Chapter 8: Conflict
Hermione was happier than she had been for a long time. She now understood the strength within her that fought to enact her will, even if she was still figuring out how to use it. She had good friends for the first time and she was learning magic—something she took to easily. With these thoughts in her head, she missed the first few moments of the conversation.
A short boy with white blonde hair and pointy features stepped into Ron's path. Ron stumbled to a stop, stepping on the boy's foot. A vicious smile crossed the boy's face.
"Orange hair, hand-me-down robes, must be a Weasley," he sneered to his friend beside him who laughed.
"With the air of arrogance, but nothing of importance to show, is this the Malfoy heir?" Ron snapped back.
"Oh we have quite a lot to show, unlike some families," Malfoy looked Ron up and down with an air dismissal. "Did your dad have to take out a loan on that hobble you call a house to have four of your lot in Hogwarts?" Ron's eyes narrowed. "That's the word around the ministry, right?"
Hermione's eyes darted between Ron and a new antagonist. Ron was slowly turning red, fist shaking at his side. She looked for Neville and Haydrien, but neither were in the hall.
"Hippogryph got your tongue?" Malfoy gloated with a sneer.
"Don't you mean cat?" Hermione said, confused. Malfoy and his friend turned to look at her.
"I knew I smelled something," Malfoy looked at the girl. "And I thought the Weasley name couldn't get any lower." Hermione stepped back, trying to block his view of her with Ron. "Take you mudblood pet Weasley and run back to your hole in the ground." Malfoy laughed and that is when Ron snapped.
Ron's wand was in his hand, but Malfoy's friend had his firmly covering the redhead. Hermione, almost on instinct, reached for her own. Strong fingers wrapped around her wrist and forced her wand down before any had seen it.
Smack. The sound resonated through the air, silence following. Haydrien, having just whipped the back of his hand across Malfoy's face, leaned forward.
"I know that the Malfoys aren't known for their subtlety, but I had rather hoped the Black blood would win out," Haydrien hissed. "It seemed that was too much to ask for. And that father of yours seemed to have taught you nothing of the rules either. Declaring such loyalties in mixed company does not make for an easy future for the Malfoy heir. Come back when you have learned the manners expected of you." He pushed away from Malfoy, whose eyes were narrowed and murderous.
"What is this?" McGonagall demanded, walking towards the group. Neville stuck out a hand out of the surround crowd and pulled Hermione into their midst. McGonagall's heels slapped against the stone. "I'm waiting."
Haydrien turned towards his head of house with polite smile.
"A family matter," he said. "It has been taken care of." Her lips thinned into a tight line.
"Be that as it may," she replied, "violence of any kind, magical or otherwise, is prohibited in the hall. Detention should help you remember that Mr. Black, Weasley, Malfoy, and Nott. Eight o'clock, with Hagrid."
"Of course," Haydrien smiled and bowed his head slightly.
~XxXxX~
Hermione sat on a desk in the back corner of the classroom they had claimed. Her hands were planted on each side of her legs and back bent over them, looking at her feet as they swung back and forth. Neville sat a few seat over, slumped in a chair. The silence buzzed in their ears along with the ambient magic. Finally the door slid open, Haydrien motioning Ron in first. Haydrien's perfect posture never wavered as he gently shut the door before turning towards the redhead.
"What were you thinking?" Haydrien enunciated softly.
"What's your problem?" Ron snapped back, his face still stained red from the recent confrontation with Malfoy. Haydrien stared at him.
"What were you thinking getting into it with Hermione there?" he repeated.
"I wasn't getting into anything," Ron yelled, turning away and slumping into a chair. "It was all Malfoy. He jumped in my way then started insulting me."
"Then you should have walked away."
"Walk away? That arse was looking to get cursed." Ron rolled his eyes dramatically.
"It does not matter if he was offering 100 galleons for someone to spare with him. Hermione was standing right there. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"She wasn't cursed. She was fine. What are you bloody going on about?" Ron snapped. Haydrien sighed, a movement that would have caused his shoulders to fall if he hadn't been installed in him to hold them all the more when things got hard.
