ajay3bee1: Gah, don't give me ideas. I might actually do it! Heck knows Malfoy would deserve it.
Introducing Luna early, thanks to one of the many ideas given to me by Wheelie91 on Archive Of Our Own. And a book on lineage that Pansy mentions, is also inspired by Wheelie91's ideas.
The execution
After Hermione had made sure no one was around to notice them or hear them, she sat down, faced her friends and had, with a grim face, told them everything.
She watched as Daphne, Pansy and Millicent's eyes grew huge and as Astoria's mouth dropped wide open.
She saw the comprehension on their faces.
"You….you are…?" Pansy asked, stunned.
Hermione nodded, smiling sadly. "Yep," she said, "If Tom's theory is to be believed? Then I'm the Heir of Slytherin. And I'm a muggle-born. How much of an irony is that?"
"Wow," Daphne said, shaking her head, looking pale. "Tom," she said cautiously, "He's sure of this?"
Hermione nodded. She knew she couldn't any longer deny the most likely explanation for why she hadn't died, as soon as she had looked into the eyes of the basilisk.
"I don't think there's any other explanation for why I'm not dead," she said, "I looked into that basilisk's eyes. And I'm still alive. If someone looks into the eyes of a basilisk, they die, immediately. Remember what happened to Moaning Myrtle?"
Again, Hermione watched as her friends' eyes became large.
"I hadn't thought about that," Pansy said, shivering, "So, there's a huge creature in this Chamber of Secrets, that can kill someone just by looking at them."
Hermione shrugged. "Apparently," she said dryly, "I hope it's going to stay where I told it to, but I don't know."
"Wow," Astoria said, shuddering.
Daphne said, "Did Tom say anything about this? I mean, he says that he only found the Chamber of Secrets, because he was studying parseltongue, but that just seems very convenient."
Hermione tried not to sigh. Daphne had clearly become suspicious of Tom for a while now.
Yes, Hermione had to admit that there were things about him that honestly just didn't add up, but it was still Tom. He'd never done anything to harm them. The only thing that could be argued to be harmful, had been him telling Hermione about the Chamber of Secrets. And for that to have worked, he would have had to bet a lot on her finding the Chamber of Secrets and risking running into the creature there.
Now, how would he be sure she'd do that?
Sure, Tom struck Hermione as very sly.
But assuming that she'd find the Chamber of Secrets and would risk meeting the creature that killed Moaning Myrtle? That was still betting on a lot.
So, even then, Hermione hardly saw reason to think of Tom as a threat.
It wasn't that Hermione didn't think that there were things about Tom that didn't add up, she did.
Like how Tom got stuck in the diary in the first place, which he still was neglecting to mention.
That was assuming that he even remembered.
And like how easy it had been for him to get into the Chamber of Secrets.
But aside from all that, was there any real reason to distrust him? He'd been nothing but helpful for the past almost two years.
He was someone they knew, someone they cared about.
He cared about them.
"It might be too convenient," Hermione said, "But come on, trying to bet that I would go all the way into the Chamber of Secrets and get myself killed? Come on, Daphne, that's betting a lot. If Tom had known that there was something in the chamber that could kill me just by looking at me? He'd never have sent me down there."
Daphne nodded, but still looked troubled.
Hermione wished she could help dissuade Daphne of the older girl's suspicions.
She knew that Daphne cared about Tom too. Daphne was just worried.
"Look," Hermione said, "All that aside? We now know something really important. That the Chamber of Secrets exists. And we know what the creature is now that killed Myrtle. And we know that I'm not just a parselmouth. I'm very possibly the Heir of Slytherin." Hermione shook her head. This was still so much for her to take in.
Pansy said, "We might be able to prove it."
"How?" Hermione asked, frowning.
"Well," Pansy said, hesitating, "There was this book that I heard of a few years back from my father. He said that it tracked the bloodline of witches and wizards. So that they will know if the person whose blood is being tracked, is from one of the sacred families."
Hermione chuckled, "Pans, I'm a muggle-born, remember?"
"Yes," Pansy said, nodding, "And you're the heir of Slytherin, most likely. Which means you had a pureblood family member as your ancestor many centuries back. And this book might help us find out who."
"Okay," Hermione sighed, smirking, "And let's say I try to find this book. What's it called? Where is it?"
