Disclaimer: Okay, this is the last time I'm putting this up on separate
chapters. If you want to know what I own and what I don't, look at the
disclaimer on the first chapter. I think it will just be easier that way.
A.N. Hey all! I'm back! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter, you guys rule! (LoL, as of now I've only had two reviews, but special thanks to ya: Wolf Cry and Draco's Princess!) Keep them coming, and as I said before, flames are welcome because I'm one of those strange people that actually enjoy being insulted! Please review everyone! Hope you like it!
Harry Potter and the Last Dance
Chapter 2:
In the weeks that followed the fatal day Hermione had told Harry about Buckbeak, Hogwarts had slowly and steadily turned into a scene of terror and confusion. By now Professor Dumbledore had informed the students that "a terrible tragedy" had happened in Hogsmeade, and that students were, until further notice, "restricted from leaving the school's property, with special emphasis on the Forbidden Forest (as always) and Hogsmeade itself."
At his words the Great Hall erupted into groans, and Harry's worst suspicions were aroused. In the cloud of chatter that had exploded, only one person at the Gryffindor table noticed Harry's mouth drop open and his spoon fall from his hand with a small clatter, and that was Hermione.
"Harry--" she said, placing her hand gently on his. "Don't go up there."
He looked at her, suprised but still distressed. A small, strained smile appeared on his lips. "You really know me too well, don't you?"
Hermione smiled softly. "I just know that you always want the truth, and we both know there's something Dumbledore's not telling us."
Harry had risen halfway out of his seat by then, but at her words he plopped miserably back down. "Hermione, I have to find out what happened to Sirius. If Buckbeak's dead, then--then I really don't want to think about what could've happened to him. I need to figure this out by myself. Maybe with Ron's help--"
"What about Ron?" asked the red headed boy on the other side of Harry. "I don't seem to remember being invited into this conversation."
"Ron!" Hermione groaned. "Just leave Harry alone. You know he has enough on his plate without you worrying him."
"Wait, I asked for help, remember?" Harry interrupted, turning his attention to Ron. "You do know about, ah, Snuffles, right?" he asked, purposely using the nickname Sirius had asked them to call him in public. Ron nodded. "Well, I need to find out what happened. I have a feeling there may be something in that cave that no one accounted for when Snuffles moved in. Either that, or someone in Hogsmeade is helping Voldemort--"
"Harry, please!" gasped Ron, wincing at the mention of Voldemort.
"Sorry," Harry said automatically. "I have a feeling someone in Hogsmeade is helping You-Know-Who get rid of people that are protecting the school." His eyes shifted downwards once more to his plate. He knew very well that Voldemort probably couldn't care less about Hogwarts. No, it was what--or rather, who--that was inside Hogwarts that mattered to the Dark Lord.
Ron was oblivious to Harry's words. "So, you're suggesting that You- Know-Who is trying to take over the school?" he asked. "It would be pretty easy, wouldn't it? I mean, Dad says any wizard with a fairly clever brain can get past the protection spells quickly enough, and You-Know-Who would have to be clever, because how could he have killed so many people otherwise? After all--"
Harry and Hermione met each other's eyes sarcasticly, shaking their heads in disbelief. For someone that had been through so many predicaments in the past few years, you'd think Ron would be able to think outside the box a little easier. But no, he was simple-minded still, but to his friends it mattered not at all. They just liked watching him revel in his own little world sometimes.
"Well, yes and no, Ron," Harry answered his fleet of questions, looking at his watch. "We'd better be off," he added to Hermione. "Ancient Runes starts in ten minutes."
"See you in Charms, then," called Ron cheerfully from the table as he stuffed another piece of toast into his mouth.
Once they were in the hallway, Harry and Hermione hurried up to the Gryffindor common room to gather their books for morning classes. "I'm so glad I dropped Divination," Harry told her as they began making their way toward the Ancient Runes classroom. "I felt bad leaving Ron at first, but I really was sick of having my death predicted every day."
Hermione adjusted the way she was carrying her books before answering. "I don't blame you in the least," she huffed. "That woman! I'd bet anything she has never made more than a few true predictions in her life."
