Chapter Fifteen

Words in the Dark

One by one she was losing them. One by one they were being pried apart, by actions, by words, and by emotions. One by one she was losing her closest friends. One had been ripped away, a victim of a crime of hate and revenge. Another torn away through betrayal and anger. And the last was falling away. Caught up in the need for revenge, caught up in the hate for the enemy.

Hermione closed her eyes, rubbing her temples and trying to order her thoughts. She could feel a change in the air. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it didn't bode well for anyone. Revenge did not solve anything, indeed if only made things worst. Ron's actions would have consequences, just as Draco's had, and Harry's.

She didn't know how to stop it. She didn't know how to make them see reason. Ron would not listen to her, he was caught up in his plans of revenge that he would not listen to reason. Trying to make the Slytherins see reason was also out of the question. It would probably be easier to teach a kneazle to sing than it would be a get a Slytherin to let go of their need for revenge.

She could go to the professors. She could tell them everything, which would put an end to all of this. They would descend upon the students like a giant, snapping up those involved and grinding them. Hermione shook her head. No. That was also not an option. Ron had to be made to see reason, but not expelled.

She could understand his need for revenge, his anger. Harry was her friend and no matter how many accusations that she would not stand up for him were thrown at her, he was still her friend. She wanted whoever had attacked him to pay, but to take punishment into your own hands. That was something completely different.

Revenge was not the way to go. It would only beget more revenge, an endless circle where there was no winner. What she wanted was justice. She wanted whoever had done this to feel the weight of whatever they had done, and she had her trust in Dumbledore. Trust that he would find the culprit and do what must be done to make sure nothing more would happen.

But how long would that take? How long would it be before Dumbledore sorted through all the facts and evidence before he came to a conclusion? Was there even much information to go on? Hermione shook her head, she didn't know.

"I don't know what to do." Hermione said. "I just don't know. There's so many things happening, so many things occurring." She sigh. She reached forward and gripped his hand, it was cold. "I wish you were awake, Harry. Maybe you could bash some sense into Ron."

There was no response, not that she expected any. Harry lay there, his eyes closed, his face expressionless, and his chest rising up and down slowly and softly. Hermione closed her eyes.

How would things be when Harry awoke? Hermione remembered the conversation they had when several nights back. He had been lusting for revenge, she could see it in his face, hear it in his voice. Would he actually do it? Would he actually try and take on Voldemort? She didn't know, but she felt an uneasiness about it.

'It's around us all the time isn't it? Revenge. The need to payback those that hurt you, those that betrayed you.' Hermione clenched her fists. She blinked and laughed hollowly to herself. "Even I feel it. I don't know why, but the feeling scares me. I've known anger, hate, and fear, but revenge...it clouds your mind. It bathes the world in a red haze where your only goal is to hurt the one that hurt you."

Hermione laughed again. "How sad is this? That I've no one to talk to, that I'm left with talking to an unconscious friend who probably doesn't hear anything I'm saying." Hermione sighed. "What to do?" She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, trying to think.

She heard the door to the hospital wing creak open, then the sounds of footsteps. More than one person. Hermione sat very still. Who was visiting at this hour? She sat there straining her ears to hear anything. The footsteps continued, passing Harry's bed. Hermione was glad that a high screen of curtains surrounded it.

"How are they?" A voice asked, Hermione recognized it as Dumbledore's.

"They're fine. They'll be up and about in the morning. There was no real damage, just a few broken bones that had to be mended and the potion they consumed reversed. Snape had the antidote ready within an hour of identifying the potion used. Beastia Mutatio. Not a difficult potion to reverse." McGonagall responded after a moment's pause. There was quiet, Hermione could only hear the slight rustling of robes and the soft sounds of Harry breathing. "What are you going to do?"

Another pause, stretched impossibly long. "I don't know." Dumbledore responded, his voice suddenly filled with weariness. Hermione wanted to sat up and see what was happening, but she sat still. She was sure they wouldn't be pleased at her eavesdropping "There's little we can do, to either of them."

"After what they did? You want to let them go free?" McGonagall asked, her voice flat and angry. "They deserve some sort of punishment, they deserve to be expelled."

"You know I can't do that." Dumbledore said softly, so softly that Hermione had to lean forward and concentrate jus to hear it.

McGonagall sighed and began pacing. Her footsteps short and fast, Hermione could imagine her angry, eyes flashing and a frown creasing her face. A whine of fear began to rise in Hermione. What would they do if they caught her here? She shook her head. What are you thinking of? They're talking about something important. Listen!

"They could be given detention." McGonagall said after pacing for a few moments.

"No. If we give them detention, they'll people will suspect we know what they did and they'll wonder why we only punished them lightly." Dumbledore responded. "We can't let them out of our sights."

"You'd let them still attend this school after what they did to Harry? After they nearly killed him and did who knows what damage to his brain?" McGonagall said, her voice scathing and cold.

Hermione took a shuddering breath. They knew. They knew Draco had attacked Harry. She shook her head, everything seemed to be shaken loose. They knew and they weren't going to do anything about it. Why? Why wouldn't they do anything?

"There are things that we must do that seem terrible, but they must be done. In this case we must turn a blind eye to what has occurred, Harry's attack upon Draco and Draco's attack upon Harry. These must be ignored." Dumbledore said wearily. "Harry must be kept safe, he must be out of reach of Voldemort. And Draco...he must be watched. An eye must be kept upon the children of Death Eaters. They must be kept at Hogwarts." There was determination in his voice.

Hermione felt a sudden chill. It would be all ignored. It would all be swept under the table. Draco would be allowed to continue staying at Hogwarts because he happened to be Lucius Malfoy's son. There was no justice. Dumbledore would ignore it all. Just so he could have all his enemies children in one place.

"So be it." McGonagall replied coldly. "What do you plan to do the next time they try to kill one another?" She snapped then walked off, her footsteps clicking furiously upon the marble tiles.

Dumbledore sighed. Hermione heard the rustle of robes and his footsteps. They paused outside of the curtain surrounding Harry's bed.

"It pains me also." He said, Hermione covered her mouth from letting out a cry of surprise. "But we must use logic here. Though out hearts cry for something different." He said and then walked off.

Logic. Hermione dropped her head into her hands. She felt outraged, angered, and furious, but she could not stop her mind from understanding what had to be done. She understood what Dumbledore was doing; she knew it was the best course. But she was still angry.

She looked to Harry, his face calm and eyes closed. Dumbledore wanted to keep him safe from Voldemort, but could he keep him safe from other students? It didn't seem likely. Someone would have to keep an eye upon him. Hermione reached forward and gripped his cool hands.

"You once said that Dumbledore was fallible. I didn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it, but now I do." Hermione said softly. "He can't protect you all the time, he can't be there all the time. There's a war going on, there's going to be more death, more destruction, and more pain." She paused, tightening her grip upon Harry's hand. "I may not be Dumbledore. I may not be an Auror. But I am your friend and in the end, it seems, all we have is our friends. I'll be by your side. I'll stand with you Harry."

Silence only greeted her words, but for Hermione it was enough.