章 426: 10
The Fates Have Punished You Enough
Sirius awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in his bed. Sweat dripped from his face, and he was shaking badly. He took several long slow steadying breaths before he threw off his blankets and pulled himself out of bed, feeling a bit wobbly on his legs.
He was used to the nightmare. He'd been having it for nearly sixteen years. It had changed through time, but it was still the same. Harry, dead at his feet, with the cold cruel laughter of their enemy, ringing in his ears. All he had striven for, to prepare his godson, to protect him, had been for nothing. Harry had died, because he, Sirius, had failed.
He leaned his head on the window of his bedroom, enjoying to feeling of cold on his clammy skin. Snow was falling pretty heavily and it made Sirius feel a bit better. It was very calming, almost Zen in a way, though Sirius had no clue as to what that meant. He simply found the serenity of it all rather comforting.
Sirius finally felt his heart return to its normal rhythm and felt like a glass of water was in order. He wasn't sure if he would get anymore sleep tonight especially since Harry was returning to school in the morning. He was worried about his godson, but now that he had met Hermione Granger, and seen the affect she was having on Harry, his worries had been soothed a bit. However, his guilt had increased a hundred fold.
As he stepped into the kitchen, Sirius was stunned to find Harry staring out the window, watching the snow fall. He was wearing his normal sweat shorts and tank top, standing tall and rigid, but in the at ease position with his feet apart, hands clasped behind his back. Sirius once again felt the familiar wave of guilt wash over him. No teenaged boy should stand that way. Harry should have been hunched over, and relaxed, not coiled like a serpent preparing to strike.
Sirius observed the boy… No, that was incorrect. Harry was no longer a boy. He was a young man, and had been for far longer than Sirius would have liked to admit. His first thought when he saw Harry was to chastise him for having his back to the open door way, but then he realized Harry had likely known who was there, and how long he'd been watching him.
"In all your sixteen years, I have never seen you standing so rigid." Sirius said softly.
"Something on your mind?"
"A lot of things." Harry replied evenly, as he'd been taught for so long.
"Oh, I'm certain of that." Sirius nodded, going about the task he'd come down here for. "Anything troubling you more than anything else?"
"Why?" Harry said rather coldly. He turned now to face his godfather, who looked quite grim.
"Can you be a bit more specific?" Sirius replied.
"You kept me hidden all those years. Trained me to become a warrior. A soldier. Now, the war you have been warning me was coming for all that time is finally here… you send me away to school instead of using me for what I've been trained for. It makes no sense to me, and I want to know why." Harry said, turning to face his godfather.
Sirius sighed and turned to the kitchen table and sat down, motioning for Harry to do the same. Harry eyed him for a moment before he sat as well.
"And here I was hoping it would have been that young woman sleeping in Tonks' room. But I guess we can start with your question and work our way to that." Sirius grumbled. Harry looked a bit puzzled by this, but remained silent for now.
"I've never lied to you Harry." Sirius began heavily. "We didn't tell you certain things because at the time, you were too young to understand. But when we felt you could, we told you whatever it was you needed to know."
"Except about people and relationships and…" Harry began. Sirius held up his hand to stop the tirade, and then motioned for Harry to take a seat across from him. When Harry was seated, Sirius continued.
"From the day that I became your guardian, I made the choice to keep you at a distance. We all did. We felt it was the only way we could train you. If we became too emotionally involved, if we showed you how much you meant to us… we would've gone easy on you, and you might not be as ready for what you will ultimately have to do. And that Harry is where we ultimately failed you. We isolated you so much that we forgot that you needed that love. You needed to understand it, and feel it, and find it for your own, and let it give you the power to do what you need to do."
"I don't understand." Harry said and Sirius nodded.
"And that's the problem." Sirius replied. "In our 'wisdom' we neglected you. We robbed you of the simple experiences everyone should have. Playing games, staying up late and getting into trouble, having friends. Then you showed up at the Ministry and showed us all just how well we'd trained you. How strong you had become, and to be honest, it scared the holy living hell out of all of us. Especially me."
Harry cocked his head and stared at his godfather who sat back in his chair and took a deep breath.
"You did exactly what you were supposed to do. You went in there, and you gave the enemy no room change the tide in their favor. You incapacitated each one you faced, and made sure they would not be able to fight anymore, and I am damned proud of that. But at the same time, you went in there, and you took a man's hand from him. You made sure two people will never walk again. And… You very nearly killed someone. I know its war, and that it will happen, but you felt nothing. No remorse or guilt"
"Why should I have? They were bad people, Sirius. Bullies. People who believed themselves better, and enjoyed hurting people they felt were beneath them. Remember? You taught me how to defend people who couldn't do it for themselves. You trained me to fight. To win." Harry said, though he sounded stumped.
