It's been almost a month since the Battle of Hogwarts, and yet, even with that time, Harry Potter still felt an enormous amount of guilt over what had happened to many people, whether they'd been in the battle or not. In the entire year it took them to find the Horcruxes, so many people had died. It didn't help that he still felt the guilt from Sirius's death, which just built up along with the guilt he felt for Cedric's death as well.
The over-heaping of guilt on him had been weighing heavily on his heart and mind, to the point that he hadn't done what everyone expected him to do. Instead of getting back together with Ginny straight away, he barricaded himself at Grimmauld house, closing it down so no one – other than one person – could get in. The only people he interacted within the last month were Kreature, Winky – who'd he'd bonded with.
Hermione, who had spent a little over two years trying to free all house-elves, had gotten a rude awakening when Kreature, of all people, finally told her that she was just as bad as Voldemort in a way for pushing what she wanted on them, instead of bothering to listen to what they wanted themselves. The words had shocked and horrified her to hear, but her surprises weren't over, for he had then showed her a book of what happened to freed elves who didn't want to be free and didn't bond with anyone.
The facts in the book had been horrible to find out, and she was immediately hating herself for her actions during fourth and fifth year, particularly fifth year. She only forgave herself when she discovered that she had never actually freed an elf, not only because she wasn't their master, but because no other elf but Dobby had been willing to clean the tower that year. It was after reading the book and remembering Winky that Hermione told Harry he needed to bond with her, which he did in just the nick of time – she was only alive because Dobby had been taking good care of her, keeping her from drinking herself to death as she had been about to do.
Of course, that didn't mean that she stopped caring about them. When she wasn't working in the Black Library with Harry, she was working on a way to at least make life better for elves. She understood the need to bond, but the abuse some elves went through was not necessary, and she wanted that to stop. Besides, it wasn't as if there was anything other than those two things to work on.
Just like Harry, Hermione hadn't started up a romance with the person people expected her to do after the final battle. Instead, she'd, like Harry, lamented over the lives lost in the past three years, not feeling up to celebrating as others did. It was this fact, and this fact alone, that had Harry willing to have Hermione around him during this time, for he could stand to have someone cheerful about the death of Voldemort around him.
It was that fact, and that fact only, that had caused Hermione to not start up a romance with Ron, as everyone seemed to expect of her. It seemed that, unlike Harry and Hermione, who lamented over the loss of life, and hated the fame they received for helping rid of Voldemort, Ron had only mourned one person during that time. The person he mourned was his older brother Fred – and it was understandable as to why he mourned him, being related. However, what sicked the two about their former – for that was now what he was – friend, was the fact that he'd only mourned his brother for two days before he started reveling in his fame.
While it had shocked them at first, neither of the two were shocked anymore when they saw him on the cover of the Daily Prophet, telling about their adventures to the reporters, especially Marilla Parkorla, Skeeter's replacement gossip rag reporter – for Skeeter had been killed after attempting to write her usual claptrap about the wrong person. Of course, if they had to chose which reporter to deal with, they would have preferred Skeeter, for she would have torn Ron down from his high horse – she might have been a bitch, but she hated leveling anyone up to what she considered to be her level of perfection.
Marilla, however, was the daughter of a Death Eater who'd been killed during the battle of Hogwarts, and had taken an extreme turn towards writing a bad reputation to anyone who wasn't pure-blood, particularly Harry and Hermione. And, even though he'd been considered a blood traitor, Ron was pure-blood, which meant that his reputation was safe from her vicious quill. And, as Harry and Hermione learned, about half of what Ron told Marilla was a lie. If it wasn't for the fact that Marilla Parkorla had been named as a sympathizer to Voldemort, Harry and Hermione would have to deal with the world believing Marilla's words.
As it was, only a few people even got the Daily Prophet any more, trusting the Quibbler more than it. Still, the two kept getting it, if only to keep up with what was going on, for it was the only newspaper that came daily – the Quibbler only came out every two weeks, which was a bit of an improvement to it's previous circulation, but still not good enough when one wanted to know the day to day reports – Marilla's interviews aside, the Prophet did have some truer reports from other, more trustworthy reporters.
And it was that fact, and that fact only, that had Harry still getting the Prophet every morning.
After paying the owl, Harry looked through it, ignoring yet another Ron interview – though, he was slightly surprised to see, there was also an interview from Neville Longbottom, who pretty much called Ron out as being the liar that he was. For the first time since the war, Harry found himself entertained by a Prophet article, which not only brought Ron into question for all of 'his' heroic deeds, but also brought into question the neutrality of Marilla for trying to pass off a false interview as truth. Once he finished reading the article, he headed to the library, where he knew that he'd find Hermione. He brought the Prophet with him, knowing that Neville's interview would brighten her day just as much as it brightened his.
“Morning,” he stated quietly as he entered the room, nodding towards her. She nodded back. He was slightly reminded of their time in the tent, only with several differences. For one, Hermione was not nursing a broken heart of Ron – in fact, she often questioned why she had thought she had one to begin with, especially considering that she couldn't stand the way Ron was acting now, which was just a slightly more extreme version of how he'd acted in the last seven years to begin with. For another, Harry was no longer looking at the Marauder's Map every chance he got, not just because he was no longer fully attracted to Ginny,but for the fact that he had realized that, in his ruminations of the memories of doing so, he realized that he had completely ignored the fact that Ginny had visited eight different broom closets with ten different males Since there was no reason to visit a broom closet with any male other than romantic relations, Harry couldn't help but wonder why he had ignored the fact that she had basically acted like a whore.
More than that, though, was the fact that the two were actually talking to each other while doing the task they'd set up for themselves. Instead of days passing I silence with the slightest inquiry to each other, the days now passed with conversation, mostly about the books they'd find. Together, they were helping each other heal.
Like the previous days, Harry grabbed his three bags that were charmed to be extended on the inside without having any weight to them. It had been decided, when Hermione had entered the room and discovered all of the books, most of them being dark, and decided that they needed to go through them all. They had immediately gotten rid of any book with a spell on it, destroying them with the help of Kreature. Now, though, they were going through the books, deciding what to do with each book.
They had three options of what they could do. The first was that they could keep the book for themselves, as Harry decided to share them with Hermione, who would really be the one to use them the most. The second was that they could donate the book to the Hogwarts library. And, finally, the third was to destroy the books, because they were too dark to keep and too dark to give away.
Because of the size of the library, and the fact that it was certainly easier for them to do so, they each carried three bags that had expendable charms on the inside, so that they didn't have to run back and forth between them as they worked. Luckily, as Harry looked on, he discovered that they were getting closer to finishing up. He could hardy wait until that came, slightly tired of looking at the books as he was. His friendship with Ron had certainly left it's mark on him, for he no longer liked books as he used to.
They were working in silence for two hours when Hermione gasped. Harry, who had gotten distracted by a book that told him how he could trace his ancestry – which he found to be very useful, and couldn't wait to do an indepth view through it, and try out some of the spells, if possible – looked up towards her, trying to see what it was that caused her to gasp. The first thing he noticed was that there were no more books on the shelves, something that had him extremely thankful for. The second was that Hermione held a book in her hand that was actually glowing a reddish-white color.
“Oh no,” Harry muttered, afraid for his friend. “I thought we got rid of all the books that could harm us.”
He put the ancestry book into his keep bag, walking carefully over to Hermione. The only change to the book was that it glowed a brighter color, though it didn't see to do anything other than that. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he looked at he cover of the book, seeing nothing that would give him a hint of what it was.
“Turn it to the side,” he said, stupidly reaching out his own hand to do so. This turned out to be somewhat of a mistake, for the second his fingertips connected with the book, the reddish light flashed it's brightest, becoming pure white before flashing through millions of other colors. It went from green, yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, pink... Over and over, these colors flashed until they were in a dense gray.
The first thing Harry noticed, apart from their surroundings, was the fact that they were naked save for the bags they had with them. His three covered the area between his legs, while the four she had with her – for she also kept the bag used during the hunt with her at all times, as it still held everything needed if they decided to go somewhere – did the same thing. Her hair covered her chest, though just barely. Harry looked away, feeling shameful, not even one bit aroused. Hermione was practically his sister. He, unlike some other males, had no desire to see her naked like she was.
He looked around him again, purposely keeping himself from looking towards her as he tried to figure out what this place seemed familiar. He was aware of when she realized that they were naked, her squeak and back turned telling him this little fact. He noticed that there was nothing covering her bare bottom from him and he became even more determined not to look, and study where they were.
It took him a few more minutes to realize why the place seemed familiar to him. It was a lot like the place where he'd seen Dumbledore in the vision he had, when he allowed Tom to shoot the Killing Curse at him. He could tell that it wasn't exactly the same place, but it did appear a lot like it. And, if he was right...
I wish I had some clothes he thought, a pile of clothing appearing immediately. He looked over to Hermione.
“Hermione, wish for some clothes,” he told her. She made a sound, and he saw that, just like him, she had turned from him, not wanting to see his body just as he hadn't wanted to see hers. However, having heard him, she did as he had said, and she dressed into the clothes that had appeared. Once dressed, she turned to Harry.
“Where are we?” she asked. He shrugged, looking around. While it reminded him of the place he'd gone after the Killing Curse had attempted to kill him, he could already tell that it wasn't the exact place. For one, it didn't look like King's Cross to him, like it had before. And, secondly, he really didn't believe that him and Hermione were dead.
He was just about to tell Hermione what this place reminded him of, though. However, before he could say anything to her, a loud yell of 'they're here' echoed around them. They looked around, finally spotting someone – or, rather, two someones. The ones they spot were both women, very beautiful women, though different as night and day.
One of them was very tall, with a bit of heaviness to her around her chest area. She had olive toned skin, with hazel eyes, and dark red hair pulled back from her face in a fancy bun up do. She was wearing a rather pretty dress, long and red with lace detailing over a shiny looking slip, and done up in a halter style , the lace being what went up and around her neck. She looked as if she was going to some formal party. She seemed...warm, welcoming and almost glad to see them
Her companion, in comparison, was almost like a winter storm. She was smaller in statue, with the palest skin Harry had ever seen on anyone, though it wasn't unattractively pale. Her hair was blue-black, so silky looking that he could see it from where he was, and she had the bluest eyes ever. Everything she wore was black, from the tight over bust corset and leather pants to the heeled boots. She was looking at them in boredom, as if she didn't care one wit that there were there, and that she wished to be anywhere but.
“We've been waiting for you two,” said the nicer looking one, her voice smooth and kind sounding. She was immediately recognized as the one who had shouted from before.
“About fucking time they came,” the other one muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. Just as her appearance was, her voice was very different from the one. It was cold, like ice, and put both Harry and Hermione on guard, for the last person who has spoke like that ha been a psychopath who had wanted to kill them and almost everyone else, Muggle and wizard alike. The nicer one noticed their reactions.
“Oh, don't worry about her,” she said. “She's always like that.”
“I'm sorry, but, who are you?” Harry asked, still on guard, never letting his eyes leave the bored looking one. “And where are we?”
The two women looked at each other, as if just realizing that they hadn't introduced themselves yet, nor given Harry or Hermione any clue as to where they were, or why they were even there.
“You first,” muttered the cold one, hanging back as the nicer one walked closer to the two. Chairs then appeared, comfortable ones, and the one who had walked over to them motioned for them to sit, taking a seat herself. The bored looking one did the same, her seat just slightly back from the other one. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes, and sat down, though their bodies were rather tense.
“Okay, first off, where you are is what's known as an in-between world,” the nicer one said. “There are quite a few of them. This particular one is the one between your world, and my particular world, which is actually just a small part of another world. As for who we are, I am Helena, the Goddess of Love.”
“But that –“ Hermione started to say, only to be cut off by Helena.
“ '– can't be possible'?” Helena said, finishing what Hermione was about to say. “Trust me, I know what my true name is. It's the people in your world, such as the bards and story tellers who always get my name wrong. It's that way for all gods and goddesses. They tend to go by what sounds the best for their stories and all. Not to say that I've never used those names before. When you live long like we do, you tend to gain a use for the names they call you. So long as I don't use the name somewhere that people call me that, I'm fine.
“As for my partner here, she's Trystelianna, or Tryst as most of us call her. I'll let her tell you who she is exactly.”
She turned expectantly to Tryst, who rolled her eyes.
“I'm not saying it right now,” she said. “With how tense our guests are, I have no doubt that they'll become even tenser once they know, and I don't want to scare them until after your done.”
Helena apparently didn't like that answer, for Harry noticed her give Tryst a look that seemed to say 'tell them now, or I will.” Tryst sighed, rolling her eyes at Helena.
“Do you really think it's a good idea to tell them, especially with how they are?” she asked. Helena nodded her head. “Fine. I'm the Goddess of Death, or, rather, Angel of Death. Either title is right for me. As for why I'm here, you'll find out the answer to that after Helena explains why she's here. You will also find out why you're here as well.”
