In Too Deep

Disclaimer : Harry Potter and Friends are not mine, yet all the mistakes are mine.

A/N : Again thank you to Menoin714 and RichardOld for the Beta. You are wonderful!


Chapter 3 Deeper and Deeper

(Pekat)


“Harry,” someone touched his shoulder. Once again, Harry found himself sitting beside Hermione’s bed; holding her hand and drifting off, lost in his own mind. If only his mind could reach her while he did that. His mind recalled the dreadful event three weeks prior. Slowly he turned aside and found Remus, looking down at him with a sad expression, something he always wore these days. By looking into his eyes, Harry knew there was something that he needed to talk about, so reluctantly, he stood and followed the shabby werewolf outside.

There were people gathered in the waiting room, which was now transfigured into a meeting room, discussing something in a hushed tone. Harry couldn’t make out what they were talking about. But as soon as he entered the room, the whispering died and every eye looked at him. It made him very uncomfortable. He glanced at Mr. Weasley. The distressed look on his friend’s father made Harry’s stomach churn a bit. Harry didn’t want to leave Hermione alone. He learned his lesson in a very hard way, but somehow he felt that he needed to listen to this.

“Potter” Kingsley Shaklebolt nodded his head as Harry neared the crowd. He nodded his head in reply and took a seat. Then the senior Auror began his explanation. “Within twenty-four hours the ministry officials will be here. They think they have waited long enough and now they would like to take matters into their own hands”

“Exactly what do you mean by ‘taking matters into their own hands’?” Harry interrupted. He already gave the senior Auror a murderous look but Shaklebolt continued solemnly as if anticipating Harry’s wrath.

“We all know what happened three weeks ago and honestly I don’t know what to believe-”

“You have to believe her. There’s no way Hermione could do that. How could you think of her like that? We knew her longer that you lot.” Ron interjected as Shaklebolt trailed off.

“We know that, son, but circumstances will not allow us to take this any other way. The evidence was there. You saw it with your own eyes.” Mr. Weasley placed his hand on Ron’s shoulder in order to calm him.

“I know exactly what I saw. I saw the result of a brutal murder committed by some sick persons who treated humans as animals. They butchered them mercilessly and from the way they were displaying their mutilated body parts in such disgusting way proves that they are as evil as v-v-vol … You-Know-Who!!” Ron sighed exasperatedly. He still couldn’t say His name unlike Harry and Hermione. He wanted to, but seventeen years of indoctrination was not easy to overcome.

“And what circumstances will not allow you to act on justice?” Harry’s voice dropped an octave, making him sounded much more dangerous.

“I’m sure you already know the procedure Harry, you were there before...” Mr. Weasley hesitated a moment but before he was able to continue, Kingsley Shacklebolt interrupted.

“It’s her wand. We tested it over and over using various spells to reveal any magic performed by the caster and all evidence was there. All the unforgivable except Avada Kedavra were used. There are several new spells that we are still trying to figure out.”

“You are talking like Hermione is capable of hurting her own parents. Even if that was the case, you forget the Imperius or maybe they took her wand and did the torture-”

“YOU SAW WHAT WAS IN THE PENSIEVE, POTTER!” Kingsley’s voice roared inside the waiting room, drawing silence. He and Harry glared daggers towards each other. No one dared to break the silence.

“And you think drawing out memories from an incapacitated person is a proper procedure?” Harry said. Still, with the same menacing tone.

“If it is necessary, yes! There is not any proof that she was under Imperius. We also have great Occlumens and Ligilimens among the ministry, although not as skilled as Severus or Albus Dumbledore-”

“Or Riddle.” Harry cut in. “The only one skilled enough and low enough to alter memory for his own good and I know He was there that night. My scar hurt badly. Do you think I faked it?!” He glared sternly at Kingsley Shaklebolt, who didn’t waver a bit.

“Are you saying that we are incapable of investigating crime? We have been doing this work since long before you were born” Kingsley replied, obviously enraged.

“And look what became of our world.” Harry spat.

“Then you might also think that we are incapable of running the ministry. What do you want Potter? Even Dumbledore could not handle it-”

“Leave Dumbledore out of this” Harry growled. He stood up abruptly from his chair. His hands clenched hard at the edge of the table until his knuckles were white. His eyes flashed with furry.

