My Soul Mate

Chapter Twenty- The Call...

---

Raat ka nasha abhi,

Aakh se, gaya nahin.

Tera nashila badan,

Bahon ne chchoda nahin,

Aakhein to kholi magar,

Sapna who toda nahin.

Haan, wahi, woh, wahi,

Saason pe rakha hua tera hoton ka sapna abhi hai wahi.

Tere bina bhi kabhi, tujhse machal leti hoon,

Karvat badalti hoo to, sapna badal leti hoon.

Tera khayal aaye to, balkhake chal jaata hai,

Pani ke chadar talle, tan mera jal jaata hai.

Tere gale mil ne ke, mausam bade hote hain,

Janmo ka waada ko ye, ye gum bade chote hain.

Lambi si ek raat ho, lamba sa ek din mile.

Bas itna sa khwaab ho, milan ki ghadi jab mile.

Haan, wahi, who, wahi.

Saason pe rakha hua tere hoton ha sapna abhi hai wahi.

-

The inebriation of last night,

Has not yet gone,

Your fragrant body,

My arms didn't leave.

The eyes have opened but,

The dreams have not broken.

Yes, you, it's you.

On my breath your lips' dream is still the same.

Sometimes even without you, I squirm at your memory,

When I remember you, my thoughts change,

And start twisting and turning on my bed,

Even under the blanket of water, my body starts burning.

In your embrace, the seasons are great,

To the promises, this loss is a small issue.

I wish there'd be a long day, a long night,

And this is only my dream, on the golden night,

It would be you, just you for me.

On my breath your lips' dream is still the same.

____________________________________________________________________

Albus Dumbledore was seated in the very end at the table in the Staff Room. The teachers were sitting there too, all of them. Minerva McGonagall and Remus Lupin were on Dumbledore's left, while Severus Snape was on his right. Lupin and Snape didn't meet each other's eyes ... deliberately.

"I am sorry," said Dumbledore, looking at each teacher, "to have called you from your enjoyable holidays, but it's an emergency, apparently. A situation has arisen and we need to act immediately.

"We have received intelligence that Lord Voldemort has been planning to kidnap a student of ours." Dumbledore didn't mention who though, when the teachers gasped in horror, except for McGonagall, Lupin and Snape. "And thus, we need to stay aware and alert. After the school reopens, we have to take measurable steps against Voldemort's new plan. Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley are here, staying together in the Prefects' quarters, since they are the viable targets. As a matter of fact, they need to stay together for the rest of the year, or to be more precise, until the danger has passed. For their safety, we have taken the following actions.

"One, they should be back in the quarters before six o' clock in the evening under ordinary circumstances. Messrs. Potter, Malfoy and Weasley will have to go on Quidditch matches and flying practices. On those occasions, Madam Hooch and a professor, who would be free, will guard them."

Madam Hooch's yellow hawk-like eyes traveled around the room, in a manner that suggested she was choosing her own teachers for company.

"Miss Granger will use the library longer than anybody else," continued Dumbledore. "In that case, Madam Pince and again another professor will watch over her. When anyone of them goes around the castle, Argus, make sure you trail behind them. Do not interfere in their business, just stay close enough to know that they are safe."

Filch nodded, standing near the exit door of the Staff Room and stroking his dusty cat, Mrs. Norris.

"As a whole," said Dumbledore, "the teachers will look after them in their respective classes. For further safety, we have introduced a recognition code word of favor. It is 'The Order of the Phoenix'. When you need to interact with any of these children, you shall say the code word first and wait for them to respond with the same words. This is compulsory. We have outwitted the chances of being fooled by empiric magic. I hope it is understood?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good. If the students put a toe out of line then do not refrain from punishing them, but punish them under security. And most importantly, if any small difference out of the ordinary is noticed, then I should be notified immediately. The precautions are vital and if we are careless, we shall have to pay heavily for it. I hope everyone is aware of the significance."

Everybody nodded again.

