The Project Partners
Hermione had been spending the last two weeks of summer at the Weasleys. If it was for her parents, she wouldn't leave home until September 1st. She would miss them a lot, but this summer was different. After what happened at the Ministry, her mind would find its ways to worry about her friend no matter how hard she tried not to think of that day.
After Sirius's death, Harry became quite ill. The illness wasn't the usual type of sickness that affected his body. There weren't any symptoms of a fever, sore throat or anything like that. It was just that his mind seemed to be elsewhere all the time. And he couldn't sleep at all. Sometimes he would only leave his bed to grab a bite. But, as time passed by, Harry slowly started feeling stronger again and gradually returned to his normal healthy self.
Hermione had only seen the 'recovered' version of him, but he still seemed worrisome. Ron had been writing to her all summer. Dumbledore convinced the Dursleys that it was better for Harry to stay at his friend's house. They weren't upset at all, of course. Dudley was quick to invade Harry's abandoned room. Hermione told Ron not to push him, to give him time. He and the Weasleys were sad for Harry but they didn't overwhelm him during the process. When Hermione came, she could see that sometimes he would pretend to be okay to not worry anyone. But thankfully, after months of being around his friends, he seemed so much better.
Except for his crazy ideas.
"I'm telling you, he's one of them!"
Hermione closed her eyes not to eye roll. She was happy that her friend was okay, but she just couldn't agree with his way of thinking. It wasn't just crazy, it was unrealistic and even delusional to her.
"One of who?" Ron sat at the Gryffindor table, next to Hermione.
She checked for any eavesdroppers and whispered. "Harry believes that, Draco Malfoy is now...” She shook her head tiredly. "A Death Eater!"
"What?!" Ron choke on his food and reached for the water. Hermione patted his back, waiting for him to feel better. "You can't be serious.”
Harry remained calm and quiet despite his annoyance. Ron looked at Hermione in a way that he would when he wanted to confirm something. "But he can't be, right?"
Hermione nodded approvingly. "Being a Death Eater is not like signing up for a student club. Do you even know who they are Harry?" She looked around once again, luckily most of the students preferred to sleep over breakfast this Sunday. "They were his friends, or more like his classmates. He didn't even manipulate them, they already were blood supremacists. All the Death Eaters were and are very powerful witches and wizards. They have sent countless killing curses and tortured numerous people... Now, let's be reasonable for a second. Why someone like you-know-who would want a sixth-year student in his inner circle? What spells can Draco even do??"
Harry kept playing with his food while Ron cautiously watched the two. "She's right, Harry. You have to at least kill someone to be one of them—"
Harry looked up. His eyes could pierce through them if he wanted, but they weren’t his target. "Maybe he already did."
"Harry!" Hermione warned. "You can't say things like that, he's still a student."
"Tom Riddle was also a student and we know what he was capable of," he said bitterly. Harry never liked Draco, that was understandable, but the things he was saying… it wasn’t like him, it didn’t even make sense to her.
Ron's eyes widened. "Mate, he was and still is a lunatic. Malfoy is just a scaredy-cat who’d always threaten people by using his father, who is in Azkaban right now," Harry looked at Hermione and sighed. "The only problem Malfoy is going to cause this year would be beating us at the Quidditch games!"
Harry smirked at him. "So, you'll finally try?"
"Of course, I will. My best friend and my sister are already in the team. It will be like home,"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You know, during the eliminations, we won't, uh, I mean I won't be... biased."
"Oh," Ron seemed somewhat taken aback by the news. He was obviously hoping that his connections would help him out a bit. "I know, of course not! My best friend being the captain of the team won't change anything, for sure. I meant to say that I would feel welcomed.“
Hermione had seen him play Quidditch at the Burrow many times before and he was quite good at it. She didn't know why he thought he would need Harry's support as a captain. "Ron... believe me when I say this, you're really good. I have seen you practice.“ She smiled, feeling relieved that they had changed the subject.
