Thank you those of you who left reviews. To those who read but don't review - thank you for reading my story.
I have got the rest of this story into four chapters, and (I know I keep going on about this) in order to finish the story before Half-Blood Prince comes out (not long now - yaaaay!) I shall be posting the remaining three chapters during the next eleven days. Apologies if you get fed up with receiving chapter update emails. lol.
CHAPTER TEN
HALLOWEEN AND CHRISTMAS
Halloween arrived and Ron had no trouble asking a number of girls to go out with him, eventually being accepted by Luna Lovegood.
"After the way Hermione turned me down I knew I could cope with any kind of rejection, so I lost my fear. Good old Hermione, eh?"
Hermione had been the first to apologise for the argument in the Hospital Wing. She had offered the hand of friendship and Ron had grudgingly taken it. Harry knew that Ron had been stung by Hermione's words that day and didn't seem able to forget.
Ron and Luna, Ginny and Neville went down to Hogsmeade together, leaving Harry and Hermione sitting in a quiet corner of the library.
Hermione didn't seem to mind staying behind.
"I feel safe here," she told Harry. "Besides, I've got to concentrate on my Ancient Runes homework. I'd got used to using the Scribe's Crystal - it made it easy. Now I haven't got it, I'm finding the work really difficult and it's taking me ages."
Snape had kept the Crystal, which didn't bother Harry. It was Snape's after all and not Sirius'. It meant nothing to Harry now.
"What about you," asked Hermione. "I thought you were going to 'blast Filch out of the way' to get to Hogsmeade," she reminded him with a grin.
"Yeah, well. Ron's gone off with Luna and you can't go, I thought I'd be a bit lost." He looked at Hermione. "Do you...do you mind Ron going out with Luna?"
"No," she smiled. "Ron is lovely, but I really don't think it would have lasted and then what would have happened to our friendship? The three of us, I mean. I'm just concentrating on my work for now."
Harry watched as Hermione bent her head over her book. He wondered how true that statement was. Hermione had always been a conscientious worker, a prodigious reader and a mine of information. But lately Harry and Ron had noticed her attention slipping. A number of times he had happened to glance up at her during a lesson to see her gazing out of the window or looking trance-like at a space a few feet in front of her. Ron had pointed out that she was doodling a lot, something the old Hermione had never done. And she was definitely not eating as well as she used to.
Ginny and Neville returned to the Common Room first, giggling. It seemed clear they'd had a good time.
"Ron's just seeing Luna back to her Common Room," said Ginny as they came and sat by Harry.
"Have a Goyle's Bum," said Neville, plonking a bag of sweets on the table in front of Harry.
He and Ginny burst out laughing.
"A what?" laughed Harry, peering into the bag.
"Gobstoppers," explained Ginny. "We'd just bought them at Honeydukes and Neville went to say they made you look as if you had a gum boil, but he said 'bum goyle' by mistake, so they've now been officially renamed 'Goyle's Bum'."
"You've had a good time, then?" said Harry, grinning as they both continued laughing together.
Ron came through the portrait hole, frowning.
"That was hard work," he said, helping himself to a sweet. "Luna wants to show me her collection of 'loofypeg bird feathers' or something, which worried me a bit. Where's Hermione?"
"She went to have a rest before dinner. She said she was tired."
"I expect she is," said Ginny. "I don't think she's sleeping. Have you noticed the black rings under her eyes? And Parvati says she hears Hermione get up a lot in the night and come down here."
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"She's probably worried about homework or something," said Ron.
"Hmmmm," said Ginny, thoughtfully.
Nothing much out of the ordinary happened in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Ron seemed to be consumed with Quidditch. If they weren't practicing with the team he was asking Harry to practice with him or he would go out on his own, in all weathers. It seemed to Harry that Ron was out to prove something, either to himself or someone else.
