Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Plenitude	By : HeavyMist Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 60689 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in Harry Potter belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I make no profit or money from this submission. I only own the plot.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Disclaimer : The characters and canon situations in Harry Potter belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I make no profit or money from this submission. I only own the plot, a pc, a cat, and of course all the typos and other errors. (hits head against the wall)

A/N: A sneak peek into HM mind about reviews, ratings…

HM2: “Why stalling? Why you’re not typing the next chapter?”

HM1:“What for? They don’t like my story” (weeps)

HM2:”How do you know that?” (Sighs)

HM1:”Duh! They’re not reviewing or rating much…I get hits, few reviews from my wonderful loyal readers for whom I am still trying, and that’s it. How am I supposed to know if they like the new chapters? ” (Weeps some more)

HM2: shaking hear head ”Try to type and forget the reviews and rating, you will finish what you started, you cannot let your reviewers down!”

HM1:“Every time I start, all the ideas in my head just vanish and …all I think about is what if they do not like this or that? What if I am doing a bad job? What if they are bored? What if there’s too much irrelevant things…or not enough…clues? Well, just a simple comment, like I love it, or hate it even…A pat on the shoulder is nice now and then .. ”(Blubbers)

HM2:” Oh My! Here she goes again!!…Someone help me please?? I am stuck in her head…I hear her ranting and whining all the time, it’s driving me nuts!! Please Read Review and Rate??? pleeeaaaase?” (Begs on her knees)

Hubby: Yes I add my pleadings to HM2’s; my wife is driving me up the wall, please! (Pulls wife to pc, orders her to start next chapter).

“Conversation”

‘Thoughts’

‘Flashbacks’

Chapter 18: "Et tu, Brute?"

In Memory of The Martyr

HARRY JAMES POTTER

        1980 – 1998

Was the epitaph. Written in finely chiseled calligraphy, surrounded by intricate golden filigree, on the whiter than snow marble gravestone, which was held on either side, by an upright pair of carved Gryffins’forepaws .

Surrounding the horizontal slab that covered the last resting place of the Martyr, flowerbeds were in bloom of yellow and red. Roses and flowers, enfolded the circular periphery of the mausoleum, their scent propagated way beyond its circumference.

The Grave was in the absolute center of the Herbology and Botanical Garden, which could be seen from any window in the Center. High, thick and lush trees isolated the small peaceful area, which was accessible by four neat and orderly pathways, with flowerbeds on either side. Four pathways, four cardinal points that cross at the tomb itself.

The white marble was glowing a blinding white, the whole area was shimmering as if hundred suns were shining their light on that exact crosspoint.

The customary birds chirping and the bees buzzing were drowned this day by the wails of a witch, who was stretched out on the heated and glowing white slab, arms wide opened, fingers holding either edges tight, in a simulacra of an embrace that she would never feel again. Dark brown waves of hair splayed, disheveled yet also caressing the unattainable young man. Right cheek resting where she supposed the buried man’s left shoulder was. The tears trickling and pooling on the slab beneath her. Slowly her fingers and palms inched to caress yet again what little warmth provided by the sun, closing her eyes, to convince herself it was him, his warmth, his heat, hugging her.

The birds and bees, as if sentient of the heartbreaking lamentations’ song of the grieving witch, ceased their joyful ones. The howling did not, and also the dance of palms and fingers over the now humid white marble, the lips that kissed a smooth surface, and continued uttering “Harry” between hiccupping sobs and blubbering words. The cheek that rested again on the splashed tears, sparkling like liquid diamonds, fingertips stroking white marble but eyes seeing black hair, and green shining eyes, behind round glasses and toothy grin. A lanky boy with a heart of gold and a soul weaved of courage and love. The weeping slowly died down, and the hiccoughing as well, and then after the fingers stopped dancing, and the tears dried slowly both on her cheeks and on the stone.

