Chapter 27: A Promise Must Be Kept

Over the course of the weeks ever since that night, Hermione was grateful for the silence it brought her. Saeviour's absence meant that she didn't have to sneak around or tiptoe around Ron or Saeviour's behavior, hiding in what she wanted to achieve. It meant that she had a little more freedom and that she didn't have to worry about them finding or pestering her to finish up their assignments that they refuse to do, until it was the night of.

She also noticed the fact that Ron wasn't talking to her too much ever since Saeviour, Harrison and herself went after the Philosopher's stone that night. It was a good thing since that meant Ron wasn't pestering her, asking her to do his homework for him. She even cut off Harrison after having a suspicious gut feeling that he had something to do with it. She could excuse making pathetic apologies, but she drew the line at hurting someone for their own personal gain.

Of course, she realized quickly that Hogwarts felt more quieter than it ever felt like. It felt like time was moving slowly. It was like she was there, accomplishing nothing, but the mundane tasks of reading, making the professors proud of the work she can accomplish easily, and earning her house points in the meantime. She kept stealing glances towards Harrison in the class, who didn't pay her any mind, but she couldn't but feel like at this point, he was waiting for something to happen.

He betrayed nothing.

No Emotions.

He was like a blank canvas, with no emotions.

Hermione thought he'd be mad at her ever since she went to Dumbledore about what happened that night. She had known that when Saeviour turned up missing the following morning after that night's events and when the headline from the Daily Prophet, meant that she had to go to Dumbledore and tell him what happened.

She didn't feel guilty about doing that.

Now, days after Saeviour returned, Hermione had found herself wishing that Saeviour just wasn't there anymore. She found herself being annoyed by how Saeviour was using his injury as an excuse to get out of things that barely helped his cause. How he constantly used the fact that he was in St. Mungo's for over three weeks and was temporarily paralyzed, trying to get people to feel sorry for him to lay off the coursework. He still made her do all his school work, complaining that the professors haven't gone easy on him.

Saeviour returned to his usual antics on bullying other students. Ronald, who they finally worked it out once Saeviour came back, joined. He was often the one who bullied them, with Saeviour in tow. She noticed that Saeviour took the backseat on the bullying, with little to no satisfaction in his eyes whenever she saw it (which wasn't much).

"Hermione," Saeviour said, finally snapping her out of her thoughts.

Hermione looked at him,

"Can you do this transfiguration homework for me?" Saeviour asked. "I don't understand it and you know Snivellus is."

"Professor Snape, Saeviour," she chided. "Honestly, I wish you would do your work."

Hermione knew Saeviour didn't bother listening to the last part. He never did. She took the parchment that he had at least done some of it, but couldn't really bother listing out the full functions of a bezoar. She never put up much of a fight in doing their work. And sometimes she wished she did.

She watched Saeviour stood up, his arm supporting his weight on the arm of the armchair. The fire crackled in the background as Saeviour met up with Ron and they started talking about something that Hermione didn't really bother wanting to know.

Hermione had hoped that when he came back, he would be more humbled, but he was still the same.

Sometimes, she'd wish she had the courage to drop Saeviour as a friend. She thought Harrison more of her friend, but he didn't associate her too much and didn't bother seeking out her presence whatsoever. He wouldn't be caught hanging out with someone like her kind of background. And besides, if she dropped Saeviour- who would talk to her?

But she didn't deserve to treat Harrison like that.

The more she watched Saeviour and Ron, with how much fun they were having, playing wizards chess, she realized that she was never going to have that. They simply used her for her intelligence and she allowed them. She hid

Maybe Harrison was right.

He was in a way.

Hermione sighed and felt a strange feeling pass through her: Guilt.

She felt guilty.

How could she treat Harrison like that? Hermione bit her lip. She knew why, and was still too blinded to see.

Hermione turned her attention to the roaring fireplace as she fell deep in her thoughts. She thought back to the beginning of the second term where Harrison brought her attention to the things she didn't know and about Elladora Lestrange.

She hadn't thought about Elladora since January and early February. She'd been sidetracked with school, and the stone. She felt completely horrible that she basically gave up right after Madam Bones sent her that rejection letter.