"But at what cost?" Sirius asked. "What happens to you when the war is over, Harry? What happens when people no longer need someone to defend them? The war is going to end one day and likely sooner than we think. What will you do? Have you thought about that at all?"
"I want to see movies." Harry offered lamely.
"Yeah." Sirius chuckled. "You mentioned that. But what else? What about a job? Or a wife and family?"
Harry stared blankly and Sirius smiled.
"This is what I'm talking about Harry. You've spent your whole life until now training for war, and you've never thought about what happens after the war is over. And we prevented you from thinking about that because we kept pushing you and pushing you." Sirius explained.
"So you figured it was better late than never?" Harry grumbled. "Do you have any idea how screwed up this all is? I have no idea what I'm supposed to do or say, and it just keeps getting worse. I feel like I'm being… It's all… I asked Hermione to kiss me and apparently that was a huge mistake!"
"Wait, what?" Sirius looked confused now. "You asked her to kiss you? When did this happen?"
"A few weeks ago." Harry muttered. "Neville was trying to explain dating, and it got all confusing, and then he said I could only learn about kissing by actually doing it, and I figured Hermione was smart, and a girl and Neville said it was part of dating, and I didn't want to be bad at it… Sirius… I made her cry. Do you have any idea what I felt when I found out that I made her cry? It was the worst thing I've ever felt, Sirius."
Sirius shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. "I'm sorry Harry. I wish I could take it all back, and make it right, but I can't."
"I like her." Harry said wistfully. "Most everyone else… I get this feeling that they're being deceptive. But, not Neville, and certainly not Hermione. I'm relaxed around her. And that makes me tense."
"It's because you like her." Sirius retorted. "Harry, you're going to feel a lot of things that are different and really, really scary. Don't fight them anymore. I know we told you over and over to control your emotions, but I'm rescinding that order. When it comes to that girl…"
Harry stared at his godfather with a troubled expression that shook Sirius to his core. He hated himself at that moment far more than he had in the last fifteen years.
"Harry… We've never been as close as we should have. If I had had my way, you would have gone to school when you were eleven. You would have been chasing girls, and pulling pranks on idiots. You would have been a normal kid. We would have been as close to father and son as we could possibly be. But, I didn't get my way. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I regret it as completely as I likely should." Sirius stated.
Harry now leaned forward, intrigued by what he was being told.
"I told your pretty lady friend this the other day and I meant every word of it. One day, there is going to be a reckoning, and myself, Remus, Moody, and even Dumbledore are going to have to answer for what we did to you. But, I wouldn't change any of it, knowing what you became. But now, you have to learn why it is we trained you. You have to allow yourself to feel your emotions, and learn from people who have so much to show you about the world we kept you from, and then, you'll finally learn what it is you are truly fighting for." Sirius said pointedly.
"I… don't like it. I don't like feeling that I'm losing myself." Harry grimaced.
"You will never lose yourself if you don't want to. But you have to evolve. You have to grow. If you were to face Voldemort now… well, you'd likely fight him to a standstill, but neither of you would win, and the war would go on. But, if you can learn how to let yourself lose control, then when the time comes, and you're standing toe to toe with old snake face… He's going to be in for one hell of a fight." Sirius said cryptically.
"You're talking in circles." Harry remarked. "It's as bad as talking to Dumbledore."
"I know." Sirius groaned, rubbing his face. "The old man is rubbing off on me."
"I don't need two of you giving me riddles." Harry said wryly.
"Harry, life is one long riddle." Sirius snorted. "I've always told you to follow you gut in tough situations, and this is no different. Except that instead of your gut, you need to listen to your heart."
"Great, more riddles." Harry grimaced. Sirius shook his head, chuckling lightly.
It was still pretty early when Harry and Hermione's portkey landed them right in front of the wrought iron gates of Hogwarts. Harry helped Hermione to her feet and she smiled softly in thanks for his help. They were rather quiet as they walked up to the castle, with Hermione yawning a lot. She had thought they would be heading back to school a bit later, so it was a surprise when Harry had awoken her at near five in the morning.
She had been dreaming about Harry at the time, and was a bit shocked and embarrassed when he was the one shaking her awake. At first she thought she was still dreaming, but then Harry had walked away instead of leaning in and…
She was having trouble looking at him after that, afraid he might know what she had been dreaming about. She was quick to rationalize it away as Harry had been very nice and she felt good around him, plus all the rubbish Sirius had told her regarding the importance of Harry finding love. What nonsense. Hermione found it rather distressing how people could rationalize the mistakes they made in the name of the greater good, or whatever other beliefs they held onto.
They arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room, and Harry told her that he would meet her back there in ten minutes so they could get breakfast together. Hermione nodded, and went to change and prepare for classes.
Harry opened the door to the sixth year boy's dorm and found Neville just getting out of bed. The Gryffindor perked up at the sight of his friend, and gave a welcoming wave, which Harry acknowledged with a nod.
"Am I correct in assuming you haven't kept up on your calisthenics?" Harry asked with a rather pointed look. To Neville's credit, he didn't even try to deny it. He merely shrugged his shoulders. Harry shook his head sadly.
"I won't be going easy on you anymore." He warned.
"It's been easy till now?" Neville looked horrified.
"Oi, Can you two keep it down? The humans are trying to sleep." Seamus snarled from behind his bed curtains.
"Get dressed." Harry said to Neville, and went to change his own clothes. A few minutes later, the two boys were in the Common Room waiting for Hermione.
"So where have you been?" Neville asked without preamble. "Hermione was really worried, and then she disappeared. We've all been a bit worried."
"We?" Harry quirked an eyebrow.
"Me, and Lavender mostly." Neville shrugged. "But other people have been asking about you. Ginny Weasley, Katie Bell, Romilda Vane, Susan Bones, Almost every girl in Ravenclaw. They've all been asking me, like I was your press agent or something."
"Hermione's fine. She's upstairs changing right now. As for where I was, I can't say much other than I was called away, and it's likely not going to be the last time." Harry said, looking towards the stairs to the girl's dorm.
"Were you two together?" Neville asked. Harry gave a single nod, and Neville began to grin. "Really?"
"Yes." Harry gave a sideways glance to Neville.
"Anything happen?" Neville probed.
"We saw two movies, and Hermione ran an obstacle course. She bought clothes, and we ate at a few restaurants. She also taught me how to play gin rummy. I'm not very good."
"Oh." Neville replied, not sure what else he could say to that. "Did anything else happen?"
Harry turned to Neville with questioning eyes, making Neville take an unconscious step back. Neville felt a slight bit of trepidation under Harry's gaze, but his curiosity over what his friends had been up to in their absence was almost overwhelming.
"She met my guardians." Harry replied.
Neville realized that either Harry didn't understand what he was asking, or, more likely, nothing significant happened between Harry and Hermione. Neville wasn't sure why, but he felt sad for his two new friends. Neville was sure that they would be a great couple.
"Sorry." Hermione said as she rushed down the stairs, looking a bit red in the face.
"Lavender woke up when I went into the dorm, and she was rather insistent about asking me where I was. Good morning Neville."
"Hey Hermione, you look different."
Hermione looked between Harry and Neville in confusion.
"How do you mean?" She asked.
"I don't know. It looks like you're almost relaxed. Like you're not waiting for something bad to happen." Neville tried to explain.
"Oh." She said, looking back to Harry who was now looking at her critically as if he was trying to see what Neville was saying. "Well, I'm hungry, so can we go to breakfast?"
Hermione led the two boys down to the Great Hall, and fielded questions from Neville who was curious about where she had gone, and what had happened. He got a kick out of hearing how Harry had convinced her to attempt his obstacle course and how badly she had done. He also enjoyed Harry's surprisingly exciting retelling of the two movies he and Hermione had seen. Neville decided that during the Christmas Holiday he was going to go into Muggle London and see one of these muggle movies for himself.
After about an hour the Great Hall began filling up. A lot of people said hello to Harry as they passed, many of them being girls who would blush and giggle if he turned to look at them, despite the fact he didn't respond.
Ginny Weasley was one of those who felt the need to greet Harry. But unlike her counterparts, Ginny actually made herself welcome and sat down across from Harry.
"When did you get back Harry?" The redhead asked, ignoring Harry's two friends who were giving each other pointed looks.
"This morning." He said flatly, not looking at her. He had learned that most people would eventually leave him alone if he didn't make eye contact, or show any interest. He found that Ginny made Harry decidedly uncomfortable. It wasn't any one thing in particular. She had been making her presence known more and more. Harry had actually been thankful to be pulled from school, just to avoid her, as she was becoming quite the nuisance.
"Well, we all missed you. We thought something horrible had happened to you." Ginny remarked as she took some fruit and toast. "I hope you don't plan on leaving again anytime soon. The first Quidditch match of the season is coming up next Saturday. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. I was really hoping you were coming to watch."
"It was my intention. As I understand it, it's good to support one's house team. Why would you think I wouldn't do my duty? "Harry asked rather curious.
"No real reason." Ginny replied, though her cheeks were reddening. "Just hoping you'll be there to cheer me…er, us along." Ginny said. Neville snorted, and Hermione coughed. Harry looked at the two people he considered friends, but neither of them remarked.
