Chapter 20
Herb's Tale
Half-an-hour later, Hermione and Susan were in the lifts all by themselves.
"We'll be able to talk to Herb, right?" Hermione asked.
"If nobody else is talking to him," Susan said. "But the guard will be there at all times, remember?"
"That won't be a problem," Hermione said.
"It will if you want Herb to tell us anything," Susan said. "I have a feeling that the guard relays anything Herb says straight to the Minister."
"Like I said," Hermione grinned. "Not a problem."
The cool voice overhead announced the floor with the Auror Headquarters, and the doors opened. Hermione followed Susan out of the lifts and down the hall. They went to a door labeled Auror Headquarters, and walked inside. Hermione had never been inside this room before, but it looked nothing like she expected. It was just a plain room with a desk at the other side of the room. A wizard was sitting at the desk. Another wizard was standing against the wall behind him. Hermione was reminded of the Royal Guard.
"Susan Bones and Hermione Granger" Susan said to the man at the desk, "to see prisoner Herb Morrison."
"You both know and understand," the wizard said, "the procedures for speaking to a prisoner?"
Susan and Hermione nodded.
"You may take your wands with you," the wizard said, "But keep them in your pockets at all time. The Auror behind me will escort you to prisoner Morrison's holding cell. Also, reporters for the Daily Prophet have requested an interview with the prisoner at two-o-clock. Which means you only have a little over an hour to speak with the prisoner. I believe that is a generous amount of time, don't you?"
"Yes, sir," Susan said.
Hermione nodded. The man looked at both of them and nodded. He then motioned to the Auror behind him.
"Please follow him," he said.
Hermione was about to ask where exactly they would be following him to, when the Auror took out his wand and poked the wall four times with it. Suddenly, the section of wall disappeared. Hermione followed Susan and the Auror through the archway. The Auror led them to another door. On a plaque on the door were the letters H.C. Hermione noticed there wasn't a doorknob on this door. The Auror pointed his wand at the door and Hermione heard the sound similar to the mechanisms the Gringotts' vaults made when they were unlocked and opened. The door immediately opened and Hermione followed Susan and the Auror inside. Once inside, Hermione saw a long row of holding cells. They all looked like a normal prison cell should look like. The Auror led them to the end of the row and Hermione immediately saw Herb. He was laying on a make-shift cot in a small cell, and staring at the stone wall. The cot was the only object in the holding cell.
"You have visitors, Morrison," the Auror said, then turned to Susan and Hermione, "I'll be sitting right over there."
He pointed to a chair that had just materialized out of thin air.
"So no funny business," he said, "You hear me. If I see anything I don't like, your conversation with the prisoner is over. Any funny business and you just might be Morrison's neighbor for the night. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Susan and Hermione said.
The Auror pointed his wand at the bars of the cell and three of them opened to make a door. Hermione followed Susan inside. A sound of scraping told Hermione that the Auror had taken his seat. He was now reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. Hermione dared not look at the Auror, but she muttered a lone word under her breath, and concentrated on the Auror.
"Muffliato," she said under her breath.
Hermione glanced at the Auror. He was still reading the Daily Prophet.
"Okay," she said, "We can talk freely."
"Herb?" Susan said, looking at Herb, "Are you awake? It's Susan. Hermione's with me too."
"I don't know why you came," Herb said, still looking at the wall, "I'm sure you're just as ashamed with me as everyone else is."
"We wanted to talk to you, Herb," Hermione said, "We know you're innocent."
Herb turned around and sat up.
"Nobody's innocent, Miss Granger," Herb said, "Everyone who is in Azkaban or in these holding cells is just a little more guilty than everyone else."
"We know you have no connections to Death Eaters," Hermione said.
"Is that right?" Herb said, "Maybe you should read the Daily Prophet more."
"So you do have connections with Death Eaters?" Susan asked.
"If I didn't," Herb said, "Do you think I'd be locked up in here?"
"Hermione thinks she knows why you're locked up in here," Susan said, "Don't you, Hermione?"
"You're a Legilimens, right, Herb?" Hermione asked.
Herb took a short glance at the Auror, then looked at Hermione. He nodded.
"You don't need to worry about the Auror eavesdropping, Herb," Hermione said.
Susan raised an eyebrow at Hermione, then looked at the Auror.
"So you also know Occlumency?" Hermione asked.
Herb nodded again.
"Does the Minister know about this?" Hermione asked.
