Chapter 17:  Hermione

“I think that I’ve done well my Runes translations. What did you do this afternoon ?”, asked Hermione entering Harry’s room.

“Well, … we visited the Astronomy Tower, from the dungeon to the Observatory”, replied Ron, “then we came back here waiting for you.”

Harry thought that it didn’t look like Hermione at all. Usually she liked to pass in review all the subjects of the examination papers and discussed in detail all the items. “She has no longer the same interests as before, why ?” wondered Harry. Ron’s voice went on:

“I don’t know ! … Perhaps, it would be better if we return to the room we first saw the mirror, to see whether they haven’t replaced it back there before going through all the towers of the castle?”

Harry went on wondering : “The tracking down of the Horcruxes is now more important in Hermione eyes ? She is worried for me, that is sure.”

“Hello  Harry ! Are you with us ?” asked Hermione.

“Yes”, Harry replied. “What did you say, Ron ?”

“We wondered whether it would be better to return to the room we’ve seen it the first time, before we visit all the towers of the castle, one after the other”, Ron replied.

“If we go through all the Towers, one by one, it will take us one entire week, if the mirror is in the last Tower, as it often turns out”, Hermione pointed out.

“Quite a good idea !”

And the three friends set out in the direction of the library.  It was near the library that Harry took refuge when he had been pursued by Filtch and had come upon the mirror. On their way, they met McGonagall.

“Good afternoon, Professor,” greeted the three friends together.

“I’m under the Invisibility Cloak”, said Harry.

“Yes, I SEE,” replied Mcgonagall mockingly. “Professor Marchbanks made quite a glowing praise for your exploits, Harry”, she added.

“She told me I got the note Optimal+++, (‘Woouuawh !’, let out Hermione and Ron together), but she said it’s a secret that we should not tell anybody,” replied Harry.

“That doesn’t surprise me. And you, you’ve done well all the papers”, she added turning to Ron and Hermione.

“Yes, I think so,” said Hermione.

“Yes, I hope so,” said Ron.

“Professor ! We would like to know where the mirror of Erised is now ?” asked Hermione suddenly.

“The mirror of Erised, the mirror of Erised !” repeated McGonagall as to remember what it was. What is the matter with the mirror ?” she added.

“During our first year, Professor Dumbledore put it in the dungeons to hide the philosopher’s stone, do you remember ?” Harry asked.

“Yes, I remember now. To my knowledge, afterwards Professor Dumbledore moved it back to its previous place, in the Ravenclaw Tower”.

“Woouuawh !” the three friends burst out together.

“Professor ! Could you please convene an exceptional meeting of the Order, here, at Hogwarts, in the room of the mirror, for tomorrow, at three o’clock in the afternoon”, asked Harry. “It’s very important, don’t ask me why, for the moment. But it’s very important, otherwise I wouldn’t dare ask you.”

“O.K. I’ll contact Aberforth”, answered McGonagall, giving up trying to understand.

“Thank you, Professor !”

“Enjoy yourselves when the weather is fine, and the exams are over !” McGonagall replied setting off to her office.

“You didn’t tell us that you’ve got Optimal+++ in DADA”, Hermione said reproachfully, when McGonagall was out of sight.

“Yes, I’ve completely forgotten, but I was too worried about the mirror, and also, I’m no longer interested in the exams, replied Harry, trying to explain that omission on his behalf. I remember that the mirror was in the first room on the right, after the Library.”

It was in a small empty classroom. The room was locked, but with Hermione’s formula of ‘Alohomora’, they could open it without difficulty. The mirror was there as it had been on the first time Harry had seen it.

“So, the mirror belonged to Ravenclaw ?” Ron asked.

“Not necessarily, McGonagall said ‘where it was before’, it’s not its house, well, it’s the way I understand it”, replied Harry.

“Yes, if it belonged to Ravenclaw, Dumbledore would have known”, reinforced Hermione. “Well, if I stood in front of the mirror, what would I see”, she added, placing herself in front of it, she then smiled, looking pleased, and turned magenta.

“Dumbledore said that the happiest man on earth would see himself exactly as he is”, said Harry standing beside Hermione, in front of the mirror. “And I see myself as I am, though I’m not the happiest man on earth ! … I understand, because I’m warned and so I’ve no illusion ! I see the three of us, together, always together”, he added. But apart himself, he wondered ‘How could I be with Hermione, because Ron loves her, and since I’ve decided never to be Ron’s rival ?’

Ron came in front of the mirror.

“The last time, I saw myself as a Quidditch Captain, but I’m no longer interested in it. What should I see now ? Ah ! I see the three of us’, said Ron, but he also turned wine red.

Harry thought he knew what Ron and Hermione had seen in the mirror.

“Do you feel a faint wind, from the mirror ?” asked Harry placing himself in front of it, then he stepped aside, then again he placed himself in front of it.

“No, I feel nothing” replied Ron doing several times like Harry.

“It’s difficult to say”, said Hermione, passing her hand lightly over the surface of mirror.

