"His name is Flemming."
Hermione gave a jerk as Luna's voice filtered in from the front of the entrance hall, "Excuse me?"
"Flemming," Luna repeated, "That's the name of the house elf that took our robes. Don't forget or we won't see them again."
For a moment Hermione merely stood in place, staring toward her companion with one hand clutching the other as she prepared to move past the impressive foyer and toward the bubbling sounds of laughter and idle conversation. Luna's blanket statement just seemed to normal compared to Hermione's own backdrop of wild emotion, so much so that she nearly forgot where they were and what they had come to experience.
"I'm sorry," Hermione took a deep breath, "Flemming? How do you know his name is Flemming?"
"Her name," Luna corrected, "And that's because I asked."
"Yes. Of course you did." Hermione sighed. She hadn't thought to ask. Hadn't thought to speak to her at all really, considering the overall disposition of the household and the culture a house elf often absorbed depending on the environment. Once upon a time, the elves here would have thought her little more than some unintelligent animal trying to free them of their preciously hoarded servitude. She hadn't expected that to change. Furthermore, despite her once adamant feelings on elf-based slavery such rebellious desires to cater to their freedom and care had died years ago. They were just fixtures now as far as she was concerned. Reminders of one more failure among many and the strength of unbroken tradition. Their place in society had been solidified with the destruction of The Order and even she had given in to more pure-blooded ideals about servitude surrounding elf-kind.
She didn't even flinch anymore when she called them to attend her errands in St. Mungo's so it never crossed her mind that Luna might strike up some brief conversation with the one that had taken their outer robes.
"Are you okay?" Luna mumbled, her dreamy gaze the perfect picture of practiced concern.
"No," Hermione answered honestly, lifting one bare shoulder in a careless shrug.
"Soon then, perhaps." Luna answered with idle fascination, as if Hermione's feelings of anxiety were some great performance. It was maddening, in a way, how much older Luna seemed compared to her. Maybe it was in her vague statements or the idle twist of thought that shifted beyond the silvery grey of her eyes.
Or maybe Hermione was succumbing to madness herself which made Luna seem like a beacon of clarity in comparison.
Effortlessly Luna stepped up to her side and with only a slight smile she took possession of her arm. "Come come! I want to see who's here."
"Whatever for?" Hermione mumbled though she didn't resist when Luna tugged her along down the hall and past the dreary doe-eyed elf that had taken their robes with a sneer that seemed perfectly pure-blood emulated.
She didn't belong here.
No, no. Some part of her… some part of her did.
She could feel it when she entered the space, feel that quiet tired portion of her soul awaken as phantom memories wrapped her up in nearly tangible sensations and invasive intimate sounds-heavy panting, sweat, heat, and pain oh Merlin so much delirious pain. A strange uncomfortable warmth speared her belly before it twisted into something cold and bitter. Though, all to soon it settled into the usual familiar numb. Yes, some part of her did belong here, some portion of innocence and dignity that had been stolen and filed away within the massive and heavily decorated manor. It returned to her now, welcomed her with idle thoughts she hadn't wished to revisit. Curiosity stirred her thudding heart and slight trepidation made her furrow her brow. Was she here? The woman that had haunted her every waking moment only a few years ago? The woman that had made it nearly impossible to feel anything other than that budding emptiness that had made it so easy to move on and yet so terribly difficult at the same time?
Did it matter if she was? Did it matter if she wasn't?
"I don't…" She whispered, wanting Luna to know that she just wasn't sure if she had the courage to continue. That odd stirring in her belly hadn't completely died. It dug in, fighting against the chill created by her ever present emptiness. It wasn't nausea, like she'd expected, but something else, something...untoward. She was excited, excited to… experience this moment. It was the only conclusion she could draw from her companion starved spirit. Why else did her fingertips twitch and her breath catch?
Luna only gave a soft titter and increased the strength of her hold. The lock of her arm wrapped within Luna's own-the arm, she idly noted, with the hidden scar that would never fade-was strangely powerful. It was tight enough to feel slightly uncomfortable and more than enough to draw her attention. What did Luna take her for, some frightened rabbit in need of restraint?
Ah, wait. That seemed more correct than not.
"No worries, Hermione. You'll be fine. It's okay, to embrace it."
To embrace what, exactly?
