Summary:
Life Sucks, Then You DieBy: Radaslab Hermione begins to learn the truth after Harry is named a Tri-Wizard Champion. The solution is not what either extect. Mostly H/HR but it won't seem so. Some Ron and Dumbledore BASHING, but not much...Rated: Fiction M - English - Humor/Romance - Harry P., Hermione G. - Chapters: 34 - Words: 254,864 - Reviews: 2,631 - Favs: 3,495 - Follows: 3,626 - Updated: Apr 1, 2011 - Published: Jul 10, 2010 - id: 6128181
NTRODUCTION:
This is rated M mostly to be safe and eventual violence. There is no (not yet, at least and even then, not as a plot point) graphic sex, although it will be suggestive. While I explore some themes again, this one intends to be more magical and less Muggle than the others… It is mostly H/Hr, although it is also H/Multi as well.
Saturday, March 11th, 1995
"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Ginny said as the two of them entered an unused corridor in the school. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been around for a thousand years. It was in a castle, massive by any standards that, according to Hogwarts: A History, a book Hermione Granger practically had memorized, had been built and rebuilt numerous times. Had it not been a magical castle but a real one such as the Muggles had used in the Middle Ages, it could quartered several thousand soldiers with ease. As a magical school, however, it had fewer than 500 students and staff meaning there was a lot of unused and in many cases forgotten space such as this corridor.
"I really don't care what they write to me," Hermione huffed. "My concern is if they write my parents that rubbish." Hermione was complaining about the hate mail she had been receiving the past week following an article in the Daily Prophet by Rita Skeeter reporting that she was cheating on Harry Potter with Victor Krum. "What's even more upsetting is Victor's just a friend! He's engaged already and asked me to the Ball because I had no interest in him that way! I was his hostage because I am the only friend he has here! I've already written to his Katya to tell her the article was a pack of lies, but…"
"We know, Hermione," another voice said. Hermione looked and saw a blonde haired girl from her own year. It was Daphne Greengrass from Slytherin who, like several others, was now a part of a secret club, one that was meeting in full for the first time. "And I wouldn't worry too much about those people writing your parents about that filth. The type of people who believe that stuff are also the types who wouldn't be caught dead communicating with Muggles."
"So where is this place?" Ginny asked.
"Just ahead," Hermione said. "Near as I can guess, this corridor hasn't been used in centuries. I warded the entrance to it so only we can find it and have similar wards on the door to the rooms."
"How…?" Daphne began.
"Rune based notice-me-not and forgetfulness wards," Hermione said. "It's…"
"Part of this year's Ancient Rune studies," Daphne nodded. "But how can we be keyed in? Professor Babbling hasn't taught much about keyed warding schemes yet."
"Those hairs I asked for," Hermione said. Daphne remembered the Society message asking for a strand of hair from each of them just a week ago. "I used it in a boundary potion tied into the wards. We can find this corridor. No one else can. I even checked Harry's unique map."
Hermione was really pleased she managed to convince Harry to get that map back from Professor Moody. The Professor had made the mistake of asking to borrow it which meant he was honor bond to give it back if asked. Harry had told her afterwards that the Professor had tried every trick in the book to get out of giving it back. He had said it was essential for security that he retained it what with the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Harry's strange participation. That was rubbish. Unless you knew who you were looking for - as in had memorized the names of everyone in the school - or if you were focusing on one location, the map was only useful for avoiding people, not finding them. If there were an intruder, you could find them, but that was mostly a case of accident as had been the case the previous year when Harry saw "Peter Pettigrew's" name on the map. The Professor then claimed it was a banned object, but that was a load of tosh too. It was not on the list posted outside Filch's office and therefore was not banned. Ultimately, the Professor gave up and returned the map - it was, after all a family heirloom which Hermione now knew meant unless it could be conclusively proven that it was banned dark magic, the Professor had no choice but to give it back.
"This corridor is no longer on it," Hermione said. It was before I set the wards although there was an annotation good place to take a date for private time, but otherwise useless."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked.
"It was Black's handwriting," Hermione said. "My guess is he brought girls down here for…"
"Oh."
"Here we are," Hermione said. She opened a door and the three entered a large hall of some sort. While it was much smaller than the Great Hall, it was larger than any of their classrooms. Unlike the corridor, which looked neglected, the room was clean and well lit. Along the opposite wall hung the banners of all four Houses. A circular table was in the center of the room, around which were eighteen chairs. Hermione, Daphne and Ginny were the first of the secret society to arrive.
In a way, this society began on October 31st. That was the day Harry Potter's name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire and he became an involuntary participant in a life threatening tournament. Harry was only fourteen. There were supposed to be protections that prevented anyone under the age of seventeen to enter their names. Harry said he did not enter his name. Hermione believed him. She knew Harry wanted nothing to do with this silly tournament. She thought, given the reaction of both the teachers and most of the students that she was the only one who believed Harry. Their other friend Ron did not believe him until later, after Harry had nearly been killed by a dragon and, to be honest, Hermione doubted that Ron's change of opinion was genuine.
But it was soon clear to Hermione there were others out there who also believed that Harry was competing against his will and, like her, that there was far more going on here than any of the adults were saying, none of which was good for Harry. Moreover, each of these others also believed deep down that Harry was far more important to the future than anyone was saying, although none of them could say why. They all wanted to help Harry, but they all knew they had to go through Hermione to do so. Hermione was a little upset that not one of them was a boy, for it made the others look like they wanted to offer a different kind of help. There was one boy out there who genuinely wanted to help Harry, but there were reasons he was not here tonight.
