a fleeting peace

Ron shook Harry with a wide smile on his face, "great Harry, this way, we can have some kind of safety against whatever threat Dobby mentioned," his elation was mirrored by his friend, who nodded soundlessly.

I snapped in their direction as I heard their exchange, "threat? What threat?" instantly, the cryptic words Tom had whispered in my ear all those weeks ago exploded forth, instantly taking up all the space at the forefront of my mind.

'Please let me be wrong! Please!'

Harry turned to me, "a house elf by the name of Dobby came to visit me during the summer holidays," his face showing a miserable expression as he seemed to recall bad memories. Noticing my confused expression, Ron chimed in with a 'let me tell you' expression.

"Harry's uncle was hosting some sort of gathering-" "A dinner—to close a deal", Harry corrected with a grim expression.

"Ri-right, a dinner, right. When Harry was in his room, Dobby was telling Harry about some kind of threat and how he should be careful." Ron's face began to darken as he spat the next sentence, "he said that Harry should stick close to Tom for protection."

I felt my own face twitch in protest as I held in my laughter. I could see how much effort it took for Ron to say those words. I also observed Harry, who was once again squeezing his knees with even more force than before. As if the mere mention of seeking help from Tom was some sort of cardinal sin.

'No wonder he came to me for help. Being told to stay close to Tom for protection must have been a massive hit to his ego.'

Ron's face relaxed considerably as he overcame the visibly tortuous hurdle of mentioning Tom, "But then Dobby began to act out when Harry said he didn't want to rely on Tom. Dobby gave Harry an ultimatum, either he stuck close to Tom, or he wouldn't let Harry go to Hogwarts. Sadly, Harry took too long and made a mess of the dinner resulting in the Dursleys locking him in his room."

I turned to Harry, who was red with embarrassment. Feeling my gaze on him, he flinched, "W-what was I supposed to do? I don't belong there—I belong here—in the magical world with my friends… my only friends." his words getting softer, replacing his initially fervent attempts to explain himself.

As I silently digested his words, Padma interjected with a curious smile, "and what is this threat Dobby spoke of exactly?" Seamus, Dean and Parvati were also intrigued to hear their response. Most of all me, who continued to hear Tom's voice echoing in my head with increasing strength.

Harry shook his head, "he never told me—no… it was more like he didn't want to tell me—or was afraid of the consequences of telling me. He kept hitting himself—punishing himself as he continued to talk. Before I could get more, Uncle Vernon interrupted us."

I released my breath with a bit of disappointment, I thought I could have gotten some answers, but from the looks of it, I was expecting too much. But this Dobby, when he finds out Tom isn't at school, he might come back. When he does, I can ask him for more details.

"Now that Tom isn't here, wouldn't this Dobby come back to get you Harry? To stop you from staying at Hogwarts?" Padma asked, coinciding with my thoughts.

Harry grimaced at the thought, "I hope I can get to Hogwarts before that happens. Once I'm there, I should be fine, right?" he said, almost talking to himself.

"That should be the case. But this can also be an opportunity to meet him again and get the information we need on this 'threat' right?" I added, giving voice to my thoughts.

Harry had an odd glint in his eye, one I had only seen once before, just before he ran after Quirrell. I already knew I was going to be in for a long year with this meddlesome pair.

"Whatever the case might be, I'm going to need your help, Hermione," Harry said solemnly.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed in protest, sporting an unwilling expression.

The latter turned to him, "we would have died if it were not for her and Tom. Do not forget, the only reason we got past the last test was due to her intellect. Her aid is imperative."

Ron looked disgruntled; when he turned to me, I flashed a smug grin which caused his face to turn black, "it can't be that bad this time… right?"

Harry shook his head, "what if it turned out to be Voldemort?"

"Harry!" Ron and Seamus yelled at the same time.

"How many times have I told you not to say You-Know-Who's name directly!" Ron reprimanded. A look of extreme fear was apparent on his face. As I looked around, I saw similar expressions on everyone's faces.

I then recalled Tom's relaxed attitude as he uttered that very name when training her.

'Sorry—sorry I forget. But you understand my reasoning… right?"

Ron was quiet this time, seemingly unwilling to expend so much effort. Seamus lightly punched his arm, "what's all the fuss about? Isn't Hermione going to be training Harry? If Tom was able to become so strong in one year, then why can't you guys do the same? Hell, even I'm a bit curious to try it out. What do you say, Hermione? Can I join in?"

"… I guess extracurricular activities wouldn't hurt; I'm in if you'll have me," Dean chimed in.

"Damn, seems quite exciting; I'm in!" Padma said with a wide excited smile.

"H-hold on now!" I exclaimed exasperatedly as I watched everyone invite themselves in. Yet no one paid any heed to my words. As if I was a ghost.

"Hey, sis, come join us," Padma said as she tugged the ends of the book Parvati was reading peacefully, causing the latter to frown slightly. She gazed up from her book and scanned the faces of everyone present before stopping back at me.

"Hmm, I'm very curious about Tom; since you were trained by him, I'm interested in experiencing the same. I guess I can make some time."

"Yay!" Padma shouted as she waved her fists in the air. I couldn't stop my brow from twitching slightly at her words. 'Interested'? What were you interested in exactly? I looked at everyone around me, who stared back at me expectantly.

I sighed bitterly, "Fine~ whatever."

'I miss my peaceful life…'