It Hurts When I Smile

‘So Severus and Harry will go into the Realm of Death to discover what happened to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, and if whatever happened to it has anything to do with the curse that is draining the magical power from the tattooed witches and wizards?’ Lois asked.

Hermione had insisted on meeting with Lois and telling her about—well, obviously not about everything that had happened, but about the salient points. Now she sat in Lois’ living room and tried to answer her friend’s questions.

‘Yes, that’s the plan right now,’ she replied. ‘Lois, please don’t be—’ Hermione hesitated. Asking her friend not to be scared or angry was ridiculous. She exhaled heavily.

‘For a while we—the Order of the Phoenix, that is—considered including Alina in the team. She’s very powerful. One day she might be as powerful as Severus or Harry. And she is a Necromancer. Madame Dubois and Professor Vector suggested that due to the arithmantic power of three, a trio might be the best team we could send out. Harry was in favour of that solution. I didn’t like it, but I admit that I supported it, too.

‘Severus refused to even think about it. And Ron…’ Hermione smiled a little. ‘He got all protective of Alina. There was a vote, and it was decided that only Severus and Harry would go. I thought you should know about that.’

She looked at Lois and considered the way her friend’s brown eyes darkened. ‘So, how are things between you and Ron?’

Lois stroked back her hair and adjusted the elastic ribbon that fastened her pony tail. She nervously scratched at her left eyebrow. ‘Good,’ she said at last. ‘Very good, actually. He’s good for me. And I think I’m good for him.’ For a moment Lois was silent and stared into her tea-cup. Then she said, without looking at Hermione, ‘I guess it goes without saying that I’m incredibly relieved that the Order decided against sending Alina. All of this…’ She gestured helplessly. ‘I hope you don’t mind that I’m saying this, but even now there are nights when I wake and wonder how all of this can possibly be real. Magic, you know. Necromancers. The Realm of Death. But at the same time I’m desperately worried about you, about Severus, about all the other witches and wizards with Muggle blood.’ Lois hesitated before she went on, her voice a careful monotone. ‘You have no idea how difficult it is for me to say this, Hermione. Alina’s just a child, and she’s all the family I have left. But—if it’s necessary to include her, if it really increases the chances of the team, then I want her to go. Even if she is—if she is—only thirteen.’

Hermione’s throat constricted. She felt always close to tears these days, and her friend’s courage and loyalty—she blinked hurriedly and tightened her diaphragm to support her voice. ‘In spite of what Severus and Ron said, Harry, as well as Madame Dubois and Professor Vector—and Minerva, I might add—had good reasons to want to include Alina. She is a powerful Necromancer, after all.

‘However, there are just as many good reasons to exclude her.

‘While the legends speak of three Necromancers going beyond the Veil and returning, Harry is not a Necromancer. And including Alina would also mean including a female element where mythology only speaks of male power.

‘We don’t know if it is possible to return from the beyond the Veil at all, or how that is possible. What we do know is that Severus will return, one way or the other. And that it was dark, Necromantic magic that caused the paralysis. It seems likely that there is a connection to the leeching spell, but of course we can’t be certain.

‘Madame Dubois, Madam Pomfrey, and Healer Mugwort are working on a counter-spell for the tattoos,’ Hermione went on.

‘All things considered—while it seems necessary and inevitable to attempt the journey beyond the Veil—it is not necessary and inevitable to include Alina. We’ll find a way to counteract the leeching curse. Sooner or later. We have already discovered that the wards of Hogwarts provide some shelter from the spell. We need to keep the children as safe as we possibly can. And that does most certainly not include sending Alina beyond the Veil,’ Hermione concluded. She didn’t quite succeed at keeping the despair out of her voice.

‘So you don’t believe they have a chance?’

Hermione shrugged unhappily. ‘Harry is “The-Boy-Who-Lived”—twice. So I suppose there is really no reason why he shouldn’t get lucky a third time.’ She slumped down and buried her face in her hands. ‘And Severus…well, he will be back, one way or another. So there’s really nothing to worry about, right?’

She felt like crying, but at the same time she simply couldn’t allow herself to let go. She didn’t know if she’d be able to stop. At last she looked up and faced Lois again. Her friend’s calm and supportive demeanour made that easier.

‘So what will happen now?’ Lois asked.

‘I am going to research the legends of the Deathly Hallows and the Peverell brothers, trying to discover a clue that might help us. Anne Flamel is going to help me. The manuscripts of her uncle will be invaluable, that much is clear already. Professor Vector and Professor Trelawney are trying to determine the best day for the…the venture.’ Hermione sighed. ‘Apart from that…Severus and I are going to spend Christmas at his house in Spinner’s End. We need to get away from everything. At least for a little while. We were hoping that you and Alina would come over for tea on Boxing Day. And of course we’ll meet you at the big New Year’s party at the Burrow.’ It hurt to smile, but she managed. ‘Hey, it’s Christmastime, after all.’

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