Chapter 18
Hermione froze as she stared into the child's eyes. Grey eyes to be exact. The same ones that Sirius had. As all of the Blacks had. Grey eyes and black hair.
Just like this child had. Dimitry and Zephrine glanced at each other before moving aside, forcing Hermione to take the lead. Sirius stepped in between them as Harry and Ron moved back as well. Both shocked at what they had heard. Ron turned towards his parents.
Hermione ignored everybody and focused her attention on the girl. Her eyes were red from crying but Hermione couldn't see a wound anywhere on her.
"Where are your parents, Adalene?" Hermione asked gently, making sure to keep her voice light.
Adalene looked around before pulling a note out of her cloak. Hermione took it and opened. She read it out loud, making sure Sirius and the others could hear her.
"We have been found out. We had no choice. We love our daughter. Especially Gabriel. But he went ahead of us to try and buy me time to leave Ally near her uncle, Sirius Black. We left all of our money in her name, Adalene Desrosiers, instead of Black. I'm sorry that we had to leave her like this. I didn't want to. I really didn't. I'm going after Gabriel but in case we don't come back; please take good care of her. All of her information will be in an envelope that has been sent to Hogwarts."
It was signed Heidi Desrosiers at the bottom in a scratchy handwriting. There were wet spots on the letter, blurring out some of the words. She looked up when the child went in for another hug. Hermione pushed her purse to the side and picked her up. Sirius came nearer, his eyes searching Adalene's face with a closed off expression. Zephrine came around and wiped the tears from Adalene's face with gentle fingers.
So, the child had already been crying, even before Hermione had found her. The note explained why. She knew now that Adalene understood why she had been left behind. It was really bad timing too. The Death Eaters had either been led here by her mother or Harry. But there could also be another reason.
One that had been amplified by another failed mission.
Sirius accepted the note from Hermione, putting it in his coat pocket and pulling out his wand. He slashed his hand with his wand and muttered three words.
"Toujours Pur Revealious."
A bright golden like string began forming between him and Adalene's body. Hermione rubbed her back as she trembled. A few seconds later the thread disappeared. Sirius stared in shock, his eyes telling her he hadn't believed it before but the evidence was undeniable. Another gasp could be heard as well, this one coming from Molly.
Hermione turned to her parents before anybody could say anything.
"Go home for now. I'll write to you soon, okay."
Meaning, there is more to talk about but not right now. Dimitry nodded grimly and gave her a kiss on her forehead before stepping back and allowing Zephrine to say goodbye.
Once they were gone, Hermione turned to Sirius. "Let's head back to the house and let the others deal with this. I'm sure there are more things to be done and said today." Hermione said, making sure to make eye contact with Sirius and Remus.
The shock on everybody's face resembled what she felt inside. A child from the Black family. A child that had parents on the run from the Death Eaters. Hermione would have to send somebody after them. Or at least to give them a safe place to go to.
Sirius came close along with Remus. Hermione would have spoken but Dimitry's voice came through the bond. "Don't act so bossy. They don't know how to react to you like that. Tone it down a bit. I heard what they said. I'll look into some people in France to find out what I can. I'll stop by your parents."
Hermione sent him a warm wave of love as he disappeared silently. She watched the adults round up everybody. She looked away when she noticed Mad-Eye staring at her with a bit of suspicion. Yes, Dimitry was right. She was bossy but not too bossy. It would bring unwanted attention if she showed any more of it.
Later it would work in her favor though.
Molly gestured to towards Adalene. "Adalene is it? Want to come with me?"
Adalene became still in Hermione's arms but didn't lift her head. "No. I want to stay with her. I'm safe here."
Hermione smiled and shrugged gently. "It's fine, Mrs. Weasley, she doesn't weight much."
Molly smiled before raising her voice to the others. Sirius and Remus followed closely behind her while Harry and Ron went ahead. How could she sneak away if the child clung to her? A child who by all means shouldn't exist since the only male heir alive was Sirius. That meant "Gabriel" was the unknown Black male who for some reason hadn't been on the family tree.
