Chapter 8
Saturday had finally arrived, and Hermione woke up early, casting a quick glance at her still fast-asleep roommates, before dressing herself and briskly exiting the dorms.
She was still brewing over her conversation with Altaire, unsure of what to do. She hadn’t mentioned either the conversation, or the fact that Malfoy even had a sister to Ron and Harry yet, not quite prepared for the explosive dramatics that would ensue, when she herself had not properly digested all this new information.
She sat herself down on one of the couches in the empty common room, flicking through a textbook on magical contracts. She still had to come up with a way to make sure that everyone who turned up to the meeting at noon would keep silent on what would be discussed, and it vexed her to know that all the drama with finding and meeting Altaire had distracted her from this important task.
She flicked past the chapters on the Fidelius charm and Unbreakable Vows. Both were powerful spells but not quite what she was looking for. She needed a spell that would ensure everyone who showed up would be bound to secrecy, without letting them know that they were bound. That way, she thought to herself, they could figure out who could be trusted for the long run.
Altaire’s words regarding betrayal and friends had been weighing heavily on her mind. She trusted Harry and Ron with her life. That much was certain. But just looking at how divided Gryffindor had become this past few weeks, she felt more stronger than ever, you could never truly rely on people, however close you thought you really were.
Her mind travelled to Peter Pettigrew, and her heart clenched, as she thought of Harry’s parents. They’d trusted their best friend without reserve, going as far as to make him the Secret Keeper, only for him to betray their whole friendship group when it came down to it. Altaire was right… she had to wise up, she didn’t have the luxury to think with her heart. One wrong move, and it could be Harry that ended up like his parents.
She had to be ruthless. It was the only way that she could help keep her best friend alive.
Proditium Jinx – The Betrayal Jinx
The Proditium Jinx can be casted on any piece of writing, or contractual promises, so that anyone who reads and agrees to the terms of the writing are bound to the agreement, provided that they provide a signature on said scroll, manuscript etc.
The Jinx should not be used lightly, and only attempted in serious agreements, as there has not yet been a counter-jinx discovered, which can undo the damage it would cause to those that break their agreement clause.
Furthermore, although it has not been made illegal to do so yet, it is highly unethical, in this writer’s own personal beliefs, for this Jinx to be made without the prior consent of all parties involved, due to the irreversible damage it could cause on the parties involved.
Potential damages:
- Temporary Boils
- High Fever
- Permanent Scarring…
This was it! Hermione slammed the book shut, not bothering to read the latter part of the chapter, which went into great depth of all the different ways in which the spell could go wrong.
She looked up at the giant grandfather clock, 9 am. It was only a matter of minutes before people would start getting up and filling up the common room to enjoy their weekend. She had to cast the spell quickly before people saw her and started asking questions.
Looking at her notes, she practised a few times on some empty parchment paper, before mastering the spell. Throwing the errant parchments into the fireplace, she rolled out the sign-up sheet that she had drafted the night before, and cast the spell over it, watching the parchment glow a soft blue hue, before returning to its original beige colour.
This will do, she thought to herself, as she rolled the parchment up and pocketed it into her beaded handbag.
“Morning ‘Mione. You’re up early!”
Hermione jumped, casting a startled glance behind her to lock eyes with a bleary-eyed Ron and Harry, who had just stumbled into the common room, yawning, looking equally scruffy as the other.
“What are you up to?” Harry asked at the same time as Ron’s greeting, plopping himself down on the couch, next to Hermione.
Guilt crept on her as she thought about coming clean about the Proditium Jinx, but she couldn’t muster up the courage to acknowledge to her best friends what she had done. It wasn’t dark magic that she had just completed, but it wasn’t good magic either. And like the author himself had stated, what she’d done was objectively unethical, ripping away people’s right to know exactly what they were getting into by secretly charming the parchment… She didn’t feel guilty about what she’d done… not exactly. The guilt was more a heavy weight on her own conscious… the fact that she didn’t feel guilty… that she felt… righteous in her deceit…
“Oh, nothing… just doing some reading for Charms.” Hermione said hastily, holding up her textbook and waving it weakly.