"That is one bet you'd definitely win," Harry assured her. Then, seeing her struggling under the weight of her books, he reached out and picked up the top two, carrying them at his side with the rest of his own books. He had tried to act nonchalantly, but Hermione seemed to have noticed the way his hands were shaking as he picked up her books and the tiny smile on his face now that, the more he tried erasing it, the broader it became.
He looked down at her, confusion apparent in his eyes (or so he feared). What he was feeling now was one of those feelings he couldn't explain--it felt like someone had just tied his stomach into knots, knots that grew only tighter when she looked up at him with a tentative little grin. "Thanks, Harry."
Somehow, when spoken by her, those words took on a new meaning. He suddenly felt as though he would burst with joy--but instead he felt his face go scarlet and heard his voice, stuttering out something along the lines of, "It's no problem, really." In fact, Harry was so overcome with emotion that he didn't notice how red Hermione's cheeks had gotten, or how she was all of a sudden staring at her shoes as if they'd sprouted wings.
A embarrassed silence passed between them and lasted until they walked into the Ancient Runes classroom, taking seats beside one another. Harry, cheeks still slightly pink, handed Hermione her books without a word. There was something in those books he wanted desperately for her to find--and at the same time wished he had kept it in his pocket, where it belonged.
Hermione sighed, opening the first textbook up, far ahead of the page the class was on. 'Typical,' Harry thought. Then, with increasing horror, he watched as she lifted the book up a little, just barely moving it, but that was enough. A note fell out of the very back pages and floated to the floor as the professor entered the room. Hermione gave a small gasp of curiosity and picked the parchment up.
Harry sighed in relief. At least the teacher hadn't found it. Then Hermione opened the letter, and Harry's heart skipped several beats. 'Stupid, stupid me," he cursed himself. 'I had to write her a letter. Oh God. I--I didn't sign my name, did I?'
But, over the drone of another boring Ancient Runes lesson, he heard her gasp again. This time Harry did not look at her; could not look at her. He concentrated with all his might on the stack of books before him, but when he finally dared look up several minutes later, Hermione was watching him, a smile on her face.
A.N. OK GUYS, SORRY I DIDN'T GET FARTHER. I WILL NEXT CHAPTER, I PROMISE!
PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS!
LUV, ~ME~
A.N. Hey all! I'm back! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter, you guys rule! (LoL, as of now I've only had two reviews, but special thanks to ya: Wolf Cry and Draco's Princess!) Keep them coming, and as I said before, flames are welcome because I'm one of those strange people that actually enjoy being insulted! Please review everyone! Hope you like it!
Harry Potter and the Last Dance
Chapter 2:
In the weeks that followed the fatal day Hermione had told Harry about Buckbeak, Hogwarts had slowly and steadily turned into a scene of terror and confusion. By now Professor Dumbledore had informed the students that "a terrible tragedy" had happened in Hogsmeade, and that students were, until further notice, "restricted from leaving the school's property, with special emphasis on the Forbidden Forest (as always) and Hogsmeade itself."
At his words the Great Hall erupted into groans, and Harry's worst suspicions were aroused. In the cloud of chatter that had exploded, only one person at the Gryffindor table noticed Harry's mouth drop open and his spoon fall from his hand with a small clatter, and that was Hermione.
"Harry--" she said, placing her hand gently on his. "Don't go up there."
He looked at her, suprised but still distressed. A small, strained smile appeared on his lips. "You really know me too well, don't you?"
Hermione smiled softly. "I just know that you always want the truth, and we both know there's something Dumbledore's not telling us."
Harry had risen halfway out of his seat by then, but at her words he plopped miserably back down. "Hermione, I have to find out what happened to Sirius. If Buckbeak's dead, then--then I really don't want to think about what could've happened to him. I need to figure this out by myself. Maybe with Ron's help--"
"What about Ron?" asked the red headed boy on the other side of Harry. "I don't seem to remember being invited into this conversation."
"Ron!" Hermione groaned. "Just leave Harry alone. You know he has enough on his plate without you worrying him."
"Wait, I asked for help, remember?" Harry interrupted, turning his attention to Ron. "You do know about, ah, Snuffles, right?" he asked, purposely using the nickname Sirius had asked them to call him in public. Ron nodded. "Well, I need to find out what happened. I have a feeling there may be something in that cave that no one accounted for when Snuffles moved in. Either that, or someone in Hogsmeade is helping Voldemort--"
"Harry, please!" gasped Ron, wincing at the mention of Voldemort.
