The Light

Chapter 86- The Light

Chapter 86- The Light

June 1981

They assembled a meeting as soon as they could. It took two weeks from when Remus first told her of the location of the cup, since he had to rest (Hermione insisted it) and they needed to wait until Dumbledore was away on business to the continent as she highly doubted he would be complacent with her plans. Hermione needed him busy and absent. It wasn't just that she didn't want him interfering, but after their last conversation, she couldn't bring herself to trust him.

He wanted to control how she used her knowledge, and Hermione knew that, despite his claims that it was all for the best, she would never be able to sit back and let the things that were going to happen happen. She would rather die.

"The past has not been changed. The future has not once trembled. Time does not exist- we created it, or the idea of it, and if I let you continue, you will be the end of it."

She didn't like to admit it, but his words unnerved her more than what she let on. Dumbledore was always right, he always seemed to know things that the rest of them didn't. What if he was right this time too?

Hermione dispelled the thought from her mind lest it linger. No. She wouldn't let him be.

She shook her head slightly, trying to get rid of his voice. It wouldn't do to have those words echoing through her brain when she was going behind his back to do exactly what he warned her not to.

"Right," said Hermione, raising her voice to gain their attention. They were in the main part of Headquarters, and the Order had either dragged chairs over or were stood in front of her. The hum of chatter quietened. She gulped. "The reason I've called this meeting is because we need a plan-"

"Plan for what?" Benjy interrupted immediately.

Sirius, stood beside her, with his arms folded across his chest, slanted his eyes at him. "Well, if you listen, she'll tell you."

Hermione shot him a grateful smile. Her palms were sweating. She continued, "Some of you know, some of you don't, but throughout the war, we've been searching for things, objects, which will help us destroy Voldemort." She licked her lips nervously. "These... things are called horcruxes, and they're a piece of incredibly dark magic in which a part of a person's soul is stored. Unless the horcruxes are destroyed, the person remains immortal."

"You mean Voldemort can't die?" Alice whispered, round face pale, eyes wide. Her and Frank had come alone, opting to leave Neville with Augusta, Frank's mother. Lily and James, on the other hand, had no such liberty and James was sat on the armchair, Lily perching on the arm, bouncing Harry up and down. He was listening, for his eyes were glued to Hermione, but a small smile curled his lips as his baby giggled into his shirt.

Hermione forced herself to look at Alice. The bubbly, spirited girl she had met at the Quidditch match was barely a ghost of the woman sitting in front of her now. "I mean, he couldn't. And he wouldn't be able to... If we hadn't found all his horcruxes."

There was a murmur that rippled through the crowd, as if they knew what that meant but didn't want to voice it in case they were wrong, in case the hope that had blossomed inside of them was misplaced.

Caradoc said knowingly, "That's what this is about. You want to plan how to destroy them."

The Order looked from him to Hermione, gauging her reaction. She nodded. "And it's going to take all of us to do that." Her eyes found Lily and James, Frank and Alice. "That's why I invited you. Dumbledore would kill me if he knew-"