All four Grffindors headed down to breakfast in the Great Hall. When they
sat down at the table, they were joined by Neville Longbottom and the
Weasly twins Fred and George. All was fine till Draco Malfloy walked over
to the table with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him.
"Well, well, well. Looky what we have here. A new member of the freak squad," sneered Draco.
"Leave her alone,"ordered Hermione.
"Why? What are you going to do about it apple shiner. Is your little friend going to become an apple shiner to? Or is she going to be a total failure like Weasly and Potter?" Hollie was looking down at her plate as if she couldn't hear anyone at all. Draco then walked up closer to Hollie and whispered,"So who are you going to be like?"
All the sudden when Harry thought her face could go no reder, Hollie whiped around and had Draco in a head lock. Both Crabbe and Goyle took off when she started to say,"I'm neither. As far as I'm conserned there is no such thing as an apple shiner nor a failure. There is only friends and enemies. And trust me Draco you don't want me as an enemy while your around Hogwarts. Now the only way I will let you go is if and only if you leave my friends and myself alone. You also must stop your stupidiful jokes about mix bloods and muggles got it?"
Draco managed out a tiny,"Yes," while he was let go of Hollie's arms and tried to hide his tears from the laughing tables. Hollie just stood there and then whistled for Torso which couldn't be heard by anyone. She silently walked out into the courtyard. Hollie went to sit down at the water fountain right in the middle of the courtyard when she remebered that Snape's class was next. She hurried up to the Gryffindor tower to get her books. Time wasn't on her side. Trying to rush through the crowded corridors, she was knocked over by Neville.
"Sorry about that Hollie. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Neville! Duh, we have potion class next and I heard Snape takes pionts away if your late."
"Oh, didn't Dumbledore tell ya?"
"What was Dumbledore suppose to tell me Neville?"
"That on holidays like Halloween we don't have any classes. It has always been that way since you know..."
"I'm sorry but I don't know, since what?"
Neville began to talk in a whisper that was almost impossible for Hollie to hear.
"He told us students that there be no classes on holidays after You Know Who showed up last year."
"Are you sure?" Then Hollie looked around and realized it must have been true for no one was rushing off to classes. Plus most of the teachers were in the corridors talking to each other. "Thanks Neville. I'm surprised Dumbledore didn't tell me. If anyone is looking for me I will be in the library Okay?"
"Sure thing." Neville went towards the Great Hall while Hollie headed for the library. A few minutes later Harry, Ron, and Harmione came up to Neville.
"Neville, have you seen Hollie. We can't find her. The last we saw of her was at breakfast,"asked Hermione.
"Yeah. Hollie told me that if anyone was looking for her that she would be in the library."
"Thanks Neville,"said Hermione.
When they walked into the library, they saw Hollie setting at the fourth table. As they got closer they could tell that the book Hollie had was not a normal one at all for any Hogwarts' student to have.
Ron asked,"Um Hollie what are you reading?"
Closing the book shut Hollie said,"It's called uhhhhhh........it's not important.
"Why are you reading it?I know it's not one of our assignments," said Hermione.
"To be honest I really don't know. The cover seemed to catch my eye." For Harry this wasn't normal for the cover of the book was really shabby and the pages were full of nicks and thousands of tears.Hermione glanced over at Harry and Ron. They all knew that a book like the one Hollie had would only come out of the restricted section. Harry also knew that Hollie hadn't been to any classes yet so there was no way she could have gotten a note from a proffessor. Harry was really nervous. What if Hollie was an evil and dark wizard."Say Hollie, how did you get that book?"
"Ohh goodness! I'm...ah...late!" Hollie dashed out of the library and left the book in the RETURN slot.
"I wonder where she was off to in such a hurry. Her fencing challenge won't start till after lunch and that's four hours away. Do you think she went to Proffessor Dumbledore's office?" thought Harry.
Hermione was deep in her own thought as Harry and Ron try to catch up with Hollie. Hermione mumbled to herself,"I wonder?" and speed off down a dimly lighted corridor. Hermione followed the passage way to the hospital wing. Sure enough she was right. Hollie was sneeking behind the school's nurse to the medicine cabinet.
