Mudpie : Thanks so much, and Hermione just snapped! Did I make Draco seem
mean enough? Please continue to read!
Purple Spotted Hedwig: Evil, yet you feel sorry for her? Hmm. . . that's funny! What's wrong with being cliffhanger-y? I like it!!!
Chinagurl : It's good to know you like every chapter, I like that kind of reaction!!! I did have fun camping, and I hope you like this chapter.
Dreaming One : Hey, I was reading the reviews as they came in, and I just wanted to tell you that I am not a teen, I am a tween. . .I am 12 years old. . . ALMOST at teen! I can't believe the amount of compliments that you gave me, do you really think that I am that good? I never imagined that my writing would make it to 100+ reviews, and here I am at almost 250! I must bee too self-critical or something, because I really didn't think that this story was too good, oh well. I am glad to know that you like the story, and I enjoy writing it, so everyone's happy. Please don't die, here's an update!
Trueluv438 : Wow, you like it too. This is a record. I posted a story that was like this before and all I got was flames. I like this crowd of people MUCH more. =D
Lorien : Amazing chapter? Goody! I like thinking that I have talent, but I hope this chapter is up to your expectations.
Luvvrgurrrrl : I appreciate the time you spent to take reviewing my story, but I would appreciate it more if you were to be constructive.
Artemis MoonClaw : You're in suspense? My job is done!
Darkmoon of Shadows : Yes, Hermione IS in a lot of trouble, isn't she? I like the compliments! =D Hope you like this chapter.
Tabii : I came back and I finished this chapter!!!
Becky : Here's More More More.
ILUVRONWEASLEY : Ohh, I don't know, why don't you read and find out whether she gets caught or not? Sorry it was short, I had 1 hr to write the chapter.
Buffylives : I know, he totally deserved it, didn't he?
Love-princess : exceptional? That is a REAL compliment. I haven't been on the receiving end of that word for a while.
Blueamber : She's evil? That's bad! What IS Draco gonna do? Here's a new chapter!!!
Freakyfairy : I don't know, I honestly don't know. The words just kinda come out of my mind and I type them. Sometimes I don't even know what I want to have happen in the chapter, I just write.
Cherryplum11 : You're at a loss of words? I perfectly executed that cliffie? SWEET!!! Please enjoy this chapter.
Ickle Ronniekins Girlie!! : Sorry I had to make you antsy!!! Here's more!!! Girl power? LOL! I updated, updated.
Alright, well I finished this chapter as soon as I could, the next one will also come ASAP. Sorry some of you don't like cliffies. . . it's the only way to make you come back!!! =D
Enjoy!
---
Chapter 21
Something was coming. Something was coming. Something was coming. It was the only clear thought that ran through her mind and the only thing that her brain could process as she stood there, stiff and alert, waiting for whatever was there to come out into the open.
All of her joints were locked as was her mind. Nothing worked, she couldn't scream, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she could barely see. Her body seemed to be falling into shock or unconsciousness, she wasn't sure which it was, but WAS sure that none of them would be a positive reaction.
Hermione was barely breathing and her mind was racing frantically, which was an improvement from the seemingly permenant freeze-up it had been stuck in, as she stood and expected the worst to happen.
It was probably the Ministry of Magic, coming to get her, scoop her up in some wizard police vehicle, and take her to Azkaban for life because she used an unforgivable curse.
Hermione shuddered. She still couldn't believe that she had used that spell. She would have never thought that she would be capable of doing something like that and she was in a complete state of shock that she couldn't fully comprehend the enormity of the situation seeing as she was still worried about what was going to happen to her when someone caught her.
What WOULD they do to her? She wasn't old enough to be killed, so would they lock her up until she WAS old enough to be killed? The thought worried Hermione but she didn't have too much time to think about it because she was more worried about the present, not the future.
Nothing was moving, she couldn't hear any noises. Hermione whipped around a few times, trying to find a single trace of something that would prove its presence to Hermione, but she saw nothing.
Hermione was lured into a false sense of security for a minute, because the noises stopped and she was left standing in total silence that was worse than the noises had been, because now she couldn't expect anything.
Hermione waited with baited breath, since she was unable to breathe freely and she could feel her hands and knees shaking, her lips trembling and her mind ready to scream.
She was reminded strongly of a horror movie, partly because she WAS in horror and partly because in every horror movie she had seen, there was always a deathly quiet moment before whatever was lurking in the bushes or shadows struck, and she didn't want to be the valiant but unlucky corpse that was discovered the next day or night by the very unlucky campers or hikers.
Even as she thought this, she couldn't help the small smile that somewhat crept up her lips at the rushed thoughts that were swimming through her mind. At any other time they would have seemed so comical, but now they seemed highly realistic.
Hermione started to sigh, thinking that the worst was over, but she had a sharp intake of breath as the bushes rumbled around her and she froze again like a deer in the headlights of a car, right before it was hit.
