Chapter 4
Harry's eyes squinted as they opened. Bright light was shining in from every side of the room he was in. This was new. The light brought hope to the boy as he scanned the room.
"Hey Harry," said a familiar cheerful voice.
Harry shot up off his bed, almost hitting the bunk bed above him.
"Ron!" exclaimed Harry overjoyed by finally being back at Hogwarts.
"How are you?" asked Ron.
Harry felt content. For the first time in his life he felt content.
"I feel great," said Harry smiling.
"Well, after we rescued you from that Malfoy, we drove to Hogwarts as fast as possible where Dumbledore fixed you up," started Ron. "Either way, don't worry you haven't missed anything, except that dinner last night. All the new students have been sorted into their houses. Oh and did you hear? They are trying out a new system. Twenty chosen muggles that are associated by relation to the wizardry world are joining the school. They will go to special classes called "releasement". They will try to release the hidden powers in these muggles. Basically, these muggles aren't really 100 muggles. They have hidden magic which they cannot release on their own. If the plan fails they will be sent home. If it doesn't fail they will stay here. Some parents are infuriated! You should hear! I can't wait to see Draco's reaction! Yeah, so they were sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. None went into Slytherin for obvious reasons. They share common rooms with us. Actually I find it all fascinating! Most of them got into Hufflepuff but may be moved after they release their magic. We have about 4 in Gryffindor, two of which are in our year. I should introduce you to them. All the other Gryffindors are so excited because a lot of them don't know anything about muggles! Oh and your cousin Dudley, he's in Hufflepuff so he'll obviously be away from you. But you know..."
"Hold on!" exclaimed Harry. "You're saying Dudley is here?"
"Yeah and so i..."
"Oh that's bad! Why is he here? What the hell. I can't de...!"
"Harry!" exclaimed another familiar voice.
Harry turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway. She looked taller than before and her hair was less frizzy. Her face seemed paler and her cheeks sunk in a little. She was thinner and her smile seemed duller.
"Hi Hermione," said Harry slowly crawling out of bed. All his muscles still hurt.
"There's breakfast now. We should go," said Hermione quietly and walked away.
"What's up with her," asked Harry.
"She's been like that since we got here. Much quieter than usual and she hasn't been a know-it-all at all," answered Ron with a shrug. "I think she'll snap out of it."
Hermione walked away from the doorway shaking a little. Harry and Ron hadn't noticed anything about her. She obviously wasn't important enough for them. Her pace quickened as she heard footsteps following her. It sounded like Harry and Ron. She just wanted to run away from there and get to breakfast where they could be too busy eating to notice or talk to her. She didn't feel like talking.
Her heart bounced as she realised who was standing in front of her blocking the way. She looked up to see the face she dreaded all holidays.
"Don't you worry Granger. My target is not you anymore. Can you not see the frightened muggles running around us? I think I'll give them a taste of wizardry," he said with a smirk. Hermione noticed one of his eyes was blue, and he had a few bruises on his arms.
Suddenly Crabbe and Goyle appeared beside Draco. They were so short compared to him but still threatening. Crabbe smirked at Hermione as Goyle began to blabber, "there were these kids in the hallways. Definitely muggles. I showed them the right way to their class." Goyle and Crabbe laughed.
Hermione lowered her head in shame. Couldn't they just let her pass? She just wanted some breakfast. You can't stand up to anyone can you! You're weak!
"Draco," Hermione said in a hushed tone. "Could I please go?"
"Why?" Draco answered angrily.
"Sorry, I just want to go to breakfast. Please?" Hermione kept staring at the floor in shame.
"What is this tone of voice?" thought Draco. "Why is she being so quiet?"
"Draco," hissed someone from behind him. Draco turned just in time to have a fist fly into his face. He fell backwards in shock. Ron stood towering over him in pride.
"Woah, I hit him. Cool," said Ron amusedly. Harry stood beside Ron also looking at Draco in amusement.
"You didn't do all that," said Harry looking at all Draco's bruises.
Draco got up quickly. His eyes glared at Ron enraged. Suddenly Hermione let out a gasp and ran through the gathering, pushing everyone to the side.
"Hermione," called out Ron in concern. He turned to see Crabbe and Goyle standing beside him clenching their fists, waiting for orders from Draco.
"Now what are you going to do Ron?" asked Draco. "You're surrounded."
Ron's face turned a little paler. Harry pushed through the two sidekicks to stand beside Ron.
"Let's go," said Draco to Crabbe and Goyle. They looked in confusion at eachother.
"I said let's go," Draco said in a harsher tone. Crabbe and Goyle slowly moved away from Ron and Harry. Draco clenched his fist, colliding it with the nearest wall in anger. A loud scream came from him and his face twisted in pain. Shakily he walked away with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels.
"What on earth is going on?" wondered Harry.
