And here comes the latest chapter of the Bloody Ashikabi! Sorry for the delay, I had to rewrite it a bit to better suit what I had in mind. Despite my best efforts in proofreading it, I might have left some inconsintencies, so if you find any, please PM, I'll fix the chapter right away.
Now, I won't bore you more, though there's a AN at the end of the chapter with a few explanations on things that might confuse you.
I don't own Harry Potter or Sekirei.
19
Back to Hogwarts
"And now, before we start our meal, some good news! It appears that one of our students, whom I'm sure you all remember, suffered a terrible accident last year, is once again among us!" cheerfully announced Dumbledore, making hushed conversations erupt everywhere in the Great Hall.
The last year had indeed been hectic for those who had attended Hogwarts, what with a troll of all things wandering in the castle, and injuring a first-year Gryffindor. However, that hadn't been the highlight of the year, no, said event had been when it was revealed that the one to let said troll in, was none other than the stuttering joke of a DADA teacher, Quirinus Quirrel. The incredibly impressive and dangerous fight which had resulted in Quirrel fleering the castle, missing an arm and gravely injured, would become a legend between the students.
The man, unlike what he had shown himself to be in class, was everything but a cowardly and weak wizard, if anything, he was among the strongest wizards many of the students had seen, what with him managing to hold his own against three teachers at the same time, one of which was the legendary Dumbledore himself, and the other two being the parents of the Boy-Who-Lived, known as very powerful in their own right. The speed at which each cast curses, hexes and transfigured objects to distract their opponents had left those who had witnessed speechless, and humbled at the display of power and skill.
"Due to some personal circumstances, she asked to be re-Sorted. Please give a warm welcome to Miss Hermione Granger!" cheered the old Headmaster, waving at the doors of the Great Hall, which opened once again, to let in a single person.
However, the moment said person stepped in the Great Hall, whispers started, people conversing quietly with those who had known the witch who had been dubbed as the "Gryffindor Know-it-all" during her short stay at Hogwarts, for the person who was now slowly walking towards the Sorting Hat wasn't anything like the girl people remembered.
During her year of absence, she had grown quite a few inches, making her now almost as tall as a third year boy, which was quite a feat for a twelve-years old girl. The once bushy hair now fell in smooth waves on her back, and many of the witches present sent jealous glares towards the girl's hair before looking back at their own. Where she had been rather shy, but energetic, she was now composed and calm, not wasting any energy and pointedly ignoring the whispers, walking in a way that would have befitted royalty, and made quite a few Purebloods envious. There was not even a limp to show that no more than ten months earlier she had been told she would never walk again.
As the Sorting Hat was put on her head, she crossed her legs, making some of the more conservative teachers scowl, but they could say nothing.
For once, the Sorting took longer than usual, the Hat seeming to delight in the things it could find in the young witch's head, before finally, after almost ten minutes, it shouted: "RAVENCLAW!"
The announcement was followed with loud applause from the blue and bronze clad House, though unlike the other three Houses, there were no shouts, only polite acknowledgement as the subject of gossip in the school for the next weeks walked towards the table and seated herself, giving a small, acknowledging nod to her peers.
Eyes twinkling, Dumbledore then addressed the students:
"I have only two words to say: tuck in!"
-Break-
The next day, Hermione Jean Granger made her way towards the Headmaster's office, having been called there as soon as she had finished her breakfast. When the her of a year ago would have been terrified and overjoyed at the same time at the prospect of meeting one of the greatest wizards alive, she was only mildly irritated, as she had wanted to start her training right away, since it was a Saturday. She had no intention of letting all the hard work of the previous months go to waste. Harry had clearly showed her the benefits of being in top physical shape, and Miyuki had clearly agreed with him on that point.
Remembering the rather haughty heiress, Hermione repressed a smile. In the beginning, they couldn't bear being near each other, what with Miyuki being fifteen and Hermione eleven, both having extreme differences in background. Nonetheless, considering the hellish training Harry had put the both of them through, they had somehow along the road ended up friends. Miyuki had clearly mellowed down after their green-eyed teacher had shown her that her attitude would one day earn her more enemies than she could afford, and had discovered that her younger, European counterpart was in fact someone she liked to be around. Unlike most girls, Hermione could actually hold an intelligent discussion with the raven-haired heiress, at least once she had caught up on her magic studies. And catch up she did, from what Harry had told her, she was already getting close to the level of a good third-year student, not that she intended to stop there. Ravenclaws were known for reading ahead after all.
Shaking her head, she remembered the times she and Miyuki had spent together, discussing topics ranging from magic theory to their respective childhoods. Despite the fact that they lived in different countries, Hermione knew she had made a friend for life with the heiress, and Harry had privately told her that Miyuki needed someone like her, a friend that saw her not as a rich heiress, but as a teenage girl. In turn, Miyuki had taught quite a lot of things to Hermione, chief amongst them how to behave in public, how to show nothing but impenetrable armor to those who would wish to mock her. A big part of her new attitude could be led between her newfound skills, both magical and in martial arts (which had been quite literally pounded into her by both Harry and Miyuki), and her friendship with the young prodigy.