Hermione felt something brush her mind and instantly pulled her Occlumency shields up like a fog. It was like having two different mindsets inside her head. One that was a regular young teenager and the other one that was the real her.
The one already planning ahead. It didn't take a genius to know that the one trying to read her was Mad-Eye. She could feel his stare burning a hole through her skull.
….o0o0o...
Once they arrived back at Grimmauld place, Sirius didn't even stop to say anything as he went into the room that held the tapestry. Hermione followed him as well as the others. She already knew what they were going to see, it was obvious.
But what she didn't know was from where the child came from. Molly was the one to gasp once again and lightly trace the new golden line that was under Alphard Black's name, it was obvious despite the fact that Walburga Black had blasted his face off of the tree. It traced down to a brand new branch of the family tree. It showed a man who looked just like Regulus Black. His name appeared as Gabriel Black Bellamy and right next to him, his wife's name showed up; her name was Heidi Desrosiers.
Sirius traced the line between both of them down to the newly formed golden line. But it was different from what Adalene had said earlier. Instead of having Desrosiers at the end, it had Black.
Sirius spoke up after a while, his voice tight with emotion. "It seems like dear old Alphard sired a male child who is a few years older than me. He also had a child; which answers the question of who's child she is."
Alphard Black.
Hermione knew about him. She had overheard Sirius talking to Harry about how Alphard had given him part of his wealth in his will.
She felt the child wiggle so she set her down although Hermione wasn't freed of her since Adalene grabbed hold of her hand. Harry stepped around her and smiled up at Sirius.
"So, you have more family now. You're not the last heir to the Black Family."
Sirius gave a light laugh as he hugged Harry.
"That's right. Since he was born before me he would be the heir but he would have to accept the responsibilities that came with the title. But right now the one we should be worried about is young Adalene here."
Everybody turned at once to look at the child who all of sudden looked calm and composed. She stared at everybody back, making sure to hold Sirius's eyes last. "I was told I should live with you. Sirius Black, my uncle. I don't like the house."
Sirius seemed shocked to hear the word uncle from her and seconds later burst into gales of laughter. Hermione let go of the child's hand and smiled down at her. She would be fine. There was plenty of females around the house to make sure she wasn't always surrounded by men. Hermione left her in the care of Molly when everybody headed to the dining room. Hermione hung back along with Sirius who was still staring at the tapestry. Harry brushed past her as he began talking with Ron about the previous situation.
Neither boys looked back at her.
As she stood there, Hermione could see Bill arrive with Fleur who was still a bit pale from earlier followed by Kingsley and Moody.
Hermione spun so that she was hidden by the door frame and watched them go into the dining room as well. She turned back when the door shut behind them. "What are you going to do, Sirius? By the sounds of it, her parents don't expect to make it out alive. Dimitry is already onto them but I don't know if he will catch up to them before anything bad happens to them. Right now it isn't safe for her to attend Hogwarts but what other choice do we have?"
Sirius traced the golden line connecting Regulus to his before turning towards her. "For now I'm just happy that I'm not alone. Ever since I was declared free I felt like I was alone. I didn't have a family anymore. I only had Remus and Harry. But I was the last of my line. I was actually planning on not having any children so I was going to leave everything to Harry and his family if he chose to have one. But now that I know that there is somebody aside from me…"
She inclined back against the door as she gave a nod. Yes, she could understand what he meant.
She stared at the picture of Gabriel before vocalizing her thoughts out loud. "He looks like Regulus, doesn't' he?"
He paused as he studied his brother's picture before nodding slightly. "James always made comments about how all purebloods cut off the "bad" parts of the family. Meaning Squibs and Half-Bloods. Muggleborns weren't ever even on it. Lilly actually wanted to say something to my dear old mum but I would have never brought her here. Plus, James would have had a fit if she had. Remus actually thought Regulus was the better looking one of us."