Ginny Weasley was the first to approach Hermione about Harry. It was the day after the Champions were announced. True, the brown eyed, red haired Weasley girl, first daughter in that line in generations, had had a crush on Harry her first year, but she was truly interested in another boy now, even if he hadn't noticed yet. She believed Harry would never do something so stupid and feared for his life. She considered Harry a friend and unofficial brother. Moreover, Harry had saved her life. The thirteen year old Gryffindor Third Year owed him and made it clear she would do anything to help Harry.
Katie Bell also approached her that first day in November. She was a Fifth Year in Gryffindor House with light brown hair and brown eyes. She was fifteen and one of the youngest girls in her year, but still had made starting Chaser of the Gryffindor House team the same year Harry started as Seeker. Hermione found that impressive as she was a Muggle Born witch as well and Hermione and noted few Muggle Borns were any good on a broom, at least at that age. Katie refused to believe Harry wanted any part of the stupid tournament and hoped she could help find a way to get him out of it. She feared for her friend and teammate's safety.
The next day, three more girls approached Hermione about Harry. All three were surprises in their own way. Hermione was alone in the Library studying in a quiet corner when Parvati Patil asked to speak with her. Parvati was her roommate and while they were friendly, Hermione could not honestly say that they were friends. Parvati seemed to prefer talking non-stop about boys, clothes, make-up, Witch Weekly, divination and gossip with their other roommate Lavender Brown, whereas Hermione preferred to talk about books, classes and maybe Harry. Still, despite her giggling girl image, Hermione knew Parvati was very smart and observant. While Lavender had clearly joined the "Harry's a Cheat" camp, Parvati had not. She had not openly disagreed, but she confessed to Hermione that none of it made any sense. It was so out of character for Harry that Parvati was convinced someone was trying to kill their classmate. All other things considered, and Parvati believed that Harry might well be the most important wizard alive, the boy did not deserve this and she wanted to help somehow.
As surprising as this was to Hermione, it was more surprising that Parvati still wanted to help a couple of months later following the Yule Ball. Harry had been her date and from Hermione's perspective, it had been a nightmare first date for her roommate. But that was not really Parvati's opinion. She told Hermione that Harry was actually a very good date for the most part, at least until he went over to see how Ron Weasley was getting along. Parvati was convinced Weasley must be part dementor. The red haired menace certainly could suck all the fun out of a room. The only fault Parvati found for Harry was sticking with the backstabbing git, an opinion Hermione quietly shared.
The other two girls who approached Hermione about Harry were a total surprise. Throughout the school, the two Fourth Years were known as the Untouchable Twins, although they were not related. They were both very pretty by any standard, one with long, black hair and grey eyes and the other a perfect figured blonde with blue eyes whom all the older boys (and at least one or two girls) drooled over. The two girls were considered among the most desirable girls in school, and yet they dated no one. (Neither would be at the Yule Ball about two months later). The Blonde was also known as the Ice Princess and had hexed more students than anyone else, all of whom were boys and most were from her own House. What was really shocking was that Tracy Davis and Daphne Greengrass were Slytherins, who were generally believed to hate Gryffindors on principal and hate Harry Potter in particular.
Hermione was naturally suspicious of the intentions of the Untouchable Twins, but after a long conversation, she began to see the two as both very Slytherin and very much not so. The Davis and Greengrass families had long ties to that house, and that was it. They were Purebloods, but not one had ever married another Slytherin. They arranged marriages with families on the Continent or sent their children off to jobs on the continent in the family businesses with the implied task of finding their spouse there. The few who had married British, married into the other houses, not Slytherin. Daphne said she would rather have been a Ravenclaw, but the damned hat would have none of it. That being said, she had no interest in Slytherin boys stating that is was not much of a step up from goats and sheep.
To these two, Harry was one of a very select few boys of any worth in the entire school. Hermione wasn't sure if they fancied her friend and wasn't sure if she would accept their help if they did. Both of them convinced her, however, that as attractive as Harry might be, he was far more important to the world than being listed as Britain's Most Eligible Wizard year after year. They believed three things about what had just happened. First, Harry was not the type of person most of the school thought he was and would never have tried to enter the tournament even if he was old enough. Second, someone else had tricked the Cup and worse, Dumbledore and the other so called adults turned a blind eye to that. Harry had been tricked into accepting a contract he had no reason to accept. This statement floored Hermione. All Harry had to do to get out of this was refuse to participate? He did, until Dumbledore told him it was too late, when it was not! Daphne and Tracey were convinced that whoever was involved (to include Dumbledore), things were set up in a way that was not in Harry's interest if he wished to live a long and healthy life. Finally, these two Slytherins saw Harry as important, but shackled. So long as others were calling the shots, Harry and the future were in danger. While Dumbledore might think he was helping Harry, letting Harry compete had caused the two Slytherins to rank Dumbledore just below Voldemort as the greatest risk to their collective futures. They needed to see Harry through this fiasco and then free him from his puppet masters so he could do whatever he was meant to do and not what old fools felt he should do. Hermione wondered what they meant at the time, but when they had both offered to swear an unbreakable vow of loyalty to Harry Potter, she accepted their help without requiring the vow. In the weeks and months that followed, she was grateful she had taken that leap of faith.