Harry groaned, swatting the offending book away from him.
“Don’t even get me started on the homework for next week. Flitwick is almost as bad as Umbridge with the amount of reading he’s set us. Why do we even have to learn about tidying charms, it’s not like we don’t have hands or enchanted brooms to do it for us.” Harry whined, Ron nodding fervently in agreement as he took a seat next to Harry.
“It’s bonkers mate.” Ron said, shaking his head, “Just bring my mother in for an hour lecture and she’ll have all of us sorted. Merlin, we could do with the extra money too.”
Hermione and Harry both winced at Ron’s words. Regardless of their deep friendship, it was always an uncomfortable topic, bringing up the Weasleys’ finances, especially when Harry and Hermione were privileged enough to not have their own money troubles. Ron had become much more comfortable with his comparative poverty than the previous years, but it was still a sore topic, and his best friends hardly knew what to say when the topic was broached.
“I’m just kidding.” Ron chuckled sheepishly, noticing the discomfort on his friends’ faces. “I don’t think my mother has the patience to teach the lot of us. Can you imagine her trying to handle Seamus? I don’t know who’d explode first, mum or his piss poor wand work.”
The trio tittered at Ron’s light insult of their current Gryffindor enemy, the tension immediately lifting.
“So how many people do you think will show up today?” Harry asked, changing the subject.
“’Dunno mate” Ron replied, shrugging. “I told Boot to spread the word discreetly, but it’s not like I could get him to swear an Unbreakable Vow. We’ll just have to trust that the people who’ve heard about it will turn up, or at least know to keep their mouth shut.”
Harry nodded solemnly. His scarred hand twitched in his lap, giving away his nervousness, and Hermione reached out to place her own hand over his.
“People are going to turn up. I’m sure of it.” She said reassuringly, giving him a gentle squeeze.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Harry said grimly. “I’m not a leader, and I sure as hell am not a teacher. I don’t know how I’m supposed to help people when I can barely help myself. Hell, I’m barely surviving as it is, scraping by on luck and your brains. I don’t know how I’m supposed to save everyone else. I never asked for this… It’s too much responsibility Hermione!” Harry’s voice was bereft with anxiety, and Hermione’s heart clenched with pity as she looked at her best friend. He looked infinitely small, his shoulders hunched and his head hanging low.
It was Ron that spoke up, clapping Harry on the back with a reassuring smile. “You can’t save everyone Harry mate, and no one’s asking you to. That’s why we’re doing this, so that we can at least give our friends a fighting chance when it comes down to it. And you’re not alone. You’ve got both of us. We’re with you to the end, whether you like it or not. I know you’ve been trying to push us away since the year started, but you’ll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to make us even doubt you for a second. I know I’ve been a right git in the past, but I’m over all that now. This is bigger than you, bigger than all of us, and I get that now. I know it’s asking a lot from you, but… the more people we can help, the more help they’ll be to us when the time comes. It’s worth it. Trust me. We’ve got you.”
Hermione’s heart warmed at Ron’s words, and she smiled fondly at him. She marveled at how much he’d matured since First Year. He wasn’t the youngest son from a big family, brimming with insecurities and unresolved resentment about his lot in life any longer. He was… steady, dependable… handsome.
Hermione blushed to herself, quickly looking away before Ron could notice. She was getting ahead of herself. She’d be lying to herself if she denied that she’d been harbouring a small but ever-growing crush for her best friend since Fourth Year, but it was hard for her to decipher whether the feelings were manufactured by their close friendship and many-a-trials faced together, or if she could really imagine a future with the ginger wizard. And regardless, this was hardly the time to start acting like a fawning schoolgirl.
Shaking herself from her embarrassment, she gave Harry a quick side-hug before pulling him up with her.
“Come on, it’s nearly 11. Let’s go get some lunch before we get going.”
Both Harry and Ron perked up at the mention of food, and jumped to their feet, rushing ahead of her to make their way to the Great Hall.