And another new chapter.
I hadn't realized it was that long since the previous chapter from Hermione's POV. Well, she's back, right when the whole group is about to head beack to Hogwarts.
HERMIONE XIV
In the morning of the day preceding their return to Hogwarts, Hermione was packing her things inside her trunk. Ginny had begun the same thing on her advice, though right now she had gone down to discuss with Tonks. Hermione preferred to be ready in advance for their departure tomorrow. She was eager to go back to Hogwarts.
The door opened and Ginny came back in. "Hermione, we just received our letters from Hogwarts."
"Finally!" Hermione said, relieved. She was beginning to doubt they would ever arrive. "They are very late this year."
"You tell me," Ginny said as she gave Hermione her letter. Ginny then proceeded to open hers while Hermione did the same. "Yours seem a little heavier."
"We probably have a lot of books to buy," Hermione explained. "We will have our O.W.L.s this year. Classes were beginning to get more stringent last year, so I can't imagine what it will be this time. There will not be any time to lose once we…"
Something heavy came out of her letter when she opened it and fell loudly on the floor. Hermione looked down to see a small object… with the shape of a badge. Frowning, she leaned and took it back. When she turned it, she saw a large P settled over a lion of Gryffindor.
Hermione remained unmoving for some time, staring at what she was holding. Then Ginny approached, and her voice partially brought her back to the world of the living.
"Oh. Prefect, of course. I forgot about it. Percy got his own badge in his fifth year. It seems like it is your turn now," Ron's little sister said.
Quietly realizing what was going on, Hermione frantically looked through the papers her letter contained. There was a short list of books, four in total for Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. There was also the usual message reminding them of taking the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. And there was also the letter she searched for, written by Professor McGonagall herself.
Dear Miss Granger,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to become Prefect for the House of Gryffindor.
The position of Prefect is a great honor and a great bresponsibility. Prefects are chosen for their academic results, their leadership among their fellow school comrades, their respect of authorities and rules along with the respect they inspire from other students, their perseverance, and the example they set for the wizarding community as a whole. As a Prefect of the House of Gryffindor, you will be called to fulfill many duties, and to represent the best this house and the school have.
Please present yourself in the compartment reserved for Prefects on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the term, where you will receive your instructions from the Head Boy and Head Girl about your duties as Prefect over the year.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hermione's lethargic state ended right away. She was Prefect. Prefect! Barely realizing it, an instant later, she was running down the stairs to the room Harry and Ron occupied, and she rammed into the door, which opened violently without opposition. She had to tell the boys.
"Did you…" She said, out of breath. "Did you get…" She then noticed Harry holding the same badge as the one she just received. Of course. She screamed. "I knew it! Me too, Harry, me too!" showing them her letter.
Harry immediately pushed the badge away. "No. It's Ron, not me."
Ron took it back. For the second time today, Hermione's brain seemed to go off.
"It… What?" She didn't understand.
"Ron is prefect, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" She was agape. "But…" She didn't understand. "Are you sure? I mean…"
She realized then that Ron was looking at her with quite an unhappy expression. "It's my name on the letter," he informed.
"I…" That had to be a mistake. Ron had been made Prefect? "I… Well…" she tried to react positively. "Wow! Well done, Ron. That's really…"
She searched her words. She wanted to be happy for Ron. She was, in fact. But she was so surprised that she couldn't find the accurate words to use.
"Unexpected," George then said. Hermione had not realized he and Fred were in the room too.
"No," Hermione protested, ashamed and trying to get over her surprise. "No, it's not. Ron's done loads of…" It was as if her brain was struggling to bring one word after another. "He's really…"
She was saved by Mrs Weasley who walked in right at this moment. "Ginny said the booklists had come at last. If you give them to me, I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas. These are at least six inches too short. I can't believe how fast you're growing. What color would you like?"
Mrs Weasley didn't seem to have any clue about what was happening. A situation one of the twins put an end to very quickly in his own personal way.
"Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said.
"Match his what?" their mother replied, too occupied to fold clothes she found lying around.
"His badge," Fred repeated. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."
It didn't took a long time after that for Mrs Weasley to understand what was going on, especially when Ron showed her his badge. She was then all over him, while Fred and George made retching sounds, Harry remained unmoving, and Hermione did the same. She was glad for Ron, but the demonstration of Mrs Weasley's pride was a little bit too much. Though Hermione totally understood she was happy for Ron. After Fred and George complained of being considered as next-door neighbors when their mother said everyone in the family was Prefect, Ron got a promise from his mother to buy him a new broomstick, and then she left with all their letters. The five of them were left alone in silence after the effusion of overjoyed cries Mrs Weasley made. A silence that the twins took little time to break.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked.
"We could curtsey, if you like," George added.
"Oh, shut up!" Ron sent them.
"Or what? Going to put us in detention?" Fred asked.
"I would love to see him try," George commented.
