Chapter 35 Being the Distraction

Saturday came around and Hermione was quieter than usual. She was focused on her homework, but she was also looking thoughtfully at Crookshanks when he was around her.

I left her in the Great Hall and headed towards Harry so that we could be seen together, but I had no doubt he was going to Hogsmeade too.

"Bye!" Harry called to Ron. "See you when you get back!"

Ron winked at us.

"Hold on," I said, grabbing his arm and watching the rest of the students leave.

"But -!"

"Harry! Cassie! I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either!" Neville spoke up.

Harry had a panicked look on his face, but lucky for him, I had an idea this was going to happen. Not because of my Seer powers I was still trying to manifest, but because I remembered Neville had been banned.

"Hi, Neville," Harry said, looking at me.

"What are you up to?" I asked Neville.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Want a game of Exploding Snap?"

"I was going to go to the library and finish up my essay for Lupin. Harry was about to go and clarify some things with Lupin before meeting me there." I gave Harry's arm a squeeze.

He flexed his arm for me, and a look of appreciation.

"I'll come with you!" Neville said brightly. "I haven't done it either!"

"Then let's go get your stuff, Harry will meet us in a bit, won't you Harry?" I turned to him.

He didn't get a chance to answer.

"What are you three doing?" Snape asked.

I turned around to face him.

"Making plans to go to the library to do some homework, professor." I said coolly.

"Indeed?" Snape looked at me with his eyebrow raised.

"Yes, indeed. I don't want anyone accusing me of being in contact with Sirius Black." I glared at him.

He sniffed, "then I guess the three better be going."

"Yes sir." I pulled the boys along with me.

I waited until we were out of earshot of him.

"Okay Harry, go find Lupin and ask him your questions. Neville and I will head to the common room to get his stuff." I said, giving Harry a pointed look.

"Right." He gave me a nod and mouthed 'thank you' when Neville wasn't looking.

I walked with Neville down the quiet corridors, enjoying the lack of other students.

"Cassie." Neville suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah?" I looked at him.

"You - you - nevermind." He sighed.

"No, Neville, what is it?" I urged.

"No, it was silly of me to think of it." Neville shook his head at me.

"Oh, okay." I said, confused.

I let us into the common room and waited while he gathered his homework from his room.

I had managed to keep Neville distracted with the essay, explaining everything he was asking about. He did ask about Harry a couple of times and after an hour of avoiding it I finally said I had no idea where he was and that we should just continue on our essay for Lupin.

He was still thanking me for helping him when we got into the common room and Hermione was suddenly in my arms, her shoulders shaking.

"Woah! Hermione what's wrong?" I asked, waving Neville off when he saw Hermione's tears.

I don't think he understood how to help when a girl is crying.

"It's - it's terrible!" She sniffed out.

She let go of me and gave me a letter.

'Dear Hermione and Cassie,

We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts

Execution date to be fixed.

Beaky has enjoyed London.

I won't forget all the help you gave us.

Hagrid'

"Oh no!" I gasped, looking up at her.

Hermione nodded and let out another sob.

"We need to show this to Harry and Ron." I said, putting my arm around her shoulders.

"You're right." She nodded.

I led her out of the common room. The plan was to go down to the Great Hall and wait for them there, but we saw Ron and Harry just outside the corridor past the trolls. And they looked just as miserable.

"Come to have a good gloat?" Ron asked savagely. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"

"Whatever just happened to you, we have no clue what happened." I said back just as savagely. "But we're not here to discuss it."

"No," Hermione shook her head and handed the letter to Harry. "We thought you ought to know… Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

Ron's aggressive stance dropped as he read the letter over Harry's shoulder.

"They can't do this," Harry said, looking at Hermione after reading the letter. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."

"Malfoy's dad frightened the Committee into it," Hermione wiped her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope… Nothing will have changed."

"Yes it will." Ron said fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."

"Oh Ron!" Hermione surprised me when she jumped to give Ron a hug.

Ron looked between me and Harry with big eyes, unsure of what to do with her.

"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers…" Hermione said after letting him go.

"Oh - well he was old," Ron said, looking relieved that she had let him go. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, mum and dad might get me an owl now." He said.

