Chapter Thirty ~ McGonagall in Charge
The night fell quickly, but not quickly enough for Harry and Ron. They were eager for midnight to come so as to have their revenge. They didn't know where, or what was happening to Hermione,
Malfoy was in charge of the newspapers, so any information could not be counted as entirely reliable. Dumbledore had not returned to the school, and Harry desperately hoped rather then thought him to be helping Hermione. So McGonagall was in charge, she seemed very stressed and no one dared to mess around in Transfiguration. Even Fred and George Weasley (had they still been at Hogwarts) would have thought twice about messing around in McGonagall's class.
Harry and Ron left the Great Hall as soon as they had finished dinner.
They tried to avoid the Gryfindor girls, but they couldn't hide forever.
"Harry, where's Hermione? What's going?" Lavender asked, Parvati nodded from her side.
"Mudblood's dead." Malfoy sniggered as he walked past.
"What?!" Lavender demanded.
"Or as good as."
Harry jumped at him, throwing against the wall.
"What is going on here!?" McGonagall demanded, emerging from the Great Hall as the cry of 'fight' sounded out.
"Tonight." Harry said, with a glare.
Malfoy grinned and walked away. Harry sighed, and collapsed against the wall.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, please follow me." McGonagall said.
"But we haven't done anything, Malfoy started it. . ." Ron began.
McGonagall shook her head. "It's not about that." She turned, her cloak swishing, as she led them to her office. She stepped aside for them to step inside.
"Sit down." They sat.
"You may be wondering why I asked to speak to you. Well, it concerns Miss Granger."
Harry jumped up. "How is she? What's happened?"
"Calm down." McGonagall said, taking a deep breath. "I have just received an owl from Professor Dumbledore. He obviously can't say much, but he hasn't given up yet. . ."
"Hermione?" Harry demanded.
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter." She said, shaking her head.
"What I don't understand!" Harry said.
"Look just say it. What's happened?" Ron asked, jumping up beside his friend.
McGonagall's eyes began to water ever so slightly, she swallowed the lump growing in her throat.
"It is believed that her soul was taken by the dementors."
"NOOOO!!" Harry screamed. "NOOOO, everyone I have ever had has been taken from me, I will not lose Hermione! I will not lose Hermione!" He shouted.
Ron just collapsed back in his chair, hand on chest, finding breathing very difficult.
McGonagall shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Harry picked up a chair and threw it across the room, it thudded against the wall, making a slight dent. He screamed, and flung the nearest table over. McGonagall stopped him in his tracks with an issue of sparks from her wand. "Mr Potter!" She yelled.
"What on earth is going. . .?" Snape began as he flung open the door. "Ah." He said, softly when he saw a seething Potter, and a shocked Weasley.
Harry looked across at him with contempt. "Couldn't you save her?"
Snape pursed his lips together. "No one could have saved her."
McGonagall sighed. It didn't seem right, such a happy clever girl cut down in the prime of her life. She held her head in her hands, close to despair, when she remembered avidly Dumbledore had left her in charge, to keep the students and the school together. She couldn't fail him.
"You could have, you were there."
"To reveal myself would have been to die with her, not save her." Snape said, in his usual sneering, silky voice.
"Then you should have died with her, at least she wouldn't be alone." Harry stormed out, barging past Snape. Ron got up and chased after him on McGonagall's recommendation.
"Harry?" Ron shouted out, as he followed him down the corridor.
"I'm gonna kill Malfoy."
Harry wasn't going to wait for midnight, he was going to get Malfoy, teachers or not. He marched into the Great Hall, Malfoy was entertaining the Slytherin girls with a funny story. Harry strolled up to him, grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground.
"Hermione's dead because of you! I'm gonna kill you!" He shouted, pulling his wand out. The Slytherins had backed away, watching from a distant.
Harry pointed his wand directly at Malfoy, and dragged him up from the floor. Before Malfoy had a chance to reach for his wand he was flung across the table. Harry pointed his wand at him.
And in those few seconds he was ready to kill, the incantation ready on his lips.
"Wait!" Malfoy shouted, he saw a similar look in Harry's eyes that he often saw in his father's, it was the look of absolute hatred.
Harry sneered. "Say goodbye."
"Wait, I can save her."
"I'm not gonna take no more shit from you Malfoy, I don't believe a word that pours from your lying mouth!" He said, shaking with fury.
"They've taken her soul, but she's still alive."
"Worse then dead." Harry growled.
"But I could get her soul back. . ." Malfoy staggered as Harry let him go.
"What?"
Draco made a show of brushing the dirt from his ruffled robes. "I could get her soul back." He repeated, softly, an odd glint in his sparkling eyes.