"Well, tomorrow we are conducting an Order meeting. Each one of you needs to be present. Tomorrow, we shall plan our attack, a proper attack. Whatever the Order has been doing these days was just defending itself and all those who are concerned. But now, we will attack, since we have made sure we're safe."

There was a stunned silence. But it was very obvious.

"It's high time," said Dumbledore, "that we acted. We cannot sit and wait for Voldemort to make his move. We need to stop him before he does something that will be unfavorable for us. We have to put our mind and heart into it and work. All details will be discussed tomorrow. Minerva," he turned to McGonagall, "will you please send an owl to the children in the quarters, telling them that they have to attend the meeting too?"

"They need to?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes they need to. They are capable of more than what we credit them for. They are old enough to understand and act."

"Even Potter?" asked Snape silkily. "He has a bit, over enthusiastic for blood, if you ask me."

"But we didn't," said McGonagall sharply. "Potter is absolutely capable of handling things himself."

Snape scowled.

Before there could be any more remarks, Dumbledore said, "I would appreciate it if you all send messages to the members for the upcoming Order meeting. Minerva, Severus and Remus, could you please go to the Grimmuald's Place and arrange for the meeting straightaway? Help Sirius and Tonks. I will arrive there shortly after you do with Alastor and Cornelius Fudge."

McGonagall, Snape and Lupin nodded.

"Fine then. Everybody get to work, now."

One by one, all the teachers disappeared through the door, where Filch was standing. He left last, after even Dumbledore had gone. He had strong feeling that dogging his most despised students would be a pleasurable affair.

____________________________________________________________________

No one was having breakfast in the living room of the Prefects' quarters. Draco and Hermione had taken their cereals to the Slytherin Prefects' room, while Harry, Ron and Ginny were in the Ravenclaw Prefects' room. Harry didn't speak throughout the meal and Ginny was grateful for that - she was framing her questions for Ron in her mind. Ron tried to make some conversation but failed. So after a few pathetic jokes, he fell silent.

Harry was not in the mood of sitting around and chatting. He didn't want to face anybody, especially Hermione and Draco. The mere sight of them together infuriated him. So after he finished his cereal, he excused himself.

"Well, I haven't done any of my homework," he said getting up, setting his empty bowl on the table where he was sure that the house-elves would clear it. "So I guess I should go to some empty classroom and do my homework. I don't feel like spoiling the gay mood here."

He gave a falsetto laugh, which Ron clearly noticed.

"I haven't -" he started but Harry gave him a look which clearly said, 'I don't want anyone to be with me now.'

So Ron withdrew.

Ginny was glad anyway. She could easily ask Ron while Harry was away. And in five minutes, Harry was walking out, two scrolls of parchment, ink bottle, a quill and a book in his hands.

Ginny put down her empty bowl of cereals next to Harry's. Ron, however, kept filling his.

"Ron," said Ginny, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure," said Ron, through a mouth-full of corn flakes.

"Ron ... Ron is there anything, I mean ... does Harry like Hermione?" asked Ginny uneasily.

Ron stopped midway through chewing his food. He quickly swallowed it and said, "What do you mean? In what sense?"

"Er ... does Harry like Hermione as ... as - as Draco does?"

Ron stared at Ginny. He didn't know what to stay.

"Why are you so silent, Ron?"

Ron bit his lip. He wondered if he should tell Ginny what he suspected.

"Oh Ron, tell me!" said Ginny impatiently.

"I..." started Ron, "I ... I don't know, but I think there might be something."

"What?" asked Ginny, a lump forming in her throat.

"Well, might be Harry does like Hermione in that sense. He as good as told me when Hermione was, you know, in Africa."

The lump in Ginny's throat swelled.

"But he said to me recently that he didn't think Hermione is for him. He said that he liked Cho and was happy with her."

Ginny didn't know whether this was good news or bad. But certainly not something that she could be cheerful about. "Have you talked to him about it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have," said Ron, resuming eating. "He is confused. He doesn't know anything. But I told him that he is feeling different because Hermione's going out with Malfoy, our archenemy number one. He didn't seem satisfied though."

