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Memories of Deception	By : professorflo Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 20868 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within. I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Memories of Deception
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9.
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
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- 100-100
- 101-101
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- 103-103
- 104-104
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- 106-106
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Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Some parts of this chapter have been transcribed from Deathly Hallows.
Anon, thanks for the review. I am glad you are enjoying the story. Sorry, I know there are a few pretty ridiculous errors here and there that I will be going back over at some point, and some parts are a bit slow, as you say, and I plan to condense these a bit. I'm not giving up. There are another 15 chapters to post here, already written, and more coming.
Ron crept quietly down the tunnel, bringing up the rear behind the other three. Up ahead Neville was talking to Harry, who was following close behind, but Ron was barely listening to their conversation, instead replaying the events of the day in his head.
They had been lucky to be found by Aberforth so quickly after apparating to Hogsmeade. The three of them had been so eager to get to Hogwarts, none of them had considered the possibility that Hogsmeade might be as well guarded as the castle itself. Even luckier was the fact that Aberforth had a way into Hogwarts, and it had been a huge surprise seeing Neville appear from behind the portrait of Dumbledore's sister.
They hadn't planned beyond getting into the vault, assuming Griphook would be there to help them get out, and they certainly hadn't planned to come straight to Hogwarts, but it had seemed like the only thing to do after escaping from Gringotts. After the ruckus they had caused Voldemort would soon know they had taken Hufflepuff's cup, if he didn't already.
Hermione had certainly done her homework, working out the identity of the horcrux for them. Both Harry and he had missed her intensely in the days after she had been taken by the Snatchers. She had been the driving force behind most of their progress with their task and had also been the peacemaker between the three of them. It hadn't taken a day before Harry and he had begun to argue; about their next move, about where to camp, over who would guard duty first that evening.
It had been during one of their arguments that Harry had shouted Voldemort's name, and they had immediately been surrounded by Snatchers. Ron was not really sure how they had managed to get out of that mess, the short time they had spent in Malfoy Manor had affected both of them badly, and Dobby's death had been particularly hard for Harry to take.
Two good thing that had come out of that whole fiasco however; the location of a horcrux, and Luna. She had been invaluable in replacing Hermione as the brains of the group. Not that she could ever truly take her place in the trio, of course, but they had benefited from the calm way she could diffuse any tension between the two boys, and from her uncanny ability to see straight to the heart of a problem. Despite their worries, she had even done an excellent job masquerading as Bellatrix Lestrange. Just a different type of crazy really. If it hadn't been for the fact that the goblins had been forewarned they might have got away with it.
Ron shook his head and smiled fondly at the back of the diminutive blonde that was breezing along happily in front of him. He'd grown quite fond of her in the weeks they had been together although he wasn't quite sure just how fond he was yet. He had caught himself admiring her more than once and had immediately felt guilty, Hermione's face coming to mind instead.
He felt somehow disloyal to Hermione for thinking of another in that way. True, they were not in a relationship, but he had recently begun to think that there was some sort of unspoken promise between them, something that would develop when the time was right. But he'd not seen Hermione for about a month and a half, except for that strange half-an-hour where she had turned up at the cottage, all secretive about where she had been and who with. And then she had disappeared as quickly and mysteriously as she had come, leaving the two of them worried and wondering how she had managed to escape.
Who was helping her? The two of them were convinced that she had been talking to someone before apparating away. Why were they keeping themselves hidden if they were on the same side? Harry hadn't mentioned anything, but Ron had felt there was something strange about the way she had acted. She had been happy and as animated as usual when talking about her research, but something had been off. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he knew enough to feel that the connection, that feeling of there being something more than just friendship between them, had somehow disappeared.
Ron wondered where she was now. Perhaps she was with someone from the Order. They would surely know that something was happened. The events at Gringotts couldn't have gone un-noticed, and surely it wouldn't be too long before Voldemort knew they were in Hogwarts. Perhaps McGonagall would know where she was. She must have a way to contact the rest of the Order.
The dark tunnel was now sloping quite steeply upwards. "Almost there," Neville called from the front. "Anyway," he continued, returning to the conversation he'd been having with Harry, "once they realised they had no hold over me, they decided Hogwarts could do without me after all. I don't know whether they were planning to kill me or send me to Azkaban, either way, I knew it was time to disappear."
Ron was confused. "But aren't we heading straight back into Hogwarts?"
The light that Neville was carrying dimmed for a moment as he went round a corner. "Course," he said. "You'll see. We're here."
