Blind Trust
Chapter 2 summary: Arriving at Hogwarts, Hermione and friends find out what they will be doing during the war. Hermione finds she has to work with someone she never wanted to see again.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, but I do own the dress I made for the midnight showing of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Chapter 2: What one finds in the Common Room
The Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station at one in the afternoon. Professor McGonagall hurried the train's occupants up the path to the school with their trunks dragging behind them. There were no carriages waiting for them.
After a long walk, the group found themselves in entrance hall of the castle. "Put your things in that room." McGonagall told them pointing to the room Harry and Ron had for divination when they were taught by Firenze.
The group haphazardly stacked their trunks in the empty classroom. "Bring your wands and follow me. You will all need to start your work immediately."
McGonagall started to walk toward the staircase as George, Fred, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Ginny, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna followed her. We have tried to find things that you wouldn't mind doing. You'll be doing these jobs for an unknown amount of time, so we figured that it should be something you enjoy."
They reached the top of the stairs and started walking down the hall past Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "For today, your mentors will be primarily informing you of your duties, restrictions, and so on. Ah, this room here please."
The group entered the room that McGonagall was pointing out. They entered it and found a large table with chairs set up. "Please take a seat." She said.
Hermione sat in between Ginny and Fred. McGonagall gave her wand a careless wave and papers suddenly appeared in front of each person. "Here are your assignments. You'll notice that you have a location to report to as well as a mentor. You'll also notice that your sleeping arrangements have been included. Your rooms are not open yet. I would suggest that you go and find out what exactly you are doing. I will be back in ten minutes."
Once McGonagall had stepped through the doorway, all of the room's occupants started reading.
Hermione looked down at her paper:
Name: Ms. Hermione Granger
Age: 17
Field: Healer Training
Primary Location: Hospital Wing
Secondary Location: Gryffindor Tower; Others possible
Mentor: Poppy Pomfrey
Notes: Ms. Granger, I will be teaching you healing spells and how to make healing potions. I am also putting a charge in your care. You will meet him when you come for your orientation this afternoon.
Entrance to Common Room: Morgan le Fay Portrait; Sixth Floor Corridor
Password: Latifolia
Room: Top Floor, only room (take staircase in common room up three floors).
"George, what did you get?" Fred asked excitedly.
"McGonagall is telling me to make things. Weapons and fireworks!"
"Well, I got the same thing. This is going to be wicked."
"I get to train people. Mostly hexes, it looks like. What about you Hermione?" Ginny said.
"I'm helping out Madam Pomfrey. She says that she's giving me a patient to look after too!" Hermione told her.
"Where's your common room?" Neville asked.
"Morgan Le Fay." Luna answered.
"I'm living with you then." Hermione said.
"Same." Ginny, Neville, and the twins said.
"Your mentors are ready for you." McGonagall called from the doorway.
Hermione didn't need to be told twice, she was out the door, headed for the Hospital wing before most of the others had even gotten up.
"Ms. Granger, how very nice to see you." Madam Pomfrey said with a smile. We are going to be very busy. We are getting some healers from St. Mungo's next week, but I'm afraid that they won't be nearly enough.
"Alright, down to business now. I'm going to be having you do a bit of everything around here. I'll start you off with potion making until you finish reading those books over there." She pointed to a stack of 12 thick books, the top one was entitled How to Reverse Minor Magical Hexes. "I'll give you more advanced ones after you finish. You're always welcome to use the library as well.
"You'll report here at eight in the morning everyday and I'll let you leave at three in the afternoon. Of course, that will change, more than likely, as the war gets worse. We have rooms off to the side when that does happen.
"I'm afraid that I don't really have anything for you to do today. Maybe that's for the better really. You can get a bit of rest today.
"Alright. Tonight, I want you to look up dreamless sleep potions. You'll be using that a lot. I have all the ingredients already; you will be making a few batches of the potion tomorrow. We'll also need potion to re-grow bones, but we'll do that next week.
"I think that is all I have to show you in here. I'll take you to our other areas. Follow me."
Madam Pomfrey started walking out of the hospital wing and motioned for Hermione to take the books she had pointed out earlier.
Madam Pomfrey led Hermione up to the seventh floor to a portrait she was quite familiar with. The Fat Lady. "We will be use Gryffindor Tower as well. This will be for people who need to re-grow bones, sleep for longer periods of time, and the like. The hospital wing will be more for quickly fixing hexes and such. We added more beds in the dorms and the common room will only be used if absolutely necessary. Keeping it how it usually is will give a sense of normalcy."