With wild eyes she looked at her friend but found nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to say that she knew anything about the odd peculiarities that lay dormant in her mind. About the mental struggle she'd nearly succumb to those six years ago and all the memories she held prior to that. She couldn't possibly know. Not about the dreams. Not about the longing… She had killed such frivolous portions of her being long ago to generate a perfect unfeeling societal autonomy in the face of false smiles and pity filled stares. Just because they were currently being stirred due to the origin of their birth meant nothing.
The itchy tight crawl of her scarred skin meant nothing.
Soft light danced across her features and she winced as they entered the revel proper. Lanterns flickered above them, floating majestically between magically held up banners of green and black. The entire space she occupied was decorated in similar taste, with plush inviting chairs lining the walls in grays and various shades of green to match the enchanted ceiling. It all looked very very Slytherin in nature, which made sense. If it was a celebration planned by this household in His name than such colors were natural to have in the space. Even the floor was a reflection of deep black, like perfected marble obsidian that easily absorbed her shadow and made her feel… weightless.
Or maybe that was the ceiling, since past the floating banners and lanterns twisted the beautiful darkened sky, with only the barest flicker above to count as the stars. It was unnatural, clearly enchanted and not at all like the stars Hermione had become painfully familiar with during her tenure as an Undesirable. Yet, there was something soothing about it all the same. Which was odd, she hadn't expected to feel anything, let alone soothed, in a place like this.
"Ah, Draco's back." Luna commented casually, though they made no move toward the Malfoy that swept past the opened hallway and toward a nearby cluster of gabbing wizards. He looked awkward beside them in his smart suit since they were all older and much bigger in comparison.
"A shame, that." Hermione turned away feeling no need to devote anymore attention to him, lest he have her kicked out for staring or something equally preposterous. No matter how polite he seemed as he walked them to the manor she wouldn't forget his earlier words anytime soon.
"We simply must speak to him again later, I'm sure he'll be by to apologize."
Hermione cast Luna a withering look but smiled slightly nonetheless. "You think so? What an adorable thought."
For a moment Luna's casual look of content faltered and that was enough to make Hermione's smile slip.
"Luna? Ah… I'm sorry, I've been a git all night, I didn't mean-"
Luna cast her a look, one strong enough to strangle her words. The rest of her sentence died in a soft huff of breath as Luna quirked a brow, but it wasn't her serious expression that had made her falter. It was her eyes, the depths of them, the unspoken knowledge and smothered frightening intensity there that she had only glimpsed the day before.
"Luna-" Hermione murmured.
"They're coming."
"Say what now?" Hermione squeaked, but she wasn't given any more time. Two figures were approaching them, one with a broad genuine grin and the other with a smirk that seemed far to predatory to be friendly.
Luna's smile returned, splitting her lips until she practically glowed with mirth but there was something awfully hunter like about it all the same.
"Well well, if it isn't Ms. Brown and Ms. Parkinson." Luna greeted with a bubbling voice that just screamed familiarity. Hermione wasn't sure if it was false or sincere though, she was much too busy carefully controlling her expression.
"Lavender…" Hermione croaked, though soon cleared her throat thereafter as the pair joined them, "Pansy."
She hadn't expected… this. Hell, she hadn't expected even Lavender to be alive let alone at the largest pure-blood event of the year. There was little she could do to keep the blood from draining out of her cheeks but thankfully Luna's possessive hold upon her arm was enough to cover the slight tremble that had started up in her limbs. Yes, of course she was to be subjected to this. Here, she would see the ghosts of her past, alive, thriving, and smiling. Society constantly moved on, didn't it? While she'd been secluded those first torturous months surely others-those with pure-blood-had not.
"I'm surprised to see you, Granger." Pansy commented, her tone somewhat jovial despite her smirk still in place. She held herself with unwarranted superiority, something that she wore rather well compared to her clumsy bully-like antics in Hogwarts."I was not aware we were inviting… your kind this year."
Luna's lips pressed into a thin smile and Lavender had the grace to look somewhat uncomfortable but Hermione flashed her best smile-her mask perfectly in place, her emotions mercifully calmed. "On the other hand I am not surprised to see you here, Pansy. Please, call me Hermione. Our days of house-based rivalry are over after all and now, well, we all have our place."
There was no need for such childish antics now that the political roadmap had been laid down toward shaky equality. Granted, He could take it away if he wanted.
"Ah," Some of the wind left Pansy's sails but not entirely, "And what is it then, your place?"
Hermione gave an innocent tilt of head and pretended not to notice the heavy double meaning that sentence carried. "At St. Mungo's, doing work for His benefit, keeping His people healed and healthy."