The look she gave Helena as she said that made it clear that she wouldn't be budging on that little matter, no matter what she did. Helena sighed. Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione both exchanged slightly fearful glances, gulping. What could be so important that both Goddesses of Love and Death wanted to speak with them for? While they weren't as nervous with dealing with the Goddess of Love, the Goddess of Death, on the other hand, was making them extremely nervous. They wondered if one or both of them had been meant to die, and she was planning on fulfilling that action. Or perhaps they were being punished for the deaths of so many others. Or...
They stopped there as they realized that none of their thoughts accounted for Helena being there, and their confusion began anew.
Helena, seeing the look Tryst gave her, just sighed, then turned to the two who were still lost in their thoughts.
“Don't mind her,” she stated, breaking them out of their thoughts and causing Tryst to scowl at her. “She just loves to scare people.”
“Now,” Helena stated, waving her hand, causing several comfy chairs and a table complete with a tea set on it to appear. There were also the usual trappings for a formal tea party, such as small cakes and thinly cut sandwiches. Helena motioned for the two to take a seat, which they did, rather hesitantly. “Don't be afraid, neither of us have any plans of killing you two, and eating this food won't do anything to you. I give you my word, on my own honor, that I'm not lying to you.”
They nodded and, still hesitantly, each took a cup of the tea Helena poured out, as well as a sandwich – or, in Harry's case, one of the little cakes. A few moments went by as they ate their treats, sipping the tea politely while doing so. After they had their fill, and were mostly drinking tea just to be polite, Helena began speaking once again.
“Now, I'm sure that you're probably wondering what I'm doing here? I mean, you probably come up with several ideas on why Tryst is here, but myself?” she stated. “After all, any other god or goddess would probably be better than me, so why me? Why the goddess of love?”
Hermione and Harry both nodded. Now that she had brought it up, they couldn't deny that they were wondering about it. After all, while their love lives weren't going so great at the moment, there was no doubt that Harry and Ginny would be picking right back up where they'd left off, once Ginny was done mourning for Fred. Of course, Hermione knew that she could probably use some help, since there was no way she and Ron would be picking up on their relationship at all – Ron's selfish actions made sure of that, while the crush she had on him had faded with the one kiss they'd shared, which was far from being even close to mind blowing, which was what she had been expecting. Everything with him, so far, had pointed to them being anything but compatible.
“I'll tell you why I'm here: to right the wrongs in your love lives, especially for you, Harry, as you, Hermione, have already figured out that you are not meant to be with Ron,” Helena said, leaning back slightly in her chair to get more comfortable. Harry couldn't help but be confused about what was wrong with his love life. Though Ginny had acted like a whore, Harry couldn't just drop her completely, as they weren't together at the time, and she was allowed to be with anyone she wanted during that point. And he had made a promise that he would get back with her, once Voldemort was gone. Just because it hadn't happened yet didn't mean that it never would.
“Now, I know that I've probably more than confused you right now – I'm sorry about that,” Helena continued, looking between the two of them, “but I wouldn't be here telling you all this if it wasn't important. And it is, very important.
“The first thing you should know, Harry, that the reason why I say this is because you were dosed a subtle but rather strong love potion that was administered to you in your fifth year. It started out in small doses, but your magic is strong, strong enough to burn completely through the potion before it could take effect at all. After you first kissed Miss Chang and it became known that you had, a larger dose of this potion was given to you, which, while also burned away by your magic, still did cause some effect towards you.
“Then, realizing this, the person dosing you turned to another potion, one that was to take any bit of love one felt for them, however dim, and expand it. Your magic didn't burn though this potion like the previous one, but, as Miss Genevra Weasley – “ and here, Helena had to hold up a hand to stop the two from interrupting, for they had immediately began to sputter out a denial that Ginny would ever do something like that. Helena waited a few moments before they finally stopped, then began talking again.
“Now, as I was saying, as Miss Genevra Weasley discovered, the only love you held for her was family love – you thought of her as a sister, Harry, much like you do Miss Granger here. That, of course, didn't have the best reaction for her, and she switched back to the previous potion, while also reading up on it. When she read about the part on how a powerful witch or wizard couldn't be effected by normal doses of certain potions because their magic would detect and rid of it, she realized what her problem was.
“After doing that, but also knowing what she did now, Ginny changed her game plan a bit. While she still continued to dosed you with the love potion, bringing it to an amount that would actually be extremely dangerous if your magic wasn't burning most of it all, she also added three other potions to it, especially after learning that your magic wouldn't let it effect you in any dose after a while – basically, you'd build an immunity to it, which would ruin her plans as you wouldn't be able to feel the love for her that she wanted.
“And so, the other three were added in addition to the first one. The first to be added was specific jealousy potion, one that would cause you to be crazy jealous of anyone that was able to do whatever she specified it for – as she specified that you would be jealous of any male she was with and you caught holding hands, hanging out, or kissing, among other things, it was easy for it to work on you.
“Once you were specifically jealous of her boyfriend at the time, she added the potion that found any bit of love in you and expanded it to your group of potions already being given to you. This time, though, the result she wanted was what she got, as your exposure with the jealousy potion had you confused, and your mind automatically began believing that the reason for the jealousy was because you felt something for her, which, with the love potion itself, caused your heart to believe it as well. The Love Expanding Potion, as it's called, took that feeling and did as it was meant to, expanded it until you believed you truly were in love with her. By the time this happened, well, she could take you off of most of the potions – she made sure to keep you on the Love Expanding Potion, though, so that the feeling wouldn't fade.”
“That's why she suddenly started dating Dean Thomas, isn't it?” Harry said. “He was in our house, close enough that the relationship would be kind of in our face with it.”
“Exactly,” Helena stated. “You didn't blink an eye with the others, and, when she started choosing her next boyfriend, she knew that she'd need him to be somewhat close to you. It's quite disgusting how she used him, but then, that didn't matter one bit to her, just so long as she got what she wanted, which was you.
“As for the final potion, well, that one had nothing to do with love and being keyed to her. Instead, it was keyed to Hermione here, and meant to keep any feelings you had for her from growing. If you had any such feeling of love, it would turn to disgust. It was also supposed to make you feel less like spending time with her – unfortunately for Ginny, your magic burned most of that potion off as well, so the latter never really happened.
“As for you, Hermione, you too were given several potions during that time as well. It's why you felt a need to be around the Weasley family so much over your own family, to the point of canceling the skiing trip with your parents. I should mention that Ginny also did her best to seem more normal around you and speak to you more, as it would hopefully make it appear more natural when you started falling for her – truthfully, the only reason why you didn't think there was a love potion on you was because of the fact that she had done that, and quite a bit of time had gone by the time you suddenly began becoming jealous and wanted her.
“And, in case your wondering, the reason why you were able to 'smell' her in the cauldron that was full of Amortentia is because, by that time, the potions had definitely begun to work on you. Due to the fact that that they were all keyed to her in a way, Amortentia scents would mimic something of hers on you because of that fact. The only good thing was that she didn't use that to try and get you, as it's known to be the most powerful love potion for a reason – it only needs one dose keyed to someone for it to be able to last for a year, and no one's magic can really burn it off from themselves.
“Of course, if you're not given a dose keyed to someone, it can actually act as an antidote to many love potions, including every single one you were on. It would have helped you feel clear minded, as well as show you who you were actually meant to be with, but since no one will actually let that fact be known, it's not surprising that you wouldn't have checked to do it.
“And now, it's time for you, Hermione. I'm pretty sure you can already figure out what's happened towards yourself,” Helena said, turning towards her.
“Ginny dose me with the same things, only keyed towards Ron,” Hermione said. “And I most likely was keyed towards Harry for the only non-love or -jealousy potion, the way he was for me.”
“Correct,” Helena stated. “It was slightly worse for you, though. See, like with Harry, she learned that your magic had burned off the first love potion she gave you geared towards her brother. However, she also learned that you are are at least ten times more powerful than Harry, meaning that your doses had to be even higher, and more concentrated. Do you remember that lotion she gave you? She poured every bit of the potion she planned on giving you in it, allowing it to be absorbed through your skin instead of drunken, which actually increased how much your body took of it.
“She also, however, decided to do the jealousy potion keyed to her brother as well, and it was here that she went wrong about it. The potion doses were too high for you. She assumed that, because of your power, it would need to be the same amount, and, while your magic did burn off a bit of it, it was too much since you were still being dosed with the other potion, which your magic thought of as the bigger threat.
“And you can't deny that she didn't do this to you, either, as your sixth year at the school can attest to,” Helena said, pausing to take a sip of tea. She looked back up at Hermione. “Tell me, why, after five years of telling Harry that he needed to do better in all of his classes, would you get so mad and jealous of him when he beings to do better at potions, even if it was better than you were doing? And you can't say it was because he wasn't doing it by the book, because if you had bothered looking at the book version of potions you did in the previous years, you would have noticed that some of the potions in the book matched the ingredients that Professor Snape had you brew the years before, a fact that would have brought you to figuring out that he was the half-blood prince sooner than it actually did.”
Hermione looked down, feeling ashamed. It was the truth, after all – before sixth year had let out, she had found herself in the Room of Lost Things, and had gone looking for the book for some reason. She wasn't sure why; she had felt as though it was calling to her, though. Once she had found it and taken it, she had mostly forgotten it until the day she'd began looking for the theory on Memory charms. She had spent only five minutes reading one of the first potions in the book – one they'd done first year, in fact – when she noticed there was something familiar with the instructions. When she looked at her copy of the book, she was surprised to realize that the instructions were different than how they'd done the potion back in first year. A quick look through the rest of it showed her the fact that she had been a completely and total idiot to Harry.
“It wasn't just the book, though,” Harry suddenly said, looking over to her. “You were rather inconsistent about everything that year. I mean, you even confounded MacLaggen, despite the fact that it was a form of cheating. And it didn't even bother you to do it either. And yet, simply using the book that simply had some notes that made the potions I did better did? I should have realized then that something was wrong, especially with the way you were acting with me. You'd never acted that way before, and yet you were suddenly doing so. That was such a big clue that I don't know how I missed it.”
“I'll tell you how: distraction,” Helena said. “Ginny wasn't working alone in all of this. While she had done the potion planning and making, her brother Ronald Weasley was helping make sure the two of you got dosed as directed and didn't pay attention to each other enough to realize that something was wrong. And he did it brilliantly, too, with minimal effort. His getting with Lavender Brown was for the same reason that Ginny got with Dean. You both were so tied up with being jealous of the two that neither of you thought it was strange about the fact that the other was jealous.”
“But why? Why would Ron and Ginny do it?” Harry asked.
“For a number of reasons. Were you aware of the fact that your first meeting with Ron was a set up?” Helena asked him. He shook his head, confused. “What do you remember about your first meeting with the Weasleys?”
Harry thought for a moment. “I was beginning to panic after my aunt and uncle had just left me there. I couldn't find the platform, and had been wondering if I should get my wand out and start tapping the barrier between platforms nine and ten. However, before I did that, I overheard Mrs. Weasley speaking, and something she said caught my interest, so I continued to listen to them before finally asking her about the platform,” he said.
“What was it that caught your attention?” Hermione asked him.
“Well, the first thing was that she mentioned that the station was packed with Muggles, in a rather loud voice, before she started asking her kids what the platform number was,” Harry said. Hermione gasped. “What?” he asked. Hermione turned to Helena.
“It was a set up, wasn't it?” she asked. Helena nodded her head, while Harry looked confused. Seeing his look, Hermione sighed.
“Harry, why would Molly be talking about Muggles in a loud voice, when there was a chance that they'd hear her? Sure, she'll speak about them when in an area populated by them, but she always does it quietly. Yet, the first you met her, she doesn't do that? That suggests that she did it in hopes that a certain person, you, were listening. They must've somehow known that you would be there on the Muggle side of the station. Plus, she's gone to the platform almost four times every school year, for everyone of her children before Ron started, and she went there when she was in school, and the platform has always been nine and three-quarters. Yet, the one time you're there, she suddenly forgets it, just that once, while remembering it every year afterward? No, that suggests a set up. Someone wanted you to know the Weasleys before you got onto the train,” Hermione said. “I'm just not sure of who did it.”
“Exactly,” Helena chimed in, wanting to go back to her explanations of everything. “While it wasn't actually done in hopes of you actually becoming friends with them – they didn't know who you were, just that they'd been asked to just help you, it was still a set up. And, in truth, that was just the first problem that has pretty much ruined your love lives – well, yours, Hermione, seeing how the one Harry is supposed to be with wasn't quite at school yet. See, Hagrid was supposed to inform you of where the platform was, but he forgot to when he realized just how late it had gotten – though, as you didn't open your ticket just then, you are partially at fault as well.
“Anyway, after reporting to Dumbledore, in which he then remembered that he hadn't told you how to get onto the platform, Dumbledore asked Molly to be on the lookout for you, simply telling her to watch out for a young, green-eyed boy who'd have a snowy owl – for Hagrid had mentioned getting that for you – and would most likely look lost. He hadn't even planned on doing it originally, having another idea in mind for getting you to meet the Weasleys – you were right about someone wanting them to meet, Hermione, but just mistaken about what the first meeting actually was. But when he found out that Hagrid hadn't told you the information you really needed, he changed his plans, which was something he actually believe was for the best after seeing you at upon your arrival at Hogwarts.
