Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Chapter 27
Things were relatively calm in Hogwarts and the outside world until the end of February. Harry hadn't had any of "the" dreams in a few weeks and he was starting to feel like his old self. Unfortunately, the calm turned out to just be the eye of the hurricane.
After three weeks of peace and quiet both inside and out of Hogwarts another attack brought devastation to all. A group of Death Eaters had attacked another magical school near by. Not one student or teacher had survived the attack. Students at Hogwarts, particularly the younger ones, feared that Hogwarts would be next.
Harry and Ron sat in the Common room shortly after the attack. Ginny sat beside her friend Colin across from them. Ginny was one of the ones who was afraid that Hogwarts would be attacked. She jumped at every sound and had been pale and nervous for two days.
"Ginny, I'm telling you. Hogwarts it, like, THE safest place to be. Trust me. Dumbledore would never let anything happen to us students. Not that any Death Eater would be stupid enough to launch an attack on Dumbledore anyway." Ron said, trying to convince his younger sister that it was going to be okay. Ginny sat curled up at the end of the couch and nodded.
"Okay, I get that we COULD be safe. But what about Mom, Dad, Percy, Charlie and Bill." She whispered.
"Bill and Charlie are in Romania and Egypt. They are too far to be in any danger. Mom, Dad and Percy can take care of themselves, you know that." Ron said patiently.
"But what if they can't? What if someone who really hates them tries to kill them?" She whispered again, her eyes as big as saucers.
"Then we'll go and kick some Death Eater butt!" Exclaimed Fred as he and George joined their conversation.
"Oh, but you could be hurt too!" Wailed Ginny. She began to cry.
"Aww, Gin, who hates our family? I mean think about it. Who hates us enough to kill us? No one! We are completely loveable." George said calmly.
"Malfoy." Ginny muttered.
"What?" Asked Ron.
"Malfoy hates us. And he's a Deat- I mean- suspected Death Eater." She looked at the ground.
"Ginny, is there something you want to tell us. Do you know something we don't?" Ginny looked up at her brothers' faces.
"No." She whispered hoarsely.
"Gin. We're serious." Fred sat in front of Ginny and tried to make her look at him. She pulled away and ran to her room.
"I guess she's just worried about Mom and Dad. She'll be okay." Ron advised.
* * *
Hermione sat reading up on Night Dwellers and Golmucks in the library. She was the only one left in the room and Madame Pince was on the other side of the library stacking books. She bent over the large textbook and narrowed her eyes, trying to adjust them to the dim light from her lantern. She was sitting on the floor on the far side of the library. The light from the main lanterns on the walls didn't stretch to that corner.
Hermione heard a sound that made her sit up and look around. There was nothing that she could see. Hermione turned back to her books, but the sound made her look up again. *Hermione, you are getting paranoid. Just because there was an attack at that other school doesn't mean-* But her thought were interrupted by a scraping sound. Hermione blew out her candle and stood up, pressing her back against the stone wall. Her hands trailed the cold stone as she shuffled further into the dark corner. Her heart was racing. The memories of coming home from the store to see the Dark Mark hovering over her house and seeing her parents lying motionless on the livingroom floor along with her own made up images of the people at the attacked school were scaring her. She stood motionless in the corner, all her senses were tuned in. She heard the noises again. Hermione couldn't help but remember the dream Harry had had during Potions. Her and Ron were supposed to pay too. Hermione swallowed hard. Her hand groped on the ground for something hard. She grabbed the dead lantern and hauled it into the shadows with her, waiting. The noises had transformed now, into footsteps. They were gliding softly down the rows of books. Her heart pounded in her ears as the footsteps got closer and closer to her aisle. She briefly wondered where Madame Pince was and how close she was and would she hear Hermione if Hermione screamed? The footsteps stopped at the start of her aisle. Then the slowly began striding down the aisle. She saw the tall, black cloaked form stop by her open book, parchment and quill. She bit back a curse as she realised that she should have hid her things. It was too late not. A few more steps and he would be able to see her outline in the shadows. *It's either now or never* her mind hissed. Summoning up all her courage Hermione leapt from the shadows and with a yell swung the lantern. The figure stopped in shock and appeared to be too stunned to move. Hermione hit the figure with the lantern. The figure let out a shout and fell to the floor. Hermione saw her escape. She threw down the lantern and sprinted down the aisle. As she reached the end of the aisle she turned to run past the tables and out of the library when a voice stopped her.
