A Dark Final

"So are you prepared for the Quidditch final?" Hermione asked Ginny and Demelza in the common room,

"Yes, we've been having late practices every evening for the last two weeks, it's been exhausting." Said Demelza,

"It'll all be worth it." Ginny told her,

"Yeah, to you, you're the one who's practically guaranteed to be on a national Quidditch team." Argued Demelza,

"I'm not guaranteed, that's why this game has to go well, besides, you want to win the cup don't you?" prompted Ginny,

"Yeah." Demelza confessed.

"So, Hermione, have you heard back from Kreacher yet?" asked Ginny,

"No actually, I haven't seen him since I asked him to stalk Professor Ruperts." She said,

"So you really think that she hired an assassin, d'you really think that she'd go to that extreme?" asked Demelza,

"You never know." Said Hermione,

"Exactly, you don't know, you have no proof that Professor Ruperts is trying to kill you, just a series of coincidences." Demelza told her,

"Well, she did used to be a death eater." Hermione tried,

"Again, used to be; who's to say that she is now? We don't really know what the circumstances behind that memory you saw were." Demelza added,

"What? You mean that memory where she pledged her allegiance to Vol-" Hermione got cut of,

"Please don't say that name?" Ginny pleaded,

"Fine, but now that he's dead you should really get over that, anyway, she pledged her allegiance to…You Know Who." Argued Hermione, Demelza tried to argue but just ended up saying,

"Fair point."

Suddenly Hermione heard a crack and the old elf, Kreacher, stood in front of the fireplace.

"Kreacher?" said Ginny in slight shock,

"Miss. Granger, I am here to report." He said,

"You mean you found something out about Professor Ruperts, what?" Hermione was excited,

"Kreacher did not find anything out of the ordinary, I'm sorry." He backed away from Hermione slightly with his hands covering his face,

"Kreacher, I'm not going to hurt you, you did as you were asked, thank you." Hermione tried to comfort him by putting her hand on his shoulder but it just caused him to shake and shiver even more so she thought that he was best left alone,

"If that is all then Kreacher shall be going now." He said,

"B-" Hermione tried but he had already dissapparated,

"Well, what do you suppose that means, you think that Professor Ruperts is innocent then, if Kreacher found nothing?" asked Ginny,

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as innocent but-I'm not sure anymore-it's all gotten confusing." said Hermione,

"Yeah, it really has." said Ginny.

They sat for breakfast on the morning of the Quidditch final, Luna wore, not her usual roaring lion head, but an eagle's head, naturally the only house that she would support above Gryffindor would be her own house: Ravenclaw.

"So, Luna, feeling confident?" Ginny asked her,

"Yes, I really think that we've picked a top team this year, our seeker has vastly improved as have our other players, but it isn't about winning as long as you have fun." Luna smiled dreamily whilst Demelza shook her head in disagreement.

"Will Griselda be doing the commentary again?" asked Hermione, Ginny nodded.

They soon finished their breakfast and made their way down to the Quidditch pitch, Ginny and Demelza went up to the changing room and Hermione found a seat in the stands with Luna. Hermione looked around the stands, she saw Gwenog Jones, Angelina Johnson and the rest of the Holyhead Harpies, and she then turned to see Danielle sitting amongst the teachers, Hermione felt very uncomfortable around her now.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle before Hermione realized it and the game began with the red and blue blurs zooming around the pitch. Griselda began to commentate,

"AND WE'RE OFF TO A SMASHING START HERE TO SEE WHO WILL BE TAKING HOME THAT CUP TONIGHT, ALREADY DOES GINNY WEASLEY GRAB THE QUAFFLE, AND, SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES-SO SOON-GET YOUR GAME HEADS ON RAVENCLAW BECAUSE IT'S TEN-NOTHING- BUT-OH WAIT-LAWNA WILLS NOW HAS THE QUAFFLE-SHE DODGES ONE BLUDGER-AND A SECOND BLUDGER-HAS DEMELZA ROBINS MET HER MATCH-MY GUESS IS NO BECAUSE SHE STEALS THE QUAFFLE-HEADS FOR THE HOOP-SHE PASSES IT TO GINNY WEASLEY WHO SCORES-GRYFFINDOR'S DOING VERY WELL SO FAR-TWENTY-NOTHING THEM-EVEN NOW GINNY WEASLEY SHOWS IMPECCABLE SKILL AS SHE WEAVES IN AND OUT OF THE PLAYERS- AND-LOOK-CLIVE MCMAC HAS ALREADY SPOTTED THE SNITCH AND IS PERSUING IT WHILST DENNIS CREVEY IS COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PITCH…"