“If Hagrid had remembered what he was to do, you would have met and had help from Hermione's soul mate instead of the twins, and then would have met Hermione herself not very long afterward, as she had actually arrived two minutes after you did – if your uncle hadn't taken so long in 'helping' you, you could have easily gone through the barrier together. Of course, you could have still gotten help from Hermione's soul mate, but that was a very slim chance, as the twins had noticed you watching the family before hand, and had decided to play a prank on you. It was only your scar that distracted them from that endeavor. Still, they ended up helping you, and you didn't meet Hermione's soul mate or Hermione as you were supposed to. As it was, because the twins were the ones who'd helped you, and were too busy staring at you, Hermione just passed by you, and didn't even get to glimpse her soul mate, because he hadn't noticed that she needed help with her trunk – instead, Neville actually helped her when she found a place to sit, which was how they came to know each other.
“However, even with this change, I still did my best to find a way to get you to meet your soul mate, Hermione. I also tried to do my best to get you two to become friends sooner rather than when you actually did. If you had become friends sooner, it would have saved you two a lot of trouble, not just in that department, but in some of the events that you went through. You two were kindred spirits, both having no idea how to really react around others, and not used to having friends. At the very least, it would have definitely helped both of you, especially you, Hermione.”
Hermione, knowing what it was that she was talking about, suddenly looked down. She never told anyone about her thoughts and feelings before she'd met Harry. Harry, looking confused, looked at her, wondering what was going on. What did Helena mean, it would have definitely helped Hermione? What, exactly, was it that his friendship would have impacted upon Hermione's life so much?
“Hermione?” he said questioning, his tone indicating that he really wished to know what it was that Helena was talking about. Hermione sighed, knowing that she needed to tell him, and knowing that he wouldn't take it well – it would hurt him a bit to hear it. Still, she got the sense that Helena would probably tell him herself, and Harry deserved to hear it from her, instead.
“What she means is that, before going to Hogwarts, I was in the same boat as you. I had no friends, people teased me, and I was the victim of many bullies. The difference was that I didn't have a cousin making my life hell. Instead, the fact that I loved to read was the reason for it. What your cousin and his friends did to you, was how the other kids treated me. It wasn't unusual to me fore someone to throw stones at me, or take my books and rip them up or throw them into the mud. They especially loved it when I ended up in tears, did everything they could to get that end result. I was even beat up by a group for no reason other than 'I was simply there'. I ended up in the hospital because of that attack, and the ones who'd done it got away with it, because I couldn't identify them all, and the ones that I was able to do so had 'alibis'.
“It was only my accidental magic, which was extreme, even beyond what yours had been , that the attack didn't happen again. But, well, the fact that I could do something like that made me even more of a freak to others, and it took the teasing to a whole new level, though they never touched me again – I don't know what I did, but they were afraid, I knew that for a fact. Because of all this, I did my everything I could to disappear into a book, and I had so much time on my hands that I began to get into doing my homework a lot, and developed a semi-photographic mind because of it.
“And then...My Hogwarts letter came, and I was so excited. Finally, I had something telling me that what I'd done didn't make me a freak, but a witch, and that there were others like me. I bought all of the school books they said to buy, but I wanted to know about this new world, so I also bought several others for background reading, and I memorized them so that I would be able to fit in better. However, because of I'd been bullied so much, I wasn't quite sure how to make friends, and none of the books I bought could actually help me in that endeavor. I also learned that, magical or not, people were the same no matter what. They'd be resentful if you were better than them in certain circumstances, and, in this world, with the fact that blood was all that mattered was also added onto this as well, and, well, blood isn't something which is easily changed.
“I still tried to make friends, though. I went about it the wrong way, but I did try. I know that you probably thought I was an idiot with how I kept trying to be your friend, especially whenever I tried to keep you from breaking the rules. I did that because my parents and the teachers at my primary school were the ones I looked up to due to the fact that they'd always protect me, and so I got a healthy respect for rules from them.
“However, it finally became too much, especially when Ronald spurned my attempts to help him and then mentioned, right when I was behind you guys, that no one could stand me. When everyone laughed at that, including you, it felt as though something broke inside of me. I mean, while I suspected that you didn't actually consider me as a friend, I thought that, at the very least, you tolerated me. To then have the fact that you didn't even do that thrown in my face, all because I had tried to help me, and then just did what he challenged me to do...
“I couldn't take it anymore. The hurt I'd felt at that, along with how my life had been before Hogwarts, had me loosing control of my emotions, which I had done everything I could in the past to control after the attack on me so that I didn't give the bullies any satisfaction of knowing they'd gotten to me. As you know, I spent the rest of the day in the bathroom, crying my eyes out and ignoring the few who tried to get me out. What you don't know is that part of the reason why they'd failed was because when I asked if they liked me at all, they all stopped speaking, and then left. That hurt just as much as well, and, well, I eventually decided, as I calmed down, that I'd obviously made a mistake in coming to Hogwarts. I was planning on leaving to tell Professor McGonagall this when I saw the troll. I was so startled by the sight that I couldn't help the scream that bubbled from my throat.”
Hermione then laughed humorlessly at that moment. “I was frightened of it, but, did you know that, despite that, there was a part of me that was hoping that it would succeed in killing me?”
Harry looked horrified by the utterance of that confession. He felt sick and disgusted with himself as well. Here he was, listening to someone whom he had valued as both a friend and considered to be his sister confess how it had been those first three months of school. What made it worse for him was the fact that she'd been in the same cast as he'd been before Hogwarts – friendless and alone – and, instead of attempting to realize this fact, or even accept her strange attempts at becoming friends with her, he had just considered her to be a busybody, and wished she'd just leave him alone and stop butting into his business.
Guilt racked through him as he recalled the fact that he had continued to ignore her even when he'd noticed that she never really had anyone around her actually talking to her, and that she was more often than not alone in the common room. He hadn't even bothered to assume that she didn't have any friends, sure that, just because he never saw then, she did have friends, a fact that he felt justified in making due to the fact that she didn't seem to fit in with the other Gryffindors. He had just assumed that they were in another house.
Knowing that she was hoping to die when the troll had come was a blow to his heart; he could have lost someone very special to his heart had he not gone to find her after the troll roaming the castle was announced. How would he had lived if he hadn't gone after the troll as he had? How would he feel if he'd learned of her death, aware of the fact that Ron would have been partially at fault for it because his callous words had been the reason why she was in the bathroom to begin with? The reminder of the fact that he'd laughed when Ron had said what he'd said sent even more guilt running through him. How could he have sunk so low as to do something that was a move worthy of Dudley?
And how was it that he had actually missed that she was still friendless? Even if he could justify the fact in the common room, outside, he should have noticed it when outside of the common room, when most of the school was pretty much together all the time. There, he truly couldn't assume that she did have friends, because anyone who looked would realize she didn't. Yet, he didn't look. Why didn't he look?
It didn't take him long to figure out the answer to that question.
Ron. Ron Weasley was why he had never noticed this. He had been so happy to finally have a friend that he had ignored the fact that Ron tended to do everything possible to make sure that Harry's attention was always on him. Whenever Harry had seemed to let his attention drift from Ron, Ron had always called it back to him. Harry then remembered how Ron hadn't cared for the fact that Hermione could have ended up hurt back in first year. It had only been Harry's insistence that they go warn her, an insistence that consisted of Harry pulling Ron with him, that he'd even bothered to be there to help.
At that moment, he could see a part of what it was that had Helena so disliking of Ron.
Harry opened his mouth, about to apologize to Hermione – for everything he'd done before they'd become friends – when she started to speak once again.
“And then, of course, you came to the rescue, like a knight in shining white armor, and the fact that you had done so, that you seemed to actually care what happened to me, warmed my heart right up. I lost all thoughts of wishing it would kill me, and I thought you were so brave...
“When it was knocked out and the teachers came in, I was slightly panicked. I didn't want to loose you as a friend so quickly by letting them know that you had come after me for what, at the time, seemed like no reason at all, as I didn't know about the troll when you came after me, which was a perfectly good reason that I didn't think of at the time due to my panicking. So I lied to them, telling them that I'd gone after the troll, and that you'd noticed and followed, saving me because I was being arrogant.
“Did you know that, after you did that, I owed you a life debt. And, before you even thing to try and correct me, it was to you, not Ronald, despite what he may have thought. You were the one who had wanted to come after me, not Ron. You were the one who had been in the most danger, not Ron. Most importantly, though, was the fact that it was Ron who had, while unintentionally as he couldn't have known about the troll, been the reason why I had been in danger in the first place, not you. The fact that, though unintentionally, his actions had put me in danger and caused the need for a rescue canceled out any chance of him having a debt from me. And it's not the only debt I have to you, either. I have two life debts to you, one for that, and the other for third year.”
Harry was slightly amazed at the fact that she knew that, and was actually surprised to discover this. Then, he managed to pick up the bit about Ronald.
“What do you mean, despite what Ron may have thought?” Harry asked her. She scowled as she recalled the memory.
“About a week after that happened, while you were at Quidditch practice, Ron came up to me and demanded that I let him copy my essay and write a new one. When I refused, he got all mad at me, said I had to, that I owed him a life debt, and that he'd be making use of it by having me do his homework. He said it in such an official voice, like, “I, Ronald Weasley, do hear by call upon the life debt owed to me by Hermione Granger. I demanded that it be paid by her doing all my homework for so long as we're in school here at Hogwarts. So mote it be.' Then, he told me to give my essay to him so that he could copy it. I curse him, told him to go to hell, and packed up, much to his surprise. I then looked for information about life debts, read it, and then, when he demanded that I do it again because of the life debt I 'owed' to him, I informed him that I didn't, because it was due to him that I'd been in danger, and that cancels out any possibility of a life debt being owed.
“He was so pissed after that, but then you came, and he had to swallow his anger. Of course, that's when he started to do all of his arguments with me about, well, everything he said, which was even worse than before we became friends. It's also when he started to do everything to drive a wedge between us – ever notice that he tended not to want to play with me if you were available and tended to talk about things that grabbed your attention, but I didn't care much about? That was because he was trying to exclude me,” she said.
Harry frowned at that, having not noticed it. Of course, he did remember how happy Ron had seemed when he'd agreed to exclude Hermione after both the broomstick episode and the how down he'd been when they'd made up. He had quickly hidden it, but Harry did remember him having been like that. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about that fact.
“Yes well, you guys still became friends after the troll incident, so I didn't really feel all that worried anymore. You two were finally friends, so I could rest on that end,” Helena said, taking back the show. “In the meantime, though, I started working on trying to get you to meet your soul mate, Hermione. However, each time, someone kept interrupting, mostly Ron who, after he stopped demanding to copy your work, started asking you to at least proofread it, which you did a little too well at first, though you eventually tone it down a you realized that you were overdoing it. However, because Ron kept interrupting any of my plans, I decided to wait until next year to do it. I figured, considering that I had somewhat of an idea of what was going to happen, I could make it happen without having to worry about Ron interrupting.”
Helena shook her head.
“Unfortunately, something changed. Neither of you met your soul mates, as you were supposed to, and, at first, I didn't understand why it hadn't worked. Of course, as I wasn't paying attention like I should, I didn't realized what went wrong until I looked it over much later. I did take into account Dobby, as well as the way the Weasley's were going to go through, but, originally, you were to have gone before Mr. Weasley, as you wouldn't have been in such a hurry and only Ron would have been left on the platform, as he would have been distracted by something, and Dobby wouldn't have been able to close the gate in time before you'd gone through. What I didn't take into account was the fact that Malfoy had changed his mind about who he gave the diary to. Originally, he planned on giving it the first student in first year he saw, who would have been Luna Lovegood, in truth.
“However, when he saw the Weasleys arrive, he changed his mind, his rivalry with the man causing him to want to do something that would ruin him. His daughter being caught doing something to Muggleborns would have been the prefect cause for him to have the protection act that Arthur was trying to get past to be shut down, in his mind, at least. Truthfully, if she had been caught, the act itself would have actually been pushed through with more fevor than it originally was, and it would have indeed become a law, one that Malfoy would have been unable to avoid going to jail because of the fact that those who would have been in charge of dealing the those who broke that law would have been people who couldn't be bribed to ignore his activities, and would have forced-fed truth potion down his throat if they suspected him to be lying, which those in charge would have suspected. So, if it had gone the way he wanted, it would have screwed him up so badly.
“Anyway, as I'm sure you can figure out, I was unable to push you into going to your soul mates. And mostly because of the fact that Ginevra Weasley happened to get the diary. She practically ruined everything. And you want to know, something, Hermione? You would have never been petrified if things had gone the way they were supposed to go. In truth, if things had gone the way they were supposed to go, then you would have been able to tell Harry what the monster was, figured out where the chamber was, and who was controlling the Basilisk before school almost ended.
