More Surprises
Chapter 10
Hermione, being the bright witch she was, thought about it all day. She mulled things over for many hours and by the time she reached Hogwarts, Hermione had arrived upon a single conclusion-live with it.
And as she sat in the great hall, Hermione chose to ignore the many despicable stares that she got. Instead she chatted merrily with Harry, Ginny and Neville, ignoring Ron in the process. She was sure by now that Harry and Ginny had gotten wind of her pregnancy, but their silence about the matter suited her very well.
Her trail of thoughts was interrupted by Neville. "Woah! Harry, don't do that! You look just like Professor Dumbledore!" Neville remarked.
Harry looked startled, but the rest of the group became subdued as they remembered their dead headmaster. Hogwarts would never be the same again. Sure, Professor McGonagall was good, but Dumbledore was the best.
As Professor McGonagall stood up and the food vanished, the happy babble in the great hall died down. "I would firstly like to introduce myself as the new headmistress!"
Harry's face saddened considerably at this announcement. "Next, I would like everyone to give a warm welcome to Professor Mugwood!"
A round of applause rose. "And our new head prefects! Our head girl is very much well known Hermione Granger!" Professor McGonagall announced in her crisp voice.
Only half-hearted applause that was stopped almost immediately emerged. Professor McGonagall seemed to have noticed this as she quickly cut in to announce, "And the notorious Draco Malfoy as our head boy!"
Loud groan emitted from the Griffindors and the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs raised their eyebrows questioningly. The Slytherins, however, were besides themselves with joy. They cheered and clapped, catcall ringing in the ears of everyone present in the great hall then.
Hermione craned her neck to search for Malfoy, but again, he was nowhere in sight. "Searching for malfoy?" Ginny asked, noting Hermione's posture.
Hermione nodded. "His absence does make you feel as if something is amiss, doesn't it?"
However, before Hermione could ponder further, Professor McGonagall dismissed the students and approached Hermione. Hermione stood rigid, feeling as if ice cold brackets of fear were bounding her to the ground. "This is it!" She thought to herself. "She has heard of the pregnancy and is about to tell me I am expelled. So much for being head girl!" Hermione thought bitterly.
Whatever Hermione had thought, it was not what Professor McGonagall was intending to tell her. "Hermione." She acknowledged once she was within speaking distance of Hermione.
Hermione felt as if her voice was shaking like a broken recorder by now. Her legs felt like wobbly jelly and the pain in her knees had still not resided. "Yes Professor?" she asked.
"There have been a few unpleasant surprises during the holidays…" Professor McGonagall paused. "You se, Draco Malfoy was a death eater, but now he ha had some brainwave wash through him and has turned spy for us at great personal risk. "
Hermione listened, her eyes widening in understanding as the fear left her eyes. It made sense now as to why he had been made head boy, despite past records of being a death eater.
"However, Malfoy has not been very lucky. As he was on the run, several things happened and he is now in a near-death situation. He has fatal injuries that only a fusion between muggle medicine and magical first aid can help cure. As a witch, I wanted to help him, but the aura of dark magic around him is too great. I was hoping you could help me with his little problem. I will now show you to your dormitory where you will find Malfoy in a bad state. How he managed to get there? I have no idea, but I'm sure he'll tell you…" ended Professor McGonagall.
"Shiver me timbers!" Professor McGonagall barked at the portrait.
It was a ghost pirate. A deep gash ran across his face and a parrot perched on his hat. The background was a black one with a white skull stretched across it. It was framed with a fine wooden frame and had been hung in splendor. 'Berlius Merlionto' read a gold plate underneath it. Hermione could not read the rest of the plate as the portrait had already swung open.
"I'll leave now!" Professor McGonagall said curtly, nodding her head at Hermione before turning around.
Hermione took a deep breath and stepped inside. Although she knew she had to tend to Malfoy's plight as soon a possible, Hermione could not stop herself from admiring the beauty of the common room. It was large and a chandelier hung from the high ceiling. A carpet that showed the four houses on it had been spread to cover the entire room. There were soft, comfy sofas to laze on and huge bookshelves stacked with books were arranged around on the room. There was a gold staircase on her right. It had a crimson carpet spread across it, reflecting the bold colors of Griffindor in all its beauty. The staircase on her left was a silver one, a green carpet slithered across it.
Hermione was itching to pick one of the books on the bookshelves, plop herself onto one of the sofas and begin to read, but there were more delicate matters to handle right now. She took a deep breath and mustering as much courage as she could, Hermione walked up the silver stairs.