Hermione massaged her temples and shook her head. "I'm sorry Dobby, I
think I just hallucinated. did you say that Snape knows I'm innocent?"
Dobby nodded, his huge eyes unblinking with certainty.
Her mind raced. 'Snape knows? Then why doesn't he tell anyone? He's not that cruel, is he?'
"Dobby cannot stay long," he said, pulling up one of his large socks. "Guard might think Dobby here too long and become suspicious." He placed a hand on Hermione's knee and whispered, "Tomorrow, Dobby is hearing, you will get out to have wand tested."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Prior Incantato! Josh did it!" She smiled in relief and felt like dancing, but Dobby's face turned anxious and he stared at the door.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Shhh," Dobby whispered. "Someone else out theres, miss." Hermione heard some voices. It was the guard that had come with Dobby, and somebody else.
"I can take over," the new voice said.
"That stupid elf is taking forever," the old guard said. "I really should tell Dumbledore."
"No!" the new voice shouted. "I mean, you shouldn't worry about it. Just go ahead and take a break."
"Thanks." And with that, the first guard left.
When his footsteps were gone, Hermione stood up and tried to look out the barred window at the top of the door again.
"Hermione?" the new guard whispered, and his eyes appeared at the window.
"Josh!" Hermione ran over and stuck her arms through the bars. Josh grasped one of her hands.
"I did it, Hermione. Tomorrow morning at seven we're going to test your wand!"
"I know, I know," Hermione withdrew the hand that Josh wasn't holding, and used it to pull herself up further on her tiptoes so she could see him. "Thank you," Hermione whispered.
"It was the least I could do," Josh whispered back. His eyes dropped to her hand, which he was cradling in both of his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, then turned his gaze back to Hermione.
His face was very close to her own, but Hermione wasn't embarrassed. She wished more than anything that she could fall right through the door and hug him. Her calf muscles began to burn from tiptoeing for so long, but she ignored the pain.
"Also, I contacted your parents," Josh said. "They'll be here tomorrow." Hermione smiled and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Josh reached through the bars and used his thumb to wipe them away.
"Josh," she whispered, "I don't know how to thank you-"
"Shh." He touched his finger to her lips. Her lips, which began to reach closer and closer to Josh's through the metal bars-
"Miss Hermione!" Dobby interrupted, pulling on her shirt. Hermione looked down at him, annoyed. "Someones is coming down the stairs!"
"I need to leave," Josh said, backing away from the door. "Hurry up, house elf!" Dobby obediently gathered up the tray and disappeared, reappearing in the corridor next to Josh. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione," Josh kissed the back of her hand, and she withdrew it back through the window. "Good luck," he said, and with that, he and Dobby trotted away.
Hermione retreated to the corner and sat on the cold concrete, waiting for whoever it was to get there. She let herself stare at a spider in the corner as the light footsteps approached. Hermione wasn't sure who she dreaded it would be, but her hands began to shake nervously nonetheless. The arachnid scurried into a crack when the light underneath the door became shadowed.
"Hermione?" It was Ron. He was easily tall enough to see through the barred window and into the room.
"Yeah, I'm in here," she replied, getting up off the floor. Her feelings became horribly mixed as his voice echoed through the cell. She was happy it was Ron, or perhaps those were just lingering feelings from Josh's visit. Remembering his emotional breakdown and heartfelt hug after she had woken up, Hermione felt lost. Did he really care about her, or just for Harry? Had he been there for her at all?
"Ew," Ron said, looking into the room, desperately forcing a tone of lightheartedness. "Not very large in there at all, is it?"
"No, it's not," she answered shortly. "Is there any particular reason why you're here, other than to comment on the size of my cell?"
"I wanted to see how you were."
"Oh, I'm doing wonderfully," she snapped. At that, Ron's face creased painfully and Hermione instantly regretted her harshness. There was a long, awkward pause. Maybe he did care about her. "Look. I'm sorry," she said. "It hasn't been the best of days today, has it?" Ron shook his head.
Hermione's heart pounded as she spoke. "I didn't kill Harry."
Ron gave an unexpected jolt. "What?"
"I didn't kill him, Ron. You believe me, don't you?" Hermione took a step closer to the door.
Ron hesitated, and then stuttered an inaudible answer.
"What did you say?" She asked, taking another step closer.
"I don't know." he murmured.
"What do you mean you don't know?" she shouted. "You know me! You know what I would and wouldn't do! I would never."
"I thought I knew you, Hermione!" he shouted back, hitting the metal door with the palm of his hand, which made Hermione jump suddenly. His eyes became wrinkled with hurt and he shook his head. "Until this year, I thought I knew the real Hermione Granger."
"Ron. listen," she said gently.
"No, you listen!" he yelled. "I was ready to believe you! The moment I heard what had happened, I was going to stick with you until the end. For the past week, Harry told me that you started talking to him again, even after all that time. He said that you two were mending old wounds." Ron narrowed his eyes at her. "Mending old wounds. I should have known it was all just an act."
"Ron, I."
"You were just trying to get close to him!"
"I didn't--!"
"Close enough to kill him!"
"No!"
"Don't you dare lie to me! There was a witness, Hermione!"
The dungeon became painfully silent except for the soft roar of the torches.
"What did you say?" Hermione whispered.
