*How can one persons head hurt so much?*
Hermione rubbed her temples as she walked into the Great Hall the next night for dinner. The Hall was silent, the usual talk didn't fill the room, and neither did the usual cheer. Of course, there really wasn't reason for any. Professor McGonagall was dead, many of the students were injured, some seriously...besides that everyone was just in a really bad mood.
Hermione spotted Harry and Ron sitting sullenly over at the Gryffindor table, plates of food in front of them, but not touched. She walked over to them and plopped down beside Ron.
"Feeling better?" Ron asked her.
"A little," she replied, still massaging the sides of her head. She looked up at Ron and Harry. "Have you seen him yet?" she asked.
"Seen who?"
Hermione looked at Ron, her gaze an annoyed one. "Who know who. Malfoy. Has he come in yet?"
"I haven't seen him all day," Harry answered, frowning at Ron for not giving Hermione a direct answer in the first place.
"Hermione, why are you going to thank him?" Ron asked, and Hermione sighed.
"Ron, honestly, don't you think that he deserves a little credit? Just some, not a whole lot. He didn't have to save me, or anyone else for that matter, but he did. He broke his concentration while he was fighting to save another life, when he could have very well been killed. Don't you think that deserves some gratitude?"
Ron just grumbled towards his plate and looked away from Hermione for the rest of the dinner. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry, who put simply put both of his hands up in a simple gesture meaning, "I don't have an opinion. Leave me out of it."
It wasn't until the end of dinner that Dumbledore stood up and rang the bell that rested on the upper right part of his place mat...the bell that Minerva McGonagall used to ring. All the students looked up slowly and waited for Dumbledore to speak.
"Yesterday, you fought your first battle against Voldemort. You did well. I must say that I am extremely proud of all of you. However," he looked towards McGonagalls seat, which had not been sat in by anyone the past two days, "there is someone we need, and should acknowledge. Deputy Head Mistress Minerva McGonagall." Dumbledore picked up the goblet that sat in front of him, the other teachers, students, and Aurors followed suit.
"Minerva McGonagall was truly a courageous soul. She died so that her students might live to fight the battle that she knew she wouldn't live through. Oh yes, she knew she wouldn't survive the war. Do not mistake me, she didn't commit suicide...she didn't stand in the hallway and let the Deatheater shoot her down. No, she fought till the end of her life. But she knew that she wouldn't live to see the end of the war."
Hermione, Ron, and Harrys eyes connected at those last words. *What's it like to know you won't see the end of a war?* Hermione wondered to herself, and she could see Ron and Harry thinking the same thing. Dumbledore began to speak again, and she turned her attention back to him.
"As a sign of respect to Minerva, I would like it very much if you would all raise your goblets to her honor. She's the first casualty of this war, and hopefully, she'll be the last. She will never be forgotten, either as a brilliant teacher or as the great woman and witch that she was."
Everyone in the Great Hall raised their goblets to the ceiling, each murmering the fallen teachers name, and taking a sip of the drink that filled their cup.
"I do have one more announcment," Dumbledore said as some students were beginning to rise from their seats.
"You will no longer have regular class while you're here. You shall spend most of your time with the Aurors. The only regular class that you might have will be Potions as you need to know the different spells and such."
Dumbledore sat down again, and Hermione noticed that he seemed more tired than he let on. *Well, Herms, he has a right to be. We do have a war going on you know*.
"Hey, Hermione?"
Hermione turned towards Ron, who was looking at her.
"You alright?"
"Yes, Ron, I'm fine. Why?"
"Nothin, I just said your name about two times and you didn't seem to hear me."
"Oh," Hermione brushed her hair back from her eyes, "sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts." She cleared her throat. "What is it?"
"I thought you'd like to know that Malfoy walked in just now."
"Oh," Hermione said, glancing over to the Slytherin table, which was beginning to empty. Draco Malfoy was standing at the side of the table, apparently having a conversation with Crabbe and Goyle.
"Well, I'll see you boys later then," Hermione said as she rose from her seat.
"Hermione?"