One would think she was asleep, but her eyes were open, her left ear stuck with her cheek to the whiteness beneath her, as if listening to the whispering of some secret, only shared between them both, a smile tugged at her lips, and her teary eyes brightened, her cracked lips stretched wider, inhaling deeply, she turned and kissed the warmed hard glowing surface, not in ultimate adieu, but a hopeful gesture, a promise to comeback, and visit.

Shifting herself into kneeling position again, at the Marble’s edge, Hermione wiped her eyes, and looked at the candles, tokens, vases of flowers, with other souvenirs and mementos, left by many friends and strangers, as a farewell. She smiled, caressed the stone one last time, preparing to straighten up and leave.

The warm big and solid hand, with tapered long fingers grasping her arm, over her elbow, reminded her she was not alone, she forgot totally about him, during the time spent with her best friend, and brother. She was not embarrassed though, for bawling her eyes out while he watched, she did not care that she was so helplessly exposed, crying, and heartbroken.

There’s no shame in feeling sad and in pain, she takes pride in being human, in feeling, in not being a cold creature with no heart and no emotions! Regardless, watching her or not, she knew that he wasn’t thinking any less of her, not that she cared, damn! Who is she kidding? She was concerned; she already had a serious punishment waiting to happen tomorrow.

Except, in all honesty, it is not what she worried about; it is his opinion, his judgment of her, whether she would be able to gain some of her previous rights, or not, whether he would look at her with an approval in his eyes, like the first couple of days. In a nutshell, whether she likes to admit it or not, she wanted to alleviate his displeasure with her, not because she’s afraid of his chastisement, but because she feels like she failed him somehow, let him down, and this is her biggest fear. Failure was her Boggart, and to especially fail him, see his low opinion of her, reflected in his eyes, has become a Riddikulus resistant Boggart.

How, when and why all of these changes were occurring, she did not know, and she did not have the time to analyze anything going through her mind, so full was her schedule.

Paradoxically time seems to fly and slow down at the same time.

She couldn’t believe that today, she threw up after breakfast and slept, head in his lap, saw half of her friends, got news on some others, went with him here, to Harry’s grave the most important person in her life, after her estranged parents, to mourn, and yet to hope, and now he is taking her to see, yet again, more friends.

The Irony of hindsight! In Hogwarts she thought she had only 3 close friends, Harry, Ron, and Ginevra, the rest she counted as acquaintances. And at the present, with the absence of the three, dead, and buried, she is realizing that more often than not, it is true, we only see what we want to see. It is not the tree that hides the forest; it is our tendency to sightlessness. Three who hid many others? No, She was not looking for others.

She had many worries, many tasks, many people relying on her, her research and knowledge. That was her way to discard the complexity of friendship, and the overwhelming insecurity of losing friends.

She made her daily life as simple as a flat cardboard, with similar taste to boot, at the time, relying finally on Harry since Ron and Ginny shunned her out. She is happy she still has, or maybe will have “friends”. Yes she is alive, and she will live with her friends, for them. They were all here. Harry was here too, with her, she could see him everyday. He approves, yes, she will live.

A smile slipped to her lips; she held her head up, not caring how she looked, a mess for sure, with the last vestiges of tear tracks, puffiness, and red eyes, she let herself be lead back into the beautiful building which she saw, from the outside for the first time today.

It was a gigantic circular construction; four stories high, all the walls facing the internal immensely vast gardens, maybe as wide as half the Forbidden Forest, were made of reflecting glass, mirroring infinitely the green of the trees facing them. A beautiful modern architectural testimonial, that houses not only people, but history and treasures, not measured by Galleons, but by achievements, and lives. This she could understand, such beauty doesn’t come cheap.

At the center of it all, a tribute, a monument for a Martyr, a Boy who was the Chosen One, Who Lived, and then died, to be laid to rest at the center of this splendor. Like a Heart at the center of a human being. Harry was the Heart and Lord Voldemort is the Mind. A voice inside her head whispered ‘Be its soul’.