Hermione immersed herself in her work. She seemed to be having problems with her lessons, particularly Ancient Runes, where she seemed constantly to be pouring over text books; and the extra lessons with Snape. It was unlike Hermione to take so long to learn something and Harry, from his own experiences during Occlumency lessons, became worried that Snape was giving her a hard time. Several times he noticed that when she arrived at dinner, after a lesson with Snape, the whites of her eyes would have a pink tinge and her eyelashes were matted as though she'd been crying.
Neville spent his spare time helping Ginny revise for her OWLS. They seemed to laugh a lot together. Harry had never seen Neville so happy.
The only time his happiness wavered was during Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.
These lessons had now moved from the Prefects bathroom to the dungeons and Neville told Harry that just the smell of the place gave him the shakes.
Ron had been right. Snape was worse than ever. He was like a whip cracking over their heads, constantly stinging them. He prowled the classroom, looming over his chosen victim as he asked them questions.
"Weasley - what is the most dangerous ability of the Trident White-Light?"
"Erm... Erm..."
"Five points from Gryffindor, unless Miss Granger can retrieve them for you." He snapped his fingers and pointed to Hermione, without even looking in her direction.
"It can change ones perception of the North Star, making ocean navigation almost impossible, Sir." she said.
"Malfoy - go to the front of the class and demonstrate how you would block an attack from a Reefcoot."
Confident of approval from his Head of House, Malfoy strutted to the front and did as instructed. He performed a complicated wave of his wand which sent a spell flying out of control across the room, shattering the plaster head of Neptune which stood on a shelf.
"Five points from Slytherin for being an absolute buffoon. Sit down!"
"Longbottom -"
Neville jumped and sent his books clattering to the ground. Snape advanced on him.
"Name two river-dwelling insects whose bite can cause paralysis in humans."
"Er...a Creebilly and..."
"There is no such creature!" Snape leaned on the desk, his face close to Neville's. "Five points from Gryffindor and a further five for your clumsiness. Pick up your books!"
Snape turned and swept the class with a look that chilled the room.
"Do we have to ask Miss Granger to beFairy Godmother again, or do you think you can all manage to read Chapter Eight and digest the knowledge for yourselves?"
There was a frantic scrabble at the text books for Chapter Eight. Snape stalked, like a sinister shadow, between the rows of silent, reading students.
Harry didn't see why it happened, but Hermione suddenly gave a shudder and somehow managed to knock her bottle of ink off the desk just as Snape was approaching. It fell to the ground with a 'chink', just inches from Snape's feet. He stopped dead and gave Hermione a scalding glare as a puddle of ink quickly oozed across the floor towards his shoes.
Hermione visibly wilted into her chair, shaking. The whole class watched and held its breath.
"I trust you know how to clear that up, Miss Granger," he hissed, stepping over the puddle and walking on.
"Homework. I want a page each on thethree most dangerous water spirits and creatures. In addition, those of you who failed to answer questions today will also write two pages on the subject in which you showed your ignorance. Class dismissed."
Christmas arrived.
On the last day of lessons the whole school met for dinner in the Great hall for the last time before catching the train home the following morning. There was a great deal of noise as people exchanged presents and hugs.
"I can't believe she's had an extra lesson on the last day," said Ron as he watched Hermione enter the hall late and make her way to the table.
Harry was relieved to see there were no signs of tears in her eyes this evening. Her cheeks were flushed from rushing to the hall and she gave everyone a broad smile as she sat.
Hermione was having to stay at school over the holidays, which she didn't mind because there were so many of them staying. Harry was, of course; Neville was staying because his grandmother was visiting her sister and once Ginny found out Neville was staying, she decided to stay as well. Then Ron, who had planned to go home, announced he was staying.
("I don't trust Neville," he had said to Harry earlier. "I just want to keep an eye on him and Ginny, that's all.")
"We're really going to have fun," said Ginny, pouring gravy over her dinner. "With all of us spending Christmas together."
"Just so long as we stay in a group," said Ron with a meaningful look at her and Neville.