Ginny swallowed. Her suspicions were true. "And Ron," she asked, "does Hermione know anything about this?"

"I guess not."

Ginny nodded, feeling a bit relieved. "But this would be so wrong," she said. "It seems as though Harry is faltering. What about Cho? Doesn't he care for her?"

Ginny regretted asking this question.

"Of course he does," said Ron fiercely, "he loves Cho."

The lump in Ginny's throat vanished, surfacing in her mind as envy.

"But I'll see that Harry gets rid of his feelings for Hermione," Ron went on. "It's for his on good. His good, my good, Hermione's, Malfoy's, Cho's and your good. He can't have Hermione."

Ginny nodded, feeling relieved that she had one more person on her side.

And next step on her plan was talking to Draco.

____________________________________________________________________

Draco and Hermione were in the Slytherin prefects' room in the morning. They had their breakfast together (after convenient snogging) and now Hermione had forced Draco to do his homework with her.

"I feel like going out and enjoying the day!" Draco had protested.

"We need to complete our assignments, and anyway, we aren't allowed to go out before school reopens, remember?"

So a slightly abashed Draco was sitting on table with Hermione, completing his schoolwork. Hermione had advanced to Potions while Draco was at Transfiguration.

After half an hour or so, Draco finished learning about Animagi. Hermione hadn't finished her writing her essay on Invisibility Potions.

"I'm done," Draco said. "Now let's go."

"I am not," said Hermione. "It'll take about more fifteen minutes. And anyway, where shall we go?"

"I don't know ... the Room of Requirement, perhaps."

Hermione was just writing that Invisibility Potions were effective only for two hours when she looked up and found Draco grinning. Memories of the previous day floating to her mind and for one second, Hermione had no idea what she was writing about.

"Come on, let's go there," said Draco.

Hermione couldn't resist. She wanted to go too. "Wait till I finish my work," she said, not meeting his eyes.

And just then, Ginny came inside.

"Er ... hi," she said. "Sorry to disturb you, are you working?"

Draco shook his head and Hermione nodded.

"Hermione is doing Potions," Draco explained, "I just finished Transfiguration."

"Oh," said Ginny. "Anyway, I just though if either of you would care for a walk or something. I was just getting bored."

"Bored?" asked Hermione incredulously. "Are you not working for your OWLs?"

"That's why I am bored," Ginny muttered.

"Come on, Hermione," said Draco. "Anyway Ginny, we were going to the Room of Requirement. That can be quite a useful little room for some fun, right Hermione?"

Hermione gaped at him. Ginny got the cue.

"Hang on," she said, "I had better not witness you both snogging. I'll go."

"No wait," said Draco, "we'll have a game of Exploding Snap outside and wait till Hermione finishes her work."

"All right," said Ginny. Things were going according to the plan. Now she could talk to Draco.

"Fine," said Hermione, "I'll join you both after a minute."

"And then we'll go to the Room of Requirement." said Draco with a sly grin.

"No!" said Ginny and Hermione together.

"I am not staying with Potter and Weasley all day," said Draco, "and I have been here enough to last me a lifetime."

"Only a matter of a few more days," said Hermione soothingly, keeping a hand over Draco's, "and then we'll have classes and activities so we'll be well occupied."

"I guess so," said Draco, entangling his fingers with Hermione. "I'll wait for you outside." He gave her a little kiss on her forehead and went out with Ginny.

Once out of earshot, Ginny urgently pulled him to the Gryffindor prefects' room.

"Hey," said Draco, "what's up?"

"I have something important to tell you," Ginny said. "It's urgent."

"What about?" asked Draco, sitting on a chair.

"Harry," replied Ginny, sitting on a chair too, "and Hermione."

"What about them?" asked Draco skeptically.

"Nothing like what you think," assured Ginny. Draco immediately looked a bit relaxed. "I just wanted you to know something," continued Ginny. "Draco, I suspect, and Ron does it too, that ... that Harry likes Hermione."

