Chapter 4
The next morning, Snape waited for them when they came out of the common room and gestured for them to follow him into his office.
He looked slightly irritated. “I talked to some of your parents yesterday. Some of them,” he gave a pointed look to Draco, “may make the Minister’s life miserable today, but they still want you to learn the Patronus Charm. Therefore … What?”
Some of them had giggled and he did not look pleased by this kind of interruption.
Hermione took it upon herself to answer. “We already have our first lesson scheduled for this evening, Sir.” It was now that she realised that she hadn’t told anyone but her friends about the mirror. Everyone had been so preoccupied with Sirius Black, it just hadn’t come up. When she had used it, it had been at night in her bedroom before going to sleep.
Her teacher raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her. “And with whom, may I ask?”
She exchanged a look with Draco, who had obviously just come to the same conclusion as she had and gave her a sheepish smile.
“My father, Sir.”
There was a long silence. “And how is he supposed to give you lessons, if he’s in Sri Lanka?”
“Oh, he’s not in Sri Lanka anymore,” she said automatically. “He’s on his way to Alaska, because … Never mind.” Snape obviously wasn’t interested and he was losing his patience.
Draco and Theo snickered next to her.
“Anyway, he found a way to recreate a two-way mirror and gave me one.”
“And before you ask, he’s not taking orders, we’ve tried,” Blaise chimed in gloomily.
“We’ve been in contact ever since we left Sri Lanka. He told me to hide the mirror in the Room of Requirement and contact him only from there. I told him about the Dementors yesterday and he said he wants us to learn the Patronus and we’ll start today after classes.”
Snape took a deep breath, but then shrugged. “Whatever. I suppose I won’t have to deal with it then. He once wanted to be a teacher anyway, let him have a taste of how much fun it is.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.
“He did?” She hadn’t known that.
“Oh yes, he applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position not too long after he graduated. Dumbledore turned him down.”
“Of course he did.”
They couldn’t wait to start their first Patronus lesson and immediately after classes, they went to the Room of Requirement.
When Hermione had established contact, she placed the mirror on the mantlepiece, facing them. Noodles, who was hanging in a potted tree the room had provided for him, was watching them with interest. Although he was always with her during her lessons, he never actually saw anything, because he was hidden in the bag.
Her father started with a bit of theory. “As some of you may know, the Patronus is a kind of guardian created from the happiest memory you have and is therefore made of the very thing Dementors feed on. However, a Patronus can’t feel sadness, fear or despair, which is why Dementors have no power over them. The form of a Patronus, if you manage to create a corporeal one, is different for everyone. It usually takes the form of an animal or Magical Creature and is able to fight off a small number of Dementors. If you do not manage a corporeal Patronus, which is very advanced magic, you may still be able to produce a non-corporeal form, which looks a little like silver mist. It will not be strong enough to actually fight off Dementors, but it may still buy you some time to escape. Our first goal is to manage that as fast as possible, so you have a way to protect yourselves to some extent. When some of you manage to conjure any kind of Patronus, corporeal or not, I want you to only go out to the grounds in groups with at least one member of the group being one of those who can conjure a Patronus. Alright?”
“Yes.” They all agreed. It wasn’t a big sacrifice. They were together much of the time anyway, and if Hermione had to give up on some library time to escort one of her friends who wanted to catch some fresh air or needed to go somewhere, to keep them safe, she would be happy to.
“Very well. The incantation is Expecto Patronum.” They all repeated it a few times. “Good. Now I want to think of the happiest memory you have.”
Like everyone else, Hermione thought quietly for a while. There had been quite a few happy memories lately, but in the end, she chose the one she considered most meaningful: The day she had first come to Hogwarts. The day her whole life had changed.
“Have all of you decided on a memory?”
A collective “Yes!” was the answer and they were told to begin to practise.
They all tried for a while, before Noodles felt the need to comment.
“Is something supposed to happen? What are you doing?”
Her father chuckled and Hermione couldn’t help but grin, but not before doing her best to shoot her familiar a reproachful look.
“What?” Draco asked, wand still held up.
“Noodles is disappointed in our performance.”
“Great, now it’s come to the point where I’m criticised by a snake,” Pansy said sarcastically.
“Nagini has been criticising me constantly ever since I’ve known her, Pansy," Tom Riddle said drily.