Hermione looked away as a flash of pain crossed his face; she knew why too. It wasn't that hard to figure out. She would feel the same if something like that would happen to Harry and the Weasley's. Especially if it were her Slytherins. She knew she couldn't always save somebody close to her with the time-turner each time. That was playing with fate; something she didn't want to do too much of. It wouldn't be good if she tinkered with time only for it to backfire.
Not wanting to think too deeply about it especially with the current events at hand; she pointed at her head and made sure he understood before he turned serious once more. Hermione opened the link between them and asked what she had been wanting to know all along.
"What happened while I was away. I met with Dimitry and the others when the attack happened. Did something else happen that I don't know about? I do know that Dolores Umbridge was the one behind it. But from what I have heard of her so far, it will be hard to prove it was her."
He turned towards the window before answering her. "Harry was with us. Ron had gone ahead to speak with Molly when the screaming happened. I grabbed Harry and ran towards the others when I saw them come out onto the street. I thought I had seen Lucius but it could have been just my imagination. As soon as I saw the dementors I hurried with Remus but stopped when I saw Bill's friend being separated from the rest of them. I told Remus to take Harry but right as I did another Death Eater appeared. After that, we all just tried to run inside the store. Harry being the priority. My guess is that the attack was centered around Harry but why so publicly?"
That's what she wanted to know too. Why? She knew that part of it had been about Nott Snr and the dementor attack had been Umbridge's plan.
But the rest?
They talked for a few minutes more before parting ways. Hermione eluded the others and headed to her room. She disregarded the elf heads on the wall, making sure to send her thoughts to Sirius once more to remove them.
Adalene would probably hate to see that.
Harry had not wanted Dobby to come to the Blackhouse since he would probably feel obligated to serve him. So he stayed at Hogwarts to help the kitchen elves. But mostly it was the heads again. No elf should have ever been treated the way Pure-bloods treated them. Not all of them but the majority did kill them for sport back in the day.
People like that should just...
Once in the room, she set to pack her stuff. She used her wand to pack things before wrapping it around her wrist. She would use her actual wand but she really didn't want anything traced back to her. Even though she could do magic outside of school she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she could. As for wandless magic, she didn't want to use it in case she would need it in case of an emergency.
After she was done she laid down on the sofa next to the window. It was getting dark and she wondered if Severus would show up again... She ached to see him again. Giving a sigh, she pulled the wool blanket off the back of the sofa and laid it out on her feet. She felt knackered after what happened.
The attack, her wound and worrying over Harry.
She pulled her shirt up, pushing her cloak aside, and saw the jagged scar running down her side. It twinged a bit but only because it was pinkish near the center. Not that she minded scars. She brushed her fingers across it.
Remembering the feeling of his cold fingers against her skin which made her feel warm inside.
There was a knock at the door so she pulled her shirt down before telling whoever it was to come in. The door opened, revealing Ginny and Adalene.
Ginny smiled at her as she walked in with her. "Mum wants us to look after her while she goes out to get our things plus a few more things for Adalene," Ginny said, her eyes showing her concern.
Hermione sat up. "She's not going alone is she?"
Ginny shook her head. "No, Remus and Tonks, as well as Bill, are going with her. She wants us to rest up since we are going to wake up early. She left us some food on the stove but most of us are to wound up about what happened. The boys are with Fred and George upstairs. So we decided to come in here to sleep for tonight. Adalene only has a small bag so she doesn't need to pack since mum will handle it. I already packed. You don't mind us staying here for tonight?"
Hermione smiled. "Go ahead. I'm already done. I made them pack their things before we left today so they don't need to come back in here. You can use the two beds over by the wall. I'm going to lay on here."
Ginny let go of Adalene and came to sit beside her. Adalene looked around the room, her face closed off but not being able to pull it off as she surveyed the room. She didn't let go of her wand as she walked over. Hermione observed the girl, noting every detail. Adalene's grey eyes locked with Hermione's after a minute, something in her eyes spoke of open vulnerability.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
Ginny glanced at Hermione before looking back at Adalene. "Why did you get so attached to Hermione the first time? Like when the attack occurred?"