Hermione was already finished with her meal when Harry and Ron joined her. Her eyes stayed glued to her plate while Harry and Ron chatted away.
"Welcome students of Hogwarts," began Dumbledore as he stood up. The students hushed to listen to what the headmaster had to say.
"I just have a short announcement. I'd like to welcome our muggle friends who will soon become wizards just like yourselves. I would like you all to give them a warm welcome. Do not scare them and bombard them with questions. Rather, become their friends. They will have much more free time than the wizard students. Thankyou."
A loud cheer roared through the hall and the chattering became louder again.
"Sorry is this seat taken?" asked a girl behind Harry. Harry realised the seat next to him was completely empty and Hermione was gone.
"Uh, no its not taken," he replied.
The girl looked afraid as she took a nibble out of her toast. She darted her eyes at Harry and kept eating.
"Hey you look like you're in our year," exclaimed Ron.
"Yeah I am," she answered still chewing on her first bite of bread.
"Well I'm Ron. That's Harry. What's your name?"
"Stacey."
"What classes are you in?"
"oh... I um... I'm doing the releasement class..."
"You're a muggle!" Ron exclaimed in amusement. "How exciting!"
"You look scared," said Harry.
"They..." she stuttered looking at Harry's scar which was clearly showing from his forehead. "They said you were the strongest wizard in this school."
"And the friendliest," added Ron patting Harry on the shoulder.
"I don't bite and I'm no the strongest wizard in this school," said Harry.
The girl smiled weakly and kept chewing on her toast while Ron began telling her all about the school.
Draco stared at his plate, his meal untouched. He sat in wonder of the past few years, and the yesterday...
flashback
"You fool! You don't understand what you have done! Don't you understand it is all for you," screamed his father.
"But you hurt him! Too much!" cried back Draco.
"Fool!" Lucius punched Draco in the eye and stormed away.
Draco collapsed on the ground in pain. "I thought it was all for me!"
"Get in the car Draco, we're going to Hogwarts," said Lucius coldly.
end of flashback
Draco touched his eye. It still hurt, but his fist hurt also from punching the wall. He didn't know it could hurt that much to punch a wall. A small image caught the corner of his eye. He turned in time to see Hermione run out of the hall. He could almost swear he saw a tear fall on her cheek as she ran away.
"Why was she feeling so bad? Was it because of the things I've been saying?" thought Draco. "No keep your cool idiot! She's a mud blood. You don't like mud bloods! But... that is all your father talking!" Draco slapped himself in frustration. Crabbe and Goyle gave him weird looks before returning to their food.
"Class children! Go to class," he heard professor McGonagall announce.
"Welcome to the class of random," said the teacher pacing around the room. "In this class we will be learning about anything you want." The teacher stopped, reviewed over what she had said, looked satisfied and looked back at her class who all looked at her with blank expressions.
"Ms... did they just not think of anything else to teach us so they made us this class?" asked Neville.
"Precisely," answered the teacher beaming. "ok, well basically this is almost like a free period except I'm here and sometimes we will learn about different things. If a lot of people have different questions at the same time, I can clone myself into many 'me's and each one will talk to a different person."
Someone let out a strange sound from the back of the classroom in amazement.
"What's your name?" asked Ron.
"Just call me Ms Random because I can't think of any other name at the moment," she answered calmly.
"I think she's a robot," whispered Ron to Hermione.
Hermione stared into space deep in thought. Ron shrugged in frustration and turned to Harry to ask him what was in the Potions test in a couple of days.
Slowly more and more people began putting up their hands, some just to see Ms Random split and clone herself. There were at least 5 different Ms Randoms around the room.
Hermione suddenly put up her hand, and Ms Random appeared next to her. Hermione quickly glanced to check if anyone was watching. No one was of course.
"I was wondering if you could tell me about wizard drugs. Do they exist?" asked Hermione.
"Ah! You are Hermione! I've heard very good things about you!" answered Ms Random. Hermione blushed but tried to stay on topic. "Well, I can expect someone like you to ask about these types of things. Is a friend of yours taking drugs and you want to help him? I can imagine so. Wow, I'm so proud of you and I hardly know you. It's a pleasure teaching you Hermione!" exclaimed Ms Random.
Hermione looked at her in confusion but she had already disappeared.
"May I go to the toilet," Hermione asked the nearest Ms Random.
"Yes," all ten Ms Randoms replied.
Hermione quickly raced out of the room, but she did not turn into the toilet. If Ms Random wasn't going to tell her, she'd find out for herself. Quietly she entered the library, making sure no one had noticed the new guest. No one had. It didn't take her long to open the book on magical drugs. She read the introduction.