Without much warning, four people burst out of the bushes, wearing the brightest orange color they could possibly be wearing without being on fire, and they all had their wands pointed toward Hermione, as though they were expecting her to try to kill all of them with her non-existent wand which she wished she had at the moment.
She stared at them, trying to read their expressions without appearing to be cocky or looking like she was planning on hurting them but she couldn't gauge much from their set expressions, it seemed they had planned on this reaction from convicts.
It hit Hermione hard when she realized that she was now going to be classified as a convict. She had committed a crime, and she was going to go to prison, whether it was a wizard prison or not didn't matter.
Her mother. . .
She would be crushed, her perfect daughter was going to wizard prison for committing one of the worst crimes known to the wizarding world, and even if her mother didn't fully understand it, she knew that she would be highly disappointed in her, and that almost seemed to be a worse fate than going to prison.
Hermione turned her mind back to the more pressing issues, such as the four, bright orange people that were pointing their wands at her. She felt like sobbing, but that would cause them to act.
Hermione didn't know what to do. If she moved, they were likely to stun her and four stunners wouldn't leave her much of a survival margin to go by, and she wanted to live to see tomorrow, but at the moment it wasn't looking so good for that particular road, seeing as they all thought that she was a murderer or something far worse.
She thought, for one brief moment, that she should raise her hands like the muggle police make you, but in the wizarding world, this would be a bad idea, seeing as this could be a way for Wandless magicians to cast a spell, and this movement would also earn her stuns, which was what she was trying to avoid.
"Drop your wand on the ground and take three steps back." One of them commanded, and Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of their voices in the forest. The entire clearing seemed to be waiting to see what would happen, the tension thick enough to slice.
"I-I don't have m-my wand." Hermione said in the quietest voice she could manage, and she was trembling from head to toe, wondering what would happen to her, whether they would believe her, why they were here so quickly, her thoughts were racing frantically, trying to grasp something that made sense, but she couldn't seem to understand anything, and she was sure they weren't going to believe her. Why would she be in this forest, without a wand? She would have to be a complete idiot, and she was fairly sure that she saw disbelieving commentary looks flying between the men, which didn't appear to be helping her case.
"Drop your wand and step back." The same man commanded again, this time louder and in a more commanding tone as though waiting her to follow his orders immediately, and her thoughts and great fears were confirmed. They thought that she was hiding her wand from them, waiting for them to turn their backs and lose their attention span and then she was going to strike.
"Look, uh," Hermione paused, what was she supposed to call this man?
"Sir, I don-" Hermione began again, but immediately broke off when there was a loud crack that echoed through the small clearing and when she looked over she saw a shimmering light and Professor Dumbledore was standing there, calmer than she had ever seen him before in her life, it was as though he were on his way to tea, in front of the four orange men, staring down at them, and unless she was mistaken, she had seen one of them tremble and she couldn't blame him.
Albus Dumbledore, glaring down at you was scary enough as the situation already was, but this man obviously knew that it was impossible to Apparate within the Hogwarts grounds, as Hermione knew too from reading Hogwarts A History, yet she had just stood there and watched him do it, and seconds later she heard someone crashing through the bushes, which caused her to jump.
She whipped around enough to see the moving bushes and she felt her heart sink lower than it had been before.
The Minister of Magic himself had decided to join the small congregational party that had begun gathering in the small clearing, and when he saw Dumbledore he pointed at him and said something to the wizard nearest him and then she watched the wizard pale instantly as though he were a traffic light.
Slowly, the man that Fudge had talked to walked up to Dumbledore and held his wand feebly in his hand, pointed at Dumbledore, although his expression showed total and complete fear.
"I-I-I h-have o-orders t-to take you t-to Azkab-ban." He managed to stutter, and the amusement that played in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to make the man more nervous than before. Surely anyone that found the idea of Azkaban amusing wasn't a force to be reckoned with.
"Cornelius, if you would like to take me to Azkaban for charges that have not been made known, then I am afraid I shall not permit you to." Dumbledore said calmly as though they were discussing the matter over a cup of tea.
"I can do WHATEVER I want." Fudge blustered. "I can-"
But whatever else Fudge was able to do was lost in the explosion of leaves that cascaded down behind Hermione. She turned her head and immediately felt a binding spell hit her, apparently the people had thought that she was trying to run away, and all she saw as she fell was silvery- blonde hair.
Malfoy, she thought, wondering why on earth he was even here. Why was he joining the now growing party in the forbidden forest? And it was just like him too, arriving in the explosion of leaves, making sure that people would notice his entrance, it was something that his father would have done as well, it was a sort of arriving ceremony.
But why was he here, and now of all times? The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and her stomach may as well have been in her feet.
To incriminate her, how could she have overlooked this? He would want to be here in order to make sure that she was given the most powerful punishment that she could possibly be given.