"He has his suspicions," Herb said.
"Did you use Occlumency against the Auror that accompanied the Minister?" Hermione asked.
Herb nodded.
"Okay," Hermione said. "Before I ask you anymore questions, I want you to hear what I think. Is that okay?"
Herb motioned her to continue.
"I think," Hermione said, "that you have no connections to Death Eaters. But... I do think that someone close to you does have those connections, and you're trying to protect these people."
Herb stared at her.
"H-h-how?" he said, "How do you know that?"
"Herb," Susan said, "Hermione Granger wasn't given the title of Smartest Witch of Her Age for nothing."
Hermione blushed.
"Although, Hermione," Susan said, "I would also like to know how you know this information."
"Nobody in their right mind," Hermione said, looking at Herb, "could put away someone in Azkaban if they had been convicted of it themselves. They'd be too afraid. You were very confident when you put Ralph Fetcher in Azkaban for his connections to a Death Eater."
Herb looked down at the stone floor. Hermione sat on the right side of him.
"Judge Morrison," Hermione said, "Who do you know who has these terrible connections to a Death Eater? Who are you trying to protect, Herb?"
Herb looked at Hermione, then looked at Susan. He then returned his gaze back to the floor.
"If it wasn't for an event that happened almost twenty years ago," Herb said, "I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be Head Judge for the Wizengamot, and I wouldn't be skilled in Legilimency or Occlumency."
"Twenty years ago?" Hermione said,
"But," Susan said, "That would be around the time --"
Susan looked at Hermione. Hermione knew what she was saying. It would have been around the time Voldemort had killed Harry's parents and almost killed Harry.
"Twenty years ago," Herb said, "My older brother was at the turning point of his life."
"You never mentioned that you had a brother," Susan said, sitting down on the other side of Herb.
"This is the first time in twenty years," Herb said, "I've ever mentioned his existence to anyone. Anyone who knew anything about him thinks he is dead."
Susan looked at Hermione. Herb cleared his throat.
"Twenty years ago," Herb said again, "My older brother, Geoff, was at the turning point of his life. He was a graduate of Hogwarts, at the top of his class, and he was destined for a headlining job in the Ministry. Many of the students and professors in Hogwarts said that he would become Minister of Magic before the end of his life."
Hermione nodded. Geoff Morrison sounded like the kind of student Horace Slughorn would have wanted for his collection. So what had changed that?
"I was still in the prime of my youth," Herb continued, "Fifteen years old and standing comfortably in Geoffrey Morrison's shadow."
Hermione was surprised. She would have thought Herb was at least in his mid-forties. Time hadn't been very good to him, even for a wizard.
"The summer after he graduated," Herb said, "Geoff moved out of my parents' house and into a flat in the outer 'burbs of London. He had no girlfriend, which was surprising to even me at the time. In Hogwarts, he had been Head Boy. There were rumors that he was snogging the Head Girl during his rounds and that she would be the future Mrs. Geoffrey Morrison. This wasn't true. The Head Girl was secretly with the best Seeker in Hogwarts. The problem was that she was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin. Even then, both houses were rivals. I'm sure you can guess the potential problems with the Head Girl's secret love. But that has nothing to do with my story."
"What house were you and your brother in?" Susan asked.
"Oh, we were in separate houses," Herb said, "I was in Ravenclaw. My brother was in Gryffindor."
Susan grinned. Her mentor had been in the same house she was in.
"During the summer after he graduated," Herb said, "I visited Geoff's flat exactly three times. The first time, it was just a dinner between brothers. We laughed and joked like brothers do. He asked me if there was anyone at Hogwarts who I had fancied. I lied and said there wasn't. To be honest, there was one girl. She would become Head Girl in her seventh year, and now I see her every day at work."
"Bea Haven?" Susan asked, her mouth in a perfect O.
Herb grinned and nodded. Hermione remembered who Bea was. She was the lady who had commented on how long Shacklebolt was interrogating Herb, and she had also talked about Herb in her interview with the Daily Prophet.
"But again," Herb said, "That has nothing to do with my story. The second time I visited Geoff, he wasn't there. I figured he had already started looking for a job. It was what he had told my parents in the letters he had sent them. The last time I visited my brother's flat... is a day I'll never forget as long as I live."
Herb paused for a moment. He reached around Susan and lifted up the pillow he had been resting on. He took something from under the pillow and sat back up. Hermione saw two things in his hand. One looked like a photograph. The other looked like a very old newspaper clipping that was folded up.