She privately enjoyed Pansy's confused squint and Luna's proud nod.
"What of you?"
Pansy was quick to answer, so quick she almost tripped over her own words. Hermione found it funny how her tongue flopped in her mouth for a bit, "I'm an Auror! It's said I may join His most esteemed guard someday. Rather soon, if the whispers are to be believed."
"Oh really?" Hermione answered, feigning interest, noticing how Pansy seemed to glow under her false curiosity. "His... esteemed guard?"
"Why, yes!" She gave a sweep of her arm before she placed it upon a tilted hip. She looked perfectly at home now that she was talking about herself, a look that only accentuated the gleam and sparkle of her expensive looking green dress. "Like a prodigy. I'm pretty talented and doing my family name a great bit of good."
"Pansy," Lavender sighed as she rubbed her palms sheepishly against the cloth of her purple dress.
Pansy continued, "I'm personally invited here every year, you know. Mum's pretty happy about it. Still, there's a lot of pressure. I can't imagine you being able to understand how that feels though. St. Mungo's must be a very… easy relaxing job in comparison."
Easy? Not quite. Tedious, yes at times, but her private projects kept the role far from being incredibly mundane. It was the rest of her life that was droll and without challenge. Easy, how laughable.
"And what of you? Are your muggle parents proud?"
Hermione sucked in a soft breath but her expression did not change. She wasn't sure of Pansy knew, if Lavender knew…
"I don't have parents, Pansy." She answered with tilted head, voice completely devoid of the 'friendly' emotion she was trying to manage. All she could feel was that great cold, that endless sea of emptiness, and even the unwanted warmth and anxiety from before seemed distant and impossible to fathom. "I had to use a memory charm on them during the war. The Dark Lord and His followers would have killed them otherwise, or so I was told."
Hermione blinked slowly after her admission and Pansy looked slightly taken aback by the blunt reality of her answer. "Still, I'm sure that, if they were aware of me, they would be proud, maybe, that I survived. A lot of the students did not."
Lavender cringed and rubbed her hands back and forth across her arms as Hermione turned that blank gaze to her. "What of you then? What great efforts do you have to tell me? I thought you were dead, you know. I saw it, your body, after Grey-"
"Hermione," Luna's tone was gentle and it tugged at her consciousness like a lure. Almost instinctively she turned her gaze to her companion, whose brow was pinched in slight interest over a mask of worry.
"It's fine, Luna." Lavender answered, perhaps mistaking Luna's concern for Hermione's slipping state as her own. "Hermione, I… the war had us all sort of… well, wrapped in madness didn't it?"
Lavender laughed nervously while Pansy swallowed, "It was scary. I think some part of me did die there."
Here Pansy interjected, blurting out her words as if rejoining the conversation abruptly was the perfect way to recover their attention, "The pure part."
Lavender hissed, "Pansy."
"The pure part?" Hermione asked, her tone still carefully blank but she already knew what Lavender seemed hesitant to say.
"It doesn't matter. Our Lord doesn't care about such trivialities, only use. He saved me, gave me purpose. I'm an Auror too, Hermione. Though still in training. In fact, we both are.. in training, that is."
Finally Hermione smiled, mostly at the irritated look Pansy tossed her fellow Auror. Pansy must have caught it though since she was quick to take control of the conversation thereafter.
"I'm sorry for the loss of your parents." Pansy coughed awkwardly with head held high and arrogance back in place. "I'm sure your work at St. Mungo's and your… recovery after the war would have made them proud."
For a moment Hermione considered twisting her lips up into a sneer-she did not need Pansy's pity, she was not that starved for pure-blood focus-instead she merely nodded. "Thank you, Pansy."
Luna smiled brilliantly once more, "Are you excited for the announcement, Pansy?"
Immediately Pansy latched onto the subject but her babbling was inconsequential and easy enough to tune out. Instead, Hermione turned her attention to the slightly squirming Lavender, who seemed out of place besides the woman who crowed about nothing.
"Did He, really? Save you, that is."
Lavender gave a hard swallow and nodded.
"Why?"
"For the benefit of the future, so He said. I owe Him a bit."
Hermione noticed Lavender didn't look uncomfortable with the admittance, though she suspected six years in service to The Dark Lord would do that to a person.
"And how is it, your…"
"I'm infected, enough to feel odd but not to turn furry." Lavender was quick to respond and her tone terse.