"He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione shouted them, for a moment angry at them for mocking their younger brother. Ron deserved a little more respect, especially now that he was just made Prefect.
But the twins only burst into laughter.
"Drop it, Hermione," Ron muttered, not looking pleased with the fact she tried to defend him.
"We're going to have to watch our step, George," his twin said. "With those two on our case…" He faked being afraid.
"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," George added in the same vein.
Before anyone could say anything, they Apparated. They were gone in an instant, leaving the three friends alone together. Hermione might have been surprised, but now… Fred and George could at least have congratulated Ron. It wasn't Percy they had in front of them after all.
"These two!" Hermione complained loudly. "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron. They're only jealous," she added to lift up his spirits.
"I don't think they are. They've always said only prats become prefects," Ron commented, not looking that happy. But his expression turned immediately brighter. "Still, they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mom and choose. She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out. That would be great… Yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows."
He rushed out of the room. Hermione now found herself alone with Harry.
She realized that her best friend didn't say a single word of the entire time since he told her he wasn't prefect. He had been particularly silent ever since Mrs Weasley came in. He just sat there, and he seemed as unsure as to what to say as Hermione was.
"Harry?" she said tentatively.
He stood up and looked at her, smiling. "Congratulations, Hermione. It's brilliant. You're Prefect."
She felt some red coming to her cheeks, but she also noticed that Harry was forcing himself to smile. "Thank you," she said. She supposed she couldn't blame him for having a… mixed mood. Hermione was sure that he would be named prefect like her. That Ron was made a prefect instead… It was very good news, but… unexpected… surprising… destabilizing. She was sure it would be Harry.
"Are you… Are you fine?" she asked, clumsily.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured, though he avoided her gaze. Hermione didn't know what to say. Perhaps she should give him some time.
"Harry, could I borrow Hedwig? So I can tell my parents? They will be really pleased. I mean, Prefect is something they can understand."
"Yeah, no problem. Take her," he told her as he began to gather some of his stuff lingering in the room.
Hermione went to take the snowy owl. She had always liked Harry's owl. As she brought the animal with her out, she cast one last glance to Harry, still busy gathering his stuff. She left after deciding it wasn't the best time. They would talk later. She also had to inform her parents.
She went back to the bedchamber she shared with Ginny and wrote the letter for her parents. She just finished when Ginny walked in.
"Is it true what I hear? Ron is Prefect?" she asked Hermione.
"Yes," Hermione confirmed.
"Wow! I wasn't expecting that. When I saw your letter, I was sure Harry would be the other Prefect."
Just like Hermione was. However, she felt like she should defend Ron on this. "That may not have been what I expected me neither. It's a very good surprise. But when we think about it… Ron has many qualities…"
"I know, Hermione, but… You really picture my brother as a Prefect?"
The strange look on Ginny's side, accompanied by her smirk, made Hermione laugh with her, although a part of her felt unfair for laughing about Ron. "Okay, yes, Ginny. I see what you mean. Ron… can be childish from time to time. But look, we are adolescents. And he's a boy. So that's not really a surprise."
The two girls further laughed, and this time Hermione didn't feel ashamed.
"Really, I think it is a good thing," Hermione continued. "Ron has felt like he always arrived second for so long. It will be good for him. I think it might make him more serious too."
"I'll pay so see this," Ginny replied, still laughing.
"Don't underestimate your brother, Ginny. I know he's not perfect, but who is? If McGonagall chose him to be Prefect, she must have very good reasons."
"It's McGonagall who chooses Prefects? It's not Dumbledore?"
"No. Dumbledore chooses the Head Boy and Head Girl in consultation with the Heads of House, but Prefects are chosen solely by Heads of House."
Ginny frowned. "Well… I'm even more surprised then. Did you expect McGonagall to choose Ron as Prefect."
"No," Hermione acknowledged. But if she did, she must have seen something in Ron, and that made Hermione very happy for him. She attached the letter she just finished to Hedwig's foot. "But if she chose him, then I trust her. It's McGonagall, after all."
"I would have been less surprised by the choice if Dumbledore made it. Like Fred and George say, he has funny ideas sometimes."
"Maybe, but he is the greatest wizard of all times. In fact, if he made the choice, I would only trust it even more."
Ginny looked strangely at Hermione. "I find you're defending my brother a lot lately."
"No, I'm not," Hermione replied, uncertain.
"Yes, you are."
Hermione wasn't sure what to make of Ginny's comments, but she thought they spent enough time discussing Ron and the Prefect thing. "Do you have lots of books to buy this year?"
"A few. The fourth year… It's quite busy, isn't it?"
"Well… We will not have a Triwizard Tournament to distract us this time, but yes. It's the year before the O.W.L.s, so the teachers will be preparing you."
"Yes, the .s. I remember how Fred and George took them lightly."
