Disclaimer (Did I put this in last time?): Nothing here belongs to me.
All characters (except for Renn
Breakfast at the Great Hall was no different then it had ever been. The sound of talking, laughter and the clatter of forkes and knives filled the entire hall. At the head table, Sirius was staring at the enchanted ceiling, lost in a deep thought. His breakfast lay forgotten.
No more then 15 minutes later, a sea of owls soared through the Great Hall, landing on the tables to deliver letters and packags from home. Sirius didn't notice the large, grey barn owl swoop down on the table next to him until it nipped his hand. He jumped, startled, and the owl dropped the letter infront of him and took off once more.
That's odd, he thought. The owl who gave him the letter surely wasn't Hedwig, so it couldn't have been Harry. Maybe it's Remus...
He opened the letter, read through it and put it back down with a smile. Guess Hermione isn't as busy as she says she always is.
After breakfast, right before class started, Sirius quickly ran back
up to his classroom to write a response and send it to the owlery. The
response letter wasn't long; he only had 5 more minutes, but it was good
enough until later. Dismissing himself to the owlery, he quickly poked
a random owl awake, tied the letter to its leg, told it where to go and
ran back down to class, where a long line of students were already forming.
~*~
Dear Hermione,
It was quite a surprise to get a letter from you. But I'm glad you did. It was no trouble at all, having you over, and I'm sure Harry enjoyed your company as well.
I'm sorry that this letter is so short, but I have about five or so minutes before I have to start the class. I will write more later, when I get the chance.
Sirius
~*~
Dear Sirius,
Wow, I didn't expect a response so quickly! I guess my owl had no trouble finding you. So, if you get the time to tell, how is everything over there? I hope you're having a lot of fun with your students, from what I've been told, you're everyone's favorite teacher.
I really wish I could get some time off to see you again; but we're both always busy and my next vacation isn't until next summer. Oh well, I guess writing will do. Please write back soon.
Love from
Hermione
~*~
Dear Hermione,
Well, don't be so sure! This weekened is a Hogsmeade weekend, so I get the time off. You get weekends off at the ministry, am I right? You can meet me down there, if you'd like. Write back with more information.
Sirius
~*~
Dear Sirius,
Wow, that would be great! It's been so long since I've been to Hogsmeade! I'll be glad to meet you there, if you like. Can we go to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer? I could really use one of those sometimes. Write back when you get the time or chance.
Love from
Hermione
~*~
Her hand started to hurt, she was writing so much. She set the quill down briefly and her eyes flickered toward the window, the tiniest hope inside her that a Hogwarts owl would fly through and perch on her desk. She sighed and bit her lip.
*Why don't you just tell him?*
What, are you crazy?He'll think I'm a freak. He won't want to see or talk to me again.
*You don't know that...*
Yes, I *do*.
*How do you know? He's probably feeling the same way towards you as you are towards him.*
That's a load of crap.
*And what makes you so sure?*
Whatever thought she had next was stopped when Hermione heard a click of the office door opening. Looking up suddenly, she nearly fell over when a familiar red-haired girl walked in.
"Ginny?!" she sputtered, not believing it. She hadn't seen or heard from her since Ron died. And now, to see her just walk right into her office after 2 years, was unbelievable.
"Hullo, Hermione," She said, her voice slow and almost hoarse. Hermione jumped from her chair, crossed the room in a fast pace and embraced Ginny like a long-lost sister.
"I can't believe it's you!" Hermione cried, hugging her tighter. Ginny let out a muffled laugh.
"Ow. Hermione, I think you've broken a rib or two."
She pulled back immediatly, and Ginny started to rub her neck, chuckling under her breath. "Well, it's nice to see you again, too."
She blushed slightly. "I'm sorry about that, Gin." After the shock of seeing her best friend again started to fade, she noticed that Ginny's looks had changed. Sure, she still had the flame-red hair and the row of freckles along her nose, but she was definatly a lot more pale. Her brown eyes, which were once sparkling with mischeif or laughter, were now almost completely dull. She also noticed that Ginny was very skinny, the skin on her face so tight that her cheekbones stood out.