“However, because Ginevra considered you to be a threat to her plans of securing Harry's affections, you were the one petrified. She had figured out who it was that had been petrifying everyone, and, while horrified, seeing how close you two were just set something off in her. She had no guilt in suggesting that you'd be the one petrified next, even demanded it, in fact. She figured that it was unlikely that anyone would even think that it might not actually be an accident, and had actually hoped for more than a petrification. Of course, when she realized what Tom was actually doing, and upon you rescuing her – and, therefore, knowing that you knew about Tom – she saw a perfect way out of being blamed for Hermione's petrification.”
Hermione and Harry looked disgusted over hearing that, as well as pissed at the fact that they'd had done just as Ginevra thought they would do, and not even think about the fact that it may not have been all Tom. Harry realized that he hadn't thought about it because Tom had taken the credit of attacking Hermione, but then, thinking about it again, he remembered how Tom had been more interested in finding out the answers to his questions he wanted to know, over bragging about the attacks, save for brief mentions of them.
Hermione, however, was wondering how she hadn't noticed the girl's dislike of her, and was feeling a bit sad to know that her one female friend hadn't actually been much of a friend. She wondered if Ginevra actually had been that good at hiding her true nature from everyone, then wondered how the little bitch hadn't been sorted into Slytherin, where she obviously belonged.
Helena, knowing what Hermione was thinking, said,” You didn't notice it because you weren't around her enough. You were also trying to emulate her mother a bit too much to actually pay much attention to her – which, my dear, was not a good thing, because Molly Weasley is just as two-faced as her youngest children are. Ginevra was pretty good at hiding her true nature from everyone, and she had Dumbledore's help in getting into Gryffindor, since Dumbledore was all for Ginevra becoming Harry's wife. As headmaster, he could influence where the hat put people. The only way he couldn't do that was if an heir of the founders was at the school, and knew of their position as such. Then, the heirs would have power to chose where someone went.”
“That sounds as though it would have been handy to have,” Harry said.
“Yes, it does,” Hermione agreed.
“Well, I can't help you with the heir situation,” Helena said. “But, anyway, we now come to your third year. Nothing I did was able to get you around your soul mate that year, Harry, though I did manage to get you around yours, Hermione. However, because of your schedule, you ignored my signs, though he didn't actually give up on her. He, at the very least, got the signs enough that he tried to get with you. You just happened to ignore all of his attempts to doing so, though, to be fair, he didn't do anything too obvious to make you realize him. Of course, that's mostly because he didn't think that you were interested in him, and afraid of rejection. He may have had confidence, but not even the most confident guy can swallow the fear of rejection.
“As for you, Harry, you let Ron dictate your actions way too much that year. First, while you had a right to be upset at Hermione for going behind your back, you had no right to be mad and not speak to her simply because you didn't have a broom that, in all honesty, would become worthless after a certain amount of time anyway. Your reaction was like Ron's illogical one, all because the broom was the newest broom available. And you were an idiot to assume that, just because it was perfect broom, no one would even dare to curse it. Truthfully, Lucius Malfoy had actually been planning on anonymously buying you a Firebolt after hearing news about your Nimbus's encounter with the Whomping Willow, and he did plan on cursing it. If Hermione hadn't been willing to have you mad at her like she was, and Sirius not gotten the broom for you and it not circled around the school that you had it, the first time you'd rode it, you would have killed yourself.
“You should be thanking her for doing what she did, as it is the only way for you to know the truth. Not only that, but you should know that she would rather have you mad at her and never wanting to speak to her again, than have you dead, unlike Ronald, who wouldn't have cared. Not even Ginevra would have cared all that much – the only thing she would have cared about would have been the loss of her chance to not only shine in the light as your 'wife' but also the fact that she wouldn't have been able to get to your money, which are really the only two things she wanted the most.
“Anyway, you, Hermione, ignored your soul mate, and, no matter what I did, I just could not get you to meet yours, Harry, mostly thanks to that walking stomach that was almost always with you. Worst than that, though, was the fact that you, Hermione, started wondering of you and Ronald, of all people, would go good together around that time. It wasn't an obvious thought, just a subconscious one, but I still wished I could do more than I did. I tried to show you how incompatible you were with the worthless oaf, though I couldn't do my more obvious than to speak to your cat, Crookshanks, to do so. He and I have a special rapport.
“Didn't you ever wonder why Crookshanks couldn't stand Ron? How could you even think to be with someone who hated your cat straight from the beginning, and hated him? It should have been a big clue when Crookshanks liked Harry straight from the back, but not Ron, especially after seeing the way he acted towards Ron after Pettigrew was discovered. While it wasn't as bad, your cat still did things Ron hated, and still didn't care for him.
“And fourth year...I can't blame either of your for that one – or, rather, I can't really blame you, Hermione. You, Harry, I do blame. You were so hung up about Cho Chang that you refused to even bother looking at another. Not only that, but when you couldn't go to the dance with her and took Parvati Patil, you were completely rude to her, and pretty much exclusively hung out with Ron – in case your wondering, the only reason why Cho even decided to become Cedric's girlfriend when their friends pressured them into it, was because she didn't think you were available. Everyone believed, especially after the second task, that you are Ron were a couple and that the reason for her lack of at least making the evening enjoyable for Parvati was because you were mad that you couldn't be there with him.”
Harry's mouth opened wide in disbelief. People – Cho included – thought he was what? He felt horrified at the fact. He had thought of Ron as his best friend, nothing more. However, apparently, because of his actions concerning Ron, people had gotten the wrong idea.
“There were some who even thought that Ginevra was nothing more than your beard, being that she was his sister and looked like him to a point, something that could easily be seen. I mean, even without the uniform's unflattering design of not outlining a girl's attributes, the fact that she wasn't all that well endowed anyway had people just assuming that you were with her because you couldn't be with Ron. When they heard that you'd broken up with her, well, they assumed that you'd done it because not even she – with her likeness to Ron – could hold your attention.
“Anyway, as for you, Hermione, you weren't at fault all that much for not getting with your soul mate. He was, in that he waited a bit too long before asking you to the dance, and ended up asking a friend of his there instead when he overheard you agreeing to go with Krum. He figured that, for that year, you were off limits, and that he'd try again the next year,, though he did spin a bit of a bad web while waiting for his chance with you. Of course, as you well know how that year ended, well... Let's just say that several lives were ruined.
“I stopped trying to get Hermione with her soul mate, mostly because I had been rather focused on her that I had been neglecting you, Harry. So, fifth year, I started trying to push you together with your soul mate...and wasn't able to. You pretty much ignored me – of course, the fact that, with the soul fragment in you, I had to be careful, because it wouldn't do for Riddle to know whom you were supposed to be with – and, because of that, went on a disastrous date with Cho. By the way, why did you think it would be a good idea to go out with her? I mean, seriously, her boyfriend had only just died several months before. She hadn't gotten over mourning. Add in the fact that you were the last person to see him alive, and, well, it's obvious that she wasn't going out with you to go out with you. I'm not saying you two wouldn't have been good together for a while, but that was a bad time to start dating her.
“Anyway, I've already explained sixth year to you, about how Ginevra had used the potions on you. Of course, before she upped them, I would like to point out, Harry, that I would have done what I did with Hermione, showing that you and her were incompatible. However, the little bitch who was determined to get you that she was, it was impossible to do so. Ginevra would always change anything that looked as though you wouldn't go good together, making it appear as though you two were perfect for each other.
“You weren't, of course – only your soul mate was perfect for you. Truthfully, if you hadn't been doused in love potions as you were, you would have been drawn to your soul mate within weeks of meeting her. And, you, Hermione, well, in all honesty, you were so concerned with your school work and homework, going overboard with it, that you refused to see anything other than it. Even when you agreed to go with Krum, you barely gave him attention outside of the Yule Ball.”
Hermione flushed at the reminder, knowing that Helena was right.
Helena sighed, shaking her head, then placed her tea cup onto the table and stood up. “However, that's neither here nor there. While I was given permission to speak to you about your ignoring of your love lives, your purpose here was not specifically because I needed you. I was mostly just allowed to badger you about your choices in love and how you were ignoring me – and I will admit, I take great pleasure at yelling at you for this fact.”
Helena giggled a bit after saying that, unable to help doing so.
“Wait, if we're not here for you, then what is our purpose here?” Hermione said. “And why have you deliberately been vague about who our soul mates are, keeping them a secret from us?”
Helena smiled mysteriously. “I have kept who your soul mates are a secret because why you are here. You will understand once Tryst here explains it to you,” she said, walking over to where the other goddess stood. Tryst rolled her eyes as she stepped forward, taking the seat that Helena had just vacated. The difference between the two was startling. Whereas Helena had emanated a warm aura, seemingly welcoming towards them, Tryst was the opposite. Cold seemed to seep from her very presence, her expression closed and indifference, and the two couldn't help but squirm in their seats as she sat down.
“All right, now that Helena's done chewing you two out,” she said, her voice still icy sounding, “it's my turn. In truth, why I'm here will help explain the purpose of you being here, so I would suggest that you not interrupt too much. “You're here because of the mess you caused within the last year, specifically within the part of realm that I deal with – as in, death. The problem is that too many people who weren't scheduled to die did, while quite a few who were didn't. See, while I don't have a 'have to be followed to the letter' list written down, I do have somewhat of one. And when a bunch of deaths happen out of order I don't like it. I get especially angry when these deaths happen because someone who was supposed to die instead didn't. It even annoys me somewhat when a death happen the wrong way because of this fact.”
Harry and Hermione looked a bit guilty over hearing that it was the last year that had caused this problem. However, while they could see that they did have some blame, They couldn't see how that had all the blame on them, like Tryst seemed to be suggesting. She noticed this fact.
“The blame on you is small, though huge at the same time. The problem is that you both refused to do the right thing during the war, which is killing any of the threats you came across. You refused to do more than Stunners and calm curses against them, refusing to truly put them down like the mad dogs that they were,” Tryst said.
“But if we had killed them, wouldn't it had made us just as bad as they were?” Hermione interrupted.
“One of the first things you should realize is that, in a war, morals like that don't do you any good,” Tryst said. “People are going to die, no matter what you do. What you should have asked is if it's alright to let an obvious murder be allowed to roam free or put them down like the worthless dogs they are, with your answer being the latter. Did you know that, by letting them roam free as you did, you were allowing them to kill again” Every person whose life they ended after you let them lived, is blood on your hands – those feelings of guilt you have from all those who died, it's rightfully carried by you two, in my honest opinion.
“Of course I can't blame the two of you straight up. It's not your fault that you believed that doing what they did would be stooping to there levels. No, the main problem pretty much lies upon one man, and one man only: Albus Dumbledore.” Tryst said his name with such disgust and loathing that the two shivered, and withheld their usual words of his brilliance. “Because of him, you were left with an unrealistic idea of the world, that everything is black and white, no shades of gray in between, meaning that you were either dark and evil, or good and light. Unfortunately, the real world is not that simple, and it is simply Dumbledore's fault that you seem unaware of this fact.
“Because of Dumbledore, you were unable to save several lives. And what makes it even worse is the fact that you didn't just take that lesson as what was right, but you also took in the lesson that you should never trust anyone he didn't tell you to trust. He pretty much made it so that you wouldn't accept help from anyone other than each other, despite the fact that you desperately needed it, and had no reason not to accept it, other than idiotic loyalty to a man who didn't deserve it.
“And that's not counting the other things he's done. Rita Skeeter's book only scratched the surface of his sins.”
The two couldn't keep quiet anymore, not liking how she was disparaging the name of their old headmaster, especially after the mention of Skeeter, whom neither liked. Tryst took their protests the way that Helena had done so with Ginny and Ron, waiting rather impatiently for them to finish.
“Look, despite what you think, the truth stand: because you decided to listen to him and do what he wanted instead of coming up with a better plan, many people died before they should have, and you ignore people who could have helped you out. Besides, exactly what has he really done to have the level of loyalty from you, Harry? Or how about you, Hermione? Is there any other reason besides he was an authority figure and the leader of the light for your loyalty? That answer to both is nothing and no.
“Are you even aware, Harry, that he not only kept things from you, but that he also purposely made sure that there was no way for you to leave your Aunt and Uncle before you were of age to do so? Albus Dumbledore is nothing more than a manipulator, having to have everything go his way, believing himself to be above even gods and fate itself. And, while he has done some good things, more of his choices have not been such. And if you think otherwise, well, you're about to get a rude awakening.”
The two stopped their sputterings about Dumbledore at that point, though the defiant looks on their faces said that they didn't believe her at the moment. She didn't care, though, because they would soon enough.
“Now, let's look at his beginning with you, Harry. Actually, no, let's look a bit further back. Let's look at a bit before you were born, when Trelawney uttered her prophecy. As you were told, during her interview at the Hog's Head with Dumbledore, she uttered a prophecy that was partially overheard by Snape, who then went running to his master and informing him about it, correct? That's what Dumbledore told you, right?”
Harry nodded.
“The prophecy, of course, was stated as such: '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 his 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...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...' Correct?” Tryst said.