"Hmmmm?" she turned around to face Ron again, who was also getting up from his seat with Harry.
"He might have saved your life, but that doesn't mean he likes you in anyway. Be careful, right?" Hermione smiled at Ron.
"I don't think he's going to try anything. I'm simply going to go up to him, thank him for what he did, listen to his reply, and then I'll be back in the common room." With a wave over her shoulder, Hermione started towards Malfoy...
...who was no longer at the Slytherin Table.
*That slippery little....* Hermione thought to herself, putting her hands on her hips and looking around the Great Hall. *It would figure that when I actually want to talk to him, he dissapears* she thought as she walked out of the Hall...
...*and it would also figure that I bump into him*
Hermione stepped back to see Draco standing against the wall, his arms crossed, his cloudy grey eyes looking at her with a blonde eyebrow raised.
"Something you wanted?" he asked coldly, yet mockingly, as if he knew why she was there. He wasn't going to make this easy for her, and Hermione knew it.
"Yes actually," Hermione said, rubbing the side of her head again, "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yes...for saying the counter curse for the spell that was put on me."
"Counter curse?"
Malfoys lips were beginning to turn up just the slightest, and his eyes were beginning to squinch with pleasure. Hermione took a deep breath. *Well, of course he's going to make it hard on you. He saved your life remember? You hate him, he hates you*.
"Yes, the counter curse for the fire spell that the Deatheater put on me. You said the counter curse. You...you saved my life. I'm thanking you for it."
Hermione cleared her throat and continued to look at Draco, who seemed to be pondering her words. When he didn't say anything in response, she ran both her hands through her hair and sighed.
"Do you have anything to say to me? Any 'your welcomes', any insults? Anything? Because if not, I'm going to my room." When he didn't answer, she let her arms fall to her sides, turned on her heel, and began to walk away. However, Draco did have one thing to say.
"You owe me, Granger."
Hermione stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at Malfoy. His eyes had clouded over again, and the small, barely there smile had been again replaced by his usual haughty frown.
*I'm not going to humor him by arguing* she thought, and again, she turned on her heel and marched to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hermione rubbed her temples as she walked into the Great Hall the next night for dinner. The Hall was silent, the usual talk didn't fill the room, and neither did the usual cheer. Of course, there really wasn't reason for any. Professor McGonagall was dead, many of the students were injured, some seriously...besides that everyone was just in a really bad mood.
Hermione spotted Harry and Ron sitting sullenly over at the Gryffindor table, plates of food in front of them, but not touched. She walked over to them and plopped down beside Ron.
"Feeling better?" Ron asked her.
"A little," she replied, still massaging the sides of her head. She looked up at Ron and Harry. "Have you seen him yet?" she asked.
"Seen who?"
Hermione looked at Ron, her gaze an annoyed one. "Who know who. Malfoy. Has he come in yet?"
"I haven't seen him all day," Harry answered, frowning at Ron for not giving Hermione a direct answer in the first place.
"Hermione, why are you going to thank him?" Ron asked, and Hermione sighed.
"Ron, honestly, don't you think that he deserves a little credit? Just some, not a whole lot. He didn't have to save me, or anyone else for that matter, but he did. He broke his concentration while he was fighting to save another life, when he could have very well been killed. Don't you think that deserves some gratitude?"
Ron just grumbled towards his plate and looked away from Hermione for the rest of the dinner. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry, who put simply put both of his hands up in a simple gesture meaning, "I don't have an opinion. Leave me out of it."
It wasn't until the end of dinner that Dumbledore stood up and rang the bell that rested on the upper right part of his place mat...the bell that Minerva McGonagall used to ring. All the students looked up slowly and waited for Dumbledore to speak.
"Yesterday, you fought your first battle against Voldemort. You did well. I must say that I am extremely proud of all of you. However," he looked towards McGonagalls seat, which had not been sat in by anyone the past two days, "there is someone we need, and should acknowledge. Deputy Head Mistress Minerva McGonagall." Dumbledore picked up the goblet that sat in front of him, the other teachers, students, and Aurors followed suit.
