Chapter 21 - Grief
Even after the door had closed, Emma didn't turn back to Hermione. She stepped further away, unable to process what nearly happened, and if she had no idea, she couldn't even guess how Hermione felt. Had she noticed what the vampire nearly did?
Emma peeked around her hair at Hermione, but she had her back to Emma too and her heart sunk, thinking that could be the only explanation. Awkwardly, the two of them stood there, not talking, for a few minutes, occasionally glancing over at the other. They were so distracted that neither of them noticed Nephthys fly in through the window until she landed on Emma's shoulder, and even then she had to caw loudly in her ear.
She was carrying a letter from Hagrid which they'd been expecting. He'd promised he would let them know how the hearing went, and distractedly, she took the letter and opened it.
Emma hadn't even gotten five words in before her hands started shaking, all thoughts of her previous embarrassment gone. By the time she'd finished the letter, her breath hitched and she was shaking all over, feeling the tears and sobs about to start. That got Hermione's attention, who turned to see Emma on the verge of a breakdown. She immediately ran over, pulling her into a hug before she could collapse.
'They lost.' sobbed Emma, crying freely.
Hermione gently pulled Emma to the closest bed and they sat down together. She then took the letter with one hand while the other wrapped around Emma, and she read it too. Very soon the both of them were crying together.
They'd both done so much work on Buckbeak's defence and they were so sure they'd done enough to see him win that the loss had hit them hard, Emma particularly. She'd spent all their time at Hagrid's with Buckbeak and had grown very close to him. They weren't just upset about that though. They knew Hagrid must be inconsolable, but due to the new security measures around the school since Sirius' latest break-in attempt, they wouldn't be allowed to visit him or Buckbeak to mourn together. Not only that, but Emma couldn't help think that she could easily end up in Buckbeak's position and there would be no hope for her.
'We should tell the boys.' sniffed Hermione, when she'd cried herself out.
Emma, who was still shaking quietly in her arms, tears streaking down her face, just nodded. Hermione stood, and keeping Emma close, led the way down to the common room. Neither Harry nor Ron were anywhere to be seen though, so they had to leave through the portrait hole. Hermione went first, and then helped Emma through. She'd just pulled her close again when she wondered where the boys might be.
Guessing Harry had gone with Ron to Hogsmeade, because it was the most reckless thing he could do, Hermione started walking the way they'd normally go to get to the Entrance Hall. As Emma started to calm down, the two of them turned a corner to see Harry and Ron coming the other way, a short distance down the corridor. Hermione then paused, turning Emma to the side and stepping in front of her, like a shield between her and the boys, just like Emma had done for her before. All the time she kept one arm around Emma, but turned herself to the boys.
They both had very guilty faces, like they'd just been told off, and Hermione knew her guess had been right. Harry had gone to Hogsmeade and at the sight of Hermione, he suddenly looked glum, like he expected her to tell on him. Ron, however, simply glared. Neither of them, it seemed, had even noticed how upset the girls were.
'Come to have a good gloat?' snapped Ron, as he and Harry approached her. 'Or have you just been to tell on us?'
'No.' said Hermione, lip trembling as she was beginning to regret her decision to tell them. 'We thought you might want to know.'
She handed over the letter and immediately turned to Emma again, leading the way back to their dormitory. They didn't make it two paces though.
'They're going to execute Buckbeak?' exclaimed Harry, disbelieving.
Emma burst out crying again and collapsed to her knees, while Hermione bent down to hug her. She did manage to give Harry a look that told him she was more furious with them she'd ever been before.
'I'm sorry, can we-' he asked, stepping closer.
'Go away. You've done enough damage.' said Hermione, her voice quivering, as she began to cry again too.
'Please-' pleaded Harry.
'Go, away!' repeated Hermione, loudly.
She didn't even look at the boys again, just listened as their footsteps moved away beyond her hearing, and there she sat with Emma until just before curfew. It wasn't over though. Harry and Ron hadn't gotten the message, and when the girls entered the common room, they tried again.
'We're really sorry.' said Harry.
'We should've helped-' added Ron, quickly.