For the brightest witch of her age, she really wasn't.

Hermione sighed. She grabbed Saeviour's essay and headed up to the dormitory. She was going to do that after she drafted another letter to Madam Bones.

…

After transfiguration class one day in late March, Hermione approached Professor McGonagall. Biting her lip, she asked the professor in a hushed tone. She didn't want Saeviour or anyone else to find out what she was doing, especially as it concerned saving a Death Eater's child from the awful fate of being in prison. She was going to be bullied more and be the victim of pranks more if someone found out about this.

But she needed to know what she could do if sending another letter wouldn't work.

"Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong, professor," Hermione admitted. "I just have a question."

"Is this because of the final examinations? Miss Granger, you have nothing to worry about. Those are months away, with plenty of time to study. I have no doubt that you wouldn't be able to pass them," Professor McGonagall told her sternly, oblivious to what Hermione was about to ask her.

"It's not that," Hermione said. "I'm not too worried about the exams, at least not yet…"

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows and looked at the young student in front of her,

"Then what is it?"

"I just want to know how you could get the ministry to change their minds," Hermione said unsurely. She winced internally as she heard the way she phrased the question. She couldn't believe she just froze up like this, as if she wasn't mentally preparing this for a couple of days and still couldn't try to phrase it better.

"What do you mean, Miss Granger?"

Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall's confused expression that was written all over face. She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure how much she wanted to say, but this was authority. She couldn't possibly lie to a teacher whatsoever. Not when it meant that maybe Professor McGonagall had the answer she was seeking for, even if it meant giving up everything that Harrison told her about his past and about Ella.

And so, she told Professor McGonagall everything. It all came spilling out of her mouth, about how she found out there was someone else in Azkaban, clearly much younger than they were, who were brought on the counts of murdering muggles but it was because of accidental magic. It was something the child had no control over. She explained to Professor McGonagall about her findings and almost came close in blurting out what Harrison told her, about that unfortunate day for him, but refrained from doing so. That was just being more selfish on her end.

By the time she was done, Professor McGonagall looked stunned. The professor quickly regained her composure, straightened up her spine, and began collecting the books that were left on her desk. She looked rather frazzled after Hermione finished telling her. Her heart swelled as she waited for Professor McGonagall to give her a direct answer.

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger," She said, shaking her head. "That is out of my hands."

"But professor!" Hermione cried out, "It isn't fair that a child is getting punished for a bout of accidental magic! You have to help me with this!"

"Like I said, this is out of my hands… Maybe you can request a meeting with the ministry or with Madam Bones. Even then, this is a matter that you shouldn't handle. You don't know what you might find and I don't want you to waste your potential on wasting your time. Besides, how did you ever come up with a matter like this?"

"Harrison told me," she muttered.

"Miss Granger. You have so much potential on being the brightest witch of your age, and I have to agree with that, but you can't believe everything that Mr. Peverell-Slytherin has told you. You have seen what type of person he is, and from what I have seen, nothing good comes from him, whatsoever," Professor McGonagall gave her a weak smile and began to walk away.

"But..."

Hermione knew it was hopeless. How could adults be so blind to this injustice?! How can they just sit around and pretend like there was nothing wrong with how things were running in the magical world. It was just like back home, how people were apathetic towards things that didn't concern them and here it was- they didn't care.

"Now I'd suggest getting to your next class. You wouldn't want to be late."

Hermione bowed her head down in shame, as she clutched her bookbag tightly. Tears threatening to fall. An idea quickly formed in her mind.

If Professor McGonagall wasn't going to help her whatsoever. Then she would have to start getting creative.

She had no doubt that sending continuous letters to Madam Bones was going to get tiring and might produce the same output. But maybe.

Just maybe.

She can just get herself a meeting with Madam Bones and the ministry of magic.

And she knew just the person.

I couldn't tell you how many breakdowns I had in-between writing this chapter and doing school work. So this chapter didn't quite hit 2k length, close, but not quite. The next chapters will be much longer in length so that should make it up for it.