"And they only got three each," Hermione reminded her. "This is no joke. The O.W.L.s will determine what we can and cannot do in the future. I expect my year is going to be quite busy, far more than the last one."
Ginny blew in the air. "I guess I will not have much time with Michael then."
Hermione smiled fondly at Ron's sister. "Did you write to him lately?"
"Only to tell him we would see each other on the first day of the term. I don't want to keep telling him I cannot say where I am or what I'm doing. Harry didn't seem happy about it either when he arrived. And he doesn't seem happy that he must hide things to his girlfriend now."
There was no resentment or sadness in Ginny's voice when she said the last words. Hermione was impressed with the progress Ginny made. She started seriously dating Michael Corner at the end of last year, and now she seemed to behave totally normally around Harry.
"Well, you will find time for Michael, Ginny, I promise. And he will find time for you. If he really loves you."
She snorted. "Then I'll be fixed pretty soon. What about you?"
"Me?"
"Well… You and Krum… You think you're going to continue your long-distance relationship with him?"
"It is not a long-distance relationship," Hermione stated. "He's a pen friend, that's all."
"Judging by my brother's reaction last year at the Yule Ball, he's not going to be happy if he learns you're still in contact with him," Ginny reminded her.
Hermione rolled her eyes. That was part of the things that made Ron childish sometimes.
A few people arrived back to the house across the day. Harry's mother came back with his stuff for school in the middle of the afternoon, and Mrs Weasley came back around five o'clock with Ron's new broomstick, which Ron hurriedly went to unpack in his room, Harry following him. He looked in a better mood, which relieved Hermione. There was also Moody who arrived not long after. Mrs Weasley asked him to look into the drawing room, where they suspected a Boggart to have taken residence. He confirmed it was a Boggart, and Mrs Evans went immediately to deal with it. Tonks and Kingsley arrived not long afterwards. Hermione and Ginny were occupied with organizing a party since Ron and Hermione were new prefects.
Still, in the middle of the preparations, Hermione excused herself as she had to go to the washroom. On her way though, she heard a conversation from a room where the door had been left ajar.
"You're sure that you're fine, Lily?" the grave voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt asked.
"Yes, I'm okay." The voice of the woman was slightly trembling. Hermione couldn't prevent herself from stopping to listen. "I'm sorry. I… It's been some time since I faced a Boggart. It… I wasn't expecting he would take this appearance."
"It was… disconcerting, to say the least," Tonks said. The three of them seemed to be inside.
"I'm going to be fine. I only need a few minutes," Lily Evans said.
After a moment of silence, Kingsley spoke again. "About what Dumbledore asked you? Do you think…?"
"I don't know. I need more time," Lily answered.
"Well, time is running short," Tonks commented.
"I know. I'm… I'm worried about my son. Last year, with Pettigrew dead, I thought the year would be fine. And yet it turned to disaster. But this time… We have Voldemort chasing after him outside, Dementors attacking him…"
"He will be safe at Hogwarts, Lily," Kingsley tried to reassure her.
"Kingsley, we both know that's not true. We thought we could ensure his safety during summer, and we failed. Two Dementors attacked him." She sighed. "I doubt we can guarantee his safety anywhere, not even at Hogwarts."
Again, silence followed for a certain time. "You're right," Kingsley finally recognized. "We cannot guarantee entirely his safety wherever he is. But he will be safer in Hogwarts than in London."
"I'm not so sure about that. Voldemort has the Marauder's Map now. As soon as Harry sets foot on the grounds of the castle, he will know where Harry is and what he's doing at any hour of the day," Lily worried.
"There's really nothing we can do about it?" Tonks asked. "I mean, we cannot simply stop a map made by four adolescents from showing what's going on in Hogwarts?"
"I'm afraid not. My husband, Sirius and Remus… have been doing a way too great job with this map."
"Dumbledore said he would try spells and counter-curses that may at least make the map more difficult to read," Kingsley informed them.
"Let's hope it will work."
"It's Dumbledore," Tonks reminded. "If he can't do anything about it, then no one will be able to."
Hermione wasn't sure by the tone if Tonks meant it in a positive or negative way.
"Don't worry so much about Harry, Lily," Kingsley kindly said. "I understand you're worried, but… We have to believe that things will go well this time. We are better prepared than during the last war. And no matter what happened recently, whatever Voldemort tried against Harry, he failed."
"I know," Mrs Evans said, very low.
"Look at us," Tonks said after a while. "All moody while Molly is preparing a huge party downstairs. I haven't seen her so happy since we arrived. Ron is what? The third or fourth prefect in her family?"
"Fourth," Lily informed them. "Bill and Charlie were both prefects. And Percy as well, of course. Though… Well, you know what happened between him and his family."
"Yeah," Tonks said. "I surprised her crying after she tried to visit him and he shut the door on her. I don't understand what's the problem with him."