Pansy's face became sheepish. "Uh, that's harder to answer," she said, "It's called 'The History of Pure Lineage,' and unfortunately, I don't know where it is."
Hermione nodded. She'd been afraid of that.
At Hermione's acceptance at there being no answers, Pansy added, hoping to help, "Last time it was seen, my father said it was at the Ministry of Magic. But apparently, You-know-who grabbed it and kept it somewhere. I don't know where."
Hermione tried not to snort in laughter. And Voldemort had kept the book somewhere? Well, now it was going to be almost impossible to find. Great.
"Well," she said, "There's that. But I need to ask that none of you share what you found out today. Please."
Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent all nodded.
"Of course not," Daphne said.
"We won't say anything, okay? Promise," Millicent said.
Pansy nodded, before adding, smirking, "But just imagine the Malfoys' reactions if they ever found out that you are the heir of Slytherin."
"Pansy," Hermione grumbled, but she smirked.
Astoria snorted and lightly pushed Pansy jokingly, who grinned.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
Well, it was a good thing her friends were all taking this in stride.
She hoped Daphne could cool it about Tom. And that they might get more answers about Pettigrew and the Chamber of Secrets, and maybe Sirius and Remus too.
But in the meantime, they had to keep all this in consideration.
Later on that night, while the others slept, Hermione got up out of bed, went out of the dorm and went to the broom closet where she and the others kept Pettigrew.
She woke him up to see if she could get some more information, because well, they really had very few bits of information, didn't they?
She got not that much from Pettigrew, just one more interesting thing.
And that was that the Whomping Willow on the school grounds, had a tunnel underground, that was connected to the Shrieking Shack.
Hermione had to confess, that was interesting to know.
She then knocked Pettigrew out again, apologizing to him, then went out, closed the broom closet up and went to the library.
She figured that even if the book Pansy had talked about wasn't here in the library, then there still had to be several books on pureblood families. She might just find something.
She got to the library, having avoided Filch and Mrs. Norris, and searched the sections on pureblood families.
Before she read anything on the pureblood families, she read some more about legilimency.
And not for the first time, Hermione would admit, being able to invade someone's mind, someone like Cromwell and the guards, that had hurt her and her mother and so many muggle-born children, would be nice.
After reading more about legilimency, she closed that book up and started looking for any source on pureblood families.
She eventually found what she felt to be a reliable and educational source, grabbed it, pulled it out, opened it and used the light from her wand to inspect its pages.
Nothing but the usual information. The Sacred Twenty-eight; the Abbotts, the Averys, the Blacks, the Bulstrodes, the Burkes, the Carrows, the Crouches, the Fawleys, the Flints, the Gaunts, the Greengrasses, the Lestranges, the Longbottoms, the Macmillans, the Malfoys, the Notts, the Ollivanders, the Parkinsons, the Prewetts, the Rosiers, the Rowles, the Selwyns, the Shacklebolts, the Slughorns, the Traverses, the Weasleys and the Yaxleys.
Nothing new here, as far as she could see.
There was some talk in this book about how some of the pureblood houses were descended from the founders of Hogwarts, including descended from Salazar Slytherin.
Hermione read the names of those known to be descended from Salazar Slytherin.
The Blacks and the Malfoys. No surprise there.
The Potters and the Weasleys. Okay, that was somewhat of a surprise, because, well, Harry and Ron would be the last people you'd imagine being in any way related to Salazar Slytherin, even more so than she herself.
Then Hermione read a few more names.
One of those names? Gaunt.
Hermione paused.
The Gaunt family had some of Slytherin's blood in them?
Had Tom known?
No, Hermione reasoned. He couldn't have known. He would have told her if he had.
Besides, being related to Salazar Slytherin, meant nothing. There were probably a lot of pureblood families that had Slytherin blood in them.
Hell, Daphne, Astoria, Millicent and Pansy probably had Slytherin blood in them.
Hermione chuckled.
She looked at the different lines of the Gaunt family, when flipping the page with the Gaunt's family tree.
The Gaunt family appeared to be "extinct" now.
Both lines had ended. On the female line, it lasted a bit longer. The father, Marvolo Gaunt, and his son, Morfin Gaunt, were both dead. So was the daughter, Merope.