"She almost raised her wand against him," he answered slowly. Hermione looked to her wand hand. It had acted on it's own, drawn to the means of her protection. Maybe it was stupid, but wands were being drawn and the situation felt too precarious to not have her own wand in hand.
"So what?"
"You really don't get it." Awe and horror crept into Haydrien's tone. He walked even steps until he was in front of Ron then crouched down onto his hunches. Determined green eyes met defiant blue.
"Hermione has been keeping her head down, not standing out a bit. Yet Malfoy still knew the situation of her birth. He also knows exactly which button is going to push you over the edge. Hermione," Haydrien punctuated the name with pointing at the girl. "You just drew a target on her back. And you can't take that back. It's done. You just put her on Malfoy's radar. I wouldn't blame her if she hexed you for it."
Haydrien looked up at the girl in question, still sitting on a desk in the far corner. His lips lifted in a familiar smirk, but his eyes stayed sad.
Ron's face lost the red coloring and quickly turned while. His eyes searched out the witch in the room.
"Hermione, I didn't mean…" his voice faded as the pieces fell into place. Ron was a strategist after all. Malfoy stepped in his way, started a confrontation all while his friend and muggle-born witch was standing at his side. Hit button after button until Hermione said a word and then cut her down and pushed Ron over the edge. Weasley anger wasn't exactly a secret. And now Malfoy would enact vengeance against her, and there wasn't a single protocol that would even frown upon it. Ron had been played. He turned helplessly to Haydrien.
"Malfoy-" Ron started.
"Wound you up like a toy soldier and watched you go?" Haydrien asked. Ron shook his head and let it fall into his hand.
"I'm sorry Hermione," he said. Behind him, a white faced Hermione nodded.
Haydrien signed once more and settled into a seat, allowing his posture to relax for the first time.
"We'll figure it out," he added tiredly. "It's only another month until exams. As long as Hermione isn't on her own anywhere Malfoy can get to, we should be fine. Basically she's fine in the tower or with us. He should forget about her over the summer, so we just need to get there. If he makes a big play, well, we'll handle it then."
"Would he?" Hermione croaked. She cleared her throat and tried again, "Would he make a big play?" Haydrien exchanged glances with a silent Neville. "What does that even mean? What could he do to me?" Hermione got to her feet, hand flying wildly in front of her she spoke. "You said I was safe, safe if I kept my head down."
"And you are," Haydrien cut in. "You are safe with us. You are safe in Gryffindor. Hell, Hufflepuffs are safe too. You are still safe, there are just some new precautions to take."
"What would happen?"
"There are some ritual hazing that is done to muggle-borns who stick out about the crowd. It is generally to remind them of their place. It is nothing permanent usually," Haydrien answered without looking away. She nodded numbly. Neville stood and came up beside her.
"You'll be fine," he said. "We'll make sure of it." His eyes met each of the boys with a steely determination.
"Ok," she said. "Let's go back to the dorms." Goosebumps had formed over her arms and legs and the comfort of her bed was calling.
At the portrait hole, Ron turned to face her.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't think. I mean I'd have never if I knew this would happen," Ron said. Hermione smile back.
"It's alright. Brave New World and all," she smiled, though the heaviness in her chest remained.
"Brave, new world?"
"Muggle book," she said, with the roll of her eyes. "It one of the ones about dystopian societies."
"You lost me," Ron chuckled.
"Its a society that seems perfect, that everything has it's place, until you look deeper and realize that there is no such thing as a perfect society. It's kind of how I feel about the magical world. I thought it was great, but then I step into it and realize that all the problem still exist, just wrapped up in a different package."
Ron nodded.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok," she said, and pulled him through the portrait hole with her.
~XxXxX~
Ron, Haydrien, Malfoy, and Nott followed a disgruntled Fitch towards Hagrid's hut. The sun had set, but still left several rays highlighting the sky and warding off the stars. Its windows were bright against the darkness of the hut's walls.
"Hullo," Hagrid greeted happily. Fitch muttered something and limped away, still talking to himself.