"Well, Ron becoming a prefect will make all their family feel better," Kingsley said. "Though, I must admit, I wonder why Dumbledore didn't make Harry a prefect."
"Good question. You must have been a little surprised that your son wasn't named at the position, Lily. After everything he went through."
"Not really," Harry's mother replied. "In fact, I think it is probably for the better."
"But it would have shown Harry that Dumbledore trusts him," Kingsley added. "It's what I would have done. Especially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days, and after his disciplinary hearing even more."
"Dumbledore does trust Harry," Lily told them. "And he cares about him. In fact, that's the very reason why he didn't make Harry a prefect."
Hermione listened more carefully. Her curiosity got the very better of her. Nothing in the world right now existed beyond the conversation she was listening to.
"Wait, Lily… You knew Harry wasn't going to be a prefect?" Tonks asked.
"Dumbledore told me a few days ago, when he came to visit," she confirmed. "I must say… I hadn't really thought about prefects and the fact my son was of age for that now… When Dumbledore told me Harry wouldn't be a prefect, I was… Maybe not surprised, but skeptical at least. I mean, among the Gryffindors, Harry is the boy with the best academic scores in his year, and… He may not realize it, but he inspires trust and confidence from the others. He shares that quality with his father. But Dumbledore explained to me why he didn't want Harry to be prefect, and I must say, I agree with him. It's probably for the better that Harry does not become a prefect. I was made prefect in my fifth year, and in retrospective, that's something I could have lived without. Prefects are named the year when they must pass their O.W.L.s, and they have all kinds of responsibilities they must assume. And Harry… He's not only going to have to go through his O.W.L.s. He's got Voldemort's threat to deal with as well, and with the smearing campaign of the medias… There are students who are going to believe that he is actually crazy. Imagine him to fulfill prefect's duties while having to deal with all that? I agree with Dumbledore on this. My son already has more than enough on his shoulders. McGonagall initially wanted to make him a prefect, but the headmaster changed her mind to make Harry's life easier this year. It's a gift that Dumbledore gave Harry to not make him prefect."
That explained everything. Now Hermione understood better why Ron was chosen over Harry to be prefect. Dumbledore didn't think Harry didn't deserve to be prefect, quite the opposite. Dumbledore believed that Harry deserved to not be prefect, to not have additional responsibilities in the middle of what would probably be a very difficult year for him. Hermione smiled. She should tell Harry about it.
"Oh… So that's why Ron was chosen to be prefect instead," Tonks said, laughing a little. "I have to admit… When Molly told me he was prefect, I thought she was kidding. Ron, prefect? I almost burst into laughs. I would have had the same reaction if I had been made prefect in my time."
The three adults laughed a little. Hermione heard a step creak behind her. She turned to find Ron, holding a large package that had to be his new broom, only a few inches behind her. She wondered how long he had been there, listening like her. She hadn't heard him approach. And then she realized how sour he looked. She realized he must have heard what the adults just said and completely misinterpreted it.
Before she could whisper anything, he walked away, running down the stairs. Hermione felt horrible all of a sudden. And then she realized that Ron's footsteps must have been heard. She hurried up to the washroom before Kingsley, Tonks or Lily came out of the room where they were discussing.
In the washroom, Hermione wondered what to do next. How much did Ron hear? How long had he been behind her? Did he hear the whole conversation? That he was chosen as a prefect because Harry was the first choice, and he was only put aside to spare him additional work? Hermione was afraid of how Ron might react. He was a good friend, but… Hermione remembered what happened in November last year, when Ron blamed Harry for being Hogwarts' champion during the Triwizard Tournament. They had reconciled after the First Task, when Ron finally realized that there was no way Harry had wanted to be a champion and he could actually get himself killed in that competition. Afterwards, Ron had made a lot of efforts for that kind of thing to not happen again. But Hermione knew that deep down, Ron still felt he was somehow relegated to the backseat.
Both Hermione and Harry had better grades than Ron. Harry was on the Quidditch team, one of Ron's dreams. And Harry had a girlfriend, something Ron no longer had one. Hermione, although not claiming to know everything about love, suspected that Ron dated Hannah only because he wanted a girlfriend. Hermione was with Viktor back then, and Harry with Susan. Ron was the only one to be alone. He once confided to Hermione that he felt like Susan was stealing their best friend from them. True, Harry did spend some time with Susan away from them, but could they really blame him? Or her? Anyway, Ron felt left on the side. And it didn't get better when he spectacularly broke up with Hannah. Breaking up with Susan's best friend was not to make Harry's girlfriend better disposed towards Ron. Not to mention that even at the beginning, Susan was way less close to Ron than Harry or Hermione. Hermione could feel that Ron made efforts to not blame Harry for all that, but… She was afraid of his reaction now that he knew that Harry… kind of came first again.