"I would never judge you." Hermione whispered solemnly.
"I… I know," Lavender said, though her brow was furrowed and her expression strained. Hermione wouldn't say they had been particularly close in their youth. They had shared rooming quarters and perhaps, once upon a time, a particular ginger haired boy and a scathing rivalry but beyond that not much else. Once upon a time, in the shadow of her memories, they had been on the same team though and that had to count for something even if it meant nothing now.
"I know you helped me too, back when Greyback came." Yet, Lavender didn't elaborate beyond that. She was too busy watching Pansy subconsciously give them her back as she flailed her arms in a mimic of majesty for Luna's benefit.
To Luna's credit she managed to look more interested than downright amused.
"Did you know? That I was alive?" Hermione whispered.
"No. Not really. We weren't told much that first year. I served a sentence, a short one, there was a lot I needed to learn."
For a moment they were both quiet. Maybe, Lavender was waiting... waiting for Hermione to admit how long she'd been kept, how many days she'd spent in the walls of His Azkaban listening to the howling screams and the wails of hopelessness as people readily gave up their allies and their souls for relief from budding madness. Yet, she added nothing more to the subject. She had forgotten, in her struggles, such simple facts. It couldn't have been long, surely, yet the days had bled into weeks and weeks into the twisting spiral of desperation, loneliness, confusion...
So many hours spent, so much time thinking, wondering about The Boy, about her Ronald, about so much.
She gave off a soft sigh then and a blink as the fog of splintered memories lifted. It was just in time to see Lavender give a nervous glance around the room before she continued, "Greyback came, um, for me. He gave… um."
Hermione wrinkled her nose, "Spit it out."
"The pack, the pack was rewarded. They'd done a lot of work for Him." Lavender's discomfort seemed to increase as she toyed with a strand of curly hair. "They're in the Ministry, the lot of them, for their great deeds. That's how I got in, He told them to make me useful. He's not horrible, The Dark Lord. Ah, neither is Greyback. At least, now that's he's treated better."
Hermione sniffed slightly as she tried to process Lavender's story. It was mostly stuttered and certainly a tad sloppy. "Relax, it's only me. Hermione, not some inquisitor."
Lavender licked her dry lips, "They have one at the Ministry now, an Inquisitor. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself."
Slowly Hermione lifted a hand and used it to gently brush a strand of Lavender's curly hair from her face, "So you're... okay then?"
"Very," Lavender replied and as if the subject of the war and her life was never brought up she straightened her posture and smiled, "My partner-in-training is Pansy. She's not all bad, even if she is a Slytherin. She can be rather nice, once you get past the... um."
"Spikes?" Hermione offered.
To this Lavender laughed, "Yes, the spikes."
Unable to repress a smile Hermione scoffed. Here she was, in the middle of a Malfoy revel, and actually smiling at the surrealism of her future. This was not how she'd envisioned her night going. Even the shock over Lavender's escape from death seemed unusual and out of place. Not when there was so much laughter, joy, and-
"Ms. Brown," A masculine voice called from the collection that Draco had once been a part of. Now the Malfoy was standing at the side of an impossibly tall figure, with a short portly poorly dressed woman sandwiched between them.
"Oh Merlin," Hermione grunted, stepping away as inconspicuously as she could once the trio began their approach.
Instantly Luna was at her side, dreamy and cordial expression back in place while Pansy turned with a flourish to greet the wizards moving in their direction.
"Excuse me," Hermione mumbled, trying to politely disengage from the group once their attention was devoted elsewhere but Luna was once more glued to her side and seemed less than eager to let her wander.
"Please, stay Ms… Granger, is it?"
With tired eyes she peered at the man who had addressed her. She remembered his face, it was difficult to forget-for wasn't it this very face that had twisted in glee when her sentence had been delivered?-and often displayed in all it's haughty glory in the Daily Prophet. He moved the way his portrait did, slow and methodical, while he stroked his perfectly groomed beard.
"Yes, Minister Thicknesse," Hermione replied, polite and indifferent, "Hermione Granger."
"A difficult name to forget, all things considered. I apologize for the slip of mind." His voice was like liquid honey, all sweet and meant to allure, but there was something particularly poisonous about it. He was all smiles and slippery tongue but no sincerity. It was different from Pansy, who had at least been truthful in her desire for conflict. He was the type of fellow to hide his barbed comments behind a sugary tone, but what could one expect from a man that had willingly joined His side after the Order's defeat, all to eager to please and submit.