Draco gawked at Ginny. Whatever he was expecting was certainly not this. And it wasn't only Ginny's words that took him by surprise; it was the sad look on her face and her gloomy eyes. "What the hell are you saying?" he hissed.

"I'm serious. Harry perhaps truly likes Hermione. I have seen his behavior last night; he was burning with jealousy. If looks could kill, you would have been dead for sure."

"And what makes your brother think this?"

"Ron says that Harry nearly told him this when you and Hermione were in Africa."

Draco gritted his teeth and clenched his palms into fists. He had just started going out with Hermione and problems were arising. Trust Harry to try and mess up the happiness in his life. But Draco didn't feel like acknowledging what Ginny had told him.

"Potter isn't envious of me," he said sagely, in a tone that suggested that he was trying to convince himself. "Potter is not jealous of me. He just hates me and when he sees that one of his best friends is going out with me, he can't tolerate it. He wants me to be sad, he can't stand me being happy. He wants to take away Hermione so that I'll be devastated and then he'll dump Hermione and next, he'll be seen shagging Chang."

Ginny's face darkened. "You're wrong," she said firmly. "Harry has feelings for Hermione, which Hermione, of course, doesn't reciprocate. He had as good as told this more than two months ago, when you had kidnapped Hermione and both of you, you and Hermione, just wanted to get at each other's throats. And he is envious of you."

"Are you trying to say that since he had developed feelings for Hermione long before I had, I should give Hermione to him?" shouted Draco angrily.

Ginny cringed. "No," she said, "no silly, who said this? I would hate the idea. And Ron hates it too."

Draco had relaxed when Ginny had said 'no', but when she said that Ron hated that idea of Hermione and Harry together, his blood started boiling again. "So your brother has developed feelings for Hermione as well?" he spat.

"No!" said Ginny impatiently. "Will you please hear me out?"

Draco, looking like a winded rhino, fell silent.

"Harry definitely has something for Hermione," said Ginny slowly and clearly. "He practically said this to Ron. But it's wrong, Ron says it too. Harry had liked Cho since his third year. It's tantamount to going out with someone, the way both Harry and Cho were last year. And suddenly, it's Hermione. And when Harry has a row with her, he goes out with Cho. And when Hermione is with you, he's confused about his own feelings."

"Coquette," said Draco maliciously. "Flirt."

"He is not," said Ginny sternly. "He is baffled and he can't find a way out. So there is one thing that can be done: try and demolish the feeling he has now before it grows and becomes devastating for all of us. Ron agrees with it too. It's only you, him and me. If we don't react soon, Harry might become ... well; he might do something that he shouldn't. It might even be dangerous. You understand, don't you?"

Draco, cooling considerably, nodded.

"Well, then this is what you will have to do. You always keep Hermione out of Harry's way. Try not to leave them alone anywhere. Ron and I will do that too. We shall keep him in - in Cho's company all the time. And always keep them separate."

"What you say is child's play," snorted Draco. "Hermione will hardly see Potter's face from now on, I'll make sure of that."

"And there is something else that you have to do, and this is very important. Don't let yourself get provoked and angry if Harry does or says something to you. If you do so, you may lose control and gloat that you have Hermione and he doesn't. Harry is wise and will himself try and stay out of your way, but if you hold that over him, he might get incensed and do something unforgivable. He might go out of his mind and ... and, well; the outcome wouldn't be very nice."

Draco nodded. Though he would rather not do it, he had to, at least for Hermione.

"Good. Harry just needs to be shaken a little."

"He's going maniacal if you ask me," said Draco caustically. "Covetous loony."

Ginny glared at him, but he merely shrugged.

____________________________________________________________________

Harry found a classroom (empty and unlocked) not very far away from the Prefects' quarters. He closed the door behind him and sat down on a wooden chair and spread the scrolls of parchment, ink bottle, quill and Sortilege Beasts on the desk in front of him. He had done none of his homework. He had let four days pass. But he had ten days left to complete his assignments. He had to do an essay on Camouflaging Charms (though Professor Flitwick had strictly forbidden doing the actual magic - they were complicated and needed guidance). Harry also had to learn the chapter on Animagi for McGonagall and write about Invisibility Potions for Snape. Harry well remembered the day Snape had given them the homework.