Ron's cheeks flushed red, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Thanks,"
Harry looked at the two as the silence grew and cleared his throat. "Will you be there Hermione?"
"Can I?"
"Absolutely, I'm the captain." He grinned while shrugging.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but didn't say anything back. She was just happy that he was back to being Harry, she had missed his jokes. Besides, he wouldn't boast much normally and he had deserved it this time.Taking on the role of captain wasn't an easy thing, but it seemed like the role was just right for him. It was in his blood after all.
"And I will be the next keeper!" Ron stood up abruptly. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him in confusion.
"Are you going somewhere?" She asked.
"Yeah, I have to practice my turns. My left arm is too slow, right Harry?" Harry didn't know what to say and just stared at him. "You want to come along?"
Harry looked at his half-eaten plate. "Do you need my help?"
"Maybe..." he lowered his head and finally saw Harry's plate, "it's okay, I'll be fine. We're practising tomorrow anyway," he said and rushed outside.
Harry glanced at the place he was sitting just now. "He seems excited,"
"I hope he won't be too excited,"
Harry raised his eyebrows, a small grin on his face. "That was very nice of you.“
"I was just telling the truth.“ Hermione shrugged.
"I know, I say it, too..." he smiled. "But, he just loves it when he hears things like that from you."
Hermione blinked nervously. "Me?"
"Yeah, he doesn't always believe me, but you rarely compliment him, so..."
She threw a crumb of bread at him. "Of course I do… when I'm impressed.“
"That's what I'm trying to say. Since you are not easily impressed, we all take it very seriously."
"What do you mean 'all'?"
"I mean the whole House, maybe even other houses as well," he watched the room.
Hermione had no idea that she had such an impact on the people around her. She wasn't hard to impress at all, she just wouldn't word it every single time. She felt bad knowing that people valued her compliments a lot just because of the lackness of them. That wasn't the effect she wanted to have on them. But maybe, it was good in the end, her opinions were valued, like seriously valued.
"Don't think too much about it,"
"I wasn't—"
"Yeah," he laughed. "Anyways—"
She interrupted him this time. "What do you think of Slughorn?"
"What is there to think about him?"
"He's the new Potions professor, Harry! We've never had any potions professors besides Snape, I want to know more about him, naturally…"
"Naturally," he repeated. "Look, I don't know much and I don't care. I'm not taking potions this year anyway. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about the DADA classes since Snape teaches it now,"
"He's not the most pleasant professor, but he knows the dark arts, Harry. He can teach us how to defend ourselves. You know, unlike Umbridge," she let out a sigh.
Harry thought for a second. "You're right, I guess..."
Hermione looked at the professors' table, imagining them sitting there. Snape would have that frown on his harsh face and keep a tight eye on them, as he usually did. She never understood why he would always observe them like that. Yes, they were a handful at times, but he had been that way since the beginning. She assumed he had something against her at first, but he was like this with all of the students, particularly Gryffindors. She had never seen him yell at a Slytherin student before. He would always make sure to scold them in private. She had no idea how good or bad he was to them, which may be precisely what he intended. To be fair, none of the house professors would scold their students in front of everyone unless it was about the class. Perhaps the professors, just like the students, made the same distinction between themselves.
"Harry," she mumbled.
"Hmm," Harry shifted his attention from his plate to her.
"Do you think we should do the meetings again?" she hesitantly asked.
"What meetings?"
"DA meetings, of course," she whispered tensely.
"Oh," he averted his eyes to a nearby student who was passing by their table and watched him leave. "I don't think that would be the best idea, you know, with Dumbledore and everything else that happened last year,"
"You're right, that was my initial thought as well. I still wanted to ask you,"
"I'm not sure if we can even have time for it after Snape's lessons, have you seen his curriculum?" He asked unbelievingly.
