Disclaimer : Not mine.
Chapter 13: Explanation
Hermione gasped. Although she realized that most of the Slytherin house would probably end up on the Dark Side, it was somewhat shocking to hear it as a truth.
"Why are you telling me?" she wanted to know.
"Because, Ms. Granger. Whoever it is, they are after Harry. You are his best friend. You can protect him."
Hermione was flabbergasted. Someone in the school, was out to get Harry, and she was supposed to be his saviour. Had McGonagall gone mad?
"I realize that this is very much a shock to you. And no doubt you would ask why even keep the school open with a minion of the Dark Lord among us, but it is imperative that Harry remain safe. I do not know if he has told you, but as of next summer, he has nowhere to live."
"He told me," Hermione said in a quiet voice.
"It is dangerous for him now. Much more so than before. However, Professor Dumbledore feels that even though there is one amongst us who is disloyal, Harry is safer here, with us to watch over him."
Questions poured into Hermione's mind in a rush.
"But…who is it? And why tell me? Why not Ron? Why not tell Harry?"
"Hermione," the Gryffindor Head of House used her first name, "I have always thought you a cleverly brilliant girl. I trust you. I believe in you. If I were to tell Ron or Harry first, what do you think they would do?"
Hermione shook her head. She knew what they would do. Try to find out who it was and stop them. Come to think of it, that wasn't a bad idea.
"They'd try to find whoever it is, putting themselves in even more danger."
"Exactly," McGonagall made to go on, but Hermione cut her off. She was still confused. Scared.
"But, Professor, how can you keep him here? He's not safe! He can't be! And who is the traitor?"
"I realize that it is very difficult to process this information, but believe me, Harry is safer here. As for who the enemy is, we don't know. All we do know is that someone here, a student, has been leaking information to You Know Who."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS??" Hermione shouted, shoving her chair back forcefully as she stood up. Anger twisted about her insides. How could she possibly think that Harry would be safe at Hogwarts, if she didn't even know who was out to kill him? It could be anyone. He could be attacked at any time. The idea to keep him at school was ludicrous.
The bold Gryffindor leaned over the desk and stared at McGonagall. "Are. You. Mad?"
This outburst of Hermione's was a bit much for Minerva McGonagall, but she had to admit that she had reacted quite the same way when Albus had told her the news. She doubted the headmaster's sanity as well, but she had trusted him for so long, that she finally agreed. He wouldn't put Harry in danger. However, she felt that he was keeping something from her, something important, but she had chosen to ignore it. Sometimes, having faith, was the best thing.
The professor sighed. "I see I am not explaining this very well, Ms. Granger. Let me do so. While there maybe be one among us who is not loyal, if Harry were to leave, he would be subjected to live in a place with no protection whatsoever. Thus making it even easier for Death Eaters and the Dark Lord to find and kill him. If he stays here, he is under the guard of all the teachers, and the headmaster. At the moment, we are doing everything possible to discover the identity of the traitor, but we have found nothing yet. If we find out that Harry is in serious danger, more than now, we will take drastic measures, but for the moment, there is no safer place than Hogwarts, hard as that may be to believe. I truly think, that if someone were going to capture Harry during the school year, he would have done it already. Perhaps, it is only information he seeks, but as long as we are here, we will always know where Harry is for sure."
Hermione nodded, having composed herself once more. What McGonagall said, had some truth in it, and Hermione regretted having yelled.
"So, what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to protect him, Ms. Granger. I want you to tell Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, and convince them not to go looking for trouble. I trust that you are capable of such a thing?"
Hermione nodded. She was still a little wary of the whole situation. Part of her wanted to take her best friend and hide him away in Switzerland or somewhere, but the other part of her knew that, under the watch of Professor Dumbledore, Harry was safe for now. Standing up once again, Hermione made to leave, but as she opened the door, the professor spoke, "Don't let him be alone, Ms. Granger. Watch over him."
Hermione looked back at her favourite teacher quickly, before walking out the door. She walked for a few feet before leaning against the cold wall to take in the seriousness of everything. Harry was in real danger. And it was up to her to protect him. What about all the other students? Weren't they in danger as well? What was this traitor planning to do? Take action? Or simply relay information to the Dark Lord? There were still so many questions she longed to have explained, but she knew that the answers she required, could not be had from a teacher. She sighed heavily, trying to lift her shoulders high with the new burden she carried. This year was so different.
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A/N : Ahhh ok, I know that was really short and I have had more than enough time to write a generously long time, but take pity on the overworked girl from boarding school. It's tough. Anyway, I know this chap kinda sucks, and the explanations aren't that great, well you may think they're ok, but…
Von: Yeah the conversationg between our two main men was a little off, I agree. But oh well. This isn't some glam piece of work to get published anyway, just for the enjoyment of my readers. The bit with Malfoy, just wanted to reiterate the fact that he thinks he's better than her. You'll see it again. Does this explain well enough about telling Hermione bout the traitor? Anyway, my mind is really off right now, but thanks for the review! And sorry bout the wait.
Samantha: I love that you love my story, however, I will not take offence if you wish to flame this chap as it was kinda not thought through as well as my others, and hopefully the next one will be that and longer too. Thanks for becoming a constant reviewer! Means a lot to me.