Over the next several weeks, as Harry went through that horrid First Task and the school got wrapped up in the coming Yule Ball and as Hermione spent hours with Harry helping him prepare for the tasks ahead, she also sat at a desk in the library meeting with girls from her growing organization. They unofficially called themselves The Harry Potter (Real Hogwarts Champion) Fan Club. It had grown over time. In addition to Tracey and Daphne, two other Slytherins had joined. There was a fifth year named Lucinda Urquhart who also happened to be a Prefect, which in and of itself was very useful. There was also a third year named Rosario (Rosie) Rosier, whose Uncle was a former Death Eater and whom her family had vowed to kill on sight. These two ran with Daphne and Tracey, which meant they were outcasts in their own House, not that they cared. Slytherins tended to date Slytherins, and these four pointed out that there was little difference between sex with a Slytherin boy and bestiality. Ravenclaw was also represented. There was another Fifth Year named Laura Caldwell (a Muggle Born). Parvati's twin sister Padma was one of "them" now and remained such after the disaster that was letting Ron Weasley take her to the ball. Padma's roommate Lisa Turpin was also in the group as was an old friend of Ginny's, a Third Year named Luna Lovegood. Hermione found Luna to be a little strange but also absolutely honest. Hufflepuff contributed two more of Hermione's classmates: Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones. Both were from very old magical lines yet neither was a Pureblood. There were also two more Muggleborns. Marcia Robbins was a Fifth Year Prefect, giving this group more "cover" and there was also a Third Year named Andrea Lee.
They could not get Harry out of this mess, so the group decided to find out how he got into it and why. They also helped Hermione with spell research which she passed on to Harry. But the how and why led to more questions which led to more questions. Hermione coordinated the research they were doing. Until now, they always met with Hermione in ones or twos deep in the Library and, in fact, until this day most had no idea who the others in this group were. This idea came from the Slytherins who, to Hermione and the other's horror, revealed that Snape and Dumbledore were both accomplished in Legilimancy and used a passive form of it on students routinely. It was illegal, but damned near impossible to prove. All the girls began studying Occlumency and this meeting had been delayed until such time as they were all skilled enough at it to block passive attempts at reading their thoughts. Hermione wanted Harry to learn this as well, but it had to wait. He had to stay alive first.
Hermione took her seat at the table. While she was the leader in a sense by virtue of her close friendship with Harry Potter, there was no head seat at this round table. Each of the others sat down without regard to Houses or anything until only two seats remained. Hermione took the time to make sure everyone knew who everyone else was. The door to the room opened one last time and two young women in the blue robes of Beaubatons, the French magical school entered.
"Ladies," Hermione said as everyone eyed the striking blonde and pretty brunette who had entered, "these two have also been helping out since the Second Task and wish to join us. Miss Michellle Marcella is actually Italian and is in her Fourth Year and you may recall Miss Gabrielle Delacour? She was one of the hostages Harry rescued from the Black Lake."
"But that was just a girl!" Susan protested.
"I am part Veela, non?" the blonde said in a noticeable accent. "We develop different."
"She recently turned fourteen," Hermione added. "Her Veela heritage means two things. First, she entered puberty later than most. Second, she goes through puberty in a matter of days."
Gabrielle nodded. "It was not pleasant. I grew every way very fast. Maman says it hurts more than childbirth."
"And why are they here?" Hannah asked.
"I owe Harry a life debt," Gabrielle said.
"But Dumbledore said you were in no danger," Katie protested.
Gabrielle shrugged. "He is silly old man. I am part Veela. His magic could not save me from my heritage. Being in water like zat so long… It kills us even if we are under a spell. Had Harry not helped me when he did, I would be gone."
"And I wouldn't trust Dumbledore's word on that either," Daphne said. "We won't know if any of them would have lived had they not been saved."
"And the other one?" Ginny asked.
"She's my friend," Gabrielle replied.
"Just out of curiosity," Luna began, "your sister is Beaubatons Champion yet you're here to help Harry?"
"I love my sister," Gabrielle said, "but Harry saved my life. Fleur can be nice. But she can be full of herself too. Harry is not so."
"Have a seat," Hermione said.
The two new girls found their seats and sat down.
chapter 2
Saturday, March 11th, 1995
Hermione stood and looked at the other seventeen young woman around the table. "Well," she said, "we're here, finally. We can now put all of our pieces together and see what we have. Hopefully, what we have will help Harry both now and in the future.
"I think we should begin with something that came to my attention last year. I didn't think much of it at all at the time, but this piece has proved invaluable the past few months in helping me know what we need to find out. Most of you had no idea why you were looking up what you were looking up and I have little idea what you've learned because of that mind probing nonsense. I want to thank Daphne for telling us about that and showing us how to keep the greasy and bearded ones out of our heads.
"Right then. About a year ago, as my classmates probably recall, I most publicly called a teacher a right old fraud and dropped her class. Needless to say, my roommate Parvati took issue with that, and that is where this begins. She showed me something that day that came back to me not long after Harry got trapped into this mess. Parvati?"
As Hermione sat, Parvati stood and placed a sheet of parchment face down on the table in front of her. As she did, everyone saw an image of the parchment appear in front of them.
PROPHETIC CERTIFICATION
This is to Certify that Sibyl Patricia Trelawney did, on 28 June 1980, give a verified Prophecy evidencing her ability as Seer before a member of this Government. The Subject and Contents of said Prophecy are duly recorded in the Hall of Prophecy, Department of Mysteries, British Ministry of Magic, London.
I. TerrebonneRecorder of ProphecySeer Certification Board
"What's this?" someone asked.
"I got this from Professor Trelawney," Parvati said. "It was early in the year when she gave Lavender and me a copy after class. She knows people think she's a right fraud, but 'favors' a few students with this truth. This is a copy of her Seer Certification saying that she has made a viable prophecy. For a Seer it's an important document to obtain as it gives you credibility, even if you only make one or two real predictions in your life."