When Hermione came down, she was welcomed by the table dinner filled to the brim, with a large red banner hanging to the ceiling, congratulating Ron and Hermione as new prefects. Ron, Harry, Fred, George, Ginny, Mrs Weasley, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody and Mrs Evans were already there when she walked in, and they loudly applauded her the moment she stepped into the basement.
"Better to have a little party instead of a sit-down," Mrs Weasley said, hugging Hermione to congratulate her once more.
"Be vigilant, Granger," Moody advised her. "Authority figures always attract trouble. I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed the two of you."
Hermione was rather frightened by this view, but she went to talk with everybody else, filling a plate for herself.
The rest of the conversations were light and enjoyable. A toast was made for Ron and Hermione. They all discussed who had been prefects in their group. Mr Weasley and Bill arrived soon, tapping their son and brother's shoulder. They even brought Mundungus Fletcher, although Hermione wasn't sure it was a good idea.
During the whole party, Hermione kept an eye on Ron, checking on him regularly to make sure he was alright. Harry, on his side, seemed to be fine, discussing mostly with his mother, but also his godfather. Ron talked a lot about his new broomstick. Hermione almost rolled her eyes that Ron was so obsessed by a Cleansweep, but she had to admit she preferred to see him happy like this. Hermione, on her side, asked a lot of questions to Remus, who happened to have been a prefect. She didn't know how to react when he told her that he couldn't stop his best friends James and Sirius from doing whatever they wanted and spreading chaos across the school. After verifying that Ron was not within earshot, she discussed with him about Ron's willingness to watch over his brothers if they caused trouble.
"Take it from my personal experience… It's better for a prefect to not try to impose discipline over his friends. Other prefects should perform the job. You must not forget that you remain students, Hermione. The best way to be a prefect is to convince the other students to behave, not to punish them when they don't."
Hermione found it to be an interesting point of view. She also discussed with Tonks and Ginny, and a little later, after learning that Mrs Evans was a prefect and even Head Girl back in school, she went to see her when she noticed that Harry was not around her. Hermione didn't want to remind Harry that his own mother was not only a prefect, but also Head Girl. It had to put a lot of pressure on his shoulders as well. For now, Harry was discussing with Remus while Lily and Sirius were in a corner looking at a photo.
"Hi, Hermione," she said, smiling, though Hermione thought her eyes were a little moist. "You must be very happy to have been named prefect?"
"Yes, I am." Hermione took look another at the photo from behind. "What is that?"
Sirius and Lily exchanged a gaze, then Harry's mother showed it to her. The photo was that of a group of people gathered, most of them with a glass in their hand, waving at Hermione. At the front, she saw Lily Evans with… Wow! The resemblance was striking. Hermione had seen a few photos of him before, but it had been some time now…
"Hermione, I present you my husband, James," Lily said with a sad smile. Harry looked very much like him. It seemed that the more he grew up, the more he looked like his father. Except for the eyes, which he inherited from his mother. "This is the original Order of the Phoenix. That photo was taken in 1979. If you look carefully, you'll be able to find Sirius and Remus."
Indeed, after searching a little, Hermione found them. Remus looked way younger on this photo, without grey hair. Sirius also looked younger, though not as much. She also spotted Mundungus Fletcher, who was already member of the Order back then, and a few other people who were still in the Order today. Elphias Doge. Sturgis Podmore. Emmeline Vance. Dedalus Diggle. Alastor Moody. Even Hagrid was there. And there was Dumbledore of course.
There were also people she could not find. "Kingsley is not here? And Professor McGonagall neither?" she asked.
"Kingsley was not part of the Order the first time," Sirius said. "Nor was Tonks. She was too young. Her mother, my cousin Andromeda… She thought about joining the Order, but she didn't in the end."
"And McGonagall was working for the Ministry, back then. When the Ministry was actually fighting Voldemort. So she chose to not join the Order," Mrs Evans informed her.
"That man, here, it's Abelforth Dumbledore," Sirius said, pointing a specific person. "I think this is the only time we saw him. I never really knew what he was doing. And of course, Snape was not part of the Order back then," he added with some nostalgia.
"And the others?" Hermione asked, looking at all those people whose faces she didn't recognize.
Lily's and Sirius' faces darkened.
"Most of them died in the two years that followed," Lily answered. Hermione now regretted asking the question. She should have thought about it.
"Marlene McKinnon," Sirius pointed towards a young woman. "She died two weeks after that photo, along with her children." He pointed two other men. "Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Molly's brothers. The Death Eaters had to be five to get rid of them." He then looked angry while pointing someone else. "And him, of course. You've met him, Hermione. The traitor."
Yes, Hermione recognized him. It was Peter Pettigrew.
"Dorcas Meadowes," Sirius continued, pointing another older woman. "She survived Grindelwald wars only for Voldemort to murder her himself. Another victim of Peter's treachery." Sirius shook his head. "This one, Harry was interested a lot by him. Understandable."