"So where were you anyway?" Ginny asked, changing topics.
"Away." Harry replied.
"Yeah, I know, but where?" Ginny asked.
"He can't tell you." Hermione sighed. Ginny turned to the older girl with thinly veiled irritation.
"I didn't ask you." Ginny said evenly. She was practically glaring at the older girl who looked a bit exasperated at Ginny's behavior.
"Ginny." Neville said quickly. "There's no need to be rude."
"I wasn't" Ginny countered. "I asked Harry a question. Not Hermione."
"And Harry answered you." Neville pointed out.
"No he didn't." Ginny shook her head. "He just said that he was away."
"And did it occur to you that he said that because he didn't want to tell you where he was?" Hermione asked. "Or that maybe he couldn't tell you?"
"Excuse me, but I believe that he can speak for himself." Ginny scowled. "I don't think he needs anyone else talking for him."
"I was away." Harry said, his own irritation beginning to seep into his tone.
Hermione was suddenly reminded of how Harry had sounded that very first day on the train when Draco Malfoy had awoken him, and shivered slightly. She hoped that Harry wouldn't banish Ginny across the Great Hall. Though, Hermione did think it might serve the red head right for getting all bitchy.
Ginny looked at Harry now and found him looking quite perturbed. Ginny wisely thought it best if she dropped the subject altogether. Neville had to smirk at the redhead's predicament. It was clear to anyone who took the time to really observe Harry that he was at least attracted to Hermione, and no other girls in the school interested him. Actually, it was really Lavender who'd made him realize it, but, the blonde wasn't wrong.
"Hey Neville."
"Hey!" Neville smile widely as he turned around to see who was addressing him.
Two girls were standing behind him both wearing Hufflepuff robes. One, a blonde girl with bright blue eyes, full pink lips and a classic hourglass figure was smiling expectantly at him. Neville got to his feet and gave her a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth by way of greeting.
The second girl's figure was similar but her bust line was much more pronounced. She had shimmering long red hair, much nicer than Ginny's and vibrant brown eyes, with a smattering of freckles across her nose. She was very fare skinned, and was smiling and fidgeting nervously.
"I was wondering if you wanted to join me for breakfast? I mean, if you're not…" The blonde began. She then made a rather suggestive look to the redhead at her side before looking at Harry pointedly.
"Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry." Neville stammered and then turned to Harry and Hermione. "Harry, Hermione, Ginny this is my girlfriend, Hannah Abbott, and this is Susan Bones. Susan, Hannah, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley."
Hermione gave a weak smile, and then turned back to her breakfast plate where she just pushed the remainder of her breakfast around. This was what she had been dreading for a while now. Harry being introduced to the pretty girls, and said girls charming their way into his heart and stealing him away. Not that he was her possession or anything.
"Confound it all." She thought angrily. "He's just your friend."
"Bones?' Harry looked at the redhead. "Any relation to Amelia Bones?"
"She's my aunt." Susan nodded.
"A fine witch." Harry nodded. "Really good dueler."
Susan frowned a bit as Harry turned back to his breakfast. Hannah shrugged, and Neville just smiled nervously.
"So, if you're still hungry, would you like to join us?" Hannah asked, figuring it would be best to get out of this awkwardness.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Neville said. "I'll see you guys in class."
"It was nice to meet you." Susan said lamely before she, Hannah and Neville headed for the Hufflepuff table.
"I think Susan likes you." Hermione said. Ginny glowered at the back of the retreating redhead.
"That's good I suppose." Harry said offhandedly. "I am supposed to be making friends."
"I think the bint wants to be more than friends." Ginny muttered sourly. "Likely she wants to get her slimy mitts on you. She probably wants to get you alone in some broom cupboard so she can get you to do unspeakable things to her fat arse."
Harry looked up at this, clearly not understanding why the redhead sounded so bitter. Much less what she had said.
Hermione however got the horrible innuendo, and grimaced. At least Ginny hadn't been as blatant and disgusting as that Moody person, or Tonks. Hermione felt certain Harry didn't need that sort of thing here at school.
She then began to wonder just exactly what it was Harry was supposed to learn about love. If it was just the physical aspect, he could learn that from any number of willing girls. But, if it were the deeper, more emotional part, Hermione wasn't so sure that sending Harry to Hogwarts was the correct course of action.
"She's such a slag." Ginny said, still glaring at Susan from across the Great Hall. Harry looked to Hermione for clarification on the term, but the brunette just rolled her eyes. Harry figured that it was probably not something to be terribly concerned about at the moment.
