Chapter 37 : Mort et Deuil
To say that Slytherin House was having a rough time was an understatement. After the Weasley twins' departure, students began an onslaught against Umbridge, Filch, and members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Dungbombs, Stinkpellets, and several could smelling firecrackers went off so frequently that Hermione and her friends had been forced to wear Bubble Head charms everywhere they went. She even went through the pain of teaching her friends how to cast a semi-permanent Shield Charm to keep the Dungbombs away.
Even though she had taught them to the best of her abilities, some were still unable to cast a perfect charm, Pansy, for example, missed all her lessons one day because she had sprouted a pair of antlers.
Meanwhile, it had become clear that the twins had been doing their fair share of marketing while they had still been at Hogwarts. Skivving Snackboxes were becoming so popular that almost every Defense class, there were at least ten people in stages of various illnesses.
Hermione could have done without the frenzy the castle was in, the fifth years were already frantic enough with their exams coming. Because of the ruckus, she had resorted to studying in the common rooms, surrounding herself in a small little space with several spells cast to cancel out any noice. Several days before, Snape had given them their examination schedules, which was quite the wake up call to several students, who began looking for brain stimulants from various questionable sources.
For the Theory of Charms exam, she was quite proud of herself in the end, confident she couldn't have gotten a grade other than Outstanding. At lunch, the fifth years were either discussing their answers or reviewing for the practical exam. Hermione spent her lunch, unlike the rest, actually eating.
Small groups of students were called forward in alphabetical order for the exam, she was one of the students in the third batch, along with Tracey Davis, who was biting her nails in anxiety.
"Professor Tofty has just finished, Miss Dagworth-Granger." said Flitwick. "You'll probably find this exam quite easy, to be honest. Do your best, child."
"Good afternoon, sir." Hermione greeted, bowing her head respectfully.
"Miss Dagworth-Granger is it?" said Tofty, consulting his notes and peering over his pince-nez at her, "I know your father."
"I'm sure he's mentioned you before, sir." Hermione said, smiling sweetly. Of course, she had never heard the man's name mentioned before.
"Alright, then,"said the Professor, smiling back at her, "I would like you to take these tea cups and make them sing for me."
Once again, Hermione did brilliantly, her exam proctor said just as much. Her levitation charmed was perfect, as was the specific shade of teal green she had turned her mouse into. She left the room feeling as if she could conquer the world.
Transfiguration was a little more tricky than Charms. She counted two and a half errors on her written exam, and her casting of turning a tea kettle into a toad could have gone a little better — her toad looked a bit more like a frog to her.
Herbology passed without any complaints from her, and once again, on Thursday, she did brilliantly during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her advanced reading on Defense proved to give her an upper hand in the essay portion of the exam.
Professor Tofty was examining her again for the Defense practical, where she demonstrated a perfect Boggart banishing spell.
"Very good, indeed, Miss Dagworth-Granger." said Tofty. "That is all, although, I must ask you … is it true that Harry Potter can produce a Patronus Charm? At such a young age I daresay it's quite the feat …"
"I believe he can, Professor." she said, then, she added, feeling miffed, "Although, I don't think it's anything special, I can do it as well."
The professor looked at her with a brow raised skeptically, as if questioning how she could possibly be on the same level as the great Harry Potter. "Well, for a bonus point then … doesn't have to be corporeal … you can try …"
Hermione huffed, glancing once at Umbridge, who was observing the whole thing. She raised her wand, imagining the new headmaster falling off the Astronomy Tower.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Her familiar fox came bounding out from the tip of her wand in a silvery haze, approaching Tofty playfully before leaping about the rest of the room. The Professor looked as if was in shock as he watched the figure disappear into a silver mist.
"Excellent, excellent!" said Tofty after a moment. "I must say, Hogwarts has a rather spectacular batch of students this year. However did you learn such a thing, girl?"
Hermione smirked, tipping her chin up haughtily, "I taught myself." she said, before walking out the room.
All her other exams went by considerably well, aside from Arithmancy, which she truly did find to be rather difficult. Finally, all that remained was Astronomy and History of Magic.
As she was completing a chart of the constellation of Gemini, the front doors of the castle opened somewhere below where she was standing, so that light spilled down the stone steps a little way across the lawn. She ignored the distraction, finishing her chart quickly before moving to the next constellation.