She looked up at the man slowly, and met his eyes; the pupils were almost invisible, irises like gems of mixed red and gold, the color of Gryffindors! Paradoxically Harry had green eyes, black hair and fair skin, colors of Slytherins! Distant relatives both of them, same wands’ core, and as luck would have it, either are now an important part of her life, dare she say…of her! Whether she wanted this or not.

The warmth surrounding her, made her emerge from her musings, he was embracing her, caressing her hair, and stroking her back, just like when he broke the curse, which trapped her magical core. She relaxed and closed her eyes, cheek near his beating heart. Like Harry used to do sometimes, or when she used to console him.

She retraced the journey to where she is now, remembering how Lord Voldemort took her from her meeting with her friends, and again walking down curved pretty hallways, all basking in summer sun, and wide stairs, of polished granite or some other expensive stone, to the 2^nd floor where the PHACS Labs were located, then the ground floor, occupied by the Law Enforcement Department, and the Public Services and Relations Offices, which dealt with foreign visitors and citizens alike.

They passed an immense atrium, with a beautiful fountain in the middle that reminded her of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. From the basin, water sprayed upward in the midst of the beautiful sculptured marble of wizards and witches holding their wands. The four founders statues positioned on the highest level, from which water sloshed around and cascaded from the top to their four symbols placed lower. The water was a constant show of spattering and bouncing all around, while sunlight pouring in through the glass doors was refracted by the drops of the transparent liquid, like moving prisms, splashing ever shifting rainbows, all around the reception hall’s floor walls and ceiling. At first she thought it was spelled to ensnare the onlookers…it wasn’t!

Walking outside, she was taken by the beauty of the gardens. All kinds of plants and flowers that were utilized as potions ingredients were available, from the common to some of the rare kinds. All planted through sorted beds and arranged following class and optimal spot to flourish, she smiled, must be Neville’s work.

He led her on a straight limestone pathway, through the trees, flanked on either side by flowerbeds, for almost ten minutes, until they reached the mausoleum. When she read the epitaph on the gravestone, she felt her knees buckle, and her legs just wouldn’t hold her up anymore, she hit the grass, near the marble slab, tears just trickled at first and then she lost sense of time, what she was doing, everything else around her vanished, until she came to. Now.

At present, held in his embrace, comforted and consoled, she pushed her face into his chest, eyes closed, and for the first time, since she woke up from her coma, she felt alive again. In the deepest part of her being, she felt complete, despite her grief, her remembrance time was cathartic, and he knew as much, he wanted her to liberate her emotions, like he released her magical core.

She felt the swipe of a cleaning charm, after a fresh sensation cooled her flushed face, she thanked him, with a small smile, he smiled softly back, taking her hand in his, they walked back to the Center, passed the atrium with its swimming pool size fountain, and went up the stairs to the 2^nd floor.

She wanted to ask why, why he paid tribute to his nemesis? How he considered him a Martyr? The grandiosity yet the solemnity of the setting Harry was laid to rest in, was a statement, a tribute and an everlasting declaration of respect! But she needed time to delve into this matter; tomorrow she will tackle all those points eluding her. Now is time to make…. to be friends, again!

Luna Lovegood was standing on the open door threshold, looking every two seconds to see if her friend arrived or not yet… Neville Longbottom materialized 5 feet away in the middle of the corridor; he turned to her and smiled asking “ Is she here yet”

“Nope, still waiting, Lord Voldemort sent me a message about them arriving about…30 minutes ago.”

Nodding the young tall and handsome man strolled to her side and relaxed, his back to the wall, near Lab#2 entrance.

“Did you find the flower seed the Chief wanted?”

“Yes. Had to go deep into a remote part of the jungle though, Merlin knows why he wants the Limiucus Trunpocus seed, I know this Flower’s seed is rarely used and the potions it is used for, are not your daily headache draught!”