"This is what my brother looked like on the day of his graduation," Herb said, showing the photograph to Susan, then Hermione.
Hermione looked at it. To her, Geoff Morrison looked a little like Percy Weasley, though there were major differences. He had short jet-black hair, which could barely be seen under the tousled wizard's cap. His eyes, a strikingly piercing blue were staring behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. He was smiling and laughing. Far behind him, Hermione could see the Giant Squid jumping out of the Hogwarts Lake.
"And this," Herb said, "Is how he looked only five years later."
Herb unfolded the newspaper clipping. When Herb showed it to Susan, she gasped. He then showed it to Hermione. Hermione almost cried out. The handsome Head Boy-ish features of Geoffrey Morrison had all but disappeared. His hair, still black, was long and filthy as if it had been untended to for a long time. His nose looked as if it had been broken and repaired many times. His mouth, which had been smiling and laughing at Hogwarts, was growling and Hermione could see a broken tooth. But his eyes were what Hermione had been frightened of the most. Although the newspaper clipping was black and white, Hermione could almost see a red tinge in those eyes. Geoff was being held by two wizards that Hermione knew were Aurors. Above Geoff's picture, in big bold letters, were the words:
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
GEOFFREY MORRISON
A reward, below the picture, offered 150 Galleons for capture. Hermione tried to think of what the picture had reminded her of. Then she remembered: it reminded her of Sirius Black's wanted poster.
"What could have possibly happened?" Susan asked, "Herb... what did you see that day?"
"I've never told a single soul," Herb said, "what I am about to tell you. The day was Herb's eighteenth birthday. I had gone over to his flat to give him my present and the spend the day with him. I would be returning to Hogwarts the following week, and I knew I wouldn't see my brother for a while after this visit. I only wish I hadn't gone over to his flat that day..."
Flashback:
Fifteen year old Herbert Morrison whistled the Hogwarts Hymn to himself as he rode the Knight Bus through the streets of London. A small package was in his lap. Inside the package was a book about the history of the Ministry of Magic.
This, he figured, would help his brother get a job he deserved more than anyone in the wizarding world. Geoff Morrison had been searching for a job for many weeks, and Herb knew that Geoff could have gotten a job the week after he graduated from Hogwarts. He just hadn't visited the right people. Hopefully the book would point him in the right direction. Geoff loved books, Herb knew. He would definitely love this one.
Herb heard someone clear their throat. He looked up. The driver was looking at him.
"Still wanting to get off at the destination you requested?" he said.
Herb nodded.
"This is it, then" the driver said.
"Oh, right," Herb said, "Thanks."
"Be safe, kid," the driver said, "I imagine you're far from home."
"I'm visiting my brother," Herb said, proudly.
The driver nodded and Herb walked off the bus. The Knight Bus roared into action and sped down the street, then disappeared into thin air. Herb walked up the street toward his destination. Three houses up the street was Geoff's house. Herb walked up the sidewalk to the house and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door opened. Geoff looked surprised to see Herb.
"What are you doing here, Herb?" Geoff asked.
"I came to give you your birthday present, Geoff," Herb said.
Herb nodded to his package. Geoff stared at him, then looked at the package.
"Oh, all right," he said, "Come on in then."
Herb walked past Geoff and into the house. He looked back to his brother, who was looking left and right out the door.
"Are you expecting somebody?" Herb asked.
"Huh?" Geoff said, turning his head to Herb, "Oh. Yeah, a friend is taking me out to eat later."
"A friend?" Herb asked, "Do I know them? Is it a girl?"
"No," Geoff said, "It's a guy. And you don't know him. I'm meeting him about a job."
"A job?" Herb asked, "In the Ministry, perhaps?"
"You talk too much, you know that?" Geoff said, "Go sit in the living room. Do you want anything to drink?"
"You have butterbeer?" Herb asked.
"Always," Geoff said.
Herb grinned. As he walked into the living room, he noticed Geoff look back at the front door. Herb sat down on the couch, and a minute later, Herb came in with two bottles of butterbeer.
"All right," Geoff said, handing Herb a bottle and sitting beside him, "What did you get me?"
Herb handed him the package. Geoff tore it open and looked at the book.
"'A Thorough History of the Ministry of Magic'," Geoff said, reading the title, "You got me a book, little brother?"