I stood back and watched with a smile as they walked into the common room together.

"Finally." Harry sighed next to me.

"Right?" I said.

He looked at me, and I knew something happened.

"What happened in Hogsmeade?" I asked.

He waited until we were in the common room and Harry told Hermione and I what happened with Draco, Snape, and Lupin.

"He covered for me, but then he took the map away." Harry said at the end.

"Harry -" Hermione started.

I put my hand on her arm and shook my head.

"Harry, Lupin is only trying to protect you. I'm sure at the end of the school year he will give it back. It is yours and he won't have a use for it if he ends up leaving the school." I said calmly.

"What makes you think Lupin's going to leave?" Ron asked.

"What makes you think he's going to stay?" I countered.

Ron didn't answer but Harry did look thoughtful.

"You will get it back, and I think the next Hogsmeade trip you should stay here with me and walk the school with Snape so that we can prove you're not going." I suggested.

Harry looked sad but he gave a slow nod of agreement.

Security around the school had been increased since Black's second break-in, I couldn't go out the days I was supposed to go and visit him so I couldn't ask him why he came in. Or how he got the passwords. Or explain that I didn't know where Scabbers went, but I know he's still alive and somewhere on the grounds.

We were in Care of Magical Creatures and I was looking into the Forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of the dog.

"There's still the appeal!" Ron said fiercely, bringing me back to my friends. "Don't give up yet, we're working on it!"

Hagrid was a shell of himself at the moment. We couldn't come down and visit him at night and try to help him with appeal. He was walking us up to the castle with the class, it was another year we needed escorts around the castle.

"S'no good, Ron." Hagrid said sadly. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that…"

He pulled out a handkerchief and walked away with it in his face.

"Look at him blubber!" Draco said from behind us. "Have you seen anything quite as pathetic? And he's supposed to be our teacher!'

"We look at you all the time." I said loudly.

That earned me some laughs from around the Entrance Hall, but that didn't stop Hermione from racing forward and giving Draco what he deserves.

She smacked him rightfully across the face and I stood back and let it happen. Draco stagger, and all of the boys stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -"

"Hermione!" Ron said weakly, grabbing at her and pulling her away.

"Get off, Ron!" Hermione pushed Ron away and when she swung back around, she had her wand pointed at Draco.

"Easy there 'Mione." I said, hurrying over to her and pushing her hand down.

"Draco has learned his lesson. Haven't you?" I said, giving Draco a pointed look.

"Come on." Draco said, taking the hint and disappearing with his friends down to the dungeons.

"Hermione!" Ron sounded stunned and impressed with Hermione.

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione's voice was shrill. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

"We're due in Charms," Ron said, goggling a Hermione.

I nodded and the four of us started up the staircase towards the Charms classroom, but when we entered there were only three of us. I don't know how Hermione slipped away.

"You're late!" Flitwick when Harry opened the door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs -"

I sat in the empty desk and looked around to see if Hermione just might appear.

"Where's Hermione gone?" Ron asked from in front of me.

He and Harry were looking around for her.

"I don't know." I said, looking confused.

"That's weird," Harry said. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"

"I think so?" I said, not entirely sure.

We studied Cheering Charms. Flitwick allowed me to practice with the boys and since Hermione wasn't her, I was the first to get it right and earn Gryffindor ten points.

She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too," Ron said as we left for lunch, our faces grinning broadly.

"I'm sure we can sneak one on her." I shrugged as we started to eat.

Hermione wasn't at lunch. The boys were starting to get worried, but I knew she must've gotten caught up in studying and fell asleep. She has a lot on her plate from all of her classes.

"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron asked anxiously as we hurried to the Gryffindor Tower.

"I'm sure she's fine." I said, trying to calm them down.

I was right. We gave the password to the Fat Lady and found her sitting at her table. Her head on an open Arithmancy book.

"Hermione." Harry prodded her awake.

"Wh -what?" Hermione sat up and started looking around wildly. "Is it time to go? W - which lesson have we got now?"

"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes." I said, keeping my voice calm when I reached out to put a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Hermione why didn't you come to Charms?" Harry asked.

"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms!"

"But how could you forget?" Harry asked confused. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"

"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed, avoiding Harry's question. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I last track of things!" She looked at me when she said that last part.