“You Know Professor Snape, he gets antsy when our Lord ask for a potion from him, he starts preparing the ingredients a year ahead.”

“Well thank Godric he asked at the right time, or he would have had to wait a year…”

Both laughed at the idea of their Chief scowling and frustrated, because nature was going against his wishes. Neville Longbottom was amazed that the man, who frightened him to death during his Hogwarts years, was in fact a very a brilliant wizard to work with. His Professor persona notwithstanding, Severus Snape deserved respect, and the Dark Lord knew whom to put in charge of the PHACS.

Hermione and The Dark Lord appeared at the end of the long hallway. The impatient witch standing at the door almost turned Neville deaf when she squealed “HERMIONE” running to her she hugged her tight, taking her breath away.

“My Lord!” The salutation of Neville Longbottom drew the two witches away from one another, after a five minutes embrace, and Luna Lovegood turned to her Supreme Leader with a big smile on her face belying her apology “I apologize my Lord …I was so excited to see Hermione, at last… ”

She bowed courteously and he chuckled “Miss Lovegood” he nodded to her, while he looked at the other couple hugging and kissing cheeks, and smiling, he cleared his throat and then said “ I will leave Miss Granger in your care for one hour, you will see her again, do not worry” Turning to Hermione he resumed his instructions,

”When I come back to get you, we will have lunch in the company of some of my most trusted Inner Circle members, I will be here to escort you in 60 minutes.”

Turning around he walked away, while Luna held her hand and ushered her to the open door saying “Come in Hermione…Neville please close the door after you, we don’t want any Knarls to clutter our reunion”. Hermione smiled wide, Luna and her imaginary creatures! She looked around with awed face.

The lab was basking in light, spacious, organized, a potions’ Master’s Heaven!

It was like a top of the art muggle Kitchen without the electrical appliances. Top and bottom Cabinets made of light color wood, and glass to show the contents, which were either potion ingredients in glass containers, labeled and sorted, or already brewed potions, in beautiful also labeled cut glass vials.

The workstation top, made of stainless steel, or similar alloy, that occupied two sides of the room, had symmetrically spaced bamboo cutting-boards on top. The big central island with inset double kitchen sink was made of similar material.

On one side an area was designated for brewing, which could easily fit 10 to 25 big size cauldrons, with a hut hanging overtop to suck out the fumes. Stainless steel cushioned-top work stools were placed strategically, for the lab personnel comfort.

Hermione thought while looking around, with a well-designed space like this, she could stay here and brew potions until Kingdom comes!

Luna made her sit on one of the stools, smiling her dreamily enigmatic grin at her, then said “ Hermione, Merlin we were so worried about you!”

Neville nodded and said “We visited you every day when they brought you here. The Dark Lord was so fed up giving special passes to his quarters; he finally installed a special Distributor for all of us, to come see you”. He explained chuckling.

“Everyone passed to see you at least once a day” Luna continued on the same train of thought and went for a jug of pumpkin juice, which materialized on the island with 3 glasses, serving the beverage she sat again facing Hermione and asked “ You are all right?”

“Yes Luna thank you…”Clearing her throat from the lump that was not budging anymore, she continued “…He took me to Harry’s grave…” Not commenting Luna just nodded while Neville drank a bit of his juice, eyes misting.

“Harry’s grave! How? Why? I thought he would have severed the head, staked it, in the middle of Diagon Alley! It was surreal. What is really going on? What is happening to all of you? When I visited with our friends upstairs, I was taken aback by their loyalty to Voldemort, praising and hailing him and … All of them were behaving like brainwashed sycophants, they were all DA members for Merlin’s sake!” she ended her tirade grimacing in distaste.

