Happy Monday! I hope everyone is having a great start to their week. In case you haven't caught on, this story is updated weekly. You can expect a new chapter on Mondays until completion. Yay! Thanks as always to CMDRHill (JaneGlen) for being such a fabulous beta.
October 1999
The Friday before Hallowe'en, they finally got the news. The owls swept through the Great Hall that morning like they always did, dropping letters, parcels, and copies of the Daily Prophet among students and professors alike. By the time a copy of the Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione along with the rest of her mail, the muttering had already started, and students without were huddling around those who had subscriptions.
MALFOY'S MASSIVE MISTRIAL! the title read. There was a photo of a haggard looking Draco Malfoy attempting to duck out of sight as cameras flashed. She gasped, dropping the paper onto her plate. She had known that the likelihood that Malfoy would be sentenced was slim, but she had not prepared herself for the possibility of anything else.
"Granger, don't call attention to yourself," Severus muttered beside her. "Unless you want to be the topic of the next front page."
She took a deep breath. He was right. A glance down the table told her that she was not the only one who was disturbed by the front page. Minerva's face had twisted as though she had tasted something bad, and several other professors were shaking their heads. Remus and Tonks rarely ate breakfast at Hogwarts, and for once Hermione was glad. It meant that they would receive the news in the privacy of their own home, a luxury that Hermione wished that she had been afforded. Instead she was sitting in front of several hundred students, many of whom were looking at the front table to gauge the professors' reactions.
She swallowed and plucked the paper out of her oatmeal as though nothing was wrong. She read the entire article, barely taking in what it was saying. Harry had spoken on Malfoy's behalf, describing his actions at the Malfoy Manor as heroic and lifesaving. He had spoken similarly on behalf of Narcissa, but both she and Lucius had been convicted and sentenced to Azkaban last year. Hermione had not found the news upsetting in the slightest.
There was one reason and one reason alone that Draco had not followed his parents to Azkaban, and it had nothing to do with his heroic and life saving actions. Lucius and Narcissa must have known that they would be sent to Azkaban and that no amount of power or money would have been able to save them. If Hermione had been in their position, she would have funneled all of her resources towards her son.
What had started as a mutter among the students was quickly escalating. The buzz continued to grow louder and louder until Hermione was unable to tune it out.
Minerva stood up. "Please head to your classrooms," she called. "Now," she added when some students seemed reluctant to move from their spots. There were a few grumbles, but slowly the students complied, stuffing copies of the newspaper into their bags and pockets as they headed off in the direction of their classrooms.
"We should also get going," Minerva said to their table. "I have a feel this is going to be a long day. I am tentatively scheduling a meeting for this evening in the staffroom."
On the way to her classroom, Hermione heard a commotion. Quickly rounding the corner, she saw a group of students standing around in a loose circle. She pushed through them to see what was happening. Two fifth year students were in a full out brawl. One was Bandy Blackwell, a Slytherin student, and the other was Ryan Henry, a Gryffindor Hermione remembered vaguely from her own time as a student.
"Get 'em, Ryan!"
Blackwell's nose was bleeding and it looked like his lip was split, although he seemed to be getting in some punches of his own judging by the swelling of Henry's eye.
"Stop right this instant!" Hermione cried.
It was unclear whether the boys heard her or not, but they certainly did not stop. She had barely gotten the sentence out before Blackwell finally managed to throw Henry off of him. Unfortunately, Henry went flying right for Hermione. She grabbed her wand at the last second.
"Arresto momentum," she shouted. Henry dropped to the floor in front of her. "Get to class," she snapped at the students who stood gawking. "If I see any of you still here in ten seconds, that's five points apiece." There was a mad dash and before Hermione had counted to eight, the hallways were clear with the exception of the two boys in front of her.
"What has gotten into the two of you?" Hermione said, looking back and forth between them. Both would have some impressive bruises in a few hours. Part of her was exasperated that they had resorted to fists when they were both capable of inflicting much more harm with a wand, but the rest of her was grateful that they had been too caught up to consider it.
"Nothing," Henry said. "I'm sorry, Professor."
"Nothing? I find you repeatedly punching a classmate, and you're going to tell me that it is nothing?" She eyed Blackwell, who stood a couple of steps behind Ryan as though he could hide.
"Well, Mr. Blackwell? Do you agree with Mr. Ryan's assessment of the situation?"
He gave a sharp nod, but said nothing.
She sighed. "I'm not going to send you to Madam Pomfrey, because you're supposed to be in class, and I'm supposed to be teaching right now. That being said, I can't have you bleeding all over my classroom, Mr. Blackwell. Episkey!"
