CHAPTER THREE
BPOV
"We welcome students of all nationalities into Hogwarts and of all magical persuasion. In this climate of unity and forgiveness, it is our greatest hope that each and every one of you will embrace our ethos and take the qualifications you earn out into the wider world, where you will become accredit to society. That is to any society, be it magical or otherwise. Our dean, were he here, would I am sure wish to reiterate the importance of a cohesive front from all of our students. With this in mind, there will be a feast in the Great Hall on Halloween night which every student and professor will attend. We ask that people refrain from wearing house colours and instead choose colours that might represent harmony..."
The voice of the professor at the front of the hall droned on and I sighed, fidgeting, though Hermione was standing stock still beside me, her eyes fixed on the stage. She seemed pale today and I had noticed she did not eat anything at breakfast. It was worrying to see her so low and unhappy. The Hermione I had grown up with had always been bright and happy; one of the many reasons I loved her so much. I nudged her.
"You ok?" I mouthed at her. She gave me a faint smile and nodded, turning her attention back to the stage. Feeling the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stand on end, I half turned to see Harry Potter standing several rows behind us, his green eyes fixed on Hermione and slightly narrowed. At that moment I didn't care who the hell he thought he was; Boy that Lived, Saviour or whatever, he was not going to look at my cousin like that. Biting my lip, I waited for the professor to finish his speech and then made my excuses to Hermione, who only smiled understandingly, before heading in the direction of the library and then I set off after Harry determinedly.
"Do you make it a habit to make my cousin miserable?" I demanded to the back of his head. Seeing him stiffen and his fists clench at his sides, I felt slightly gratified but then he turned to face me and the expression on his face caused me to take a small step back.
"Your cousin's misery has absolutely nothing to do with me," he said coldly.
"Really? I thought you were supposed to be her friend? She lost everything in that damned war and this is the thanks she gets for standing by your side! You have cut her out and turned your back on her! Call yourself the saviour? You're a joke!" I spat the words out and Harry suddenly seized hold of my arm, pulling me away from the hall into a side room, where he slammed the door behind him muttering an incantation that would keep it locked until he was done.
"Don't talk to me about what was lost in that war. I know full well what was lost and what price was paid by everyone who was involved in it. You were safely stowed away in your little American town, Bella while we fought a war that would keep everyone in the wizarding world free. If I were you I would keep my opinions to myself until I knew all of the facts. You know very little about your cousin to be honest; we all do. There are things she would do that would make your skin crawl if you knew about them. She knows I want nothing to do with her and she knows why. If that makes her miserable so be it. She made her bed and now she has to lie in it."
With those words, he walked out of the room, leaving me standing alone in the suddenly cold room, a shiver running through my body. What could Hermione possibly have done that was so bad?
Not wanting to head back to the apartment quite yet and having a free period, I decided to head for the library. It wouldn't hurt to get myself acclimatised to the room; it would make studying much easier if I knew where everything was. But as I headed down the corridor, I found myself drawn to Cedric's picture again. He looked slightly different today; wearing more formal robes, which seemed strange as the background of the picture was still the Quidditch field. The hum of conversation I had been able to hear coming from the hallway faded away into an oppressive silence. Cedric moved closer to the edge of the picture, as if he intended to leap from the frame and I found myself stepping forwards. His lips were moving frantically, as if he were imparting some urgent message to me and then his expression suddenly changed and he stepped back, a smile plastered once more on his lips and the nonchalant wave that I had seen the day before.
Half turning, I could feel fingers of ice crawling up and down my spine, but there was nobody there when I looked about me. Blood was pounding in my ears and I wanted nothing more than to be far away from that corridor and the photographs of the fallen; the Martyrs of Hogwarts.
"Bella, I need to go out this evening," sad Hermione when I finally returned to our rooms. I was sat in front of the fire reading a textbook for my lectures the following day. I had decided to study Transfiguration and needed to read up on it before I went into class.
"No probs," I replied, barely looking up from my book. After a couple more hours though, I was stiff and sleepy. Placing my book spine up on the arm of the settee, I stood and stretched with a yawn, wondering briefly where my cousin had got to. My head felt fuzzy and I decided a bit of fresh air might be in order. Drawing my cloak about my shoulders I headed out of the apartment and through to the gardens. It was a chilly evening and I was grateful for the extra lining my mom had sewn into my cloak; she told me England was much colder even than Forks and tonight I could totally believe her.
"Little late for a walk isn't it?" The voice made me start violently and then I smiled as I spotted Neville behind me. Returning my smile he pointed at the cluster of small pink flowers at his feet.
"These are called Melody Rays," he said. "They can be used in love potions."
"Wouldn't think you would need one of those, Neville. I heard things are going swell with you and Luna," I replied, with a giggle.
"I was thinking of slipping it in Harry's drink actually; make him lighten up with Hermione." There was little humour in his tone and I scowled.
"What exactly is his problem with her?" I asked. "I don't remember him being such an asshole last time I met him."
"Yes well, a lot has happened since the last time you saw Harry," replied Neville. "I think we have all changed since then."
"So why is he so down on 'Mione?"
Neville sighed and shook his head.
