Inside the Blackest Heart (Edit, Not Update)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 37 ~ Dumbledore Clues Harry In

Harry arrived at Dumbledore’s office within minutes after McGonagal woke him to tell him the Headmaster required his presence. He had a cold feeling in his stomach that this was about Hermione. He wondered if the Headmaster knew his Potions Master was shagging the Head Girl under duress. He knocked on the door.

“Come in,” said a tired voice.

Harry entered Dumbledore’s office. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk. He looked old and tired, as if life had finally beaten him down.

“Are you all right, Headmaster?” Harry asked, taking the armchair in front of Dumbledore’s desk.

“I am not all right Harry. I am afraid I have some bad news for you about your friend, Miss Granger. I wanted you to hear it from me before it spreads throughout the castle,” the Headmaster said.

“What about Hermione?” Harry asked, his heart tightening in fear, “She’s not dead, is she?”

Dumbledore shook his head.

“No, though she is dead to us in another sense, my boy,” the Headmaster said softly.

“Tell me! Where is Hermione?” Harry said impatiently, his voice hoarse with worry.

“Professor Snape has taken her to Voldemort,” Dumbledore said, his blue eyes dull.

“Snape! That bastard! I knew he couldn’t be trusted…now he’s kidnapped Hermione and taken her…” Harry began raging. Dumbledore stopped him.

“No Harry, I’m afraid she wasn’t forced. Her room was checked this morning and many of her things were gone. She packed them. We can only assume Harry, that she went with him of her own free will, and has switched allegiances,” Dumbledore said.

“No! Hermione wouldn’t do that!” Harry yelled at the Headmaster, “Don’t you say she’d do that! She’d never join the Dark Lord! Never!”

Dumbledore looked at him sadly.

“Harry, the Potions Master and Hermione had more than a teacher/student relationship. They were lovers…” Dumbledore began

“You knew? You knew Snape was fucking her and you didn’t do anything about it?” Harry hollered at the wizard, “You didn’t try to stop them? Why didn’t you fire him?”

The Headmaster sighed.

“Harry, I confronted them both. Professor Snape refused to leave her alone if she continued to want him. She is the age of consent, so he couldn’t be faulted. I also talked to Hermione about how unsuitable the relationship was. She didn’t agree to stop seeing him, although she said she’d think about what I said. My hands were tied Harry. We can only assume that Severus convinced her to abandon us and join Voldemort. She was young and impressionable, and Severus is a master at persuasion. The combination of persuasion and intimacy must have been enough to send her over the edge,” Dumbledore said, shaking his head.

Harry dropped his head into his hands in despair.

“No. This can’t be true, there has to be something else, some other reason she’s gone to Voldemort,” he said, his voice muffled.

“There is no other reason I know of Harry. Now that she is with him, the Order itself is compromised. She knows the location of Headquarters, the names of our members, some of our undercover operatives, many of the spells we’ve developed to fight his evil. Voldemort now has the advantage,” Dumbledore sighed. “I’m afraid Miss Granger is now our enemy, Harry and as such she has been added to the list of Voldemort supporters we must track down.”

“No! Hermione’s no criminal. You have no proof she’s done anything! She might be planning to take Voldemort out,” he said rebelliously.

“I highly doubt that Harry. Miss Granger is brilliant, but she hard has the means to destroy the Dark Lord.” Albus said, studying the young wizard and wondering how much he knew.

Harry hesitated, then looked at Dumbledore, his green eyes narrowed.

“You know she is a Primordial, Headmaster. She was going to leave you for a year after graduation to stay with her parents. I think she was scared you wouldn’t let her go because of her developing powers,” he said, looking at the Headmaster challengingly.

“But I already gave Miss Granger my blessing to leave,” Albus said. “I didn’t try to keep her here against her will, Harry. I would never do that.”

Harry looked at him.

“You keep me at Headquarters all summer against my will,” he said bitterly.

“You are a target, Harry. Voldemort would attempt to kill you the moment you left my protection. And then, there’s the prophecy. We need to protect you, my boy. The restrictions on you are for your own good,” the Headmaster said reasonably. “Your situation is much different than Hermione’s.”

“Hermione’s situation is more important than mine, Headmaster. She’s a Primordial. She will be the strongest witch in existence. She will be able to destroy Voldemort when she comes to full power. She could even rule the wizarding world herself and no one could stop her! No wizard. No army of wizards. You really expect me to believe that you would have let her go out on her own for even a month, much less a year? She is more important than anyone else in the wizarding world, Headmaster!” Harry yelled at him.

Dumbledore looked sad.

“I would have let her go home, Harry. You must believe me. But that is neither here nor there now. Voldemort has her and will use her powers against us if we don’t do something about it, and soon,” he said.

Harry looked at him, dawning realization on his face.