Yet it was the woman in his company that made her skin crawl.
"Really, Pius? You must be toying with her. One doesn't forget the name of a.. woman such as Ms. Granger."
Hermione tossed the speaker a thin-lipped smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes as she tried to look past all the sickening frills and pink clothing the short stocky official had on.
"Yes, she did perform admirably on her N. E. W. T. s didn't she, Dolores?"
Dolores gave her a smile that split her face and seemed far too focused, "I'd say she did. It was unbelievably well, for a Muggle-born."
Ah, there it was.
"The Dark Lord encouraged all students who were swept away in the madness of The Boy to take their exams post-haste upon their release. It was difficult for Hermione to move on, she'd been through a lot, and yet her grades were still very outstanding." Luna interjected with hands linked playfully before her and a closed-lipped smile on her face.
"Oh?" Dolores shifted slightly, as if just now noticing Luna's presence, "Our Lord is a very kind and generous individual. Why, even her existence is a mercy."
Pius gave a snort but it was Draco who spoke next-"Our Lord has stated time and time again that our Muggle-born brethren are an important asset to society. They are understanding the importance of tradition, family, and hierarchy. It's easy enough to teach. Even a Muggle-born can understand the needs of our Lord and the importance of power."
With a wrinkled nose Hermione kept quiet as they talked about her around her and Draco, for what it was worth, held a carefully neutral expression while Pansy moved to stand beside him with wide eager eyes. Only Lavender and Luna hovered near her, though Lavender seemed just as uncomfortable as Hermione felt.
"I know that, boy." Dolores hissed, her attention now fully upon Draco who looked as if he'd eaten something sour, "Don't think to lecture me. It wasn't your department that got liquidated-"
"Do you find little joy in your current position?" Pius interjected, "As my assistant you are rather close to the action. It's better than making pamphlets all day, isn't it?"
She took a deep breath, "Of course, Pius, of course. I am merely stating that Ms. Granger has performed curiously well, well enough to have joined the Ministry in fact, but made no bother to do so. Now, look at us here, all together. I can't be the only one wondering…?"
"I just studied a lot." Hermione blurted, curt and irritated. "You aren't still touting that nonsense about magic and stealing, are you?"
Her mouth opened and closed for a bit and her face flushed red as Draco stifled a grunt.
"If such a thing were true we wouldn't have squibs. Or, perhaps I'm just an incredibly lucky Muggle-born." Or an incredibly stupid one, she left unsaid.
"And what do you do now, Ms. Granger?"
She wasn't sure if she should be thankful for Prius question, for it ended a debate Hermione wasn't ready to dive into, or annoyed with it for her answer would only reveal her meager status among pure-blood giants.
"I'm a potioneer at St. Mungo's." She answered carefully, combing the crowd for their reaction, "It's humble work but when the stocks are full His people are healthy."
Prius nodded, satisfied with her answer while Dolores managed to recover her damaged expression.
"I suppose it's a fitting job for someone like you, Ms. Granger." Dolores huffed, "You were always the helpful type."
"I suppose."
"Draco," Pansy interrupted, "Shall we?"
For a moment he merely stared at her, his face still an open door to his irritation but something went off behind his eyes, some shimmer of light as whatever he was thinking just clicked into place. "Oh yes, of course."
He turned to Lavender and gestured briefly, "We need to prepare. He should be here soon."
Hermione grimaced and took a deep breath, "It's true then, He really comes to these type of things?"
He was more like a myth to her, some boogeyman used to frighten them all into submission. Despite knowing how the night would go some part of her still hadn't really believed that The Dark Lord would take the time to walk among His loyal subjects. Maybe His Death Eaters sure, since they were still a very well and functional portion of His regime but not the general collection.
Then again, here she was, holding a conversation with Umbridge of all people, so it seemed like a night for the mythical and unusual.
"Of course our Lord really comes, "Draco stated as-matter-of-fact. "Every year He delivers His statement of change and what not."
"Sometimes everyday," Luna casually added, though Draco sneered in her direction.
"Not everyday. Hush up, looney girl."
Dolores spared her one more look before turning to Pius. "Come along then, if He's to be here soon I'd like a proper seat."
Pius gave a soft sigh before bowing deeply to Hermione and Luna, an action that seemed to vex Dolores if her puffed out cheeks were anything to go by. "Then I must bid you farewell, Ms. Granger. Please, if you find your role at St. Mungo's to be… lacking, there is plenty of challenge and fulfillment in Ministry work."
