The Way Things Were - Part 7
Hermione sat in the common room , thinking . Harry was in the Hospital
Wing , Ron was with him. She liked to do this every night . Sit by the fire ,
and think. Just ... think. It helped keep her calm - and her head. The first
things she thought of was Draco. He had kissed her in Potions. Totally came
out of nowhere. She didn't know what she thought about it. She had been
shocked ... confused ... and then sort of happy. That , she would admit to
no one. And Harry ... what had he seen ? He would tell no one. He had
sounded so terrified ... So unlike the strong Harry that she had know and
come to love. He had sounded like he had on the train. In third year. When
he had been faced with a Dementor . Harry Potter ... Draco Malfoy .
Probably the two most eligible bachelors at Hogwarts. Yet ... Some things ,
maybe , were just not meant to be .
*
"Harry ? Are you alright ?"
"Yeah , I'm fine."
"What happened in there ?"
"In where ?"
"In Dumbledore's office ..."
"Nothing of importance ."
"Sure Harry." He was being very sarcastic .
"Well , I didn't want to tell him what I had seen ..."
"You what ?! You didn't want to tell HIM ? Why ?"
"I don't know. It was just my instincts telling me not to ."
"Well ... Did you tell him ?"
'Yes."
"Why ?"
"He knew. He knew I was hiding something ."
"Are you going to tell me ?'
"Ron-."
"I know , I know."
"You know I can't ."
"But why ?"
"I just - I can't even figure it out ..."
"Please Harry ..."
"I'm sorry - I just - just - can't ."
*
"Hermione ! Wait up !"
Hermione turned around to see Draco running after her. She gave him cut-
eye , and then turned back towards Harry and Ron.
"Hermione ! Please !"
Hermione turned to Harry and Ron. "Could you give me a minute ?"
They nodded , but stayed , staring apprehensively at Draco.
"I think she means 'shove off for a few'." He said , glaring.
Hermione nodded at the disbelieving faces , and looked at Draco .
"Hermione - about yesterday ..."
"It never happened ."
"What ?!"
"It never happened . Right ?'
"Right ."
*
Dumbledore sat down in the grave yard , kneeling next to two of the head
stones . He , and he alone , knew that they held empty coffins.
"Lily - James ... I am so sorry... I don't know if this is normal for me to do
this , but I have thought about you a lot these past few days ... keeping a
secret from Harry is so hard ... He wants to know everything ... From the
minute you woke up , James ... Nothing was the same ... nothing."
Feeling that all that was needed was said , he stood up , and turned around.
A tall man , with greasy black hair stepped out from behind a tree , where
he had been praying on his mother's grave ... he had heard everything ...
*
18 figures crawled along the ground. As the reached the solitary shape in
the middle , they kissed the hem of it's robes.
"Master ... Master ..."
They stood up , and formed a silent circle. No one dared look around , only
the figure in the center began to move.
"My friends ... Welcome. The time has come , my friends ... It has come at
last. I have made my decision , a decision which has taken 20 long years. I
have conquered all. All but one thing. Hogwarts. You know it. I know it.
People say I am afraid , afraid of that muggle loving fool , Dumbledore. It is
time to show them that I am not. Lucius , I am asking you to set up the
procedure . I believe you son is at Hogwarts ... is he not ?"
"Yes Master. He is."
"Very well. He supports our side ?"
"Yes , master."
"Good. I want you to find out information from him. It is December now. By
April , we attack. Have I made myself clear ?'
"Yes Master."
"Very well. Construct a team of 5 or 6 to help you . Make sure it is done
right , or it will be the last thing you do."
Lucius gulped. He nodded , and then turned away to disapparate , hoping
no one would see the tears on his face. He had to attack his son's school.
Who knew who would be killed . Maybe even Draco ... but Death Eaters
don't care. Once a wizard goes over to the dark side , nothing and no one
matters to him any more .... right ?
*
Harry , Ron and Hermione were in Potions Class , talking. Snape wasn't
here yet , so they were taking advantage of the Snape-free time. To tell
the truth , Harry was a little worried , after what happened in last potions
class . Snape suddenly swept into the dungeon , and slammed his books
down on his desk.
"Take out your cauldrons."
They all did .
"Open your books to page 333 . We will be making the draught of the Living
Dead today ."
They all opened their books , and found themselves staring at the recipe for
what looked like an extremely complex potion . They began to make it ,
while Snape came around and helped everyone. Well ... Helped those who
didn't need it. Namely , Draco . The rest , he just flipped out at. When he
reached Harry , he looked down at his potion , and then at him , and then
turned to go onto Hermione. But Harry had seen the strange look on his
face. Sort of sad ... desperate ... almost - pity ?