"Don't worry big brother," laughed Ginny. "Hermione will be my chaperone, won't you, Hermione? Hermione?"
Hermione was sitting with her bag still on her lap, which she hugged to her as if it contained gold. The other hand was twirling a fork in a pile of noodles but not actually picking any up. She was gazing trance-like in the direction of her goblet.
"Hmmmm?" she said in a dreamy voice and then seemed to realise where she was. "Oh, sorry, I was miles away," she smiled at Ginny.
A frown crossed Ginny's face for a second and her eyes flickered to Hermione's bag, but then she grinned.
"I was just telling Ron that you'll be my chaperon over Christmas. Just in case Neville tries to climb up my Christmas stocking."
"GINNY!" said Ron, scandalised, while the others, including Hermione, burst into shocked laughter.
Christmas Morning:
"How come you like my mum's sweaters so much?" asked Ron, looking distastefully at his usual hand-knitted offering from Mrs. Weasley.
Harry, Ron and Neville were sitting on the floor of the dormitory opening their presents.
"Because," came Harry's muffled voice from somewhere inside a red sweater which had a picture of two Quidditch brooms crossed over the front. "Apart from my school uniform, they're the only things I have to wear that didn't once belong to Uncle Vernon or Dudley."
Present-buying had been a bit awkward this year, not being able to go to Hogsmeade; but one of the girls had left a copy of "Spellbound" - a teen witch magazine - lying around the Common Room. Harry, in an idle moment, had flipped through it and found a gift-ordering section at the back.
He had ordered Ron a Quidditch League Table chart and Hermione a perpetual notebook ('Never run out of parchment again!'). As Neville was around this Christmas, Harry had bought him a present as well; a mirror which helped you search for something that was lost. Harry had thought it a brilliant idea for Neville's present. Unfortunately, so had everyone else and Neville had ended up with three mirrors.
Ron had bought everyone sweets or chocolate, except Hermione.
"I got her some replacement ink. She doesn't seem to eat sweets anymore."
"Ginny doesn't either," said Neville, and Ron's eyes narrowed at him. "She says it gives her spots."
"Hey, I've got a present from Fred and George," yelled Ron in surprise. "Must be because they're earning their own money now."
Ron began tearing at the wrapping paper.
"Er...Ron..." warned Harry but, too late.
As Ron removed the last of the wrapping, the lid of the box blasted away and Ron disappeared behind an explosion of white. A cloud floated to the ceiling and it began to snow.
In the dormitory.
Harry and Neville looked at Ron, who still sat on the floor completely covered in snow. In front of him was the now lidless box which read "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes - Winter in a Box".
Ron looked for all the world like a surprised snowman. They sat there, stunned for a moment, with snow falling from the ceiling, and then all three burst out laughing.
As in their third year there were so few students staying at school over the Christmas holiday that Dumbledore had ordered just one long table to be set up for Christmas lunch.
Unfortunately, unlike their third year, Harry's sixth-year group found themselves now at the staff end of the table. As there were no seventh- year students staying, there were no 'buffers' between themselves and the staff.
Hermione, Ginny and Neville sat opposite Harry and Ron. Both Harry and Hermione had automatically left an empty chair between themselves and the staff. There was a third empty chair on the other side of Ron. Harry was just about to ask Ron to move down so there could be two empty seats between himself and Snape, when...
"Hi, Ginny."
Everyone looked up to see a rather pretty, rather petite blonde girl standing by the empty chair next to Ron.
"I'm kind of on my own. All the fifth-year Hufflepuffs have gone home. Would you mind if I sat with you?"
"Of course not," smiled Ginny. "Come and sit next to me. Neville won't mind."
Neville went to stand up.
"Oh, no, don't move because of me. I can sit here." she pulled out the chair and sat, rather gracefully, next to Ron.
"Everyone, this is Ronnie," said Ginny.
"Ronnie!" said everyone together.
"It's Veronica," laughed the girl. "Veronica Honeyduke, but everyone calls me Ronnie."