The Ravenclaw seeker pursued the snitch for a while but was stopped by bludgers, Dennis seemed to drift from one spot to another- Ginny, however, was amazing, she was really trying, she scored loads of goals and didn't let the Ravenclaws have a chance,

"FINALLY CLIVE MCMAC HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH-RAVENCLAW WI-NO WAIT-THEY DON'T-WITH THE SNITCH THEY HAVE ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY POINTS AND GRYFFINDOR HAS ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-GRYFFINDOR WINS-WELL DONE CHASERS!" Griselda yelled, the Gryffindors cheered, so did Luna,

"Aren't you upset that you're team lost?" Hermione asked her,

"Why would I be, did you see Ginny out there, one of my best friends will be fulfilling her dream." Luna clapped.

Ginny talked with the whole of the Holyhead Harpies and it looked as though it was going very well-everyone was happy. Hermione then noticed Danielle leave the stands, it seemed suspicious but there was no time to care; now they had the victory party to get to. Hermione was about to leave as quite a few now had-suddenly-the sky seemed to rumble; the clouds above them turned grey and then glowed green as the changed form. Now, in the sky, formed a skull with an ugly serpent protruding from its mouth-the dark mark was above them all.

The remaining people in the stands began to panic-what had happened? Why was the symbol that had been used by Voldemort and his death eaters above the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch? Had someone been killed? Who had cast it? Could Danielle be behind it? Is that why she left as the others were celebrating-to cast that?

Hermione got back to the common room where all of the Gryffindors were celebrating, she saw Demelza on top of a chair dancing and all of the boys seemed to be crowding around her. Ginny emerged from the crowd,

"Hermione, I'm on the team, they loved me out there and I had great chemistry with the girls-I'm in-I start in September and…what is it?" Ginny saw the worried look on Hermione's face,

"The dark mark was cast over the Quidditch pitch." said Hermione,

"What?" yelled Ginny, 'How? Who?"

"Your guesses are as good as mine." said Hermione, "Look at Demelza up there, what's all that about?" Hermione was distracted,

"I don't know, a dance for victory." suggested Ginny, "Anyway, do you think that it was Professor Ruperts?" asked Ginny,

"Could be, she left the stands just before the dark mark showed up, I think it's a bit suspicious, don't you?" Hermione asked,

"Yeah, I do." said Ginny

Hermione didn't tell anyone else at the party about the dark mark, she didn't want to ruin their fun; she decided to go to bed and not have to deal with it. She sat on her bed when she was greeted by a sudden crack,

"Miss Granger!" cried Kreacher,

"What?" Hermione asked,

"Kreacher saw who cast the dark mark, he though that it might be of interest to you." he said,

"It is-who cast it?" Hermione was quite desperate to know,

"It was Professor Ruperts, Kreacher saw a flash of her face before she went under the disillusionment charm, and she was casting the dark mark." he told her.

"Really?" this is what Hermione had been expecting but she was still in shock, Kreacher nodded, "Um, thanks, you can go Kreacher." Kreacher disappeared with his usual crack noise and Hermione rushed downstairs.

She found Ginny and Demelza (who had stopped dancing),

"You seem in a rush." said Demelza,

"I am, I was right, Professor Ruperts did cast the dark mark, and she is still a death eater." Hermione took deep breaths,

"What?" yelled Demelza,

"How do you know?" asked Ginny,

"Kreacher saw her." said Hermione,

"Hold on, you're basing this all on what was said by Kreacher, since when has he been reliable?" Ginny said,

"Very, ever since Harry gave him Regulus's locket, plus, we still have all of the evidence that made me suspect her in the first place." said Hermione,

"Okay." Ginny agreed

"What, you think that Professor Ruperts cast the dark mark?" said McGonagall the next day after Hermione had explained everything, "all based upon what a house elf said?" McGonagall's lip went very thin,

"Not just what the house elf said, there's everything else." Hermione tried,

"This is ludicrous!" yelled McGonagall,

"But what about the memory, she used to be a death eater?" Hermione begged,

"Granger, if you like I will ask professor Ruperts about this death eater nonsense, but for the time being I think that you should get going." McGonagall gestured the door to Hermione and Hermione mumbled,

"Forget it, what was I thinking going to that strict old..."