain, insignificant Stella Green, earning her living writing adventure stories starring wonder-witch, Elvira! Now you're the mistress of the most powerful wizard in the whole world!"

"I could have become the most powerful witch in the whole world in my own right, without your help, as you well know!"

"I would have killed you then."

"I know. And I didn't want to die, so I joined you."

"How do I know you are faithful to me?"

"You don't."

Voldemort didn't reply. A few seconds later, his lady said ironically, "We really have the perfect relationship, Tom. I cannot betray you to the ministry or Dumbledore because you would kill me, and you cannot hurt me because I would kill you."

"Would you really kill me, Estella, after all these years?"

"Waxing sentimental now, Tom, are you?"

"Do you want to know what to do with the child, or not?"

"You're going to tell me whether I want to know or not."

"You will take the child away tomorrow and deliver her to the muggles. After that you can leave everything to me, and I never want to see you again afterwards, Estella. You may leave."

Estella stood still a minute then, putting her daughter on a chair in the room, she approached Voldemort. She looked him in the eye and then she slapped him hard across the face. Her cheeks had red spots on them and her lips were the thinnest lines. "You'll regret saying that, Tom Riddle." She hissed then she turned on her heels, picked up the baby and swept proudly out of the room, before he could curse her.

Outside, she took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "You're making a big mistake, my Lord," she said out loud.

This chapter has ended.

Go to Chapter One

Go to Chapter Two

Chapter 3- The Train Journey

Hermione had been ill. Very ill. She had caught a cold the night she gone to the palace in Greece and it had developed into some sort of nervous disorder. Now thankfully, on September the first, she was perfectly recovered.

The platform was very crowded. Hermione made her way onto the train and searched for Harry and Ron.

"Hermione! Over here!" came Ron's voice from somewhere along the carriage. "Is that Hermione? Hermione!" yelled Harry's in return. She rushed to the sound of their voices.

They were both sitting in an empty compartment, books and robes strewn around the floor. Hermione looked around happily. Finally she was back where she belonged.

Ron hadn't changed at all but Harry had grown quite a bit. He was taller than her now. She sat down next to Ron and Crookshanks crawled onto his lap.

After conversation about the holidays and other trivial topics, a constrained silence set in between the trio. Harry stared out of the window, Ron stared at Hermione and Hermione stared at Harry. She was wondering how she was going to tell Harry that she had his invisibility cloak. She did not want to tell Ron just yet. It was clear that some magic, whether good or bad she didn't know, had taken place that fateful evening, and Hermione wanted to discuss it with Harry first. Besides, her relationship with Ron had been rather taut for the last few months.

She had just opened her mouth, but Harry opened his first. He said, "I need to tell you lot what happened in the holidays."

Hermione's courage rose. "Erm, Harry, I need to talk to you."

"Fire away then."

Idiot! thought Hermione, couldn't he tell I meant alone. "Um... I meant alone actually."

"OK," replied Harry. "Beat it, Ron."

Ron, however did not beat it. He stared at Hermione, and whispered something in her ear. Harry watched her, and her face was a picture. She went very red and shouted, "RON! HOW DARE YOU? You're worse than- You! Off all people! Not that I'm offended or anything, it's just, that's so, so, like a boy," she finished lamely.

Ron had gone red too, "er, are you though?"

"NO!" cried Hermione. "You prat, now move it!" She practically pushed him out of the door.

Harry was very puzzled but said nothing. Hermione however sat down in a business-like fashion and said, "Never mind Ron. I know what you were going to say earlier. You've lost your invisibility cloak."

"How did you know? You're perfectly right and everything, but how-"

"I've got it," said Hermione reaching down and taking it out of her trunk.

Harry looked flabbergasted. "Where-what-why-when-how?"

Hermione almost laughed. "I found it, suddenly, in my hands one night, somewhere," she said evasively. She did not want to tell anyone why she had been breaking into Greek palaces just yet.

Harry looked serious. "Where exactly were you?"

She told him, missing out the motive.

"I had a dream, and it took place in those grounds that you were talking about," said Harry when she finished.

"And me, was I in it?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, that is, I don't know, there was a girl like always, but I never saw her face."

"Oh. You saw me, that girl I mean, more than once?"

"Yes, in all these different dreams. It was horrible. She'd be going round all these museums and things, and she was looking for something, and I always really wanted to talk to her, but when I approached to see who she was, she just disappeared. It was awful."

"I did go around plenty of museums in Greece, and I was looking for something specific. Actually I found it on the night I got your cloak."

"I know you found whatever it was."