Clearing her thoughts, she composed herself, having already a rather good idea of why she had been called by the Headmaster, and she had to refrain from sneering. She had nothing but contempt for the man, especially since he was responsible for a trauma that she had only recently overcome, and only because she had help and supportive people with her. The fact that he was responsible for keeping Snape at Hogwarts, as well as having subpar education was also something she held against him. It had gotten better, she had heard, since the two Potter teachers had started teaching, however the fact that there was still a Divination teacher (one who apparently spent her time drunk and spewed nothing but nonsense) at Hogwarts was a stain, that much was clear, since the woman didn't even filter her students, allowing for an easy elective for lazy teenagers. Then there was the fact that Dumbledore was the one who shot down every and all attempts to remove Snape from his position as Potions teacher, when the man was clearly not made to teach.
"Mars bars." she called, waiting for the gargoyle to move and let her enter the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office.
As she walked up, she remembered the last thing she held against Dumbledore: Legilimency. The man routinely read the students' minds, as if he was allowed, entitled to breach other people's privacy because he was Albus Dumbledore. The fact that Severus Snape was allowed to do the same, mainly to find new ways to terrorize his students she guessed, was what had definitively convinced her that both men were cancers, and that they, as Harry had put it, needed to be removed.
"Enter, Miss Granger."
Steeling her nerves, she entered, carefully looking around, one of the remnants of her training with Harry, who liked to use Disillusionnement Charms to hide himself and launch surprise attacks. He had gotten so good at it that it no longer left the shimmering characteristic of the spell, making it almost impossible to notice.
The office was what she expected, rather large, with a lot of books carefully arranged, as well as numerous strange contraptions that made no sense to her, and that she suspected were either very advanced, or had no other purpose but to make the visitors think that they were very advanced, thus subtly making them think of Dumbledore as a prodigy. Behind the large mahogany desk sat the reason why she was there, but she let her gaze slide off him as she looked a little to his right, finding a magnificent golden and crimson bird, Fawkes, the Headmaster's phoenix. Had she been the naive little girl she had been when first arriving at Hogwarts, she would have thought that the bird's presence was a testament to the fact that the old man was pure of heart, however now she knew better. Phoenix didn't bond with people, they sometimes followed the orders of an human they deemed worthy, and could leave anytime they wished. And considering the old man's actions in the last year, she was quite sure the bird wouldn't be around for much longer.
Satisfied with what she had seen, she then focused on the people present. Sitting behind his desk, his eyes twinkling, was Dumbledore himself, wearing another of his vomit-inducing robes which made people wonder if the man wasn't color-blind and even knew the words fashion sense. Then again, she mused, considering that he was actually gay (now that had surprised her, until she knew who had been his one and only lover), perhaps it was to show some form of support to the Gay Pride?
Standing next to the desk was Minerva McGonnagal, another person whom she had lost all respect for. At first, she had admired the woman, true, for she was considered one of the most powerful witches of her time, and an excellent Transfiguration teacher. Her stern attitude quelled most of the problems that could arise in a class comprised of eleven-years old children, and it was clear to anyone after their time spent in her class that the woman knew what she talked about. However, the fact that she had clearly noticed the bullying directed towards her and yet hadn't done much to stop it had all but made it clear that she was not someone she could rely on. The fact that she had known Dumbledore intended to bait a Dark Wizard in the school and yet had done nothing to stop him from doing so made it clear that she belonged to those that followed the old man without question.
Sitting on a chair he had most likely altered to suit him was her new Head of House, Filius Flitwick. The man had always been one of her favorite teachers, as he was always energetic and happy to chat with his students, something that most of the other teachers lacked. He had always helped her during her time at Hogwarts, even giving her a list of books that might interest her, and telling her he was willing to discuss whatever may be troubling her whenever she needed to. The only reason she hadn't gone to him was because she had tried to resolve the issue by herself, and that she hadn't wanted to inconvenience him when he was obviously busy between his duties as a teacher and as a Head of House. She may have wanted to go to McGonnagal, however considering how she had let things go when the Gryffindors had bullied her, she had been reluctant to do so, and hadn't felt comfortable telling the stern woman that the other students were bullying her anyway. The fact that Harry had told her himself that he considered the man trustworthy spoke volumes of his integrity, and she felt happy to know that this time around, she would have a dependable Head of House.