Ron could now see the end of the passage, just up a short flight of stairs ahead of them. Neville scrambled up and pushed the door open. "Look who it is! Didn't I…. Hermione! How did you get here? Look who I brought."
Ron climbed through the door behind Luna as quickly as possible, blinking in the sudden bright light.
At first it was just a blur of faces, and then, out of the crowd he found the one face he had wanted to see more than any other, standing a way apart from the others. "Hermione! He cried, hearing Harry echo him in the same moment. They both rushed across to her and she threw herself at them, the three ending up in a tangle of arms.
Finally Ron pulled back to look at their surroundings. They were in an enormous room, full of hammocks, bookcases and people, and the walls were covered in hangings, with three of the house emblems represented, but no Slytherin green and silver. The other occupants were crowded round the three of them, but giving them some space in the centre. Luna was standing by Neville, a smile on her face as she watched the three of them. Ron suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable with the way he was hanging onto Hermione in front of her, and stepped back a bit more.
"Where are we?"
Neville replied. "Room of Requirement of course! Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrow's were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a lot smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings. But it's expanded as more and more of the DA have arrived."
"And the Carrow's can't get in?" asked Harry
"No, it's a proper hideout, or at least it was," a bitter voice replied. "As long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open. Doesn't explain how she got in though."
Looking up in confusion, Ron began to notice something strange in the way everyone seemed to be hanging back from the three of them and watching them almost warily. No, that was wrong, they all seemed to be eyeing Hermione in particular. Still with one arm around her he glanced round. There were a lot of hands holding wands, and the atmosphere in the room was strained.
"What's going on?" he asked nudging Harry, who finally seemed to look around properly and notice the tension in the room for the first time. "Hermione?" She just shook her head. "Dean, Seamus, what's the problem? Why have you all got your wands out?"
"Why don't you ask her that?" replied Seamus. "Ask her to tell you who she's been with the last month or so. She's turned, gone traitor. She's probably come in here to help them catch us."
Ron felt Hermione's arm tighten around his waist. "Hermione," he asked quietly. "What's he talking about?"
Hermione's mouth opened and closed a few times. "I… I can't…" she said eventually.
"That's all she's been saying, even though we told her we already know. Word around the castle is that she's been living with Snape, not coming out of his rooms at all."
Next to him, Hermione let out a sob and turned to bury her face in his shoulder. He tightened his grip around her, and felt Harry take a step closer on her other side. He glanced around the room again.
"That's ridiculous!" Harry scoffed. "What could possibly make you think that?"
The Slytherins… Some of the ones with Death-Eaters for daddies started talking about it a few weeks back, and it's all round the castle. Some of them have been spreading the word that she's fucking him too. She's helping them! Who knows what she'll do if we don't stop her first!" Seamus took a step towards her, his wand coming up slightly, although he hadn't quite got up the courage to point it directly at her. Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You're barmy mate. Our Hermione would never do that. If she's been with Snape he must have been keeping her prisoner after the Snatchers took her. And since when have you been listening to what Slytherin have to say?"
"How come she's here now then? How did she get out?"
Ron turned to her. "Help us out here, Hermione. We can't tell them what's going on if we don't know ourselves. Have you been with Snape? How did you get away?"
Hermione only shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, before hiding her face in Ron's shoulder again. He exchanged a worried glance with Harry over the top of her bushy hair. More wands were being lifted, although most people looked uncertain.
"Hermione," Harry cajoled. "Come on, surely you can tell us something."
"I can't… tell…"
"Can't, or won't? said Ron, suddenly having an idea as to why she was being so reticent.
"Can't," she said, her voice muffled by his jacket.
"An oath! Did you take an oath?" said Harry, cottoning on to the same idea that Ron had had.
Hermione nodded her head. "Yes. I can't tell you anything."
"Can you write it?" he asked.
He felt her tense for a moment, then she shook her head. "No, I can't write it either."
"Well, she came to help us a few weeks back," said Ron loudly, addressing Harry, but intending for everyone to hear. "Gave us some important information that we used to get one step closer to getting rid of You-know-who. She can't have been with Snape. He never would have let her visit us like that. Nobody who supports him would want us to know what she told us. And whoever it was knew where we were and didn't attack. It can't have been Snape or any of the other Death-Eaters."
Hermione had gone completely still as he had spoken, and made no move to confirm or deny what he had said.
"There you go, Seamus," said Harry fiercely. "She's taken an oath so she can't tell, and she's still been helping us."