"You don't have to do it, Harry," Ron said in Harry's ears. "You have an Invisibility Cloak. And since we share it, I don't have to do it either. So why don't you go to Snape and request him to excuse us from this trash?"

Unfortunately, Snape had heard him.

"When Potter's father had that cloak," he told Ron. "He was not excused by our teacher. And thus, Potter or you won't be either. And fifteen points for your arrogance, Weasley."

Harry shook his head as he took out a slip from his pocket. He had written all his homework in that. Apart from Charms, Transfiguration and Potions, he had to do compositions on Venomous Tentaculas for Sprout, on Forehead Predicting for Trelawney, on Echidnas for Grubbly-Plank and Manticores for Lupin.

Sighing, Harry pulled out a roll of vellum and wrote in scarlet ink, which he always preferred to write in, and scrawled untidily, Defense against Echidnas. He wrote about how they looked like (monsters that were beautiful women for the upper halves and red serpents for the lower). He wrote how young men were trapped by the bloodthirsty Echidnas and were then killed and devoured. He wrote where they were usually found (in Yugoslavia).

Harry snorted. Fancy seeing Yugoslavian Mother Teresa nursing an injured Echidna to health, he thought.

He resumed writing about them. The ancient Echidna Queen was feared in the olden days, until mythical hero Argus killed her. Harry had read this mythology in a book long before he had known that he was a wizard. He never thought that it was actually true.

He continued writing where to find Echidnas. They usually lived in high caves and wore nothing on their upper body. There were hardly any left, the ministry was killing them, but like the giants, some were in hiding, though not in colonies. Echidnas usually leaned down face forward from high caves and waited for passers-by (men) to seduce them and then would gormandize them. Echidnas were few in number because of this reason too, since they were able to feed on men only. They could eat other animals, but since their primary food was scarce, some had died out of starvation.

Then he wrote about how to recognize Echidnas. Nude women, not showing their lower part, and lying on their front with long, untamed hair and syrupy voices. That's easy to do, Harry thought. Until someone was a dimwit as Crabbe or Goyle, hardly any man would be fooled.

After fifteen minutes of hurried and slovenly writing, Harry finished his essay. Grubbly-Plank had asked for a foot long essay but Harry still had about one quarter of the parchment scroll, which was exactly a foot long, left. Harry sighed; he hadn't paid attention to Grubbly-Plank when she was teaching them about Echidnas. That class had caused a lot of embarrassment to the girls and Harry, along with the other boys had been pretending to be very interested in their shoe laces, while Grubbly-Plank barked and taught them.

Harry tapped his wand on the parchment and muttered, "Meagero Engorgio!"

His handwriting slowly enlarged and filled the entire scroll. That was a useful little spell that Ron and he had invented, much to Hermione's objection, in their holidays, since they were allowed a bit of magic in the Grimmauld Place. It helped them to increase the size of their handwritten characters and make small essays big. Harry and Ron had tried the spell for one of Snape's essays, the Polyjuice Potion. Snape had perhaps realized what they had done and had given them four out ten in the theory. Not that Harry and Ron didn't know about the Polyjuice Potion (they, along with Hermione, knew better than anybody else in their class did). It was just that Ron and he had discussed Quidditch late into the other night. But they had scored brilliant marks in the practical and therefore, made up for their pathetic theory marks, surprising Snape.

Harry was about to go through what he had written when he suddenly lost his concentration. He started thinking about Hermione. And Draco.

Harry was too capricious in his feelings, he knew it. He felt ashamed of himself; he felt as though he was messing up things. He wanted to believe in Ron's rationale of his; Harry's, feelings but his heart wouldn't give in. He was jealous of Draco and that was because he couldn't tolerate seeing him with Hermione.

