Imperius Curse
After listening to the meaningless protests of her friends, Hermione dragged her feet all the way to the potions classroom for her tutoring session with Draco. The dungeons were rather dark and depressing and Hermione had to keep reminding herself she was simply only doing this for extra credit as she walked in. Draco was already perched at one of the tables when she walked in.
“Granger,” he said per usual.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” She said in a harsh tone. Good. He deserved a harsh tone.
He raised his eyebrows and asked “Has Potter used his liquid luck yet?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know”
“You know I don’t think Slughorn should be going around handing out that sort of thing to students. It would be a shame if it fell in the wrong hands,” he said, putting an emphasis on wrong hands.
“It really doesn’t make a difference to me what your belief is, now open a book or I’m walking out that door” Hermione said sharply.
Draco obeyed, grabbing his cauldron and opening his book.
He eyed her carefully as if she were something fragile in danger of breaking.
She slammed her own book down on the desk.
“Draco really, what are you playing at?” she said louder than she meant to
He nervously played with his emerald green Slytherin tie. He looked rather nervous, very un- Draco Malfoy.
“The other day when I almost called you a mudblood I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said
Hermione laughed.
“And how exactly would that NOT offend me?!”
“It was just- just habit, but I- I do appreciate you helping me with potions. It’s really not as bad as I thought it would be, even though I still don’t think I need a tutor. But um I wish I hadn’t have said that,” he told her. This was so unlike Draco that Hermione had to double check to make sure it was really him saying these words.
“Well Draco, you and the other Slytherins have called me a mudblood since first year it’s really nothing I’m not used to,” Hermione answered.
“Yeah I know. And I regret that too”- he gazed off across the room as if he was deep in thought- “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been such a bloody prick when I started school,” he said, still not meeting Hermione’s eyes.
Was he apologizing? She hardly recognized the boy sitting in front of her. He still hasn’t actually said the words “I’m sorry”, but this was more than she had ever expected from Draco.
“Well most people still see you as a bloody prick,” she said.
He looked up and gave her a half smile. She returned one.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment. A moment too long. The eye contact made Hermione uncomfortable for reasons she couldn’t explain.
She straightened up and briskly said “Um turn your page to 388 and we can get started.”
He said nothing. Just turned his book to page 388 and read silently.
October 12
Two days had passed since Hermione’s last tutoring session with Draco. While he had not actually given her an apology it sort of felt like one- like he was trying, and she felt that she didn’t have to avoid him so much. The occasional run-in while waking down a corridor wasn’t the end of the world. She even smiled at him at breakfast Thursday morning, which he returned with scowl that could almost be perceived as something positive.
At the end of the day he was still Draco.
That Saturday was finally Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione needed to buy some new parchment and Harry kept going on about talking to Slughorn. Dumbledore had apparently ordered him to find out something- something Tom Riddle had once told him. In Hermione’s opinion if Dumbledore couldn’t get Slughorn to tell him, then what hope did Harry have? But she couldn’t say this to Harry so she listened to him talk about his plans to speak to Slughorn in Hogsmeade.
Hogsmeade was very crowded on that cold Saturday morning. Witches and wizards bustled from shop to shop getting early Holiday shopping down, while Hogwarts students ran about the streets carelessly dropping their Honeydukes candies everywhere. Couples walked hand in hand while others stood solitary on street corners.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to The Three Broomsticks, following behind Slughorn. The atmosphere was as warm and cheery as ever before. Ginny and Dean were in a corner table sitting awfully close, gazing into each others eyes. They passed Katie Bell, who Harry spoke to urgently about their upcoming quidditch match
Harry and Ron sat down while Harry was speaking with Katie and ordered three butterbeers. The sight of Ginny and Dean- who were now snogging- was too much for Ron to handle so he excused himself for a breath of fresh air. Hermione was left sipping her butterbeer by herself. She took a sip of the warm, butterscotch liquid and set it down.
The door to The Three Broomsticks opened bringing in a gush of cold air mixed with an odd smell of spearmint; which was somehow comforting. Hermione turned around in her chair to see if Harry was still talking to Katie and she accidentally locked eyes with Draco Malfoy. Things were civil between them now, but they weren’t necessarily friends. Hermione nodded to him politely and he nodded back, before disappearing into a room by himself.
Wonder what that’s all about
Harry and Ron eventually joined her, though Ron had not stopped commenting on Ginny and Dean’s very public display of affection. Madam Rosmerta kept the butterbeers coming and before she knew it Hermione had made herself sick off of them. The trio decided to head back to the castle after a very productive afternoon- according to Harry. Slughorn had approached their table and invited Harry and Hermione to a meeting involving students with high marks in his class; Ron did not get an invite. Harry was eager to accept this invitation, feeling he was likely to get Slughorn to admit what it was he told Tom Riddle all those years ago. Hermione really only accepted out of politeness. She already felt that Slughorn had asked quite a bit from her this term and her schedule was already busy, but nevertheless she accepted his invitation.