Hagrid handed a lantern to Malfoy. The boy looked between the light and the half-giant that had already turned to grab more supplies. Hagrid tossed a sack to Ron and handed Haydrien a tackle box. Malfoy's eyes grew wider with each item.
"Where are we taking all this stuff?" he asked.
"Just into the forest," Hagrid commented, putting a leash onto Fang, his dog.
"The forest?" Malfoy gulped.
"Yep," Hagrid handed the leash to Nott.
"No."
"Yeah, the centaurs told me about a wounded animal. We've gotta go check out and help if we can." Hagrid started towards the forest with big steps.
"No," Malfoy repeated. Ron smirked and went to comment, but a look from Haydrien silenced him. "I'm not going in there," he continued, his voice going higher on the last word. Hagrid turned to look at the boy. His pale features and hair exaggerated by the light in his hands the darkness sneaking in around them.
"You can run back to the castle, but then yer detention won't be done," Hagrid said, an honest look on his face.
"Wait until I tell my father," Malfoy muttered. The man huffed out a laugh.
"That yer scared? I'm sure he's proud," the man said and turned back to the forest. The four boys and one dog followed him. A few feet into the darkening forest, Hagrid traded Malfoy a sack for the lantern.
The half-giant picked his way through the trees, holding the lantern high. The light lit the near by tree and branches and cast moving shadows beyond. They traveled for ten minutes in near silence.
SCREACH. The group froze as the sound sent shivers down their spines. Malfoy looked back, seeing if he could make a run for it, but there were only more trees.
"This way," Hagrid ordered, heading towards the noise.
"I don't know-" Nott started, but stopped when they had to run to keep up with the fast moving man.
Hagrid came to an abrupt stop, the boys running into the back of him.
"No," he breathed. They peaked around the man to see a stark white unicorn laying on the forest floor. Silvery blood spread around like a halo encircling its body. The brightness of the white fur faded with each second.
Haydrien's eye found a dark shape watching them for a moment, before turning away and fleeing into the forest.
A series of pounding feet brought the group's attention to an arriving centaur.
"We were too late," Hagrid whispered, still watching the unicorn.
"It is worse than we thought," the centaur said. "Give Dumbledore our warning. He needs to be prepare to defend the children." Hagrid nodded.
"I will."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes at the exchange and looked to Nott who shrugged.
"Will ya be takin' care of…?" Hagrid left the question hanging in the air.
"We'll handle the burial, yes," the centaur replied, eyes watching the group of wizards. Hagrid nodded once, a sharp movement, and turned away from the sight, trekking back out of the forest.
The party was quiet as they made their way to Hagrid's cabin. When they reach his home, Hagrid unhooked Fang and opened the door.
"Yer lot can leave the stuff here," he said, pointing vaguely left of the door, before walking inside. Ron saw him grab a bottle of Fire Whiskey and slump down into a large arm chair. Haydrien shook his head and walked back to the castle, no one spoke.
~XxXxX~
Neville and Hermione sat in the common room, waiting for their friend to get back from detention. Both had finished their class work hours before. Hermione was checking over the book, making sure she didn't miss anything. Neville had a defense against the dark art book that Hermione hadn't seen before and he was flipping through the pages lazily.
Ron walked in first, sitting down next to Hermione on the couch. Haydrien came in next, his steps sure, but his face was pale. He sat down in front of fire on the floor, back to the rest of them.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, looking between her friends.
"We had to go into the forest," Ron sighed when it was obvious that Haydrien wouldn't answer.
"The Forbidden Forest?"
"The one and only. Well we found a dying unicorn, or really freshly killed unicorn. It was...yeah." Ron looked into the fire too, the tips of the flames reminded him of brightly lit white fur. A shiver ran down his back.
Neville and Hermione shot each other helpless looks.
"Who would do that?" Haydrien said suddenly, still staring into the flames that couldn't wash the image away. "Who would kill a unicorn? They are pure and good and don't hurt anyone. They run. They don't fight. And the blood...who would do that?"
