A.N. Hi. I hope you liked the chapter . . . four . . . ? I think it's four. Ok, that's REALLY pathetic. I can't even remember the number of the chapter. But . . . yeah. Thank you for getting this far, please continue. Unless I scare you away . . . BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! . . . Are you scared . . . ? Having fun with the dots, here! Ok, I'll let you read now. Toodles!

Chapter Five

Harry and Ron (and several others) ran to the passage leading to the portrait and dashed out the already open hole.

Hermione was nowhere in sight, no one was in sight. Suddenly a whimper echoed through the hall, coming from around the corner.

Harry and Ron set off at a run, dashing down the hall, and then around the corner. Hermione was sitting, her back pressed up against the wall, her knees draw up to her chest, and she was trembling.

"Hermione!" exclaimed Ron.

Hermione looked up, her eyes glistened with tears.

"Hermione, what happened?" asked Harry.

Hermione mouthed speechlessly.

"Was it Malfoy, Hermione?" asked Harry.

Hermione nodded, and wiped a tear away.

"He attacked me a-again." She sobbed, "He came up from behind and hit me with a curse . . . and . . . and when I fell he used some magic to . . . " she paused, " . . . he used the Crusiartis curse, one of the unforgivables."

Harry and Ron where shocked into silence. Finally, Ron spoke, "He . . . he what?" he asked.

"You heard me." Said Hermione miserably, putting her head on her knees again "He cursed me."

Suddenly Snape swept down the hall and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Hermione crying, and Ron and Harry standing nearby.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Professor, Malfoy cursed Hermione!" said Ron at once, but Harry's protest drowned out Ron's,

"He did, ask Hermione! It was the Crusiartis Curse!"

Snape looked furious, "Do not spread lies!" he hissed, "I will take this into-" suddenly Snape stopped talking and stared at something behind Harry and Ron.

They turned and saw Abigail, standing just around the corner, slightly out of breath.

"What are you doing here?" spat Snape, his eyes widening menacingly.

"I heard a scream, and I came to see what it was. Not breaking a rule, I hope." Answered Abigail smoothly.

Harry gulped. It wasn't wise to talk smart in front of Snape.

Snape surprised them and answered, "No, not breaking any rules. Now go to your common room, and take those fools with you, too!" snapped Snape, pointing around the corner at the hushed Gryffondor students, gathered around the Fat Ladies painting.

Without speaking, Abigail turned and walked swiftly down the corridor. Moments later they heard her shoo the on-lookers back into Gryffondor tower, and then there was silence.

All except a soft sniffle from Hermione.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione regained her composer, caught up on her review quickly and in no time they were hurrying down to Hagrid cabin for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Why couldn't we have this class indoors?" said Ron, shivering.

For the first time that day Hermione laughed, "Can you imagine Hagrid teaching a class in the castle? Ha, I can't picture it!"

Care of Magical Creatures was interesting and quick. It seemed as though Hagrid hadn't planned it very well. Half the lesson was working and the other half was chatting and warming themselves by a small fire.

Abigail stayed by herself most of the time, although she stood near enough to the fire that it flickered on her pale face. Even firelight couldn't warm her features.

Hermione busied herself by writing in her notebook about Astrominy, endless sentences about the planets and there function.

Harry and Ron, however, stood with Hagrid, talking about this and that; Ron complaining about the cold every five minutes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hermione," said Ron, watching her write on a piece of parchment, "What are you doing?"

Hermione looked up, startled, "What?" she asked, looking from Harry to Ron in a confused way.

"What are you doing?" repeated Ron.

"Oh! Writing down all the goblin rebellions from 1804 to 1923, it's for History of Magic. I thought I might get more out of it is I studied harder on the particular subject we're coving this week, Goblin Rebellions. And, as you know, there where over one hundred and fifty, so I got to work today, rather than tomorrow morning. I've memorized one hundred and thirty and I only have twenty more to go, it's very exciting!"

Ron and Harry stared at Hermione. "One hundred and fifty . . . Hermione, why do you put so much work into you're studies?" said Ron, amazed.

"I don't do too much, you just don't do enough!" snapped Hermione, bending down once more and continuing to write with out a pause.

"Don't do enough . . . Hermione! I think of myself as doing too much!" retorted Ron.

"Then you've obviously got the wrong impression of yourself, Ron." Answered Hermione tartly, without looking up.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Harry spoke first, "Where do you get the time for all your extra work, Hermione? Ron and I are busy all the time, even with homework and everything."

"Exactly." Agreed Ron.

Hermione looked up to speak, "Well, I don't play quiddich or anything like you two do, and in the breaks between cases I get to the next class early so I have a table to work on and such."

"Hermione, I'm not giving up quiddich." Said Harry firmly, and Ron nodded.

Hermione sighed, "I'm not asking you too, in fact, I'm not asking you to do anything." She from Ron to Harry and sighed again. "I really need to study."

"I suppose we should to, eh?" suggested Ron, "We have that potions essay to turn in tomorrow."

Harry yawned widely, "I suppose so."

He and Ron collected parchment, books and quills and set to work on an essay for Snape.

At ten Hermione gathered up her things and Crookshanks and set off to the girl's dormitories with a soft yawn.

Harry and Ron worked avidly at their homework until the common room was almost completely empty. Then a shadow fell across Harry's work and he looked up.

Abigail was standing just behind him and Ron, peering over their shoulders at the notes. When Harry looked up she smiled weakly.

"I just wanted to apologise." She explained softly, "About my behavior. I know my . . . Snape . . . is a cruel fool, and I am sorry to take my temper about him out of everyone else. Snape would . . ." she hesitated, ". . . Not be pleased with my actions."

Harry though that that was not what she had been planning on saying. He nodded, "It's okay. I guess you just . . . I understand."

The corners of Abigail's mouth twitched involuntarily and she looked away. Still looking away she muttered, "Moors Kelp is a remedy for Fox Weed, not Bartonia Seed."

Harry looked confusedly at her, then back at his essay. He spotted the mistake in the second paragraph and quickly scratched it out.

"Thanks." He replied, fixing it.

Abigail nodded soundlessly and then yawned. She walked over to a large armchair in a corner and slumped down in it.

"Done!" said Ron happily, not having heard a word of Harry and Abigail's conversation being too intent on his writing.

"Good, did you get the Moors Kelp right?" asked Harry, peering over at Ron's.

"Yeah, I think so . . . it being a remedy to Fox Weed, right? Or is it Halva Oil . . . I forget."

"Yeah, it's Fox Weed. Listen, Abigail just came over and said she was sorry about her behavior. Is that weird or what? Next thing you know Malfoy will come and-"

But he broke off at the expression on Ron's face.

Ron was looking over Harry's shoulder, into a dark corner, a shocked look on his face.

Turning around quickly, Harry saw Abigail.

She had sat upright, her eyes had widened and she had put a hand slowly to her mouth. As they watched, she got up slowly and walked down the short corridor the portrait hole. It creaked open and they hear her footsteps walking briskly away from the tower.

An hour later she had not returned.

"I'm tucking in." said Ron tiredly, "I need a good sleep."

" . . . Yeah . . ." Harry agreed absentmindedly.

They packed up their things and went to their dormitory.

A.N. My GOODNESS this was a LAME chapter!!!

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