Nagini couldn’t be seen in the mirror, but Hermione now heard her speak up from somewhere in the background. “That’s because someone has to.”
Shortly before they had to stop, if they didn’t want to miss dinner, no one had had any kind of success. Until suddenly a whisp of silvery smoke came from Vincent’s wand. Hermione’s very first reaction was to ask herself why she hadn’t managed yet, or Draco, but Vincent looked so proud and happy when her father praised him that she couldn’t help but be happy for him. It was usually him and Gregory who were the last of their group to master a new spell, although they worked twice as hard as most of them. He really deserved this and she hoped he would also be the first to produce a corporeal Patronus, too.
The first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, which took place the next day, didn’t go quite so well.
Hermione didn’t really have an opinion on their new teacher yet when they entered the classroom. She had seen Professor Lupin on the teachers’ table in the Great Hall, of course, and while he seemed to be friendly with most of the teachers, Professor Snape had looked quite reserved. Not that that was a great indicator of anything, really.
Lupin greeted them with a friendly smile. He was pretty much the opposite of Lockhart with his somewhat shabby robes and grey-streaked hair. But he did seem more down to earth and Hermione appreciated that.
“Good afternoon,” he said when all Slytherin and Gryffindor students were in the room. “Please put all your books back in your bags. Today’s will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wands.”
Hermione put away her book immediately, looking excitedly at Professor Lupin. They had never had a practical lesson, except if you counted the disastrous one with the Pixies.
They followed Lupin out of the classroom and after an encounter with Peeves the poltergeist, which Lupin took in a stride, they arrived in the staff-room.
Hermione had never been in there and she hadn’t missed much. The only teacher who was there was Professor Snape, who was sitting in one of the mismatched chairs. When Lupin wanted to close the door, her house teacher got up.
“Leave it open, Lupin. I’d rather not witness this.” He strode past them in his usual dramatic manner, but stopped in front of the door to turn around once more. “Possibly no one’s warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ears.”
Hermione liked her house teacher, she really did, but his obvious bias against Neville Longbottom and even Harry Potter didn’t sit quite right with her. Neville was alright and yes, she had helped him out now and again, because it was sadly true that the boy had a talent for causing disaster. If there was a potion Vince and Greg didn’t manage at first try, it usually just turned out to be a weirdly coloured brew. If Neville made a mistake, the best cause of action was usually to hide behind something solid. Hermione knew that it was never his intention to cause trouble and as her work space in the Potions classroom was next to his, she usually tried to prevent the worst. Which was in everyone’s best interest.
Professor Lupin, however, didn’t seem deterred. When Snape was gone, he asked Neville to step forward as he approached an old wardrobe, which suddenly started to wobble and bang against the wall.
“Nothing to worry about,” Lupin said reassuringly. “There’s a Boggart in there.”
Hermione did feel like that was something to worry about. She knew even without Lupin’s explanation, that while Boggarts liked to dwell in enclosed spaces, the creature was a shape-shifter and once it came out of its hiding place, it took the form of the greatest fear of the person closest to it.
Uncharacteristically, she didn’t really pay much attention. It was their first practical Defence lesson and she fervently hoped that she wouldn’t get a turn to try. The only possible forms a Boggart would take when facing her, were a Dementor or, much more likely, the man she had until recently believed to be her father. And that wasn’t something she wanted to share with the entire class.
They all practised the Riddikulus Spell and then Neville was the first to try. His worst fear turned out to be Snape. The others’ worst fears were mainly common ones, like spiders, a Banshee or a mummy. It was easy to turn these into something funny, something to laugh at and laughter was the strongest weapon against a Boggart, a creature getting stronger from the fear it caused.
She didn’t pay much attention after that, staying in the back of the class as best she could, hovering behind everyone else, hoping to be overlooked. Together with Harry Potter. He also didn’t seem too eager to participate and she wondered what his greatest fear could be. Was it her father who had supposedly killed his parents? If that was the case, she couldn’t even blame him. And what had caused his strong reaction to the Dementors on the train? She didn’t have long to dwell on those questions.
“Is there anyone who didn’t have a turn yet?” Lupin asked, looking around, his eyes finding her. “Ah, yes, Miss …?”
She sighed in resignation. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to try. It was just that she didn’t want everyone to see. Except for her friends, no one knew her background and it was none of their business.
“Granger,” she provided her name and stepped forward.
