Summertime Blues
-Theodore’s POV-
“Second to a mudblood!” My father spat before lifting his wand and silently whipping it towards me. I closed my eyes as I felt the lashes against my back again.
He had beaten and whipped me every day since the rankings came out. My marks had been nearly perfect, but hers had been better. I was a “disgrace to the Noble Nott Name”. When father wasn’t beating me or starving me, he’d lock me in the small dark closet of his office and forbid any of our house elves from feeding me, healing me or helping me escape.
After my beatings this mid-July morning, he did something different after locking me in the closet, he silenced it. It didn’t take me long to figure out why. I heard the fire place roar to life with the sound of the floo. It would seem my father’s charm only silenced the closet so that they couldn’t hear me, but I could hear them. I knelt closer to the door and listened.
“Lucius, Severus,” my father greeted, “thank you for joining me.”
“Your owl seemed urgent,” the professor drawled in a bored tone.
“Yes, well that Mudblood must be dealt with, swiftly.” Father declared matter-of-factly, “Lucius, surely you won’t stand for her disgracing slytherin house with her dirty blood, she’s outranked all of our boys this year. She mustn’t do it again.”
“Cissa and I are actually very proud of how well Draco has done this year,” Lucius spat out, “as for young miss Granger, Cissa seems to believe that she is not who she may appear to be.”
My father scoffed, “and you believe that rubbish?”
“I’m inclined to believe my wife, yes,” Lucius replied.
“Well, if she isn’t a mudblood, she’ll be fine. If she is,” my father paused, “well let’s just say it may be the last year she spends at Hogwarts.”
“What have you done, Thaddeus?” Questioned the professor.
Father chuckled, “I may have a rat in the Weasley house and if he does his job correctly, ridding the school of mudbloods isn’t the only thing we’ll accomplish this year.”
“You don’t mean…” Lucius started.
After that everything became so muffled I couldn’t make out another word. I sat alone in the dark closet wondering what my father had done. There was no doubt in my mind that Hermione was in danger. All the muggleborns were. A thought popped into my head.
“Cranberry” I called, hoping she could hear me.
There was a small pop when she materialized in the small amount of free space the closet offered.
“Cranberry can’t feed the young master or help him escape,” she said with her head bowed.
“Could you do other things for me though?” I ask curiously.
“What would young master like Cranberry to do?” She responded eagerly. I smiled back at the little elf as a plan began to take shape in my mind.
-Hermione’s Pov-
I’m not sure what I expected my first summer home from school to be like, but it wasn’t this. My parents have been acting strange around me ever since they picked me up from Kingscross. Anytime I enter the room conversation dies. I feel as if I’m walking on eggshells around them but I have no clue what I’ve done wrong.
They were both very busy with work this summer so I’ve spent most of my time reading. I had hoped to maybe see some of my friends from school but I haven’t heard from any of them in weeks. Not even Hagrid has responded to my letters.
While lying in my bed one mid August evening I heard a small *pop*. I immediately reached for my wand and scanned my room. My eyes fell to a small creature sitting on my dresser. She had large green eyes, long goblin like ears and seemed to be about the size of a goblin as well. However unlike a goblin, she was wearing a potato sack for a dress and a small bow made of the same material adorned one of her ears.
I wasn’t sure whether the creature could speak but I asked, “Who are you?”
Her eyes grew bigger, “oh, young miss, I am Cranberry.”
I nodded my head, “nice to meet you Cranberry. What exactly are you?” I asked, hoping my question didn’t come across rude.
She glanced around the room nervously, “I’m a house elf, Miss.”
I had read a bit about house elves but had never seen one before now. “So, Cranberry the house elf,” I said raising my wand a bit higher, “What are you doing in my bedroom?”
She inhaled deeply and looked up to me anxiously before she said, “I’m here to ask miss, not to go back to Hogwarts this year.”
My face scrunched in confusion, “What? Why wouldn’t I go back?”
