~*~*~*~Breakfast, Tuesday~*~*~*~
Hermione's POV:
I hadn't seen Malfoy since our exchange on the Astronomy tower last night, but I had a sneaking suspicion he'd gone down to the hidden courtyard for some real quiet. The return to calling me by my last name felt like a step back from the slow progress we'd made in the past two weeks, but I knew it'd be slow as a snail and have many setbacks. I didn't know why, but I had the need to help Malfoy, to help him redeem himself, or at least see things differently than he was raised to.
I was so deeply engrossed in my thoughts that I nearly spilled my orange juice all over my lap when Harry and Ron sat down next to me with loud thumps.
"Sorry, 'Mione, didn't mean to scare you," Ron apologized as he immediately began filling his plate with anything within reach.
"Do you ever stop eating?" I teased, smiling at his ever-constant love of food.
"Sometimes," he replied cheekily, stuffing a large bite of scrambled eggs in his mouth. Ron swallowed and asked Harry, "When are you planning on holding tryouts for the Quidditch team? Or are you not captain anymore?"
Harry finished drinking his milk and said, "I'm leaving that up to Ginny, seeing as she's more suited to the position currently than I am. I reckon it'll be in a couple of weeks. Scared you won't make Keeper even though there is literally no one else for you to compete with?"
Ron grinned sheepishly. I rolled my eyes. "You boys and Quidditch. How did we ever become friends?" I joked.
"Well we did knock out a mountain troll together. I feel like that kind of bonds you for life," Harry smiled. "Post is coming in."
I looked towards the ceiling for my tawny owl Artemis, holding out my hand expectantly when I spotted her flying towards me. Artemis dropped a Daily Prophet and letter from my parents in my hand before flying out of the Great Hall and towards the Owlery. I tucked the letter from mum and dad away for later and unrolled the Daily Prophet, expecting something rather uninteresting like it had been for the past few days. The large bolded headline and picture of Kingsley on the front page put me on high alert in an instant.
Break-in at Department of Mysteries: Several Dark Artifacts Confirmed Missing
By Rita Skeeter
Late last night a break-in occurred at the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. The Ministry was closed, all floo grates blocked, anti-apparition wards up, and employee and visitor entrances closed until morning. This raises suspicion as to how the robber would have gotten into the Ministry in the first place, unless he or she was already inside the Ministry before it closed.
"We are in the process of questioning all members of the Ministry, including the Unspeakables, to confirm their alibies and determine who would have broken into the Department of Mysteries," Minister Shacklebolt says. "As we speak, the Unspeakables are combing the Department of Mysteries to make sure nothing else was taken, and the process to get in has been changed to allow for more security."
It seems that this break-in was highly unanticipated. The name and type of Dark artifacts taken have not yet been released to the public. No trace of the robber has been found yet. Let us hope that the Minister's stout resilience will end this matter of possible national security quickly and effectively. More information about the break-in will come at a later date.
"What is it, 'Mione?" Ron asked when I crumpled the paper in my fist.
"The Department of Mysteries was broken into and several Dark objects were taken. The Ministry is currently trying to determine how it could have happened but they aren't releasing what was taken yet," I summarized.
"Bloody hell," Ron said, his face draining of color. Harry's paled similarly.
Nervous titters raced through the Great Hall as more and more students read Rita Skeeter's latest article. The sound level reached such an incredible volume that Professor McGonagall cast a silencing spell on the hall to prevent mass hysteria.
"Silence! I have been informed of the situation by the Minister for Magic himself, so there is no need to be hysterical!" she scolded. "Now, because there are Dark objects missing, all trips to Hogsmeade will be suspended until the culprit or objects are apprehended. Professors and Prefects will be patrolling all night after curfew for extra security. The Ministry should have this handled soon, and we shall all be able to return to our normal routines. Off to class now!"