A few moments later, she heard a roar from the distant cabin that echoed through the darkness right to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Several of the people around her ducked out from behind their telescopes and peered instead in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.
Professor Marchbanks coughed. "Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," she said softly.
Hermione fought off her curiosity, etching in a few details on Canis Major. There was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people said "Ouch!" as they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes, hastening to see what was going on below.
Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.
"No!" shouted Longbottom somewhere down the assembled line of students
"This is an examination!" exclaimed Professor Tofty, sounding scandalized.
But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star charts anymore: Jets of red light were still flying beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him. He was still upright and fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!" and Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"
Hermione looked up at the sound of the familiar name. Suddenly, another figure came rushing to the scene, the voice shouting off the top of her lungs sounded rather similar to Professor McGonagall.
"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such —"
Several girls screamed in shock. No fewer than four Stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin toward Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her. For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.
"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Professor Tofty, who seemed to have forgotten the exam completely. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"
Hermione had the exact same thoughts running through her head as concern for the professor filled her. The attack on McGonagall outraged Hagrid even more.
"Get him, get him!" screamed Umbridge, but her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists. Indeed, he was backing away so fast he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck; Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed, and Hagrid, running full-pelt toward the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.
There was a long minute's quivering silence, everybody gazing openmouthed into the grounds. Then Professor Tofty's voice said feebly, "Um . . . five minutes to go, everybody . . ."
Hermione still had a couple of spaces to fill in her chart, which she did hastily, scrambling to look at the sky and write at the same time. She cursed Umbridge several times for making her lose around seven points.
"She's raving." Hermione hissed to Theo as they exited the examination room. "Four Stunners at once! I wonder if McGonagall's alright."
"She'll make it." Theo said, patting her shoulder comfortingly.
"Who cares?" said Draco, as if it all bored him. "Did you see that giant oaf fight back like the monster he is?"
Hermione turned to face Draco, eyes blazing. "You can be such an arse sometimes." she snapped. "Pourquoi n'essayez-vous pas de cultiver un coeur?" Why don't you try growing a heart?
She stomped away, leaving her friends to glare at Draco angrily.
The History of Magic Exam ended quickly, much of it had passed with her scribbling the answers furiously, glancing at the clock every now and then. A few people had passed out due to pressure in the middle of the test, not that she took any notice.
She walked out of the exam room recounting her answers in a daze until someone grabbed her by the arm, pulling her somewhere down the hall. She turned to see who it was, finding a serious looking Theo Nott.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her feet trying to cope with his long strides.
"Umbridge's calling us. Someone's activated her sensors." said Theo.
"Now?" she complained. "I can't deal with another niftier."
"If I have to do it, you do too." he said.
As it turned out, it wasn't another Niffler. They turned the corridor to Umbridge's office, joined by the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad, to find Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood blocking the path.
They shot their spells first. The Slytherins retaliated, quickly overpowering the small group and binding them magically. They entered Umbridge's office, where Draco, Pansy, and Millicent were already observing Umbridge screaming at Potter hysterically. Millicent had Weasley pinned against a wall, and Draco was leaning on the windowsill, smirking as he threw Potter's wand into the air one-handed and then caught it again.
"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Weas;ey, and Draco laughed, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.
"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone. . . ."
Hermione glared at Draco, daring him to laugh at that. He remained quiet.
"It's none of your business who I talk to," he snarled. Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.
"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr. Potter . . . I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco — fetch Professor Snape."
Draco stowed Potter's wand inside his robes and left the room smirking. There was silence in the office except for the fidgetings and scufflings resultant from the Slytherins' efforts to keep Weasley and the others under control.
Hermione tightened the restraints on Weasley's wrists a little more, smirking when he winced in pain. Millie, who was still holding him down, glanced at Hermione in amusement.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference.
"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, observing her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."
"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.
"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" said Snape, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at the boy. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
"I wish to interrogate him!" shouted Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Potter back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter — and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did — I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling. . . "
"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"
Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. Suddenly, Potter lunged forward, trying to get out of Umbridge's bindings.
"He's got Padfoot!" he shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"
Hermione's blood ran cold. Her eyes widened fractionally as she watched Potter struggle.
Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.
"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Potter to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job.
"Miss Dagworth-Granger, I am in need of your assistance in restocking my Potions storage. Come with me now."
Hermione followed him out quickly, not minding Umbridge, who had already begun another rant.
"What did he mean?" Hermione asked, "He has Sirius? How is that possible?"
"Save your questions, there isn't any time to waste." said Snape seriously. She followed him to a statue of a one-eyed witch. He tapped the hump of the statue with his wand, saying aloud, "Dissendium". The statue slid open, revealing a paassage.
"Follow me." Snape said.
She obeyed, quickly, they went through the tunnel, and she found that it ended in some sort of basement. Snape then climbed a stairwell, where she realized that the cellar belonged to Honeydukes. The two quickly exited the store.
"Hold on to my arm, Miss Dagworth-Granger."
She complied, grasping the professor's black clad arm before he Apparated them both.
"Where are we, sir?" she asked, after shaking away the dizziness that Appartion caused her.
"Number 13 Grimmauld Place." said Snape.
Suddenly, a townhouse came into view in between Number 12 and 14, as if it had been there all along. Snape hastily lead her across the street, where he opened the door with an Unlocking spell.
"Who goes there!?" shouted a voice from somewhere in the drab house.
"Sirius!" Hermione yelled, running to find her uncle.
He was in the house's kitchen, along with Professor Lupin, making a sandwich for himself.
"Fucking Potter." Hermione cursed, just as Snape muttered something under his breath.
"Why are you cursing my godson?" asked Sirius. "And shouldn't you be in school?"
"No time." Hermione said. "I think the Dark Lord's made Potter believe that you've been captured in the place where it is hidden, I don't know what that means, though."
Sirius looked at Snape, dropping his sandwich in alarm.
"Has Dumbedore been informed?" Sirius asked.
"I'm about to do so." said Snape. "I believe Potter might do something stupid to save you, I had to make sure you were here first."
"Someone needs to stop Harry." said Sirius.
"I'll do it." Hermione said. "I just have to get back to Hogwarts.
"I can't take you." said Snape. "I have to inform Dumbledore."
"I can —" Sirius tried.
"You cant, you idiot." snapped Snape. "If someone sees you with her, the plan is ruined."
"I can." said Lupin. They all turned to him, forgetting he was there in the first place. "I have no bloody clue what in Circe's name is going on, but I can do it."
"I'll explain later, mate." Sirius said, "Just get her to Hogwarts. Use the Honeydukes passage, yeah?"
Lupin nodded.
She went to hug her uncle tightly. "Be safe, uncle." she whispered.
"Always, kid." he smirked, looking down at her. "Take care of yourself, yeah? And watch over Harry for me."
She nodded, hesitant to leave her uncle.
"Come now, Miss Dagworth-Granger." said Lupin, who was waiting for her, having shrugged on his coat.
Hermione thanked Lupin once they Apparated in front of Honeydukes.
"Sirius will explain everything." she ensured before running inside and down the stairs to the cellar. Her footsteps echoed through the halls of the castle as she made her way back to Umbridge's office.
The moment she opened the door, she was struck with a Immobilizing Curse. Her body thudded to the floor like a board. Smirking above her, a cut on his lip bleeding profusely, was Ron Weasley.
"How's it feel, Dagworth?" he spat. The four Gryffindors quickly ran out of the room, leaving her there, heart pounding in her chest and eyes wide in alarm, trying to will the spell away.
That was how they were found hours later. The members of the Inquisitorial Squad were in various states of consciousness when they had been discovered by Professor Flitwick, who had been looking for Umbridge.
As soon as the professor released the spell from her, she bounded to her feet.
"Professor, have you seen Professor Snape?" she said in a rush of breath.
Flitwick looked at her with wide eyes, "Yes, I just saw him on the third corridor I think he was on his way to the dungeons —"
She rushed out of the room as she heard the words, behind her, she could hear Flitwick shouting about the Hospital Wing, but she was too quick. Too much time had passed since she had arrived in the school, Potter's whereabout were unknown to her, for all she knew, he could have broken out of the castle.