Luna and Neville shared a look then sighing Luna started ”Hermione, where do I start…” her eyes got unfocused for a bit, like she used to do, as if seeing things no other could, then refocusing on her fidgety, impatient friend in front of her she smiled her mysterious smile again, as if reaching a decision she resumed in her calm voice “ I will start by telling you what I know…”

Hermione was all ears, and was one second away from shaking the words out of the other girl’s mouth. Luna sipped a bit of her juice then said, ” When we were at the Order’s Headquarters, I was intrigued by many behavioral discrepancies… Like how come we were fighting against Voldemort’s ‘bigotry’, and for the rights of the muggle-borns, as Dumbledore claimed, while I couldn’t see any other muggle-born accepted in the Order except you?”

She looked piercingly at the witch in front of her, and resumed ” Think Hermione and name me one other muggle-born member who was in the folds! All were either pure bloods or half bloods. And what’s more, you were very badly treated at that. If not disregarded, when you were not doing research or planning or helping Harry.”

For a second the list of names in Hermione’s mind was as clear as a midday sun, the leaders were all purebloods, Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt! As for the members, Sirius Black and the Weasleys were Purebloods.. Elphias Doge was a pureblood as well, a very close friend of Albus Dumbledore, and was a jurist who worked at the Ministry, a member of the Order of the Phoenix since it was founded by Albus and the Prewetts in the 1970s.

Mundungus Fletcher, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape the traitor, Nymphadora Tonks, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonnagall, half bloods, Dedalus Diggle was either Pure or half blood, but definitely not muggle-born!

Hermione had to admit that Luna was right regarding this part, but she never looked at the situation this way, to be honest she never even thought of this. She tried to deny the injurious attitudes of some especially Molly, Ron and Ginny, but Luna insisted ”No! Do not try to cover up for them. I was there most of the time, and I saw with my own eyes!”

Hermione true to herself, and loyal to a fault tried to claim that those were hard times and everyone was stressed out. Shaking her head, Zabini’s fiancée sipped her beverage before she counter-argued, “All right Hermione, have they ever taken your opinion into consideration? No! Have they listened to what you suggested for missions? To their detriment I must add, NO.”

The Gryffindor was at a loss what to say to this, because her friend was right, many times she drew their attention to strategic gaps that might put the members at risk, during missions, but since those “strategies” were elaborated by Ron, she was always rebuffed by the trio Weasley, and Albus turned a deaf ear, with the other two Aurors. Or ignored the whole debate royally, like she haven’t said anything and continued with their business.

Sometimes the absurdities of some plans were so obvious to her, but alas to none other, at the time, she sarcastically thought that Ron coming up with such inane tactics was to Voldemort’s advantage rather than the Order. It was he was working for him not the Order. She once was so fed up by their bias, siding with Ron’s risky plan, involving Harry that she just couldn’t keep silent about it. She voiced her take on the dangerous mission, and all hell broke loose!

Harry, Lupin, the twins, Luna, Draco and Zabini backed her up, the others were skeptical, but they dropped it finally, from that moment on, the hostilities of the younger Weasleys, and Molly were in the open, when no one was around to witness it, and even Dumbledore became more stern and harsh with her. Luna’s restrained voice drew her from her sad memories.

“Albus and his accomplices used to tell you to stick to ‘what you know’ and let them take care of matters beyond your reach. They discarded you like you were nothing, not to use another expression. And when you failed to give them answers or solutions they were so mean as to say that your intelligence was exaggerated.”

The witch was loathe to admit it but her friend was right, she herself spent many nights crying because of some rude comments about her not coming up with solutions, ‘what is she doing criticizing Ron’s plans, rather than doing her job, and be useful, with all her books, and swollen head’ like Molly and Ginny belittled her, many times in front of others, with Ron sprinkling salt on her already many unhealed wounds.

What could she say to Luna? The witch always stood by her side, and had many times berated the Weasleys’ bullies for their rude attitude, even Harry started to notice the hostile behavior and blamed it on the fact of the younger brats being dumped by the both of them. Again Luna tackled another angle, she was cornering her bit by bit, and she drew a blank on how to change the subject.