Hermione sat in the common room , thinking . Harry was in the Hospital
Wing , Ron was with him. She liked to do this every night . Sit by the fire ,
and think. Just ... think. It helped keep her calm - and her head. The first
things she thought of was Draco. He had kissed her in Potions. Totally came
out of nowhere. She didn't know what she thought about it. She had been
shocked ... confused ... and then sort of happy. That , she would admit to
no one. And Harry ... what had he seen ? He would tell no one. He had
sounded so terrified ... So unlike the strong Harry that she had know and
come to love. He had sounded like he had on the train. In third year. When
he had been faced with a Dementor . Harry Potter ... Draco Malfoy .
Probably the two most eligible bachelors at Hogwarts. Yet ... Some things ,
maybe , were just not meant to be .
*
"Harry ? Are you alright ?"
"Yeah , I'm fine."
"What happened in there ?"
"In where ?"
"In Dumbledore's office ..."
"Nothing of importance ."
"Sure Harry." He was being very sarcastic .
"Well , I didn't want to tell him what I had seen ..."
"You what ?! You didn't want to tell HIM ? Why ?"
"I don't know. It was just my instincts telling me not to ."
"Well ... Did you tell him ?"
'Yes."
"Why ?"
"He knew. He knew I was hiding something ."
"Are you going to tell me ?'
"Ron-."
"I know , I know."
"You know I can't ."
"But why ?"
"I just - I can't even figure it out ..."
"Please Harry ..."
"I'm sorry - I just - just - can't ."
*
"Hermione ! Wait up !"
Hermione turned around to see Draco running after her. She gave him cut-
eye , and then turned back towards Harry and Ron.
"Hermione ! Please !"
Hermione turned to Harry and Ron. "Could you give me a minute ?"
They nodded , but stayed , staring apprehensively at Draco.
"I think she means 'shove off for a few'." He said , glaring.
Hermione nodded at the disbelieving faces , and looked at Draco .
"Hermione - about yesterday ..."
"It never happened ."
"What ?!"
"It never happened . Right ?'
"Right ."
*
Dumbledore sat down in the grave yard , kneeling next to two of the head
stones . He , and he alone , knew that they held empty coffins.
"Lily - James ... I am so sorry... I don't know if this is normal for me to do
this , but I have thought about you a lot these past few days ... keeping a
secret from Harry is so hard ... He wants to know everything ... From the
minute you woke up , James ... Nothing was the same ... nothing."
Feeling that all that was needed was said , he stood up , and turned around.
A tall man , with greasy black hair stepped out from behind a tree , where
he had been praying on his mother's grave ... he had heard everything ...
*
18 figures crawled along the ground. As the reached the solitary shape in
the middle , they kissed the hem of it's robes.
"Master ... Master ..."
They stood up , and formed a silent circle. No one dared look around , only
the figure in the center began to move.
"My friends ... Welcome. The time has come , my friends ... It has come at
last. I have made my decision , a decision which has taken 20 long years. I
have conquered all. All but one thing. Hogwarts. You know it. I know it.
People say I am afraid , afraid of that muggle loving fool , Dumbledore. It is
time to show them that I am not. Lucius , I am asking you to set up the
procedure . I believe you son is at Hogwarts ... is he not ?"
"Yes Master. He is."
"Very well. He supports our side ?"
"Yes , master."
"Good. I want you to find out information from him. It is December now. By
April , we attack. Have I made myself clear ?'
"Yes Master."
"Very well. Construct a team of 5 or 6 to help you . Make sure it is done
right , or it will be the last thing you do."
Lucius gulped. He nodded , and then turned away to disapparate , hoping
no one would see the tears on his face. He had to attack his son's school.
Who knew who would be killed . Maybe even Draco ... but Death Eaters
don't care. Once a wizard goes over to the dark side , nothing and no one
matters to him any more .... right ?
*
Harry , Ron and Hermione were in Potions Class , talking. Snape wasn't
here yet , so they were taking advantage of the Snape-free time. To tell
the truth , Harry was a little worried , after what happened in last potions
class . Snape suddenly swept into the dungeon , and slammed his books
down on his desk.
"Take out your cauldrons."
They all did .
"Open your books to page 333 . We will be making the draught of the Living
Dead today ."
They all opened their books , and found themselves staring at the recipe for
what looked like an extremely complex potion . They began to make it ,
while Snape came around and helped everyone. Well ... Helped those who
didn't need it. Namely , Draco . The rest , he just flipped out at. When he
reached Harry , he looked down at his potion , and then at him , and then
turned to go onto Hermione. But Harry had seen the strange look on his
face. Sort of sad ... desperate ... almost - pity ?