Hermione realized that Merope must have been Tom's mother.
She checked the descriptions of the deaths under the names. Yes, Merope had died in childbirth.
She was Tom's mother.
Hermione closed her eyes, feeling for Tom.
She then read up on Morfin and Marvolo. Marvolo was said to die soon after Merope had died in childbirth.
Morfin, however, was different.
Morfin was arrested and only released after years and years, after a claim that he wasn't responsible for multiple murders, however, there was too much evidence to show that he might actually have committed those murders.
Hermione's eyes widened as she read that. The hell?
She doubted that most pureblood families were all as friendly as Daphne, Astoria, Millicent and Pansy.
But multiple murders?
Hermione bit her lower lip and decided she needed to question Tom.
She got up, closing the book up and putting it away, she grabbed her wand and headed back to the dorm and to the common room.
She made sure no one was around, pulled out the diary, opened it up and watched as Tom emerged.
Hermione saw the visage of the young man appear and saw him smile at her. "Hermione? Is there something wrong?"
Hermione sighed as she regarded her friend. "When were you going to tell me your uncle was most likely a murderer?" She asked, unable to help her tone.
Tom paused, his eyes widening, then he sighed, spectral body sagging.
"I'm sorry," he said, nodding, "I should have told you a long time ago. It's a shame that I carry with me, I'm afraid. My mother's brother, Morfin, was a monster. I learned a great deal about him and I have been hoping to expunge any tie I have to him. He abused my sister. My uncle and my grandfather both. He terrorized and attacked muggles. They brutally abused my mother. And after her death and after my grandfather's death? Morfin became a recluse."
Tom took a breath, then said, "Later on, he tracked my muggle father down. Murdered him. Murdered my muggle father's father, and my muggle father's mother."
Hermione shuddered, disturbed.
Tom added, looking saddened, "I'm sorry, but the reason why I kept it from you…because I may have caused it."
Hermione was alarmed.
What?
She stared at Tom, waiting for an explanation.
Tom took a breath, appearing clearly remorseful and aggrieved to tell her what he was about to tell her, his eyes downcast, solemn.
He said, "I sought out Morfin, my uncle. After I found out which wizarding family I was from, because I wanted a connection with my family. I told him who I was, I told him my last name, and he went in a rage and he tried to kill me. I had my wand and I escaped. But he knew my last name. And he tracked my father's family down. Murdered them."
Hermione shivered almost felt sick.
"When," she said quietly, "When did that happen?"
"After Ella Taylor's death," Tom said mournfully, pain in his eyes, thinking about his soulmate, "A year afterwards. I…I'm not proud of this either, but I just desperate of some sort of connection to my mother's family. So, I stole Morfin's ring. It was the Gaunt family ring. I just wanted it as a reminder of my mother," he practically winced, "And I kept it for myself."
Hermione sighed, feeling for Tom.
Tom's entire life sounded like a horror story. His mother died from giving birth. His father had abandoned him. His mother's father abused his mother and died. His mother's brother abused his mother too, rejected Tom completely, then murdered his father and his father's parents and was released, apparently.
And his soulmate was murdered. And his soulmate's murderers were never held accountable.
No wonder Tom had stolen the ring. He'd just wanted a momento, to remember his mother by.
"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, "I shouldn't have asked."
"It's alright," Tom assured Hermione, then added, looking fed up, "Dumbledore got Morfin released from prison. But that just proved more and more in my eyes that the headmaster couldn't be trusted. Because I know Morfin was capable of it. But Dumbledore always protects those that cause harm. Just look at Snape."
Hermione's eyes widened, startled that Tom knew about Snape.
But he was right. Snape had made a deal with Dumbledore and despite all the horrors Snape had committed?
Dumbledore had allowed the slimy shithead a place to stay.
So, it wasn't too hard to imagine that Morfin would have committed a bunch of atrocities, but was allowed a second chance by Dumbledore.
Hermione in that moment, distrusted Dumbledore even more and felt real anger and revulsion for him.
"I'm sorry for poking at this wound, Tom," she said, "I was just trying to track the different families that might have had Slytherin blood on them and found some information on the Gaunt family."