Finally, sitting next to the half-Goblin was Mrs. Potter. Now her relationship with the redhead was odd, to say the least. Technically she wasn't in any of the woman's classes, since Muggle Studies were only available to third years or higher, yet the woman had allowed her to sit in some of her classes when she had seen her being bullied in October of the last year. She had also given a few detentions to the students bullying her, though she hadn't docked points, explaining to the young witch that doing so would only make things worse with her other housemates. Still, she had been one of the very few teachers she had genuinely respected, even after Harry finished explained what he knew of the teachers. It was clear to her that the woman she respected immensely regretted having given her son to Dumbledore, and that she herself held little to no respect for the man. Knowing that whatever the old man wanted to ask her, she and Flitwick were there, allowed her to inwardly breathe in relief, since neither teachers would allow the old man to do unsavory things under their watch.
"Ah, Miss Granger!" jovially greeted the old man, as if he hadn't been responsible for the attack that had almost caused her to be a cripple for life.
Gesturing to one of the seats, he pointed towards a bowl containing what appeared to be sweets.
"Lemon drop? I find starting the day with one always puts me in a good mood."
While the old man tried to show her the greatness of what appeared to be his sweet addiction, Hermione discreetly sent a very small wave of her magic towards the seat Dumbledore had been pointing to. As she had expected, there were several charms woven into it, mostly calming and trust charms, which in her mind was already dangerously close to using the Imperius on another person. Basically, taking that seat would calm her down, but also make her more trusting of Dumbledore, something that she sure as Hell didn't want, since she was back at Hogwarts precisely to see him fired. She doubted that she would be very motivated to find reasons to fire him if she trusted him.
"No thank you, sir. And I'd rather stand." came her neutral answer.
One of the first things Harry had taught her, was that being openly hostile usually made things a lot harder than they had to be, even if you loathed the person you were talking to. As such, he had made sure that she was able to avoid any angry outbursts, and to limit the amount of hostility she showed to other people, be it in her voice or by her body language. Of course, seeing that she had only had a few months, she wasn't perfect at it, but Harry had made sure to draw as much from her as he could, and both were rather satisfied with the results.
She could see that Dumbledore seemed a bit surprised by her refusal to sit, and that McGonnagal seemed to be affronted to see a student be so cold to the Headmaster, which only confirmed in her mind that the old woman would have to be removed along with Dumbledore, otherwise she would run the school as a proxy for the old man.
"Miss Granger!" scolded the Scottish woman," The Headmaster offered you a seat, the least you can do is accept his offer!"
Looking at the woman with cold eyes and a neutral expression, she drawled:
"Considering his offer is to seat me on something full of trust charms, I'd rather not. I have no wish to have spells mess with my brain."
A sound excuse, she mused. After all, perhaps the general lunacy of the magical society was due to abusing spells that messed with the brain. She herself knew that calming charms, in appropriate situations, weren't bad, but to know that some people had specifically enchanted furniture to help them relax made her rather wary. Who knew what the long-term effects of having your brain routinely subjected to spells messing with it would do to a person?
She could see that her words had surprised Dumbledore, and that both Flitwick and Mrs. Potter were glaring at the old man. Apparently neither of them were aware of that little detail.
"Albus, I would very much like to ask why you even have such a chair here?"
"I would like to know that as well." came the icy voice from the mother of the Boy-Who-Lived. It was clear that the woman barely tolerated the old man, a good point in her favor in Hermione's mind. She had heard that the Potters had tried to have the aged Headmaster ousted after what had happened to her, but apparently he still had the support of too much influential people.
However, instead of answering the question, the old man gave a penetrating stare towards Hermione, who did her best to avoid looking at him in the eye. While Harry had trained her in Occlumency, he had made it abundantly clear that ten months was nowhere near enough to be able to keep someone like Dumbledore out, no matter how good her shields. As she had expected, she felt a slight push against her defenses, prompting her to look at her Head of House.
"Professor, is it normal for the Headmaster to try and pry in his students' minds? Because he is currently trying to use Legilimency on me, and I do not appreciate this."
As soon as she spoke, she felt the probe recede, Dumbledore hastily retracting it, while Flitwick's glare grew harder, and Lily Potter seemed about to jump out of her chair to attack the old man. Surprisingly, McGonnagal seemed rather offended, but Hermione was willing to bet it was mostly because she accused the Headmaster of trying to read her mind, not because he was doing so.
"Dumbledore, is she saying the truth?" asked the sole redhead present, her green eyes narrowed dangerously towards the most powerful wizard of Britain.
"Now, now, Lily. Why would I do such a thing?" he asked, a grandfatherly smile on his face. "She must have imagined things, after all the first day back at Hogwarts can be quite trying, especially considering what happened to her the last time she was here."
The unspoken after all, how can a second year know Occlumency was left hanging in the air, prompting Hermione to continue:
"It doesn't matter for now. Why was I called here? Since it is only the first day since I am back, I highly doubt I have done anything to warrant being called to your office, sir."