Hermione nodded.
"Well, that is all I have to show you at the moment. Let me bring you to your dorm. I have your patient waiting for you there." Madam Pomfrey said.
"May I ask why he's being put in my care?" Hermione asked.
"I thought he might respond better to someone his age. He has been very withdrawn, which is not good with all he's been through. You have to understand, Ms. Granger, that you are also expect to council people who come to us. Emotional scars are much more dangerous to the psyche than physical ones."
Pomfrey and Hermione spent their time talking about the potions that Hermione would be responsible for making as they headed down to the sixth floor corridor. Pomfrey came to the portrait of a beautiful red-haired woman. She was petting a black cat absently and didn't seem to notice Pomfrey and Hermione approaching her. "Latifolia." Hermione said.
The woman looked at Hermione and gave a nod. The Frame swung away from the wall revealing a rectangular opening in the wall, the size of a standard door. Hermione walked through with Pomfrey ahead of her.
"Now, have you move at all since I brought you here this morning?" Pomfrey asked. Hermione heard no response. She tried to peak around the nurse, who stood in the middle of the passage.
"Haven't you eaten anything?" No response again. Pomfrey started walking forward again and Hermione could finally see her common room. The floors were a light colored wood. The walls were a forest green that Hermione found very calming. Straight across from the entry passage was a staircase made of the same wood as the floor.
Just to the right of the staircase, Hermione saw four couches that circled around a coffee table. The couches were a green, a shade darker than the walls.
Hermione saw armchairs with ottomans scattered about the large room. They were all the same color and fabric as the couches.
In the corner opposite where Hermione was standing, there was a large fireplace. A tapestry above the mantelpiece showed the Hogwarts crest. Two couches accompanied the fireplace.
Hermione looked directly to her right. A large dining table with twelve chairs sat in the corner.
A man sat in one of those chairs.
A man that Hermione hoped she would never have to see again in her life.
Draco Malfoy seems altogether unconcerned about what Madam Pomfrey was saying to him. His face was expressionless, but he was staring right at Hermione.
Hermione threw a scowl his way, but he didn't react.
He knows just how to annoy me. She thought. He's going to ignore me until I get frustrated. Then he's going to call me those horrible names.
Pomfrey sighed. "I have to leave. Try to get him to eat something. Make sure he sleeps a bit too. He hasn't in days. It looks like Professor McGonagall left directions for you on the table here. Read them. I'll see you in the morning. Bring Mr. Malfoy with you if you would too." The nurse left the enemies in the room together.
Hermione braced herself for something from Malfoy, but received nothing. He just sat at the table, still staring at her. She decided that she had better read the directions left while he was being quiet. Maybe he's in shock? Hermione guessed.
Ms. Granger,
Madam Pomfrey has informed me of your new charge. He will stay in your room. All the people sharing your common room will be paired a boy with a girl for safety reasons. I pray that you can put aside your dislike for Mr. Malfoy.
Professor McGonagall
Hermione let a sigh escape her lips. She looked up. Malfoy was still staring at her. "Come on." She said half under her breath sounding very grumpy.
Malfoy didn't move.
Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him up. She expected him to yell at her for touching him, but he didn't.
Hermione pulled him toward the stairs. He followed her complacently.
They went up three flights of stairs without a word. Hermione opened one of the two doors. She found a huge bathroom.
Everything was in green marble. There was a tub about the size of half a small pool. She saw a toilet along with two sinks and a shower stall.
Leaving the bathroom, Hermione opened the only other door on the floor. What was revealed to her was cherry wood floors with two matching chests of drawers and a vanity table.
A king sized canopy bed sat in between the two windows of the room. The coverings were off-white lace.
The thing that Hermione loved the most was the wall of bookshelves filled with books.
Hermione looked back at Malfoy who still held her hand. He seemed altogether unaffected. He was still staring at her.
Hermione threw his hand away from her.
"Would you stop staring at me?" She yelled.
"Ah, the old bat gave me to Granger then." Draco said, his voice neutral.
"Like you can't see me…" Hermione said mockingly.
"Didn't Pomfrey tell you Granger?" Draco asked looking over Hermione's left shoulder.
"I'm blind."