They trudged their way back to the castle, cold air whipping Hermione’s face and numbing her lips. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and was about to say something to Harry when she heard a blood curdling scream from farther up the path. Her heart stopped and her stomach tightened.
Leanne, a Hufflepuff witch yelled “HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran towards the screams, but stopped dead when they realized what was going on.
It was Katie Bell.
She was levitating in the air with her mouth wide open. She stayed completely still and then suddenly her body came crashing down to the ground.
Hermione felt as if she was going to be sick. She couldn’t tell if Katie was alive or what had happened. She saw Leanne run to her side and heard Harry order Leanne to not touch her. Hagrid showed up at precisely the right moment and announced that Katie was most likely cursed and needed to be taken to the castle immediately. Hermione snapped back to reality when she realized Leanne was shakily crying.
“Leanne, it’ll all be alright,” Hermione reassured her. “What happened, do you know?”
“No I-I have no idea. We were just leaving the three broomsticks and Katie started acting so weird. She had this locket wrapped up in paper and told me she had to take it to Dumbledore. She was set on it. I told her she was being silly and kept asking what it was. Then we started arguing and the necklace fell out of it’s wrappings and- and it um touched her, I suppose. Then her whole body went limp and she floated to the sky,” Leanne said in between sobs.
Hermione wrapped an arm around her and reassured her that Professor McGonnagal would know what to do.
An hour later the trio was waiting outside Professor McGonnagal’s office. Leanne was currently in there talking to her and Snape. Dumbledore was apparently “away on business.”
Dumbledore was always away on business these days.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Harry said.
“We know Harry,” Hermione answered curtly.
“I mean Katie would never want to harm Dumbledore. I know her. She wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said
“Somebody must’ve done the Imperius curse on her,” Ron said.
“Yeah that’s exactly what happened. And I know who did it…. Malfoy,” Harry said decidedly.
“Now Harry you don’t know that! You can’t just go throwing around accusations like that,” Hermione replied indignantly.
Harry crossed his arms, “Like hell I can!”
Hermione just rolled her eyes. Harry always suspected Malfoy of the worst. She wasn’t sure why she felt so defensive over Malfoy. Part of her knew she shouldn’t. But she couldn’t help it.
Eventually McGonnagal called them in to speak with her and Professor Snape. Her office had a cold, unfamiliar feeling over it, which was unusual. McGonnagal looked more worried than she usually does. Whether this was due to the current situation with Katie or the state of the Wizarding world, Hermione didn't know.
“How come when something happens it is always you three?” She asked in an exasperated tone
“Believe me, Professor. I’ve been asking myself the same question for six years,” Ron replied sheepishly.
McGonnagal explained to them that Katie acted under the Imperius curse. Somebody wanted Dumbledore to have that locket. Somebody intended for Dumbledore to die.
Who would ever want such a horrid thing?
Katie was sent to St.Mungos to recover with time. According to Snape Katie was lucky to be alive.
Hermione was about to open her mouth and ask how Leanne was doing, but Harry said something first.
“I know who it was, that cursed Katie. It was Malfoy. Has to be,” he said like he had never been so sure of something.
“That is a very serious accusation, Potter,” Professor McGonnagal said.
Snape stepped forward and asked “And how do you know this, Potter?”
“I just know,” Harry replied.
“And did you see Mr. Malfoy at The Theee Broomsticks today?” Snape asked
“No but…”
Snape cut him off.
“Then you have no reason to suspect him. Understand Potter?”
Harry nodded reluctantly.
Hermione felt an overwhelming wave of guilt wash over her. She had seen Draco at the scene of the crime. She had no good reason to suspect he was involved, but still she had seen him.
Why didn’t I say something? Why didn’t I tell Snape that when Harry and Ron left the table I saw him walk in?
An annoying voice inside of Hermione’s head whispered in her ear “You know why, you know why you didn’t say anything. You could’ve helped Katie but you stayed silent….”
I could not have helped Katie. Katie was already cursed. And there is no proof that Draco is the one who cursed her.
There is no proof that Draco is the one that cursed her.
There is no proof that Draco is the one that cursed her.
There is no proof that Draco is the one that cursed her.
Hermione repeated this to herself throughout the day. Was she repeating the truth or trying to convince herself? She didn’t know. But all she did know was that she really, really hoped Draco was not guilty.