"I have, I think he wants to make up for last year," she looked at the professors' table again and caught sight of Draco for a moment, who was sitting and eating all by himself. The contrast between his black suit and his blond hair made it easy to draw attention to himself. It wasn't like him to stay quiet and alone. She knew he stopped hanging around with Crabbe and Goyle and she supposed it was to not bring any more unwanted attention to themselves. Their fathers were also Death Eaters and she never saw either of them with Draco. She could understand the logic, but Zabini wouldn't do the same too, right? He didn't seem like someone who would stop talking to his friends because of his father.
Harry waved his hand in front of her. "Hello?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was distracted for a second. You were saying?"
"I was saying that I want to sleep a bit," he looked at her as if he was asking for her permission. Not the permission to go, but to leave her alone.
"I'm good, go rest."
He smiled, thanking her and left the hall almost running. She chuckled after him and finished her breakfast, getting ready to walk around the castle. She hadn't been doing her duties as good as she did last year and she wanted to stop that habit before it even started. It would be better if Ron joined her too, but she knew he would never leave his practice and walk around the castle, doing nothing. She could do it alone just fine, but it was always good to have some company.
Hermione strolled around the castle, dragging her feet on the old stones. As she walked by the columns, her eyes darted from one to the next, expecting to spot anything noteworthy. She wasn't too disappointed, though, for there were ghosts in every nook and corner of the castle. She could hear their voices calling out to each other, whispering and laughing. They floated around like moths drawn to a flame, some haunting the classrooms, which were packed with students, and others roaming the halls, looking for anything slightly fascinating. It was all a little creepy, but Hermione didn't seem to mind. She only wanted to do a good job.
A first-year ran up to her the moment she saw her. "Hello," the girl said shyly. "You are a prefect, right?"
Hermione smiled at her. "I am, is there a problem?"
"Uhm, I think, I just got lost. I don't have many friends yet and I went out to see the castle. I had no idea it was this BIG.“ It was impossible to miss the excitement in her eyes. Hermione had a feeling that the girl would later tour the castle many times.
Hermione chuckled. "Don't worry, it happens to us all. What's your house?" The girl was in her casual clothes.
"Slytherin.“
"Alright, how about finding one of your prefects?"
The girl beamed and nodded, holding the hand Hermione held out. Hermione showed her the classrooms and the portraits to help her remember and the girl named them out loud as they walked past them. They finally reached the Great Hall and looked at the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting there not so long ago, but he seemed to be gone now. Luckily, another Slytherin prefect that she didn't know was about to leave. She rushed to her and showed her badge.
"Hello, you are a prefect, right? I am Hermione Granger, I'm also a prefect.“
The girl looked at her blankly. "I know who you are.“
"Oh," she wasn't sure it was a good thing.
"I heard you were called the brightest witch of her age. I'm a year younger, but I heard about you a lot," she didn't sound offensive, it was a rather impressed tone.
That was not something she was expecting, not at all. "Ah, thank you," she smiled. "Oh, right. This student here needs some help with the castle. I'd be glad if you could help her with whatever problem she might have.“
The girl's mouth fell open and she smiled. "Uh, okay, yeah of course," she held the little girl's hand and looked at Hermione. "My name is Alicia by the way.“
Hermione smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Alicia." She nodded as they left.
After helping at least one student, she felt it was okay to go to her dorm and relax a bit. She spent the day playing card games and chatting with her fellow housemates. She had missed their company and being in the dorm so much that she didn't even realise the time. She definitely wouldn't like to miss Slughorn's class.
—
"Hermione, are you coming?" Ginny called out.
"Oh, yes, I needed to fix my hair a bit, I'm good to go now," she smiled at the girl and wrapped her arm around hers before reaching to a corner statue. "I guess this is where we part ways," she said dramatically and waved Ginny off.
The class was noticeably quieter without Harry and Ron, but it didn't last long. The two hurried in just as she set her book and quill on the table. They hadn't planned on taking Potions this year, but since they didn't need an O to attend Slughorn's class, they changed their minds. When the professor told them there were more books in the cabinet, they made quite a noise over there. Harry approached her and placed the book on the table; it was an old and battered copy. Ron on the other hand had a brand new one and she understood what the fuss was about.