She had to refrain from hurling when Dumbledore gave her a sad, remorseful smile. Oh, perhaps he did regret what had happened to her, but that didn't change the fact that he had willingly and knowingly endangered the lives of the students under his responsibility. It didn't matter that he regretted what he had done, she was going to make sure that he would never have the occasion to endanger anyone's life again.
" I merely wanted to welcome you back and ask you a few questions. First of all, how did you manage to have your legs healed? Madam Pomfrey assured me that not even the most advanced potions and spells could do anything, let alone Muggle surgery."
Quirking an eyebrow, she gave the man a cold glare. She couldn't believe the gall of the man, demanding to know how she had been healed when he was the reason she had to be healed in the first place. And considering how low the odds of having any magic-user suffer from the same damage either at Hogwarts or outside were, it wasn't out of concern for people who would be suffering from what she had.
"I fail to see how that is any of your business, sir. Suffice to say, I managed to get my legs back, and I am back.
However, since I am here, I have in my trunk, a letter of my parents asking for a Portkey bypassing the wards that I may use if I ever feel in danger. If you wish, I can go and fetch it, so that you may check its' authenticity."
"Miss Granger!" scowled the old Transfiguration's teacher, looking ready to explode. "Do not be so rude to the Headmaster! I am certain he only had your wellbeing in mind when he asked. Now, answer the question, please."
Hermione glanced at the old woman, nonplussed. Apparently Harry had been right, she might at some point have had the wellbeing of her students in mind, however now she was nothing more than a follower of Dumbledore. It was sad, really, to realize that someone as formidable as her would have fallen so low as to listen to the words of a senile old man and failed to even realize that he had no right to ask personal questions to students.
Ignoring the old woman, she looked back at Dumbledore, or rather at his phoenix, avoiding the man's eyes.
"As I said, the Headmaster has no right to ask me such a private question. Now, as for the matter of the portkey..."
"MISS GRANGER!" finally erupted McGonnagal, her entire face red with outrage. "I have never seen such a disrespectful student! I am ashamed of you!"
Looking at the panting woman, Hermione saw that Flitwick was opening his mouth to berate his colleague, since she was no longer a part of the woman's house, but she beat him to the punch.
"And I am ashamed of you. You knew I was bullied, yet you did nothing to stop what was happening, since it was other Gryffindors mainly who bullied me. All you did was give them detentions, instead of docking points, or suspending them like you should have! You didn't bother to talk with them and try to have them stop, and you didn't even contact their families to suspend them for a while, like any sensible teacher would have. You allowed the Headmaster to bait a Dark Wizard in a castle full of children, whose security should have been your primary concern! And after I lost my ability to walk, you did nothing to help me. And now that I am back, on my two legs, you call me disrespectful for refusing to answer the questions of the man responsible for what happened to me?
You and your House are the primary reason I asked to be re-Sorted. "Your House will be like your family"? If my family was anything like the people I shared a dorm and tower with, I'd have committed suicide long ago! So do not expect me to show any respect to the Headmaster or you, I gave it freely once, this time you will have to earn it. And so far you are certainly not doing a good job!"
While she felt a little uncomfortable showing her emotions towards the people present, especially Dumbledore, Hermione felt a vindictive pleasure in seeing McGonnagal pale and bite her lip, looking away from her with an ashamed face. It certainly felt good to get some revenge on one of the people who had done nothing to help her when she had needed it, even though she had known about the bullying. If the woman thought that just because she was a teacher, she deserved respect, then she was in for a rough surprise. She had no problem showing respect when it was due, but in this case, the old woman had most certainly not done anything to earn it.
As she had expected, Dumbledore gave her a reprimanding glare, not that she felt intimidated in the least. After being taught by Harry and Karasuba, the old man's glare wasn't nearly that effective. The ashen-haired woman was Scary, with a capital "s", there was no denying that, and Hermione secretly thought that she could probably stop wars simply by glaring at the soldiers. Nobody sane wanted to get on her bad side when she was in a foul mood, as Hermione had learnt once. Luckily, the woman had merely broken all her limbs and given her some shallow cuts, but she had learnt her lesson, as she had no wish to be on the bad end of that kind of beating ever again.
"Now, now, Miss Granger, there is no need to be rude. I am sure Professor McGonnagal did her best to help you, I am sure you are overreacting."
"Overreacting, Albus? Really?" dryly spoke Lily Potter, looking rather annoyed. "If I was bullied and that the teachers did nothing to help me, not to mention were clearly responsible for an attack that could have crippled me, I am quite sure that I would be far worse than Miss Granger is currently. In fact, I think she is showing remarkable restraint in dealing with you. I think that deserves ten points to Ravenclaw, for keeping a clear head in a stressful situation."