Hermione looked closer at the man Sirius indicated, one with brown hair and a very small moustache. "Who is he?" Hermione asked.
"Edgar Bones," Sirius said with a mournful tone.
Hermione's eyes widened. Yes, there was something with his expression… It reminded Hermione of her friend in Hufflepuff. "Susan's uncle."
"Yes," Lily said, her voice tired. "Voldemort murdered him maybe two months after this photo was taken. And he didn't only kill him. He killed his parents, his wife, their four children. Only his sister-in-law barely escaped alive." She shook her head. "She was already pregnant back then. The Order had to help them hiding until the war was over."
Hermione looked at all those faces of people who didn't know they only had a few weeks, a few months, at best a few years to live. Her eyes wandered across the room. She knew they were at the dawn of a new war. Would there be people in this room who would be dead in two years?
"It may not be the best time to talk about it," Sirius then said, forcing himself to smile. "And… things were different back then. The Order was not as prepared as we are today. The odds are way more in our favor."
Despite his attempt, Hermione could see that Sirius was worried. This said a lot, considering Harry's godfather was among the people here with the most positive attitude towards the current situation.
"Go on and enjoy the party, Hermione," Sirius added.
Hermione nodded, though it was hard to forget what she just saw and learned. From their time listening to the Order's reunions before Mrs Weasley put a definitive end to this, she knew there were people from the Order who died during the last war. They already knew some for a very long time. Harry's father, for example. But Hermione had not realized that almost half the members of the original Order died fighting Voldemort. Of course, she knew they were at war. She knew that people could die. And although she wished to know, she understood that Mrs Weasley wanted to protect them all, like all the other members of the Order, by hiding things from them. But before, she only understood all these on an intellectual level. It was all abstract. Now it looked like reality.
She searched for Ron in the basement, but she couldn't find him. She finally went to see Harry who was discussing with Kingsley and Tonks now. He told her he saw Ron leaving through one of the doors. Hermione went there to see where he had gone. She opened several doors until she finally found him in the room with the large tapestry of the Black family. Sirius talked to them about it days ago, but Ron hadn't seemed very interested in it back then. He didn't seem very interested in it today either, as he slowly paced around the room, not looking at much.
"Ron…" He looked at her when she called his name. He didn't seem happy at all now. "I was… wondering if you…"
"I'm fine," he answered abruptly, looking away to the tapestry. Hermione, though, had the distinct impression he wasn't really looking at it, but merely avoiding her gaze.
"Ron… If this is about what you heard… I don't know what you heard exactly…"
"What do you think I heard? That Harry was supposed to be prefect? That Dumbledore chose me to spare Harry additional work this year? That everybody believes it should be Harry and not me with the badge? That Dumbledore is a fool for choosing me?"
"No one ever said anything like that," Hermione assured, talking about his last question.
"But there are some who think so."
"No, Ron. We don't. No one believes that," she protested with all heart. She wished Ron had not heard the whole conversation, but it was obviously too late to wish it.
"Thank you for being kind, Hermione, but I'm not stupid, unlike what Harry said last year." He turned to look at her. He must have noticed her worried expression for he sighed right away and threw his arms in the air. "Don't worry. I'm not blaming Harry. I know it's not his fault. Even I, when I received the letter, I thought it was a mistake. I even verified it was really my name on it. I thought they must have sent it to the wrong person. Even you were sure that it was Harry who got the badge."
"Well… Not really," Hermione tried to explain. "I mean, I didn't walk into the room thinking… I saw Harry holding the badge, and I assumed… Well, it seemed to make sense… on the moment…"
"Yes, it would make perfect sense that Harry would be prefect. Best Seeker Hogwarts ever had in decades. Better marks than me in almost all subjects at school. Winner of the Triwizard Tournament. Survived You-Know-Who, what, four times now? Saved my sister." Ron looked down. "You really think it makes sense that I was named prefect?"
Hermione felt terribly sorry for Ron. And truth be told, she was relieved that he didn't put his disappointment on her or Harry, but she felt horrible that he felt that way still.
"Ron… Look, maybe Harry was the initial choice for McGonagall and Dumbledore… But they still chose you in the end. That's something," she tried to convince him. "That means they trust you. No matter what they think about Harry, if they chose to make you a prefect, over everyone else, it's that they thought you could do it." She sighed. "Ron, you are a good person. I know it looks daunting when many of your brothers have been prefects or played on the Quidditch team, but… None of them went in the dungeons of Hogwarts and sacrificed themselves to stop You-Know-Who from getting the Philosopher's Stone. None of them risked their life by going to the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny. None of them helped Harry as much as you did last year when his life was in danger for the Tournament. And none of them did everything they could to help Hagrid or to save Buckbeak."
"I failed at that one," he reminded her.