"So she is a Seer?" Tracey asked.
Parvati nodded. "Not a great one. This is her only certificate that I know of. But she has at least a little of the true gift." Parvati sat down and removed the parchment and the image faded.
"That's so cool!" Andrea Lee commented.
"Ginny?" Hermione asked.
Ginny stood. She held another parchment in such a way that no one could see what was written on it yet.
"I actually got this almost two years ago," she said. "It was right after Harry got me out of the Chamber of Secrets. I was left in Dumbledore's office for quite a time by myself as he and the others were off doing whatever. I got bored and accioed this."
"A summoning Charm?" Daphne asked. "You were what – a First Year?"
"I also had Fred and George as older brothers. You either learn loads of magic early or become their prank tester. I could probably pass my Charms O.W.L.s today … well at least the practical. Anyway, I accioed 'Earliest Reference To Harry Potter' just out of curiosity and this came to me. Should've thought of a copy charm, but I didn't. Funny. Dumbledore doesn't seem to miss it." She placed the document on the table as Parvati had.
The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as an equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.
S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.28 June 1980
"I had no idea what this meant at the time," Ginny said. "Of course, I was also a little out of it too having almost died and being afraid I was going to be expelled and sent to Azkaban for things I had no memory of doing. I had no idea what this had to do with Harry and figured I botched the spell or something. I mean, it doesn't say Harry Potter or anything like that. I got this end of First Year, so I had no idea about Divination and stuff. I actually had forgotten all about it until … until Harry's name came out of that Cup and … I don't know why I thought of this but I knew maybe Hermione might have an idea."
"That's when I remembered what Parvati had shown me last year," Hermione said. "I thought they might be connected and would've asked Parvati about it again even if she hadn't joined us. Notice the dates."
Parvati placed her parchment face down again and the two now appeared side by side.
"Same dates," Susan noted.
Hermione nodded. "I think this is a written copy of the Prophecy that Trelawney has been credited with."
"Ginny's right," Katie said. "It doesn't say anything about Harry."
"Not directly," Parvati replied.
"A lot of the research I had you all doing was in order to prove or disprove that this might have something to do with Harry," Hermione added.
"So what does this mean?" Lisa asked.
"The best way to do this is one sentence at a time," Lucinda Urquhart said. She noticed everyone looking at her. "I'm actually at the top of my year in Divination, although Trelawney hates me. She knows I think most of the stuff's rubbish. But I have developed an interest in prophecies and had been researching their interpretation. It's fascinating and not nearly as simple as it appears.
"Each sentence has meaning. But, we must pay particular attention to tense and case to determine what is the prediction, if there is one, what are the preconditions for that to happen, and what are the limitations to the outcome. Looking at this, the part that seems most important as a starting point is the second clause of the second sentence."
"Why?" a few voices asked.
"It gives us a date certain," Lucinda replied. "It is present tense, meaning the seven month cycle that 'dies' was already occurring when the prophecy was made. The obvious question then is what was the starting point of the cycle? Again, the language of the clause tells us. Divination places a lot of emphasis on astrology and moon cycles, but uses certain terms to define them. A planet in a certain house, a month being full or new referring to the phase of the moon, waxing or waning referring to the moon again and Venus, all are tied to one kind of calendar ties to the stars and such. The verb 'dies' is not used as a description of an astrological cycle. 'Ends' would be clear, but it's the same thing. This is a regular calendar, not a moon cycle or some such. The Seventh Month is then July. This means the One referred to in the first sentence, who is obviously what this is all about, was born at the end of July 1980."
"Oooh!" Tracey said, "my turn! Okay… Third sentence we know the One is a boy, which explains one of my projects. Some of you may recall I was not at the Yule Ball. I spent the Hols at home. Well, there and the Ministry Records Office. I was asked to find out the names and birthdays of all wizards born in July of 1980 or any time thereafter. It was actually really easy 'cause there were only two. Harry Potter was born July 31st at 0143 and Neville Longbottom was born July 30th at 2339. This obviously is about Harry, right?"
"Not based upon birthdates," Lucinda said. "If this meant the last day, it would have said something like that. Technically, both were born as that month died. The qualifying statement that should differentiate between the two is the first clause of that sentence about parents who thrice defied this Dark Lord. It's vague. Could mean a lot of things. We'd have to know what the parents did during the War to know. You will note that the verb in that clause is past tense. That means whatever they did, it happened already before this prophecy was made."
Susan Bones stood and placed a document face down on the table in front of her. An image appeared before all the others. It was a photograph of a young couple not much older than they were. At first glance, the boy looked like Harry Potter and the girl looked almost exactly like Ginny.
"Okay," Ginny said slowly. "I know that's not Harry and me. But it is creepy."
"James and Lily Potter," Susan said. "Or at least they would be. This picture was taken right about the time they finished Hogwarts in 1978. James Potter was the sole Heir Apparent of House Potter, one of the oldest magical lines around and he was a Pureblood. Although according to my Auntie, the Potters were not that type. His blood status was accident, not design as it is with certain families. Lily was a Muggle Born. They married later that summer just before entering training as Hit Wizards. It was the War and few were being trained as full on Aurors by this point. Training for combat only was faster than training an Auror and the Ministry needed combat capable wands. They completed training in May 1979 and were immediately thrown into battle. They were part of a Strike Team led by Professor Moody and they had three engagements with You-Know-Who and his minions. Those engagements were a success in that the Death Eaters took a beating. You-Know-Who escaped of course, but that could be the 'thrice defied' in the Prophecy."
"So it is Harry then," Katie sighed.