"I would've believed you," Ron said softly as he stepped away from the small window, "but someone saw you do it." He stared at her for a few moments, then turned his back and walked away.
Dobby nodded, his huge eyes unblinking with certainty.
Her mind raced. 'Snape knows? Then why doesn't he tell anyone? He's not that cruel, is he?'
"Dobby cannot stay long," he said, pulling up one of his large socks. "Guard might think Dobby here too long and become suspicious." He placed a hand on Hermione's knee and whispered, "Tomorrow, Dobby is hearing, you will get out to have wand tested."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Prior Incantato! Josh did it!" She smiled in relief and felt like dancing, but Dobby's face turned anxious and he stared at the door.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Shhh," Dobby whispered. "Someone else out theres, miss." Hermione heard some voices. It was the guard that had come with Dobby, and somebody else.
"I can take over," the new voice said.
"That stupid elf is taking forever," the old guard said. "I really should tell Dumbledore."
"No!" the new voice shouted. "I mean, you shouldn't worry about it. Just go ahead and take a break."
"Thanks." And with that, the first guard left.
When his footsteps were gone, Hermione stood up and tried to look out the barred window at the top of the door again.
"Hermione?" the new guard whispered, and his eyes appeared at the window.
"Josh!" Hermione ran over and stuck her arms through the bars. Josh grasped one of her hands.
"I did it, Hermione. Tomorrow morning at seven we're going to test your wand!"
"I know, I know," Hermione withdrew the hand that Josh wasn't holding, and used it to pull herself up further on her tiptoes so she could see him. "Thank you," Hermione whispered.
"It was the least I could do," Josh whispered back. His eyes dropped to her hand, which he was cradling in both of his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, then turned his gaze back to Hermione.
His face was very close to her own, but Hermione wasn't embarrassed. She wished more than anything that she could fall right through the door and hug him. Her calf muscles began to burn from tiptoeing for so long, but she ignored the pain.
"Also, I contacted your parents," Josh said. "They'll be here tomorrow." Hermione smiled and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Josh reached through the bars and used his thumb to wipe them away.
"Josh," she whispered, "I don't know how to thank you-"
"Shh." He touched his finger to her lips. Her lips, which began to reach closer and closer to Josh's through the metal bars-
"Miss Hermione!" Dobby interrupted, pulling on her shirt. Hermione looked down at him, annoyed. "Someones is coming down the stairs!"
"I need to leave," Josh said, backing away from the door. "Hurry up, house elf!" Dobby obediently gathered up the tray and disappeared, reappearing in the corridor next to Josh. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione," Josh kissed the back of her hand, and she withdrew it back through the window. "Good luck," he said, and with that, he and Dobby trotted away.
Hermione retreated to the corner and sat on the cold concrete, waiting for whoever it was to get there. She let herself stare at a spider in the corner as the light footsteps approached. Hermione wasn't sure who she dreaded it would be, but her hands began to shake nervously nonetheless. The arachnid scurried into a crack when the light underneath the door became shadowed.
"Hermione?" It was Ron. He was easily tall enough to see through the barred window and into the room.
"Yeah, I'm in here," she replied, getting up off the floor. Her feelings became horribly mixed as his voice echoed through the cell. She was happy it was Ron, or perhaps those were just lingering feelings from Josh's visit. Remembering his emotional breakdown and heartfelt hug after she had woken up, Hermione felt lost. Did he really care about her, or just for Harry? Had he been there for her at all?
"Ew," Ron said, looking into the room, desperately forcing a tone of lightheartedness. "Not very large in there at all, is it?"
"No, it's not," she answered shortly. "Is there any particular reason why you're here, other than to comment on the size of my cell?"
"I wanted to see how you were."
"Oh, I'm doing wonderfully," she snapped. At that, Ron's face creased painfully and Hermione instantly regretted her harshness. There was a long, awkward pause. Maybe he did care about her. "Look. I'm sorry," she said. "It hasn't been the best of days today, has it?" Ron shook his head.
Hermione's heart pounded as she spoke. "I didn't kill Harry."
Ron gave an unexpected jolt. "What?"
"I didn't kill him, Ron. You believe me, don't you?" Hermione took a step closer to the door.
Ron hesitated, and then stuttered an inaudible answer.
"What did you say?" She asked, taking another step closer.
"I don't know." he murmured.
"What do you mean you don't know?" she shouted. "You know me! You know what I would and wouldn't do! I would never."
"I thought I knew you, Hermione!" he shouted back, hitting the metal door with the palm of his hand, which made Hermione jump suddenly. His eyes became wrinkled with hurt and he shook his head. "Until this year, I thought I knew the real Hermione Granger."
"Ron. listen," she said gently.
"No, you listen!" he yelled. "I was ready to believe you! The moment I heard what had happened, I was going to stick with you until the end. For the past week, Harry told me that you started talking to him again, even after all that time. He said that you two were mending old wounds." Ron narrowed his eyes at her. "Mending old wounds. I should have known it was all just an act."
"Ron, I."
"You were just trying to get close to him!"
"I didn't--!"
"Close enough to kill him!"
"No!"
"Don't you dare lie to me! There was a witness, Hermione!"
The dungeon became painfully silent except for the soft roar of the torches.
"What did you say?" Hermione whispered.
"I would've believed you," Ron said softly as he stepped away from the small window, "but someone saw you do it." He stared at her for a few moments, then turned his back and walked away.