Hermione frowned in concern. "Ginny...are you all right?"
"Hm?" She looked up and her eyes flashed when she saw the look on Hermione's face. "Oh--I'm fine. Honest."
"No, you're not. Sirius told me that you became an Auror. Is that true?"
Ginny inhaled sharply. "Yes."
Hermione nearly fainted. "Ginny, are you crazy!? Being an Auror is a very dangerous job! No wonder you look so worn out, you've probably worked yourself sick! Those dark wizards...they'll kill you without thinking twice!"
"Someone's got to do it, Mione," Ginny said, annoyed. "Besides, it hasn't been so bad until recently..."
"What's happened recently?" Hermione eyed her friend, almost trying to see if she could figure out what was going on through body language. Ginny sighed once more, looking up at Hermione with tired and expressionless eyes. "Can you get some coffee? It's a long story, and I'm terribly worn-out."
Hermione nodded and rushed from office, grabbing the mug of coffee off
Renn
"It's true," Ginny said, her voice toneless. "They were all dead when we arrived. The Avada Kedavera curse got them all." She shook her head. "We have no idea who's behind it. The homicidal maniac never left a clue."
"But--why haven't I been informed? Surely the ministry's heard of this incedent by now..."
"Of course they have," Ginny said with the wave of her hand. "But this just happened last night, not everyone in the ministry's going to know about this right away. We're actually trying to keep this hushed, we don't want panic to erupt and have people think Voldemort's back, and all."
Hermione looked slightly troubled. "You-Know-Who can't be back, can he?"
Ginny gave her a frosted look. "Voldemort is deader then a fish out of water. Of that we're sure. Our concern is that someone is following in his footsteps."
Hermione sat there, stunned beoyned words. What would Harry think when he heard about this? What would Sirius think? She bit her bottom lip, thinking. "You don't really think that someone would follow in You-Know-Who's footsteps, do you?"
Ginny shrugged. "Anything's possible. After we found the Kappler family dead--"
"WHAT?!" She screamed so loud that Ginny jumped, spilling her coffee on the white carpet and the couch. Hermione didn't seem to notice. "What was the name of that family who died?"
"T-The Kapplers," Ginny said, her eyes wide with shock. "Hermione, what on earth was that about?"
"Oh god, no..." She ran a hand through her smooth brown hair. She swallowed, and with a shaky voice, said, "I knew a family by the name of Kappler. Their little girl was my best friend. Her name was..."
"...Mariah," Ginny finished, her eyes locked with Hermione's. "I hope I'm not right."
Hermione sank back down in her chair. Words seemed impossible to form right now. Her old best friend...and her whole family...Hermione felt her vision blur.
"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry! This must be so hard...I had no idea you knew her, I would've never said anything..." Ginny stopped rambling and looked at Hermione, who started to shake. "I better go."
She sat up, thanked Hermione for the coffee, gave her a quick hug (she
was too shocked to respond), and left, door shutting behind her. She sat
like that, white-faced and furious, for what seemed like hours, before
she broke down all together and cried.
~*~
Dear Sirius,
I know that we have plans for Hogsmeade this weekend, and I'm terribly sorry for having to cancel them at such short notice. Something very sudden has turned up. Ginny came to visit yesterday and she told me that my old best friend has been killed. I'm really sorry, I'm just not up to anything right now. Maybe some other weekend.
Love from
Hermione
~*~
End of chapter 2
Ouch...that can't be too good. If you haven't already noticed, I'm trying to sneak a plot into this story somewhere. ^_~ I'm sorry this chapter is shorter then the last, but I will have a lot of time from here until July to write, so I should get chapter 3 out soon.
Coming up in SS: What's Sirius's reaction going to be? And what about Harry, is he going to find out what's going on here? And what about Remus is he/will he show up in later chapters? Who is this new Voldemort-wannabe? All that and more later on. TTFN, everyone!
~Starburst~