Again, Harry nodded, while Hermione looked slightly interested. Even though Harry had mentioned it before, he hadn't actually told her and Ron the actual contents of the prophecy, just the basic summary of it. To hear it in whole was interesting to her.
“Okay, so that's been rehashed,” Tryst said. “Unfortunately, there is a problem – you were lied to, Harry. The interview did not take place at the Hogs Head; it actually took place in the headmaster's office. It was a stormy night that night, which was why Trelawney didn't come up to the castle herself, which you were even told. So why would Dumbledore walk to the Hog's Head himself when the whole reason for not having Trelawney come up to the castle herself was because of that. No, she used the floo to come to Hogwarts, at which point the interview and prophecy took place.
“When he first heard it, he was more than grateful to know that there would be an end, until the actual words of the prophecy had penetrated his brain, at which point, he stopped liking what he'd heard, and started disliking it, to the point that he didn't bother to really look indepth to it. He purposely arranged for another meeting between then at the Hog's Head, used a very old, obscure potion to make Trelawney repeat her prophecy, and made sure that he had the attention of someone. Unfortunately, not only did he forget the part of the Dark Lord marking his rival his equal, but his brother caught Snape before that part could be repeated again, causing Trelawney to break from her trance and ruining everything. Worse than that, it did get around to the Ministry that Dumbledore had overheard a prophecy, so he was forced to give up the memory of it – the full prophecy, in fact, as those little orbs take the full one heard from someone – to them, which he did not care for.”
“Why would he not like the prophecy?” Hermione asked, sounding skeptical over what she was being told, but obviously listening to it.
“The prophecy basically stated that it would not be him who defeated Riddle, but someone else,” Tryst told her. “That was the part he found unacceptable. You see, the letter Skeeter had placed in her book was indeed written by him. Dumbledore was, quite literally, mad with power. He had his own views of how the world should be, views that were much like Grindelwald's, only he didn't have the stomach to straight up kill people without having a justifiable – to him – reason for it. In fact, the only reason why he even faced Grindelwald was because he had grown jealous of the power the dark wizard had managed to amass, as well as his possession of the Elder Wand. It tore him that Grindelwald was about to take his ideas and rule Europe, when he believed that it was what he deserved.
“So, he faced his old friend in battle, and managed to win, both the duel and wand. As I mentioned before, he doesn't have the stomach to straight up kill someone, she he imprisoned Grindelwald instead, making it so only he knew where to find him, so he could gloat over his victories against his old friend. And he had victories. Upon his defeat of the dark wizard, he was voted head of the government as the previous had been murdered a few months before he went to face his old friend. He became ambassador for Britain in the ICW, eventually becoming Supreme Mugwump of the august body within a mere month of that appointment. He was also given the position of Headmaster the very next school year, as the then headmaster decided to retire.
“The only position he never accepted was Minister of Magic, and, despite what he said, he would have if he could. The only reason why he didn't is because ancient, unbreakable magic makes it impossible for it to happen. It was decided, long ago, that, in order to make sure that no dictatorship happened, the Minister of Magic and Head of Hogwarts could not be the same person at all. One could not hold the positions at the same time. That was the only think that had stopped Dumbledore from becoming Minister, because he would have had to chose between that position and being head of Hogwarts, and he knew which position was the one that held the most power.”
“Wait, how could being head of Hogwarts give him more power than being Minister?” Harry asked.
“Simple,” Tryst said. “He was in a position to shape young, impressionable mind. He made it very well known of his 'magnifigance' known to every student there, repeatedly, until it was engraved into their minds. Even those who didn't like him believed in that. He'd molded your minds into thinking that his word was equal to that of the Gods – it's not, by the way, and he will be forever paying for even thinking he could do that – while also taking about your free will bit by bit. Oh, he was good enough to make sure you didn't notice it, but it was the truth. The sad thing about this is the fact that he'd managed to twist your minds so much that you never bothered to question certain things that you should have. That right there is a sign of his power over you – as is your defense for him. He's manipulated you two very well.”
There was silence after that, with the two looking at each other. Though they wanted to dismiss her words, they could tell that every single one of them was true. They had been, from the very beginning, told about how great Dumbledore was. Hermione had even come across such information like that even before she'd gone to the school – it had, after all, been one of the main factors for her having wanted to be in Gryffindor. As for Harry, he had looked up to the man straight from the start, his caring personality making Harry feel as though he was an adult worth trusting.
“Anyway, back to the prophecy,” Tryst continued, “After his mess up, he knew that he had to at least appear willing to protect the possible child of the prophecy, particularly as his brother had also heard it, and informed the other members of the Order of the Phoenix about it, thus making it impossible for Dumbledore to really hide it. The only thing is, Alberforth didn't tell them everything he heard – for safety, of course, because he knew that the possibility of a spy being in the group was high, even if Dumbledore acted like it was impossible – and Dumbledore took advantage of that fact, using it as a reason not to tell anyone himself.
“As you are well aware, Dumbledore was supposedly told that your parents were under target by Voldemort. The truth of the matter actually is, they weren't at that time. Dumbledore decided the fact that both you and Neville were supposed to be born around that time was enough to tell him that it had to be one of you, and purposely put the information out so as to have Voldemort target one of the two of you, instead of looking into everyone born around that time – which included the Malfoys, Greengrasses, and several Muggleborns whom had also managed to survive his death orders thrice. He couldn't have the chosen one being born out of his grasp, after all.
“It took Dumbledore all of five minutes to learn that you, Harry, was the main focus of him, a fact that delighted him. You see, unlike most of the wizarding world, your father did not truly trust him. Oh, he was on his side, but that was about it. Your father did not blindly believe Dumbledore, which was something that truly irritated him. It didn't help that Lily was the same way – a part of the draw to her for you father, in fact. Unlike you two, as she went through school, she wasn't blind to his actions, and realized just what a hypocrite he was.
“Anyway, after that, he mostly focused on the Potters, trying to get them to do something he wanted, though he did not ignore Neville. No, he suggested that the Longbottoms go into hiding, which they did. Your parents, however didn't want to do that at first. They only did so after Voldemort almost managed to harm you, Harry, two months after you were born. Your mother started researching ways to hide themselves, and found the Fidelus Charm not long after, which was performed not long afterward – and yes, I'm sure you can figure out what that means. They were under it for almost a year before Pettigrew betrayed them, not that anyone realized it at the time. They were very careful to make sure that didn't happen.
“Eventually, though, they began to become paranoid that Dumbledore was about to discover this fact, and therefore didn't say anything about the fact that they were already under the charm when he suggested they use it. Of course, this suggestion came about via Order meeting, so his suggestion said that they should hide themselves, not you. Sirius was supposed to be the Secret Keeper – in fact, he was when the spell was performed right there at the Meeting, after arrangements had been made to for them to live in Godric's Hollow. He was also, in case your wondering, the original Secret Keeper when they had first performed the spell, though that spell dissolved once the new one was placed, as Lily did both of them, therefore erasing the original one – if it focuses on the same opponent and is cast by the same person, then it basically mostly changes it to fit the new one.
“Unfortunately – due to Dumbledore's need to have more control, and wanting the child of the prophecy gone – he let it slip who it the Secret Keeper was, and your mother eventually decided to change who it was. Sirius's only part in it was not only going along with her suggestions, but also saying the keep saying it was him, but put Peter in as the Secret Keeper instead, a change he was manipulated into make due to Dumbledore – only a fool would believe that he didn't know about Peter being a spy. Peter was no occlumens, he was piss poor wizard with very little talent. His only reason for passing school and even being about to become an animagus is because of your father, Sirius, and Remus.
“Fast forward to the night that you were attack. To Dumbledore extreme displeasure, you survived the night, though he was only a little bit displeased – he believed that he would be able to spin the story his way, having Hagrid go and get you. Now, here's something strange about that: outside of Peter, Sirius was the only one who had access to the house after the switch was made, and yet Hagrid was able to come into the house and meet Sirius trying to get you out of there. Did you even wonder about that when Hagrid told you, Harry? What about you, Hermione? When Harry finally told you about what Hagrid had told him about that night, did you happen to realize that once you'd found out about the Fidelus spell having been cast?”
They both shook their heads, wondering what on Earth that had to do with anything.
“You don't get what I'm trying to get at, do you? No one knew that the Secret Keeper had been changed except for Dumbledore, Peter, Sirius and your parents, Harry. Sirius was the only one given permission to visit after that happened, and Dumbledore only knew that it's happened because he'd read it from Peter's mind. You were still alive, though, so Hagrid should not have been able to get into the house, yet he was. Do you know why? It's because you were not in the parameter of the spell. It was specifically keyed to your parents, and you were left unprotected. If your parents had been out of the house with you, you would have been left unprotected, and possibly killed sooner rather than when you were – especially since it was your mother's sacrifice, which called upon ancient magic that allowed you to live, a fact that everyone seems to forget quite a bit.
“Of course, that's not surprising. The magical world is a bit biased towards Pure-bloods – no one would willing give a Muggleborn credit if they could avoid it. And Dumbledore did everything possible to make sure that it never happened, too. While he didn't care for the fact hat you seemed to be supplanting him, he was sickened by the idea that a Muggleborn would be the one to do so. It's why, when he couldn't spin a tail that painted him as a hero, and you as a tragic little orphan whom he just managed to arrive and save, he made sure that the tale that was spun barely considered your mother, or where her body was positioned at. And that's not the only disservice he gave towards her. After all, other than being told you have her eyes, and Snape's memories, what do you really know about your mother that isn't generic information that you could find with a little bit of research?”
Harry's eyes widened when he heard that, but, instead of starting to speak, he paused, thinking about what she'd said, as well as looking over to Hermione, who also had a thinking face on. It was true, all of it. Not only was it impossible for him to have been to rescued by Hagrid due to that, but he knew next to nothing about his mother, had never been told that he was similar in manner or action to her, had barely heard her name being spoken about without it being connected to his father's name. In other words, he truly knew nothing about Lily Potter.
As for the bias towards Pure-bloods, to say that wasn't true was to show himself as being pigheaded, as he had seen plenty of evidence of it during school, along with blatant corruption of the Ministry. He also remembered Dumbledore's insistence that they never do more harm than a simple stunner or disarm, giving the belief that to do more would be something only a dark wizard would do. Yet, Harry couldn't help but wonder if that was actually the truth or not. He'd never seen Dumbledore fight against an non-pure-blood,so he couldn't be sure, but he also got the feeling that Dumbledore would fight differently against them. And then he remembered that Dumbledore had fought against Tom, who was half-blood, and he certainly had been a bit more aggressive than he had before...
“You really know nothing about your mother, right? You'd get so over informed about your father that you just forgot to think about learning something about your mother, which was something that Dumbledore was happy to have happen. But, let's not dwell on that anymore.
“So, we have his actions to when he received the prophecy, when you were born, and the night Tom attempted to kill you. So, let's look at his actions to placing you with the Dursleys. Now, according to the wizarding world, you were immediately placed with them, just hours after your parents death. That's not true. You spent a day in the care of a Healer who hid the fact that they'd seen you because Dumbledore warned her that someone might target you if they knew you were in her care. Hagrid took you straight to this Healer, on Dumbledore's orders, because Dumbledore was working on two things: spinning a believable story that would paint him as the one who managed to rid of Voldemort, and talking to the Dursleys about taking you in, which he then, after getting them to sign an agreement in blood – Muggles might not be able to use magic, but a small amount is in their blood, so signing a magical oath is possible with them – erased the memory of from their minds.
“Of course, as I'm sure you're aware of, Dumbledore wasn't able to spin his tale. In truth, what happened was that Hagrid, after leaving you with the Healer, got drunk and spilled what he knew of the story out – that Riddle had attacked your family, that your parents were dead, and that you had survived, despite the fact that the house was burning down around you. He also included seeing Riddle's robes on the ground in your room. It only took that little bit for people to get the conclusion that was the closest to the truth. And, of course, when Dumbledore heard this, he ended up being in a meeting all day after the news had spread, making sure to fight every effort of any magical family member trying to get custody of you, from your paternal grandfather to Andromeda Tonks, who is related to you, if your wondering.
“Meanwhile, several hours after the news broke out, Hagrid ran into McGonagall, who was looking for Dumbledore, and learned where Dumbledore was going to be that very night, though she didn't know exactly why. And so she sat on the wall, watching that house all day, seeing just how horrid those people were. Yet, when Dumbledore came, and got confirmation that what Hagrid had told everyone was true – something Dumbledore hated admitting to, incidentally – she only fought for half a second against you being placed there, giving up on it once he Dumbledore mentioned that it was the 'best place for you to live'.
“Now, as you know, they took you in, but did you ever wonder why? They'd always made it clear that they didn't want you there, but they still took you in? Why would they do that? More than that, why did they have to leave around the same time you did when you were finally able to part from each other?
“I'll tell you why, the one, simple answer for all those questions, though it does break down a bit as well: Dumbledore made a magic oath that, if they took you in, they would be protected from any magical danger. More than that, he even gave assurance that, so long as they didn't attempt to straight up kill you, they could do whatever they wanted to you.”