"Hermione! Hermione stop! It's me." Hermione froze as the figure slowly stood up. The voice was so familiar. She started as the person turned around.
"Professor Lupin!" She cried, "I am so sorry!"
"It's perfectly alright Hermione. Just let me sit down for a moment." Hermione helped Lupin to a seat. She had hit him right in the stomach and it was taking him a minute to catch his breath. Madame Pince hurried over.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Hermione guiltily explained that she had attacked Lupin. Mme Pince looked surprised.
"It's alright Mme Pince. I'm fine." Lupin said with a slight smile, rubbing his stomach gingerly.
"Professor, I am so sorry." Hermione gasped again as Mme Pince left.
"Honestly, Hermione, it's fine. You were defending yourself. You didn't know that it was I. I could have been a Death Eater raiding the school." He smiled his familiar smile at her and Hermione felt relieved that he wasn't seriously hurt. She still felt guilty.
"After everything that's happened to you and everything, I should have taken more caution. This is what I get for creeping around at eight o'clock at night." He grinned at her and Hermione smiled back.
"What were you doing, Professor? If you don't mind my asking, that is." She said quickly.
"Not at all, Hermione. I was, actually, looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about your exam result."
"Oh, you did?"
"Yes, I checked it. Your score for the mocks is the highest anyone has ever got in the O.W.Ls in fifty years. If you maintain that mark for the real O.W.Ls you will get into the 'Hogwarts Book of Outstanding Academics'." He smiled at her proudly. Hermione gasped.
"Really? In that case I'd better study hard! Gosh! Thanks Professor!" Lupin smiled as he watched Hermione grab her stuff and run out of the library with a breathless "bye, thank you".
Things were relatively calm in Hogwarts and the outside world until the end of February. Harry hadn't had any of "the" dreams in a few weeks and he was starting to feel like his old self. Unfortunately, the calm turned out to just be the eye of the hurricane.
After three weeks of peace and quiet both inside and out of Hogwarts another attack brought devastation to all. A group of Death Eaters had attacked another magical school near by. Not one student or teacher had survived the attack. Students at Hogwarts, particularly the younger ones, feared that Hogwarts would be next.
Harry and Ron sat in the Common room shortly after the attack. Ginny sat beside her friend Colin across from them. Ginny was one of the ones who was afraid that Hogwarts would be attacked. She jumped at every sound and had been pale and nervous for two days.
"Ginny, I'm telling you. Hogwarts it, like, THE safest place to be. Trust me. Dumbledore would never let anything happen to us students. Not that any Death Eater would be stupid enough to launch an attack on Dumbledore anyway." Ron said, trying to convince his younger sister that it was going to be okay. Ginny sat curled up at the end of the couch and nodded.
"Okay, I get that we COULD be safe. But what about Mom, Dad, Percy, Charlie and Bill." She whispered.
"Bill and Charlie are in Romania and Egypt. They are too far to be in any danger. Mom, Dad and Percy can take care of themselves, you know that." Ron said patiently.
"But what if they can't? What if someone who really hates them tries to kill them?" She whispered again, her eyes as big as saucers.
"Then we'll go and kick some Death Eater butt!" Exclaimed Fred as he and George joined their conversation.
"Oh, but you could be hurt too!" Wailed Ginny. She began to cry.
"Aww, Gin, who hates our family? I mean think about it. Who hates us enough to kill us? No one! We are completely loveable." George said calmly.
"Malfoy." Ginny muttered.
"What?" Asked Ron.
"Malfoy hates us. And he's a Deat- I mean- suspected Death Eater." She looked at the ground.
"Ginny, is there something you want to tell us. Do you know something we don't?" Ginny looked up at her brothers' faces.