"You know, I'd avoid her if I were you Harry." Ginny said rather conspiratorially. "I don't think you want her reputation rubbing off on you."
"Susan's actually really…" Hermione began but was cut off by a familiar and very unwelcome drawl.
"Well, I thought the castle smelled differently this morning. Really… septic." Draco Malfoy said with a sneer. He was surrounded once again by his entourage of goons, who were all chuckling stupidly. Hermione stiffened, but kept her eyes on her plate.
"We hadn't seen you these past few days Pudding Pants; I thought for sure you'd been flushed at last."
Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as her face turned a very bright cherry red at the horrid nickname she had been burdened with all of second year after a really horrible and disgusting prank. Ginny looked torn between being offended, and bursting out with laughter.
Harry on the other hand appeared to be getting annoyed. He looked to Malfoy with a warning glare, but the Slytherin prince kept on laughing with his friends at Hermione's expense. He noticed Harry looking at him and leaned forward a bit, as if to share some fabulous secret with him.
"Hasn't our dear Pudding Pants told you any of her wild and crazy stories? Why, she's nearly a celebrity. We're always eager with anticipation to see how she's going to wow us next." Draco smirked as he glanced at Hermione, who was shuffling in her seat. He could see the telltale sign that she was fighting not to cry.
"Like the time she showed everyone in Potions class her rather unfortunate knickers." Draco continued.
"Oh yeah!" Theodore Nott cackled. "Those huge things with the flowers on them. Oh how sweet, Grandma!"
"What about the time she did that impression of a frog when she messed up her transfiguration and she caught flies with her tongue and ate them." Millicent Bulstrode guffawed.
"My favorite was when she farted and it burned right through her knickers, tights and her skirt." Pansy howled. "A truly classic moment for our dear old Pudding Pants."
"Don't forget how she regurgitated slugs onto Professor Snape's Robes." Crabbe guffawed, clutching his side. "He gave her detention for a month!"
"No, wait.' Millicent snorted, waving her hand in front of her face. "Are you guys forgetting about when Pudding Pants here transformed herself into that weird cat creature thing in front of everyone."
"That wasn't as funny as when she engorged herself." Goyle reminded the group."
Remember, in third year? I've never seen anything so fat and disgusting. And do you remember the smell?"
"Certainly fine, fine moments." Draco agreed.
"You guys are real jerks." Ginny said rather lamely.
"Please Weasley.' Draco rolled his eyes. "You enjoyed her shows just as much as the rest of us."
Hermione grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the Great Hall, pushing through the group of Slytherins who asked her to repeat some of their favorite performances. If Harry guessed right, they were referring to pranks she had been subjected to. Harry clenched his fist, and looked at Malfoy as he got to his feet. The two boys were the same height, but Harry was much more intimidating, and Draco found himself stepping back to put some distance between them.
"Malfoy, I'm going to give you an opportunity to apologize for every foul thing you've ever said or done to my friend."
"Like that's going to happen." Crabbe snorted. The other Slytherins were leaning on each other to keep from falling over with laughter.
"Tonight at dinner, you will stand up, and apologize to Hermione in front of the entire school." Harry continued unfazed by the Slytherins laughter.
"And if I don't?" Malfoy challenged.
"Then I will give you the unique honor of suffering every single humiliation she ever had to endure. Only, I will make it much worse. I will continue to do so until you do apologize, or you beg me, on your hands and knees to end your suffering. If you choose the later, I will ruin your life completely. And this goes for all of you."
Harry looked each and every Slytherin in the eye so they all knew he meant them, before turning to look at Ginny as well. The redhead winced, but nodded.
"I'm not afraid of you Potter." Draco replied, puffing up his chest. The other Slytherins all agreed, trying to look menacing.
"You should be." Harry replied. He leaned in close to Draco so that only he could hear. "Your father was."
Harry didn't wait for a response. He turned on his heel and left the Great Hall, and an enraged Draco Malfoy behind. He never saw both Crabbe and Goyle holding the blond Slytherin back, and Pansy stepping in his way to prevent him from hexing him in the back.
Harry had given them a chance to repent for all they had done to Hermione. If they chose not to heed his warning, they would be made to suffer as she had had to do all these years. Perhaps if they knew what it felt like, they might change their behavior.
Now however, He had only one thought on his mind. To find Hermione and see that she was alright. Unfortunately, he had no idea where she had run off to. She didn't show up for Herbology that morning, nor was she in Transfiguration. She didn't appear at lunch either. No one seemed to know where she was, and that made Harry worry. He hated the idea of his friend feeling bad. He wasn't sure what he could say or do to make her feel better; he just knew that he wanted to try.