"Not if the 'thrice defied is the clue," Susan replied. She replaced the Potters with another photograph of another couple. "Frank and Alice Longbottom," Susan said. "They completed Hogwarts in 1974 and completed Auror training as part of the last class that finished the three year course before the end of the War. After completing training, they were assigned to a Team led by Giddeon Prewett, at least until he was murdered in his home in 1980. They also battled You-Know-Who on three separate occasions all of which did not go well for the bad guys but, as usual, You-Know-Who ran away."
"Based upon that and ignoring the rest of it, it still could be either Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom," Lucinda said. "Which brings us to the next clause where You-Know-Who is supposed to mark the One as his equal."
"Obviously that means the scar," Ginny said.
"Prophecies are not about the obvious," Lucinda said. "If it were obvious, there would be no need for them. Marked does not necessarily mean a physical marking. Arguably, the Dark bastard has such a mark; the one he uses on his Death Eaters. No. Marked can mean acknowledge as an equal."
"The bastard has an unnatural interest in Harry," Hermione said. "Harry knows the bastard is up to something centering on him even as we speak, although he does not know what. He's already made two attempts against Harry since Harry started school."
"An obsession does not mean he sees Harry as his equal," Lucinda said. "What do we truly know about what happened all those years ago? We know his parents were killed. But what else? Aside from Harry, there were no witnesses and there was no way that Harry could have told what happened, is there?"
"Legilimency?" Luna suggested.
"Harry was only fifteen months old," Hermione said.
"Assuming someone would stoop to using that on an infant, it would only reveal what the infant understood," Lucinda said. "Our memories are limited to our ability to understand the world around us. For most of us, this means we have few memories from very young childhood and most are probably tied into pictures from that time. This is certainly true of memories that date to before we could talk. Talking and understanding speech provide us with context and that is the basis of most memories. Before we talked, our world was purely visual and our ability to understand things around us was limited. It is doubtful Harry had any memories of what happened that an adult could understand."
"So this Boy-Who-Lived thing?" Daphne asked.
"We know something happened that night," Lucinda offered. "We know You-Know-Who was somehow defeated. We know his followers came apart in the immediate aftermath and were rounded up fairly easily, if not completely. We know many of his most loyal followers claimed they were bewitched and bribed their way out of trials for their crimes. None of that would have happened had You-Know-Who survived that night. But, aside from the fact that Harry's parents were dead, we don't know what really happened and it's doubtful we ever shall."
"So Harry never survived the Killing Curse?" Ginny asked.
"Can't say, can we?" Lucinda said. "There's no way to say for sure unless there was an eye witness. What makes that curse so nasty is not just that there is no magical defense, but that there is no magical signature. Most spells leave some trace, one that can be used against the caster in a trial. The Killing Curse leaves no magical signature. We can guess it was used because an otherwise healthy person is dead. But unless other spells were cast, we can't say for certain."
"So the scar?" Katie asked.
"Sometimes a scar is just a scar," Lucinda shrugged. "Even if it was caused by a faulty Killing Curse, I would argue that was not the 'mark' in the Prophecy. A better argument can be made that, assuming You-Know-Who went after Harry specifically that night, his targeting a fifteen month old child suggests he was concerned about the boy's potential. Also, as I understand it, You-Know-Who was alone when he attacked the Potters."
"How do you figure?" Susan asked.
"Had there been other Death Eaters there and regardless of what else happened, it's a fair bet one of his minions would have finished the job. Anyway, You-Know-Who seldom ever went out on his own. That may well be the only time he did. True, he may have figured the Potters were an easy target, but it does suggest a special interest in the boy. The attack itself marked Harry in many ways."
"For argument sake," Hermione said, "if we assume that this attack was the Mark, is it possible he also marked Neville? After all, aside from the Marking, the Prophecy could apply to both of them."
"He intended to deal with Neville as well, but he never got passed Harry," Hannah said. "After the Yule Ball, Susan and I went home for the balance of the Hols and, with the help of my Mum and Susan's Aunt, we got access to some recently unsealed Ministry files about the events of that Halloween."
"Recently unsealed?" Parvati asked.
Hannah nodded. "The stuff I went over were the transcripts from the trials of Bellatrix, Rastaban and Rodolfus Lestrange and Barty Crouch, Jr. It was … enlightening. Those four were Death Eaters who are currently rotting in Azkaban, figuratively and literally seeing as Crouch is reported to have died there. Anyway, those four were tried for an attack on Neville's parents that occurred about a week after the attack on Harry and his family. It seems the two attacks were related.
"The best way to tell this is in chronological order," Hannah continued. "I went through all the testimony and came up with a timeline. In some ways the trial was unique as they did not just rely upon magical forensics and veriteserum as the Death Eaters raised questions that the Wizengamot wanted answered over the vociferous objections of the Chief Warlock."
"He wanted to suppress evidence?" Hermione asked.
"It would seem so," Hannah continued. "Okay, we know Trelawney made that Prophecy about a month before Harry and Neville were born. At the trial, the Prophecy itself was never revealed. But the Death Eaters testified that You-Know-Who learned that there was a Prophecy about his downfall and that it pointed to a boy who would be born at the end of July."
"How did he know?" Padma asked.
"Apparently Snape's a Death Eater," Hannah said. "He overheard at least part of it and reported it to You-Know-Who."
"Then what is he doing at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.
"Dumbledore managed to convince the Wizengamot at that trial that Snape had turned spy and was supplying information to Dumbledore that helped take down several Death Eaters and thwarted several plots. Regardless, Snape did reveal what he learned to the enemy and Dumbledore knew it."