"It's alright," Tom said, smiling sadly, "I should have told you before. If it's any consolation, Morfin, after being released from prison was elderly and decrepit and barely had any network to look after him, and he died alone. His body buried in some place I fail to care about. It's essentially what he deserved for how he treated my mother and what he did to the muggles."
Hermione nodded, agreeing fully.
Eventually, Tom assured her he was fine and told her that she should get to sleep. So, Hermione hesitantly closed up the diary, Tom disappeared, Hermione put the diary away and went to bed.
The next day, the girls went to class, per usual. Hermione kept Tom's diary under the floorboards under her bed this time, just to be sure he was safe. She then went out to class. She passed by one archway, shivering when she saw a dementor floating by, its black cloak waving in the wind. Hermione, by instinct, reached to her pocket and wrapped her hand around the handle of her wand.
She was very, very glad that she could summon a patronus. She would use her tiger patronus, if she had to.
She got to her next few classes. She had restrained her sneering at Snape, during potions, disgusted by his choices. Then went to the other classes.
When she saw Remus, she asked if she could speak with him, after class. He said 'alright.'
When she and Remus were alone, Hermione kept her hand on her wand, which was in her pocket and asked gently, "Professor, I'm sorry, but I have to ask you something. As you know, Sirius Black was in Hogwarts not long ago. He might still be here, for all we know. But you knew him before he betrayed the Potters. I feel like it's important that we know what we can about him. Tell me what you can about him. And about Pettigrew."
Hermione stared at Remus, hoping he understood that she wasn't playing around.
Remus's eyebrows lifted, but he then nodded.
"Alright," he said, "I'll tell you," he nodded.
He began to give Hermione as much information as he could.
About how he and Sirius, James and Peter were all friends before. About how they had all stayed together and taken care of each other. But he didn't mention anything about the Marauders' map.
Hermione then asked why Snape didn't seem to like Remus.
Remus had smiled sadly and had told Hermione what Peter had told Hermione about James and Lily. And that Snape had been in love with Lily.
But he neglected to mention anything about being a werewolf.
But the things that he told Hermione about Snape apparently added up with what Peter had told Hermione and the others about Snape, Lily and James.
So, Snape definitely sided with the Death Eaters and Voldemort because he was rejected.
Disgusting.
Hermione then learned from Remus that Sirius was the "secret keeper" of James and Lily's location when they went and took their son, Harry into hiding.
Hermione knew that that hadn't ended too well for them.
But sadly, Hermione hadn't learned much more from Remus about Sirius or Peter.
Just that Peter had been a timid and unassuming boy who always followed his friends. And Sirius had always been a prankster. Always a bit too much. Sometimes, if not often, his pranks went way, way too far.
It sounded like everything tracked with what Peter had told Hermione and her friends.
She then learned from Remus, a shocking thing. Apparently, James and Lily Potter? They hadn't been soulmates.
Hermione honestly was shocked by this. Sure, she knew that often in both the witch and wizarding world and in the muggle world, soulmates didn't end up married. Either for financial reasons or for political reasons. Or the simpler answer, because one of the soulmates died before they and their mate could get married.
But James and Lily hadn't been soulmates?
Okay, Hermione had to admit, that was a shock.
Hermione asked, unable to help the question, "Then who were their soulmates?"
Hermione watched Remus as she asked this question.
Remus looked away, almost as if in pain, but said nothing and Hermione realized that she wasn't going to get any more answers.
She just hoped that Snape hadn't been Lily's soulmate, because if he had been? Well, that was just depressing, to think that someone's soulmate could treat them, the way Snape had treated Lily.
A thought then occurred to Hermione. She was about to do a gamble and she knew it. She looked at Remus and said, knowing that Remus had the Marauder's map anyway, "Listen, about the map? I don't think you'd be able to use it anyway. Because I saw someone on it that I know is dead."
Remus frowned. "Who?" he asked, suspicious.
"Peter Pettigrew," Hermione answered, unsure whether or not this was a good idea.
To Hermione's surprise, Remus looked not just shocked and in denial, but afraid. He shook his head as he almost mumbled, "That's impossible."
"It's what I saw, sir," she said, "The night you confiscated the map. I saw Peter Pettigrew's footsteps. So, I know that map's probably no good, anyway."
Hermione turned and left, deciding that she was going to take that to chance. She'd find out later whether or not she had royally fucked up by telling Remus that piece of information.
