Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or The Picture of Dorian Gray. Those belong to JK Rowling and Oscar Wilde respectively. I write for entertainment purposes only and never for pay.
Author's Note: My apologies for not getting this out sooner. I have an explanation that I'll give, but it boils down to this: the first trimester kinda sucks. Haha. So bear with me as I try to keep up with my writing and posting schedule in the midst of some sickness in the house! Thanks everyone!
The Portrait of Sirius Black: Chapter Fourteen
By: Rae
-A "Harry Potter" Fic-
"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." – Oscar Wilde
Two weeks later December and snow had arrived in full blast, freezing the castle with a cold wind. The entire castle was excited at the upcoming Hogsmeade trip that was slated to take place that weekend. Even the Gryffindor Quidditch team was allowed a day off practice in order to enjoy some Christmas shopping.
Hermione had arranged to go to Hogsmeade with Parvati and Harry. Harry wasn't too keen on the trip but had agreed because he needed to buy Christmas gifts for his friends. Ron was going to Madame Puddifoot's with Lavender, but Hermione noticed a rather sickly tinge to his cheeks as he told them his plans. She hid her amusement but decided to stick by her friend and not mention it to Parvati, who still complained about Lavender's defection regularly.
That Saturday dawned with a light crunch of snow underfoot and flurries around them as they walked to the wizarding village. Hermione smiled and laughed with Harry and Parvati and grinned when they caught up to a rather irritable Ron and Lavender. From behind they could hear the couple fighting about something, and Hermione wondered whether they would still be together by Christmas.
Parvati shot her a knowing look while Harry just looked bored at the proceedings until Ginny and Dean joined them. The two were still dating, but Hermione had seen some tension building in the couple since the Halloween feast.
"Hey Hermione, Parvati!" Ginny said enthusiastically, letting go of Dean's arm to link arms with the two girls. "Hi Harry!" She smiled at her first crush, and then she began dragging the girls on to catch up to her brother and Lavender.
"What's the rush, Ginny?" Hermione gasped, trying to keep up with the younger girl's quick steps. Parvati, on the other side, seemed to be having similar issues.
"No rush," Ginny said with a smile, but she didn't slow down. "I'm just eager to get out for a bit. Harry's been making us work harder than ever at Quidditch practice, and I'm just happy to be going into town instead of avoiding bludgers all afternoon." She threw a pointed look over her shoulder at the messy-haired Boy Who Lived, who blushed at her appraisal.
"Now Ginny," Harry said, "you know we need to be on top of things or else Ravenclaw will beat us in the match."
"You're just worried that Cho will get the Snitch," Ginny accused, sticking her tongue out at Harry playfully. Hermione caught Dean's irritated glare at his girlfriend and wondered at it.
The five caught up to Lavender and Ron, and as they continued walking toward Hogsmeade they heard raised voices ahead. They slowed down, listening to the sounds of two very unlikely people who seemed very angry.
"What do you think you're doing? I thought you'd agreed not to keep this up! You told me you would stop!" An angry female shrieked the words that met the group as they topped a hill. They looked to the source of the sound and saw Padma Patil with her hands on her hips facing off against an equally angry Draco Malfoy.
"Do you think I have a choice?" The scathing words were more statement than question. "Do you think I like this? I can't stop. I have to do this, and that's all there is to it!" The blonde's hands were clenched in fists, but his wand was nowhere to be seen. Hermione noted its absence with a sense of relief and consternation that the Malfoy heir wasn't preparing to hex the Ravenclaw girl.
"You always have a choice, Draco," Padma spat out furiously, pointing at him. She didn't notice the gasp from both Parvati and Lavender at her use of his given name. "You might not think you can choose differently, but you always have a choice."
He glared at her and opened his mouth to retort before noticing the group that had stopped to stare. Padma noticed his gaze and turned to see her sister and friends. Putting her hands over her face to hide her emotions, the girl turned and ran past Malfoy, shoving him aside roughly in her haste.
"Padma!" Parvati called out to her and raced off after her sister. Hermione hesitated before running alongside Lavender, leaving the boys to deal with Malfoy.
Padma ran down the main street of Hogsmeade, only coming to a stop just shy of the Shrieking Shack. Hermione panted as she caught up to the other girls. She really needed to get in better shape. Parvati walked over to her sister where Padma had stopped and put her arm around her in support.
"Padma, what's going on?" Parvati asked her quietly. "What were you doing with Malfoy?"
Her twin shook her head but didn't answer. Lavender and Hermione exchanged glances as they wondered what it could mean.