Adalene continued to stare at Hermione for a couple of seconds before blushing. "She looks a lot like my mother. Except my mother's hair is blond. Her eyes are the same warm browns as hers."
Somewhat surprised by that, Hermione lifted an eyebrow. "So I look middle aged? Blimey, I didn't think I looked that old."
That caused the two girls to laugh. Hermione continued talking to them, her mind miles away.
o0o
Hermione waited by the train as she waited for the others to finish their goodbyes, her hand wrapped around Adalene's. Hermione had walked to the station with Adalene along with Harry. Some of the Order members had arrived early at the house to escort Harry to the station. King's Cross Station was about 15 minutes away from Grimmauld place so it made it a long walk according to Molly and Mad-eye.
Moody hadn't glanced at her the whole time so it had been a slight relief.
Now they stood back from the others too as Molly and Sirius said their goodbyes. It wasn't long until Malfoy showed up with his parents. Hermione noticed the sneer on his father's face when he glanced at Sirius before turning away from them. Malfoy didn't so much as look up at his father. He was staring down at the floor with a blank face.
Nobody else seemed to see that but Hermione kept her eye on him as he passed by her and onto the train.
She waved at Arthur and the rest of them before pulling Adalene along. The train was already mostly packed so she moved further back to find an empty carriage. It wasn't until she saw one near the end that she stopped in front of it.
Right as she was fixing to open it, another hand reached for it as well. A very pale hand with blue painted nails. Hermione looked up to see Luna Lovegood. Or Loony Luna according to Ginny. Luna stopped and pulled her hand back.
"Would you like to share the carriage?" Luna asked. Her voice reminded Hermione of the wind one would find at the top of the hill on a crisp morning just as the sun would began to rise. It felt nice and different. Adalene must have felt the same as she nodded her head. Hermione shrugged and followed Luna in.
"I'll have to leave for a bit since all prefects have to meet up at another carriage. I will try to get back soon. When Ron gets here, tell him the that, please. Make sure Harry stays put, ok." Hermione said. She waited until Adalene nodded and sat beside Luna.
"Okay, I will," Adalene said, her gaze now on the magazine that was in Luna's hands. Upside down that is. Luna glanced up at her from above her magazine.
"I'll make sure she's safe," she stated. Her large eyes held no lies as she looked away without blinking once.
Hermione nodded her thanks and put her trunk on top of the seats. She didn't take off her purse so she walked out of the carriage, closing the door behind her. She noticed Neville and Ginny coming up the corridor and gestured to the carriage.
"Adalene is in there. Make sure she doesn't leave. I'll be back later. Hey, Neville."
Ginny smiled and passed by her but a second later she laughed out loud.
"Hey, Luna!"
Neville went white at that; which made Hermione curious as to why. Neville smiled nervously. "Hey, Hermione."
He paused as he stared up at her. She saw his eyes widen briefly before he looking away. She paused, curious as to why he was acting a lot more nervous than usual.
"What is it?"
He became even more nervous as he looked around, his trunk forgotten at his side.
"You just seem a bit taller than usual. A bit tan too. Did you go out this summer?"
Hermione froze completely. That was true. While the potions had changed her appearance it didn't change her height or her body size. It really only changed her face in fact. She was turning twenty soon. Her body was already mature as it was with the added changes. Hermione gave him a puzzled look.
"I did but I don't think I look that different. Anyways I have to head out so you later."
He nodded and nervously moved aside as she walked by. It wasn't until she reached the actual carriage that she wondered who would be giving them their instructions. She expected to be the first one there and was surprised to see everybody already inside. Ron was sitting near the door so he opened it for her. Hermione saw Malfoy staring out the window, jaw clenched as he ignored Pansy Parkinson. Of course, Severus would choose them.
Next were Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff and standing up were Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw. Anthony looked up from the piece of parchment paper in his hands and smiled at her.
"Hey, Hermione."