The sounds of hundreds of my fellow students rising from the benches and gathering our things for classes were nearly deafening. Thankfully, none of the first years had Herbology today, meaning I could actually get to class on time. I left Harry and Ron as they returned to the common room, not having class until Charms. I walked quickly to the Ancient Runes classroom on the sixth floor, hoping to procure my usual seat in the front.
Once I arrived at the classroom, I noticed Malfoy lounging in my seat. "Oh, sorry Granger, is this where you usually sit? Looks like you'll have to find another seat for now," he said in a fake voice.
I rolled my eyes and sat two seats to his right, using my hair as a curtain between us. Deftly I arranged my book and notes on the desk and folded my hands, waiting for Professor Babbling to enter and begin class. Malfoy scoffed and reclined further in his seat, but his materials were also out on his desk as well. Idiot.
A few minutes later Professor Babbling entered through her office and immediately began the lesson on ancient Greek runes.
~*~*~*~Tuesday Night~*~*~*~
Harry's POV:
Ron and I were at the Quidditch Pitch for the third time already this week, having gone twice yesterday. We took up our usual positions: Ron in the hoops as Keeper and me as Chaser. If I had inherited some of my father's star Chaser skills, maybe then I wouldn't have been such a bad shot. I think it's why I was better suited as a Seeker—I could catch things easier than I could throw them. But if Ron knew how poor of a shot I was, then he was keeping quiet about it and doing his best to come up with different ways to block my shots at the goalposts.
We were about forty-five minutes in, and already I was running out of ideas. It was hard to complete plays without other players there, so I was having a difficult time figuring out logistics of single-person Chasing. The sun was just beginning to set, casting the Quidditch pitch into a golden glow. After my terrible execution of the Wronski Feint, a loud feminine voice shouted from the ground.
"Hey! Mind if we join you?" Ginny yelled to my surprise. Mandy Brocklehurst was with her, each of them dressed in their Chaser gear and holding their brooms.
"Come on up!" Ron roared, waving his arm in an invitational gesture.
The two girls mounted their brooms and zoomed up to where Ron and I were hovering near the goalposts. Mandy gave a shy smile to Ron, causing his ears to turn red.
"Fancy a game of boys versus girls?" Ginny asked, her eyes glimmering with mischief.
"Only because Harry and I will crush you! It's on, little sister!" Ron declared boisterously.
We all laughed at Ron and Ginny's enthusiasm as we got into our positions, with Mandy and Ron acting as Keepers and Ginny and I as Chasers. Ginny threw the Quaffle up into the air above our heads and the game was on.
Even with Ginny and Mandy working together, they could barely get any goals thanks to Ron's extreme protectiveness of the goalposts. Somehow my aim managed to improve greatly once we were actually playing the game because I made four goals without any assistance from Ron. The score stayed very close, neither of us able to get more than twenty points ahead of the other team before they scored again.
After what felt like many hours, we finally agreed to call it a tie and ended the game. Ginny gave me a pointed look and tilted her head up, flying off towards the other end of the Quidditch pitch and higher up into the sky. I glanced at Ron to see he and Mandy were discussing Quaffle techniques and zoomed off to meet Ginny.
"What's this about, Ginny?" I asked cautiously, leveling off a few feet away from her.
"I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier," Ginny said. "I overreacted and I shouldn't have broken up with you. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry, and I want you back."
I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. "I'm sorry too, Gin. I should have told you and I didn't, and that was wrong of me. From now on, I'll tell you anything you want to know," I promised, edging my broom closer to hers.
She grinned and closed the distance between our brooms, and leaned over to hug me. I hugged her back. "I love you," I said.
"I love you too," came her muffled reply. We broke apart and flew back down to Ron and Mandy.
"Everything all right now, mate?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine, Ron," I answered. "Come on, let's go back to the common room before it gets too dark."