"Honeyduke?" said Ron. "The same as the sweet shop in Hogsmeade?"
"They're my grandparents," she said, giving Ron a dazzling smile. "You're Ron Weasley, aren't you? I guess we have something in common - our names, I mean."
"Oh, yeah. My name's Ron, too," he said unnecessarily.
"You're in the Gryffindor team, aren't you?" she said, looking coyly from under a lock of golden hair. "I see you practise nearly every evening. You must be very fit."
"Well, yeah, I suppose I am quite fit..." Ron turned his back on Harry, giving Ronnie his full attention. The others exchanged looks and stifled their laughter.
They were waiting for Dumbledore to arrive before they could begin the meal. Harry wished he would hurry up. There was only one chair between him and Snape and the quicker it was filled, the better.
Then the door opened and Dumbledore arrived arm in arm with a very apprehensive-looking Professor Trelawney. She was dressed in her usual flowing robes - this time of varying shades of purple.
"I have persuaded Professor Trelawney to join us," beamed Dumbledore. "Please take a seat, Sybill."
Professor Trelawney inclined her head towards Dumbledore, turned to the table and hesitated. Her huge magnified eyes flickered in distaste between Hermione and Professor McGonegall who sat either side of the nearest empty chair. Then she glanced across the table and saw the only other option was sitting between Snape and Harry. She looked like a cornered rabbit having to decide whether it would be better to run towards the fox or the ferret.
"Perhaps, Sybill, you would care to sit over there between Severus and Harry. A rose between two thorns," he twinkled. "I shall sit here - a thorn between two roses." He beamed at both Hermione and Professor McGonegall. "Now, without further ado," he clapped his hands and platters of food appeared. "Tuck in!"
It was an awkward meal. Ron spent a lot of time with his back to Harry, talking with Ronnie,
("Yeah, bludgers can kill, but hey, that's a risk I have to take")
Ginny and Neville made an effort to speak to everyone at the table, but kept drifting off into their own private conversation.
That left Harry and Hermione. Hermione chatted and smiled a lot, but looked a bit tense.
Dumbledore was much better at dinner talk than Professor Trelawney, who kept putting her fork down to rub the side of her head.
"Are you feeling unwell, Sybill?" asked Professor McGonegall from across the table.
"I can feel..." she began, and then looked at Professor McGonegall and seemed to think better of it. "It's nothing, thank you, Minerva," she said. "I have a slight headache, that's all."
She took a few more mouthfulls of dinner before putting down her fork again.
She put her fingers to her temples and began rubbing in a circular movement.
"Sybill, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" asked a concerned Dumbledore.
"I...I...there's something...the atmosphere...it's quite claustrophobic, don't you think?"
"No," said Professor McGonegall through thin lips. "We don't."
Professor Trelawney's huge eyes swept up and down the table and came to rest on Hermione.
"My dear!" she exclaimed, putting her hand to the rows of beads around her throat. "You are positively radiating an energy! I can feel it emanating from your aura and charging its way across the table, unbalancing my chakra. I can't quite...it's fogging my vision..." She put her hand to her forehead.
Hermione was looking extremely uncomfortable.
"Perhaps a sip of water...?"
Professor Trelawney gave a startled cry at Snape's voice, almost as if he'd crept up behind her, instead of having sat next to her throughout the meal. She stared at him and then at the goblet he pushed in front of her, as though it might contain poison.
"I..thank you, but no," she said, rising unsteadily from the table and backing away slowly, as if from a wild lion. "I shall return to my quarters and rest."
"I'll come with you, Sybill. Make sure you get there without mishap," said Professor McGonegall, beginning to rise.
"No...please don't trouble yourself, Minerva," she said, walking carefully around the table and stopping behind Hermione. She placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Perhaps Miss Granger, my dear, you would be so kind as to walk with me...?"
Hermione's eyes widened as she stared straight ahead at Harry. Harry could almost see 'help me' written over her face.