Harry looked at Tryst, startled and horrified by her words.
“Yes, they were given free range to basically beat you, rape you, do whatever they wanted, so long as you didn't die from what they did, and you weren't informed about anything concerning your parents. And it was only the latter bit that they really didn't mind having to do. And Dumbledore didn't care what they did, even encourage that they do what they did during their little 'agreement' talk. He didn't care about what the effect was on you – so long as you were down trodden as possible, as well as saw the wizarding world, and him in particular, as a savior to fit in and follow, then it meant a job well done.
“He also made sure they were well paid for their 'care' for you, including a pre-arranged payment for services rendered. Dumbledore – using money from your main vault – paid them five thousand galleons monthly – basically, twenty-five thousand pounds a month – to 'care' for you, with bonuses of three thousand every three months, which paid for any extra damage done to you. They were also gifted with an additional payment of fourteen thousand galleons, to be delivered to them anytime before your seventeenth birthday, which was done not because of the fact that they he planned on having you out of there before that time, but because you would have been notified of any large amounts about to be taken from your vaults, and could not only have learned what it was for – exactly – but stopped it from going.
“And, since you might have gotten suspicious, looked deeper into your finances, and discovered what they were paid, what it was for, and would have been given the option of suing them for the misuse of monies, which would have financially ruined them. However, by making sure that it was payed before your seventeenth birthday, he made sure that you could not know about it, without looking at your finances, which he knew you most likely wouldn't do. And he wasn't worried about you discovering the money missing – as I'm sure you remember, you are among the riches wizards in Britain, and easily gain more than that amount two weeks, which was why he felt so safe in having them paid the amount he did.
“You should have realized that something was up when Dumbledore insisted that you go back there during the summer after your fourth year. You really had no reason to go there, especially once the Fidelius Charm was placed on Grimmauld. You should have gone there once that happened. More than that, you shouldn't have stayed at the Dursleys, for any reason once that was was done, but you were did, because, by then, disobeying Dumbledore's orders was a foreign idea to you. So, that's what you did, becoming angry and bitter with everyone, isolated from your friends, whom you also got angry a. Which reminds me...”
She pinned Harry with a piercing glare, one that made him shift uncomfortable.
“You know, while Ron fully deserved your ire, Hermione did not. Despite how her letters sounded, she actually didn't arrive at Grimmauld until two days before you did. She was simply told not to call on you, nor was she really allowed to write straight out to you. All letters she wrote were sent to Grimmauld, where Dumbledore approved letters that had been made beforehand were actually sent in their stead. The only reason why Hermione didn't say anything about this was because she was placed under oath not to, and, her first night there, Dumbledore memory charmed her, placing her under yet another spell to go along with the memories he placed in her head right then. She didn't write anything that would suggest that she knew something because, in truth, she really didn't, and couldn't have even if she did. If you had talked to her, you would have realized that something strange was going on, though, because Dumbledore messed up on the memory spell, and her account of her summer would have been confusing to listen too.
“Anyway, let's get back on track. Enter your first year, or rather, let's go a bit before, to your letter, the one you finally got to read. Now, Hagrid is the one who came, and, while he is a nice guy, that right there shouldn't have happened. Why? Because Hagrid was not qualified to tell you everything you needed, nor was he the right person to inform you about Hogwarts houses. While he did a good job telling you about what happened with your parents, you would have gotten a bit more information from someone else. Plus, you were informed about the houses in a completely biased way. You took what people said as how the houses actually were, and, while you not caring for Slytherin is understandable because of Riddle having been in it, you basically ignored the fact that not everyone in that house is evil, labeling them all the same. And don't get me started about Hufflepuff, which the thought of you going there made you gloomy.
“No, letting Hagrid be the one to tell you things was not the best idea.
“However, it's not the fact that Hagrid was your guide that irritated me. No, what does was that Hagrid purposely, instead of doing so while you were getting your measurements for your robes, got his 'super secret' parcel that Dumbledore told him to get, right in front of you, a kid who was more likely than not, curious about it. Of course, your curiosity was just what Dumbledore wanted – he wanted you to be curious about the item, particularly since he knew that you would strike up a friendship with Hagrid, and, therefore, go down to visit him when you could, or when you were invited.
“Anyway, onto your actual first year. I will admit, most of your first year went pretty normal, other than you being given slight preferential treatment, like your Seeker position on the Gryffindor team as opposed to a detention as you should have gotten, though that really has nothing to do with your abilities, and everything to do with the fact that McGonagall is such a Quidditch nut that she would have done anything to have a good player on the team, especially when the player at the moment is so horrible that she went to bed weeping at the idea of him being on the team for yet another year.
“In fact, the only out of ordinary thing is the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. And yet, it played such an important part of your first year.
“You see, remember what I said about Dumbledore wanting you to know about that package, wanted you to be curious about it. That's because he was setting up a test for you, and the 'stone', which, by the way, was a complete fake, was the means of doing so. Did you not wonder why a high-security vault, that could only be opened by a goblin, was accessable by a simple letter from Dumbledore, especially when the item in question did not belong to him? That's because he had ordered the vault, and placed a fake stone within. You see, if you had bothered to use your brains, and not forgotten that Nicolas Flamel was over six hundred years old, you would have pondered on the fact that, if he lived to be six hundred, and it was known how he did so, he must've had some way of making sure that no one else could get it, and, if it had worked for that long, why would he suddenly let a child – for that is what Dumbledore is to him – have a say over the security. The answer is, he didn't.
“Flamel is still alive and kicking, enjoying the wonders of Japan right now, while making sure the process for making the Elixir of Life aspect of the stone is ready to work again sometime soon – I'll tell you a little secret about it: Even if Dumbledore had been given the real stone, and you hadn't gone after it, and Voldemort had gotten it, it would have just poisoned him, because the stone requires an ingredient that he would never have access to, because he'd never fathered a child, much less a daughter.
“Anyway, back to the matter at hand. As I said already you were supposed to be curious about the stone. You became even more curious about it upon seeing a conveniently left out newpaper, turned to the exact page that informed you of an attempted robbery of Gringotts, which helped bring the stone to your mind. And, of course, once you stumbled upon Fluffy, you started becoming even more curious – mostly due to the fact that you became convinced that Snape had something to do about the package, that he wanted what it was.
“Anyway, let's just say, for the rest of the time, up until you went through the trapdoor, you gained some more clues. Do you honestly think that Hagrid wasn't told to let it slip about Nicolas Flamel? He was – or, rather, he was told to keep it secret from anyone but you, but not to make it appear as if he was allowed to talk about it in front of you. His annoyances and attempts to get you to stop trying to find out about the Stone was because his instructions had confused him a bit, since Dumbledore didn't tell him the way I just said it. But, Hagrid telling you was not accidental. Despite what people say, if you don't employ the three methods, and he's not convinced to give it up, he actually is very good about keeping a secret from people – the reason for his expulsion and what the tasks of the tournament were are excellent examples of this.
“Anyway, about your adventure through the trapdoor. Now, tell me, did you not find it strange that you were gifted with a means to get past Fluffy from Hagrid, who was the only one who knew how to at the time? You getting that flute was no accident – Dumbledore convinced Hagrid to part with it for you when his intended present wasn't finished yet.
“However, my main concern about your trapdoor adventure is this: how in hell did you not become suspicious when you went through the traps for the stone? Think about it; none of them posed any problem to any of you three, with the only one that did already taken care of. How did you not realized that, of all the tasks, three of them were suited to you in such a way that they couldn't have been designed for anyone but you to run them. The only tasks not designed specifically for you was the Troll – which, incidentally, is a specialty of Quirrell's talents – and the plant, which, if you'd thought about it, was perfect for Neville, who, incidentally, was with you when you when you first ran into Fluffy. Coincidence? Nope. Dumbledore had the traps changed after you four met Fluffy, thinking that you'd all end up going through them.
“You didn't do what Dumbledore was actually hoping of you. You managed to 'pass' your test, with flying colors, much to his annoyance. What was worse is that you actually managed to save the 'stone'. His little bull shit story about how he had the stone destroyed with the Flamels blessings was just to make sure you didn't attempt to contact them at some point, whether to give the stone back, or to simply let them know that they almost came close to losing it. If you had done that, you would have gotten the shock of your life, and you would have been a bit smarter about trusting Dumbledore.
“As it is, you didn't, and so you proved yourself to be Dumbledore's little puppy, in a way.
“After your first year, during the summer, you were almost starved to death, and the Weasleys somehow – considering that the house was supposedly 'protected' from any wizards, not just evil ones – managed to rescue you, taking you to their house. You were then intergrated into their family, though with some special treatment, and you even went to Diagon Alley with them, managed to get lost in the floo where you ended up on Knockturn Alley and witnessed the exchange between Malfoy and Borgin. You then ran into the family again, witnessed a fight as well as heard Lockhart announce himself as the new DADA teacher. And, finally, you were almost late because you ended up having to turn around three times – with the last one being completely unneeded – and ended up going to Hogwarts in a different way than by train. Did I pretty much get everything important? Yes, good.”
Tryst paused for a moment, waving her hand and causing the tea set to disappear, tall glass bottles of a dark liquid appearing in it's place.
“Soda, you can have one if you want,” Tryst said, taking one of the glass bottles, and taking a swig from it. “Now, your second year was anything but typical. You had to deal with students being petrified, people believing it was you, and the teachers doing shit to help, especially Dumbledore. And the idea of the school closing down never occurred to them until towards the end. Want to know why? It's because Muggleborns were being attacked, which automatically meant that there was no reason to close the school down. After all, they were just Muggleborns, no one of worth. They only seriously considered closing the school – even Dumbledore, mind you – when Ginny was taken. Strange, is it not, that that's the only time it was taken as the threat it was? I can honestly tell you right now, that if the victims had been pure-blood, they wouldn't have wasted a second closing the school down once the attack was discovered.
“Meanwhile, everything seemed to be pointing to you Harry, because those targeted had seemingly been targeted by you in some manner, and not a good way, either. Everyone, other than Hermione, that you seemingly got irritated with – and that was a Muggleborn – ended up petrified. Hermione is the only one that you weren't irritated with that ended up petrified. And the reason for all of it was that Ginny chose the victims. She may not remember actually doing the tasks, but when she wrote in Riddle's diary, she mentioned her thoughts about them, such as Filch should be ashamed to even attempt to give you detention, that Colin should never irritated you, and that you're obviously mad at Justin for something if you sent a snake on him – remember, she didn't know what it was that you said – so obviously he deserves something bad to happen to him.
“As for you, Hermione, you're attack actually had nothing to do with luring Harry, as Riddle told Harry. No, you were targeted because Ginny saw you as a threat to her getting Harry. She saw you as her main rival for his affections, and wanted you truly dead. It was only Hermione's smart thinking that she didn't get her wish.”
Hermione looked stunned to learn that, as well as sickened. To know that the one girl she counted as her closest female friend had wanted her dead – and probably would always want her dead for her connection with Harry – shocked and hurt her.
“Anyway, we all know how that year ended, with Ginny acting as though she had nothing to do but having written in the diary like a foolish little girl – despite the fact that, if she was truly smart, she wouldn't have continued writing in it after she retrieved it from you, Harry, and the fact that she did showed that she actually had no problem in letting Riddle use her to attack people.
“So, anyway, we all know what happened during your third year – my only problem was that you chose Ron's side over Hermione's repeatedly, and ignored the clues that you discovered that told you that Sirius wasn't quite as guilty as he seemed until you saw Pettigrew, and therefore couldn't continue lying to yourself. Fourth year, you were ostricized after becoming a champion, up until the first task, where you showed that you could possibly win, and everyone rushed back to being on your side, especially Ron, in hopes of having some glory. Fifth year... Don't really have to say it? Only problem there was that you didn't listen to Hermione at all, despite the fact that you should have. Sixth...well, you've already been told about what happened that year. And this last year, it's still in your mind, so we don't need to rehash it. And, I'm only speed running through your third year and onward because we are on a time constraint, and there are a few things I want to talk to you about. Plus, I've talked about Dumbledore plenty.
“In fact, the two other things that I have to say about him. The first is the fact that he really did nothing to help Sirius should have told you that something was up, especially since he could have gotten Snape to get him in some way or another. And, the truth is, to Dumbledore, Pettigrew was more important than Sirius, not only because he was near Voldemort, so it would allow him to pay his life debt to you, but because Pettigrew actually knew that the blood status was important to keep, that he was smart in knowing that it shouldn't be dirtied up, which is something that Sirius didn't believe to be true.
“The second thing is how he took advantage of your emotional state after your godfather had died – which was a death that could have been avoided if you had only listened to Hermione, and also remembered that Kreacher was not your elf, and, therefore, could lie to you. There's also the fact that if you had been able to actually be taught Occlumency in the way it's supposed to be taught, as well as not been kept out of the loop, you would have been able to prevent his death. Dumbledore, when he sensed you wanting to withdrawal from humanity after Sirius's death, only told you what he did because he did not want to lose control of you. After all, he had such great plans to what he wanted done. He didn't want to risk them not happening.”