The night fell quickly, but not quickly enough for Harry and Ron. They were eager for midnight to come so as to have their revenge. They didn't know where, or what was happening to Hermione,
Malfoy was in charge of the newspapers, so any information could not be counted as entirely reliable. Dumbledore had not returned to the school, and Harry desperately hoped rather then thought him to be helping Hermione. So McGonagall was in charge, she seemed very stressed and no one dared to mess around in Transfiguration. Even Fred and George Weasley (had they still been at Hogwarts) would have thought twice about messing around in McGonagall's class.
Harry and Ron left the Great Hall as soon as they had finished dinner.
They tried to avoid the Gryfindor girls, but they couldn't hide forever.
"Harry, where's Hermione? What's going?" Lavender asked, Parvati nodded from her side.
"Mudblood's dead." Malfoy sniggered as he walked past.
"What?!" Lavender demanded.
"Or as good as."
Harry jumped at him, throwing against the wall.
"What is going on here!?" McGonagall demanded, emerging from the Great Hall as the cry of 'fight' sounded out.
"Tonight." Harry said, with a glare.
Malfoy grinned and walked away. Harry sighed, and collapsed against the wall.
"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, please follow me." McGonagall said.
"But we haven't done anything, Malfoy started it. . ." Ron began.
McGonagall shook her head. "It's not about that." She turned, her cloak swishing, as she led them to her office. She stepped aside for them to step inside.
"Sit down." They sat.
"You may be wondering why I asked to speak to you. Well, it concerns Miss Granger."
Harry jumped up. "How is she? What's happened?"
"Calm down." McGonagall said, taking a deep breath. "I have just received an owl from Professor Dumbledore. He obviously can't say much, but he hasn't given up yet. . ."
"Hermione?" Harry demanded.
"I'm sorry, Mr Potter." She said, shaking her head.
"What I don't understand!" Harry said.
"Look just say it. What's happened?" Ron asked, jumping up beside his friend.
McGonagall's eyes began to water ever so slightly, she swallowed the lump growing in her throat.
"It is believed that her soul was taken by the dementors."
"NOOOO!!" Harry screamed. "NOOOO, everyone I have ever had has been taken from me, I will not lose Hermione! I will not lose Hermione!" He shouted.
Ron just collapsed back in his chair, hand on chest, finding breathing very difficult.
McGonagall shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Harry picked up a chair and threw it across the room, it thudded against the wall, making a slight dent. He screamed, and flung the nearest table over. McGonagall stopped him in his tracks with an issue of sparks from her wand. "Mr Potter!" She yelled.
"What on earth is going. . .?" Snape began as he flung open the door. "Ah." He said, softly when he saw a seething Potter, and a shocked Weasley.
Harry looked across at him with contempt. "Couldn't you save her?"
Snape pursed his lips together. "No one could have saved her."
McGonagall sighed. It didn't seem right, such a happy clever girl cut down in the prime of her life. She held her head in her hands, close to despair, when she remembered avidly Dumbledore had left her in charge, to keep the students and the school together. She couldn't fail him.
"You could have, you were there."
"To reveal myself would have been to die with her, not save her." Snape said, in his usual sneering, silky voice.
"Then you should have died with her, at least she wouldn't be alone." Harry stormed out, barging past Snape. Ron got up and chased after him on McGonagall's recommendation.
"Harry?" Ron shouted out, as he followed him down the corridor.
"I'm gonna kill Malfoy."
Harry wasn't going to wait for midnight, he was going to get Malfoy, teachers or not. He marched into the Great Hall, Malfoy was entertaining the Slytherin girls with a funny story. Harry strolled up to him, grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground.
"Hermione's dead because of you! I'm gonna kill you!" He shouted, pulling his wand out. The Slytherins had backed away, watching from a distant.
Harry pointed his wand directly at Malfoy, and dragged him up from the floor. Before Malfoy had a chance to reach for his wand he was flung across the table. Harry pointed his wand at him.
And in those few seconds he was ready to kill, the incantation ready on his lips.
"Wait!" Malfoy shouted, he saw a similar look in Harry's eyes that he often saw in his father's, it was the look of absolute hatred.
Harry sneered. "Say goodbye."
"Wait, I can save her."
"I'm not gonna take no more shit from you Malfoy, I don't believe a word that pours from your lying mouth!" He said, shaking with fury.
"They've taken her soul, but she's still alive."
"Worse then dead." Harry growled.
"But I could get her soul back. . ." Malfoy staggered as Harry let him go.
"What?"
Draco made a show of brushing the dirt from his ruffled robes. "I could get her soul back." He repeated, softly, an odd glint in his sparkling eyes.