"How?" several voices asked.
"Snape was caught listening at the door," Hannah said. "He got away, but Dumbledore knew he had been there.
"Anyway, so You-Know-Who knew there was this Prophecy out there and suspected who might be the parents of the person who could defeat him. The problem was that no one then knew whether the Longbottoms or Potters were expecting a son or daughter. True, they may have known, but it was not public knowledge and You-Know-Who wanted to wait until he knew for certain which family needed to be eliminated.
"Both the Potters and Longbottoms were moved into houses under the Fidelius Charm on August 2nd, 1980, before the Birth Certificates were recorded at the Ministry and birth announcements published in the papers. Dumbledore cast both charms and initially Sirius Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper and Fabian Prewett was the Longbottoms'."
"Initially?" Daphne asked. "Are you saying they changed Secret Keepers?"
Hannah nodded.
"That means Black did not betray the Potters!"
"That is correct," Hannah said. "In late October 1981, Fabian Prewett was murdered by Death Eaters. According to the testimony, the murder was not related to his being Secret Keeper rather it was because he was a real pain in their arse. Only Moody's team was more effective at cutting into their ranks. Anyway, with Prewett's death, the Longbottoms needed a new Secret Keeper.
"Now here the testimony was a little confusing, for it was also decided for some reason that Black would no longer be the Potters' Secret Keeper. The accused had no idea about the decision to change. What we know of the change Dumbledore provided by way of explanation. However, the explanation makes little sense. Prewett and Black had been Secret Keepers for over a year and nothing suggests this was a risk. Dumbledore claimed he thought there was a spy in his ranks and had suspected as much for several months, but did not explain why he waited until Prewett's death to act. He recommended the replacements. For the Potters it would be Peter Pettigrew…"
"But everyone knows that Pettigrew is the one who fingered Black for the Potters' deaths!" Parvati said.
"That's what everyone was told," Hannah said. "But aside from Dumbledore, Black, Pettigrew and maybe the Potters no one knows what really happened do they? Anyway, according to Dumbledore Pettigrew became the Potters' Secret Keeper and Barty Crouch, Jr. became the new Secret Keeper for the Longbottoms."
"But he was one of the ones in the dock for the Longbottoms!" Parvati noted.
Hannah nodded. "Both Pettigrew and Crouch were Death Eaters. Dumbledore claimed he had no idea. He could not fathom Crouch being one given that his father was rabidly anti-Death Eater and he could not see Pettigrew being one either. At least that's what he claimed. Personally, I don't believe that rubbish; particularly because the day after the switch Voldemort attacked the Potters. To me it seems like Dumbledore set it up."
"Why would he do that?" Parvati asked.
"To see which one V-voldemort would go after," Hermione sighed. "Dumbledore knew the Prophecy and knew it meant either Harry or Neville, but also knew it meant nothing until Voldemort 'marked' one of them. Replacing reliable Secret Keepers with Death Eaters meant that Voldemort would get in. Dumbledore would then know who it was about."
"The problem with that theory is that You-Know-Who didn't intend to just attack the Potters," Hannah said. "The accused said the original plan was he would take care of both of them that night. Whatever happened at the Potters, it kept him from getting after the Longbottoms. But he had told some of his key people about the plan and Crouch and the others decided to do away with Longbottom and in hopes of finding out what the Longbottoms knew about what happened to their leader. Harry, by then, had already disappeared. Didn't go as planned. Neville wasn't at home when the Death Eaters attacked. His parents sent him to his Gran when they learned that the Potters had been betrayed."
"That means Black is innocent," Parvati said in shock.
"Certainly of betraying the Potters," Hannah agreed.
"He's innocent of all of it," Hermione said. "I've seen both him and Pettigrew – about a year ago to be exact. Pettigrew's an unregistered animagus. His form is a rat and I know Parvati has seen him."
"I have?"
"Ron Weasley's rat," Hermione said.
"That was Pettigrew?"
Hermione nodded. "We caught him about a year ago and he admitted to everything: betraying the Potters, being a Death Eater and killing all those Muggles."
"Why hasn't…?"
"The Minister refuses to believe any of that," Hermione sighed. "He'd look like an idiot, wouldn't he? Can't have that, now, can we?"
"Surely this came out in his trial?"
"There was no trial," Hermione said.
"WHAT?" several people asked.
"Sirius Black was never even charged, much less tried," Hannah explained. "Dumbledore said he was the Secret Keeper and that was the end of it."
"That makes no sense!" Daphne said. "Dumbledore recommended they switch to Pettigrew and later says Black was the Secret Keeper?"
"He claimed he was only aware that Crouch had been made one," Hannah said. "According to him, as far as he knew Black was still the Potters' Secret Keeper."
"He lied?" Parvati asked.
"So it would seem," Hannah said. "He also made sure the trial of the four who attacked the Longbottoms was sealed. He said the Prophecy had to be protected at all costs. It was easy enough considering they were under and Emergency Decree. There were only seven people who sat in on the trial: Crouch Sr. played judge, jury and executioner. Millicent Bagnold was there as was Dumbledore. Mad-eye Mooney was there as he was the one who caught the four. Some bloke named Deadelus Diggle was there as well. The other two have since died of natural causes."
"No trial and a secret trial?" Daphne commented.
"According to my Mum, most everyone there was in Dumbledore's pocket. For whatever reason, Dumbledore wanted the whole thing swept under the carpet and had the right people to make sure that's what happened. They used the rules regarding minors. As the case involved juvenile victims, they could seal it if the juvenile's magical guardian asked. At the time, Dumbledore was acting in that capacity for both Neville and Harry. Harry's only remaining relatives were Muggles and according to Dumbledore James and Lily never made a Will so he became Harry's by default. As for Neville, as his parents were not dead and no one had been appointed to act as guardian yet, he could act on Neville's behalf."