She finally showed up at Potions that afternoon, but she refused to speak to anyone, including Harry. Harry, to his credit, didn't push her, but simply tried to express with a look that it was all okay.
When potions class was finished, Harry packed up his things, and sat to wait for his friend, who was moving very slowly. It was clear that she was waiting for everyone to leave, and when they were all gone, she gave a weary sigh. Harry thought she might have wanted him to leave as well, but as Sirius had told him most of his life, never leave your partner behind. While Hermione wasn't his partner per se, she was a friend, and Harry felt that the saying applied here.
"Are you alright?" Harry finally asked.
Hermione shook her head. Harry could see she was trying to maintain her blasé appearance, and was losing. He saw a tear fall and she wiped at it angrily.
"I take it you were being vague before when you told me things had been tough for you here." He said. Hermione gave him a withering look, but realized he would be unaffected by it.
"Would you like to tell me about it now?" He asked.
"Why?" Hermione said, throwing her books and her potion supplies into her bag. "It won't change anything."
"No. It won't." Harry nodded. "But, it's my understanding that sometimes, talking about things that bother us is helpful."
Hermione gave him a rather disbelieving look. Harry shrugged.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I won't make you."
"I know." She said softly, all the fight leaving her. He shoulders sagged, and her head fell forward. She gathered up her bag and headed for the door with Harry at her side. "It's embarrassing, and I- I really didn't want you to hear any of those stories. I liked that you never knew about all the names, or the reason for those names. You were my friend, and you actually liked me."
"I'm still your friend, Hermione." Harry said adamantly. "That won't change because some really simple minded people call you a few names."
"It w-wasn't just names." Hermione shuddered, still fighting her tears. Harry reached up and placed a hand on her shoulder. The simple gesture surprised her, and she lost her battle against her tears. She began to cry again, and Harry guided her into the next open classroom before shutting the door. There she broke down completely and clung tightly to Harry as five years' worth of loneliness and humiliation and pain came out all at once.
The two teenagers sank to the floor, Harry trying to keep Hermione from hurting herself as her legs gave out from under her. She clung tightly to the front of his robes as she sobbed into his chest. Harry wasn't really sure what he should do as he'd never had to offer comfort to anyone.
Yet somehow, instinct took hold, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and held her lightly as she cried. He offered no words, only the protection of his arms around her, holding her, and signaling that her pain was now at an end.
After ten minutes or so, Hermione began to regain control over herself, and she then told Harry about everything. Every prank she'd been the victim of, and who she believed to be behind it. She told him how none of the teachers could ever catch the culprits because, especially in the case of Draco and the Slytherins, they were good at covering their tracks. She told him how her trust in authority figures was shattered by the end of her first year, and by the end of second year, she kept thinking about ending her life.
She next revealed how McGonagall had taken her under her wing, and had become a confidant. How it was the Transfiguration teacher who'd spent so much effort in showing Hermione that she was special and that she was going to be truly great, if she wished to be, and that one day, things would change.
"And then I got on the train in September, and there you were." Hermione finished. She was now sitting up next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, her arm hooked around his. He had remained silent throughout her confession, simply listening, and being a sounding board for her to vent all those years of pent up frustration.
"Thank you." She said, turning to look him in the eye now. "Thank you for being my friend, Harry."
"You never have to thank me for that." Harry said with the barest hint of a smile. "But, I wish to thank you for being my friend as well."
Hermione smiled brightly, though her eyes were still watery. "You'll never have to thank me for that." she mimicked him, making him give her a genuine smile that made her stomach flip, and her heart skip a beat.
"It's getting close to dinner." Harry said with a glance at his watch.
"I don't want to go." Hermione shivered. "I think I just want to go to bed and try and forget…"
"I think you should come to dinner." Harry said, cutting her off as he got to his feet and helped her up. "I think it may be important. Besides, you barely ate at breakfast and you skipped lunch. That's not good for you. You need to eat."
"What's going on?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Harry merely gave a smile, and opened the door, leading her out. She tried asking him twice more what was going on, but he would say nothing. He merely led her into the Great Hall. And took his customary seat. She sat down across from him, and a little while later, Neville and his girlfriend sat down with them.
It wasn't long before the Great Hall was packed to bursting as students sat down to the evening meal. It was quite loud with everyone conversing about the day's events and the latest bits of gossip. Harry was watching the Slytherin table very closely. Hermione wanted to know why, but she was too afraid to look, thinking she'd see Malfoy doing some disgusting pantomime or something vulgar.
"Hermione?"
The brunette turned to find Ginny Weasley standing next to her, looking sullen, and remorseful.