"I know you want to get a job at the Ministry," Herb said, "I figured this will help you. You don't like it?"
Geoff looked at the book, then looked back at Herb.
"No," he said, then put a hand to Herb's head and scuffed up his hair, "I love it! Thanks. Be honest with me now. Did Dad ask you to get me this?"
"No," Herb said, "I got it from Flourish and Blott's myself."
"All right," Geoff said, "I believe you. I tell you what. I'll start reading it when I get back from dinner with my friend. I might be reading it all night, you know?"
Herb grinned. Suddenly, he heard something that sounded like a whip cracking, followed by two more cracks.
"Oh, bloody hell," Geoff said, suddenly.
"That came from the front yard, didn't it?" Herb said, "Was that somebody apparating?"
Geoff jumped up and pulled Herb to his feet. He took Herb's hand and dragged Herb over to a door with a bunch of rivets in it.
"G-Geoff!" Herb said, "I don't understand. What's going on?"
"Get in here," Geoff said, opening the door and pushing Herb in, "Don't say a word. Nobody was supposed to be here with me when they got here."
"B-b-but I don't understand, Geoff," Herb said, frightened, "What's going on? Please, tell me!"
"Shh!" Geoff shushed him, "Be quiet. I'll explain everything later! Do you hear me? Don't... say... a... word."
Herb nodded. Geoff shut the door. Herb looked around and realized he was in a closet. The only light coming through was from the many rivets in the door. Herb's eyes followed his brother as Geoff walked through the archway seperating the living room and the front hallway. Suddenly, he heard the front door open.
"Hi, guys," Geoff said to someone, "Didn't expect you today. Look, I just sent my letter by owl earlier today. I was going to see him later this evening."
"He got your letter, Morrison," a gruff-sounding voice said, "He didn't want to wait."
"H-h-he's here?" Geoff asked.
"Of course not!" another voice, this time cool and clear, said, "He's far too busy too make a house call for a grunt like you."
"Well," yet another voice, and this time Herb knew it was female, said, "Aren't you going to be kind and let us in?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Geoff said, "Come on in. Perhaps we can go to the back yard?"
"We'll talk to you in the living room," the second man's voice said, "I'm sure it's much cooler in there than it is outside."
"Yes it is," Geoff said, "To the living room then."
Herb heard a door slam, then saw two unknown men and a woman walk into the room. Geoff followed them in. One of the men had white-blonde hair and looked pretty young. Herb thought he was the kind of man who was brought up quite well and might have even lived in one of those big mansions people like Herb only read about. The other man had black hair that led into a long ponytail. He also had a long mustache and a beard that ended in a knot. The woman had long black hair and she looked like someone who hadn't seen very much daylight. All three were wearing dark, black cloaks. This scared Herb the most. What kind of friends did Geoff have?
"Do you want anything to drink?" Geoff asked.
"No!" the woman said, "We don't want any of your... poison."
"Poison?" Geoff asked.
"Now, Bella," the man with white-blonde hair said, "Play nicely."
"Hush, Lucius!" Bella hissed, "You're only here because my sister likes you."
"Are you going to let her talk to me like that, Rabastan?" Lucius asked.
Rabastan just gave a gruff laugh.
"Geoff," he said, "Rumor around the water hole is that today is your birthday. Is this true?"
"I'm eighteen today," Geoff said.
"Eighteen?" Bella asked, "So young. Still... old enough for a tattoo, if you get my meaning."
Rabastan laughed again.
"Tattoo?" Geoff asked.
"Yes," Bella said, "Surely you remember what the Dark Lord asked of you?"
Herb's eyes went wide. The Dark Lord? That could only mean one thing: these people were Death Eaters! But... did that mean that Geoff was –?
"I-I remember," Geoff said, "I just didn't think that I'd be qualified for – for something like this."
"Qualified?" Bella said, in a high laugh, "You are more than qualified! Weren't you the best student of your year at Hogwarts? Didn't you tell the Dark Lord that? Didn't you tell him that rumors were that you were destined to become the future Minister of Magic?"
"Yes," Geoff said, "But --"
"This is more than a privelege, Geoffrey," Rabastan said, "Surely you should be grateful."
"I-I am," Geoff said.
"Well, then," Rabastan said, "Take a seat."