There was a certain chill in the air. Everyone in the room held their breath. Magic crackled in the air around Harry emitting forces of energy. Some people in the room were aware of Harry’s potential for an accidental outburst of magic; especially Ron who looked wide-eyed at Harry. No one said a word as if preparing for the upcoming explosion. They in turn looked at Harry then at Kingsley wondering who would burst first. Ron knew, in spite of his calm demeanor, Harry was seething inside with anger and frustration. The youngest Weasley boy was mad and sick of the whole predicament also. Bureaucracy really sucked.

“We did check the case you mentioned, Harry” Tonks stepped in and everyone shifted their attention to her. Finally she was able to ease into the silence. Harry seemed to be waiting for Tonks’s report. He gave her his full attention; that was enough to render her nervous. “Well … just like you said Harry, Marvollo Gaunt was sent to Azkaban for three murders. There was wand evidence and Veritaserum performed. He couldn’t lie.”

“Not if Riddle altered his memory.”

“That is highly unlikely. No one has done it successfully. Memory alteration leaves traces. That is why this kind of subject is very delicate. There is not any proof to support your theory. We’ve tried everything in the past three weeks with no further result. There is nothing we can do.” Kingsley stated.

“I know what a clumsy memory alteration is. I’ve seen it. But Riddle is a more skilled at Legilimence than anyone that the ministry is.” Harry said.

“She is vulnerable now. You cannot arrest anyone who couldn’t defend themselves, even muggles provide a lawler.” Ron pointed out.

“It’s a lawyer” Tonks corrected quietly.

“Whatever.” Muttered Ron. At least in this situation, no one laughed at his slip.

Harry slipped back in his seat and crossed his arm quietly. His face was unreadable. “McGonagall wouldn’t approve.”

“Even Minerva cannot do anything.” Kingsley replied.

“How do you know?” Ron snapped.

“We owled her this morning. She was already anticipating it.” Mr. Weasley took a deep breath before addressing Harry in a Father-like manner. “Harry, I know this is hard for both of you. The three of you have been friends for nearly seven years, but we have no choice.”

“You lot will give her up to the ministry.” Ron shook his head disgustingly. “I can’t believe it”

“Unless we can prove otherwise, Hermione will be charged for murder, in the first degree.” Kingsley said.

“Will she be sent to Azkaban?” Ron hated the idea very much. Well, who didn’t?

The question was never answered although the answer was obvious. Ron stood abruptly in aggravation and left the meeting room without a word. Everyone was too sullen to make a comment or take any action. Harry knew Ron would go straight to Hermione’s room because he too wanted to see her after all of this. He was definitely not ready to let her go and never would be.

Harry left the waiting room and the rest of the order members, not that he cared who had left and who stayed. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. He knew Hermione would be all right for now since Ron most likely wouldn’t leave her in the following hours and the ministry officials (or the ministry executioner to Harry) wouldn’t be there for the next twenty-four hours. He passed Hermione’s room, took a glance inside, he saw Ron sitting beside her bed holding her hand. He went out, needing to see an old man about a spell.

~ * ~

“I’m afraid I have nothing to contribute to your case, Mr. Potter.”

Harry made an appointment as soon as possible with Norman. Thankfully the old man hadn’t left England yet. Now, they were walking leisurely on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, reminiscing about “the old days” as the old man said.

“I haven’t thanked you for coming such a long distance Mr. Norman. I really appreciate your effort, and … I know there hasn’t been any development-”

Harry’s words were interrupted by Norman’s chuckles.

“That would be an understatement, Mr. Potter.” Norman sighed deeply. “She must be a very special young lady”

“Yes she is” There was no doubt on that.

“Of course! I know that feeling … a long time ago …”

They fell silent for a moment.

“The human brain is such an amazing thing.” Norman said out of nowhere as if he already knew the reason Harry came to see him. “I have been studying them for almost ten decades now, yet still they never stop amazing me, especially a magical one. I have been working with lots of amazing people with amazing minds; muggle and magical alike. Do you know how magic works with our mind and body, Mr. Potter?”

“Er… well …”

Really, Harry was completely taken aback with the question. This was more Hermione than him. So, to spare his embarrassment, Norman continued.