"Hermione, I wish to apologize to you for every cruel word I've said to you over the years. I was cruel, and immature, and foolish, and you deserve better. I know that no words can make up for four years of cruelty, but I hope that at least it's a step to making things right."
Hermione could only stare agape at what she had just heard. She turned to look at Harry, who had his head bent forward, focusing on his meal; though she was sure she could see the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. Hermione turned back to Ginny, who was waiting impatiently for a response. Hermione could only squeak, so she decided on nodding her acceptance. Ginny smiled, and walked away to join her friends.
"What was that all about?" Neville asked, clearly perplexed by what he had just witnessed.
"What did you do, Harry?" Hermione asked rather accusingly.
"I made her an offer to rectify her mistakes." Harry said simply. "Her, and a few others, who have yet to take me up on my offer."
"Offer?" Hannah asked, looking with bewilderment down to where Ginny was. "What kind of offer?"
"Repent, or suffer." Harry said simply. He refused to say anymore on the matter after that, and Hermione wondered what Harry had done, and wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Although, a dark part of her mind really couldn't wait to see what happened next and to whom.
When Hermione came down to the Common Room to meet Harry and Neville for breakfast, she found to her surprise they were already there waiting for her, both with rather sinister smiles on their faces. Well, Harry's more so than Neville's. When asked why they looked so devious, all Harry would say was that he spoke to his godfather the previous evening for a bit of advice.
When they got to the Gryffindor table, Harry asked Hermione to sit next to him. She thought it odd, but complied, and sat between Harry and Neville, who filled the breakfast plates and began to eat.
Anticipation began to grow within Hermione as she realized she had been given a prime seat for whatever Harry had done. Neville was practically bouncing in his seat.
Soon students began arriving for the morning meal, and Neville looked absolutely predatory. Hermione figured out pretty quickly that whatever Harry had done, Neville had been involved. Hannah came and joined her boyfriend for breakfast, and Neville whispered something to her which made her eyes light up.
Harry sat up a bit straighter as Draco Malfoy led his group of Slytherin sycophants into the Great Hall and sat down to eat. Hermione noted that Harry stopped eating, and actually folded his hands on the table. His eyes were narrowed slightly as Draco sat down and poured himself some tea. Neville began snickering, and Hermione felt her stomach knot up.
For fifteen minutes, nothing happened. Hermione kept looking to Harry hoping that he would give her some hint as to what was coming. He just sat there, staring at the Slytherin Table, waiting.
And then it began.
At first, it was nothing. Hermione saw a few of the Slytherins in Draco's group turn red, while others snickered. Draco waved his hand in front of his face and said something angrily to Crabbe. And then it got really bad. There was a loud trumpeting sound, followed by a thick splashing sound.
"OH MY GOD MILLIE!" Tracey Davis shrieked as she leapt from the seat next to the rather large Slytherin girl. "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"
There were more protests and disgusted shouts as Millicent Bulstrode got up from her seat, looking horrified as she ran from the Great Hall. Hermione didn't get a chance to see why because there were more shrieks and loud groans of repugnance as more of Draco's group began getting up and running from the Great Hall.
The reasons became clear to Hermione when she saw Pansy Parkinson as the Slytherin princess tried sprinting away while at the same time trying to clench her bottom. Pansy looked truly mortified as she had very clearly lost control of her bowels.
"You didn't!" Hermione looked to Harry who simply chuckled.
"He asked the house elves to put it in their goblets." Neville was slamming his fists on the table and crying with laughter. Hannah was wiping at her eyes and trying hard to catch her breath.
"Oh Harry, that's so…" Hermione started
"Fitting?" Harry asked looking somewhat proud of himself.
"Well yes, but still, you really shouldn't have done it. You're going to be in so much trouble." Hermione worried.
"They have to be able to prove I was behind it." Harry replied.
"Wait a minute, why is Draco's still sitting there? Didn't you do whatever it was to him as well?" Hermione started when another voice rang out, silencing all the laughter.
POTTER!"
Harry, Hermione, Hannah and Neville all turned to see a very furious Professor Snape striding towards them. Hermione saw Professor McGonagall getting up from her seat as well, though she didn't look nearly as angry. In fact, Hermione thought she was fighting a smile.
"Yes, Professor?" Harry said, getting to his feet, and standing at attention. Hermione was sure she'd never get used to the way he did that when a teacher would address him.
"What did you do to my students?" Snape demanded.
"I am unclear on your meaning sir." Harry replied. "I have not interacted with any of the Slytherin students since yesterday afternoon in potions."
"So it was a potion then." Snape scowled. "Well then, I think that's two months detention and fifty points for each student you subjected to whatever foul concoction you…"
"Excuse me sir, but what proof do you have that I was in anyway involved?" Harry countered, making Snape gape.