She gave a quick nod and sat down next to Ron who was glaring at Malfoy. She didn't even pay attention to that as she was handed a copy of the list of rules and whatnot. She read through them quickly. She really didn't want to be in the carriage longer than was needed. Pany's loud voice filled the carriage as she snidely made comments at Padma about Harry.
"Oh, didn't he take you the dance?"
"How horrible! Draco was amazing. He looked dashing at the ball."
How much longer would the meeting last? She had only been here for a few minutes and already she wanted to stab her. Ron continued to glare at Malfoy. Probably hoping for a verbal fight. Hermione grabbed the magical feathered quill and signed her initials next to Ron's and Anthony's. It would be easy to slip away from both of them. Not that she planned on taking her role seriously. She paused when she noticed three of Malfoy's shifts open. She glanced at him and for a second and paused. He was staring at her, his eyes not holding the usual disgust he showed towards her. Not to mention the hate as well.
Whatever the reason for it she bashed herself for even considering it, she must be out of her mind.
Regardless, her fingers betrayed her and she wrote her name on those three blanks. She handed it back to Anthony who shot her a look once he got to the bottom of the page. He didn't say anything thankfully and the meeting was over just like that. She stood swiftly and walked out, leaving Ron behind to talk to Ernie.
She passed Cho Chang who was blushing and looking back down the corridor repeatedly. Hermione watched the Seeker of Ravenclaw quickly turn into a carriage full of her Quidditch teammates.
It wasn't until she reached the carriage that she saw why. Harry seemed to be covered in goo as well as Adalene who shot her a smile, her eyes light with open amusement. Luna was laughing loudly while Ginny was helping Neville with his plant. Yes, she was back with her "crowd" of friends. But a large part of her was missing her Slytherin family. She wanted to be with them so much.
o0o
Hermione walked into the Great Hall with Harry and Ron. Ginny walked off right away to sit with her friends. She noticed the looks that Harry was getting the minute he walked in. Mostly Hufflepuffs; which should have surprised her but didn't. They headed towards their house table, her eyes on the High Table. She avoided looking at Severus and surveyed the table with keen interest. What did get her attention was the woman in Pink. All pink, even the hideous hat on her head was pink with a pink feather. She felt a slight tap on her shields so she opened the link.
"That's Dolores Umbridge. The new D.A.D.A teacher. The Ministry's spy as well as an annoyance. I heard about Potter's attack. I would have done more if it weren't for Nott." Severus said, his voice sliding into her head like cool silk.
She sat down with both boys as they stared at others around them. It was easy to tell what kind of woman Umbridge was as she stared around the Great Hall with her nose in the air. "I see that. And Harry was fine. Sirius and Remus stayed by his side the whole time. I'm sure you have heard of Adalene Black. She's walking in actually as we speak. It's easy to see who it is." Hermione stated, her eyes on the girl who walked behind a boy with large ears.
Adalene Black was going to be sorted and Hermione had a feeling that the house she was thinking about would not be the one for her. Harry made a comment about Malfoy which made her turn her head in his direction.
Malfoy was staring down at his hands as his gang of blocks surrounded him. Pansy was practically hanging onto his arm trying to get his attention. Hermione cringed before turning back to Adalene who waved at her. She smiled at her and turned to look at Professor McGonagall who was setting down the sorting hat onto the stool.
The hat woke up slowly before it began singing. The song filled the starless hall with an ominous warning. Once it ended, the whole hall filled with chattering. Hermione sent her confusion to Severus. He had been about to reply when Nearly Headless Nick spoke up. Harry had asked the question she had been wondering about.
Nearly Headless Nick spoke of the warning almost in a whisper as he glanced around the hall too. "It only ever gives warnings like that when the school is in danger. It's only happened a few times. The last was when Riddle rose to power."
Severus spoke up coolly. "I was in my seventh year when it gave the final warning. Most Slytherins had taken it as a good omen. While others feared for their very souls."