Hermione left soon after and joined her friends at the great hall.
While Hermione and her friends ate away, Hermione eating a drumstick, she heard from some other Slytherins, they were gossiping and she paused, hearing them say that there was a scheduled time for the hippogriff's execution.
Hermione tightened her hold on the drumstick.
She dropped the piece of food and looked to the student who had spoken. She asked, voice hard, "Flint."
Marcus Flint looked at Hermione, startled and as soon as he saw Hermione's harsh expression, he lost his sneer.
Hermione said, "When is the hippogriff being executed?"
Hermione's tone left no room for any remarks and Flint answered quickly, all bravado lost, "Um, today, I think."
Hermione huffed out. Shit.
Hermione looked away and noticed Daphne and the others, watching her, all looking sad.
"You heard that?" she said.
Pansy nodded. "Yeah," she said, shaking her head, "Malfoy."
"Malfoy," Hermione agreed, no patience in her voice.
As they ate, Hermione glowered at the table at the head of the hall, glaring at the lack of absence of Dumbledore's presence. She wondered just how much he had tried to help with Buckbeak. Considering how easily he bent over for people like Morfin Gaunt, she had to really wonder if the old wizard had actually tried to help Hagrid save Buckbeak.
She decided to push that aside. For now. A thought then entered her mind.
Maybe there was a way they could save Buckbeak.
But how?
Hermione's mind then went to the time turner that McGonagall had given her.
Could time travel save the hippogriff?
She would talk with Pansy, Astoria, Daphne and Millicent later.
But right now, she needed to eat.
As she and her friends exited the great hall and Millicent, Astoria and Daphne went to their class and Pansy and Hermione went down the hall to their next class, something caught their attention.
Two Ravenclaws, two girls were snickering and laughing as they ran off with what looked like….shoes?
The two Ravenclaw girls ran past Hermione and Pansy and Hermione and Pansy watched the girls leave, then looked at each other, honestly confused, and Hermione shrugged.
They were about to start walking again, when a small girl with a Ravenclaw scarf, skipped, literally skipped along past Hermione and Pansy. The girl had long, wavy white-blonde hair and an almost dreamy look on her face.
Hermione watched this girl. A girl who most likely was in her first year. And she was barefoot.
"Um, you know those girls that ran by have your shoes, right?" Pansy said to the girl.
The girl stopped hopping by, and looked to Hermione and Pansy, showing off a small smile. She said, "Oh, my shoes leave a lot. Might be the nargles."
Hermione frowned. What the hell were "nargles?"
Hermione said, "Well, you know that the girls have your shoes, right?"
"It's alright," the strange girl said softly, "It happens a lot."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Does it?" She asked, having an idea of where this was going.
The girl nodded. She said, "My shoes went missing my first day here."
Hermione almost growled. She said, looking at Pansy, "Pans, could you stay with her?" Hermione gestured to the girl and Pansy nodded.
"Sure," Pansy said, looking at the blonde girl, "Sorry, what's your name?"
"Luna Lovegood," the girl answered and Hermione felt like she had heard that name gossiped about before this year. A first year who according to the rumors, "wasn't right in the head."
Hermione had no idea if that was true or not.
However, right in the head or not?
Nothing excused bullying.
Hermione smiled at Luna and said softly, "Okay, Luna. Stay with Pansy. I'll be right back with your shoes."
Luna looked at Hermione curiously as Hermione turned and ran down the hall after those first two Ravenclaw girls she had seen go by with the shoes.
Hermione pulled her wand out as she got closer to where the girls were running and aimed the wand at them, speaking the words, "Accio, Luna Lovegood's shoes!"
The shoes disappeared from the giggling girls' grasp and dropped into Hermione's hands.
Startled, both girls looked around, then turned, looking at Hermione, confused.
"Hey!" One of the girls protested.
"Shut up," Hermione ordered, her voice low and dark, making both girls stiffen, and she aimed her wand at both girls and said, "Stay away from Luna Lovegood from now on, or I'll send you flying out of Hogwarts and into the lake with the kraken."
At both girls' shocked expressions, Hermione added, a cold smirk on her face, "In case either of you are wondering who I am? The name's Hermione Granger. I'm sure you heard about what I did in my first year. To professor Quirrell and Voldemort." She watched with satisfaction at the girls' eyes widened and they paled at the mention of Voldemort.