Harry could only shrug and watch as Hermione walked Trelawney to the door.
"Harry, we're going for a walk around the lake. You coming?"
Harry looked at Ron who was arm in arm with Ronnie, and then at Neville, who was arm in arm with Ginny.
"Nah - I think I'll go and see if Hermione's back."
He walked up the main staircase. It was very rare to feel the school so empty and quiet. Even the people in the portraits seemed to be sleeping off their Christmas feast.
Hermione wasn't back in the Common Room - Harry met her at the end of the corridor that led to the portrait hole.
"Have you only just come back from Trelawney?" asked Harry, astonished. They had eaten their puddings, pulled Christmas crackers and had a round of carols in the time since Hermione and Trelawney had left the Hall.
"Yes. I couldn't get away. Gosh, she can talk!"
"What's she been saying all this time?" said Harry, amazed that Hermione would put up with Trelawney's ramblings for this long.
"Oh, the usual rubbish. She's out with the fairies, that one," said Hermione, airily. "You know what she's like..."
There was a sudden chilling 'WHOOSH' and a gossamer form began bouncing in front of them.
"A load of rubbish, is it?" said the sly voice of Peeves the poltergeist. "She guessed your little secret, didn't she?"
"What!" said Hermione, dangerously.
"Oh, it's easy to overhear things when the school is so empty," he said gleefully. "Been having a little chat with the mad Professor, haven't we?"
"Come on, Harry. Just ignore him." She walked up to the Fat Lady. "Plum Pudding."
The portrait swung open and they both went into the Common Room. The hole closed behind them. Peeves stuck his head through the wall.
"She was right this time, wasn't she? Oh, deny it if you want, but she felt the vibraaaaations. Ohhhh, such a dark secret we've got, haven't we?" he cackled.
Hermione drew out her wand and advanced slowly towards Peeves.
"Now listen to me you utter waste of ectoplasm," she commanded, pointing her wand at him. "I happen to know a rather nasty spell to imprison you in a bottle for a thousand years. It's restricted, but I'm willing to take the risk if I hear another word about my conversation with Professor Trelawney. Do I make myself clear?"
Peeves actually went cross-eyed looking at the wand pointing just in front of his nose. Harry had only seen him look this frightened when threatened with Filch. Without another sound, Peeves' head slowly disappeared through the wall.
Harry stood still, completely shocked.
"What?" snapped Hermione, putting her wand away.
"N...nothing," he stammered, absent-mindedly rubbing his head.
Hermione walked past him and sat down in her favourite armchair by the fire, staring into the flames.
Harry sank into a chair opposite her. He picked up a copy of "Spellbound" and pretended to read, but he was really studying Hermione over the top of the page.
She looked quite normal now, but when Hermione had advanced on Peeves, Harry had noticed a certain look in her eye. He had seen it before in other people. He recognised it as the glittering malice that was present in the eyes of Snape; and Lucius Malfoy; and Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry shivered and wished the others would come back soon.
Ginny and Neville returned first, bringing the Christmas spirit with them.
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.
"Don't know," said Ginny with a grin. "They were right behind us when we came into the school. Perhaps Ron's seeing Ronnie back to her Common Room. Oooh, 'Spellbound' - let's have a look at the problem page..." She took the magazine from Harry's lap and began to flick through.
"It's really cold outside," said Neville, rubbing his hands together in front of the fire. "Bet it's going to snow tonight."
"It's already snowing in our dormitory," Harry reminded him.
Ginny read aloud some of the letters in the problem page, then got quite enthusiastic about a recipe for a love potion.
"They're banned at school," Hermione reminded her.
"Oh..a quiz. "Is Your Guy a Wizard or a Troll?"
"I don't think you should do that..." said Neville, nervously.
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun. Hermione, answer 'yes' or 'no' to the following questions..."
"I haven't got a 'guy'." said Hermione, disdainfully.
Harry couldn't bear much more of this.
"I'm going for a walk," he told the others and headed for the portrait hole.
