Whatever happened to Professor Binns?
"Bet you loved that Weasley!" snarled Malfoy as they left Miss Delacour's classroom, "Lessons with your girlfriend!"
"Shut up Malfoy," said Ron through gritted teeth.
"Oooh, good comeback Ron!" giggled Pansy Parkinson sarcastically, "'Shut up Malfoy' really scathing!"
"What's up with your hair?" Harry asked Pansy in an innocent voice, "Or did you mean to look like a drowned pug?"
Pansy turned violet, linked arms with Malfoy and strolled off, throwing evil looks at both Harry and Ron.
"Er, cheers Harry," said Ron, looking at his toes.
"You're welcome mate."
"Have you seen Hermione?"
"No, where is she?" Harry looked around. They had been standing outside Miss Delacour's classroom for a while and Hermione still hadn't come out. Ron and Harry turned around and listened attentively at the closed door. Somebody was crying! They both listened in silence as the sniffling kept on inside the room.
"D'you reckon we should." began Ron.
"Shut up for a minute." said Harry, listening intently.
"Oh stuff that!" said Ron, "Hermione? Are you alright?"
"Yes!" came a squeaky voice from inside, "J-just give me a m-minute."
Harry exchanged a dark look with Ron. They waited for 30 seconds or more before seeing Hermione exit the classroom, her face was pale and her eyes were red and swollen.
"Hey, Mione!" gasped Harry, running towards her, "What's up, eh?"
Harry gave Hermione a big hug.
"C'mon, what's wrong!" asked Ron in a sympathetic voice, "It can't be all that bad."
"It is." managed Hermione before breaking down into more tears.
"What is?" asked Harry urgently, "What's happened?"
"Is it.is it something to do with." whispered Ron, ".to do with..you- k..i mean.Voldemort."
Hermione slowly nodded and lifted her head out of her hands so she could speak to Harry and Ron.
"It's Professor Binns." murmured Hermione faintly, "He's..gone."
Ron looked at Harry, eyebrows raised. They were clearly thinking the same thing: What the hell?
"Gone?" enquired Harry.
"Yes, gone." whispered Hermione even quieter.
"What happened?" asked Ron, a scared look in his eye.
"It.he.when.ghost.never.Voldemort." Hermione collapsed.
* * * * *
"Move up Harry, let me sit down, you've been hogging that seat for ages."
Harry and Ron were sitting side by side in the Hogwarts hospital wing. They had been there for about an hour since Hermione had fainted. She had woken up once and then fallen asleep with exhaustion so Harry and Ron had decided to stay with her.
"Eventful first day back isn't it?" remarked Harry, turning his head towards Hermione.
"Yeah," added Ron nervously, "What d'you think she was trying to tell us?"
"I'm not sure." replied Harry, brow furrowed, "But whatever it was we need to find out, she seemed so.upset.and she said it was something to do with Voldemort."
"I know, I've no idea what it could be, have you?"
"Nope, not a clue, but it's important, just by the look in her eyes you could tell."
Ron stared at Hermione's sleeping face.
"C'mon Mione! Wake up!" Harry sighed impatiently, "This is important!"
Hermione stirred in her hospital wing bed.
"Hermione, are you awake?" asked Harry in a loud voice on purpose. He didn't care if Hermione wasn't awake, he and Ron needed answers!
"Mmmll-nnnm?" came Hermione's yawning muffled answer.
"She's awake now!" shouted Ron angrily at Harry.
Harry stared in surprise. What was up with Ron? Surely he wanted to know why Hermione was crying? Why was he being so overprotective.
"Harry." murmured Hermione quietly, "Ron!"
"Yeah, we're here Herm" smiled Ron looking down on her.
"Oh, Ron." sniffed Hermione, "It's..I.."
She seemed lost for words.
"Do you need to tell us something?" whispered Harry urgently, "Something important."
Hermione nodded and cleared her throat.
"It's Professor Binns." she began in a weak voice.
"What about him?" asked Harry.
"Why were you crying?" added Ron.
"At the end of the lesson I went to ask that bleached blonde cow-" Harry half expected Ron to retort but he didn't so Hermione continued, "- where Professor Binns was. She wouldn't tell me. But I pestered her. I mean, Binns was boring wasn't he but he was a better teacher than her."
"Yeah, and he hardly gave us any homework apart from the odd goblin essay," said Ron fondly.
"Let Hermione carry on, Ron!" sighed Harry, exasperated, a tone of anger in his voice. Did Ron have to butt in like that? No, he didn't, but he had. Harry wished Ron would just shut up.
Ron gave an inaudible whisper which could've sounded something like: Touchy!
"Well-", Hermione took a deep breath, "She didn't want to tell me but I kept asking and she said she could tell me, if I didn't say, she said I was sensible enough to handle it. Stupid cow trying to butter me up."
"Yes? What did she say?"
"She said.sh-she said..". Hermione didn't seem to be able to say it.
"Yes..yes.?" said Ron impatiently.
"Th-that.." Hermione voice lowered to a soft whisper, "Professor Binns has been k.."
"Killed?" asked Harry quietly.
"Yes." came Hermione's reply.
"Oh, come off it," frowned Ron inquisitively, "You can't kill somebody who's already dead!"
"That's what I thought," said Hermione, her brown eyes roving and staring into Ron's blue ones.
