Chapter 8 – The beginning of troubles

Hermione tried to free herself, but her attacker grabbed her with a firm grip. He backed off until he stopped in a hidden part of the corridor. He was quiet, his breath was regular. She continued to struggle but with less violence as if she was losing her strength.

Suddenly, she felt his warm breath on her neck. The breath became a soft kiss. She felt a brisk sensation in all her body. She was so surprised that she got away and turned around to face the person behind her. Without surprise, Sirius was in front of her. She was struck by the intensity of his eyes: a deep and mysterious but sad look at the same time. She remained astonished for some seconds. His grey eyes seemed to be unreadable. Yet, she felt she could understand his feelings even if she couldn't put any words on them.

Finally, Sirius's face changed, and he smiled at her. She knew this smile and she hated it even if she couldn't understand why. A hatred towards him, mixed with deception and frustration, burned her stomach.

"Why did you do that?" she cried out.

Sirius's gaze remained that same smile, as if he was enjoying seeing Hermione is such state. She became angrier.

"What do you want, Black?" she snapped.

"You already know what I want," he answered, grabbing her waist. "And you can call me Sirius!"

"I will call you by the name I want! Now, let go off me! Immediately!"

Hermione freed herself from him and pushed him violently.

"But why are you always running away?" Sirius was pleading, taking her hand.

"Didn't you understand? First, yesterday, you made a fool of me!"

"What? I saved you! You should be thankful to me!"

"You're dreaming! You left me in that dirty cupboard for hours! And you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

"Not at all!"

"Yes, of course…" she said with irony. "Now, leave me alone! I don't want to be late for my first Transfiguration lesson because of you!"

Hermione turned back to run away but was stopped dead. Without notice, they had been encircled by a group of students that had listened to their argument for a long time. Girls were looking at Hermione with animosity. She felt like cold sweat on her back. She didn't pay attention on it and found her way through all the witnesses. When she finally succeeded, she ran to the Transfiguration classroom without looking behind her.

The classroom's door wasn't closed yet and she entered rapidly, with relief. She sat at a table, alone and waited for Professor McGonagall. Some seconds later, Sirius also came and sat just next to her.

Suddenly, a chair fell on the floor making a lot of noise. Everyone except Hermione was astonished and looked at the scene: Sirius was on the floor with a half-torn cloak. Boys started to laugh, girls asked him if he was fine. Black, his cheeks as red as a cooked lobster, got up and put the chair back.

"Is it how you dress when you come to one of my courses, Black?" A voice said behind him.

He turned back and saw McGonagall who were looking at him with a severe look, her hands on her waist, frowning. Sirius wasn't impressed at all and didn't seem embarrassed.

"Reparo!" He said while raising his wand on his cloak. The cloak looked as new. "I am sorry, professor, but I wanted to show my talent as an acrobat to Miss Stagent but I stumbled." He said to justify himself, with a lot of confidence.

"Well, I know you would like to be an acrobat, but I have never seen you that clumsy! However, please avoid doing your tricks in my course! Now sit down!"

McGonagall went directly to her desk while Sirius was bowing. Some girls started to laugh. Hermione just raised her eyes; he was such a prank. Sirius sat next to her, but she didn't look at him.

"So, you enjoy playing that kind of tricks, don't you?" He whispered to her ear.

Hermione ignored him and put a piece of parchment on the table. She was the reason why Sirius fell because she casted a nonverbal spell on him.

"Do you like playing?" He said, still with a low voice.

She continued to ignore him and wrote the chapter's title on her paper. Suddenly, her inkwell rolled down on her parchment and within a second, ink was crawling all over the table and on her cloak. Hermione screamed while getting up.

"But what is going on Miss Stagent?" McGonagall asked angrily. It was forbidden to disturb her course.

"I am sorry, professor!" Hermione stammered and sat down.

Evanesco, she thought while raising her wand to the ink. The black stain disappeared. She turned toward Sirius and sent him a murderous look. The latter seemed to be happy of his last trick.

Incendio, she thought pointing her wand at his clothes.

With a frightened look, Sirius hurried to put out the flames on his uniform. But the fire caused a big hole in the middle of his cloak. To his horror, it was impossible to repair it and he looked at it with some regret. Professor McGonagall could smell burning and walked to Sirius's table, like a cat.

"What is going on, Black?" She cried out, angrier than ever. "I withdraw 20 points from Gryffindor!"

"But professor…!" He tried to speak.

"It is enough! Stop your tricks! If you do it again, Black, I will put you in detention for ONE week!"

Sirius sat back immediately without saying anything, knowing perfectly that McGonagall's detentions were the worst in the whole school. He glanced at Hermione who were ignoring him as always, as if she was innocent. She continued to write instructions of a spell on her parchment but stopped suddenly when she felt a cold wind on the back of her neck. She touched it and didn't find any hair. Her blood froze. Then she touched her head and relief came upon her: she still had her hair, but they were raised on top of her head.

People were laughing around her. Indeed, to see her hair, raised very high on top of her head, were entertaining. But Hermione didn't want to laugh, and she turned back to Sirius and glared at him. He smirked. She wanted to say another spell, more terrible than the previous ones but she was stopped by a high-pitched voice. She startled.

"BLACK!" McGonagall shouted. "Get out of my course! I put you ONE WEEK IN DETENTION!"

The Transfiguration teacher raised her wand and Sirius's belongings flew to the door. Sirius tried to catch them while the other students were laughing. Being the centre of attention, he performed a pirouette. Hermione, finally relaxed, laughed too but not because of him playing a dumb but rather because of the punishment he has just received.

"Miss Stagent!" McGonagall shouted again. Hermione startled a second time. "Get out of the classroom as well!"

"But, professor, I…" She tried to say, disconcerted.

"It is a shame to act like that on your first day at Hogwarts!" The professor said with a cold voice. "I don't know what the Headmaster told you but here, we don't rest, or we don't play during my courses! I saw your little game with Black! I withdraw 50 points from Gryffindor so that the whole school knows what kind of girl you are, and I also put you ONE week in detention to teach you respect! Now, GET OUT!" McGonagall said these last words with a shrill voice.

A broomstick appeared suddenly and wiped off Hermione's belongings that were on the table. Then, it started to hit her lightly on her back to get out. Hermione was shocked by McGonagall's aggressive attitude towards her. She got up and ran to the exit. She felt the broomstick following her until she was in the corridor. Then, the door slammed. She remained dead in front of the closed door.

Never ever had she been treated like that by anyone, never by Professor McGonagall of her time who liked and respected her! Never ever had anyone made fun of her like that! Never ever had she been put in detention (well, except in first grade but it was for a peculiar reason).

No, she had never been humiliated like that!