"To be honest, Bella, I think it's been a big misunderstanding. Hermione lost more than most during that war and I think it is easy to forget that when you believe her to be so strong. She's more vulnerable than people think. But she has such a strong sense of moral justice and some of the stuff that happened at the end of the war would have challenged anyone's morals. We were supposed to be the good guys but some of the initial laws were not particularly nice."
"Like?" I prodded.
"Some of Voldemort's closest allies were rounded up. Everyone was told they were going to Azkaban, but I know for a fact that several of them were executed. It was covered up..."
"So how do you know?" I asked. Neville gave me a hard look which was slightly at odds with his soft features.
"Because after Ron passed away I became Harry's right hand man and I helped him to deliver the Unforgiveable Curse. In truth it was easier to use on some than on others."
"Did Hermione know about this?" I asked, paling slightly at the thought of my cousin being involved in magical murders, however justified they might have been. Neville shook his head, sadly.
"She didn't know at the time, but when she found out she hit the roof. I've never seen her so angry; told us we were no better than them and that no one had the right to take away another being's life. She didn't speak to us for about a month, but she finally came round when Harry went to see her and explained the reason we did it. Everyone we captured was given the option of Azkaban or death. Some chose death and to be honest had they lived they would have remained in prison for the rest of their days because they were too dangerous to allow to live freely. Around the time Harry explained all of this though, something happened between him and Hermione."
"What happened?"
"There were a few blazing rows and one day I found Harry shouting at her. Hermione was crying; she wasn't even defending herself and then Harry told her to get out of his life and never even think of speaking to him again. We all thought that whatever it was it would blow over, but eighteen months have passed and he won't back down and neither of them will say what it's all about. All I can tell you is it has something to do with the Death Eaters, because that is all I know."
"Death Eaters?" I repeated, incredulously. "Why on earth would they fall out about Death Eaters? Surely they both feel exactly the same way about them?"
Neville looked away from me, his eyes shifting slightly and his mouth twitching before he responded.
"You would think so, wouldn't you?" he said.
We stood in silence for a moment and I scuffed at the mud with the toe of my sneaker, contemplating what he had said. Finally I spoke.
"Whatever they argued about, surely it shouldn't negate nine years of friendship?"
"Like I said, wars change people, Bella and not always for the better. I will keep chipping away at Harry, but if he doesn't want to forgive and forget whatever it is she did, I can't force him to, can I?"
"I guess not," I said and turned to head back inside, but Neville stopped me, placing a hand on my arm.
"Just while you're here, Bella, I needed to talk to you about something."
"Sure," I said.
"Hermione told me you've been having dreams about Cedric Diggory."
His statement made me wince slightly and Neville sighed.
"Did you ever meet him?" he asked. I shook my head, biting my lip nervously. His question made me shiver a little, though I couldn't say why. "Bella, don't tell anyone else about your dream and if I were you I would avoid looking at his picture too." He cleared his throat, "Someone saw you looking and they weren't best pleased to put it mildly. Just, keep your head down. Ok?"
"Why would anyone bother about my dreams?"
"Bella, please just promise me you will keep this quiet. Dreams can be more powerful than you could ever imagine. Especially dreams of the Martyrs."
Before I could ask him any more questions though, a voice boomed through the gardens.
"Curfew! All students to return to their apartments!"
Neville gave me an apologetic smile and we headed back into the castle, where Luna was standing at the door, a mysterious smile on her lips as she greeted Neville with a kiss.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked. He nodded wordlessly and seemed to direct a meaningful look in my direction, but after the conversation I had had with Neville I was too dazed to pursue it. All I wanted was to get to my room and go to bed.
When I reached the apartment, I was dead on my feet. Stifling a yawn I was surprised to find it all in darkness and no sign of Hermione. I even checked her bedroom but it was empty. A feeling of intense loneliness emanated from her room; her bed made up immaculately, all of the sheets tucked in perfectly. There were no personal possessions on display; not even a photograph of her parents. It was strange to see; Hermione's room had always been a statement of her personality, with overflowing bookcases, scarves and rugs littering the walls and the floor seemingly at random but almost with an arty feeling to them. In short her room had always just felt like it belonged to her. It was Hermione.
But now it was curiously empty; devoid of personality or anything to suggest that the brightest mind in the world of wizardry inhabited it.
"Bella, I didn't think you'd still be up." I whirled round and looked at her guiltily, seeing as I was standing in her bedroom and she wasn't in it. But when I saw her face, that thought flew out of my head. Hermione's eyes were bloodshot and her skin white. She was trembling slightly as well.
"'Mione, what's wrong?" I asked, crossing the room swiftly to take hold of her hands, which were like ice. She smiled wanly.
"I'm just tired, Bella. I've been in the library, studying," she replied. "I'm just going to go straight to bed if you don't mind."
As she went to pass me though, I stopped her, grabbing her into an impulsive hug, which she returned a little feebly.
"Night, Bella," she murmured.
"Night," I replied, watching as her door closed behind her and wondering where she had been to cause her to come back in such a state. Something was going on at Hogwarts University and I was convinced it had something to do with the Martyrs.
And Cedric Diggory.