"You were the only one to try something. Harry had Quidditch, and I had my classes. You were the only one to devote all your time to save him. And I looked at what you did, Ron. I couldn't have done better. That year… You were the one among the three of us to do the most important thing. While Harry was focusing on a sport and I on my studies, you were trying to save a life. That counts."
He looked back at her. "You think?"
"Yes. I know it." She approached him. "Look, Ron. You may not have been the first choice for being prefect, but you deserve this badge. As much as I do."
She would have said that he deserved it as much as Harry did, but she didn't want to risk muddying the water here.
Ron took something in his pocket, and his badge came out. He smiled fondly while looking at it. "Earlier, Fred and George threatened to glue it to my forehead with a Permanent Sticking Charm."
He then burst into laughs, and Hermione joined it. She had to admit, it would have been fun, at least on the moment, to see Ron with the badge on his face. "Don't read too much into what they say, Ron. They never got to be prefect," she reminded him.
"Because they never wanted to be," Ron reminder her as well. "And after what Percy did… Who can blame them?" Ron said, still smiling.
"Bill and Charlie have been prefects as well, Ron. And they are in the Order."
"Yeah." He smiled absently at his badge, before putting it back into his pocket. "We better go back to the party. People are going to start asking questions if both people being celebrated are not here."
Hermione nodded. She and Ron went back to the party that they enjoyed thoroughly. When Hermione went to bed, she slept peacefully for their last night in this house.
The morning of tomorrow proved to be turbulent, to say the least. Fred and George injured Ginny by levitating their trunks in the stairs, causing Mrs Weasley to shout at them, which in turn caused the portrait of Sirius' mother to reopen and treat them like scum, while Kreacher watched them in disdain and the adults were trying to organize their movement to King's Cross. As for the travel to the station, it was marked by Moody complaining about Sturgis Podmore's absence. They literally had a full escort to protect them over their way to the station, or more exactly to protect Harry. Mr and Mrs Weasley, Mrs Evans, Tonks, Moody, Sirius and Remus were all part of it. It took them less than twenty minutes on foot to reach Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
"Well, look after yourselves," Remus told them once they had all their luggage and were ready to embark on the train. "You too, Harry. Be careful."
"Don't do like your father and I always did. Don't look for trouble," Sirius added.
"We're not looking for trouble," Harry replied. "It's trouble that is looking for us."
"Well, be safe all the same," Mrs Evans. "Harry, can I talk to you alone for a second?"
Harry nodded and followed his mother on the side, where no one else could listen to their conversation.
"Keep your head down and your eyes peeled," Moody told them. "And don't forget, all of you. Careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."
"We'll see you soon, I expect," Tonks said.
A whistle announced that the train was about to leave, and if they didn't hurry, Mrs Weasley made sure they did. From the corner of the eye, Hermione spotted Mrs Evans hugging Harry and ruffling his hair before he embarked on the train at the last minute. Sirius patted him on the shoulder on the way.
"Don't play rascals!" he said while laughing. "And do what your mother tells you," he added right when Harry had to close the door and the train was moving forward. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny watched as their parents and guard slowly receded before disappearing as the train took speed.
"Well, we can't stand around chatting all day," Fred said all of a sudden. "We've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later."
And the twins disappeared.
"Shall we go and find a compartment then?" Harry asked the others who had remained behind.
"We're…" Hermione began, casting a glance at Ron who didn't seem willing to say it himself. "Well, Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage."
"Oh. Right. Fine," Harry said, though it was obvious he was disappointed. Hermione was too. They always travelled each year together.
"I don't think we will have to stay all journey. Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time," she added quickly.
"Well, I guess we will see you later," Harry said.
"Yeah, definitely," Ron said. "It's a pain having to go down there. I would rather stay with all of you, but we have to do it. I mean… I'm not Percy… I'm not enjoying it."
Harry produced a little laugh. "I know you're not."
"Well, we have to go," Hermione said, sending an apologizing look to both Harry and Ginny as she and Ron walked away to the first wagon in the train.
"How long do you think it will take?" Ron asked her. "Before they let us go, I mean."
"I don't know, Ron. We must first get our instructions from the Head Boy and Head Girl, and then we'll know," Hermione answered.
"Lucky for us, the Head Boy is not Percy this year."
They travelled through the wagons as other students were still finding places until they finally reached their destination. The car reserved for prefects was the very first of the train. Hermione had never walked into it. She wasn't sure what to expect from it, but the moment they entered, it was clear that it had nothing to see with the other cars of the train. There was no compartment there. Instead, there were cushioned seats all around on the side, and a table at the very end with papers on it. Two students in seventh year, a boy and a girl, probably the Head Boy and Head Girl, were discussing near it. A few other people were already there. One of them stood up right when they entered.
"Hermione. I knew you would make it!"
Ernie Macmillan, a fellow student from Hufflepuff in their year, came to shake her hand. "Hi, Ernie. Glad to see you," she replied. He had carefully placed his badge of prefect on his robes. "So, you've been made prefect of Hufflepuff?"