She scanned the room again, as if to check for any eavesdroppers then whispered, “it’s not safe for the young miss. There’s a plan, to make most terrible things happen.”
“What terrible things?” I asked urgently.
“Cranberry cannot say, but miss must promise.” She demanded.
“I must go back, Hogwarts is where I belong. It’s where my friends are.” I told her. “I can’t make that promise.”
“Friends who don’t even write to miss?” She quipped.
Her question took me off guard for a moment but then my eyes narrowed on her, “How do you know they haven’t written me?” I asked her inquisitively.
She must have realized her mistake, she jumped up and said, “Cranberry didn’t say anything about miss’s mail!”
I scoffed at her, “Have you been taking my mail?” I hissed, not trying to hide an ounce of the venom in my voice.
She hopped down off the dresser and started whimpering. She looked up, “please don’t be cross with cranberry, miss” she sniffled, “cranberry just hoped if miss thought her friends had forgotten her she wouldn’t want to return to school this year.”
I relaxed my gaze and did my best to soften my tone, “Cranberry, I can not promise I won’t go back. Now, please give me my letters.” She looked reluctant but then snapped her fingers. Suddenly a pile of letters appeared on my bed. Before I could say anything else, there was a *pop* and Cranberry was gone.
I rushed over to my bed eager to open my letters. There were at least 15 envelopes on my bed. Before opening any, I flipped through them to see who had written me. I had a couple from Harry, Draco, Neville and Daphne. One from professor Evans and Hagrid. The last one in the stack, However, is the one that made me most curious. It was a letter from Sirius Black.
I hastily tore it open and read:
Grangers,
I hope this letter finds you all well. It is not my intention to rush either of you with this letter. While I would love the opportunity to get to know my heir, I understand you need time. I only write to check in. Lily has informed me that no one has heard from Hermione all summer and her friends are beginning to worry that something has happened.
-Hoping to hear from you soon.
Sirius Black
I flipped the envelope back over and saw that the letter had indeed been addressed to Mr.& Mrs. Granger. I didn’t mean to read my parents letter but now that I have I can’t help but wonder what it all means.
Before I could spend too long thinking about it, though, the doorbell rang. I quickly tucked all the letters into my trunk, including the one from Sirius, then I headed downstairs to see who was here.
When I rounded the corner into the living room I saw a familiar mess of black hair, “Harry!” I exclaimed, as I ran up and hugged him.
I heard a throat clear and I turned to see Draco standing there, along with Professor Evan’s and Sirius Black.
I stepped away from Harry and asked, “what’s going on?”
My dad stepped forward, “Your friends are hoping you’ll join them for the rest of the summer holiday.”
Professor Evan’s nodded her agreement, “We’re all staying in London for the next two weeks and we’d love for you to join us.” She said cheerfully.
“Oh,” I said, looking to my parents I ask, “Can I go?”
“Will you be able to take her for school supplies?” My mum asks, “we haven’t been able to yet.”
“Of course, we were actually planning to go to Diagon tomorrow.” Sirius answers.
My father nods his head then says, “in that case it sounds like a grand idea.”
“I’ll go grab my trunk then.” I say before rushing back to my room to pack up all my stuff. When I returned downstairs professor Evan’s shrunk my trunk and put it in her cloak pocket. I look over and see Sirius and my parents discussing something. A conversation that seems to have died with my notice of it. I walk over and give both mum and dad a hug. We say our goodbyes and they assure me I’ll be home for Christmas this year.
The five of us exit my home, leaving my muggle parents behind, we set off walking down my street. “Where are we going?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Draco, who was walking beside me, offers, “To the apparition point.”
“Oh,” I respond, I hadn’t known there was one so close. Sirius, who was ahead of us rounded the corner into an empty alleyway.
He turned towards us and offered a hand to each of us. I turned to see Harry and his Mum disappear from sight, then looked back towards Sirius’ out stretched hand. Remembering how apparition had felt the last time, I took a deep breath before grasping the hand. I felt a slight pulling feeling in my stomach then the alley around us faded away.