"No." She whispered hoarsely.
"Gin. We're serious." Fred sat in front of Ginny and tried to make her look at him. She pulled away and ran to her room.
"I guess she's just worried about Mom and Dad. She'll be okay." Ron advised.
* * *
Hermione sat reading up on Night Dwellers and Golmucks in the library. She was the only one left in the room and Madame Pince was on the other side of the library stacking books. She bent over the large textbook and narrowed her eyes, trying to adjust them to the dim light from her lantern. She was sitting on the floor on the far side of the library. The light from the main lanterns on the walls didn't stretch to that corner.
Hermione heard a sound that made her sit up and look around. There was nothing that she could see. Hermione turned back to her books, but the sound made her look up again. *Hermione, you are getting paranoid. Just because there was an attack at that other school doesn't mean-* But her thought were interrupted by a scraping sound. Hermione blew out her candle and stood up, pressing her back against the stone wall. Her hands trailed the cold stone as she shuffled further into the dark corner. Her heart was racing. The memories of coming home from the store to see the Dark Mark hovering over her house and seeing her parents lying motionless on the livingroom floor along with her own made up images of the people at the attacked school were scaring her. She stood motionless in the corner, all her senses were tuned in. She heard the noises again. Hermione couldn't help but remember the dream Harry had had during Potions. Her and Ron were supposed to pay too. Hermione swallowed hard. Her hand groped on the ground for something hard. She grabbed the dead lantern and hauled it into the shadows with her, waiting. The noises had transformed now, into footsteps. They were gliding softly down the rows of books. Her heart pounded in her ears as the footsteps got closer and closer to her aisle. She briefly wondered where Madame Pince was and how close she was and would she hear Hermione if Hermione screamed? The footsteps stopped at the start of her aisle. Then the slowly began striding down the aisle. She saw the tall, black cloaked form stop by her open book, parchment and quill. She bit back a curse as she realised that she should have hid her things. It was too late not. A few more steps and he would be able to see her outline in the shadows. *It's either now or never* her mind hissed. Summoning up all her courage Hermione leapt from the shadows and with a yell swung the lantern. The figure stopped in shock and appeared to be too stunned to move. Hermione hit the figure with the lantern. The figure let out a shout and fell to the floor. Hermione saw her escape. She threw down the lantern and sprinted down the aisle. As she reached the end of the aisle she turned to run past the tables and out of the library when a voice stopped her.
"Hermione! Hermione stop! It's me." Hermione froze as the figure slowly stood up. The voice was so familiar. She started as the person turned around.
"Professor Lupin!" She cried, "I am so sorry!"
"It's perfectly alright Hermione. Just let me sit down for a moment." Hermione helped Lupin to a seat. She had hit him right in the stomach and it was taking him a minute to catch his breath. Madame Pince hurried over.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Hermione guiltily explained that she had attacked Lupin. Mme Pince looked surprised.
"It's alright Mme Pince. I'm fine." Lupin said with a slight smile, rubbing his stomach gingerly.
"Professor, I am so sorry." Hermione gasped again as Mme Pince left.
"Honestly, Hermione, it's fine. You were defending yourself. You didn't know that it was I. I could have been a Death Eater raiding the school." He smiled his familiar smile at her and Hermione felt relieved that he wasn't seriously hurt. She still felt guilty.
"After everything that's happened to you and everything, I should have taken more caution. This is what I get for creeping around at eight o'clock at night." He grinned at her and Hermione smiled back.
"What were you doing, Professor? If you don't mind my asking, that is." She said quickly.
"Not at all, Hermione. I was, actually, looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about your exam result."
"Oh, you did?"
"Yes, I checked it. Your score for the mocks is the highest anyone has ever got in the O.W.Ls in fifty years. If you maintain that mark for the real O.W.Ls you will get into the 'Hogwarts Book of Outstanding Academics'." He smiled at her proudly. Hermione gasped.
"Really? In that case I'd better study hard! Gosh! Thanks Professor!" Lupin smiled as he watched Hermione grab her stuff and run out of the library with a breathless "bye, thank you".