He gave a gasp as his nose snapped back into place. She looked both of them over a second time. "I will be speaking to both of your Heads of House about this incident, and I want to see you both after class to schedule your detentions. I'm sure Mr. Filch will be delighted to have help for the rest of the term."
Both boys looked aggrieved, but neither were willing to say anything. She gestured to the classroom, following them as they trudged inside.
"Did you see her?"
"She had her wand out so fast that you couldn't event see it!"
"I thought she was going to kill-"
The comments stopped when the class saw her walk into the room. She waited for Blackwell and Ryan to take their seats before addressing the class. "The behavior demonstrated in the hallway just now is unacceptable. It is not something I would allow the first year students to do, and it is certainly not something that I would expect from my OWL level class. Your classmates' behavior has cost both houses fifty points."
There was a collective groan from the class. She pursed her lips together. "And another fifty will be taken from each house for those of you who stood by and let this happen."
She raised her hand against the protests that followed. "Encouraging your classmates to fight is unacceptable, and such behaviors have consequences," she said.
There was scoff from one of her Gryffindor students, but she didn't see which one. Irritated, she tapped her fingers on her desk. "Do you have something to add?" she asked, willing the answer to be no.
"How can you say behaviors have consequences?" One of Ryan Henry's friends, Tanner Van Burm, called from the back of the classroom. "We all saw the newspaper. There's a Death Eater who's getting off scot free!" There was a murmur of agreement from the Gryffindor side of the classroom.
"A mistrial is not a verdict of innocence," Hermione said.
"But it's not a punishment neither," Van Burm countered.
"It is not your place to decide the punishment of anyone," Hermione said. "Death Eater or classmate."
"What if they're both?"
Hermione froze for a second. "Voldemort has been defeated. There are no Death Eaters at Hogwarts."
"Isn't there?" Van Burm yelled. He pointed at the Slytherins. "There's a whole lot of them right there!"
The class exploded. Gryffindors and Slytherins were shouting across the room at each other. Some were flinging hexes at the other side, and others were stomping across the room to handle the argument physically.
"Silencio!" Hermione shouted. "Immobulus!" She surveyed the classroom. She had twenty some students unable to speak or move, and she found herself reluctant to change that. Finally, though, she spoke.
"I will remove these spells," she said carefully. "When I do, I don't want to hear another word from any of you. You will put away your wands, return to your seats, and turn to page 163 in your textbooks. If you do not follow these instructions, I will ensure that that by the end of the day that your House points will be depleted, your evenings until Christmas will be spent in detention, and any hope of participating in extracurricular activities during the remainder of your time at Hogwarts will be decimated- and yes, that includes Quidditch."
She removed both spells and watched sharply as students followed her instructions. The only sound was the scrape of chairs against the floor as students returned to their seats. They stared at her warily, and she had to force herself to not return the look. Her hands were shaking in agitation, but she placed them flat against her desk before anyone could see.
"I said page 163, Miss Shimizu. Thank you. Let's begin."
By time that the professors had gathered together that evening, they all looked exhausted. Aurora dropped into the chair beside Severus like she could not bear to stand a moment longer. Granger also sat nearby. Her hair, which Severus believed to be the best indicator of her emotions, was enormous and looked as frazzled as she did herself. Severus gingerly pressed his fingers to his forehead. The headache that had been slowly building all day was becoming more difficult to ignore.
Minerva came in and surveyed the room. "I understand that this has not been a pleasant day, and I do not wish to prolong it, so we will keep this short."
There was a mumble of gratitude from the staff, particularly from Lupin who looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Tonks must have weaseled out of the meeting to take care of that baby. Severus mentally calculated the lunar cycle. The next full moon was in a couple of days, and while Remus was surely taking his Wolfsbane Potion, meetings at the end of a long day would feel excruciating. Severus had little pity.
"Obviously the news we received today has been a great shock for the students, and I am sure that sentiment is true for many of us as well. Tensions are certainly high, as Hermione can attest to," Minerva gestured towards her.
"Are you alright, dear?" Septima asked. "I heard what happened."
"I'm fine," Hermione said. "Luckily I was able to stop the fight before they reached for their wands."
"I heard," Filius squeaked. "You're creating quite a reputation for yourself, Hermione."
"Rather reminds me of another professor who I will not name," Pomona added, nudging Minerva.