“What do you mean by ‘something’?” Harry said, darkness falling across his face.

Dumbledore didn’t answer him.

“What do you mean by ‘something’!” Harry yelled at him.

“Miss Granger cannot be allowed to come to full power. We have to launch a full offensive against her and Voldemort as soon as possible,” the Headmaster said quietly.

“Against Hermione? You want to kill her!” Harry screamed, leaping out of his chair, falling over the desk and grabbing Dumbledore by his robes.

The Headmaster remained outwardly calm as the boy gripped his robes. Inwardly he was fighting the urge to blast the impudent pup to wriggling pieces. But he needed the young wizard

“Harry, she is with the Dark Lord now. She is polluted and a danger to the wizarding world. We have to stop her before she becomes unstoppable,” the Headmaster said, staring into Harry’s eyes. “It’s the only option we have.”

Harry’s eyes filled with angry tears. He released the Headmaster.

“It’s not fair. You don’t know for fact she’s turned,” he said.

Dumbledore met his eyes.

“But we can’t take the risk, Harry. I’m sorry,” he said.

“No you’re not,” Harry muttered.

He turned and left the office.

Dumbledore looked after him, his eyes hard. The young wizard was far too rebellious and far too loyal to Miss Granger for the Headmaster’s tastes. Well, Harry would just have to live with this decision. It was final.

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Harry stormed down the spiral staircase and ran through the corridors, his tears almost blinding him. He took the stairwells at a bound, jumping from the landings recklessly as he made his wall down to the main hall. He ran to the Great Hall and threw the doors open.

He looked around, and his eyes fell on the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was there, surrounded by his goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Harry stood there, looking at the pureblood, his green eyes narrowed. Determinedly he walked over to the table and grabbed Malfoy by the shoulder.

“Hey!” Crabbe said, pushing him away.

“I need to talk to Draco,” Harry said, his eyes on the blonde wizard.

Draco turned and looked up at him.

“Ah, Pottie. What could you possibly want to talk to me about? It’s not like we’re friends or anything,” he drawled, “Even being seen talking to you could ruin my reputation.”

“Fuck your reputation, Draco. I need to talk to you and I need to talk to you now!” Harry said.

Crabbe stood up. So did Goyle.

Harry whipped out his wand before either of them could move.

“I swear I will hex you both into next week if you don’t back the fuck up from me now, and let me talk to Draco!” Harry hissed.

“Mister Potter! Put that wand away this instant!” Professor McGonagal’s voice rang out from the High Table.

Draco was studying Harry. The wizard had a crazed look in his eyes. He had no doubt he would hex all three of them before McGonagal could get to them.

“Put it down, Potter. I’ll talk to you. Stay here,” Draco said to Crabbe and Goyle as he rose from the table. Harry put his wand away.

Draco stepped over the bench. He and Harry walked down the aisle and exited the Great Hall. Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other stupidly.

“Potter was pissed,” Crabbe said.

“Yeah,” Goyle agreed. “Hope Draco will be all right.”

The two wizards looked at the doors the two wizards walked out of.

Harry led Draco away from the Great Hall to a quiet area. He cast a silencing charm around them.

Draco looked at him.

“What’s this all about, Potter?” Draco asked, “What do you want?”

“I need to go to Voldemort,” Harry said. “I know your father’s a deatheater, Malfoy. He could take me to him.”

Draco’s eyes widened.

“You want to go to Voldemort? Why, Potter? He’ll kill you on sight,” he said, frowning at the green-eyed wizard.

“He has Hermione,” Harry replied.

Draco blinked at him.

“Voldemort has Granger? How’d he get her,” Draco asked, interested.

“Snape took her,” Harry said, scowling.

“Shit,” Draco breathed, “So you’re going to play hero again and try to get her out?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I just have to get there before…” Harry faltered.

“Before what, Potter?” Draco pressed.

“Before something awful happens. Please, Draco. I’m begging you. Tell your father I want him to take me to Voldemort,” he said.

Draco looked at the pleading wizard. If his father brought Potter to Voldemort, he would be well rewarded, which in turn meant he’d be well rewarded.

He looked at Harry.

“Very well, Potter. I’ll tell my father and see what he says. This better not be a setup. I’ll get you if it is,” Draco said, frowning at him.

“It’s not, Draco…I swear. I just have to see Hermione. Talk to her,” Harry said.

“It’s going to be kind of hard to talk to her when you’re dead,” Draco observed, turning to go.

“Just let me worry about that,” Harry said coldly, removing the silencing charm.

Both wizards walked back toward the Great Hall.

“My father’s going to flip when he hears this,” Draco thought to himself. “He’s going to fucking flip.”

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A/N: Oh Harry, Harry, Harry. You are a nut. Voldy’s going to love this. Please review.