Hermione tried to see what exactly Hollie was taking out but the view was blocked by a screen puller. Hermione made the decision to tell someone but thought about what Hollie had said to Draco that he wouldn't want to become her enemy. Hermione surely didn't want to cause trouble and left to hide up in the girls' dormintories. Not wanting to take the chance to be seen Hermione hid behind an old oak dresser. She suddenly heard the door to the common room fling open. Then she could hear Hollie's vioce off in the distance. "Torso come here! Quickly please Torso. I really need your help!"
A fluttering owl flew in through the opened window and loud thumps started to come up the stairs. "Torso it's starting to hurt again really badly."
Hermione saw her walk in with Torso flying in and landing right in the middle of Hollie's bed. There was blood seeping down onto the sleeve of Hollie's cloak.
"Torso what am I going to do. It stings really badly. I mean it shouldn't hurt this much should it. I was for sure it would have heeled before I arrived at school. But last night I looked and it was still there."
"Well what do you expect? It was a terrible cut when you first got it. But you are right. It should have heeled by now. Maybe you should go and see the school nurse. There is a possible chance it might be worse than you thought it was."
" No! Torso I can't do that! If I go to the nurse they will find out what happened. I don't want to be bothered with to many questions now! Not while I am here at Hogwarts!"
Hermione was trying to understand what Torso was saying but it was no good. All she could hear was Hollie talking and see Torso's beak moving up and down. Hermione about let herself be discovered when Hollie pulled back her sleeve. You could barely see the skin. This was serious. Blood started to flow onto the marble floor. Hermione could see a big gash about 2 inches long on Hollie's upper right arm. "Torso. Here I brought some bandages up from the hospital wing. If you can help me get it cleaned up I should be okay for now."
Hermione watched for about a half hour Hollie and Torso cleaning up the blood from Hollie's arm and the floor. She had to admit, both were fairly well at cleaning. Hollie looked up at the clock and headed down for the Great Hall for lunch. After she left Hermione sneeked out of her hiding place and decided to tell Proffesssor Dumbledore what she had seen. She new that her new friendship and friend depended on it. Hermione managed to make it through the hallways and up to where the secret door was for Proffessor Dumbledore's office. When he was about to leave for lunch Hermione shouted loudly,"Proffessor Dumbledore! I need to speak to you quick." Dumbledore was in a conversation with McGonnagol when he turned around and saw Hermione.
Dumbledore told Hermione,"Please come in. McGonnagol will please go down to the Great Hall and start the lunching? I will be in my office if you need anything." McGonnagol headed down the corridor as told to do so. "So tell me Miss Granger what is so urrggent? Are you sick at all?"
"No Proffessor, it's not me." Dumbledore's smile broke into a frown.
"Hermione, if it's not you who is it?"
Dumbledore began to look very serious and conserned about this. Hermione wiggled back and forth in her seat. Her face was becoming real red.
"It's.......er....wel...it's Hollie."
Dumbledore turned so pale that he look like a ghost. Shaking so severe he said,"What's wrong. Now I promise Hermione what's said in here will stay. I won't tell anyone that you came up here." "Hollie was....er..wel it started earlier today in the library." Did Hermione really want to tell. She was so nervous she began to wet tears along her face. Then all of the sudden she blurted everything out all at once. " Me, Harry, Ron went to see what she was doing and we saw her with this weird book and right after we asked where she got it from she took off runing. Of course I went looking for her in the hospital wing since she was coughing terribly the night before and I found her grabbing bandages. I took a wildly guess and went to go hide up in the girls' dorm behind a dresser so she couldn't see me. Then I saw her walk in with her owl Torso and she was telling him that something was hurting real bad. I thought it might have been a little scratch or her ankle. But I was really really wrong. Blood started to seep through her sleeve and out onto the floor. She then pulled her sleeve up and there was this enormous cut on her arm about two inches long. It wasn't like a little deep cut either. So I watched her and her owl clean up the whole thing and she was still bleeding through the bandage!"
Hermione went all the way blue in her face. She kept huffing and puffing till
Proffessor Dumbledore told her to drink a glass of water.
"Hermione. I don't want you to tell anyone about this. Not even Harry nor Ron. I will take care of this matter after all students are in there beds. Now I think you should go down and have lunch." Dumbledore walked Hermione out of his office and headed directly to the hospital wing leaving Hermione to herself and thought of what she just had down. As Hermione walked down the corridor she wished more and more she hadn't told Dumbledore what had happen to Hollie. If Dumbledore told Hollie that it was Hermione who let him know what was going on would Hollie try to hurt her. Or maybe even kill her.