"Minerva McGonagall was truly a courageous soul. She died so that her students might live to fight the battle that she knew she wouldn't live through. Oh yes, she knew she wouldn't survive the war. Do not mistake me, she didn't commit suicide...she didn't stand in the hallway and let the Deatheater shoot her down. No, she fought till the end of her life. But she knew that she wouldn't live to see the end of the war."
Hermione, Ron, and Harrys eyes connected at those last words. *What's it like to know you won't see the end of a war?* Hermione wondered to herself, and she could see Ron and Harry thinking the same thing. Dumbledore began to speak again, and she turned her attention back to him.
"As a sign of respect to Minerva, I would like it very much if you would all raise your goblets to her honor. She's the first casualty of this war, and hopefully, she'll be the last. She will never be forgotten, either as a brilliant teacher or as the great woman and witch that she was."
Everyone in the Great Hall raised their goblets to the ceiling, each murmering the fallen teachers name, and taking a sip of the drink that filled their cup.
"I do have one more announcment," Dumbledore said as some students were beginning to rise from their seats.
"You will no longer have regular class while you're here. You shall spend most of your time with the Aurors. The only regular class that you might have will be Potions as you need to know the different spells and such."
Dumbledore sat down again, and Hermione noticed that he seemed more tired than he let on. *Well, Herms, he has a right to be. We do have a war going on you know*.
"Hey, Hermione?"
Hermione turned towards Ron, who was looking at her.
"You alright?"
"Yes, Ron, I'm fine. Why?"
"Nothin, I just said your name about two times and you didn't seem to hear me."
"Oh," Hermione brushed her hair back from her eyes, "sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts." She cleared her throat. "What is it?"
"I thought you'd like to know that Malfoy walked in just now."
"Oh," Hermione said, glancing over to the Slytherin table, which was beginning to empty. Draco Malfoy was standing at the side of the table, apparently having a conversation with Crabbe and Goyle.
"Well, I'll see you boys later then," Hermione said as she rose from her seat.
"Hermione?"
"Hmmmm?" she turned around to face Ron again, who was also getting up from his seat with Harry.
"He might have saved your life, but that doesn't mean he likes you in anyway. Be careful, right?" Hermione smiled at Ron.
"I don't think he's going to try anything. I'm simply going to go up to him, thank him for what he did, listen to his reply, and then I'll be back in the common room." With a wave over her shoulder, Hermione started towards Malfoy...
...who was no longer at the Slytherin Table.
*That slippery little....* Hermione thought to herself, putting her hands on her hips and looking around the Great Hall. *It would figure that when I actually want to talk to him, he dissapears* she thought as she walked out of the Hall...
...*and it would also figure that I bump into him*
Hermione stepped back to see Draco standing against the wall, his arms crossed, his cloudy grey eyes looking at her with a blonde eyebrow raised.
"Something you wanted?" he asked coldly, yet mockingly, as if he knew why she was there. He wasn't going to make this easy for her, and Hermione knew it.
"Yes actually," Hermione said, rubbing the side of her head again, "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Yes...for saying the counter curse for the spell that was put on me."
"Counter curse?"
Malfoys lips were beginning to turn up just the slightest, and his eyes were beginning to squinch with pleasure. Hermione took a deep breath. *Well, of course he's going to make it hard on you. He saved your life remember? You hate him, he hates you*.
"Yes, the counter curse for the fire spell that the Deatheater put on me. You said the counter curse. You...you saved my life. I'm thanking you for it."
Hermione cleared her throat and continued to look at Draco, who seemed to be pondering her words. When he didn't say anything in response, she ran both her hands through her hair and sighed.
"Do you have anything to say to me? Any 'your welcomes', any insults? Anything? Because if not, I'm going to my room." When he didn't answer, she let her arms fall to her sides, turned on her heel, and began to walk away. However, Draco did have one thing to say.
"You owe me, Granger."
Hermione stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at Malfoy. His eyes had clouded over again, and the small, barely there smile had been again replaced by his usual haughty frown.
*I'm not going to humor him by arguing* she thought, and again, she turned on her heel and marched to the Gryffindor Common Room.