"Sorry," Harry said automatically. "I have a feeling someone in Hogsmeade is helping You-Know-Who get rid of people that are protecting the school." His eyes shifted downwards once more to his plate. He knew very well that Voldemort probably couldn't care less about Hogwarts. No, it was what--or rather, who--that was inside Hogwarts that mattered to the Dark Lord.
Ron was oblivious to Harry's words. "So, you're suggesting that You- Know-Who is trying to take over the school?" he asked. "It would be pretty easy, wouldn't it? I mean, Dad says any wizard with a fairly clever brain can get past the protection spells quickly enough, and You-Know-Who would have to be clever, because how could he have killed so many people otherwise? After all--"
Harry and Hermione met each other's eyes sarcasticly, shaking their heads in disbelief. For someone that had been through so many predicaments in the past few years, you'd think Ron would be able to think outside the box a little easier. But no, he was simple-minded still, but to his friends it mattered not at all. They just liked watching him revel in his own little world sometimes.
"Well, yes and no, Ron," Harry answered his fleet of questions, looking at his watch. "We'd better be off," he added to Hermione. "Ancient Runes starts in ten minutes."
"See you in Charms, then," called Ron cheerfully from the table as he stuffed another piece of toast into his mouth.
Once they were in the hallway, Harry and Hermione hurried up to the Gryffindor common room to gather their books for morning classes. "I'm so glad I dropped Divination," Harry told her as they began making their way toward the Ancient Runes classroom. "I felt bad leaving Ron at first, but I really was sick of having my death predicted every day."
Hermione adjusted the way she was carrying her books before answering. "I don't blame you in the least," she huffed. "That woman! I'd bet anything she has never made more than a few true predictions in her life."
"That is one bet you'd definitely win," Harry assured her. Then, seeing her struggling under the weight of her books, he reached out and picked up the top two, carrying them at his side with the rest of his own books. He had tried to act nonchalantly, but Hermione seemed to have noticed the way his hands were shaking as he picked up her books and the tiny smile on his face now that, the more he tried erasing it, the broader it became.
He looked down at her, confusion apparent in his eyes (or so he feared). What he was feeling now was one of those feelings he couldn't explain--it felt like someone had just tied his stomach into knots, knots that grew only tighter when she looked up at him with a tentative little grin. "Thanks, Harry."
Somehow, when spoken by her, those words took on a new meaning. He suddenly felt as though he would burst with joy--but instead he felt his face go scarlet and heard his voice, stuttering out something along the lines of, "It's no problem, really." In fact, Harry was so overcome with emotion that he didn't notice how red Hermione's cheeks had gotten, or how she was all of a sudden staring at her shoes as if they'd sprouted wings.
A embarrassed silence passed between them and lasted until they walked into the Ancient Runes classroom, taking seats beside one another. Harry, cheeks still slightly pink, handed Hermione her books without a word. There was something in those books he wanted desperately for her to find--and at the same time wished he had kept it in his pocket, where it belonged.
Hermione sighed, opening the first textbook up, far ahead of the page the class was on. 'Typical,' Harry thought. Then, with increasing horror, he watched as she lifted the book up a little, just barely moving it, but that was enough. A note fell out of the very back pages and floated to the floor as the professor entered the room. Hermione gave a small gasp of curiosity and picked the parchment up.
Harry sighed in relief. At least the teacher hadn't found it. Then Hermione opened the letter, and Harry's heart skipped several beats. 'Stupid, stupid me," he cursed himself. 'I had to write her a letter. Oh God. I--I didn't sign my name, did I?'
But, over the drone of another boring Ancient Runes lesson, he heard her gasp again. This time Harry did not look at her; could not look at her. He concentrated with all his might on the stack of books before him, but when he finally dared look up several minutes later, Hermione was watching him, a smile on her face.
A.N. OK GUYS, SORRY I DIDN'T GET FARTHER. I WILL NEXT CHAPTER, I PROMISE!
PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS!
LUV, ~ME~