"Yes, with Hannah." He turned to his friend. Hannah Abbott was indeed there as well, and she observed Ron and Hermione with a curious expression. It was then that Hermione remembered. Ron and Hannah… This could prove to be potentially problematic.
"Come and sit by our side," Ernie invited them, and so they did. The seat next to Ernie was occupied, so they were forced to sit next to Hannah. Hermione made sure that she would be between her and Ron.
"Hi, Hannah. Have you spent a good summer?" Hermione asked her.
"Oh, yes. Very good. Well… It could have been better, but yes, it was fine. What about yours?"
"Decent enough. I kept myself occupied."
"Your parents are doing well?"
"Yes."
"Sorry," Ron interrupted all of a sudden. "Need to go to the toilets. I'll be back right away."
And he left right away. Hermione found it strange. When Ron left the car, Hannah whispered to her.
"Is that really Ron who is your prefect?"
"Yes," Hermione answered.
"Sure?" Hermione nodded again. Hannah looked quite surprised. "Strange. I was sure Harry was going to be there." Hannah then shrugged. "Well, at least, Susan will get to spend more time with him during the trip. Though I hope she will find him. I told her I would give him the message as to where our compartment was so he could find her."
"How is she, by the way?" Hermione wondered how Susan fared since the trial and the Dementors' attack. There was so much she could tell by letter, but Hermione thought that Hannah, her best friend, might know better how she was doing.
"Glad to be back to Hogwarts. Her parents were seriously considering to send her abroad. She had a huge argument with them."
At this moment, the door of their car opened, and a young man with very blond hair came in, followed by a girl who was just as despicable as he was.
"Why am I not surprised?" Hermione muttered as Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson sat as far as they could from her after throwing her disgustful glares.
"Don't tell me they're the prefects of Slytherin?" Hannah asked, bewildered, while still whispering. "Parkinson, really? She spends her time intimidating everybody. And Malfoy is barely better."
"I know. I guess Snape decided who to pick," Hermione said between her teeth.
"He could have chosen anyone else."
"Like who?" Hermione asked.
"Well, instead of Parkinson, he could have chosen Tracey Davis, or even Daphne Greengrass. At least, these two girls have the decency to not laugh at Parkinson's jokes. And instead of Malfoy, he could have taken Theodore Nott or Blaise Zabini. I mean, they seem a little more decent than him."
Hermione wasn't sure. She didn't know any Slytherin very well. The ones she did know were always odious with almost everybody. Perhaps there were decent enough people in this house, but if there were, she didn't know any of them. And considering that one of Hannah's suggestions was related to a Death Eater, that said a lot about what was considered decent in Slytherin. Though if Sirius came from a family of Voldemort's supporters, she guessed that the son of a Death Eater might not be automatically like his parents.
Ron came back at this moment. He sat down heavily, and spotted Malfoy right away. "What? This idiot managed to become prefect?" he asked.
"Be careful, Ron," another prefect said two seats away from him. Hermione was surprised and initially wondered what Parvati was doing here. "He may not be the only idiot here."
Hermione then realized the difference, and the Ravenclaw badge on her chest. Ron was about to retort to Padma, but Hermione crushed his toe to stop him.
"She and Anthony Goldstein are the new prefects for Ravenclaw," Hannah informed them. "I wonder how Parvati reacted to this."
Maybe the same way Fred and George reacted to Ron becoming prefect. She wondered what it was to see your twin sister becoming prefect while you were not.
The Head Boy then spoke up. "Hello everyone. I believe we're all there. So we're going to start. My name is Eric Mountbatten, I am Hogwarts' Head Boy this year. And this is Amanda Dickens, my fellow Head Girl."
"First, we welcome back last year's prefects," Dickens continued, "and we welcome the new ones. We are going to begin by calling your names to make sure everyone is really present. Abbott, Hannah."
Like so often when a list was read in alphabetical order, Hannah's name had come first. Quickly, all prefects confirmed their presence.
"Good," Mountbatten said once his colleague was finished confirming all their presence. "Now, for those who were there last year, I apologize, but I need to remind and inform everyone who's here about their duties as prefects. Especially the newcomers."
During the next fifteen minutes, Eric Mountbatten went on to describe their duties as prefects, and how it was important to honor the title they received, highlighting how being prefect was as much a privilege as it was a responsibility, and that their duty was to maintain the respectability of this position in view of the other students, their professors and the rest of the wizarding world. Hermione listened attentively to the speech, but after five minutes, Ron interrupted it by whispering into her ear.
"How long is it going to last? I have the impression to meet Percy again."
Hermione refrained a laugh. But if Ron found that this initial speech was long and tedious, she was afraid he would find the duty of prefect to be very long and tedious over the rest of the year.
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Next chapter: Susan