"Well, well, well. Looky what we have here. A new member of the freak squad," sneered Draco.
"Leave her alone,"ordered Hermione.
"Why? What are you going to do about it apple shiner. Is your little friend going to become an apple shiner to? Or is she going to be a total failure like Weasly and Potter?" Hollie was looking down at her plate as if she couldn't hear anyone at all. Draco then walked up closer to Hollie and whispered,"So who are you going to be like?"
All the sudden when Harry thought her face could go no reder, Hollie whiped around and had Draco in a head lock. Both Crabbe and Goyle took off when she started to say,"I'm neither. As far as I'm conserned there is no such thing as an apple shiner nor a failure. There is only friends and enemies. And trust me Draco you don't want me as an enemy while your around Hogwarts. Now the only way I will let you go is if and only if you leave my friends and myself alone. You also must stop your stupidiful jokes about mix bloods and muggles got it?"
Draco managed out a tiny,"Yes," while he was let go of Hollie's arms and tried to hide his tears from the laughing tables. Hollie just stood there and then whistled for Torso which couldn't be heard by anyone. She silently walked out into the courtyard. Hollie went to sit down at the water fountain right in the middle of the courtyard when she remebered that Snape's class was next. She hurried up to the Gryffindor tower to get her books. Time wasn't on her side. Trying to rush through the crowded corridors, she was knocked over by Neville.
"Sorry about that Hollie. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Neville! Duh, we have potion class next and I heard Snape takes pionts away if your late."
"Oh, didn't Dumbledore tell ya?"
"What was Dumbledore suppose to tell me Neville?"
"That on holidays like Halloween we don't have any classes. It has always been that way since you know..."
"I'm sorry but I don't know, since what?"
Neville began to talk in a whisper that was almost impossible for Hollie to hear.
"He told us students that there be no classes on holidays after You Know Who showed up last year."
"Are you sure?" Then Hollie looked around and realized it must have been true for no one was rushing off to classes. Plus most of the teachers were in the corridors talking to each other. "Thanks Neville. I'm surprised Dumbledore didn't tell me. If anyone is looking for me I will be in the library Okay?"
"Sure thing." Neville went towards the Great Hall while Hollie headed for the library. A few minutes later Harry, Ron, and Harmione came up to Neville.
"Neville, have you seen Hollie. We can't find her. The last we saw of her was at breakfast,"asked Hermione.
"Yeah. Hollie told me that if anyone was looking for her that she would be in the library."
"Thanks Neville,"said Hermione.
When they walked into the library, they saw Hollie setting at the fourth table. As they got closer they could tell that the book Hollie had was not a normal one at all for any Hogwarts' student to have.
Ron asked,"Um Hollie what are you reading?"
Closing the book shut Hollie said,"It's called uhhhhhh........it's not important.
"Why are you reading it?I know it's not one of our assignments," said Hermione.
"To be honest I really don't know. The cover seemed to catch my eye." For Harry this wasn't normal for the cover of the book was really shabby and the pages were full of nicks and thousands of tears.Hermione glanced over at Harry and Ron. They all knew that a book like the one Hollie had would only come out of the restricted section. Harry also knew that Hollie hadn't been to any classes yet so there was no way she could have gotten a note from a proffessor. Harry was really nervous. What if Hollie was an evil and dark wizard."Say Hollie, how did you get that book?"
"Ohh goodness! I'm...ah...late!" Hollie dashed out of the library and left the book in the RETURN slot.
"I wonder where she was off to in such a hurry. Her fencing challenge won't start till after lunch and that's four hours away. Do you think she went to Proffessor Dumbledore's office?" thought Harry.
Hermione was deep in her own thought as Harry and Ron try to catch up with Hollie. Hermione mumbled to herself,"I wonder?" and speed off down a dimly lighted corridor. Hermione followed the passage way to the hospital wing. Sure enough she was right. Hollie was sneeking behind the school's nurse to the medicine cabinet.
Hermione tried to see what exactly Hollie was taking out but the view was blocked by a screen puller. Hermione made the decision to tell someone but thought about what Hollie had said to Draco that he wouldn't want to become her enemy. Hermione surely didn't want to cause trouble and left to hide up in the girls' dormintories. Not wanting to take the chance to be seen Hermione hid behind an old oak dresser. She suddenly heard the door to the common room fling open. Then she could hear Hollie's vioce off in the distance. "Torso come here! Quickly please Torso. I really need your help!"