"I know everyone's saying you have a boyfriend," Parvati started again, "but it couldn't possibly be Malfoy. So I know they has to be something going on. I mean, the ferret-faced creep couldn't possibly be interested in you, and—" Crack!
Parvati's head whipped back as Padma slapped her clear across the face. Hermione and Lavender gasped at the normally quiet girl who was now screaming at her sister in fury.
"You don't know anything, Parvati!" Padma shrieked, her normally husky voice reaching new levels of shrill. "And everyone else can just shove off!" She glared at the other two girls who raised their hands in surrender. "Do you know how hard it is to deal with the whole school thinking you're doing something you're not? Do you?"
Her chest heaved as she surveyed the three. Hermione kept her mouth shut but wanted to chime in that, yes, she knew what that felt like. She'd been with Harry through so many things, and she knew very much what it was like.
Padma continued without waiting for a response. "It's bloody hard to try to help someone and not be able to tell anyone what you're doing. And when everyone is glancing at you like you're shagging in the broom closet, it really starts to wear you down. I am so tired of people asking me who I'm dating and when I'm going to tell them who's shagging me senseless every night!"
Parvati stared at her sister, and even Hermione and Lavender paused at that. "Who's asking you about shagging you senseless?" Parvati asked her sister quietly, a hand over the red spot on her cheek. "Padma, please tell me what's going on here. I just want to help."
Padma looked at her sister and then at Hermione and Lavender in turn. Sighing, she took several deep breaths. Her chest slowed down from its previous heaving, and a hush fell over the group. Tears filled the corners of her eyes as she reached out to her twin. Without hesitating, Parvati put her arms around her sister, and Hermione felt she was witnessing something incredibly special.
Several minutes went by as the sisters' wordlessly communicated comfort and support to one another. Lavender found a nearby rock and sat down on it to wait while Hermione stood awkwardly. She'd never been very comfortable with girls her own age, and this kind of emotional outburst always filled her with anxiety. She was happy the sisters seemed to have worked out their frustration, but she didn't know whether she should stay or not.
"Padma?" Parvati's voice was soft as she pulled away from her sister finally. "Can you talk about it?"
Padma shook her head. "I'm sorry," she replied. "I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone…not until it works out." The last part was a whisper. "It's been all year, Parvati. All year. And this is the first time he's done that."
Lavender finally couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "Are you dating Draco?" She asked, the question coming out harsh and blunt.
Padma glared at the other girl and said, "No. I am not dating Draco Malfoy." She put her hands on her hips before saying, "I'm trying to help him with a project for Ancient Runes."
Hermione stared at the other girl in shock. She was taking Ancient Runes as well, but she knew there were no group or partner projects. Padma met her eyes evenly and seemed to wait for Hermione to point it out. Hermione didn't.
She asked herself why later when she was walking to Honeyduke's with Padma and Parvati, Lavender having excused herself to find Ron. She decided the reason she'd truly kept silent was because she knew what it was like trying to keep a secret. The three girls spent the afternoon drinking butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks and eating the chocolate they'd bought at Honeyduke's.
They had dropped the subject of Draco and moved on to talking about several of the popular couples in school this year. Parvati was with Hermione in thinking that Dean and Ginny seemed to be moving apart rather than getting closer, and Padma speculated about Cho Chang and Michael Corner, who had been going strong since the end of fifth year. Hermione didn't have much to add to the conversation and let the twins gossip while she enjoyed a much-deserved chocolate frog.
The three met up with Ron, Lavender, and Harry on their way back to the school. Harry admitted he'd been wandering around town getting gifts, and they looked at the excessive amount of packages skeptically. The group laughed and talked as they walked through the increasing snow toward Hogwarts.
As they rounded the corner that would take them to the school entrance, they heard raised voices. In a moment of déjà vu, Hermione glanced over to make sure Padma was still with them. A second later a piercing scream split the air, and the group began running as one toward the sound.
Katie Bell, one of Gryffindor's Chasers, was hovering in the air, eyes open unseeingly and voice lifted in a hair-raising scream. Her friend Roberta stood stock still below her, face pale and eyes full of fear.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron took off at a sprint toward the pair while the other three stood back a bit in fear. Katie's face held a look of pure terror, and her body trembled with exertion. Roberta shrieked in fear and babbled something Hermione couldn't understand as the trio got closer.
Suddenly something plummeted to the ground, followed immediately by a limp Katie. Hermione moved closer to see what it was and saw a gleaming necklace of dark stones strung together. She didn't reach down for it, certain it was the reason for Katie's plight. Instead she crouched over Katie as Roberta knelt down on her other side, tears streaming down her face.