The invitation shocked her. It must have shocked Dolores too, since she was staring at Prius like he'd grown an extra head.
"What is it, woman?" He hissed, but he was already brushing past her, "Close your mouth and go find Yaxley. Make sure you don't embarrass me this year, would you?"
With a sneer that came off as a crooked smile Dolores twisted on her heels and hobbled off, melting back into the crowd with all the ease of a loud traversing elephant. By the time Hermione's eyes tried to find Pius, to question is words, he was also gone.
"I hope she doesn't get to blabbering again about nonsense. His patience is running thin." Draco mumbled.
"I don't like that woman," Pansy added and Hermione had to begrudgingly admit she was surprised by Pansy's admittance, "To many tricks and schemes when she has no power."
How ironic.
Still, Hermione held her tongue, especially when Lavender lifted a hand to place against Pansy's shoulder. "Let's go."
With a nod Draco turned to leave, followed closely by the pair of women-though Pansy stopped briefly to flash Hermione a smirk over her shoulder before she too melted into the crowd.
"I'm going crazy," Hermione mumbled, "Absolutely bonkers."
"It's only shock. I know madness when I see it, you aren't there just yet."
"How ominous," Hermione frowned, "I don't know if I want to hear that from you."
"You wouldn't be the first person to say that."
An odd amount of tension was weaving through the crowd and a slight hush had begun to fall. With a weary sigh Hermione allowed herself to be dragged across the floor and through the sea of silk skirts and well-pressed suits.
"I have someone saving us a lovely spot. You'll be able to see rather well."
She didn't have the will or care to question Luna and instead allowed herself to be positioned right besides a very familiar body.
"Sorry we're late, Professor. We were having a wonder conversation-"
"Professor?!" Hermione hissed, causing a few heads to turn in her direction, heads she ignored as she stared with wide unblinking eyes toward the casually dressed Hogwart's lioness.
"Ms. Granger, don't you think it's a bit unladylike to raise your voice like that?"
Professor McGonagall hadn't changed at all in the six years since Hermione had seen her. Only her eyes seemed different. They carried the same weight that her own did turning a brilliant dazzling green into a weary dark forest. Still, she smiled-even if it was a tired and sad one-and Hermione felt something in her crack at the expression. Of all the people she had thought slain and gone it had been her professor. How this member of the Order remained without being flayed alive Hermione didn't know but she found that she barely cared.
"I just… I didn't think you were-"
"Ah, you have a lot of questions." McGonagall interrupted, but she didn't seem annoyed by Hermione's sudden outburst. If anything there swam a familiar flicker of amusement in the depths of those eyes but it was gone just as quickly as it came. "I don't have a lot of answers this time."
"This time?" Hermione babbled, her focus glued upon the woman that had been her inspiration so many years ago even as the floating lanterns dimmed and Luna put a calming hand against the flesh of her bare arm.
"Ms. Granger, for some time I was incapable of seeing you. The Dark Lord and His Death Eaters watch Hogwarts closely and myself even more so. I was to focus on my duties to the new regime as it were and I felt as if…."
McGonagall went very quiet, her gaze narrowed toward the main entrance as several toddling house elf bounced into the space with flutes of bubbling liquid. She didn't need to finish her statement anyway, Hermione knew what she'd say.
"After the war there wasn't a point was there? We needed to move on."
I needed to move on.
"There is always a point to everything, Ms. Granger. Finding that point is the difficult part. No, no it wasn't the right time. Things were happening, they are still happening, and I-"
Again she froze, mostly due to the elf that brought them their flutes, which she picked up gingerly while Hermione and Luna grasped their own.
"It doesn't matter. Just be… aware. He is ruling Great Britain in a way that goes against Albus predictions, the old fool. He didn't prepare any of us for this."
He? Dumbledore or The Dark Lord?
"Professor-"
"Listen, Hermione." McGonagall interrupted as she tapped one finger impatiently against the lip of her glass. "I believe we have a mystery on our hands, one that will become more clear as time goes on. Our world of black and white has been gray for sometime now but gray doesn't equal peace, not easily. I can't really explain what I want to, not yet, but my duty is always first and foremost to my students. All of them. "
Then, with a quick sip of the flute she waved a hand casually toward a robed figure that was strutting toward the center of the room like he owned the place with only a soft whisper, nearly swallowed by the anxious circling crowd.
"I never forgot about you."
Then the lights went dark.