From the look on Dumbledore's face, it was clear that he didn't appreciate having one of his teacher supporting a student when said student challenged his authority, however there was little he could do, since insisting on questioning her would only make things worse for him. He had probably not realized yet how far he had fallen in Hermione's esteem, since he had clearly expected to use the aura surrounding his persona as a wise old wizard to draw answers from her. Quite frankly, it sickened her to realize that the man she had so admired was little more than a manipulative old man, keeping information to himself while trying to gain as much as he could from the people around him. It was probably the first time a student stood up to him, Hermione mused, since while it was clear that the Potters were most certainly not supporters of the old man any longer, she had yet to see a student that didn't seem to consider the Headmaster as the greatest wizard since Merlin.
However, in her mind, there were four people above him in terms of power, with Harry at the top, and the women always at his side just under him. What she had seen them do spoke of power on a scale that she couldn't imagine, and she knew that each of them could probably give the Headmaster a run for his money when it came to raw power. As for their fighting prowess, she had no idea how good Dumbledore was, since she had been absent when the duel against Quirrel happened, and even then from what she had heard, she doubted he had gone all out, since there were students around.
"Very well. Miss Granger, you are dismissed. If you want to speak about something, my door is always open." finally sighed Dumbledore, crossing his fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk.
"Thank you, sir." she answered, her voice neutral. "However I do believe that such things are to be taken to the Prefects our my Head of House. I can assure you that should I see the need to speak, I will seek out Professor Flitwick."
With a small bow towards her Head of House and Mrs. Potter, she left, not seeing the surprised looks on the face of the people present. After all, how could they know that spending time in Japan and having a friend in a Japanese heiress had taught her the very elaborate art of bowing, something the Japanese people could be proud of, in her mind. There were ways to bow, depending on the respect towards the person you were bowing to, their relationship with you, etc...The bow she had given Dumbledore, despite what people might think, wasn't one of deep respect as students usually gave their teachers, is was the bow one used when greeting a complete stranger, whom you had no reason to respect.
The fact that she hadn't yet obtained the portkey was only a minor setback, despite what Dumbledore probably thought, he would give her one, no matter what. He had no say in the matter, after all, even if for the moment he still thought of himself as the one having all the cards. He would soon find out that he didn't.
Smiling slightly, she went to the kitchens. A healthy diet was needed to keep herself in shape, after all, and English food wasn't exactly what she could consider "healthy". At least she had thought of taking a book on Japanese recipes to give to the House-Elves, she did NOT want to think how else she would have gotten them to cook her something healthy.
-Break-
It was at the beginning of the next week that what she had expected happened. Hermione wasn't stupid, she was very well aware that most Gryffindors had a lot of pride, and to have one of their own changing Houses, even if it was after an accident and at the start of the next school year, was something that she knew the most extreme of them wouldn't take well. People like Neville didn't scare her, since she knew that there was a moderately-sized fraction of the Gryffindors who were actually likeable, and reasonable people, who could understand her need to change Houses. Sadly, there was also a sizeable amount of idiots among those wearing the crimson and gold, and she had expected them to corner her sooner.
She was unsurprised to see that the one seemingly leading the group was Ronald Weasley, that boy had always caused her trouble, and was even the reason she had been in the bathroom, crying her eyes out the night of the troll attack. And yet, from what she had heard, and despite having told McGonnagal about it after she awoke in the infirmary, he had only gotten detention and a few points docked (which was the only time she heard McGonnagal dock points for bullying her). Now she was aware that he couldn't possibly have known that there would be a troll in the castle that night, however the fact that there had been no disciplinary sanctions other than the ones mentioned made her see red. In a normal school, had it been known he was a bully, he would have been at least sent back home for a few days, and considering the possibilities magic provided, she had no doubt it would have been possible to do so. And yet nothing had been done.
"So, know-it-all, back to Hogwarts?" sneered the redhead, making her sigh at the childishness he was showing. She had expected him to be somewhat nicer after she had almost died due to his bullying, but she guessed that since she was now physically fine, that he hadn't seen her when she was in the infirmary before she left Hogwarts, and that he hadn't been scolded too harshly, that he felt he could bully her again.
"How observant of you, Weasley." she drawled, "Now, may I know about the reason of this setup? I am quite busy, and I have better things to do than to talk with you."
She was surprised by how red his face turned, and inwardly mused that he was doing an excellent imitation of a tomato, before the redhead snarled, sending spit flying over her:
"Now wait here you traitor! You think you can just come back and change Houses like that? That you can abandon the best House in Hogwarts?!"
Calmly using her robes to wipe off the spit on her face, and mentally noting to have the House-Elves clean them thoroughly, she gave a deadpan stare to her would-be aggressor and his followers, most of whom, she noticed, were fellow second-years, first-years, or third-years. Not one of them seemed to be older, which meant either the older generations had enough brains to do more productive things than attempt to intimidate a girl transferring Houses, or that they felt the group before her was enough to deal with her.