He would milk the experience for all that it was worth and then some, all because he wanted to get Hermione in more trouble than she was in already, which was hard to believe, yet she was sure it would happed. He wanted her expelled, he hated her with the same passion that she hated him.
Words were exchanged, and it annoyed her that she couldn't hear them at all.
Hermione wanted to look up and see what was happening because she could hear quiet voices, but she couldn't move because of the bindings that were holding her to the ground, and she wished that she DID have her wand.
She could feel frustration welling up inside of her. He had DESERVED the curse absolutely, she didn't care whether it was illegal or not anymore, he had completely and fully deserved to receive the curse, and she didn't feel one little bit sorry for using it, in fact, she felt that she wasn't in the wrong.
It was self-defense, not physical defense, it was emotional defense. If only someone could see how he tore her up inside . . .
The voices were getting louder, but she still couldn't understand what they were saying, and she could tell that Fudge was losing his nerve and Dumbledore found this quite amusing, all by the tones in their voices.
"-codswallop -" She could hear in between mumbling and babbling and she felt annoyed. Fudge wasn't one to believe anyone, even if what they said was the truth, it was like a disorder with him.
"Ridiculous - allowing students to practice ILLEGAL curses-" Fudge blustered, and Malfoy cut in which froze Hermione's nerves and pierced her mind with an ice dagger. What was he going to say? How was it going to affect what happened to her? She was almost unwilling to hear what he was going to say next, afraid that it would be horrible, yet she needed to know.
"We weren't practicing anything at all, Minister." He said plaintively, and Hermione could almost feel as everyone's gaze landed on Malfoy. He would like this, all of this attention being fixed on him, it was his thing to be the center of attention, the main focus. This was why he had come, not to make her punishment worse, to get attention of important officials.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she thought this, wondering how she could have though, however briefly, that he was trying to help her. He never had helped her, and he never showed any sign of trying to be kind to anyone, why would he start NOW of all times? And for HER of ALL people. She was a mudblood to him and that was all, nothing more, nothing less.
"What was going on in that room, Mr. Malfoy?" Fudge asked persistantly, and Malfoy inhaled deeply and obviously, even for Hermione who was still lying on the ground. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes again, although nobody would have seen.
"Not much, just some studying and such." He said casually and Hermione scoffed. Like he would even begin to believe that. It was a very unconvincing argument even from her point of view.
"Then why did our dark detectors tell us an illegal Crutacious Curse was cast on the premises of 211456980738 lot, 1175869837 expediential, wand registration number 11253-513654-2151-245456-52555 ac/dc/gc/hc registration- "
"Cornelius, if you would like an answer-" Dumbledore began, but Fudge continued rambling on.
"Wood lot number xrp215669qqw5, elapsed time between use and cut 451hrs:56min, heartstring derived from animal number 1456-ffgt-54454-ert-"
"Cornelius-"
"Sold in store premises xsq995141-45-"
"CORNELIUS!" Fudge stopped and stared at Dumbledore with awe, and Hermione WOULD have, yet she was still 'bolted' to the ground which made no sense to her at all, because they had no charges against her whatsoever, just a jumble of numbers and letters that meant nothing to the normal person.
"Ahem. . . What happened with the Crutacious Curse?" Fudge asked timidly and he looked at Dumbledore nervously with every word. Hermione held her breath, waiting for the inevitable, then decided against it. She may as well breathe.
Draco Malfoy would tell the Minister of Magic, with glee, that she had cast an illegal spell on him and would ask for her to be sent, permanently, to Azkaban while he gloated about it.
It was the perfect time for him to sell her out, to prove that he didn't care about her at all, to show that she was a pathetic worm to him. She closed her eyes and waited for gruff arms to drag her away. She would never see Harry or Ron again, she would never see anyone again. . . except for those blasted dementors.
"Oh, I was fooling around and I wanted to see what the Crutacious Curse felt like, so I cast it on myself." Hermione stopped breathing, fearing that her breathing had impaired her hearing before and that she had heard wrong.
"Nothing that involved Ms. Granger?" Fudge asked incredulously, as though he didn't want to believe it, and Hermione had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that she was muggle born. She had never liked Fudge much to begin with, and here he was, not believing something because of her parentage.
"Nothing that involved Granger." Draco repeated definitely, and Hermione felt an odd feeling explode in her stomach, something that had relief and confusion mixed with other feelings and she didn't know how to describe them, so she gave up trying to.
A long period of silence elapsed, and Hermione felt like years passed before someone made a sound, it was like everyone was trying to gauge the believability and accuracy of his words.
"I-I-I-I. . . e-excuse me?" Fudge managed to stutter, and Hermione fought the urge to laugh. That man always seemed to be clueless.'
"Nothing. That. Involved. Granger." Malfoy said slowly, and Fudge still seemed oblivious to the message that the words were giving.
"So, she . . . did . . . nothing . . ." Fudge said slowly, and Hermione tried to smack her forehead and then she remembered that she was bound by ropes.
