Chapter 11
After Hermione had finished her butterbeer, she hurried back to Hogsmeade, feeling that time with her friends would cheer her up. She found them outside the Three Broomsticks, arguing over the merits of snakeskin as a healing agent.
"No, you don't get it," Pan snapped angrily at Ron. "Snakeskin is a very potent healing agent because it has that stuff in it that regrows and shit."
"How could anything to do with snakes be remotely healing?" Ron moaned. "Snakes are stupid."
"Hey Hermione," Harry said suddenly, realizing that she had joined the group. "Where's Draco?"
She shrugged, struggling to keep from telling him everything.
"Let's go get some butterbeer," Pan said, dragging them all in. "I'll pay, I just got my allowance."
They all sat around a table waiting for their butterbeer, while Ron and Pan continued to argue about various things among them being, the merits of cats (Ron thought they were awful), and the benefits of bezoars.
Finally, Madame Rosmerta brought them the tray.
"Hello, Hermione," she said, passing the silent girl a glass. "Draco left just half an hour ago in a bit of a gloom, did you two get in a fight?"
Hermione laughed sourly. "You could say that."
"Are you two still going out?" Rosmerta asked, looking at Hermione sympathetically.
"Not any more," Hermione replied with a shrug. "It's okay though, we weren't really suited for each other."
The others stared at her as Madame Rosmerta clucked disappointedly and sauntered off to help other customers.
"When did this happen?" Pan asked.
"Just an hour ago," Hermione said.
"Wow," Harry said, blinking rapidly. "Look."
They all whipped around.
There were Professor Santisi and Professor Dumbledore sitting down at the bar together, talking very intently.
"Anyone got Extendable Ears?" Pan asked wickedly, having been introduced to them over the summer. Ron pulled out a new one he had just gotten from Zonko's, which now carried a line of Weasley Wizard Wheezes.
Ron held it up and the others scrambled to hide it, so it looked as if he was simply holding something up to his ear.
Hermione handed him a piece of paper, and he began writing down what they were saying. The conversation, in Ron's horrible handwriting, went like this:
Dumbledore: M- Leonardo, did you get Minerva's letter?
S: Yes, I got the letter. I threw it away, and later when I realized that I should probably burn it, I went looking for it in my trashcan and found that it was gone.
D: Do you think one of the students took it?
S: Someone in the Gryffindor or Slytherin Eighth year class.
D: Ah.
S: Yes, well. I can only hope if it fell into any hands, it fell into the right ones.
D: Indeed. I'll talk to a few of the students.
S: Thank you; that will be greatly appreciated.
At this point Professor Dumbledore looked in their direction, and Ron had to hide the ear under the table.
"I think we have enough," Hermione whispered, folding up the letter quickly. "Enough to have a good idea of what's going on."
Harry was rather confused. "Why did Dumbledore start out by calling him by a name that started with a M?"
"I don't know," Hermione replied. "But I'll talk to Draco."
"Would you rather I did?" Pan said gently.
Hermione remembered suddenly, and then nodded.
"You and I can talk to Sirius," Harry said quickly, grabbing her arm. "Let's go."
Hermione and Harry hurried up to the Head's tower. Draco was sitting in front of the fire, and they both pointedly ignored him and hurried up the steps to Harry's room.
Harry started his fire with a sharp flick of his wand, and they both sat down in front of the fire. Harry muttered the spell, and suddenly Sirius' head loomed in the fire.
"I was wondering when you'd get around to contacting me," Sirius muttered, shaking his shaggy head. "I thought you were still moping around about P-"
"No, no!" Harry interrupted, quite panicked. "We're not going to talk about that, Hermione's here and we have a few questions for you."
"Oh,"
Sirius said, and then grinned at Hermione. "How are you
Hermione?"
"Well, thanks," she replied, even though she was
not well in the slightest. "And you?"
"Great," he said cheerfully. "I've finally been put to work, you know. Things like talking with Persephone and planning meetings. Relief effort."
"Good," she said, meaning it.
"How's Draco?"
"I don't know," Hermione replied, colder than she intended.
Sirius frowned, and then realized what she was implying. "Oh. Persephone's not going to be happy about this."
"It really isn't her business," she snapped.
Sirius shrugged. "He was brought back to life for a reason, Hermione. Surely you realize that, don't you?"
"I suppose," she replied hesitantly. "I don't know."
"Well, just think about it," Sirius said gently. "But, first off, what are your questions? I always love to help out."
"Right, do you know who Lucius' first cousin is?" Harry asked, leaning forward so he could see Sirius better.
"First cousins? That would be Marissa Malfoy, and the deceased Mihangel," Sirius replied lightly. "Mihangel and Marissa were pretty nice for Malfoys. It was a shame about Mihangel."
"What happened to him?" Harry asked.
Sirius shrugged. "He got involved with Natalya Malfoy, which is not a good idea, especially since she was his cousin. He was also a part of a movement against Voldemort, separate from ours. His family disowned him, and Voldemort took his betrayal as a deliberate affront. He was killed a couple months after his twentieth birthday, by Lucius, his own cousin."
"Oh that's so sad," Hermione said, tears welling behind her eyes. "He was so young."
Sirius nodded. "We all were. Mihangel was just unlucky."
Hermione sat in front of the fire in her room, staring at the picture of herself and Draco on the mantle. They were waving and laughing in front of the house on Knockturn Alley, holding hands.
She pushed the picture face down and turned away to go to bed. After a moment though, she turned back and pushed it back up. She stared at Draco, his grey eyes twinkling and wondered what had happened.
A/N: WAAAAHHH! Okay, I'm done sobbing.
I want to say thanks for all the support that I've gotten from you guys! You're all wonderful, and you inspire me beyond words! (Does that work? I don't know, I mean, I am writing a story after all...) ANYHOW! About what happened the other day: I emailed wildmagic1621, and they apologized. NOW, I know I said a couple mean things about them, and I take those comments back immediatly! If they are nice enough to apologize, I think they deserve my respect. Thanks to everyone who stood up for me, but please realize that I'm over this, and don't boycott wildmagic1621 or anything, because we're on good terms now. And, I'm also sorry for causing undue stress by emoting and unloading a lot of crap on you guys, because even though I was seriously contemplating giving this story up, you guys definetly made me see the plus side of writing for I've gotten to talk to so many people; you guys are the one's who make this all worthwhile. So once again, thanks to everyone, including wildmagic1621, because you all are so great. Oh, and sorry if the story has taken a turn for the melodramatic, I was going through a rough time when I wrote this chapter... heh. They say write about what you know... and even though I'm not familiar with magic (I wish), "I'm no stranger to heartache." :)