They understood clearly, that they were in the presence of someone who had killed another person and Hermione watched as one of the girls swallowed hard.
Hermione added, voice dark and vicious, "So, just stay the fuck away from her, understand?"
Hermione then turned and ran back down the hall, carrying the shoes with her.
She reached where Luna and Pansy were and she reached out, handing the shoes back to Luna.
Luna took the shoes back, smiling at Hermione.
"Thank you, Hermione," she said and Hermione nodded back to the blonde, assuming that Pansy had told Luna what their names were.
"You're welcome," she said, "Do you want us to walk you anywhere?"
Luna smiled still as she said, "You're welcome to do that, if you'd like."
Hermione almost chuckled. An odd girl, but nice. Hermione and Pansy walked Luna to the younger girl's class and said goodbye to her there. Luna thanked them a few more times happily, before going off to her class.
When Luna was behind the door of her classroom, Hermione and Pansy turned to each other as they went down the hall to their class, and Pansy said, "That was one weird girl."
"Yeah," Hermione said, nodding, "But good thing I got her shoes back."
Pansy nodded as they went to their class.
Hermione said, grimacing, "You know that Buckbeak's execution is coming up today."
Pansy winced as she said, "Yeah. Think there's something we can do?"
"I don't know," Hermione confessed, "But we shouldn't leave Hagrid alone right now. After class, I think we should go check on him."
Pansy answered "alright" quietly, and they went to class.
After class, they met up with Daphne, Astoria and Millicent and they went out into the courtyard, passing by the leering executioner, who was sharpening his very threatening looking ax.
Hermione glared at him as she and the other girls passed by, seeing his nasty grin thrown at them.
They got out of the courtyard and reached the area just above the steps leading down to Hagrid's hut.
And they saw a most unpleasant sight there.
Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was there, with his cronies.
Malfoy was giggling with his friends, and to Hermione's disgust and growing rage, had a pair of binoculars on him.
They were going to watch Buckbeak get executed and were going to laugh about it!
Hermione went into action before she could tell herself not to, storming over.
Malfoy and the others caught notice of her and Malfoy asked, smirking, "Come to watch the show?"
Rage was the entirety of Hermione's emotions right now and she stormed right over to Malfoy and the others, pulling out her wand without hesitation and snarled, "You, foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" She felt a thrill of pleasure at the fear growing on Malfoy's face as he saw her coming at him with the wand and with the mask of rage all over her face and she aimed the tip of her wand right at Malfoy's face as he backed up into a large stone behind him, looking terrified.
"Hermione, easy," Daphne said, "He's not worth getting into trouble over."
"Mione," Astoria said, sounding nervous.
Hermione felt Pansy and Millicent staring at her, shocked.
Hermione noticed both Crabbe and Goyle watching, and she could feel their fear, and she wasn't going to lie, it was a satisfying feeling.
Hermione watched Malfoy whimper and shake. He clearly was terrified.
And she supposed she understood that.
After all, everyone in the entire school, knew what Hermione was capable of.
They had all heard of what Hermione had done at the end of her first year. What she had done to Quirrell and Voldemort.
They knew that she was capable of using the killing curse.
Hermione decided it was time Malfoy learned some respect for muggle culture.
And she knew one way of doing it.
Showing him that muggles were not helpless.
She lowered her wand away from Malfoy's face and as soon as Malfoy started to look relieved, Hermione whirled around, balling up her fist and rammed it right into Malfoy's face.
She heard the enjoyable sound of something breaking and he yelped in pain, falling back against the stone she'd pinned him up to.
Crabbe and Goyle both gasped, shocked.
They bent down to help Malfoy up, but Hermione wasn't going to let it end just with that.
She leaned down and put the tip of her wand under Malfoy's chin, just at his neck, and she saw his eyes become huge with fear again.
She said coldly to him, as she felt him tremble, "Let this be a lesson, Malfoy. Muggles are not helpless. That was just a taste of some of the ways a muggle could hurt you. And I'm sure it's more than a coward like you would ever learn on your own. We don't need wands to hurt people. Now, run away, scared little boy."
Hermione stepped back, after sneering those last words out and only then did she allow Crabbe and Goyle to help Malfoy run away. The three of them ran, Malfoy gripping his nose and looking back at Hermione, terrified and shocked.