Rabastan pointed to a chair near Geoff. Geoff nodded, and as he walked over to the chair, Herb saw his brother take a short glance at him, then quickly look away. Herb could tell that Geoff looked frightened. Was his brother frightened for his own life... or for Herb's? Bella walked over to Geoff.
"Give me your left arm," she said.
Geoff laid his left arm upwards on the arm of the chair.
"Lucius," Bella said, "Hold his arm down. Rabastan, darling, hold his head back. We don't want him to struggle, do we?"
Rabastan went behind Geoff's chair and put one hand under Geoff's chin and the other on top of his head.
"Not so hard, darling," Bella said, "We don't want to break dear Geoff's neck, do we?"
Herb saw his brother's left arm shaking, until the man named Lucius grabbed it and pinned it against the arm of the chair. Bella took out her wand and pressed the tip against Geoff's forearm.
"Geoffrey Morrison," Bella said, "Do you promise to serve the Dark Lord for as long as you shall live? Nod your head, darling, that is all."
"Say no, Geoff," Herb said, under his breath, "Just say no."
Geoff nodded.
"Good boy," Bella said, "Do you promise to answer the call of the Dark Lord at all times?"
Geoff nodded.
"Do you promise to lay your life before the Dark Lord if he asks you to?" Bella asked.
Geoff nodded.
"And last, but not least," Bella said, "Do you promise, as a loyal Death Eater, to be true to other Death Eaters around you, to never speak ill of them, and to never reveal yourself as a Death Eater to those who oppose the Dark Lord even under pain of death?"
Geoff nodded. Bella grinned. She looked from Geoff's eyes to his forearm. She then muttered something that sounded like a song. Geoff groaned and screamed. Herb wanted to burst out of the closet and tell them to stop. To leave his brother alone and get out of the house. But he knew he couldn't. He knew those people out there, those Death Eaters, would kill him and his brother as soon as he revealed himself.
Something formed on Geoff's forearm, and Herb knew what it was. He had seen this mark in Defense Against the Dark Arts many times. It was a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. It was the Dark Mark.
"There!" Bella said, "Now that wasn't so bad, was it? In fact, it looks quite macho on you."
"Yeah!" Rabastan said, "You'll get your pick of the girls now, fella."
Rabastan laughed.
Flashback ends...
Hermione's eyes were wide and she realized she had tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I couldn't do anything," Herb said, "Not a thing. I sat back while Lucius Malfoy and the two Lestranges branded my brother with that – that mark."
"I don't know how you could have done it," Susan said, "I would be screaming for my life. And to think... Lucius Malfoy was in one of our courtrooms, right in front of us, only a couple weeks ago, and you had to sit there knowing that he once participated in giving the Dark Mark to your brother."
"That's not all," Herb said, "There's more. After he was branded with the Dark Mark, he was led out of the house and went who knows where. The next time I saw him was almost three years later. Voldemort was gone, though now we know that was only temporary, and the Death Eaters were on the run. Every day after I witnessed my brother being branded with the Dark Mark, I started reading the Daily Prophet. I feared that I would see news of his capture or murder, but I didn't. Fast-forward to three years later. I had just graduated from Hogwarts. Top marks in my class. I don't know how I did it. I had nightmares almost every night of my brother turning into the next Dark Lord. I think the only reason I stayed sane was that I made a promise to myself to keep my brother's secret to myself. Nobody could know about it."
Herb looked at the floor again.
"I told you that I started my career as a Court Scribe, right?" Herb asked.
"Sure," Hermione said.
"That wasn't right," Herb said, "I started my career as a journalist for the Daily Prophet. It would keep me close enough to the news so that if I ever heard news of my brother, I could find him. The trouble was... he found me."
Hermione noticed that Susan's eyes went wide. She wasn't surprised. She was sure she had the same expression.
"He didn't try to recruit you, did he?" Susan asked.
"No," Herb said, "Just the opposite."
"He tried to kill you?" Susan asked.
"No, he couldn't if he tried," Herb said, "There is a bond that siblings have. That bond probably saved me. He tried to tell me to run for it. If he could find me, then they could. I couldn't run. I was too worried about him. Actually, I told him to run. I told him to get away from the Death Eaters. I told him to hide. He said he would try, but that I had to do something in return. He told me that I had to learn Legilimency and Occlumency. He told me I had to learn this so I could block my mind if anyone asked me about him. He then ran off and I never saw him again. Well, that's not true either. The last time I saw him..."
He pointed to the newspaper clipping.