Wizard drugs are known to be less physically addictive than muggle drugs. Some believe Wizard drugs are almost like normal potions, just with some short term effects. There are some drugs much like marijuana and cocaine in the muggle world. They are just as harmful but unlike the muggle world, there are potions to cure you from your addictions from such drugs. There are of course much more harmful drugs than these which are harder to stop taking, and some may even be deadly. One of the deadliest drugs is Canconobis. Every time the drug is taken the effects double. The drug can kill you within a few days if taken repeatedly every day. Some less harmful drugs are Bruck and Startick, which are both illegal in the wizardry world for anyone under the age of 21. Punishment include heavy fines and may be watched for legal purposes over many months. If the substance abuser is under the age of 18 they will be given 3 warnings after which the same rules apply as to over 18s.
Hermione snapped the book shut. She knew exactly where she had to go. She had set her mind. She had enough of this world. You're a coward running away from the world. Hermione ran back to class. Too weak to face it aren't you? You want to go get drugs don't you? And you're too scared to take the ones that George guy in the alley gave you. You want the safe drugs. You're pushing your luck. Everyone hates you. You know that. Why bother taking the drugs, it won't make them like you. It won't even make you like yourself.
Hermione bit back the tears starting to appear in her eyes. She was sick of thinking like this but she couldn't help it. She ran towards the toilet where moaning myrtle was, but even moaning myrtle had disappeared. She couldn't hear her cry anymore.
"Damnit, where am I going to get a drug dealer?" whispered Hermione in frustration.
"Oh I know," a voice said from the cubicle.
Hermione jumped back in fright. Moaning Myrtle floated through the door and towards Hermione.
"I thought you weren't here," exclaimed Hermione.
"Yeah well I am! Just no one ever notices me!" she screamed back.
"Sorry, I know what you mean."
"You do?"
"Yes... anyway you said you knew?"
"Yeah, the girls in this cubicle used to do it all the time. I was sitting in my cubicle one day crying and suddenly I heard those nasty girls run into the bathroom. I could smell the stench of cigarettes. I hate cigarettes! They were such annoying muggle substances that could kill any muggle, but never a wizard. So anyway, so I was sitting there and they were murmuring. Finally they exclaimed some words and I heard a new voice appear. I've seen many people take drugs in these cubicles. Now I know exactly what happens."
"And what is that?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I'm the only girl around that talks to you!"
"Fine! You say the words," Moaning Myrtle stopped and whispered the words slowly in Hermione's ear, "Flitting Flirtle, stuff me over, appear to me, flitting flirtle!"
"And then what?" asked Hermione.
"Then the famous drug dealer will appear here. He is the only drug dealer to ever find a way of getting into this school. He has been hunted for centuries but no one knows where he is. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth, only to appear when someone needed him for drugs."
"Ok... thankyou. Can I try it now?" asked Hermione.
"Go ahead! I won't tell anyone, no one ever listens to me anyway!" Moaning Myrtle burst into tears and ran back into her cubicle.
"Flitting Flirtle, stuff me over, appear to me flitting flirtle," said Hermione bravely.
A puff of smoke began encircling her. It smelled horrible. Hermione coughed and closed her eyes as the smoke was stinging her eyes.
"ah... a new customer. I wont ask you for you're name don't worry. Just quickly tell me what drugs you need. I have many customers," said the image appearing before her.
"Uh... I want Canconobis," muttered Hermione.
"ahh, the most dangerous one. Good choice. Pay up!"
"I don't have any money... Is there any other way to pay you?"
"As a matter of fact there is. I need to take a bit of your happiness from you. See I feed off stolen happiness. That is how I stay alive. Anyway that isn't important, you will gain your happiness back a few days after. I will need to take quite a bit though as you are taking the most dangerous drug."
Go on! You have no happiness anyway. Just let him. Come on! You are so close to freedom!
"Very well, take it!" said Hermione.
The image smiled and clicked its fingers. Hermione suddenly felt cold. Her body began shivering as she fell to her knees. She never felt so much pain. She felt like her whole body was being sucked of its happiness. With a final gasp she fell to the ground as the cloud of smoke disappeared from around her and the image disappeared.
"What a stupid girl," said Moaning Myrtle, spying on the event that just occurred. "Does she not realise that is the oldest trick to keep a customer coming back? By stealing their happiness!"
Hermione shook as she struggled to get up.
"Yes, I saw many other girls do as you did," said Myrtle cheerfully.
Hermione held the green potion tightly in her hand. Her eyes seemed completely empty and cold. She began taking off the lid.
"You're going to take it now?" exclaimed Myrtle in delight.
"Will it make me happier?" asked Hermione dully.
"I don't know! But don't you have class?"
"Yes but it's almost over and that is the last class for the day."
"Well then lets see. Have a drink!"
Hermione shakily opened the bottle. Idiot. Fool! They are going to hate you more than ever. Look what you are about to do. You attention seeker. Shutup! Shutup! It will all be over now!
AN: I apologise for the bad writing, I'm really rusty and ive got a writers block and its depressing. I'm gonna try harder next chapter... sorry!