'Yes! You should have!' said Hermione, raising her voice and again moving Emma behind her. 'Instead you cared more about that stupid broomstick and blaming Crookshanks for Scabbers when he DIDN'T DO IT! You forgot about Buckbeak, you pushed us away, and all we tried to do was help. You two should be ashamed of yourselves.'
And with that, she pulled Emma along and hid away in their dormitory again.
Since they couldn't visit Hagrid, they had to wait until they had Care of Magical Creatures the following Monday morning. As expected, he was in shock and because of that, they didn't do anything in the lesson besides read their books. Emma and Hermione tried talking to him, sharing in their grief, though when Emma asked to see Buckbeak, he said he couldn't let them, not during the lesson.
Ron tried to help, as he'd tried to do a few times since they'd given him the letter. It never went down well though.
'There's still the appeal!' he said, as they were walking back to the castle with Hagrid. 'Don't give up yet.'
''S no good, Ron.' said Hagrid as they neared the front steps. 'That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that...'
He turned and hurried back to his hut, his head in his handkerchief. Clearly he was crying again, as was Emma. Since the news, Emma had been a mess. Sometimes almost normal, but then as if for no reason at all, the waterworks would start again. Emma and Hermione had gotten very little work done because of it.
'Look at him blubber!' sneered Draco, cheerfully.
He'd been listening in, and grinning at Hagrid, Emma and Hermione all lesson.
'And he's supposed to be our teacher! Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?'
He was walking up to the girls as he said this, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, while Hermione tried to move Emma behind her, but also keep her close. She wasn't sure if Emma would try anything in her state, and wanted to keep her safe, then again, Hermione wouldn't blame Emma if she did try anything. She really wanted to hurt Draco right now too. Ron and Harry, even though Emma and Hermione had made it very clear they weren't forgiven yet, still copied Draco's bodyguards, standing either side of the girls.
'Oh, wait, yes we have.' sniggered Draco, pointing to Emma's red, tear stained face. 'Poor little orphan girl.'
Harry and Ron made steps toward Draco, but Hermione, now clear in her intentions, was already ahead of them. SMACK!
The sound of Hermione slapping Draco right across the face echoed off the castle walls and was hard enough that he nearly fell over, staggering to keep his feet.
'Don't you dare call Emma, or Hagrid, pathetic! You foul - you evil-'
'Hermione.' said Ron, bewildered, grabbing her arm as she went to hit Draco again.
'Get off, Ron!' hissed Hermione, pushing him away with both arms angrily and getting her wand out. 'You're little better than he is!'
Hermione then turned to Draco, wand ready, and a furious expression on her face. Even as upset as Emma was, she was amazed that Hermione would stick up for her like that. It made her heart, which had been aching for days, flutter wildly.
'C'mon!' said Draco to his cronies, and he stormed off down the passageway into the dungeons, with an already very red mark on his face.
'Hermione!' said Ron, again, sounding both hurt and impressed.
She just ignored him and led Emma to their next class, Charms. About half way, they stopped by a girl's bathroom where Hermione would be time turning.
'See you in an hour.' said Hermione, hugging Emma. 'Take care.'
'See you in a minute.' smiled Emma, weakly, as Hermione spun the Time Turner once and vanished.
Emma continued on to Charms, sulking. Harry and Ron had gotten ahead and were just on the edges of her hearing.
'You're late, boys!' said Professor Flitwick, reproachfully. 'Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today. We've already divided into pairs-'
No sooner had he finished saying that, Emma walked in the door.
'Ahh, Miss Pearson.' he said, noticing how upset she looked. 'Please, sit, Cheering Charms today.'
'Yes, Professor.' mumbled Emma, looking about the room for Hermione, but she wasn't there.
Emma took her usual seat, and Professor Flitwick came over to her. Since she had no partner, he offered to let her practice with him. She wasn't in the mood though, and had already learned the spell, so she idly cast it on Flitwick first time.
'Very good, very good.' he beamed, probably affected by the charm. 'But I think you could use one yourself.'
He then proceeded to perform the charm on Emma, which had no noticeable effect. He then gave her a curious look before he was distracted by another group. Emma, however, worried that Hermione hadn't shown up, tried to focus on other things, like do her Defence Against the Dark Arts vampire essay for Professor Lupin. At least it was easy.