Hermione skidded to a halt in front of Snape's office, not even hesitating to slam the door open. The professor was inside, his face looking pale and pacing back and forth in front of his desk.
"Professor," she panted, "Weasley immobilized me … couldn't stop them … what happened?"
Snape looked at her with a grace expression on his face.
"You should sit down, child."
"No." she said again. "No, it isn't possible."
Snape looked on somberly at her. "Bellatrix's spell pushed him into the Veil, there was nothing anyone could do to save him."
"No." she said. "IT ISN'T POSSIBLE."
"Miss Dagworth-Granger, please —"
"WHERE IS POTTER?!" she screamed, her blood rushing to her face in anger. "I'LL KILL HIM!"
"Miss Dagworth-Granger!" Snape tried shouting.
"WE JUST GOT HIM BACK!" she stood abruptly, stomping towards the door. "I'LL KILL HIM!"
She tried wrenching the door open, but Snape was moments ahead of her, he had locked the door shut, throwing a quick spell.
Hermione screamed in anguish, bringing out her wand, trying to unlock the door. When "Alohamora" failed to work, she cried out angrily.
"Bombarda!"
"Bombarda Maxima!"
"Expulso!"
The door remained closed and whole, not even a dent had appeared on its surface. "Open the door!" she yelled, turning on Snape. Her wand did not waver as she pointed it at her professor. "Open it!"
"Miss Dagworth-Granger, listen to reason —"
"SIRIUS IS DEAD!" she shouted, "TO HELL WITH REASON!"
She raised her wand, ready to strike at the professor, but he was quicker. He wand was out of her hand and in his in a flash of a second.
"I will not open that door unless you calm down." he said.
"Open the door!" she ordered, sounding as if she was talking to a misbehaving house elf.
"I would do as she says, Sirius." came a voice from the other side of said door. It swung open immediately, revealing Dumbledore on the other side, his robes were covered in dust and grime, and he certainly had seen better days, but is was certainly the Headmaster.
"You let Sirius die." Hermione growled.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Hermione." said Dumbledore solemnly. "You are hurt and angry, it's common to feel this way, but your uncle knew what he was getting himself into."
"He wouldn't have had to if The Chosen One had just learned Occlumency." she spat.
"Now is not the time for placing blame." he coaxed.
"It is exactly the right time for placing blame." she snapped venomously. "It's Potter's fault —"
"Harry is already blaming himself for what happened tonight." Dumbledore said. "He is hurting too, child."
"I lost my uncle!" Hermione exclaimed.
"And Harry lost the only chance at a family he has ever had." said the Headmaster, eyes flashing, "I understand how you feel, but you know as well as I that there will always exist the chance of death in times like these. Your uncle knew the risks, and he accepted them."
Hermione pursed her lips, glaring at the man in front of her, but remained silent.
"It was partly my fault that Sirius died." he said clearly. "For that, I must apologize to you. I know you and your uncle were close. He loved you, just as he loved Harry. He sacrificed his life for Harry, which should not have happened in the first place had I not been so cautious in my planning.
"Your grandfather has been contacted. He will come tomorrow afternoon to fetch you."
Hermione did not respond, she merely look at the man numbly, face void of any emotion.
"Lupin saw me tonight, when I went to Grimmauld Place." she said blankly.
"The matter has been addressed." said Dumbledore. "Go on and rest, child. Tonight has been a burden for all of us."
When Hermione returned to the common room, it was already well past one in the morning, but she was surprised to see a group of six Slytherins huddled around the common room fire, stone faced and talking in hushed tones.
"Hermione?" Draco called as she appeared in the passage way, drawing the attention of the group to her.
"What's happened?" she asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Hospital Wing." she said, the lie rolling off her tongue easily. "What's wrong?"
She went to join the group, several of the older boys were looking at her with narrowed eyes. She met their gazes with a fierce look, all her patience sapped away.
"Potter happened." growled Draco. "Our fathers were captured tonight. Only Bellatrix got away."
"Shite." she cursed, pushing down the anger that rose to her chest upon hearing her aunt's name. "We'll get them back. The Dark Lord still needs men."
Several heads nodded in agreement.
"We were just discussing our plans for the summer." said Theo, who was seated in between Mulciber and Warrington. His eyes locked on hers for a moment, and understanding dawned on her.