"Yes." Malfoy said emphatically and he sniggered.
"I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it." Fudge said defiantly and he started ordering his men to pack Hermione up when Malfoy spoke again, his voice clear and scathingly cold, even for him.
"Do you dare disbelieve the word of a Malfoy?" he asked in a commanding and robust tone, and there was another patch of silence, and Hermione wished that she could have seen Fudge's face, being ordered around by a fifteen-year-old student, but she couldn't and she was left to imagine the look on his face.
"So sorry." Fudge said simply, and Hermione was left on the forest floor to hear the men attempt to Apparate before they crashed away through the bushes leaving Hermione wondering what had really happened right in front of her.
~+~
Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the stem of explanations that were spewing from Draco and Hermione's mouths the second they entered his office, and Hermione fell silent, although she felt that she would be in dire need of defending herself soon.
"I understand that Mr. Malfoy did NOT," Dumbledore said, and the looks on both of their faces were shocked. "Cast the Crutacious Curse, and I understand that Miss Granger did." He continued, and Hermione hung her head, awaiting the impending doom that was coming.
"However, I also know that Miss Granger's heart was not set on truly giving Mr. Malfoy true pain, because if she had wanted to, she could have killed Mr. Malfoy with the Crutacious Curse." Dumbledore said this as though it were a light matter, but it couldn't have been any bigger in Hermione's eyes.
Speaking of which. . .
Hermione's eyes could have only been bigger had they been out of her head and on the floor, her mouth was hanging open, and Malfoy looked horrified at the thought of dying or maybe it was the thought that she could have killed him. She didn't know which it was.
It was obvious that neither of then truly believed the power that Dumbledore was telling them they had, it was too much for their minds to grasp, and she had a feeling that neither one of them wanted to know what they really were capable of, Hermione wanted to be a blissful and carefree kid, but she knew it was impossible.
"I have said it before, and I will say it again, you two are the most powerful pair of students that have graced the corridors of Hogwarts since the time of the Hogwarts founders." Dumbledore gave them a long and meaningful look, and Hermione couldn't tell what it was supposed to mean.
"I cannot have you two hurting or killing each other, as it would crumble the very fabric of the universe." Dumbledore's talk was ended by total silence, and Hermione's jaw couldn't have dropped any further than it already was.
She had the ability to crumble the fabric of the universe? That was scary and unbelievable. She was more than she had ever thought that she was, and that was not a good thing. What if she obliterated the universe by accident?
"I-we. . ." she stuttered stupidly and Malfoy was unable to speak at all. Dumbledore was looking at them, a familiar twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles.
He seemed to have an odd aura around himself, somehow giving Hermione the message that he had hidden regrets and secrets that nobody else in the world knew, it was as though he knew things that would kill anyone else to know, and she didn't doubt it at all. She had always had the feeling that Dumbledore was as close to immortal as a human could be.
"So. . ." Malfoy said slowly, after a few more brief spells of silence. "What you're saying is. . ." Malfoy drug out his words.
"We're really powerful. . . and if one of us dies. . ." he paused again, and it was all Hermione's brain could do to keep up with what was happening, which was sad.
"It could be a big problem?" he said this all in a disconnected manner and it appeared that his mind wasn't up to speed on these new advancements, and neither was Hermione's. She awaited Dumbledore's answer with baited breath. She needed to understand what was going on in her life, because she didn't at the moment.
"What I am saying, Mr. Malfoy, is that in your souls lie answers to the universe, the very keys to time and space, why do you think I assigned you to the project I did? Did you think it was a fluke? And why do you two think it is necessary for the two of you to work together? Surely you didn't think that I find joy in putting mortal enemies together." Dumbledore said this in a light manner, yet the impact of his words hit Hermione hard.
"So we have the power to destroy the universe?"
~+~
Hermione's mind was numb. She could destroy the universe. She could unravel time. She could kill every living soul in the universe. It was too much for her mind to handle.
She walked up to the Advanced Transfiguration common room and glanced over at Crookshanks who was curled up on the armchair nearest to the fire. She walked over to him and stroked him.
"What would I do without you?" she asked him and he purred in response.
The truth about it was that she didn't know what she would do without Crookshanks. He had been her single source of comfort when her father was looming in her mind and she needed to speak to someone she would hold him in her lap and he would let her sob into his fur.
His purring drew her from her thoughts and she smiled as she stroked him more. She loved him, he was one of the only things that was left for her to love now, and she wanted him to be here forever.
Smiling, Hermione fell asleep with Crookshanks in her lap.
~+~
Hermione awoke to the gruff shaking of someone and when she opened her eyes, the vision of Professor McGonagall swam before her eyes. She rubbed them and sat up groggily. She was just starting to wake when she spoke.
"Miss Granger, please report to the Headmaster's office, it's urgent."