"You know what, Hermione?" Ron spoke up, looking around at Hermione's pile of homework. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."

"No, I'm not!" Hermione said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry… I'll see you in Divination!"

We watched her hurry out of the common room and then looked at each other.

"Cassie, what is going on with Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I honestly couldn't tell you." I sighed, looking around at Hermione's table.

Hermione met us at the foot of the ladder to the Divination room, looking extremely troubled.

"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!" She said when she reached us.

"It's okay, you can just practice on me." I said as we climbed up the ladder.

"Really? Thank you!" She said as we sat down around a table with a crystal ball on it.

"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term?" I asked, looking around for Trelawney.

"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry," Harry muttered back to me. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands."

"Good day to you!" Trelawney's misty voice said from from the shadows.

"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," Trelawney sat down in her chair, looking around the room to each of us individually.

"The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."

Hermione snorted while I stared into the crystal ball, not sure how to use it.

"Well, honestly… 'the fates have informed her' … who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" Hermione didn't bother with keeping her voice low.

Harry, Ron, and I laughed but I was trying to listen to Trelawney. I hadn't been coming up for any private lessons because I was scared to grow my power, and I liked knowing what was going to happen. If it was good, of course.

"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," she started to explain. "I do not expect any of you to See when you first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes " - Ron started to snigger and had to stuff his fist in his mouth, I rolled my eyes at him - "so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will See before the end of the class."

I got straight into it. I closed my eyes first to try and relax my mind. I emptied my mind of thoughts of Sirius Black, Quidditch, Draco, and my friends.

But it was getting hard. Hermione kept tutting in my ear and Ron was still laughing. Harry was the only other one who was trying to do the assignment.

"See anything yet?" Harry asked after fifteen minutes.

"Yeah, there's a burn on this table," Ron tapped a spot on the table. "Someone's spilled their candle."

"This is such a waste of time," Hermione hissed. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms -"

Trelawney chose that moment to rustle past us.

"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" She murmured as her bangles clinked.

"I don't need help," Ron whispered. "It's obvious what this means, there's going to be loads of fog tonight."

Even I couldn't help laughing with Hermione and Harry when he said that.

"Now really!" Trelawney said, looking around the class at us.

She walked over to our table and I tried looking into the Orb again.

"There is something here!" Trelawney whispered.

And she was right. The fog was starting to form into something, and when I saw it I knew she was going to make it a big deal.

"My dear…" Trelawney made her breathing heavy. "It is here, plainer than ever before… my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer… the Gr-"

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not that ridiculous Grim again!"

And just like that, the dog that was walking towards Harry disappeared. I had to shake my head to avoid looking anyone in the eye.

'Harry and Sirius are going to end up meeting before the end of the school year.' I thought as I discreetly got my journal out and made a messy note, hoping Hermione wouldn't notice.

"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class, my dear it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane." Trelawney was smooth but I could hear the dislike in it.

And so did Hermione.

"Fine!" Hermione suddenly stood and and cramming her copy of Unfogging the Future back into her bag.

"Fine!" She repeated and swung her bag over her shoulder.

"I give up! I'm leaving!" She said and to everyone's amazement, she kicked the trapdoor open and left the class.

I gave Harry and Ron a look.

"About time she dropped one class." Ron said.

"Oooooo!" Lavender suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Professor Trewlawney! I just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? 'Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!"

Trelawney gave her a dewy smile, forgetting about the Grim for just a minute.

"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs… The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know…"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the crystal ball, trying to see anything else in it.

"Some day Hermione's having, eh?" Ron muttered to us.

"Yeah…" Harry nodded.

We're getting closer! Don't worry though, there's still plenty of time!

Shout out to CavaKel for following this story!

Shout out to Flavie278 for adding this story to your favorite's list!

Shout out to Awritingbookworm and Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!

Awritingbookworm: Thank you! And she and Fred are still friends, it's just her and George who have issues at the moment.

Pamela Hutchins: Oh shit! I didn't even think of a fox! I had an idea of what it should be, but now that you bring in a fox I don't know! And we'll just have to wait and see about George. To be honest with you I haven't decided what to do with him yet, same with Fred.