“What...what were those plans?” Hermione asked hesitantly.
“Dumbledore only read the prophecy in a way that fit his thinking and ideal of himself. He made it appear as if he took the words 'live' and 'survive' to mean the same thing, but, in truth, he understood what it really meant. He knew that, until one of you killed the other, he couldn't rid of Voldemort and bring glory back onto himself. What his plans were, was to have Voldemort kill you, Harry, and for him to swoop in and rid of Voldemort himself, thus becoming the 'Great Albus Dumbledore' once again, a title that was slipping away once you were born, Harry,” Tryst said. “Of course, as we all know, that's not what happened. He changed his plans a bit when he learned he couldn't prevent his death, and decided to go for the next best thing – becoming the next Merlin. And it did work, since everyone knows that he mentored you.
“Anyway, that's enough about him. No, what I want to talk about is Ronald,” Tryst said.
“What about Ron?” Hermione asked.
“I have to know, why in hell did you let Ron anywhere near you two?” Tryst said. “He was a big part in quite a few mistakes you'd make, tried his best to keep you friendless save for with members of his family, and did everything he could to appear as if he was the only one worthy of your attention, Harry. More than that, he would argue with Hermione about every little thing, and put her down for any spellwork she did, especially when it was better than his own. Plus, in addition of having a good amount of control over your actions, such as ignoring Hermione, Harry, he wasn't all that helpful, now was he?”
“That's not true,” Harry said. “He's helped us out a lot.”
“Oh, really? Okay, let's look at his track record. First year, when he challenged Hermione to do the Levitating Spell, what did he do when she did it. Did he go 'oh, perhaps I should take her advice so I can do the spell. After all, it's obviously good advice.' No, he sulked like a little baby and then made fun of her, knowing she was within hearing distance – did you think he was unaware of it. He wasn't. His parting advice about her not having any friends was meant to be heard by her as well, which was why he said it slightly louder than he needed to.
“When you wanted to go looking for the troll, it took a while to convince him to go, and he worried about Percy seeing, not because Percy would stop them, but because it would then get out that he knowingly made it so that Hermione was in danger – even if he was unaware of what would happen, the fact that he didn't attempt to immediately mention telling Percy that Hermione here was missing says that he honestly didn't care about anything but himself. Plus, a good part of him was hoping that you'd get into trouble with the teachers, because the idiot didn't think that anyone would actually ask you why you were where you were and why you didn't follow directions – of course, Ron didn't realize that Percy would have done a head count, and that others would tell the teachers that you hadn't been at the feast when Quirrell mentioned the troll. Basically, his ideas of what was to happen was pretty messed up. The only reason why he went with you, was because he wanted a bit of the glory he was sure you'd end up somehow causing.
“But tell me, doing the whole time you guys were there, did he ever take five steps away from the door. No, he didn't. Had the troll actually went after him, he would have ran like a bat out of hell. Of course, you didn't let that happen.”
“Wait, that's not right. I only jumped on it because of the fact that the troll was going after Ron, and he was trapped,” Harry said. Tryst shook her head.
“You just didn't see the door – you weren't really paying much attention to your surroundings, because you were more focused on keeping an eye on Ron and Hermione, as well as what the troll was doing. I can assure you, had you not jumped on it, when the troll began heading towards him, you would have seen him disappear, and do it fast. In fact, you could have easily grabbed Hermione, and pulled her into the one stall that hadn't been knocked down, and hidden in there while the troll went after Ron. Plus, Ron would have been quite safe, since he would have run into the teachers as well, and they would have protected him – though, he would have had detention, which he kind of deserved.
“Anyway, let's take another look at your first year, specifically, when you'd gone after Quirrell about that fake stone. Now, while he's good at chess, I do happen to know that, if you had bothered making other friends besides him, you would have met someone whose even better at chess, and would have been able to make sure no one got hurt. More than that, this person wouldn't have taken the convenient chance to get himself out of the game as soon as possible, such as Ron did – since neither of you are all that good at chess, you wouldn't have noticed, but there was a way for you to have won, without Ron getting 'hurt'. It would have just taken two different moves, without the one Ron took. Plus, tell me, Hermione, do you remember how it took him awhile to 'wake up'?”
“It was because he had been knocked out,” Hermione said, though she sounded quite a bit unsure, the words Tryst had said about the traps having been trials – in a way – for them going through her mind.
“Was there any blood? Any cuts, bumps, bruises?” Tryst asked her. Hermione shook her head, feeling even more uneasy. “I'll tell you a little secret: he was faking being seriously hurt. He really wasn't. As ruthless as the white pieces looked, they were also charmed with a cushioning spell. Ron had noticed this, mostly because he realized that, if they weren't, the black pieces would have been completely in shattered pieces without it, and wouldn't have been able to just be huddled on the side. It's why he told you not to check on him before he moved – he knew that he'd be huddled onto the side as well, and saw it as an easy way to get out of going the rest of the way. He didn't want you checking on him because he knew that you'd probably notice that he wasn't unconscious, as he was pretending to be.”
“But then, why did it take me so long to wake him up,” Hermione countered.
“He was afraid that you'd come to make him go forward with you,” Tryst said blankly. “Didn't you notice that the moment you mentioned needing to get Dumbledore, he suddenly stirred and 'woke up'.”
“But, he could have gotten Harry killed,” Hermione cried.
“Yes, in a way, though Harry really didn't need Dumbledore, as he was doing more than alright on his own. Still, if he hadn't, the world would have been down one hero, but he didn't care, so long as he wasn't killed,” Tryst said, her distaste for his actions obvious. “In fact, he would have preferred it. He truly hated you, Harry, and only pretended to be your friend because he liked the fame that came with being such – though he didn't care for the hate that happened at times.
“Anyway, moving onto your second year. Did you know that Ron's first actions, up until you mentioned the car, was to use your owl. The only reason why he hadn't suggested it yet was because he didn't want to, finding it a bit mundane, and embarrassing, that you needed help. When you mentioned the car, that was when he got his 'brilliant' idea to drive it, not because you needed to get to school, but because he believed that it would have helped give him a bit of fame. I mean, driving a car to the school, people would have been talking about that for year, paying attention to him, making it feel as if he was famous.
“Of course, as you well know, it didn't quite happen the way that he wanted it to, and then, upon getting the Howler, he was quite happy to have people leave him alone, especially since the memory of his 'triumph' was so tainted now. And he only went into the forest because he wanted you, Hermione, to know that he did so. You see, he saw how close you two could be sometimes, and he didn't like it, not only because he believed that you should be with his sister, as well as the fact that he secretly thought that the Potters shouldn't marry Muggleborn anymore, because the family needed to get back to it's proper pure-blood status – a fact, truthfully, he'd heard his mother say many times – but also because he didn't like the idea of you being happy, and, seeing how you and Hermione was, he got the idea that you liked her. So, he wanted to make you want him, not because of any real feelings he had for you – he actually thought you beneath him, because was a bit of pure-blood bigot, as was his mother, in case your wondering – but because he thought that the two of you were beginning to have feelings for each other, not realizing how you really saw each other.
“Then, when it came to going into the chamber, he really had no plans of going all the way with you. As concerned as he was for his sister, he was more concerned about himself – a, as you would put it, true Slytherin move, honestly. And there were clues to this, too. Remember, when you blasted Lockhart's wand from his hand, and he caught it, he immediately threw it out the window? Now, why would he do an idiotic thing like that? His wand was broke, had been since the beginning of the year, and it had been acting up so much already. And yet, the moment a working wand was in his hand, he threw it away.
“He did that because he knew that his wand would act up, and hopefully make it so that he didn't have to go with you. In truth, the only thing he hadn't planned on was Lockhart attempting to steal it, but he didn't fight against him when he did, knowing that it would actually look better if he let Lockhart do it, because that way you wouldn't suspect him to have actually wanted to leave you to face whatever alone. He had purpose ran away from you when the rock slide began, despite the fact that he could have easily ran towards you and made it, too, but his own skin was way more important than helping you.”
“But, that could have gotten his sister killed,” Hermione said. While she wasn't to much of a fan of Ginny right now with what she'd just learned about her, that didn't mean that she wanted her dead.
“And, again, Ron didn't care one little bit, so long as he was alive and alright,” Tryst said. “In fact, I don't know if you've realize this, but some of those rumors that floated around, were circulated by him, especially the ones that mentioned him in a more active light. It always pissed him off when others would change it away from him being the focus, especially when he'd go through 'all that hard work' to get his versions of everything out. When it comes to him only himself, and what he wants matters.
“Like your third year. He got mad at Hermione here for caring about whether you lived or died, Harry, and all because of a stupid broom that would eventually lose it's popularity when something better came along. He didn't care if you got hurt – or if he got hurt, either – he only cared about the fact that a brand new broom would need to be stripped in order to make sure it was safe. Hell, if you had died, what would have him angry was that someone dared to curse the broom, not that you were dead. And, even worse, he never apologized and took the first chance at keeping you isolated from Harry he could. You see, Crookshanks could not get back into that dorm after Ron almost kicked him and was seen by one of the other seventh years, who spelled the dorm to keep him out. Ron knew this, so his blaming you for what happened to Scabbers at the time was simply because he liked having Harry all to himself, and knew that Harry would be on his side over yours – a fact you really should be ashamed of, Harry, because it shows that you really didn't value her as much of a friend as you should have, especially when you consider that she would anything to keep you alive, anything, even pissing you off because she'd rather you hate her than be dead.
“The worse thing Ron did that year was insisting that you leave the castle, Harry, especially after he'd almost been 'attacked' by Sirius. And you want to know something: he did it on purpose, hoping that you'd either get into trouble – he practically wet himself with glee when you did, but knew that if he didn't at least attempt to support you, he'd lose you as a friend – or that Sirius Black would come again, and he'd be able to capture him, wanting the prize money he imagined would come with And you went along with it because you not only really wanted too go, but a small part of you was excited to be breaking the rules. In my honest opinion, the guilt and shame you felt at Lupin's rightly said words were well deserved, because you truly did a stupid thing, flaunting your parents sacrifice in their faces for a bag of magic tricks.
“Fourth year was probably the first time Ron showed his true colors to you, when he didn't support you as a true friend does, like Hermione did. Of course, while a part of doing that was jealousy, most of it was because the school had pretty much turned against you, so he figured he had no reason to continue being friends with someone who was no longer famous. The fact that he immediately came running back to you, with a pathetic apology ready to sprout from his lips, the moment you stopped being the school leper should have told you that there was something up with it, but you were so excited to have your 'friend' back that you never bothered to notice this fact. And, you, Hermione, you were also so blind to his true nature. The fact that he let his jealousy get to the point of hurting Harry should have told you something. I know, you were just trying to be a good friend, but no true friend would ever do what Ron did to Harry. And – another example of just how Ron wasn't a friend – think about the differences in behavior between you three. Both you and Harry tend to try and med fences whenever one of you is estranged from your third friend, but the moment you and Harry became estranged over the broom incident, he only encouraged the estrangement.
“Fifth year... well, that was the only year he appeared to be a real friend by sticking to you – but then, the fact that his family was doing so was a big contribute to that, that and the fact that he was still at school, and, therefore, still likely to be on the pranking end of the twins if he said what he truly thought. As for him going to the Ministry with you, he was hoping that he'd be able to become famous over that – of course, his involvement was so minimal that it didn't even make a footnote, which pissed him off pretty well.
“As for six year, well, other than suspecting what his mother and Ginny – in case your wondering, Molly knew exactly what was going on, and even helped make the potions Ginny used on you two – Ron really didn't do anything, other than use his newly founded hormones to make sure that the potion had some annumission to fuel it. He also agreed, whole-heartedly, with their plans, and was the one who suggested doing the potion to make you two not be so friendly with each other. Since none of them liked the fact that you two were so close – Molly wanted a big Weasley family, so long as she handpicked out the members herself; Ron did not want to be second best to you, as he was in everything else; and Ginny was not only obsessed with becoming Mrs. Harry Potter, but with the fame, prestige, and influence she was more than sure would come with it.
“And then there was the hunt, where Ron pretty much made sure everything you ate was mixed with the potions. However, that's not the main problem. No, the main problem I have is how in hell did you not realized his unsuitability then. I mean, all three of you were affected by the locket, yet he was so affected by it that he was willing to break whatever bit of friendship he had with you, and leave because it got too hard – definitely not the actions of Gryffindor, based on what's said about them. He left, after doing what he could to convince Hermione here to leave with him and getting pissy when you didn't – and making him wonder how it was that the potions weren't working on you, since you should have jumped at a chance to go with him.”
“I wasn't eating as much as I should have,” Hermione said. “Truthfully, most of my food was given to him.”