"You all have the same plans, then?" she asked, glancing around the faces in the room.
"Pretty much." grinned Warrington. "What are your plans then, Black?"
Hermione forced a smirk on her face, hoping that the anger in her eyes translated into fierce intent. "I'm just waiting for my invitation to join the party, Cassius."
The group shared a cold laugh that seemed to make the Slytherin common room darker than it already was.
Hermione hadn't been able to sleep a wink. She had spent the night packing her things by hand laboriously. When morning came, she quickly dressed herself, pulling her hair tightly into a plait down her back that made her head ache. She wanted something to distract her, anything to smother the heart-wrenching pain in her chest that made her want to scream. She wished her grandfather could come sooner.
"Hermione?" Daphne said, rousing her from her thoughts "Why are your things all packed? We still have a few days to go."
"I'm leaving early." she said, forcing on a smile, "My mother has some sort of event she wants me to attend."
"Oh," Daphne said, looking at her intently, "are you alright? You seem … off."
"I'm fine." Hermione said, feeling her insides twist painfully.
"Alright, do you want to go to breakfast together?"
"Go on without me." she said, "I'll be down in a few."
She waited about ten minutes after Daphne had departed to leave the dormitory, hoping that no one would see her. Of course, with her luck, the moment she entered the common room, so did Draco, Greg, and Vince.
"Morning." Draco greeted upon seeing her.
She plastered a smile on her face again. "Good morning."
They walked to breakfast together in silence, none of them in a talking mood. The three boys were wearing identical dour expressions on their faces, as if they were on a mission. It became obvious to Hermione what the three were set to do when they quickened their steps from the door to the marbled staircase leading to the entrance hall.
A little ways far from them stood Harry Potter, who had stopped dead at the sight of them. Hermione hung back, hiding behind the large figures of Greg and Vince, unable to contain the look of rage that appeared on her face upon seeing the boy. She seethed angrily, trying to contain her anger as Draco began talking.
"You're dead, Potter." he said in a low voice.
Potter raised his eyebrows. "Funny," he said, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around. . . ."
"You're going to pay," said Draco in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father. . . ."
"Well, I'm terrified now," said Harry sarcastically. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you three — what's the matter?"
"You think you're such a big man, Potter," said Draco, advancing now, Vince and Greg flanking him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison. "The dementors have left Azkaban, Dad and the others'll be out in no time. . . ." "
"Yeah, I expect they will," said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now —"
Draco's hand flew toward his wand, but Potter was too quick for him. He had drawn his own wand before Draco's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes.
"Potter!"
Hermione groaned inwardly at the sound of the voice, she had been itching to throw a curse at Potter. The voice rang across the entrance hall; Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office.
"What are you doing, Potter?" said Snape coldly as ever, as he strode over to the five of them. The professor's eyes strayed to her for a fraction for a moment before landing back on Potter.
"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," said Harry fiercely.
Snape stared at him. "Put that wand away at once," he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff —" Snape looked toward the giant hourglasses on the walls and gave a sneering smile. "Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to —"
"Add some more?" Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle. She was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.
"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forward. "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"
"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her traveling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two — Crabbe — Goyle —"
She beckoned them forward imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.
"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me." They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.
"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall, "well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-KnowWho! What say you, Professor Snape?"
Hermione glowered as the conversation went downhill, suddenly, Gryffindor had two hundred and forty more points to their name.
"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," Professor McGonagall continued briskly.
Potter thrust his wand back inside his robes, heading straight for the front doors. As he passed, Hermione grabbed hold of his robes, gripping the cloth tightly.
"How does it feel to know that it's your fault he died?" she hissed vehemently, her voice so quiet that only he could have heard her. She smirked coldly when she saw the color leave his face. She let go of him, pushing him away from her angrily.
Potter did not even glance her way, he just continued walking. Hermione knew, though, that her words had reached him. She turned to face Snape, who had been talking to Draco. His eyes were on her, unreadable and blank. She felt a pressure in the back of her head.
Hermione had her walls up in an instant, angered that the man would even think of entering her mind at that moment. She kicked him out of her head quickly, shutting him out entirely before grabbing on to Draco and dragging him into the Great Hall.
a/n: :(