“No matter, have they ever congratulated you? Since 1^st year Hermione you saved both Harry and Ron, many times. Like a guardian angel, you were fast to think how to get them out of trouble, anyone thanked you for this, or at least acknowledge your work all of these years?”

The Gryffindor witch was indeed trying to evade discussing these issues concerning the Order. Many were dead, and you simply do not speak ill of the dead. Besides at the time she did not have any other options. She was accepting the treatment because she had nowhere else to go, since she sent her parents to Australia, Harry needed her, he wanted her to stay with him, to be safe, she was a muggle-born, Death-Eaters’ target of choice. But she had friends as well so she voiced her thought “ Luna maybe not everyone liked me, but I was not discarded or mistreated like you think …”

Stopping her Luna argued, ”The only people that were on your side were Harry, Lupin and the Twins. Ron and that brat sister of his did not dare be rude when Bill and Charley were there. Still, they were as sneaky as the Slytherins if not more, to cover their treason they did what Albus instructed them to do, wholeheartedly mind you. Tonks was usually out with Auror work, and she was busy most of the time, when present, ogling Lupin, to be helpful. I have eyes Hermione, I saw during those meetings how bad you used to feel, lowering your head, hiding your flushed face, trying to cover it with your hair, taking notes, reading your papers, busying yourself and swallowing your hurt and frustration”

Taken aback by this statement, the witch thought bitterly that she was not that successful after all, at hiding her turmoil, and the damaging, if not down right rude stance some of them were showing, towards her, back then.

All right, she never wanted to look into this, what was the point? Reopen wounds? She asked loudly, and Luna said “ Ask yourself Hermione, how come an Order which was founded on the premises of protecting the Wizarding and Muggle worlds from Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters has the least number of those they pretend to protect, and they mistreat the only one they got?”

“I don’t Luna, I was not responsible of recruiting Order members!”

“How come there’s only you? Why have you been treated uncaringly and disrespectfully I might add, by the youngest Weasleys and Molly when many were not around to witness it? Yet neither Albus nor Shacklebolt or Moody have done anything to stop them, bringing you down during meetings, and on other occasions?” Luna was starting to get angry remembering the bunch of backstabbers.

“Luna…. it was just debates and arguments about missions…It is not like misunderstandings don’t happen…even among friends and allies!”

Hermione was trying to squeeze her way out, without speaking ill of anyone. She was not the type to stab people in the back; especially her dead friends, that’s being petty. It is the past why bring it up?

Her friend’s retort shocked the witch, “When I brought the issue to Albus’ attention he dismissed it saying that it was nothing, and arguments happen, but their behavior was becoming a pattern, you and I both know that I am telling the truth. And please explain to me Hermione why Albus himself started to become curt if not right down snappish with you, after you helped Harry getting Sirius out of Azkaban using your time-turner? Since then Hermione everything changed for you didn’t it?”

What could she say, Hermione herself felt the change since then, yes, it was like Dumbledore did not want Sirius to be free, as if he wanted him dead! Luna was relentless. “With his behavior and attitude towards you, he gave thus the impression to others that it was alright to bring you down, that you were nothing important, it seemed like he gave the green light to others, to treat you the same way. Why it got from bad to worse at the end when Blaize and Draco joined?”

Hermione cringed not wanting to remember some of those last few days, before she went with Harry and Ron to hunt horcruxes. Her “friends” Ron and Ginny, would come, with their mother Molly, under the guise of chatting, into the Black’s Library, where she elected to isolate herself most of the time, avoiding everyone, simply trying to forget her situation, through researching, reading, and organizing the Order’s meetings and reports.

It was always the same, they used to start insidiously hinting to how lucky she was that the order is protecting her, and letting her stay in 12 Grimmauld place, as if the place was theirs, and not Harry’s, who generously offered it to house the Order, and them, many times she wanted to tell it to their faces but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to make a scene, knowing that with the usual back up she had, out on a mission, she was alone with them.