"You know? How?"

Harry hesitated. How had he known that that journey in the old palace had been the last trip the girl would need to make? "I, er, sort of felt it," he said at last, knowing how stupid it would sound.

Hermione frowned and said sceptically, "Felt it?"

"Um... yeah."

Both frowned and looked out of the window.

Then, "so," they said at the same time.

"Go on!"

"No, you go on," replied Harry going red.

Hermione licked her lips, "What do we do about it?"

"I vote we go to see Dumbledore," said Harry with certainty.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to tell Dumbledore. It's probably nothing."

Harry frowned.

"Let's look in the library first. There might be something there," she continued.

Harry grinned at her. "Typical! If in doubt, read a book."

"Well," she said defensively, "that's the best way, so I've found."

Harry agreed reluctantly. There was another silence.

"Shall we tell Ron?" Hermione asked.

"No, not yet," said Harry. "I don't really want to talk about it with anyone, and Ron would be just really worried."

"OK." Hermione looked unsure of whether she agreed with Harry or not, but she didn't disagree. "Shall we get him back in then?"

"Yes- no! I've just remembered!"

"Yes, what?" inquired Hermione, leaning forward eagerly.

Harry had just remembered how, in his dream he had called out to the girl, who he now knew was Hermione, how he had told her to watch out for the guards, and how he had saved her from getting thrown into Greek prison."

As he finished speaking, Hermione went very white, her eyes went round, and she clutched at Harry's hand, as if for protection.

"What is it?" asked Harry, panicky.

"Oh Heavens, Harry," she breathed. "I think I've just realised what it was."

"What what was?"

"What happened- I think I know."

"What was it?" Harry said urgently. It must have been serious to make her go so white. Hermione was usually very calm.

She suddenly went very red and said in an unnaturally loud voice, "Oh, nothing. I was wrong. Never mind what I thought. It couldn't possibly have worked. Ignore me, please."

She put her head in her hands and muttered, "Oh dear!"

Harry leaned over, "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Hermione jumped up, nearly knocking him over. She said in a tightish voice, "I'm going to get changed."

Harry nodded. He wished he knew what she knew and wouldn't tell him. It wasn't fair. He was just as involved. He got changed himself and stared out of the window. Crookshanks crawled onto his lap, purring. He stroked him absentmindedly. The cat sank his claws gently into Harry's leg.

Hermione returned and got out a book without saying anything. It was a paperback novel with a moving picture on the front of a tree swaying in the wind, a very beautiful witch holding her wand out of which sparks were flying, and a tall young man riding a dragon. Flashes of lightening illuminated the sky.

"Is it good?" Harry asked cautiously.

"So so. It's very improbable."

"What's it about?"

"Here, read the blurb." She handed it over.

Harry read, ' Another fictional masterpiece from Miss Green's repertoire. Falling in Love with Danger has the same fanciful imagination that all her books convey. This one stars Diana Walker, a romantic young witch who, on the eve of her wedding to stuffy Lord Johnson, falls in love with Andrew Lovelorn, the unorthodox mystery man who rides a dragon. However, Lovelorn is not the simplest person she could have fallen in love and Diana finds that she must exercise powers she never knew she had to save him, especially when her own parents decide to have him killed. Can Lovelorn defeat The Evil Powers, including Diana's own closest relations, and can Diana save Lovelorn from a fate worse than death? A tremendously gripping book, The Daily Prophet; a well crafted plot and a magical romance, A Magical Read; thrilling- I was unable to put it down, Witch Weekly.' Well, could you put it down?" Harry asked with a grin.

Hermione sighed. "Yes. I find it extremely boring. The textbooks are more interesting. She makes up all the spells, which is simply lazy. Her style of writing is very bad too."

Harry looked over the page she had reached and skimmed over the words. 'Diana stared at her father...Lovelorn's handsome face swan before her gleaming eyes...she shouted the final spell and as she did so another voice was heard...' "Looks like you've reached the climax, Hermione," he said tossing it back to her.

"Thanks," she said and continued reading.

Harry stared out of the window. Just at that moment Ron came in, looking hot and bothered.

"What's up?" asked Harry.

"Oh, just a brush in with Malfoy and co. Nothing to speak of."

"Did he say anything in particular?" asked Hermione sharply.

Ron shrugged, "Just wanted to know where Potty and Mudblood were, made a few snide comments, that sort of thing. Seemed in a good mood. Apparently Pansy Parkinson's going out with him now, not that I can see how that would make anyone happy, still..." Ron sat down with a philosophical shrug.

This chapter has now ended.