"You know who it was, right?" Ron said. Haydrien dragged a hand through his black hair.
"Yeah."
"What's going on?" Hermione looked from Haydrien to Ron and back.
"Nothing good," Ron muttered and shook his head when the image of the unicorn popped into his mind again.
In a world so dark, the unicorn was the one light creature that no one would dare to harm. It was said that the evil would burn where they touched it. To kill a creature so pure, was beyond taboo. The whole of society would shun you, would demand your death in payment. You would be cursed. Who would disregard that? Who was evil enough and arrogant enough to do such a thing? There was only one. One that most people believed was gone for good, but a few thought differently.
"Voldemort," Neville hissed through clenched teeth.
"Yeah," Ron says, shying away from the word, but answering all the same.
"It can't be," Hermione said. "For one, Neville defeated him. Two, he was always afraid of Dumbledore. Three, Hogwarts is the most protected area in Magical Britain. And four, no."
"Defeated doesn't mean gone forever," is all Haydrien said. Hermione looked to Neville, pleading with him to say it wasn't true.
"Gran knew he wasn't gone, not for good," Neville answered. "We didn't think he would be back so soon. But unicorn blood? Must be desperate. It will heal him, but it's cursed. He must be weak. The war is still a ways off then."
"War?" Hermione choked. Ron reached across the cushions and grabbed her hand.
"It makes sense that there would be a war when he came back, though really just sparking up the old one with those who weren't dealt with. But we have time. Dumbledore will know and they'll prepare, might even stop it before it begins."
Ron knew more about the last war than most, Bill having told him stories of that time. The heroic tales fading into the ones of terror as Ron got older. With his disposition towards strategy, Ron had used that to quell his own fear when learning at his brother's knee. He knew there may not be as much time as he was alluding to, but it helped little to scare her.
~XxXxX~
Dumbledore entered the cabin of a very drunk Hagrid. An empty bottle lay at the half-giant's feet with a half full one in his hand.
"He killed him," Hagrid said as the headmaster perched himself on a wooden chair. "He was so good, so beautiful even in death. But that bastard killed him," he roared.
"What word have the centaurs sent?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"They said it was worse that we thought. Said to get prepared to defend the children. It was terrible."
"I know."
Dumbledore stayed until his friend had finally passed out. He tucked him neatly into the bed and exited the cabin. Dumbledore looked to the stars and sighed.
~XxXxX~
McGonagall deeply wanted to tear strips off Hagrid for taking the children into the Forbidden Forest for their detention, but the hungover man looked like he might cry at any second. The centaurs message did little to quell her anger at the children being there.
"Those children should have never been dragged in there," McGonagall said to Dumbledore as the heads of the houses were locked away in the Headmaster's office. "With You-Know-Who so close to them and them seeing the death of a unicorn." The stern woman shivered. "Albus, what are you doing about the situation?"
"Hagrid will not be assigned to have students for detention anymore. It is not needed to speak to him about it. He is still rather upset from last night. He is a good gamekeeper, but yes. The warning is the bigger issue. He has already made it onto the grounds."
"Are you sure the stone is secure?"
"I have added every protection I can," Dumbledore sighed. "He should not be able to get to the stone, but it is more the students I worry about. We cannot lock them away in safety the same way."
"I don't know that it was a good idea to hide that rock here at a school," McGonagall said sternly, not for the first time. Dumbledore answered the old argument in kind.
"The children would hardly be safer with a returned dark lord. But it is out of his grasp now. It was a necessity, Minerva."
"I'm sure you'll explain that to the parents when his spirit lays siege on the great hall," she replied. "And how did he find out you were hiding it here after all? Do you think any of the darker families are helping him?"
"No," Snape said, speaking for the first time in the meeting. "I am still close with many of the families and there hasn't even been a whisper." Looks were thrown around the room.
"Then how?" McGonagall pressed on. Dumbledore signed.
"Where else would be protected enough to deny him?" he said.
AN: Wow, the amount of support you guys have given me has been amazing. And perhaps it was naive of me, but actually unexpected as well. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you!