~+~
A/N: I am SOOO evil!!! HA! Please read and review!
Purple Spotted Hedwig: Evil, yet you feel sorry for her? Hmm. . . that's funny! What's wrong with being cliffhanger-y? I like it!!!
Chinagurl : It's good to know you like every chapter, I like that kind of reaction!!! I did have fun camping, and I hope you like this chapter.
Dreaming One : Hey, I was reading the reviews as they came in, and I just wanted to tell you that I am not a teen, I am a tween. . .I am 12 years old. . . ALMOST at teen! I can't believe the amount of compliments that you gave me, do you really think that I am that good? I never imagined that my writing would make it to 100+ reviews, and here I am at almost 250! I must bee too self-critical or something, because I really didn't think that this story was too good, oh well. I am glad to know that you like the story, and I enjoy writing it, so everyone's happy. Please don't die, here's an update!
Trueluv438 : Wow, you like it too. This is a record. I posted a story that was like this before and all I got was flames. I like this crowd of people MUCH more. =D
Lorien : Amazing chapter? Goody! I like thinking that I have talent, but I hope this chapter is up to your expectations.
Luvvrgurrrrl : I appreciate the time you spent to take reviewing my story, but I would appreciate it more if you were to be constructive.
Artemis MoonClaw : You're in suspense? My job is done!
Darkmoon of Shadows : Yes, Hermione IS in a lot of trouble, isn't she? I like the compliments! =D Hope you like this chapter.
Tabii : I came back and I finished this chapter!!!
Becky : Here's More More More.
ILUVRONWEASLEY : Ohh, I don't know, why don't you read and find out whether she gets caught or not? Sorry it was short, I had 1 hr to write the chapter.
Buffylives : I know, he totally deserved it, didn't he?
Love-princess : exceptional? That is a REAL compliment. I haven't been on the receiving end of that word for a while.
Blueamber : She's evil? That's bad! What IS Draco gonna do? Here's a new chapter!!!
Freakyfairy : I don't know, I honestly don't know. The words just kinda come out of my mind and I type them. Sometimes I don't even know what I want to have happen in the chapter, I just write.
Cherryplum11 : You're at a loss of words? I perfectly executed that cliffie? SWEET!!! Please enjoy this chapter.
Ickle Ronniekins Girlie!! : Sorry I had to make you antsy!!! Here's more!!! Girl power? LOL! I updated, updated.
Alright, well I finished this chapter as soon as I could, the next one will also come ASAP. Sorry some of you don't like cliffies. . . it's the only way to make you come back!!! =D
Enjoy!
---
Chapter 21
Something was coming. Something was coming. Something was coming. It was the only clear thought that ran through her mind and the only thing that her brain could process as she stood there, stiff and alert, waiting for whatever was there to come out into the open.
All of her joints were locked as was her mind. Nothing worked, she couldn't scream, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she could barely see. Her body seemed to be falling into shock or unconsciousness, she wasn't sure which it was, but WAS sure that none of them would be a positive reaction.
Hermione was barely breathing and her mind was racing frantically, which was an improvement from the seemingly permenant freeze-up it had been stuck in, as she stood and expected the worst to happen.
It was probably the Ministry of Magic, coming to get her, scoop her up in some wizard police vehicle, and take her to Azkaban for life because she used an unforgivable curse.
Hermione shuddered. She still couldn't believe that she had used that spell. She would have never thought that she would be capable of doing something like that and she was in a complete state of shock that she couldn't fully comprehend the enormity of the situation seeing as she was still worried about what was going to happen to her when someone caught her.
What WOULD they do to her? She wasn't old enough to be killed, so would they lock her up until she WAS old enough to be killed? The thought worried Hermione but she didn't have too much time to think about it because she was more worried about the present, not the future.
Nothing was moving, she couldn't hear any noises. Hermione whipped around a few times, trying to find a single trace of something that would prove its presence to Hermione, but she saw nothing.
Hermione was lured into a false sense of security for a minute, because the noises stopped and she was left standing in total silence that was worse than the noises had been, because now she couldn't expect anything.
Hermione waited with baited breath, since she was unable to breathe freely and she could feel her hands and knees shaking, her lips trembling and her mind ready to scream.
She was reminded strongly of a horror movie, partly because she WAS in horror and partly because in every horror movie she had seen, there was always a deathly quiet moment before whatever was lurking in the bushes or shadows struck, and she didn't want to be the valiant but unlucky corpse that was discovered the next day or night by the very unlucky campers or hikers.
Even as she thought this, she couldn't help the small smile that somewhat crept up her lips at the rushed thoughts that were swimming through her mind. At any other time they would have seemed so comical, but now they seemed highly realistic.
Hermione started to sigh, thinking that the worst was over, but she had a sharp intake of breath as the bushes rumbled around her and she froze again like a deer in the headlights of a car, right before it was hit.