Hermione leaned into Harry's side as he scooted closer to her. His hand grabbing hers under the table. She startled but didn't pull away. She forgot that he was only a teenager at times. The pressure of all the stares and the guilt over Cedric's death was still heavy on his mind and heart. She knew this year would be difficult for him. Her attention was brought back when McGonagall stepped up beside the now quiet sorting hat. Her Head of House pulled a piece of parchment out and began calling out names.
"Abercrombie, Euan."
It was the nervous looking boy with large ears in front of Adalene that stumbled as he made his way towards the stool with the sorting hat.
Seconds after sitting down the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"
As the kid walked towards the table, Hermione glanced over to the Slytherin table who had booed rather loudly. Her eyes caught Theodore Nott's. He was staring at her with a confused look on his face. She lightly nudged his mind as not to startle him. He inclined his head.
Once in, she asked him about his housemate. "What's going on with Malfoy?"
Nott looked away from her to look down the table at Malfoy and Zabini. "He has been given a rude awakening. The Dark Lord has moved into his Manor now since the Auror's have gone searching Nott Manor. I have been staying with them as well but supervised by Snape. I'm supposed to be spying on Snape actually."
Hermione didn't say anything. She knew he was fishing for information. She wasn't about to tell him anything. He continued on when his plan failed, his voice holding slight respect. "He has been told about the task his father has been given to complete which makes him worry about his family's position as well as his mothers. Everybody knows that the only person he genuinely likes is his mum."
That did sort of add up. But she didn't comment. She broke away when Adalene was called up.
"Black, Adalene."
Adalene walked up confidently, her stride sure but in the short time Hermione had known her, she knew it was mostly acting. She had been taught well by her mother.
Many students spoke in hushed whispers as Adalene passed them. Many wondering whose child she could be. She sat down on the stool with her head held up high. Professor broke slightly out of character as she smiled down at her. Her professor set the hat on her and the whole hall became silent.
"Well, a Black you say. Yes, definitely a Black. And a female one at that. I haven't seen one in decades. Ah, I see many things, my dear. You do come from a...But will you choose? Gryffindor like your uncle or Slytherin? Choices, choices my dear. Oh, is that why. That is a fairly good choice. May your choice never backfire. For you cannot change it once you are there. Very well."
It was silent for a couple of more seconds before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Adalene jumped off the stool once the hat came off. Hermione smiled, glad that she was sorted in her house. Adalene shot her a smile too as she sat down next to Euan, the one other first year. The rest of the first years were called as well. Many who turned to stare at Harry with frightened eyes. Harry either didn't notice them or acted like he didn't. Ron glared at a few of them; which only served to make them even more fearful.
Dumbledore stood up briefly to begin the Welcoming Feast before sitting back down once the food appeared on the tables. Hermione served herself some meat with bread as well as a cup of water. She wasn't hungry but regardless it was better to eat.
During the meal, Hermione noticed Umbridge glancing at Dumbledore every few minutes. As if he would do anything so public. She also noticed that Severus didn't eat much either. He mostly drank out of his goblet but spent the rest of the time watching his house.
Ron stuffed his face to the heavens with sausage, causing Harry to be distracted by that. She noticed that he kept looking over to the Ravenclaw table too. Specifically a certain Seeker. She bumped his shoulder causing him to look over only to blush a deep red. She laughed at him as he bumped her back harder. His worries were momentarily forgotten. It was felt good to make him feel better even if it wouldn't last long.
Several minutes later, Umbridge stood up next to Dumbledore's seat and asked rather loudly to speak to them. She made an annoying "hem hem" sound over and over again. Each time louder and louder. Hermione really wanted to smash her face in. A bit violent yes, but certain circumstances asked for it.
Umbridge began speaking of education and the Ministry the instant Dumbledore gave her 'permission' to speak. A lousy speech that many didn't hear. But Hermione heard the warning loud and clear. This woman wasn't here to teach.
She was here to silence.
Hermione glanced at Harry who wasn't paying the slightest attention. Ron leaned over and whispered. "Bonkers ain't she."