But he was trying to hide from himself, from his own heart and mind, his exact feelings for Hermione.

But his soul wasn't fooled. He liked Hermione. More than a friend.

Suddenly, Harry's course of thought changed when he thought he heard a faint meowing outside the classroom. There was a cat out there.

Harry turned back and got up, walking to the door, hoping that the cat would be any but Mrs. Norris. Crookshanks ... or even McGonagall.

But when he opened the door, he found it was indeed Mrs. Norris, Filch the caretaker's scrawny and dusty cat.

Harry scowled at it, wondering what would bring it there. No sooner than had he thought of shutting the door than Filch appeared.

"Mr. Filch," said Harry hastily, "your cat came here itself, I mean herself." Filch let out an indignant grunt. "I was doing my homework when I heard her meow, so I just came to check."

Harry said this because he didn't want Filch to get suspicious and snappy. Filch and Harry didn't get along too well.

"Hmm, I know that," said Filch calculatedly.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?" he said.

"I know that Mrs. Norris came here herself," said Filch, turning gleeful. "In fact, I sent her here."

"Why?"

"Hehe," Filch sniggered. "I am keeping an eye on you boy, on the faculty's commands. I am s'posed to dog your and your sneaky little friends actions 'round the castle."

"Why?" asked Harry, surprised.

"In case You-Know-Who comes and takes you away, the teachers and Dumbledore will be informed."

"What!"

"Yes, and I advise you boy, no funny business, otherwise you and your friends will be caught by me and Mrs. Norris faster than ever."

Harry glared at Filch's face, which contorted with mirth. He could feel his temper rising but he restrained himself. "I'll go back and do my work," he said, tightlipped.

"No you won't!" Filch exclaimed. "You think I have no other better work to do then watch you? You go back to your quarters and do your blasted work there!"

"I can work wherever I feel like."

"Then I'll let Mrs. Norris with you, inside the classroom."

Harry glared, if possible, harder then ever at him. "All right..." he hissed. "I'll go."

He stalked away and packed his things and walked away from there, infuriated. Did Dumbledore consider him to be a baby, unable to look after himself even in his home? And let Filch watch over him. A simple caretaker.

But Harry knew that Filch was more capable than what others credited him for. He wasn't just a mere caretaker, he was a sort of canvasser who had failed everywhere for years in the same place and therefore, knew each turn by heart. Harry could see why Dumbledore gave him the charge, but yet, it was indignant on his, Harry's, part. He was sixteen years old. And anyway, Filch was speaking as though he could take Voldemort single-handed anytime, should Voldemort come into the castle with daffodils.

Harry's essay fell from his hands. Harry stooped to pick it up and saw the shadow of Filch on the floor, with Mrs. Norris in his arms, stroking it. Loathsome git, he thought. Just then his eyes caught the word Argus in his essay, who had killed the Echidna Queen.

Cheap coincidence, Harry termed it, that he should write about brave Argus and meet a chicken Argus with twenty minutes.

But for Argus Filch, things were turning favorable.

____________________________________________________________________

When Harry entered the Prefects' quarters, he found no one in the living room. Voices were coming from the Gryffindor room, which sounded like Ron, Draco and Ginny's. Harry was surprised. He went to check in, but a letter on the table (that was where the house-elves left the posts) caught his eye. He walked towards it instead and saw that it was addressed to all. Perplexed, Harry tore the envelope.

It was a letter from McGonagall.

The Order of the Phoenix.

(She had written)

I am writing to all of you

to inform you of an Order meeting that will take place tomorrow morning in the Grimmauld Place at nine o' clock. Pr. Dumbledore wanted you all to come and this is important. I therefore invite you to the meeting on his behalf.

Further, I suggest you all go to the Grimmauld Place this evening, since you need to understand some history about the Order. You could be seen to tomorrow morning, but that would be hasty and haphazard, as everybody would be too busy. Sirius and the others shall answer all your questions. We want you to be prepared for tomorrow's meeting.

Yours faithfully,

Minerva McGonagall.