"Katie?" Hermione said, reaching out a hand and gingerly shaking the other girl's shoulder. She could hear Lavender and the Patil twins talking in hushed tones behind her, but Katie was unresponsive.
"What's this?" The booming voice of Hagrid caught her attention and she lurched up to see Hogwarts' groundskeeper strolling quickly toward the small group.
Roberta was babbling again, but Hagrid made quick work of the situation and stooped down to pick up Katie's body. Hermione handed Harry her scarf. He looked at it blankly for a minute until she indicated the necklace.
Hagrid quickly said, "Do not touch that!" Harry reached down and scooped up the necklace in the cloth of the scarf, making certain he didn't touch it with his hands.
Ron helped Roberta to her feet, and Hermione put an arm around the now trembling girl. The group walked back to the school in silence, the happiness from earlier shattered. Hermione's mind worked quickly, trying to deduce exactly what was going on. She looked around at the group that was walking together and noticed a curious look on Padma's face.
She was wringing her hands, and her face had turned incredibly pale as she walked. Parvati and Lavender were talking quietly together as they walked, but they hadn't noticed Padma's silence. When she noticed Hermione watching her, Padma swallowed hard and shook her head at the other girl. Hermione lifted an eyebrow in response, and Padma shook her head again, mouthing the word, "Later." Hermione nodded. She'd have to wait to follow up on her blossoming theory.
Hagrid rushed Katie off to the hospital wing, yelling as he went, "Get Professor McGonagal and tell her what happened!"
Roberta moved to go to the Transfiguration professor's office, and Harry followed her, waving Hermione and Ron with him. Hermione said goodbye to the other girls, nodding pointedly in Padma's direction as she followed her friends. They walked together, Harry carefully holding the necklace, until they reached the Transfiguration room. They entered to see Professor McGonagal sitting at her desk rather than back in her office.
She looked up, her pince-nez poised on the end of her nose and giving her a perpetual look of irritation. "Yes?" She asked, arching a brow and glancing with a bit more significance at Harry than the rest. "How can I help you?"
Roberta sat down in the front row and began sobbing instantly, causing McGonagal to leap out of her seat. Rushing around the desk, she patted the girl's back awkwardly while glancing over her shoulder at the trio for information.
Slowly they shared what they saw, and Harry laid out the necklace on the professor's desk. McGonagal narrowed her eyes at the offending piece of jewelry while Roberta explained what had taken place prior to the trio's arrival.
Halfway into her explanation, Professor Snape marched into the room, followed by Lupin. The potions professor made no indication he noticed the students while Remus at least acknowledged them with a nod. The two professors strode forward to the desk as Roberta watched them, mouth open.
"Hagrid had a student send for us, Minerva," Severus said as he glided past the tables smoothly, his robes flapping behind him. "He said a girl had been cursed."
Minerva nodded. "Oh Severus, yes, it was Katie Bell, and Roberta was just telling us about the necklace and where it came from," she said.
"Necklace?" Lupin asked curiously, his eyes landing on the jewelry. Minerva indicated it with a look and turned back to Roberta. Lupin and Snape walked to the table quietly as Roberta continued her story.
"She was just acting so weird," she said agitatedly, wringing her hands together. "I knew she didn't buy the necklace because she didn't have it before we got to The Three Broomsticks, but then she came out with it and insisted we leave at once."
"Where was she taking it?" Minerva asked her gently.
"Here, to Hogwarts," Roberta said. "I kept asking her who she was giving it to, but she said it was a special surprise gift and she had to keep it a secret."
Hermione and the boys exchanged glances at that, not sure what to think. Meanwhile Lupin was performing some diagnostic charms on the necklace. One of his quietly muttered spells caused a hiss and then a small black poof of air. He grimaced and his lips formed a thin line as he and Snape turned back to the pair.
"And are you sure you didn't see anyone go into the restroom besides Katie?" McGonagal asked for the third time.
Roberta shook her head in disappointment. "No, professor," she replied.
"Very well, Roberta, you may go."
The other girl stood and made her way out of the room, not glancing at anyone as she went.
"Professor," Harry began, and Hermione winced at his tone. The three teachers turned to look at him. He said, "Professor, I think I know who did this."
McGonagal's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as Lupin gasped. Snape alone seemed unaffected and merely sneered. Ron glanced at Hermione in a silent panic as he recognized his best friend's intent, and she shrugged, knowing they couldn't stop him.
"It was Malfoy," Harry burst out, as if he'd been waiting all year for this opportunity. "I'm sure of it! He's been disappearing and reappearing, and I think he's on a mission for Voldemort."