Without much warning, four people burst out of the bushes, wearing the brightest orange color they could possibly be wearing without being on fire, and they all had their wands pointed toward Hermione, as though they were expecting her to try to kill all of them with her non-existent wand which she wished she had at the moment.
She stared at them, trying to read their expressions without appearing to be cocky or looking like she was planning on hurting them but she couldn't gauge much from their set expressions, it seemed they had planned on this reaction from convicts.
It hit Hermione hard when she realized that she was now going to be classified as a convict. She had committed a crime, and she was going to go to prison, whether it was a wizard prison or not didn't matter.
Her mother. . .
She would be crushed, her perfect daughter was going to wizard prison for committing one of the worst crimes known to the wizarding world, and even if her mother didn't fully understand it, she knew that she would be highly disappointed in her, and that almost seemed to be a worse fate than going to prison.
Hermione turned her mind back to the more pressing issues, such as the four, bright orange people that were pointing their wands at her. She felt like sobbing, but that would cause them to act.
Hermione didn't know what to do. If she moved, they were likely to stun her and four stunners wouldn't leave her much of a survival margin to go by, and she wanted to live to see tomorrow, but at the moment it wasn't looking so good for that particular road, seeing as they all thought that she was a murderer or something far worse.
She thought, for one brief moment, that she should raise her hands like the muggle police make you, but in the wizarding world, this would be a bad idea, seeing as this could be a way for Wandless magicians to cast a spell, and this movement would also earn her stuns, which was what she was trying to avoid.
"Drop your wand on the ground and take three steps back." One of them commanded, and Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of their voices in the forest. The entire clearing seemed to be waiting to see what would happen, the tension thick enough to slice.
"I-I don't have m-my wand." Hermione said in the quietest voice she could manage, and she was trembling from head to toe, wondering what would happen to her, whether they would believe her, why they were here so quickly, her thoughts were racing frantically, trying to grasp something that made sense, but she couldn't seem to understand anything, and she was sure they weren't going to believe her. Why would she be in this forest, without a wand? She would have to be a complete idiot, and she was fairly sure that she saw disbelieving commentary looks flying between the men, which didn't appear to be helping her case.
"Drop your wand and step back." The same man commanded again, this time louder and in a more commanding tone as though waiting her to follow his orders immediately, and her thoughts and great fears were confirmed. They thought that she was hiding her wand from them, waiting for them to turn their backs and lose their attention span and then she was going to strike.
"Look, uh," Hermione paused, what was she supposed to call this man?
"Sir, I don-" Hermione began again, but immediately broke off when there was a loud crack that echoed through the small clearing and when she looked over she saw a shimmering light and Professor Dumbledore was standing there, calmer than she had ever seen him before in her life, it was as though he were on his way to tea, in front of the four orange men, staring down at them, and unless she was mistaken, she had seen one of them tremble and she couldn't blame him.
Albus Dumbledore, glaring down at you was scary enough as the situation already was, but this man obviously knew that it was impossible to Apparate within the Hogwarts grounds, as Hermione knew too from reading Hogwarts A History, yet she had just stood there and watched him do it, and seconds later she heard someone crashing through the bushes, which caused her to jump.
She whipped around enough to see the moving bushes and she felt her heart sink lower than it had been before.
The Minister of Magic himself had decided to join the small congregational party that had begun gathering in the small clearing, and when he saw Dumbledore he pointed at him and said something to the wizard nearest him and then she watched the wizard pale instantly as though he were a traffic light.
Slowly, the man that Fudge had talked to walked up to Dumbledore and held his wand feebly in his hand, pointed at Dumbledore, although his expression showed total and complete fear.
"I-I-I h-have o-orders t-to take you t-to Azkab-ban." He managed to stutter, and the amusement that played in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to make the man more nervous than before. Surely anyone that found the idea of Azkaban amusing wasn't a force to be reckoned with.
"Cornelius, if you would like to take me to Azkaban for charges that have not been made known, then I am afraid I shall not permit you to." Dumbledore said calmly as though they were discussing the matter over a cup of tea.
"I can do WHATEVER I want." Fudge blustered. "I can-"
But whatever else Fudge was able to do was lost in the explosion of leaves that cascaded down behind Hermione. She turned her head and immediately felt a binding spell hit her, apparently the people had thought that she was trying to run away, and all she saw as she fell was silvery- blonde hair.
Malfoy, she thought, wondering why on earth he was even here. Why was he joining the now growing party in the forbidden forest? And it was just like him too, arriving in the explosion of leaves, making sure that people would notice his entrance, it was something that his father would have done as well, it was a sort of arriving ceremony.
But why was he here, and now of all times? The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and her stomach may as well have been in her feet.
To incriminate her, how could she have overlooked this? He would want to be here in order to make sure that she was given the most powerful punishment that she could possibly be given.