"Was two years later," he said, looking at the clipping. "I had done pretty well for myself in the Daily Prophet. Bringing in high quality stories, while waiting for the one that would break even me. Then it came. By then I was the man in charge of completing the Daily Prophet and getting them ready for copies. One day, I saw this article on the chopping block. This picture was above it."
He pointed to the clipping once again.
"The article below said that Geoff had been captured by Aurors while hiding away in Ireland," Herb said, "He was taken to an Irish prison where this picture was taken. It said, that one night, Geoff escaped from the prison and was, once again, on the run. So there I was sitting in my office in the Daily Prophet headquarters with a choice: allow this article to be in that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, or save my brother's skin and trash it. You can probably guess what I did. This picture you see is from the only copy of that article. The rest is gone. I made it disappear with a simple vanishing spell. Unfortunately the author of this article was the son of the head of the Daily Prophet at the time. When he didn't see his article, his father thought he lost it, and then he blamed me. He told his father about it, and I was fired. So what could I do? I had to make sure that I was keeping my brother safe, but in secret."
"So you joined the justice career," Hermione said.
"Bingo," Herb said, "I was where I needed to be. Working my way to judge, having my reputation as top student at Hogwarts behind me. Plus I was safely at a point where I could make sure I see everything that was going on in the Wizengamot. At the time, many Death Eaters were being captured and sent in front of the Wizengamot. It was the perfect idea. Thankfully, my brother has evaded capture and to this day, he has somehow stayed in hiding or..."
"Or he is dead," Susan said.
Herb nodded. Fresh tears fell from his eyes and onto the faded newspaper clipping.
"Now," he said, "Here I am, and my past has finally caught up with me."
"So nobody has ever made the connection between Geoff and you?" Susan asked.
"Never," Herb said, "My parents think he is dead. They never knew he was a Death Eater. I never talk about him, so nobody knows who he is. Well, almost nobody. I have a feeling that Lucius Malfoy may have made the connection at one point or another, but he keeps it quiet. There have been times where I think that if I ever sent him or his family to Azkaban, he would reveal my secret. Doesn't matter now. Way I figured it, I have two choices: go to Azkaban for refusing to tell the Minister what I'm hiding from him, or tell him that he is wrong about me, but not pretty far from the truth."
"Is there anything we can do?" Susan asked. "Maybe we could try and find your brother? Maybe he could stick up for you, like a big brother should do. I mean, he would be making up for his mistakes."
"Yeah!" Hermione said, "Besides, it's his problem to begin with. He should be grateful to you for keeping his secret for all these years."
"I appreciate it, ladies," Herb said, "I really do. But I don't think there is a chance in the world."
"If I know anything, Your Honor," Hermione said, "I know there is always some kind of chance. This is what I think we should do. I think we should let this court date happen. There is only one chance that you will be able to get through this without being sentenced to Azkaban. Susan, do you think you can try and find Geoff?"
Susan looked shocked, but then she looked at Herb and nodded.
"I'll try my best," Susan said, "I have my resources."
"Okay," Hermione said, "Herb, all you have to do is keep your story secret until Friday. I think we might just be able to pull it off."
"All right!" the Auror's voice said, "Time's up. Daily Prophet reporters are going to be a little early it seems."
"We'll do whatever we can, Herb," Hermione said, "I promise."
Herb smiled and nodded. The cell door opened and Hermione and Susan walked out.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Susan said, as they made their way back toward the front room of the Auror Headquarters.
"So do I," Hermione said.
"You know," Susan said, "There might be one more factor on our side on Friday."
"Oh?" Hermione asked.
"You know the judge I'm meeting tomorrow?" Susan said, "The judge who is scheduled for Herb's case? I'll give you three guesses who it is."
"I have no idea," Hermione said.
"Let me give you a hint," Susan said, "Her name was mentioned during Herb's story."
"Oh," Hermione said, nodding and grinning, "Bea Haven."
"Exactly," Susan said.
"You think Bea Haven knows about Herb's crush on her?" Hermione asked.
"She will, Hermione," Susan said, "I'll make sure of it."
Hermione grinned. She may have been smiling, but her insides were screaming. She knew there was a chance that everything would work out in Herb's favor on Friday. But did Herb know just how miniscule that chance was?
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Cliffhanger! Whew. Well a lot of factors in this chapter could be very wrong. But, I thought it would work out best with my story.
I hope you liked this chapter! Feedback would be great.