"Would he give you his best Quidditch scarf to keep you warm..?" said Ginny's voice before it was cut off by the portrait swinging back into place.
Harry walked along the silent corridor. He didn't know where he was going. He just needed to get away from the others and think.
Harry saw Ron wandering down one of the corridors, but Ron didn't see Harry until he almost bumped into him.
"Oh hi, Harry," he said. He had a stupid grin all over his face. "Just saw Ronnie back to Hufflepuff's."
"I need to speak to you - in private." Harry turned Ron around and began leading him back the way he'd come.
"School's practically empty, Harry. Not likely to be overheard."
"Peeves could be listening," Harry told him.
"Where can we go then?"
"To the Room of Requirements. It'll be soundproof and ghost-proof."
"The Room of Requirements," said Ron, in a dreamy voice. "I've just been in there. Fantastic little room, isn't it?"
"Yeah, great," said Harry flatly.
"So what's the big secret?" asked Ron as Harry closed the door.
Harry told Ron about the Peeves incident.
"Aww, she just got angry, that's all. You've seen the way her eyes can flash when she's mad." said Ron.
"This was different. I've seen this look. It's stared at me through the slits in a Death Eater's mask."
"So what are you saying, that Hermione's become a Death Eater?" said Ron, scornfully.
"No...I mean, I don't know," said Harry, confused. "Dumbledore said no when I asked him..." then Harry stopped. "Actually, no he didn't. He said something like 'did I really think she would, just because of the Mark?'"
"And the answer is 'no'. There is no way Hermione would go over to the Dark side. NO WAY, Harry."
"Yes, but suppose it wasn't just because of the Mark? Suppose she was being influenced by someone?"
"You mean Snape?"
"Think about it, Ron. She's taking a long time to learn how to resist the call, don't you think? You'd have expected Hermione to have it sussed by now. And she's often upset after she's had one of her extra lessons..."
"Yeah, but she'd report him to Dumbledore. She wouldn't go along with it."
"He's a Legilimens, Ron. He can get into people's minds. Suppose that's not all he can do? Suppose he can control thoughts as well, or..or hypnotize her, or something?"
They both chewed this over for a little while.
"What'll we do?" said Ron.
"I don't know. Hermione would deny it. Dumbledore..?"
"Don't fancy running to Dumbledore and saying Hermione's got a funny look in her eye. I reckon we keep a close watch on her for a while. It could be nothing. It could be that she's just uptight about the scar and everything."
Harry couldn't suggest a better plan, so that's what they agreed to do.
Emma Barrows - Thanks for reviewing, Emma.
Thouandl - I'm glad I can surprise sometimes! I always find Ron difficult to write. I so hope he and Hermione don't get together in canon. I believe JKR has hinted that they don't. Although I can't think she plans to put her with Severus, either (that would be such a shock, wouldn't it!)
Queen of the Faeries1 - That's a good story. Thanks for taking so much trouble to review. Christmas Carol is planned for Ashwinder next Christmas - with much needed corrections (I blush with embarrassment if ever I go to look at the text - the spelling!) and perhaps a few enhancements. As for Snape - well, I'm glowing. I would hate to think I'd taken him out of character. I'm just praying JKR doesn't have any nasty surprises concerning our Sev which will make all us Hermione/Snape shippers feel guilty for ever pairing her with the bastard! (could he really be a double agent for Voldi? He's much better at Occlumancy than Dumbledore is at Legilimens; and Albus may be working on the 'keep your enemies closer' adage.) Guess we'll find out soon enough.
FemmeLoki - When I say 'smooth hair' I don't mean Rachel from Friends smooth - just that it's been tamed a bit. Hermione withMuggle hair-straighteners? Hmmm. A one-shot, perhaps!
Lydia - I'm glad you liked Ron. I don't seem to be able to write him as anything but a constantly grazing pillock, and there's more to him than that. Five points to me? Ican imagine those emeralds falling into the jar already.