When all three boys disappeared, Hermione looked to her friends, suddenly feeling sheepish about what they'd just witnessed.
"Wow," Pansy said, both shocked and smiling.
Astoria's mouth had dropped.
Millicent and Daphne were both looking at Hermione in awe.
"That felt good," Hermione confessed, knowing she probably shouldn't have enjoyed that.
"Can't say I blame you," Daphne said, clearly amazed.
"Right," Hermione said awkwardly, "We should go."
The other girls nodded, but still looking at Hermione as if she had just done the most awesome thing every, and the five of them went down the steps outside in the yard, to Hagrid's hut.
To their surprise, they weren't the only students that had the thought of checking on Hagrid.
Harry was there too.
Laying between the many pumpkins, was a lounging and oblivious Buckbeak, watching the group of five girls go by and Hermione and the others reached Hagrid's hut, and Harry was there, at the door of the hut.
"Harry," Hermione said, startled, though she wasn't sure why she was startled. After all, weren't Harry and Hagrid friends?
Harry looked just as startled to see Hermione and the other girls.
"Hermione?" Harry asked, "What are you doing here?"
Hermione sighed, "I just felt like Hagrid didn't need to be alone right now, you know?"
Harry smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah," he said, "Exactly why I'm here."
"Do you want us all to see Hagrid?" Daphne asked, "Or do you want to speak with him privately?"
"It's alright," Harry said, "We can all go inside."
Hermione nodded. She then asked, "Where's Ronald Weasley?"
Harry said wryly, "Looking for Scabbers, his pet rat. He says he doesn't know where Scabbers is."
Hermione glanced at the others, worried that any of them, including herself, might give something away.
But thankfully, all Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Millicent did, was tense up, and that was it.
Hermione, however, was slightly disgusted by Ron.
To ignore that a friend needed you?
Hermione ignored her anger at Ron, and the six of them went into the hut together.
Hagrid looked understandably distressed and upset, wiping his eyes every now and then with a large tissue.
Hagrid said that the six of them should leave before Cornelius Fudge arrived with the executioner.
Astoria asked if maybe they could release Buckbeak, but Hermione reminded Astoria that if they did that, then Hagrid would get into trouble.
As they tried to comfort Hagrid, something odd happened, for lack of better terms.
The window of Hagrid's hut was opened, and something flew in and cracked a flowerpot on Hagrid's table.
All six teenagers gasped, jumping up, looking at the wreckage of the flowerpot. Hermione leaned in close, seeing what had destroyed the pot. A small black stone. With an almost seashell shape on it.
Hermione frowned, looking out the window. Where had that come from?
Hermione picked up the stone, curious.
Another stone must have been thrown in from out of nowhere, because Harry suddenly yelped, his hands going to the back of his head.
Daphne and Millicent gasped, looking out the window, but trying to avoid being hit by whoever or whatever was out there.
"Someone's throwing rocks at us?!" Millicent demanded.
Pansy looked out the other window and gasped, "Um, everyone? Fudge, Dumbledore and the executioner are coming."
The kids all realized that they needed to get out, but honestly, none of them felt good about leaving Hagrid to witness Buckbeak's death alone.
When Hermione said that they should stay with him during the execution, Hagrid was incredibly vocal. He said, "You think I'd want any of you to see somethin' like that?! No, the six of you are leaving. And if anyone sees you out of the castle at this time of night, you'll all be in trouble, particularly you, Harry."
Hermione didn't want to, but she knew that Hagrid would never forgive himself if they saw the execution, so she and the others all left the hut, going out the back, under Hagrid's orders.
The six of them ran to hide behind a large patch of big pumpkins.
The six of them hid and watched as several crows flew around and some landed on the pumpkins and Dumbledore and Fudge entered Hagrid's hut.
As the six teenagers waited, a snapping noise caught Hermione's attention from the woods.
Hermione whirled around, recognizing the sound of a stick or twig snapping, and she looked into the dark patch of forest, pulling her wand out at the ready.
Her eyes widened when she thought she caught a flash of…..
But no, it couldn't be, right?
"What is it, Hermione?" Daphne asked, as she, Harry, Astoria, Millicent and Pansy all looked at her and into the dark patch where Hermione was looking.