Hermione nodded and leaned forward, blocking Umbridge's view of Harry. Umbridge smiled sweetly, her teeth looking too white against all that pink. As soon as she was done talking they were dismissed to head towards their common rooms and dormitories.
Hermione stood up, pulling Ron up as well. "We have to escort the first years. Get up, Ron. Harry, don't wander off and head straight there, okay."
Ron began swearing as he jammed the last of the sausages into his mouth. He began pulling the first years towards her as Harry nodded and moved passed them. She watched him leave and only turned when a familiar small hand slipped into hers. She looked down to see Adalene, who had tugged along another first year. Euan Abercrombie. It wasn't difficult to round them up except for Ron who kept calling them midgets. They just glared at him while the rest followed her.
Once they arrived at the Gryffindor Tower, Hermione took the girls while Ron took the boys and explained the rules and whatnot. Adalene stuck by her side and only left once most of the people in the common room had already left. Hermione had asked Ron where Harry was only to be told by Neville that he was already sleeping.
Walking up the stairs to her new room, one she didn't have to share with a gaggle of girls, she opened the door. The first thing she saw was the large fireplace right across from her. It took up almost the whole wall space. It had a small fire going on in the middle. She had wondered what 'New Changes' Dumbledore had been talking about when he had addressed the prefects earlier. This year the prefects and Head boy and girl would have their own rooms. Not that she was complaining. Anything to get away from Lavender. Her obsession with boys was something she was glad she wouldn't have to hear every night for another year.
Her eyes found the bed to the far right next to the window as well as her desk. She turned left and found another door next to her trunk. Curious as to what it could be, she opened it to find a bathroom. It had a decent tub, sink, and toilet. It was cold so she left the door open so the fire could at least get some of its warmth inside. She unpacked with her actual wand and laid down. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and was surprised when she opened them next to see light coming in through the window. The fire long ago extinguished.
Sitting up slowly, she pushed her hair back and winced as her limbs protested. She quickly dressed and went down to the common room to find a tense atmosphere. Hermione raised an eyebrow when she saw Adalene standing in front of Harry who was yelling at Seamus.
"Don't talk about my mum, Potter! You have no right!"
"You're the one that brought her up! I don't see why YOU have to right to question me!"
Hermione saw Ron try to pull Harry back even as he glared at Seamus. But she noticed the side glances that Harry got as the yelling became louder. Fred and George were standing slightly behind them with Lee and Angelina who also seemed to be glaring at everybody else. Hermione closed her eyes for a few seconds before finally having enough.
"STOP!"
Everybody turned at once to look at her. Seamus' face was as red as Ron's hair while Harry stood there, breathing fast, hands fisted at his sides. He turned to glare at her too but paused halfway through. He must have seen something on her face because he took a step back. Hermione walked towards them, several people moving aside as they watched her elbow a few out of the way. She threw both boys a steely look.
"I don't care what you two are yelling about so bloody early in the morning. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out what this rubbish is about. Harry, ignore those that say anything like to what Seamus might have said. They will be believe anything they want regardless of what you say to them. As for you, Seamus," she paused as she turned her cold gaze on his frozen figure, "Watch what you say too. If you believe whatever your mum or the Minister say, keep it to yourself. Nobody wants to hear, especially the one person in this room who saw Cedric Diggory die."
The common room had been silent since the moment she had shouted, her voice even now still echoing as she stared Seamus down. He looked away, face going white at the mention of Cedric.
Others glanced away as well while many stared at her in shock. Yes, she wasn't acting like 'Hermione' should have but she wouldn't put up with any of their shite. She could act like a fifteen-year-old bossy girl but even she had her limits. She wasn't an actress. She was almost twenty years old for Merlin's sake. Classes hadn't even begun and already she was breaking out of character.
Somebody by the entrance cleared their throat rather loudly making everybody freeze once again. Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall standing by the entrance with a hard look on her face. She lost it briefly when she glanced at the trio before addressing everybody.