As soon as the lesson ended, Emma ran as fast as she could up to the common room, hoping that's where Hermione was, and luckily, she was right. Hermione was asleep in one of the chairs, her head leaning to the side, using her Arithmancy book as a pillow. Emma sighed in relief and sat next to her. The sight of Hermione sleeping peacefully was very soothing, and she found herself trying to suppress thoughts like finding her pretty again. She couldn't let the vampire think that. Instead, she woke Hermione with a gentle nudge.
'Wh-what?' asked Hermione, disorientated and waking with a start, her eyes wide. 'Is it time to go? Which lesson have we got now?'
'You've got Divination, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies.' said Emma, calmly. 'But it's lunchtime now, for another twenty minutes.'
'Oh, okay.' she said, sitting up and stretching. 'Are you alright?'
'Not really,' said Emma, shrugging. 'but I'm more worried about you. You missed Charms.'
'What? Oh no!' squeaked Hermione. 'I forgot! I was just so tired.'
'Hermione...' said Emma in a careful tone. 'Please drop a subject. You're working far too hard. You missed a lesson, that's really not like you.'
'I'm fine...' she lied.
'Please, just one.' continued Emma. 'Then you'll have as much work as me and I'll stop nagging. I promise. Please.'
For probably the first time all year, there was little to no resistance from Hermione, and Emma felt like she was getting somewhere.
'I'll... think about it.' she said, telling the truth that time. 'I have to go and apologise to Professor Flitwick... I'll see you in Arithmancy, and I mean it this time.'
'Alright, then, and thank you.' smiled Emma, giving her a hug before she left.
A short while later, as Emma was standing outside Arithmancy, waiting for Professor Vector to open the classroom, she found that Hermione really did mean it. She appeared from round a corner much sooner than normal, looking a little annoyed.
'I quit Divination.' she whispered, in a huff.
'I'm glad,' smiled Emma, hugging her in welcome. 'but I thought you were going to think about it first.'
'I was, but then Trelawney said my mind was hopelessly mundane! I mean, really, teaching crystal balls earlier than normal because the fates tell her it's on the exam? She's the one that sets it!'
Emma giggled as Hermione complained about Trelawney, her mind momentarily taken off her worries.
'You were right not to choose that stupid subject.' added Hermione, as the Arithmancy door opened and Professor Vector let them in, silencing all conversation.
Overall, Hermione's workload was affected very little by her leaving Divination. She'd rarely gotten homework from that lesson to begin with, and that left Emma in a difficult position. She'd promised not to bring it up again, but it hadn't worked out like she'd hoped. So now Emma was filled with grief for Buckbeak, worry for Hermione's ever growing stress, and concern for her own workload and that was on top of her very scary diet issues.
As her hunger began to get steadily worse again, both Emma and Hermione decided it was high time they told Madam Pomfrey. Emma was reluctant because they'd left it so late, but the time for hoping it would get better on it's own was long gone.
When they arrived in the Hospital Wing and told Madam Pomfrey that Emma was struggling, the matron frowned, but when they said it had been all year, she looked very disappointed.
'So how have you been getting by?' she asked.
'I've been feeding her some of my blood...' replied Hermione, sheepishly.
Madam Pomfrey just put her head in her hand for a few moments.
'That certainly hasn't been helping matters.' she sighed, finally. 'What am I going to do with you, Emma. Nothing we try seems to work.'
Emma just shrugged. She was feeling more uncomfortable than Hermione.
The matron shook her head and sighed again. 'I have to wonder whether you are getting addicted and really do want more and more each time, or if it's as simple as we're not giving you enough to begin with.'
She appeared lost in thought for some time, while the girls stood there quietly, not wanting to interrupt her.
'Leave it with me, I'll think of something. We'll feed you tomorrow and if you have any problems at all, come to me immediately. Do you understand?'
'Yes, madam.'
'Good, and Hermione, no more feeding her yourself.'
'Yes, madam.' echoed Hermione.
'Fine, off with you.' she said. 'And Emma, you're on menial tasks with no patients for a week.'
Emma simply nodded before she turned to leave.