He would milk the experience for all that it was worth and then some, all because he wanted to get Hermione in more trouble than she was in already, which was hard to believe, yet she was sure it would happed. He wanted her expelled, he hated her with the same passion that she hated him.
Words were exchanged, and it annoyed her that she couldn't hear them at all.
Hermione wanted to look up and see what was happening because she could hear quiet voices, but she couldn't move because of the bindings that were holding her to the ground, and she wished that she DID have her wand.
She could feel frustration welling up inside of her. He had DESERVED the curse absolutely, she didn't care whether it was illegal or not anymore, he had completely and fully deserved to receive the curse, and she didn't feel one little bit sorry for using it, in fact, she felt that she wasn't in the wrong.
It was self-defense, not physical defense, it was emotional defense. If only someone could see how he tore her up inside . . .
The voices were getting louder, but she still couldn't understand what they were saying, and she could tell that Fudge was losing his nerve and Dumbledore found this quite amusing, all by the tones in their voices.
"-codswallop -" She could hear in between mumbling and babbling and she felt annoyed. Fudge wasn't one to believe anyone, even if what they said was the truth, it was like a disorder with him.
"Ridiculous - allowing students to practice ILLEGAL curses-" Fudge blustered, and Malfoy cut in which froze Hermione's nerves and pierced her mind with an ice dagger. What was he going to say? How was it going to affect what happened to her? She was almost unwilling to hear what he was going to say next, afraid that it would be horrible, yet she needed to know.
"We weren't practicing anything at all, Minister." He said plaintively, and Hermione could almost feel as everyone's gaze landed on Malfoy. He would like this, all of this attention being fixed on him, it was his thing to be the center of attention, the main focus. This was why he had come, not to make her punishment worse, to get attention of important officials.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she thought this, wondering how she could have though, however briefly, that he was trying to help her. He never had helped her, and he never showed any sign of trying to be kind to anyone, why would he start NOW of all times? And for HER of ALL people. She was a mudblood to him and that was all, nothing more, nothing less.
"What was going on in that room, Mr. Malfoy?" Fudge asked persistantly, and Malfoy inhaled deeply and obviously, even for Hermione who was still lying on the ground. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes again, although nobody would have seen.
"Not much, just some studying and such." He said casually and Hermione scoffed. Like he would even begin to believe that. It was a very unconvincing argument even from her point of view.
"Then why did our dark detectors tell us an illegal Crutacious Curse was cast on the premises of 211456980738 lot, 1175869837 expediential, wand registration number 11253-513654-2151-245456-52555 ac/dc/gc/hc registration- "
"Cornelius, if you would like an answer-" Dumbledore began, but Fudge continued rambling on.
"Wood lot number xrp215669qqw5, elapsed time between use and cut 451hrs:56min, heartstring derived from animal number 1456-ffgt-54454-ert-"
"Cornelius-"
"Sold in store premises xsq995141-45-"
"CORNELIUS!" Fudge stopped and stared at Dumbledore with awe, and Hermione WOULD have, yet she was still 'bolted' to the ground which made no sense to her at all, because they had no charges against her whatsoever, just a jumble of numbers and letters that meant nothing to the normal person.
"Ahem. . . What happened with the Crutacious Curse?" Fudge asked timidly and he looked at Dumbledore nervously with every word. Hermione held her breath, waiting for the inevitable, then decided against it. She may as well breathe.
Draco Malfoy would tell the Minister of Magic, with glee, that she had cast an illegal spell on him and would ask for her to be sent, permanently, to Azkaban while he gloated about it.
It was the perfect time for him to sell her out, to prove that he didn't care about her at all, to show that she was a pathetic worm to him. She closed her eyes and waited for gruff arms to drag her away. She would never see Harry or Ron again, she would never see anyone again. . . except for those blasted dementors.
"Oh, I was fooling around and I wanted to see what the Crutacious Curse felt like, so I cast it on myself." Hermione stopped breathing, fearing that her breathing had impaired her hearing before and that she had heard wrong.
"Nothing that involved Ms. Granger?" Fudge asked incredulously, as though he didn't want to believe it, and Hermione had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that she was muggle born. She had never liked Fudge much to begin with, and here he was, not believing something because of her parentage.
"Nothing that involved Granger." Draco repeated definitely, and Hermione felt an odd feeling explode in her stomach, something that had relief and confusion mixed with other feelings and she didn't know how to describe them, so she gave up trying to.
A long period of silence elapsed, and Hermione felt like years passed before someone made a sound, it was like everyone was trying to gauge the believability and accuracy of his words.
"I-I-I-I. . . e-excuse me?" Fudge managed to stutter, and Hermione fought the urge to laugh. That man always seemed to be clueless.'
"Nothing. That. Involved. Granger." Malfoy said slowly, and Fudge still seemed oblivious to the message that the words were giving.
"So, she . . . did . . . nothing . . ." Fudge said slowly, and Hermione tried to smack her forehead and then she remembered that she was bound by ropes.