“And, since those potions used were keyed, they didn't work on him, so they didn't effect him, which is why you probably didn't realize that there was something strange going on. Anyway, what really bothered me was that you never bothered to think about hiding out in the Muggle world. You had the money, you two. Wouldn't even need to exchange it at Gringotts – just use one of the Galleons at a pawn shop, and you would have had plenty of money to set yourself up in any Muggle hostel, as well as get some more, non-tainted food. It would have been the better idea, rather than continuing going around in the tent as you did,” Tryst said. “And without Ron there, you wouldn't have had to worry about people looking at you strangely – you both lived in the Muggle world a good portion of your life, you could act like you belonged there quite easily.
“Then, you did the worst thing you could do to yourself – you took that walking stomach back.”
“He'd just saved my life!” Harry exclaimed.
“Oh, right, I'm sorry. He did that one thing, something that wasn't even completely serious, and he was accepted right back into the fold. The only reason why it seemed serious was because you had been a stupid idiot. If he hadn't arrived, the sword would have save you itself – it didn't land there itself, after all, it was put there by Snape, in hopes that something would happen to one of you. And if you had remembered to take off the locket like you should have, then you wouldn't have had much trouble in the first place.
“Plus, let's not forget that, while you two were beginning to starve because the walking stomach had ate most your food to before leaving, as well as cold, lacking in sleep, and having to deal with watching your every step, he was sleeping in a nice warm bed, with all the food he wanted to eat, and not having to worry about moving a whole lot. Truthfully, he lied to you – every time he couldn't find you, he back to his brother's house, and stayed there. Despite what he told you, he didn't wander around that long looking for you – in fact, he got lucky with you, Harry, and had been about to go back.
“Besides, the moment he was back, he spiked both of you with the potions, which his sister delivered to him with instructions from his mother. Having been gone as he had been, without him there to do it to begin with, you both were beginning to naturally flush the potions out of your system. Part of the reason why he even came back was because his mother needed someone there to keep you to potioned up. Plus, when you got caught and taken to the Malfoy's place, are you aware of the fact that his just calling Hermione's name and not helping try and get out was because he was hoping she'd be broken under the curse. He was still pissed at her for not going with him as he believed she should. In his mind, you being curse was only proper, because a Mudblood like you should have known your place when he demanded you go with.
“As for his 'moment of insightfulness' with the house elves, he actually was thinking about telling them that they needed to fight. He just happened to chose his words well enough for you to misinterpret them, and you kissed him before he could finish – the potion at work, I suppose.
“That said, even without that evidence, you need to remember what happened with the locket, when it told you his heart's desire, Harry. No, wait, lets go back further, to your first year, when you ran into the Mirror of Erised. Remember what he saw then?”
Hermione, having never actually been told about either event, looked over to him, wondering what had been hidden from her. Seeing her look, Harry frowned, wondering if he could avoid answering this. His hopes were dashed when he saw the look on Tryst's face.
“Come on, tell us what happened,” Tryst said, making it clear that he wasn't going to get away with not doing so, and that it had to be him who said it. Harry sighed, before looking at Hermione once again.
“Before he destroyed it, Riddle's soul attempted to undermine him. The soul fragment mentioned how he was always second best, from his mother who had wanted a daughter, and then how he was second best to me, because...because the girl he wanted preferred me over him. Then, Riddle came out and you and me, talking down to him, saying that we didn't want him back and that it was presumptuous of him to assume that we did, right before the riddle versions of us started kissing,” Harry explained. “For a moment there, I thought that the locket would take over him, make him kill me. I mean, I saw his eyes flash red, but then...he stabbed the locket right then, and I kind of forgot about it.”
Hermione blinked at him.
“Okay, so you heard it mention how he was second best in two occasions, yet didn't think it was important to tell me what had happened, particularly that bit?” Hermione asked him, frowning.
“I didn't think it was important,” Harry said.
“Harry, the fact that it mentioned his family right before mentioning me and you was a bit of a hint in how he mostly sees himself. And, honestly, it's not like it's all that untrue. He was practically pushed aside, raised by the twins, the moment Mrs. Weasley had Ginevra, whom we both know was spoiled by all the attention – we've seen signs of that spoiled attitude, too. In fact, having seen that, I wonder how it is that we could have ignored the fact that Mrs. Weasley would have given Ginny whatever she wanted, no matter what she had to do to acquire it.
“But, that's not the topic of discussion. No, what is, is the fact that Ron saw himself as second best, in his family's eyes, as well as the world at large – for, though the locket didn't say it straight up, when it compared him to you, it was probably doing so in a way that was made it clear that it wasn't just me who thought that way, but the rest of the world as well. And that right there is very telling, because it says that he didn't want me, not really. What he wanted was someone who wanted him over you, someone whom he probably thought you wanted as well. After all, with how close we are – even though we were never like that, you have to admit that, to the rest of the world, it would appear to be as if we were with the way we acted sometimes – it makes sense that he would think the same thing as everyone else,” Hermione said, breathing a bit heavily after saying that.
“Exactly,” Tryst chimed in. “He really didn't value Hermione as anything more than a nuisance, until he noticed how close you were to her, and that was when he decided that he would make sure he got her over you. But it wasn't because he loved, or even cared, about her. It was because, to him, she was a prize to be won between you two. He only wanted her because he thought that you wanted her. He never got the idea that you only saw each other as family.”
“What about the mirror? What happened there?” Hermione asked Harry. Harry thought back to their first year, his words starting out haltingly, but growing stronger as he remembered them.
“He...he saw him...himself as....both head boy and Quidditch captain,” Harry explained, realization coming through him. “He saw himself as what he considered to be better than his brothers...” Dumbledore's words of how he described Ron's desire came back to him. “He saw himself standing above his brothers the best of them all...”
“Yes, that was what he wanted. But what did he actually really do to get it?” Tryst asked, after seeing that Hermione really had nothing to say to that. “In truth, he did absolutely nothing for any of it. He never once actually tried to apply himself to anything, except chess and knowing pointless facts about Quidditch, the only things he really even cared about other than himself. He only even became and stayed a prefect because of Dumbledore, who didn't want his 'replacement hero' in the spotlight, and who wanted to reward one of his followers with the exalted position. If he had been around, he most likely would have put pressure of McGonagall to give Ron the Head Boy placement as well – as it was, he actually was beyond pissed when you were given the position of Quidditch Captain, as he had wanted Ron to have that as well, knowing the boy would enjoy it. McGonagall used the fact that, by the rules themselves, as there were senior members on the team, they were the ones who had to be considered first. Since, by all right, Katie should have gotten the position, he couldn't even accuse her of trying to use favoritism – and, though she didn't act like it, you were one of her favorites, Harry, you and Hermione here.
“Then there was the fact that, even when you tried to help him out, Hermione, he would always shoot your help down with rude and hurtful comments, making it seem as though wanting to do what you were was wrong and that you were a stupid idiot for even suggesting that he should work on his homework. The only time he wasn't like that was at the last minute, where he'd have you do the work for him – and, unfortunately, you kind of did because you couldn't stand him having the wrong answers, something he learned very quickly.
“And it wasn't just Hermione he would shoot down. Anyone who tried to help got shot down, and, when they did better than him, he would put them down, in whatever it was that they did. Like that first year, when he purposely threw the fact that you didn't really have friends in your face, because you were able to do the spell better than anything he'd ever be able to do, or in fourth year, when he made fun of Neville when Neville asked you to the dance, just because he didn't have the guts to do it himself. You, Hermione, just happened to be the main target of his abuse, mostly because you were always outshining him, as well as he knew you were so much better than him in general.
“Everything he has ever said in abuse to you, Hermione, was said to make you feel worthless, so that you would accept him.
“Now tell me, Hermione, is that the sign of a good friend?
“As for you, Harry, in all honest truth, you're lack of friends was due to him threatening to harm others who tried to become your friend. Is that a sign of a good friend?
“Is that the kind of friend you want?”
The two didn't have to think, automatically shaking their head, the evidence of the truth about Ronald Weasley going over and over in their minds.
“Now, truthfully, I've gotten off point, but I had to say that, because what I'm about to inform you of next is of the utmost importance, so important that certain people should never get this news, though I will approve of certain others getting this news, if asked about them first,” Tryst told them, and they immediately seem to straighten in their chairs.
“Voldemort's dead now, but at what cost? Thanks to Dumbledore, what did this war cost?” Tryst asked them. The two looked at each other, before looking back at her. Harry suddenly had an image of the scene in the great hall, the morning he'd woken up after the final battle.
“A lot of innocent lives,” Harry murmured, his guilt over having been unable to save those people clear in his voice.
“Exactly,” Tryst said.
“But you already knew that fact,” Hermione injected. “There's nothing we can really do about it. I mean...is there... What can we do about that?” Hermione seemed to have realized that, whatever the reason for them being there, it had something to do with what Tryst had just mentioned.
“Quite a bit, should you chose to accept what I'm offering. I can't force you, so I can only offer this: if you had the chance to change the outcome of what happened in the past seven years, would you? Would you, if given the chance, change everything so that innocents do not die before they are really meant to, and that the right people are punished, as they should have been to begin with? Would you go back, knowing that you would have to take orders from me, that you would have to do things you wouldn't have done before, in order to prevent a repeat of the death of those innocents?”
Hermione and Harry didn't blurt out an answer immediately, knowing that they had to think about this. They were silent for several minutes, looking towards each other, unsure of what to do when they couldn't come to a decision on their own. Almost at once, they saw the great hall scene again, the broken bodies of students murdered, friends of theirs, or people they just knew on sight. They knew what their answer would be then.
“Yes,” Hermione stated.
“We will,” Harry finished. Tryst smiled in triumph.
“Excellent,” she stated, her victory of getting them to agree evident in her voice. “Now then, for what you're going to be doing. You're going to be sent back as agents of mine, as reapers, because it's the only way you can go back. And we will be sending you back to the beginning, before this whole mess even started. As you will have to follow my orders, there will be a direct line to me – or Helena, though mostly me – in your thoughts. You will also be able to get a hold of each other should you need to be able to. It will probably be a little disconcerting, but you'll get use to it. You will, in order to keep the secrets of the future from those who may attempt to discover them, be given an automatic occlumency protection, one that will never be breachable. For those you tell, they too will be given the protection as well, though that is the full extent of what they will receive.
“You will have to act as a true Slytherin – not what you saw in school, but the way the sorting hat tells you the house is supposed to be like. Even though you know things about certain people, you cannot act like a Gryffindor about it, for that will draw attention you cannot have to you. You will have to act ignorant about certain things – though, remember, you can console yourself with the fact that you will be able to do something about them when the time comes.
“Also, remember, Ron, Ginevra, Molly, and Dumbledore are not to be trusted. Forge friendships outside of whatever house you end up in. Be willing to ask help from others should you need it. Be prepared for what my orders are, and do not worry about certain things when you go to carry them out.
“And now, for certain bits of advice. Hermione, the first chance you get, go back to Gringotts, and pay to have a inheritance blood test done. They only two Knuts to have done, and they can show surprising information about yourself that you will need. Once the inheritance test is done, I will instruct you on what to do then. Harry, first chance you get, go back to Diagon Alley without Hagrid, and get more of everything, but mostly books. Take the inheritance test as well, but don't expect results like Hermione's. Instead, ask to speak to your accounts manager when you get there, and take your house lordship.
“Finally, Hermione, I suggest, once you have the inheritance test done with, you spend as much time with your parents, and pack everything of yours before you leave for Hogwarts, because you will not go back there once you get onto the Hogwarts Express. I know that it might seem cruel, but it is necessary that you not need them interfering with certain things.
“Harry, we will be putting the horcrux back into your head. This will be a way for you to spy on Voldemort once he has his body back – and, unfortunately, he will get it back, for that has to happen. You can also think of it as a 'get out of the Killing Curse free' card, though, being as you will be working for me once you are assembled back there, you won't have to worry about needing that, for the Killing Curse will not harm either of you again – a bonus to working for me, even after you've done what's needed and are free of me.
“I do believe that is all you need to know at the moment,” Tryst said, standing up. She looked over at Helena, who stepped back forward.
“When you finally meet your soul mates, you will end up with a connection much like the one you will have with us and each other, only ten times stronger,” Helena said. “And all of these connections will protect your mind from a multitude of things, such as mind-altering spells and potions. As for who you're soul mates are, you will have to find that out for yourselves.”
“Oh, the bags you two have now,” Tryst said, pointing to them. “They will stay with you, and only be visible to your eyes, as will their contents. However, there is more in them than what you've placed in them already – in fact, you will find even more information from books you will have never heard about, no matter were you went. I also suggest that you each get a trunk that can function as living quarters, a pair that can connect to each other. You'll need them. Make sure, when you go for them, you get one with a very good size apartment – make sure there are more rooms, and a lot of special features to them.”
“Good luck, you two,” Helena said, waving as gray mist began to cover them.
“Don't forget about the fact that I will be able to contact you two,” Tryst said to them, as they disappeared. The two goddess were silent for a moment, minds concentrating to make sure the two arrived when they were supposed to be. Then, Helena turned to Tryst, her smiling face slipping as worry took over.
“Do you think that they can do it?” she asked. Tryst nodded her head.