"I'm hoping that all of you, maybe not all but most of you, will do great this year! I like to reward talent and effort, do not forget," he looked around the room, grinning. "Now, who would like to tell me the purpose of the draught of living death?”
Hermione's hand flew into the air. "Yes, Ms?"
"Granger, sir."
"Oh, yes. I've heard a lot about you," he smiled happily.
She smiled back and continued. "The draught of living death is an extremely powerful sleeping potion that sends the drinker into a death-like slumber."
"Yes, Ms. Granger. The perfect answer, 10 points to Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor students all looked proudly at her while the Slytherins didn't seem that pleased at all. The professor told them to open the page and start brewing. An hour had passed and Hermione was about to lose her mind. She had never been this bad at any potion before and she didn't know what was she doing wrong. The instructions were clear and she was following them all, but it still didn't seem enough.
Slughorn began strolling about and inspecting the potions as the time ran out. Some of them frightened him, and just a handful of them made him smile. He eventually approached Hermione and examined her cauldron. He didn't appear to be overjoyed, but he grinned nevertheless. "Don't get discouraged, Ms. Granger; making this potion is extremely difficult. Mr. Malfoy and you were the only ones who got this close,” Hermione and Draco exchanged glances before she turned to face the professor. "It only needs some work, keep going and you'll be excellent!"
She put down her book and buried her face in her hands, wondering what she had done wrong. Slughorn's unexpected grunt stopped her thoughts. She assumed something had gone wrong, but he was staring at Harry and his cauldron, grinning with delight. "Mr. Potter? I, this, this is perfect! How did you? I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since your mother was also an exceptional student! Very good, my son. 10 more points to Gryffindor!" He turned to the class. "I want each of you to practice this potion once again in your free time and show me your results. The class is dismissed for the day."
The entire class began to approach and peer into Harry's cauldron. Even Malfoy cast a peek as he walked away, and she found his inability to suppress his curiosity amusing. He was amusing in his own way. Hermione, too, had a glance at his cauldron. It really was the perfect colour. She was usually better with potions and couldn't even come close; she had no idea how he had suddenly improved so much.
"How did you do it?" She whispered.
Harry chuckled and shrugged. "I don't know, I followed the instructions,"
"No, you didn't. You were doing some of the things differently. How did you know?"
Harry grabbed her arm and led her outside. "I will tell you, but not here okay?"
She frowned at his secrecy. "Why?"
"Just, listen to me. I will tell you guys everything in the common room tonight.”
She nodded and went to the Great Hall. With the classes and her prefect duties, the day seemed to pass brutally slow. The boys were practising tonight and she decided to go and watch them to kill some time. She knew they could reserve the field for a team practice, but since this was only between them, there were many players just like them. She noticed the Ravenclaw seeker right away, he was also a prefect. The field wasn't too crowded, but the players from all the houses were there. Everyone was practising for the upcoming tryouts. She went to the viewing area and took a seat. The weather was a bit colder there and she mentally praised herself for bringing a cardigan.
A little over 10 minutes passed and a blond man came into her view. She considered nodding when she spotted him, but he seemed uninterested in his surroundings. He sat two rows below her, crossing his legs. Malfoy would definitely mock Ron's skills now that he was practising, but instead of being there with them, he was just sitting on the sideline and watching his teammates. It was an unfamiliar sight since he would never miss the chance to be on the field. She wouldn't approach him and ask him what was going on, even though she was curious. No matter how often they had talked before, striking up a casual conversation with him was still a foreign territory for her, and she was apprehensive to be the first to take that step.
There was another player who also wanted Ron's position, Cormac McLaggen. After saving the quaffles, Ron began waving at her, and he wondered where Ron was looking, so he began staring at Hermione as well. She didn't like how he was staring at her; he wasn't far away, and she could see the grin on his face every time their eyes met. She tried not to look at him, but he was so close to Ron that she didn't have an option.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Malfoy turned a little to the side, showing the left side of his face.
"What??"
Of all people, why would he ask such a question? He knew her at least enough to know that she wouldn't date ‘Cormac McLaggen’.