"Bet you loved that Weasley!" snarled Malfoy as they left Miss Delacour's classroom, "Lessons with your girlfriend!"
"Shut up Malfoy," said Ron through gritted teeth.
"Oooh, good comeback Ron!" giggled Pansy Parkinson sarcastically, "'Shut up Malfoy' really scathing!"
"What's up with your hair?" Harry asked Pansy in an innocent voice, "Or did you mean to look like a drowned pug?"
Pansy turned violet, linked arms with Malfoy and strolled off, throwing evil looks at both Harry and Ron.
"Er, cheers Harry," said Ron, looking at his toes.
"You're welcome mate."
"Have you seen Hermione?"
"No, where is she?" Harry looked around. They had been standing outside Miss Delacour's classroom for a while and Hermione still hadn't come out. Ron and Harry turned around and listened attentively at the closed door. Somebody was crying! They both listened in silence as the sniffling kept on inside the room.
"D'you reckon we should." began Ron.
"Shut up for a minute." said Harry, listening intently.
"Oh stuff that!" said Ron, "Hermione? Are you alright?"
"Yes!" came a squeaky voice from inside, "J-just give me a m-minute."
Harry exchanged a dark look with Ron. They waited for 30 seconds or more before seeing Hermione exit the classroom, her face was pale and her eyes were red and swollen.
"Hey, Mione!" gasped Harry, running towards her, "What's up, eh?"
Harry gave Hermione a big hug.
"C'mon, what's wrong!" asked Ron in a sympathetic voice, "It can't be all that bad."
"It is." managed Hermione before breaking down into more tears.
"What is?" asked Harry urgently, "What's happened?"
"Is it.is it something to do with." whispered Ron, ".to do with..you- k..i mean.Voldemort."
Hermione slowly nodded and lifted her head out of her hands so she could speak to Harry and Ron.
"It's Professor Binns." murmured Hermione faintly, "He's..gone."
Ron looked at Harry, eyebrows raised. They were clearly thinking the same thing: What the hell?
"Gone?" enquired Harry.
"Yes, gone." whispered Hermione even quieter.
"What happened?" asked Ron, a scared look in his eye.
"It.he.when.ghost.never.Voldemort." Hermione collapsed.
* * * * *
"Move up Harry, let me sit down, you've been hogging that seat for ages."
Harry and Ron were sitting side by side in the Hogwarts hospital wing. They had been there for about an hour since Hermione had fainted. She had woken up once and then fallen asleep with exhaustion so Harry and Ron had decided to stay with her.
"Eventful first day back isn't it?" remarked Harry, turning his head towards Hermione.
"Yeah," added Ron nervously, "What d'you think she was trying to tell us?"
"I'm not sure." replied Harry, brow furrowed, "But whatever it was we need to find out, she seemed so.upset.and she said it was something to do with Voldemort."
"I know, I've no idea what it could be, have you?"
"Nope, not a clue, but it's important, just by the look in her eyes you could tell."
Ron stared at Hermione's sleeping face.
"C'mon Mione! Wake up!" Harry sighed impatiently, "This is important!"
Hermione stirred in her hospital wing bed.
"Hermione, are you awake?" asked Harry in a loud voice on purpose. He didn't care if Hermione wasn't awake, he and Ron needed answers!
"Mmmll-nnnm?" came Hermione's yawning muffled answer.
"She's awake now!" shouted Ron angrily at Harry.
Harry stared in surprise. What was up with Ron? Surely he wanted to know why Hermione was crying? Why was he being so overprotective.
"Harry." murmured Hermione quietly, "Ron!"
"Yeah, we're here Herm" smiled Ron looking down on her.
"Oh, Ron." sniffed Hermione, "It's..I.."
She seemed lost for words.
"Do you need to tell us something?" whispered Harry urgently, "Something important."
Hermione nodded and cleared her throat.
"It's Professor Binns." she began in a weak voice.
"What about him?" asked Harry.
"Why were you crying?" added Ron.
"At the end of the lesson I went to ask that bleached blonde cow-" Harry half expected Ron to retort but he didn't so Hermione continued, "- where Professor Binns was. She wouldn't tell me. But I pestered her. I mean, Binns was boring wasn't he but he was a better teacher than her."
"Yeah, and he hardly gave us any homework apart from the odd goblin essay," said Ron fondly.
"Let Hermione carry on, Ron!" sighed Harry, exasperated, a tone of anger in his voice. Did Ron have to butt in like that? No, he didn't, but he had. Harry wished Ron would just shut up.
Ron gave an inaudible whisper which could've sounded something like: Touchy!
"Well-", Hermione took a deep breath, "She didn't want to tell me but I kept asking and she said she could tell me, if I didn't say, she said I was sensible enough to handle it. Stupid cow trying to butter me up."
"Yes? What did she say?"
"She said.sh-she said..". Hermione didn't seem to be able to say it.
"Yes..yes.?" said Ron impatiently.
"Th-that.." Hermione voice lowered to a soft whisper, "Professor Binns has been k.."
"Killed?" asked Harry quietly.
"Yes." came Hermione's reply.
"Oh, come off it," frowned Ron inquisitively, "You can't kill somebody who's already dead!"
"That's what I thought," said Hermione, her brown eyes roving and staring into Ron's blue ones.