"Don't play games with me, Potter, I am very aware of whom your father was and I…"
"I am aware of your relationship with my father sir." Harry said, cutting off the Defense teacher's tirade. "But that has nothing to do with the matter at hand. I once again ask you, what proof do you have that I was in any way involved with what happened to those poor misfortunate souls whom just left?"
"Mister Potter has a point, professor." McGonagall said as she finally came close enough to interject. "From where I was sitting, I saw nothing that would indicate Mister Potter had anything to do with what we just witnessed. I dare say someone would have to be much closer to administer such a spell."
"Potter said it was a potion." Snape snarled.
"I said no such thing, sir." Harry reminded the man. "I said that I had not interacted with any Slytherin student since yesterday afternoon during potions. If you would like the specifics of that interaction, I could tell you."
"I will not tolerate your cheek, boy!" Snape roared.
"It was not cheek, sir, but an offer to…"
"ENOUGH!" Snape hollered, bringing silence to the Great Hall once again. Not that it had been terribly noisy since Snape had called out Harry's name. "I will not tolerate any form of maliciousness on my students."
"And what of the other students, sir?" Harry asked, looking pointedly at the Head of Slytherin House. "Will you allow a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff to be humiliated or possibly injured?"
McGonagall folded her arms, and looked expectantly at Snape, eager to hear his response. The Defense Teacher looked like he was about to explode.
"Or a Gryffindor, sir?" Harry continued. "I thought it was the duty of the teachers to protect all students, regardless of house."
"It is indeed."
Everyone turned to see Dumbledore standing there, looking quite proudly at Harry.
"A teacher's duty is to see that each and every student in this school is safe, and that no one is singled out or bullied by those who might believe themselves superior."
Snape withered a bit, though he was still glaring daggers at Harry who was unaffected by his ire.
"Favoritism of one's house is sometimes hard to avoid, but, we must remember that each student is equal to every other, despite which house they were sorted into. We are all, after all, human, are we not Severus?"
Snape clearly realized that things were not going to go his way, especially without any sort of proof. He straightened himself up, and with a rather cold sneer told Harry and his friends that they had better not be late for class.
"Ten points to Gryffindor for that welcome reminder of our responsibilities as teachers." Dumbledore smiled at Harry.
"Professor Snape's punishment will not stand. No detentions or points lost." McGonagall smiled and nodded to Hermione and Harry. She turned and headed back to the head table. Dumbledore leaned forward and whispered to Harry loud enough that Hermione could hear.
"I hope in the future, you do at least attempt to make less of a mess. It would not do to put people off their meals too often."
Harry nodded, and Hermione just sat there gaping at Harry and the Headmaster.
Hermione learned why Draco had been unaffected at breakfast during Defense Against The Dark Arts. Snape had them all practicing spells silently in pairs. Hermione was working with Lavender, taking it in turns to cast whatever spells they could, while their partner tried to shield themselves.
As it was very quiet, with everyone trying to cast silently, there was no mistaking the triumphant trumpeting sound. All eyes turned to stare incredulously at Draco Malfoy, who had turned beet red. The Slytherin Prince turned to glare directly at Harry, who was focusing on Seamus, who was trying to body bind Harry. Hermione knew he was ignoring what was getting ready to take place in an attempt not to further enrage Snape.
Draco doubled over, holding his stomach as another, louder and more musical sound erupted from the blonde's rear end echoed through the class room. No one could hold in their mirth any longer. Everyone began sniggering, much to Snape's displeasure. Hermione thought the Defense teacher was about to start handing out detentions when Draco's posterior gave another loud trumpet, and the erupted in what could only be described as explosive diarrhea. The wall behind Draco was coated in a filthy and very gloopy new paint job.
The reaction from the rest of the class was mixed between humorous disgust, and comedic empathy. Snape roared at the class to be silent as he grabbed onto Draco's shoulder to guide him out of class, vanishing Draco's wall leavings as he passed.
But it only got worse as Draco bent again, holding his stomach and another eruption coated the front of Professor Snape's clothing.
Hermione covered her mouth in abject horror as the entire class finally fell silent, waiting for Snape to unleash hell.
Snape simply waved his wand to clean himself, and shoved Malfoy out of the classroom, and towards the hospital wing. The sniggers resumed when they heard another musical note from Draco's posterior echo down the hall.
Hermione turned to find Harry standing next to Dean, Neville and Parvati all staring at the door. She caught his eye and he gave her a little nod that spoke volumes. He had had enough of her being terrorized and humiliated, and he was not going to let it happen anymore.
In that moment, Hermione Granger decided that the fates had simply decided they had punished her enough. They had sent her a guardian angel.
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