The moment she stood in front of the Boggart, it indeed became a man in his late 30s, insignificant looking, brown hair and brown eyes, but with an angry look on his face. He was taller than in real life, as tall as he had seemed when she had been younger. “I’m not dealing with your nonsense anymore!” He roared and raised his hand as if to slap her. Everyone thought her real father to be a monster, so scary they couldn’t even utter his name, but in three weeks of spending every day with him, he hadn’t scared her once. This man standing before her was the real monster in Hermione’s eyes and that gesture, the sound of his voice, immediately sent her heart racing. She was holding onto her wand, trying to act, but she couldn’t think of a way to make this funny, there wasn’t anything funny about him. Her mouth wouldn’t even begin to form the word Riddikulus.
She took a step back and stumbled over someone’s foot, which made her fall to the ground.
Immediately, Professor Lupin was in front of her and the Boggart turned into a silvery-white orb. “Riddikulus!” The orb turned into a clown’s face and then burst into tiny whisps of smoke. “Alright, well done, everyone. This was it for today.” She vaguely thought that Potter had been lucky.
His tone of voice indicated clearly that they were supposed to leave and so they did.
When Lupin held out his hand to help her up, she took it. She heard steps coming towards them and when she looked up, she saw Draco and Theo approaching. Everyone else was leaving the staff-room. Only Harry Potter stopped at the door and looked back with a thoughtful look on his face, before he turned to leave.
“Are you alright, Miss Granger?” She turned back to her teacher.
“Yes, Sir, I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere. “I should have considered the possibility that …”
“Some of us are not lucky enough that our greatest fear is a Banshee or a bloody spider?” Draco’s voice sounded angry. Theo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Lupin did not reprimand Draco for his tone of voice, but simply nodded. “Exactly. I should have thought of that. I’m truly sorry, Miss Granger.”
She couldn’t be mad at him. He had provided a better lesson than either of the two Defence teachers before him. He’d made a mistake in judgement, but he did seem to truly regret it.
“It’s alright, Sir.”
He gave her a sad smile. “May I ask who that was?”
She hesitated. “My … father.” The lie felt bitter on her tongue. That man wasn’t her father. Her father had taken her to old magical ruins and had shown her the dance of Mooncalves.
He nodded, as if he had expected that. “Does he …”
Hermione understood where he was going with this. “I don’t see him anymore,” she interrupted. “Draco’s parents claimed Magical Guardianship over me when they found out about my home life.” She quickly glanced over to her friend, who gave her a small smile. “I live with them now. I appreciate your concern, Professor, but there’s nothing to worry about anymore.”
He looked slightly surprised, but quickly covered it up. “That’s good, I’m glad to hear that. This will not affect your mark, of course.”
“Thank you.” That was kind of him, but she wasn’t happy with herself. “If another Boggart turns up in the castle, may I try again? Just not …”
“In front of everyone?” He asked kindly and she nodded. “Of course you may try again, if you really want to.”
“I do. Thank you,” she repeated and left the room with Draco and Theo.
It wasn’t a good day. Not at all.
They next lesson, and the last one for the day, was Care for Magical Creatures.
The new teacher for that subject was Hagrid of all people and that worried her a little. He was friendly and surely knowledgeable about Magical Creatures, but he had also hidden a dragon in his hut.
The first thing he did was explain to them how to handle their books. He seemed to genuinely be disappointed that no one had been able to open theirs yet, but who in their right mind would have guessed that you had to stroke them?
“See,” she whispered to Draco. “You should have been gentler with it. Then it wouldn’t have tried to eat your hand.”
He snorted. “I didn’t see you cuddle with that thing.”
“Just because Lucius took them away after his only heir almost lost a limb,” she claimed.
They both tried very hard not to laugh.
Hagrid led them over to a paddock and Lavender Brown’s squeal of delight was loud enough to damage someone’s hearing.
The paddock contained about a dozen creatures with bodies, hind legs and tails like horses and front legs, wings and heads like eagles. Although Hermione didn’t squeal, she also found them quite beautiful.
“Hippogriffs!” Hagrid announced happily. “Beau’ful, aren’ they?”
Potter volunteered to be the first one to approach one of the creatures and was told to not get too close, but to bow, hold eye contact and wait. If the creature bowed back, it would be safe to touch it. No sudden movements were allowed.
