Been a while, but, I got lost in where I was. I have the plot all done, just need to get it filled in.
Disclaimer, I am not JK Rowling. Obviously.
happy Turkey day, for all those fellow Canadians!
By the time Minerva McGonagall stepped through the Heads fireplace, Hermione was a complete and total wreck. She was pacing the room while wringing her hands, anxiously looking from Draco to the fireplace and back again.
She, the brightest witch of her year, and, truth be told, of her time, was at a loss of what to do. Everything she thought about doing was either completely ridiculous, or, already done. It bothered her to no end that, of all times, Draco had to go and be cursed on the first day of classes. For she was sure, now, that he had in fact been cursed. She knew this without a doubt now, since she had preformed a spell on him, which marked him as such.
Thank Merlin, she paid attention not only in Charms, but at the Hospital wing as well. In a roundabout sort of way, she owed Harry and Ron thanks for constantly doing things to get them send to the hospital wing. Not, of course, that she would ever tell them, or, unless she had to, mention this morning to her best friends at all.
Minerva walked into the room, glancing around to see if there was anyone else in the rooms. Not that she had expected there to be, but, better to be safe then sorry. She rushed over to the couches, to where Draco was, with Hermione at her heels, still wringing her hands in anxiety. Hermione babbled away, saying that this was how she had found him, and that she was sure it was a curse of some sort, but McGonagall ignored her.
Minerva took a close look at Draco, and realized right away that this was, indeed, some sort of Dark magic, and that he needed to be under the care of a trained medi-witch immediately. Without even a glance to Hermione, who was still rambling about something or other, Minerva flicked her wand, with the locomotor spell, and whisked Draco out the fireplace, and, into the hospital wing.
'..prof...' Hermione tried to call after her, but, by the time she finished, her professor was already out the fireplace, with Draco in tow.
Hermione stopped. Did her teacher HONESTLY just walk out on her? Seriously?
She felt conflicting emotions roll through her, simultaneously, but lasting long enough for each to be registered. The main, and, seemingly, the most prevelant, was shock.
Never before, in Hermione's entire time at the school, had Professor McGonagall ever ignored her, the favorite student. In fact, ignoring Snape, which most people tended to do, not one teacher ever ignored her. She didn't even offer any sort of explanation as to where she was going, with Draco, why she had to be so swift about it, and, what in the nine hells was Hermione to do now?
Besides, of course, be completely and utterly shocked. Hermione was, for the second time that morning, at a loss.
She looked around the common room, and her eyes happened to the clock, which showed her that she had less then 15 minutes before her first class.
Shite.
She grabbed her school bag, and dashed out the door, towards the great hall. Damn, she needed coffee!
She made it just in time to class, after nearly burning her tongue off on her coffee which was exactly what she needed. Not that she enjoyed burning her tongue, but, she got the needed coffee, and, for the safety of all, was best. She plopped down beside Harry, who, upon reflection, had never seen Hermione this flustered, or, this late. Not that she was late, this was still Hermione after all, but, normally she was much earlier then this. He looked askance at her, but got nothing more then a look in return.
She unpacked her Transfiguration books, and sat at attention just as Professor Do'Urden walked in the door. The class, having never met this teacher before, nor having heard anything about him-this being the first class, was at complete attention.
"Good Morning class" he said, his voice softer then expected, and with a peaceful quality. "Before beginning the lesson, I think, perhaps, that I should tell you a bit about myself, and, if I'm lucky, learn a little about yourselves as well. This is, I daresay, a small enough class to fit everyone in."
He sat on the edge of his desk, facing the students. This gave the impression of familiarity, and made most of the class feel more at ease. Hermione, however, missed this notion entirely, being too preoccupied trying to figure out what to tell this man about herself. And, of course, the previous events of the morning.
"My name is Alan Do'Urden. I am, as I'm sure you can tell, not English, but in fact Greek. I moved here for school- I attended Beaubaxtons- and then moved on to university overseas in Canada. After graduating, with a degree in both Transfiguration and herbology, I traveled the world, hoping to make things better for everyone. I'm still rather foggy whether or not I succeeded, but, perhaps, time will tell." He stopped, looking at the class-all 12 of them, and smiling. "Normally, I would ask if you had any questions, but, I have the feeling that I have stepped into a class of extremely bright and inquisitive students, so I will forgo that part, and beg your forgiveness. Now, you all know me, to some degree at least, lets hear about yourselves."
The class told Professor Do'Urden about themselves-which Quidditch teams they played or rooted for, what they hoped to study after Hogwarts, or where they were from. The two exceptions from this, were, of course, Hermione and Harry, both of whom had other things to say.
"Good morning, Professor Do'Urden" Hermione started, since, clearly, this man was intelligent, and deserved a proper introduction. Professor McGonagall chose this man for a reason, and Hermione, despite the events of the morning, respected her professor implicitly.
"My name is Hermione Granger. I am Head Girl, for this year, and in Gryffindor house. I am from Muggle parents, who were, sadly, killed this summer, along with my entire family, by Voldemort." students shuddered at the name. Hermione's face changed from one of pure intelligence and calm, to one more angry, fierce. "I want to see the people responsible pay for what they have done, not only to myself, but to all the others out there who are missing family members, friends, relatives."
Hermione sat down, done her speech. She was shocked at the words she had said, and at the anger she felt when she said them, however, she knew them to be complete truth. She just hadn't, until now, of course, admitted it to herself. Upon reflection, she felt a righteous anger, and justification for what she had said. It was the truth, after all. She felt the eyes of all her class mates on her, which made her flush a crimson. She peered back up to Professor Do'Urden, who had not said anything, but was regarding her with a look of pride, admiration and, she detected a hint of fear as well.
She felt something stir beside her.
"My name is Harry Potter, and I am going to help Hermione in whatever way I can." Harry said, and, following that proclamation, sat down again. He looked over at Hermione, and gave her a reassuring smile.
The rest of the class was, relatively uneventful, with little homework. Professor Do'Urden was unlike any teacher they had ever had, with, perhaps, the exception of Professor Lupin. The students packed up their things, talking amongst themselves about how, well, FUN the class had been.
Hermione, however, did not participate in the whispered conversations. Rather, she stuffed her things in her bag, said a quick good-bye to Harry, and dashed out the door, in hunt of the Headmistress.
Hermione weaved her way around the other students, through the corridors, and ran into her former professor outside of the teachers lounge.
"Professor-" Hermione began
"Mrs Granger, I was expecting to see you. As far as Mr. Malfoy is concerned, you should not worry. he has been taken to St. Mungos temporarily to recover. In the meantime, I think that it would be wise for you to forget about it, and concentrate on both your studies, and Head duties, as, I'm sure you figured out, you are the only one currently available."With that, Professor McGonagall marched on her way down the corridor, leaving, for the third time that day, Hermione at a complete loss.