"Yes." Malfoy said emphatically and he sniggered.
"I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it." Fudge said defiantly and he started ordering his men to pack Hermione up when Malfoy spoke again, his voice clear and scathingly cold, even for him.
"Do you dare disbelieve the word of a Malfoy?" he asked in a commanding and robust tone, and there was another patch of silence, and Hermione wished that she could have seen Fudge's face, being ordered around by a fifteen-year-old student, but she couldn't and she was left to imagine the look on his face.
"So sorry." Fudge said simply, and Hermione was left on the forest floor to hear the men attempt to Apparate before they crashed away through the bushes leaving Hermione wondering what had really happened right in front of her.
~+~
Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the stem of explanations that were spewing from Draco and Hermione's mouths the second they entered his office, and Hermione fell silent, although she felt that she would be in dire need of defending herself soon.
"I understand that Mr. Malfoy did NOT," Dumbledore said, and the looks on both of their faces were shocked. "Cast the Crutacious Curse, and I understand that Miss Granger did." He continued, and Hermione hung her head, awaiting the impending doom that was coming.
"However, I also know that Miss Granger's heart was not set on truly giving Mr. Malfoy true pain, because if she had wanted to, she could have killed Mr. Malfoy with the Crutacious Curse." Dumbledore said this as though it were a light matter, but it couldn't have been any bigger in Hermione's eyes.
Speaking of which. . .
Hermione's eyes could have only been bigger had they been out of her head and on the floor, her mouth was hanging open, and Malfoy looked horrified at the thought of dying or maybe it was the thought that she could have killed him. She didn't know which it was.
It was obvious that neither of then truly believed the power that Dumbledore was telling them they had, it was too much for their minds to grasp, and she had a feeling that neither one of them wanted to know what they really were capable of, Hermione wanted to be a blissful and carefree kid, but she knew it was impossible.
"I have said it before, and I will say it again, you two are the most powerful pair of students that have graced the corridors of Hogwarts since the time of the Hogwarts founders." Dumbledore gave them a long and meaningful look, and Hermione couldn't tell what it was supposed to mean.
"I cannot have you two hurting or killing each other, as it would crumble the very fabric of the universe." Dumbledore's talk was ended by total silence, and Hermione's jaw couldn't have dropped any further than it already was.
She had the ability to crumble the fabric of the universe? That was scary and unbelievable. She was more than she had ever thought that she was, and that was not a good thing. What if she obliterated the universe by accident?
"I-we. . ." she stuttered stupidly and Malfoy was unable to speak at all. Dumbledore was looking at them, a familiar twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles.
He seemed to have an odd aura around himself, somehow giving Hermione the message that he had hidden regrets and secrets that nobody else in the world knew, it was as though he knew things that would kill anyone else to know, and she didn't doubt it at all. She had always had the feeling that Dumbledore was as close to immortal as a human could be.
"So. . ." Malfoy said slowly, after a few more brief spells of silence. "What you're saying is. . ." Malfoy drug out his words.
"We're really powerful. . . and if one of us dies. . ." he paused again, and it was all Hermione's brain could do to keep up with what was happening, which was sad.
"It could be a big problem?" he said this all in a disconnected manner and it appeared that his mind wasn't up to speed on these new advancements, and neither was Hermione's. She awaited Dumbledore's answer with baited breath. She needed to understand what was going on in her life, because she didn't at the moment.
"What I am saying, Mr. Malfoy, is that in your souls lie answers to the universe, the very keys to time and space, why do you think I assigned you to the project I did? Did you think it was a fluke? And why do you two think it is necessary for the two of you to work together? Surely you didn't think that I find joy in putting mortal enemies together." Dumbledore said this in a light manner, yet the impact of his words hit Hermione hard.
"So we have the power to destroy the universe?"
~+~
Hermione's mind was numb. She could destroy the universe. She could unravel time. She could kill every living soul in the universe. It was too much for her mind to handle.
She walked up to the Advanced Transfiguration common room and glanced over at Crookshanks who was curled up on the armchair nearest to the fire. She walked over to him and stroked him.
"What would I do without you?" she asked him and he purred in response.
The truth about it was that she didn't know what she would do without Crookshanks. He had been her single source of comfort when her father was looming in her mind and she needed to speak to someone she would hold him in her lap and he would let her sob into his fur.
His purring drew her from her thoughts and she smiled as she stroked him more. She loved him, he was one of the only things that was left for her to love now, and she wanted him to be here forever.
Smiling, Hermione fell asleep with Crookshanks in her lap.
~+~
Hermione awoke to the gruff shaking of someone and when she opened her eyes, the vision of Professor McGonagall swam before her eyes. She rubbed them and sat up groggily. She was just starting to wake when she spoke.
"Miss Granger, please report to the Headmaster's office, it's urgent."
~+~
A/N: I am SOOO evil!!! HA! Please read and review!