"First of all, Weasley, I am not a traitor. Being one would imply that I betrayed someone, which I most certainly have not done, since being in a House for less than two months, one that didn't accept me, means that I can't have betrayed people who never accepted me in the first place.
Secondly, Gryffindor is not the "best" House in Hogwarts, it's one House out of four, nothing more, nothing less. The fact that your House values bravery does not make it better than Ravenclaw, which values brains, or Hufflepuff, who values hard work, or even Slytherin, who values cunning. It is merely a group of people, who at eleven, were slightly braver than the norm, or asked to be put there.
Thirdly, I most certainly can come back and change Houses, otherwise I would not be here. The fact that you failed to understand such a simple fact makes me wonder how you even managed to pass your first year."
The redhead, whom had gotten steadily redder the longer she spoke, finally snapped, grabbing his wand and trying to send a spell her way. Keyword being "trying". By the time his fingers had coiled around the stick of wood, her own wand was already out, the disarming spell leaving it as it sizzled towards a surprised redhead, who could only stare stupidly as his wand was ripped from his fingers and landed in her open palm. Hermione merely quirked a questioning eyebrow towards the redhead, Harry had been far, far faster to draw his wand in their training, so it wasn't like Weasley stood a chance at even casting a spell. Still, it was rather stupid of him to lose his temper like that.
By the time the redhead had realized what had happened, Hermione had already left to find her Head of House. After all, if Weasley was stupid enough to try and curse her in blind daylight, then he clearly had no use for his wand at the moment. Besides, she could argue that she was protecting the other students, as someone so willing to curse a fellow student for no other reason that they angered them was dangerous, and should be harshly punished.
A stupefied Ronald Weasley could only look dumbly where Hermione had stood, then back at his empty hand, then back at the empty space where the witch had been standing.
"What the Bloody Hell happened?"
-Break-
As she expected, it didn't take more than an hour before she was again called to the Headmaster's office, making many of her classmates whisper and wonder what she had done that warranted a trip to the old wizard's office. Packing her things, she made her way towards the Headmaster's office, following her Head of House, who had been the one to inform her that Dumbledore wished to see her. Had he not been the one to fetch her, she would have made a detour by his office, if only to check he would be there when Dumbledore met with her. She was not stupid enough to believe that the old man wouldn't try to meet her without her Head of House, if it meant he got the answers he wanted. That in itself was an attitude that sickened Hermione, he claimed to be the "Leader of the Light" when he used underhanded means to get information, even if the people holding said information were children.
Feeling a hand pat her leg, she looked down to see the serious face of her Head of House looking up at her.
"Don't worry, Miss Granger." squeaked the small teacher, " I will not let the Headmaster overstep his bounds this time."
Turning his head back to look in front of him, he growled:
"Needless to say, after what happened last time, neither Mrs. Potter or I are happy with him. No matter what he claims or who he is, he had no right to use Legilimency on you or offer you a seat with trust charms."
"So you believe me, Professor?" she asked. It was a legitimate concern after all. Most people would believe the man hailed as infallible over the new second year, even if said old man had clear mistakes to his name.
"Of course I do. While I do not know you that well, Miss Granger, I can tell that you were not lying in your accusations, and sadly I am not surprised by the lengths Dumbledore would go to get information he feels entitled to. Though I am curious about how you knew for both the chair and the Legilimency attack, it is not my place to inquire about such things, especially since you clearly haven't used your gifts for nefarious purposes."
Hermione gave the small man one of her now rare smiles, a very grateful one. Harry had been very adamant about keeping his existence a secret, going so far as to request oaths of secrecy from her, and while she thought it might be overkill, considering who they were dealing with, it was better to be safe than sorry. As such, she simply couldn't explain how she had learnt Occlumency, or how to detect charmed objects. She wasn't exactly stupid, she knew that by revealing she knew both, she had painted a target on her back, however she didn't have much of a choice at the time. She had no doubt Harry wouldn't be pleased, but knowing how pragmatic he was, she doubted he would see any reason to punish her for it. So long as she could keep an eye on Dumbledore and record all his failures, it should be alright.
Seeing Flitwick knock on the Headmaster's door, she made sure to check her mental defenses, as while she doubted Dumbledore would try the same trick in the presence of her Head of House again, it had been drilled in her mind that it was far better to be safe than sorry. And considering the potential consequences of the old man reading her mind, she didn't want to take any risks.
"Ah, Filius, Miss Granger, do come in." came the muffled voice of the Headmaster.
Opening the door, Hermione saw that she wasn't the only student present, as Ronald Weasley was glaring at her hatefully, while his own Head of House was sitting next to him, looking sternly at her, making her return a deadpan stare.
Once they were seated (this time around there were no charms on her chair, she checked), the Headmaster rested his elbows on his desks, crossing his fingers together as he gave a penetrating stare at both second years. While Ronald started to sweat almost immediately, Hermione merely crossed her legs and her arms, looking at a point over his shoulder and making sure not to make eye-contact with him.