The four of us flew down to the ground and dismounted. We got out of our Quidditch gear, stowing it away for later, and walked back to the castle together. As we began the trek upstairs to the seventh year common room and Gryffindor tower, we chatted amiably about Quidditch and which House we thought was going to win the House Championship this year. My eyes scanned the corridors for signs of danger, an old habit left from the War.
I missed the shadow behind a suit of armour.
Hermione's POV:
Thankfully, after dinner I was free for the rest of the night, as I didn't have to patrol until tomorrow night. Once I got back to the common room I changed into comfy pants and an old t-shirt with a muggle band on it. Grabbing my school bag, I sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the armchair I'd claimed as mine. I took out my Ancient Runes textbook and translation books, and began translating the assignment Professor Babbling had assigned to us this morning.
Ancient Greek wasn't terribly difficult to decipher, so I was almost completely finished with the translations when Malfoy came banging into the common room. I rolled my eyes and set my quill down, waiting for the smart remark to come. But, nothing came. Instead, he stalked past me and went right up to his room, closing his door with nearly as much force as when he'd come into the dormitory. Confused, I shook my head and finished the last two translations. As I waited for the ink to dry, I put away my textbooks in my schoolbag.
I was just rolling up the translations when I heard a loud bang come from Malfoy's room. Taking a breath, I decided not to go in there unless I heard another one. I put the assignment away in my bag and pulled out my Arithmancy book and began the assignment Professor Vector assigned this afternoon. Malfoy didn't come out of his room for the rest of the night, and no scary banging sounds came from his direction either. Glancing at the clock, I realized it had somehow reached midnight already.
As I gathered my things up, I had a moment of indecision. Should I go see if Malfoy is okay or just leave him be? I chose the latter, not desiring another argument with him over something frivolous. All the same, I still hesitated outside his door, listening for anything. Hearing nothing, I quietly entered my bedroom and got ready for bed. I crawled under my thick blankets, leaving a space for Crookshanks to curl up next to me. My furry ginger cat joined me not a minute later, and I pulled the blankets up over his body and my shoulders.
I lay there, eyes closed, willing my brain to turn off, but it just did not comply with my wishes. My thoughts weren't even very coherent—just fragments of memories and daydreams and words I'd wanted to say. Much to Crookshanks' annoyance, I kept tossing and turning, attempting to find a better position to sleep in so my brain would actually shut down and I could sleep. It was like my mind decided to turn my body on high and make me hyperaware of every single place my bare skin was touching the sheets, where my shirt was wrinkled against my body and the bed, and where each individual piece of hair was. I groaned and sat up, rather unwillingly, realizing sleep would be evading me for a while yet.
Crookshanks meowed at me as I slipped out of my bed, missing my warmth. "Oh hush, you!" I scolded him in a whisper shout as I pulled my dressing gown on, tying it loosely around my waist and slipping my wand into its pocket. I opened my door slowly, wincing as it creaked loudly, and went down to the common area. Expecting to be alone, I gasped in surprise when I saw a blond head. I quickly covered my mouth, staring at Malfoy in his armchair, head drooping, obviously asleep. Noting that he didn't stir at my gasp, I tiptoed my way into the kitchenette and began making myself a mug of jasmine tea.
Using a heating spell on the water, I brought it to a boil and then put the tea leaves into my infuser and checked the clock to see when three minutes had passed. Unable to help myself, I looked across the room at Malfoy's sleeping form. His face was completely relaxed, for once, and it seemed like he wasn't having a nightmare this time around. Even though my nightmares occurred much less often now, I still Silencio-d my room every night, just in case, and I'm sure he did the same thing. I imagined this was what he must have been like, sleeping as a child without any cares in the world, not having to carry the weight of the world on his already burdened shoulders, not having to deal with life and death so often he lost count, and definitely not having to deal with the burn of being called 'scum' and 'traitor.' I frowned at this thought; considering all he'd been through, what everyone had been through, I thought he deserved some help getting to a better place.
And I was going to help him get there, no matter what other people thought.