"This is why I chose her to be a prefect. And what she said was correct. We don't need to be divided in our own house. Now is not the time for it. Do not mention Diggory's name in gossip. That is shameful and should NOT be done. Now, everybody, head to the Great Hall for breakfast." Professor McGonagall said a she turned around and walked out of the common room.
Hermione didn't look back at the others as she followed her Head of House out. She heard Harry call her name but she ignored him. She did stop when she heard Adalene call her name out. By the time Adalene had caught up so had Harry and Ron. Both boys avoided her gaze but stayed by her side as Adalene began talking about the castle.
It wasn't long until they reached the Great Hall. They passed the doors and headed towards their table. They sat with Neville and Ginny, Hermione making sure to put Adalene between her and the boys. They didn't protest so Hermione ignored them as she glanced up at the Head Table.
Of course, Severus was already there. He was drinking from a goblet, his hand holding a book in one hand as he ignored the others at the table. She looked away as the owls began coming in. She watched as a small light brown owl with reddish feathers landed in front of her. It held a copy of the Daily Prophet as well as a pristine envelope with a stamp that was familiar.
The Black family crest. As she accepted both the letter and the newsletter, another owl landed beside hers. Its feathers were all black with a hint of grey near the belly. The owl had a small letter tucked on its clawed leg which bore the name "Adalene" on the front.
Adalene reached for it and opened the letter. It wasn't a long letter since it only said good luck and congratulations on making Gryffindor. The owl was a present to her from Remus and Sirius. She smiled up at the owl so Hermione turned back to her own letter. She opened it up to Sirius's familiar handwriting.
Hermione
I gave her your note. She did as you instructed. I took the opportunity of sending you a copy of the one she sent us. The owl is from them. Your DAD said you might need one.
Sirius Black
Hermione watched as the ink disappeared, leaving behind crisp parchment paper. Luckily nobody had been paying attention to her except for a certain pair of dark onyx eyes. His voice filled her head a second later. "Skeeter?"
She gave a slight nod that to those near her would have seemed like she had just tilted her head towards Adalene. "Hm, yes, Sirius just sent his confirmation. I had her write about Cedric's Death, Riddle's return that the Ministry is trying to cover as well as the attack from yesterday. We had two other people switch out the front cover of the Daily Prophet with Skeeter's own writing. Nobody will suspect her since it was her own piece they had switched out. It's only a warning that will probably draw attention to Dumbledore. Which doesn't matter since nobody will be able to prove it."
Severus put down his book and picked up the Daily Prophet that had just been delivered in front of his breakfast. Hermione did the same just as the whispering began. In the front page, in large black letters, read, "What the Minister doesn't want you to know. Ministry soon to be taken over by Tom Riddle, a half-blood."
Right under that was a picture of the Minister. She didn't have to read it know what it said. But once she glanced up at the high table she saw Dolores Umbridge face, which was as pink as the feather in her hat. Her face was also pinched in rage. She stood slowly and looked at Dumbledore once before quickly making her way out of the Great Hall using the side door. Dumbledore on his part didn't seem to notice her departure as he stared down at his own copy.
Looking at every single person sitting at the High Table, Hermione noticed the slight relief on their shoulders as well as the way they all glanced at each other. She heard Harry whisper loudly to her, returning her attention back to her own table. Harry leaned over Adalene who had stopped eating to read the newsletter too. Harry stared at her with surprise and amazement mingled together. "Who do you gather wrote it? What they say in it is true but that's the first time the Daily Prophet has ever been correct," he said, his own eyes shifting away from hers and towards the High Table. Ron grunted his own question as he drank deeply from his goblet.
Hermione shrugged as she turned away from him. "Who knows. But I hope it opens the eyes of those blinded by the Minister's lies."
She didn't jump when his voice slid across her mind. "Well done, Hermione."
A sly grin escaped before she could stop it. Her eyes connected with Draco Malfoy's right as she caught the mistake. His eyes grew wide before something flashed across his face. She really had to get her shite together or else she would get caught sooner rather than later.
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A little long but that's okay. Thanks for reading!
Editing 3/29/19
Vanee