"A Galleon says there really was a Will and Dumbledore swept that under the carpet as well," Ginny growled.
"No bet," Susan said. Everyone looked at her. "The records of this trial were unsealed by my Auntie so we could look at them. Officially, if asked, she's taking another look at those events as Head of Magical Law Enforcement and in order to do so, she needed to unseal the transcripts. As both Harry and Neville are the last male Heirs of their lines, the transcripts could be unsealed at any time after they turned eleven at their request or by the Head of DMLE. That being said, there is a record that the Potters had a Will and it's on file at Gringotts. We don't know what it says, but a fair bet says Dumbledore wouldn't like it. Auntie guesses that Black was supposed to act as Executor and at the very least also as Harry's Magical Guardian, which she thinks is one of the reasons he was left to rot in Azkaban. Harry, of course, could have gotten his hands on the Will just by asking the Goblins anytime after he turned eleven."
"I don't think he's ever thought of that," Hermione said.
"Why would Dumbledore go to such lengths?" Tracey wondered aloud.
"He acts as though he is convinced Harry is the One in the Prophecy," Luna said. "His actions suggest he wanted to set it in motion to expose the One and he's set things up so he has almost exclusive control over the One."
Hermione nodded. "He sent Harry to live with his Muggle relatives. They are some of the most vile people you'll ever meet, and I include Death Eaters. For ten years, Harry slept in a closet. He was physically and emotionally abused and neglected and practically half starved to death. He didn't know his name or birthday until they had to send him off to primary school. Before he came to Hogwarts, in addition to never knowing anything about his parents, his heritage or magic, he never had a friend at all. He had no memory of a hug or kind word."
"He would therefore see our world as a sanctuary, a rescue," Luna agreed. "He would see Dumbledore as his savior and would trust the man to a fault."
"We all know he never wanted to be a part of this damned tournament," Hermione added, "but when Dumbledore said he had to be, Harry did not object. Harry has never once questioned Dumbledore about anything really. When told he has to return to his vile relations, Harry sucks it up believing whatever fairytale he's fed. Now that I think about it, I wonder why Dumbledore allowed us to help Sirius escape last year."
"Why do you say that?" Ginny asked.
"Because Sirius could take over, couldn't he?"
"He's still a fugitive," Daphne pointed out. "He can't show his face in our world without getting arrested or worse. So long as he is considered and escaped mass murderer, he can do very little to truly help Harry."
Hermione nodded. "Dumbledore didn't make much effort to convince the Minister any different. It makes sense in a sick way. By allowing us to help Sirius escape, he looks like he's on Harry's side. But by not doing anything to truly help Sirius, he still has control over Harry and cannot be second guessed. All that pain just because he believes he's right about that stupid Prophecy!"
"And he can't even be sure of that," Lucinda said. "You-Know-Who intended on killing both Harry and Longbottom. Had he not been – well whatever – Longbottom would have been attacked as well. While the scar suggests the 'Mark,' we'd do well to remember that You-Know-Who was not distinguishing between the two that night. Harry became The-Boy-Who-Lived by a pure accident of sequencing. It is therefore entirely possible that the marking has not yet occurred."
"Unless you consider that Voldemort's been after Harry ever since," Hermione said. "He tried to kill Harry First and Second Year. Somehow, Harry can sense some of his thoughts and it seems he's after Harry again, although we don't know how other than this bloody Tournament."
"Possible, but by no means certain," Lucinda said. "Dumbledore and You-Know-Who clearly believe he is the One and as such he is in danger. But, to completely rule out Longbottom based upon what information we have is to be as foolish as those two. Dumbledore's actions suggests that, regardless of defeating You-Know-Who, he wants to control the child of the Prophecy for his own purposes."
"What if they're both wrong?" Katie asked. "What does Dumbledore stand to gain by controlling the One?"
"Dumbledore's been Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards since 1946," Daphne said. "He became Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot in 1948 and Headmaster of Hogwarts in 1954. He might have become Headmaster anyway, but given his family, ordinarily he would never have achieved his other positions. While the Dumbledores have a hereditary seat, they are not wealthy at all. They were not top drawer and it had been those at the top of society who filled those posts. But, after defeating Grindelwald in 1945 and ending that Wizards' War…" Daphne shrugged. "He's been asked to become Minister for Magic as well on several occasions. Then again, as Chief Warlock he controls the courts, the legislative agenda and the appointment and removal of the Minister for Magic. For all practical purposes, he's nearly a dictator although Daddy says he's cunning enough not to abuse that position too often or too obviously.
"But, he's also yesterday's news. Most of the people who put him in power have died and he's older than most of the people currently on the Wizengamot and such. There are already people who think it's time for a change. The reason this have not happened yet is because Dumbledore has been adept at keeping the Wizengamot divided so there's no coalition with enough votes to ask him to step down. He's been playing one side against the other since the War supporting progressive legislation on Muggle Baiting and Muggle Born rights – although he's also been soft on enforcement – while also supporting restrictions on werewolves and such. The lycan laws have few detractors but also keep the Pureblood Supremacists and their ilk happy.
"What would happen if someone new came along with similar political capital? What if You-Know-Who returned and some young man thumped him for good? Dumbledore would be out in a week! By controlling the One, at the very least if the One is successful, Dumbledore can claim a lion's share of the credit, keeping himself in charge of everything."