Finally, after several minutes, the old man gave a long-suffering sigh, looking at the both of them with disappointment clear on his face.
"I am disappointed in you, both of you. Mister Weasley, threatening another student because she changed House is something I did not expect from you, and you, Miss Granger, had no reason to resort to violence to resolve the situation."
"Sir," she intervened, not appreciating to be guilt-tripped," I have no idea of what you were told, however I only took out my wand when it was clear that Weasley was about to curse me. Since I was faster, I merely disarmed him, before taking his wand to my Head of House."
"That is also something I wanted to talk to you about, Miss Granger." sternly said Dumbledore, "Why didn't you return his wand, once it was clear that he was no match for you? Keeping the wand of another wizard or witch is a deep offense to said person, and while I am aware that someone with your background may not know so, there was no need to keep Mister Weasley's wand."
Hermione quirked an eyebrow at the old man's choice of words. So Harry was right, she realized, Even if Dumbledore doesn't discriminate against Mundane-born wizards and witches in the same way than people like Malfoy, he still looks down on them as if they were children because they know nothing of the Wizards' traditions.
She felt disappointed. Sure, people like her, who came from non-magical backgrounds, didn't know about the Wizards' traditions and customs, but it wasn't their fault, she knew that most of them would love the opportunity to learn more about them, but if they didn't look for themselves, they would never find anything. In fact, it was more the Wizards' fault that they were so ignorant upon entering the Wizardry world, since it would be easy to either provide the new students with books on the traditions of the magical world, or even organize a few classes to teach them the basics before they went to Hogwarts.
Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Harry had made sure to give her a crash course on said traditions, and had given her a book listing them, since he knew she would love to read it and learn more. As such she was very aware that keeping Weasley's wand had been a grave insult to the boy, and she had intended it so. After all, from what she knew, the redhead would simply have cursed her in the back if she had given him his wand back.
"No need? Really?" she deadpanned, looking at the old man as one would an idiot. "I don't know what world you live in, but I will certainly not give back their wand to someone who just tried to curse me. For all I know, he would try to curse me in the back. I don't make an habit of giving back their weapons to people who wish me harm, sir. In this case I went to my Head of House, explained the situation, and then gave him the wand, so that it could be returned to Weasley once he was properly punished."
"Now, now, Miss Granger, I'm sure that Mister Weasley learnt his lesson and will not do such a thing again, there is no need for punishment." smiled the old man.
"Really, Albus?" intervened the diminutive Charms teacher, looking rather displeased with the way the Headmaster was doing things. "He still needs to learn that he can't simply draw his wand on another student, not punishing him for an action that may endanger his classmates is certainly going to set a bad precedent."
"I'm sure that mister Weasley learnt his lesson. Did you learn your lesson, mister Weasley?" he sternly asked the young redhead, making him look down and mumble "Yes, sir." . "Good. Now, miss Granger, that will be ten points for taking the wand of another student, and ten points for not returning it to him."
Then, turning towards his Deputy Headmistress, he asked:
"Minerva, did you take points from mister Weasley?"
"Not yet, I wanted to hear the full story." scowled the stern teacher, before looking at her charge. "However, now that I have done so, I will take twenty points for trying to curse a student, along with a detention with Mr. Filch. Any relapse will see your detention expanded to Christmas, mister Weasley, am I clear?"
The Gryffindor gave a small nod, looking at his lap and not meeting the eyes of the other people present.
"Good. Now then I hope that I won't have to see either of you two for the same matter again." smiled Dumbledore. "Have a nice day."
-Break-
As Hermione had expected, the threat of further punishment seemed to stop the redhead from acting, though from the hateful glares he sent her way each time they crossed each other in the corridors, she knew that it was only a matter of time before he tried something else. She had already heard that he had asked his twin brothers to prank her in retaliation, but the twins had refused, saying that she had done nothing wrong and that they wouldn't target people specifically unless they had done something that deserved to be punished.
Still, after having dealt with Weasley and not expecting him to try anything anytime soon, she was unsurprised to see a certain blond Slytherin strut over with his two bodyguards next to him one evening, looking her up and down with his customary sneer. Draco Malfoy had been one of those that had bullied her from outside Gryffindor, and was overall a very unpleasant person to talk to. It had taken her a single conversation with him to see that he was a spoiled, arrogant child using his father's political clout for his own personal profit, on top of being a complete bigot with little brain to speak of. He just seemed content to parrot what his father had told him, not even bothering to think for himself.
"Well, well, well..." drawled the twelve-years old. As usual, his hair was slicked back, and she briefly wondered how much time he spent taking care of his appearance each morning. "It looks like the Mudblood Know-It-All is back. I wonder why, though? I thought that you'd be cleverer than this, Granger, and stay with your kind. Why bother come back when it's clear as day that will never be a proper witch?"