Minerva shushed Pomona impatiently. "How this is handled over the upcoming weeks will determine how the students at this school treat each other. Lavender and Aurora, the two of you will need to work together to ensure that your houses are getting along. Of course you will have the support of the rest of the staff, including myself."
Biswas raised his hand. "I am also facing a large amount of backlash in my classes from all houses. I would like to recommend that Muggle Studies be considered as a required class for students."
"That's not a bad idea," Lupin said. "Our worlds are becoming more integrated. It will be necessary to interact with Muggles, and increasing cultural awareness might be a good idea anyway."
"It is a noteworthy idea, Elias," McGonagall said. "But it is something I would like to table for another discussion. For right now, does anyone have any questions regarding what the expectations are?'
Everyone shook their heads.
Minerva dismissed them, and the professors quickly stood, their earlier exhaustion temporarily forgotten as they scrambled out of the staff room. Severus took his time, knowing that his plans would keep him up through the night.
After delivering Remus his potion, Hermione had planned on spending a relaxing Friday night alone. Her plans were somewhat interrupted by a series of overlapping knocks from her door. Worried that it was urgent, she swiftly walked over and opened the door, only to see Harry and Ron standing in the corridor.
"What are you two doing here?" Hermione exclaimed, gesturing for them to come inside. "I thought you had a training trip."
"Well, it's a two week long camping trip, and Harry made the very convincing argument that we've had our fair share of camping," Ron said cheerfully as they entered the room. "And then I thought that George would put me to work, but he said that he had some business to attend to in Hogsmeade, so here I am."
"I'm visiting Ginny next weekend, but I think her team will hex me if I interrupt them anymore," Harry said.
"As they should," Ron said. "You're the clingiest boyfriend in the world. I don't know how Ginny does it." Harry halfheartedly shoved Ron as they sat down with Hermione in between them.
Harry caught sight of the corner where Hermione handled most of her brewing, including Remus' Wolfsbane potion. "Don't get me wrong, Hermione, it's certainly a step up from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, but why don't you use one of the labs?"
"Because that's for Remus, and we decided that it would be better if Severus didn't see it."
"You think he'd poison it?" Ron asked.
"No," Hermione said, swatting at him. "I just didn't want to aggravate an already tense situation, and it's not a problem. I have plenty of room here."
"Is this what all professors' rooms look like?" Ron said. "Because this is huge."
"Where are your manners, Ronald? Harry, do you let him get away with this? Don't answer that, I'm afraid I already know the answer," she said, scolding more out of habit than anything. After such a chaotic day, the amount of comfort she felt at their presence was beyond words. As if they could hear her thoughts both Ron and Harry sighed, and they sat in silence for a few moments.
"You should get your fireplace fixed," Harry said. "That way we don't have to sneak in and avoid Filch."
Hermione laughed. "You forget that I know you, Harry James Potter. Sneaking in is half the fun for you. So tell me, what mission has instigated today's sneakiness?"
Harry cleared his throat.
"Well, actually, the real reason we came by was to see how you were doing," he said. "Because of the Malfoy situation."
Hermione felt her smile freeze on her face. "The Malfoy situation?"
"Yes," Harry said slowly as though she were stupid. "There was a mistrial today. Draco has been let go for the time being."
"Oh," Hermione said. Her voice was shrill to her own ears. "That."
"That," Harry said. He gave her a pitying look that made her want to scream at him and crumble into a million pieces at the same time. "I know that the whole process has not been easy for you."
"For me?" She said. "Harry, I'm sure it hasn't been a walk in the park for you either. Besides, we already spoke about this when you decided you wanted to speak on Draco's behalf at trial."
Ron tentatively put his hand on her back, and she almost snapped at him, but restrained herself at the last second.
"I know," Harry said. "But, all the same. I know it mustn't have been easy."
Bellatrix, Lucius, Narcissa, Greyback, and the snatchers had gotten what they deserved, as they had either been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts or were currently imprisoned at Azkaban. Hermione personally did not feel that one option was necessarily more merciful than the other. Regardless, it gratified her sense of justice, and she found some comfort in the uncomplicated, unambiguous conclusion. Her feelings regarding Draco were somewhat more complicated. She did not want him to go to Azkaban, nor did she want him to walk away as though he had done nothing wrong. Hermione was unsure of what a suitable outcome would be, and thus she was afraid that any resolution on the matter would leave her unsatisfied.
Draco Malfoy was a former classmate and academic rival. He was a bully, or at least he had been. He had witnessed the torture that she had endured and done nothing to stop it. He had saved Harry's life, and inadvertently, hers as well. His contradicting actions did not bother her as much as her own conflicted reactions to them. Hermione found comfort in logic and in the order it brought to a chaotic world. The illogical web of emotion that surfaced at even the mention of Malfoy's name brought a wave of discomfort to her, and emotions were particularly dangerous in relation to this topic.