They also insisted that she should be grateful to all of them for protecting her, and stop acting like she is better than everyone else, and try to belittle Ron during meeting and leave Harry to Ginny. This used to hurt her the most inside, not knowing why they were accusing her of such behavior. She never wanted Harry that way, and they knew it! She was always polite to everyone, helpful, never being condescending or patronizing, but sometimes she had to correct misinformation they used to blabber, about spells, or potions or bad planning and strategy, anything that might comeback to bite them in the ass if she didn’t. People’s lives were at stake; especially when it was Harry, Lupin, Draco and Blaize, who were put in danger’s way! It is not her fault if they were ignorant!

They used to leave her to lick her wounds, in the small library, then Blaize and Draco coming back from some mission would find her a mess. Both knew what was happening and tried to cheer her up. And like a clockwork, when the guys leave on a mission, the Weasleys come back to chat…and demean her, and she couldn’t do a thing about it. She did not want Harry to get involved or fight with Ron and Ginny. Dhe always kept it a secret from him. She became so insecure, self-doubting, her self-esteem crushed by daily insidious verbal abuse, she doubted even Harry backing her up anymore.

Even when Ginny spewed her rumors about her and Harry, and later Draco and even Blaize, she did not comment or call the girl on her misdeeds. She did not even tell Dumbledore about it, knowing it was no use, besides she had much important work to do, than to waste her time easing the teenager’s petty angst.

She loved Harry as her brother and friend, but Ginny always accused her of being the reason he left her, while both knew it was Ginny’s fault. It got much worse when Blaize and Draco came to stay with them.

Rubbing her eyes, to wipe the moisture that was pooling there, with red-rimmed eyes she looked at Luna and asked, “Why are you bringing all of this now Luna?”

Neville was keeping silent, he never knew; first hand what was happening at 12 Grimmauld Place, until Luna told him. He was outraged. How could Ron and Ginny do this to her? Their friendship was all a pretense and the coup de grâce came with their defection and treason, thinking Lord Voldemort will grant them their greedy demands. He waited to see how Luna would tackle the second part of this tiresome Order’s bollocks!

“Why bring it up?” Luna asked with a small smile, ”Because you were so loyal and honest, so invested in helping those ingrate backstabbers, you couldn’t see how used and abused you were. No do not stop me Hermione …” Again Luna showed her temper, yet her way, she scrunched her nose, and drew her eyebrows together, trying to frown but it was more of a funny grimace, and if Hermione had it in her she would have laughed, but the subject matter was seriously stressing her out, she just wanted answers to this whole charade. So she kept her mouth shut and waited for Luna’s explanations.

“Because Albus Dumbledore wanted them to do it Hermione, he wanted your self-esteem shredded, your confidence in shambles, he wanted you weak, because you were standing in his way. He wanted to be able to control you. As for the Weasleys’ bullies, they were already planning how to get back at you when they defected to Voldemort’s side, They betrayed everyone Hermione, Draco and Bezee knew everything, Ginny asked Draco at the start of 1997 to arrange a meeting with ‘Tom’ and Lucius Malfoy showed me their meeting with the Dark Lord or parts of it.”

Hermione’s eyes were bulging, face paled to a sickly white; she clutched the edge of the counter near her, not believing what she was hearing from Lovegood. She was ready to agree with her that Snorkacks were real, go with her on a Bushogs hunt, but please…please deny what she was hearing, this couldn’t be true, Ron and Ginny could hurt her verbally maybe because they were angry with her, but …to betray Harry!

And ‘Bezee? Who’s bezee?!’ Despite it all, the shocked witch realized that Bezee meant the initials of Blaize Zabini, a nickname; it takes Luna to come up with such a weird stuff! She brushed her finding aside fast, as irrelevant.