Snape winced, and Ron gasped aloud at the name. McGonagal's brows creased in thought as Lupin surveyed the room. He alone seemed unbothered by the accusation, and Hermione wondered why.
"And what," Snape whispered, "makes you so certain Mister Malfoy is up to some devious plan by the Dark Lord? You do realize he is a student here, don't you, Potter?" His voice lowered to that dangerous timber Hermione knew to mean either certain punishment or points docking.
McGonagal cleared her throat then and said, "Mister Potter, that is a most serious accusation, and I would advise you to think very carefully about why you are making it. I do not believe that Mister Malfoy's disappearances, as you put it, are any of your business, nor do I believe a student of our school would be willingly working to further You Know Who's business while still studying here." Her voice had reached a height previously unknown as she spoke, and before Harry could continue, she slashed a hand through the air.
Even Professors Snape and Lupin looked up at her agitated motion in surprise.
"Mister Potter," she said evenly, "you need to go and take a little time to consider your accusation. I believe it would do you good to go and calm down. Mister Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort your friend back to the Gryffindor common room now, please?"
The two gave murmurs of assent as Ron grabbed Harry by the arm and propelled him from the room. Hermione walked out with the boys but noticed a certain amount of sleek black hair moving in a portrait as she went and couldn't help wondering if she'd be getting a visit from Sirius soon to discuss today's events.
Harry grumbled the entire way back to the common room about Professor McGonagal's treatment of him. Hermione finally had enough when they reached the chairs in front of the fireplace. Most of the room was still empty as students were still enjoying their time at Hogsmeade.
Rounding on him, she said, "Harry Potter, you listen to me." Harry glared at her, and she continued, "You have absolutely no proof of what Malfoy is doing." He opened his mouth, and she shook her head violently. "No! You have no proof that he's doing anything wrong!"
Ron nodded and said, "Yeah, mate, we really don't know what he's up to. I mean, you can't say that he's actually doing something wrong, can you?"
"Then why is he in the Room of Requirement all the time?!" Harry's voice carried in the quiet room as he asked what was bugging him so much.
"I don't know, but it doesn't mean he's breaking the rules!" Hermione nearly shouted back, chest heaving in her anger. "You're getting obsessed with him, and it's going to get you hurt! It feels just like last year, Harry, and I won't hang around and watch you run off into danger again like that!" She stood, hands on her hips as the boys stared at her.
Realizing what she'd said, Hermione's eyes widened, and her mouth formed a little O of shock. Harry's face was rapidly turning red from his own fury, and she turned and raced out of the common room, knocking into Dean and Ginny on her way out. Running down the halls, she raced blindly through the castle, not sure where she was heading, just determined to escape the feelings she'd let go of.
When she finally ran out of breath, she stopped, her whole body nearly shaking with suppressed sobs. It was dark and quiet wherever she was, and she appreciated the lack of curious gazes. Sliding down to the floor, she sat and allowed herself a good cry.
"What was that all about?" The smooth tones of Sirius Black filled her ears, and she looked around to find him looking down at her from a portrait across the hall. His voice was concerned as he watched the distraught witch, and she felt her eyes fill with tears again, remembering her rash words.
She wiped her face with her sleeve, grimacing at the snot that came away and then looked up at the portrait. There were no words.
"Are you really going to sit there and stay silent?" Sirius asked her, this time with a bit of a smirk. "I don't think I've ever seen you stay silent like that. It must be really good for you not to spill."
Hermione glared at him and said, "It's none of your business, you nosy portrait." But her words held no bite.
Sirius cocked his head at her, and she was reminded of his Animagus form. She could see Padfoot cocking his head in the exact same way, and it made her giggle. She stifled herself, surprised she'd let it out, and then she asked something she'd been curious about for a while now.
"Can you change into your Animagus form in your portrait?"
Sirius blinked at her in surprise. "No," he said simply. "There are no Animagus portraits that can change that I know of. The magic doesn't exist to make that possible."
He looked sad, and she realized it was because of this limitation. Feeling stupid, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I know that's a part of who you are, and it must be hard to not exercise all of yourself that way."
Sirius grinned at her, confusing her. "That's okay, Hermione," he said. "When you bring me back to life, I'll be able to run around as much as I like."
Her jaw dropped. Before she could say anything, he said, "By the way, I know what you're brewing in the girls' bathroom." He winked at her. "But have you considered how you'll get my portrait there when it's time for the incantation? Just a thought…"
His voice trailed off as he walked out of the portrait and made his way down the hall, much to a sputtering Hermione's chagrin.