“You’re familiar with Legilimency, Mr. Potter?” he asked.

“Uhm, I learned Occlumency once.”

“Did you master it?”

“Can’t say… never really got a real opponent… except Snape” Harry added in a much lower tone, almost in whisper, but it seemed that the old man was in possession of good hearing.

“Severus Snape! Yes, yes a very talented Occlumence If I may say. A bright young lad in that particular area. Always fascinated with the dark arts” He said in high regard toward the former Potion master of Hogwarts.

“Hmph, figure!” Harry snorted. Norman seemed to ignore him.

“Legilimency is in every way different from Occlumency but in one way rooted in part of the body. Fascinating objects, human minds, don’t you think Mr. Potter?”

Harry did not know how to answer that kind of question. He was practically mimicking a codfish out of water. Really, he would trade places with Hermione. She sure knew how to respond to that probably even have a deep discussion about the same subject. Yes, he badly wanted to trade places with her if only to spare her the misery.

“Could you block him out?… Severus I mean.” Norman asked.

“Broke his defense once.” Strangely he felt like bragging a little. Maybe after listening to all the praise of that slimy git he decided that he needed to boost his self-confidence.

Yet, he never expected that Norman would smile happily upon hearing the information. With twinkle in his eyes, which had an uncanny resemblance to Dumbledore’s.

“You see, Mr. Potter, it’s all about will.”

~ * ~

Later that evening, Harry found himself sitting on a chair beside Hermione’s bed. Ron had gone two minutes ago saying that he was so hungry he could eat a Hippogriff. Harry held Hermione’s hand in his right hand while caressing her hair with his left. His brain ran a million times a second contemplating what the old healer Norman had told him. He didn’t give any new knowledge, just emphasized what Harry already knew. Although he never took Ligilimency for granted –having more than one encounter with probably the best Ligilimens in Britain- Harry too would never consider it to be the most fascinating subject to learn. Well, honestly could anybody blame him? His fifth year experiences really put him on edge regard every subject containing Ligilimency and its variants. That’s why he was rather uncomfortable considering the subject any further.

Hermione would never meet any type of Ligilimency if he could help it. That’s why he was so furious when the ministry official performed it on her before. He would have seriously injured them if only Remus hadn’t stopped him. They only performed it once and used a Pensieve afterwards in his presence, always in his presence. Never trust those bloody ministry people.

‘Do I have to do this, Hermione? Will you forgive me if I do this?’ He sighed heavily ‘What should I do?’

Harry held Hermione’s palm to his cheek. He sat on the edge of her bed facing her. He was looking deep into her eyes. Soon he was in the middle of a white fog. The fog swirled lazily around him. He forced his way in deeper. Her mind was strong. It was not a surprise because she was a person with the strongest mind he ever had the pleasure to meet. But he had to do it. He knew that there was something inside her mind that held the key to this mystery.

Soon he saw flashes of memory. Disordered pieces of memory floated in front of him like in a movie screen. He saw Hermione reading in her library. He saw Hermione in grade school. She was reading alone on the bench under a tree while her friends were playing around away from her. He saw Hermione crying in the hallway of Hogwarts. Although he longed to know why was she crying, there were more urgent things he needed to find. Her memory of that fateful night. He knew there was something that the ministry missed. He pushed the other memories aside and forced his way deeper inside her memories. He was starting to get dizzy. He never intentionally performed Legilimence on anyone.

Suddenly there was something blocking him like an invisible wall. He summoned more power within him to break the wall. Slowly the wall started to crack allowing him to take a peek inside. It was more than enough. He saw the Granger’s living room. It was a very cozy room. Warm and homey. He imagined this was the home where Hermione spent her childhood. The thought brought a smile to his face. Mr and Mrs Granger were lounging on the sofa. They were chatting animatedly. Suddenly the sofa was smashed to the wall and shattered in pieces. The Grangers were sprawled on the floor in shock. Hermione pointed her wand towards her parents.

“Crucio”

Harry watched in horror as Hermione’s parents screamed and writhed on the floor for a whole ten seconds. It was amazing, considering that they were muggles, that they were still alive after Hermione lifted her curse.