One year ago, she would have fidgeted or tried to defend herself, but now she simply stared blankly at the blonde with a single raised eyebrow. If there was one thing she knew that Draco Malfoy couldn't bear, it was to be looked down on, as his monumental ego demanded that he was treated as royalty wherever he went. It was useless to try and defend herself when she could do so much better and completely humiliate him.
As she expected, after a few minutes of her staring at him with an unreadable face, he started to grow uncomfortable and took out his wand, pointing it at her.
"Well, aren't you going to answer me, Mudblood, or are you too scared of a proper wizard to speak?!"
Sighing, she looked at him with pity, knowing that doing so was the best way to infuriate him. For someone who was supposed to be ambitious and cunning, Draco had a distinct lack of cunning or intelligence, then again since so far he had been used to get everything his way, it was unlikely that he understood what subtlety was.
"Malfoy, I don't see why I should answer you when it is clear as day that you are trying to insult me, in front of witnesses no less. I don't even need to try and defend myself, because by the time you've finished speaking, it will be clear for everyone that you are nothing that a spoiled bully relying on his father to get his way."
As she expected, the Slytherin reddened and snarling, losing what little composure he had had.
"I do not rely on my father! I can do whatever I want by myself!"
"Really? Unless my memory fails me, your favorite words whenever you don't get what you want are "when my father hears of this" or "wait until I tell my father". The only one who hasn't realized how pitiful you are yet is you, Malfoy. I also know for a fact that a lot of people wondered how you even got into Slytherin when you don't have an ounce of cunning in you. With your behavior, I would have thought that the Hat would have wanted to Sort you in Gryffindor."
Seeing the already red blond's expression darken even more, she knew she had ticked him off, and her fingers twitched, eager to summon her wand from its' holster on her arm.
"That's it, I'm going to teach you how to talk to your betters, Mudblood!" snarled Malfoy, his wand glowing with a curse. Said curse never got the chance to touch her, as an angry Lily Potter stormed through the circle of students who had surrounded them hoping to see a fight, and caught his hand.
"What is going on here?! Mister Malfoy, lower your wand immediately! Ten points from Slytherin, and a detention with Filch! You cannot curse other students, wasn't that clear?"
"Tch." mumbled the blond, putting his wand back into his robes. "Looks like you Mudbloods know when to you help your kind. You know you wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with a proper wizard."
However, he hadn't been very quiet, and in the entrance, every sound was made louder by the walls, which meant that Lily Potter had certainly heard what he had just said, as she grabbed his ear and started to drag him towards the staff's table in the Great Hall.
"Since it seems you are so fond of cleaning, Mister Malfoy, consider your detention extended until Christmas, maybe then will you learn not to insult other people. And I will be taking another fifty points from Slytherin for your abysmal conduct. I am sure Severus will be happy to learn that his Godson cost his House sixty points."
While the indignant Slytherin was dragged towards the staff's table, the other students present looked at Hermione with various expressions, though most were either awed or grinning. It seemed that the young Malfoy Heir wasn't exactly well liked, though if his attitude was always the same than it had been with her, then it really wasn't a surprise. Looking at the large group of students, some of which had started to cheer her, she got the feeling that her stay at Hogwarts was going to be anything but a walk in the park.
Oh well, she mused, Harry did tell me that it was unlikely that I would be able to blend in easily. So long as I can keep an eye on Dumbledore, I suppose I can't complain...
Now, there are some things in this chapter that you might find strange, so I'll try to explain everything as best as I can.
1-How come Ronald is still an ass when what happened to Hermione should have made him think about himself and change?
Simple. First, he didn't see Hermione in the state she was in after the troll's attack, so the event didn't have as much impact on him as it should. Second, he is rather thickheaded, and is convinced that what happened wasn't his fault, after all how could he have known about the troll, and that Hermione would choose to cry in the girls' bathroom instead of in the safety of Gryffindor's tower? Third, as I said, he didn't see Hermione until she was better (although she had to walk with crutches), and even then it was for maybe ten minutes before she left the castle. Now he sees her back as if nothing has happened, so it's not like he should feel guilty (at least in his mind).
2-How come the Potters didn't help Dumbledore with the Stone?
Well, first, they weren't exactly scheduled to teach at Hogwarts until Harry was discovered to be missing, so he hadn't yet clued them in his plans, and with how badly their relationship was strained, he couldn't really well tell them that he had planned on baiting a Dark Lord in a castle full of children, espcecially considering that they might have begun to ask why he was doing so just the year their son was supposed to start Hogwarts. Also, the reason why neither Lily nor James were aware of the Stone was because Dumbledore had made sure to tell the other teachers to keep the secret from all those not involved, including the Potters. He also didn't add the "corridor on third floor is forbidden" speech to his welcome at the feast, meaning that neither the teachers could tell them, nor did they have any reasons to suspect anything.