The figures that Hermione thought she saw for a moment, had gone behind a bunch of trees. And if she was right about what she had seen? She had better stay quiet about it.
"I thought I just saw….," she said, "Never mind," she shook her head and said, nodding to the steps away from Hagrid's hut, "Let's go."
As the six teenagers fled the scene, Hermione occasionally looked back at Buckbeak, feeling sad for him, watching as the hippogriff looked at them, before laying his head down on the ground to rest.
She so badly wanted to help him get away.
But if she had seen what she thought she had seen in the woods? Then maybe there was still a chance for the hippogriff.
At least, she hoped there was.
Hermione wanted to punch Malfoy all over again.
That magnificent, beautiful, and so unaware creature, was the creature that Malfoy had been planning enjoying watching the death of.
For a moment, Hermione almost wished that she had used the killing curse on Malfoy.
The six teenagers got all the way up the steps back to the green overlook, and stood there, looking down at the seemingly now far off pumpkin patch.
Hermione looked at her friends. Both Astoria and Millicent looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment.
Hermione looked back to the scene, seeing the executioner and Fudge emerge.
The executioner raised his ax, and swung it down.
A horrid sound of something being sliced filled the air.
Hermione closed her eyes, pain bursting in her.
She felt herself being hugged then.
She opened her eyes, seeing Millicent hugging her side, the other brunette crying against Hermione's shoulder.
Daphne and Astoria had hugged and Daphne was letting Astoria cry against her.
Pansy was trying to wipe her tears away with the back of her hands, not wanting anyone to notice.
Harry looked like he was in pain as well and Hermione held her free arm out to him and he nodded to her, grateful, hugging himself to her arm, something she doubted he'd do if they hadn't just witnessed what they'd witnessed together.
Not for the first time, Hermione condemned Ron Weasley. He should have been here. He should have been the one reassuring Harry, not her and the others.
"We should probably go back inside before someone notices we're missing," Pansy sniffled.
"Yeah," Hermione said, feeling hollow.
If what she had seen in the woods hadn't been there to make a difference about whether or not Buckbeak was killed, then why had she seen what she had seen? Had she just imagined it?
If so, then who threw the rocks? She certainly hadn't imagined those.
Hermione decided to ignore it and helped Harry and Millicent across the patchy overlook and they, Pansy, Daphne and Astoria, began walking back to the school, when Harry suddenly froze.
Hermione looked back at him, curious. She saw him staring as if in horror at something.
Hermione followed his gaze and looked at where he was staring.
As soon as she did, she felt her heart stop.
A dog. A big, black, shaggy, vicious looking dog.
Looking right at them.
"Harry?" Hermione asked, glancing at Harry nervously.
"I've seen that dog before," Harry said quietly.
"You have?" Daphne asked, looking at the dog, worried, stepping protectively in front of Astoria and Hermione as the dog began to move closer.
"Yeah," Harry said, "Before I was picked up by the Knight bus. I saw it right near my home. By a playground."
Hermione shivered. This dog had been stalking Harry?
And Sirius Black's animagus form was a dog?
Sirius, who had escaped Azkaban, and had gotten into Hogwarts one time, already, and had scratched up the portrait with the fat lady on it.
"Harry," Hermione said, glad she already had her wand out, "Get behind me."
Harry looked at her, confused, but he did as she said.
Hermione aimed her wand at the dog. "Hello," she said, "Sirius Black."
Remus Lupin, at his office, held the map open in front of him. He knew how this map worked, better than anyone in the castle.
Well, that was yet to be seen.
That was only if Sirius Black wasn't in the castle. And only if it turned out that Peter Pettigrew wasn't also in the castle, somehow.
Remus's eyes caught movement, with the name, "Peter Pettigrew," under it.
In a broom closet not far away.
Remus moved quickly, pulling out his wand, anger motivating him.
Peter Pettigrew was alive.
And he knew ultimately what that added up to.
If Pettigrew was alive all this time, why stay as a rat for years and years, even after Sirius Black was locked up?
Remus understood what it meant and went off to the broom closet to fetch Pettigrew and hold him at wand-point.
He just hoped Sirius could forgive him for believing what everyone said about the convict. And that no one had caught Sirius yet.