She had seen his pale, pointed face when Bellatrix had dug in the knife for the first time. She had seen how his grey eyes widened, and then, how he had turned away from what his aunt was doing.
He had done nothing to help her. He had saved Harry.
"I don't really want to talk about this," Hermione said.
"B-," Harry began.
"That's fine," Ron said, cutting off whatever Harry was going to say. "We just wanted to see how you were, and to remind you that you can always talk to us if you want."
"Thank you," she said. "Now, tell me, did you also receive an invitation to this ball that the Ministry is throwing?"
Harry groaned. "Blast the ball. I don't want to go near it, but Kingsley has already personally asked me to be there."
"What, does giving a speech to hundreds of suck ups not sound like a good way to ring in the new year?" Ron joked.
"It's clearly just a publicity ploy," Hermione agreed. "No one's been able to get a picture of you in ages, Harry. Having you as the guest of honor is really not surprising."
"They're being very slippery about the whole thing. 'The Millennium Ball'," Harry read from Hermione's invitation. "'An event to remember our past and to look towards our future.' It's ludicrous!"
Just then there was a clatter in the hallway. Hermione sighed. "I better see what that was about."
"We'll come with you," Harry said.
The three of them crept into the hallway where Elias Biswas and George stood, surrounded by a load of broken crockery.
"What in the world are you doing?" Hermione hissed.
"Well, I finished up in Hogsmeade and came to the school to get Ron," George said in a comically loud whisper. "And then I ran into Elias who has never played a prank on Filch."
"What were you going to do to him?" Harry asked.
"Cover his mops in butter," Elias said sheepishly. "But I got spooked by that cat of his and dropped everything."
"And those manacles he keeps in his office," George added. "We were going to butter those too. That way if he ever does stick some poor chap in 'em, they'll be able to get out."
"In butter?" Hermione repeated. "Oh, George honestly. Elias is new, he doesn't know any better."
"Yeah, not your best, mate," Ron observed. "Butter seems kind of … rudimentary."
Hermione turned and glared at him.
"Well, that was the idea. Something spirited, but old fashioned," George said.
"Don't let McGonagall see you here. She's already banned your products, and if you get into any more trouble, she might just ban you altogether," Ron said. He put his hands on hips and surveyed the mess. "Mrs. Norris, you said?" Under his breath, he added, "Will that cat never die, honestly."
"Go on," Hermione said to Elias, pointing. He made no objections, although his mustache seemed to droop slightly as he bid everyone a goodnight before retreating. She vanished the mess and sighed. She looked at Ron and then at Harry.
"I love you both," she said solemnly.
"But you want us to go?" Ron said with a knowing nod. "Right. Will do." He and Harry returned to her room to gather their coats.
Hermione turned to look at George who was silent for a moment as he looked around at the castle "They've done a bang up job with the repairs."
Oh, George. "They have," she agreed. Could this be his first time back since the battle that had killed Fred? She tried not to give George the pitying look that Harry had given her only a few minutes before.
Harry and Ron exited her room again and after all three men had given her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, they left. She had not even closed her door before she heard Mrs. Norris yowling and Filch's growl. Deciding that she did not want to know, she shut it firmly.
She thought briefly about turning in for the night, but she wasn't particularly tired. Every time she shut her eyes, she could hear the hysterical laughter of another person in her head. She usually would pull out whatever book she was in the middle of and read until she passed out or until it was time for breakfast, whichever came first. Tonight, the idea of being alone, even if it did mean being surrounded by books, was not a comforting thought.
Hermione pulled out the Marauder's Map. Out of fairness, she did not always use the map on nights that she patrolled, but even so, most students obeyed curfew if they thought she would be walking about the corridors. Tonight, for whatever reason, everyone appeared to be in their rooms. She could see that Minerva was still in her office, which was not a particularly unusual sight even for the late hour. Severus was in the Potions lab adjacent to his classroom.
He was apparently as familiar with insomnia as herself. She frequently ran into him past midnight, and the other week they had stayed in the Potions lab into the early morning hours. Awake or not, it was doubtful he was looking for company. Regardless, Hermione decided to pay him a visit in the dungeons, where she found him to be hard at work and as charming as ever.
Chapter 10 will include a little more SSHG interaction and Hallowe'en 1999, so make sure to check in next week!