“Yes ! Look at Hermione’s hairs. Well, it’s difficult to see this way. Let me take out one single hair. Excuse me, Hermione !”, said Harry, trying to take one single hair out of Hermione’s bushy hair mass.  I’ll block the effect of the mirror with my body. You see that the hair hangs down vertically. It’s a little difficult, because Hermione’s hair is not straight, but the main axe is really vertical, do you agree ? Now I step aside, wait a minute … yes, now the main axe is no longer vertical.”

“I see nothing”, said Hermione, pulling out her hair completely. “Block the mirror, so that I could see. Lower your hand a bit, to your chest. Yes, it’s vertical. Now, step aside… Yes ! It’s exact, there is a very light wind that drifts the hair away”.

“Yes, a very light wind”, replied Ron. Block the mirror again, Harry ! Yes, effectively, there is a small difference between the two ways the hair hangs down.”

“And you feel that light wind ?” asked Hermione admiringly. “Because I feel nothing, not even on my cheek. You’ve become like Dumbledore !”

Harry said nothing. He put Hermione’s hair in his pocket in a natural way as if he put his hand. The three friends examined the mirror under every angle, then they came back to Harry’s room.

“Why did you ask McGonagall to convene the meeting at three o’clock tomorrow ?” asked Hermione.

“For over a month now, I’ve followed the comings and goings of Nagini. Often during daytime, she sleeps near her master, at about five o’clock in the afternoon she goes hunting. Time for discussing our plans, how we should go there, and how we organize the watch of the school, we should be able to be there at five o’clock to deal with the snake. We’ll bring along with us a rabbit to attract her. And bear in mind that she measures more than five yards, visualize her in your mind, so as to have no surprise. Surprise makes us vulnerable…. I see that it’s nearly time for dinner, I have an idea.” Harry added, then he called ‘Dobby !’

And the elf appeared at once in front of Harry.

“Mr Potter asks for Dobby ?”

“Could Ron and Hermione stay here and have dinner with me ? And could you please manage for me to have a living rabbit tomorrow in a basket ?”

“Yes, Mr Potter. Dobby will look after these things. But Kreacher is very ill and the elves in the kitchen think that he is dying, that he is leaving”.

“What should I do in that circumstance ?” asked Harry.

“Go and see him. It’s the master’s benediction that allows the elves to go peacefully”.

“So, I should go now ?”

“Yes, if it pleases you, Mr Potter. Dobby will look after your dinner.”

“I’ll not be long”, said Harry to Hermione and Ron.

He put on his Invisibility cloak and went out with Dobby.

“Well ?” asked Ron when Harry was back.

“Bof ! He was already half in the other world. He opened his eyes when I arrived, but there was no life in his look. I told him to go in peace, but I don’t think he understood me. I stayed some minutes with him, and then he went away. I closed his eyes. And I think that I did what I should in that circumstance, because all the other elves prostrated themselves in front of me. I thanked them for having taken care of him during his sickness, and I left. I asked Dobby to deal with his funeral.  He had been sick for a long time by now, old age sickness, he had not eaten for the last three days.”

“Good riddance !” Ron let out.

Ron got at once a scathing look from Hermione.

“But Hernione, he was wicked, that Kreacher ! It was his fault if Sirius died.” said Ron,  exasperated.

Harry thought that Ron was right, but said nothing.

The three friends stayed late in the evening, working on the operation they were to carry out the next day.  Harry showed to his friends the detailed map of Gloucester he had bought for the purpose, the strategic points, and Nagini’s presumed hunting areas.  Before going back to Gryffindor, Hermione asked:

“May I borrow Hedwig tomorrow ?”

“Yes, of course. Good night to you both”.

But Hermione, at two steps from the door, came back like a rush of wind. She threw her arms around Harry’s shoulders and hugged him so tightly against her that he felt their two hearts beat together, and then she planted a kiss on his cheek before running away out of the room in a sob.

Harry, dumb struck, stood stock still in the middle of the room, tried to understand Hermione’s gesture, a drop of Hermione’s tear lingered on his cheek.

‘She loves me. Until now, she has shown for Ron only a deep friendly attachment, but not love’ Harry thought.  He reviewed in his mind their numerous walks near the lake with Ron and Hermione and he came to the conclusion that it was Ron who loved her as a lover. He had been concentrating so much in the tracking down and destruction of the Horcruxes that he had not noticed the change in Hermione’s feelings for him. He had not only been too concentrating in his mission, but he also had deliberately banished every girl’s image in his mind, and every spark of love that might form in his heart ... 'Yes, but that doesn't change anything, I've decided not to be Ron's rival' he told himself, feeling miserable. He removed Hermione’s tear with his hand and pressed it against his heart.

Then, remembering Hermione’s hair, he emptied his pocket to find it. He wound it around his small finger to make a ring, and hid it behind his mother’s photo in the locket he wore on a long chain around his neck, under his shirt.

***

To be continued on next page