“I am sorry Hermione, they not only betrayed their ‘best friends’ and family, they also worked as spies for Voldemort for a whole year, Ron gave him Harry’s Invisibility cloak, Ginny spell-copied all of your Journals and work, and took them as a token to the Dark Lord, of course she was bad at it but what is worse Hermione, it was Ron who delivered you to the snatchers, when they took you to Malfoy Manor. You were not supposed to be tortured but Bellatrix the crazy woman messed things up for you and the Dark Lord, but he punished her, she died in Azkaban.”

The Gryffindor golden girl was shaking her head now, as if wanting to deny what she was hearing, NO! It cannot be, Ginny took all the Order’s secrets, meetings, reports, and all her personal work, research and studies to their sworn enemy! And Ron, …oh Merlin NO ! Voldemort had the Gaunt Ring already and the Elder wand from Draco, who took it from Dumbledore when he was supposed to kill him, after stunning him, and left with the traitor Snape who also failed to kill him!

All he needed was the cloak, and Ron gave it to him! Voldemort was already the Master of Death that year?! They did not know, they were following Dumbledore directions to hunt and destroy the pieces of Voldemort soul, while he was already invincible?! Ron left them, Harry and her, saying he cannot take it anymore, because of the Slytherin Locket, but came back after a couple of weeks with the Gryffindor sword, and not 2 days later the snatchers were on them like bees on a honey pot!

Tears were now flowing freely on her cheeks, and Neville came to her side, and hugged her, shushing her, combing her wild hair, that she unconsciously kept tearing at.

Luna joined into the weeping, seeing her friend shocked by the treason of the people she trusted, loved, the friends she refused to badmouth, pre and post-mortem, though, in her opinion they deserved worse.

Neville, walked and sat on a stool facing her, and took over, revealing more ”Sorry Hermione, the truth is always hard to accept, we tend to believe what we like, but in the end, we have to face it, we all did, when Luna came to me explaining the oddities and events, I was like you, shocked and appalled. Lucius Malfoy showed her some pensieves, we don’t have them, but Lord Voldemort does, I am sure if you ask to see them, he will be more than accommodating. He explained everything to us, after the battle.”

Sniffing Hermione blubbered half snorting, half bitterly laughing “ He did, didn’t he?”

Wiping her eyes the Ravenclaw witch said “Hermione, Ron was told by the Dark Lord that he put a Taboo-spell on the name Voldemort, knowing that most members of the Order had no qualms saying it, especially you and Harry. Ron went back to join you on your wild goose-chase, for the Horcruxes, as ordered by his ‘new master’. He did not tell you of course, certain that he only had to say the name, or either one of you would, sooner or later, and the deed would be done. That’s how the snatchers took you to the Malfoys’. After, he played his role for Harry’s benefit in the dungeons. Draco came with the Dark Lord, brought you here, and continued the charade until the Dark Lord won the war, one month after your Induced Coma”

The analytical side of the Gryffindor witch was seeing the whole miserable situation, come together, their defeat, and how couldn’t they be defeated? On on hand Voldemort had the Deathly Hollows together, he became the Master of Death. To make matters worse, you not only have Voldemort spies working against you, but your two best friends betray you, what were the odds of their success?

In addition to all of this desperate state of affairs, she and Harry were running against the clock, hunting for Horcruxes, with no clues on where to find them and how to destroy them, or insufficient ones at best. It was so like Dumbledore to give such cryptic answers. All of this took place, and both of them didn’t know it was already too late, …’wait a second! Wild goose-chase’? She turned to her friend and asked, “ We were Hunting for Horcruxes Luna, why are you saying it was a wild-goose chase, Dumbledore told …?”

A deep velvety baritone that was so familiar now to her ears, to her whole being if she wanted to be honest with herself, stopped her in the middle of her sentence, responding to her question “Because there was no Horcruxes to begin with!”

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Plenitude