But Seamus still hadn't given up, although most of the wands around them were back down by people's sides, the atmosphere in the room slowly changing. "How'd she get here then, if the Snatchers took her?"
Ron looked down at her, wanting to hear the answer for himself. She'd refused to tell them back at Shell Cottage the day she'd turned up there, and he was curious too. She lifted her head, speaking quietly so only those closest could hear. "I can't say that either."
"This all sounds dodgy to me, Potter. She can't tell us where she'd been or even how she got here. I still say she's turned." He looked around for support, but found little, most people had obviously started to see sense.
Beside him, Hermione suddenly seemed to brighten, and she reached into a pocket, pulling out an envelope. "Read this, but you can't tell anyone else who wrote it. They… it's important no one knows who's been helping me."
"Why not?" said Harry gently. "Are they in danger?"
"Yes, if You-know-who found out…" There was a strange expression in Hermione's eyes as she trailed off.
"You read it first mate," said Ron, nodding to Harry, who took the envelope from Hermione and opened it. Hermione shifted uncomfortably, and Ron finally let his arm drop from around her shoulder. Despite the way she had clung to him, and the feeling over protectiveness that had overcome him, he felt uncomfortable continuing to hold her like that. He looked over at Luna, who was watching the proceedings with a strange, secretive smile.
Ron looked back to Harry, who was frowning down at the parchment in his hand. "You've been doing more research on the… you know whats?" Hermione nodded, and Harry continued, his voice low enough for only the three of them to hear. "But this isn't your writing… someone else has been helping you look? Oh, why do I recognise the writing?" He waved the parchment under Ron's nose, and he took it.
The letter was short, explaining that a couple of items had been checked for dark magic and had been found free of it, and that the Room of Requirement was a likely place for a horcrux to be hiding, but they had been unable to check it. He knew right away who the writer was, having seen it plastered across too many of his transfiguration essays.
"McGonagall…" he whispered, and saw Harry nod in agreement. "She'd been helping you?" Hermione nodded again. "Did she find you with whoever was holding you? Have you been here in the castle since then?" A short pause, then another nod. The tears were beginning to dry on her face now, although her eyes were still a bit red.
"There you go," Ron crowed loudly, folding the note over so no one could see the writing, and waving it in the air. "Hermione was saved by the person who wrote this, who both Harry and I can confirm is on our side, and they've been hiding her in the castle since and helping her work out how to get rid of You-know-who."
"See Seamus," said Harry. "There's a perfectly good explanation."
"Yea, and maybe next time you'll think twice before believing anything a Slytherin has to say. Did you even consider they were saying that so you wouldn't trust her, if they knew she had escaped from whoever was holding her?"
Seamus had gone red, and was now looking a bit ashamed of himself. "Ah, you know I never meant anything by it Hermione." Ron snorted loudly. "I'm sorry, it's just, you know, with everythin' that's going on…" He waved a hand around the room generally. "It's hard to know what to believe. All this sneaking around makes you a bit paranoid, you know?"
"It's alright,"Hermione replied. "If it was the other way around who knows what I would have done." Harry muttered something under his breath that Ron didn't quite catch, although Hermione obviously did, and elbowed him hard, giving him one of her trademark glares.
He just grinned at her sheepishly, rubbing his side. "We missed you Hermione. Needed you to keep us in order. We were a bit of a mess until we found Luna."
Hermione glanced across at her then, and Luna stepped forward out of the crowd towards them. "Looks like we've got a lot of catching up to do, but I think we need to be quick. I get the feeling that something big is going to happen tonight."
Ron glanced quickly around the crowd as the four of them drew into a circle. All of the wands had disappeared, and people were starting to move away now the show was over.
"Did you find any more…?" Hermione asked eagerly.
"Yes, we found the cup." Harry spoke quietly. "It was in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts. But we lost the sword so we have no way to destroy it."
"How did you lose… wait, Gringotts? How did you get the cup out of there?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, well, we just broke in with Luna pretending to be Bellatrix, imperio'd some goblins, found the cup, and stole a dragon. Nothing really." shared a grin with Ron and Luna.
"You… a dragon? What…?"
There was a clunk as the front door closed, and the room went silent around them. They turned to see what was going on and found Ginny making her way across the room.
"Ginny, what is it?" Neville called out.
"It's Harry… he's been seen… HARRY!" she cried stopping in her tracks as her eyes fell on the four of them.
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Memories of Deception