"He's doing far more than controlling," Hermione huffed. "Whether it's Harry or Neville, what is he doing to help the One? Nothing really. Harry may know more magic than most his age, but that's no thanks to Dumbledore. The only teacher who taught him anything outside the standard materials was Professor Lupin. And if Neville is the one? He's passing. That's it!"
"That's also saying something about Neville," Ginny said.
"Oh?" a few voices asked.
"Neville's told me. He's using his father's old wand and it's not a match for him at all."
"But Ron was using Charlie's at first," Hermione began.
"And the wand reacted to him," Ginny said. "Maybe not as well as a true match, but there was a magical reaction. Neville's never did that."
"Then how…?" Hannah asked.
"Despite appearances, it seems that Neville is a very powerful wizard in his own right," Lucinda said. "If he's passing classes with an unmatched want, it means he's all but doing it wandlessly! If he had a matched wand…"
"And then there's Harry," Hermione said. "Mastered the Patronus Charm last year and drove off almost a hundred dementors with it. Snape said only a really powerful wizard could have done that!"
"Yeah, like Merlin," Tracey said. "I don't think anyone alive today could do that."
"So," Hermione said, "what we have potentially are two very powerful wizards who each – er – earned a personal visit from Voldemort as babies, although he never quite got around to Neville. We have a Prophecy that could mean either of them at this point, am I right?"
"Mostly," Lucinda said. "No Prophecy is accurate as stated. It requires people to act on the information to move it to fruition. The preconditions point to either of them. Obviously, if Longbottom's passing with a dud wand, it might well be either of them fit the bill at first. Subsequent events point towards Harry. While what happened in '81 was inconclusive, what happened since points smack at him. Still…having two wickedly powerful wizards is always better than only one."
"What's the rest of the Prophecy suggest?" Susan asked.
"No idea what the power the Dark Lord knows not could be," Lucinda replied. "It could mean some kind of magical ability or other source of knowledge, or another kind of ability altogether. It could also simply mean magical power. Each magical person has a maximum magical potential, one they don't reach until they grow up and even then only if they work at it. You-Know-Who was quite powerful by all accounts, although there are suggestions his vast knowledge of magic was at least as much of his magical power as his raw ability. Perhaps the One is so much more powerful magically speaking that knowledge and skill cannot overcome the difference?"
"Dumbledore told Harry that love was the power," Hermione said. "Not in the context of the Prophecy, mind you. It was back First Year after Harry had killed Quirrell. Harry couldn't explain how that happened and Dumbledore told him it was the love sacrifice of this mother and the love he is capable of. He said Voldemort does not consider love of any importance but that's what did it."
"So, Harry just has to love the Dark Wanker to death?" Katie asked. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't swing that way, Hermione."
"And it like he's been getting loads of it in life," Ginny added. "His relatives…"
"Have shown him only hate," Hermione agreed. "He had a chance last year when Sirius showed up and it looked like Sirius might be vindicated. That lasted all of an hour! It seems as if every chance he's had to learn about that has been snatched away! AND DUMBLEDORE…!"
"Harry's a nice guy," Parvati said, "but really closed up tight that way. I didn't expect much from him at the Ball, but probably more than he showed. He wouldn't open up at all."
"You would think if love is this power it would have been encouraged, not suppressed!" Hermione said.
"Unless we go back to the notion that Dumbledore wants the One controlled," Daphne added. "Everything that has happened to Harry Dumbledore could have either prevented or at least helped him with, right?"
Hermione and others nodded.
"And yet the man does worse than nothing! If Harry is the One, he should be getting ready for it, not being held back at all. I stand by my statement. I think Dumbledore considers Harry some kind of threat and is doing everything possible to keep Harry down!"
"And that means hell for us all," Lucinda said. "The rest of the Prophecy is clear enough. Only the One can defeat this Dark Lord and only the Dark Lord can defeat the One. One must kill the other. There's no way around that bit. And he who wins, wins all. But until that happens, we have a stalemate of sorts. The dark wizards cannot win nor lose and the same is true for the other side. But both sides will be quite capable of harming the rest of us. Whether it's Harry or Neville, we must bring the One into his own. The longer we wait, the more likely You-Know-Who will return and if that happens, lots of people are going to die."
"This has gone way beyond Harry and this stupid Tournament," Lisa said.
"Complaining?" Susan asked.
"Just making an observation," Lisa replied. "If anything, this tournament is now much ado about nothing in a way."
"Except it's connected somehow," Luna added. "A small piece of the puzzle, but it's a piece none the less. Whether or not Harry is the One, the fact remains he is important in the end and right now he's in danger."
"We need to get him and Neville prepared," Ginny added. "Lucinda's right in that we don't know for certain who the One is based upon that thing. Harry's got the target on his back for now. But what if it is Neville? No one's doing anything for him either."
"Fair bet Dumbledore has his hands in that as well," Tracy agreed. "We need to find a way to get the Old Man out of the picture. So long as he's playing, it's his game."
"Not much we can do here at school," Daphne said.
"Aside from helping him survive this nonsense," Marcia Robbins said speaking for the first time. "Which we're already doing through Hermione."
"But what about this summer?" Daphne added.
"Dumbledore insists he has to go back to those vile relatives," Hermione said.
"Legally speaking, what Harry does on his Hols is none of that man's concern," Susan said. "He may be acting as Harry's magical guardian, but he does not have legal custody of the lad and from what Hermione's told me I doubt Harry's relations would lose any sleep if Harry spent his summer somewhere else."
"He's spent time at the Weasleys," Hermione began.
"And that brings up other problems," Ginny said.
"Oh?"