An evil smile appeared on Hermione’s face. She lifted her wand again and slashed it. Her parent’s screams echoed inside the room. Deep and long cuts marked their backs and chests. Then she lifted them in the air. Blood dripped from their toes to the floor. Soon, it was pooling on the floor beneath them.

“Her…mi…ne…” Her father gasped.

“Please…” Her mother plead. Tears were running down her bloodied cheeks.

They were screaming again. Blood was pouring from their ears, noses and from their open wounds. Ten seconds later Mrs. Granger was smashed to the wall behind her with a loud crack. Her body slumped to the floor with a thud. Hermione then eyed her father with disgust and hatred. She lifted her wand and then with a loud boom her father’s body exploded. All of his body parts were scattered around the room. Blood was splattered everywhere.

A sudden jerk shook Harry’s mind. Somehow Hermione’s mind started to be aware of the presence of a stranger. It struck Harry with full force like an automatic defense system. The hole in the wall slammed close. Within seconds Harry was thrown out and ended sprawled on the floor with a broken chair at his side. The impact of his fall was so great. Ron came bursting in. He took a brief glance at Harry on the floor then drew his attention at Hermione who was still at the same state as before.

“What the bloody hell was going on, mate?!” He shouted with perplexed expression on his face.

Harry struggled to get up from the floor. Ron just looked at him confusedly then drew his wand and cast Repairo on the broken chair. Harry gave him a look. Ron just shrugged his shoulder and sauntered over to Hermione’s bed. He checked on Hermione to make sure she was all right.

“Are you gonna tell me what was going on?” Ron had her hands crossed over his chest and looked at Harry in annoyance.

Harry lean his back on the wall in front of Ron. His hands were on his head and he closed his eyes tightly. Hermione’s strike was a powerful impact to his mind that left him slightly breathless for a few seconds afterwards. After the dizzying sensation started to ebb away, he put down his hands and glance a look at Hermione.

“I performed Legilimence on her.” Harry said dejectedly.

“You what!!!” Ron was fuming. “Harry we promised. Are you forgeting that we promised to not let anyone-”

“Yes, I know that!”

Ron glared at Harry furiously. His hands balled in to fist at his side. Harry intentionally ignored him and strolled over to Hermione’s other side opposite of Ron. He took her hand and affectionately stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Much like what he had done when she was petrified in second year. She was the one who gave him the clue about the Basilisk. That was why Harry believed that she must have left behind another clue this time. She had too. It was all buried somewhere in her memory.

‘Please Hermione, Help me! Help me to help you. You know I could not function without you. I need you Hermione.’ “I have to do it, Ron. She’s the only one who has the answer and it’s all in her memory. Something just isn’t right.”

Ron’s anger started to ebb away. He seemed to study Harry’s words closely while he studied Hermione’s motionless form seriously. Then, like a switch, understanding dawned on his face.

“It was like second year huh?” Ron said. Then he frowned. “She didn’t happen to leave some note, did she?”

“Yes she did,” answered Harry.

Confusion etched on Ron’s face. “Then why can’t we find it, mate?”

Harry moved his hand to brush away some of Hermione’s hair that had fallen over her face and put itbehind her ear. “It’s surreal” That was all Harry could say.

“Well, some note that is. She surely knew that we’re not as bright as her.” Ron scowled.

“I can’t let them take her away, not like this. We must do something.”

“So what do you suggest? We’re losing the battle here and it isn’t like we are going to sneak her out of here or something but-”

“There’s no other way.”

“What!! Are you having me on Harry? We can’t do that!” Ron was surprised Harry ever suggested it.

“Why not? … Tell me.” Harry looked at him intently, demanding. Ron sputtered a bit.

“W…well … firstly there are wards here, although not as strong as Hogwarts but you can’t apparate or dissaparate within St. Mungos. It’s for the patient’s safety. Secondly, do you realize that there are Aurors everywhere? Bloody hell, I never saw this many Aurors in one place. Don’t forget the ministry will be here in an hour. It’s imposible even for you. No offence, mate” Ron raised his hands up and shrugged.

“But it’s still doable”

Ron stared at Harry open mouthed. “You’re crazy!”

“We’ve done crazy things since we were eleven, Ron. What makes you think it’s any different now?”

Ron didn’t reply, just shook his head in bewilderment.