A fluttering owl flew in through the opened window and loud thumps started to come up the stairs. "Torso it's starting to hurt again really badly."
Hermione saw her walk in with Torso flying in and landing right in the middle of Hollie's bed. There was blood seeping down onto the sleeve of Hollie's cloak.
"Torso what am I going to do. It stings really badly. I mean it shouldn't hurt this much should it. I was for sure it would have heeled before I arrived at school. But last night I looked and it was still there."
"Well what do you expect? It was a terrible cut when you first got it. But you are right. It should have heeled by now. Maybe you should go and see the school nurse. There is a possible chance it might be worse than you thought it was."
" No! Torso I can't do that! If I go to the nurse they will find out what happened. I don't want to be bothered with to many questions now! Not while I am here at Hogwarts!"
Hermione was trying to understand what Torso was saying but it was no good. All she could hear was Hollie talking and see Torso's beak moving up and down. Hermione about let herself be discovered when Hollie pulled back her sleeve. You could barely see the skin. This was serious. Blood started to flow onto the marble floor. Hermione could see a big gash about 2 inches long on Hollie's upper right arm. "Torso. Here I brought some bandages up from the hospital wing. If you can help me get it cleaned up I should be okay for now."
Hermione watched for about a half hour Hollie and Torso cleaning up the blood from Hollie's arm and the floor. She had to admit, both were fairly well at cleaning. Hollie looked up at the clock and headed down for the Great Hall for lunch. After she left Hermione sneeked out of her hiding place and decided to tell Proffesssor Dumbledore what she had seen. She new that her new friendship and friend depended on it. Hermione managed to make it through the hallways and up to where the secret door was for Proffessor Dumbledore's office. When he was about to leave for lunch Hermione shouted loudly,"Proffessor Dumbledore! I need to speak to you quick." Dumbledore was in a conversation with McGonnagol when he turned around and saw Hermione.
Dumbledore told Hermione,"Please come in. McGonnagol will please go down to the Great Hall and start the lunching? I will be in my office if you need anything." McGonnagol headed down the corridor as told to do so. "So tell me Miss Granger what is so urrggent? Are you sick at all?"
"No Proffessor, it's not me." Dumbledore's smile broke into a frown.
"Hermione, if it's not you who is it?"
Dumbledore began to look very serious and conserned about this. Hermione wiggled back and forth in her seat. Her face was becoming real red.
"It's.......er....wel...it's Hollie."
Dumbledore turned so pale that he look like a ghost. Shaking so severe he said,"What's wrong. Now I promise Hermione what's said in here will stay. I won't tell anyone that you came up here." "Hollie was....er..wel it started earlier today in the library." Did Hermione really want to tell. She was so nervous she began to wet tears along her face. Then all of the sudden she blurted everything out all at once. " Me, Harry, Ron went to see what she was doing and we saw her with this weird book and right after we asked where she got it from she took off runing. Of course I went looking for her in the hospital wing since she was coughing terribly the night before and I found her grabbing bandages. I took a wildly guess and went to go hide up in the girls' dorm behind a dresser so she couldn't see me. Then I saw her walk in with her owl Torso and she was telling him that something was hurting real bad. I thought it might have been a little scratch or her ankle. But I was really really wrong. Blood started to seep through her sleeve and out onto the floor. She then pulled her sleeve up and there was this enormous cut on her arm about two inches long. It wasn't like a little deep cut either. So I watched her and her owl clean up the whole thing and she was still bleeding through the bandage!"
Hermione went all the way blue in her face. She kept huffing and puffing till
Proffessor Dumbledore told her to drink a glass of water.
"Hermione. I don't want you to tell anyone about this. Not even Harry nor Ron. I will take care of this matter after all students are in there beds. Now I think you should go down and have lunch." Dumbledore walked Hermione out of his office and headed directly to the hospital wing leaving Hermione to herself and thought of what she just had down. As Hermione walked down the corridor she wished more and more she hadn't told Dumbledore what had happen to Hollie. If Dumbledore told Hollie that it was Hermione who let him know what was going on would Hollie try to hurt her. Or maybe even kill her.