That sounded easy enough and it worked out well for Potter, too. He even got to ride and fly with the creature, which Hermione would definitely skip, although there was more to hold onto than on a broom.
Then they all got to try and soon she was petting the Hippogriff assigned to her while the majestic creature lowered its head so that she could easily reach it.
She smiled at Draco, who was also petting his Hippogriff.
This could have been such a nice lesson after the disaster in Defence, if Lavender Brown hadn’t been startled by a movement her Hippogriff made, or whatever else, and screeched again, this time in terror.
Draco turned around too quickly to see what was going on and his Hippogriff startled, reared up and its talon left deep scratches on Draco’s upper right arm. He fell with a scream and grabbed his arm. Hagrid rushed to usher the creatures back and Hermione ran over to Draco, so did their other friends.
He was bleeding pretty heavily and was obviously in pain. She couldn’t see much of the wounds because his hand and the now ripped robes were covering them, but judging from the amount of blood, she could imagine it was painful.
Before she could do much, Hagrid was there and picked Draco up with no effort at all and ran with him up to the castle, Hermione and the others on his heels. She only just remembered to grab her bag with Noodles on the way.
They weren’t allowed into the Hospital Wing and waited anxiously in front of the closed door while Madam Pomfrey treated their friend.
After about ten minutes, Snape appeared. “I was told there was an accident in Care for Magical Creatures. What happened?”
Daphne told him everything, her voice sounding as distressed as Hermione felt.
“Hippogriffs for third-year-students, why doesn’t that surprise me?” Snape shook his head. “I’ll go inform Lucius and Narcissa. They will be thrilled. Is everyone else alright?”
They nodded miserably and he turned to leave.
While he was gone, Madam Pomfrey reappeared. “One of you can go in. He’ll have to stay in the Hospital Wing for a few hours, but he will be just fine. Miss Granger, I believe you live with him and his parents?”
“I do.”
“Go in then.”
She felt a little guilty considering the others had known him for so much longer, but they didn’t seem to blame her and she was glad to be allowed to see him.
Draco was lying in one of the beds, arm in a sling, and still looking pale.
“Hey,” she said quietly as she sat down on the chair next to the bed.
“Hey,” he answered, giving her a thin smile.
“Does it still hurt?”
He nodded. “Yes, but Madam Pomfrey did some spells and applied Dittany. She said it will heal within a few days and it won’t leave a scar.”
She smiled, relieved. “That’s good.”
She tried to distract him a little while Madam Pomfrey worked on her desk on the far side of the room.
It didn’t take long, however, until the door opened and Lucius and Narcissa came hurrying in. Narcissa sat down on her son’s bedside while Lucius stopped next to her.
“How are you doing, darling?”
“Alright.” While he was smiling at his mother, Hermione did have the impression that he made a strong effort to look as miserable as possible while doing so. Narcissa gently stroke through his hair, looking sympathetic, but when Hermione looked up at Lucius, he gave her a wry smirk and she felt her lips turn up in return for the first time since the accident.
In the meantime, Madam Pomfrey had approached them. “Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy,” she greeted them formally. “I can assure you that your son will be completely fine in a few days. While there may still be some pain right now, and the Blood Replenishing Potion is still doing its work, he will fully recover.”
Lucius nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. So I assume Hippogriffs are now considered suitable to interact with 13-year-olds? What do students in their seventh year have to look forward to. Trolls? Dragons? Maybe a Shinohebi or two?” Hermione supressed a laugh, even Draco exchanged an amused glance with her.
The Mediwitch, however, didn’t look too happy either. “I find that questionable as well, Lord Malfoy. But it’s not like anyone wants my opinion on that, I’m merely the one dealing with the consequences.”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m sure you have done excellent work. I will, however, have a serious conversation with the headmaster now.” He looked at his son, his voice just a little softer when he addressed him. “I’ll come back once more before I go.”
Draco nodded and Lucius left the Hospital Wing in long strides.
If Dumbledore hadn’t been the one she hated most in the world, Hermione would have felt sorry for the man. As it was, she was only sorry because she wouldn’t be there to see the ‘serious conversation’.
The outcome turned out to be satisfactory. There would be no more direct contact with Hippogriffs for students under 16 and there would be more safety measures. Only one student at a time was to interact with a Hippogriff and even then they would have to be thoroughly informed about the creatures, their behaviour and the risks before they were allowed to get near them.
~tbc~