"That bloke keeps looking around here, it's irritatin.”
"No, he's not my boyfriend. I don't know what you're talking about." She wrapped her cardigan around herself a little more tightly.
Malfoy shook his head, smirking. "Of course you do, you're not stupid Granger. The boy is trying to flirt while flying on his bloody broom for Merlin's sake.”
Her mouth fell open. "I mean, I... I have noticed it. But he might not be flirting at all, even if he is I don't care.”
He fully turned to her, making her pound. They were the only ones in that section, too. "Really? Don't tell me you're going to break his heart, Granger. I'm sure he is a very good guy," he laughed by himself.
"Mind your own business, Malfoy. Besides, why don't you tell me why you're not practising? You think your place is secure?"
He stopped laughing and looked away before deciding whether to speak or not. "I'm not playing.”
She wasn't sure if she had correctly heard him. He was as devoted to Quidditch as Harry was, and she knew he would never quit it. Was it because of his father? The more she thought about it, it made more sense; he'd been quieter this year than he'd ever been. His shoulders weren't squared all the time, he wouldn't walk around the castle with his mates or talk to anyone... at all.
"Hermione!" Ron called out. He had flown to them and was hanging in the air while grabbing onto the wooden balcony. He frowned at Malfoy. "What are you doing here?"
"Watching you fail miserably," he answered immediately.
She walked down the stairs. "What happened?"
"I'm a bit thirsty, do you have your water bottle?" he continued to eye Malfoy.
She went to grab her bag. "Yeah, here."
He drank it in one gulp and thanked her, flying back to his place. She stood there, watching all the players. But this time, Malfoy was right beside her; she felt too conscious of her spot. She didn't know whether to stay or leave and as the seconds passed, she decided to stay put. She would leave soon.
After remembering what he said, she turned to him. "What do you mean you're not playing? Not at all?"
His eyebrows drew near, a frown crossing his features. "Why do you want to know?" He would always use the same tone when he didn't want to answer something. And she would push.
She rolled her eyes and sat a little away from him. "I'm just trying to have a small conversation, Draco. It's either that or prefect talk, you choose.”
He stopped, staring at the Gryffindor girl next to him. He pressed his lips together in a slight grimace. When he finally looked away, he swallowed quietly. "I, I'm... I got injured.”
"What??" She sounded almost too worried that even he noticed it, looking back at her with confused eyes. She cleared her throat. "Is it bad?"
"Nevermind, Granger. You can tell your friends they can win this year," he said smugly.
Hermione blinked in disbelief. "I admit that you're a good player, Malfoy, but our team can win whether you play or not.”
For the first time this year, she heard him chuckle. It didn't last long, but it seemed to have an instant warming impact on her more than the cardigan she had brought. She shook her head a little and put a little more distance between them.
"We'll see about that," he watched the players in the air before turning to look at her again. "Why don't you play?"
"Me??" she stared at him in shock. What an absurd question.
"Yeah," he gave a small nod, "you're always watching and I'm pretty sure you know all the rules by now. Why not try out? Are you afraid of getting hit?"
She turned to him, straightening her back. "No, I'm not afraid of getting hit. I just don't, I don't really like to fly.”
His eyebrows shot up. "What?"
"You heard me.” she was unwilling to look at him. Why was she even sharing something so personal?
"What sort of witch doesn't like to fly? Of course, you were not familiar with it your whole life, but I never heard any of other muggleborns say anything like that," he sighed and looked away to gather his thought. "Wait, do not tell me... that you are afraid of heights?"
"I'm not afraid of heights! What's with you today, do I need to be afraid of something?"
"That seems like the only plausible reason..." he thought for a moment, "but no, I heard you and your friends took the thestrals last year—"
Hermione froze. "How do you know about that?"
"Of course I know, it doesn't matter how," he waited for a second, "you don't like flying with the broom?" He asked unbelievingly. Of course it would sound ridiculous to a Quidditch player. Or an ex-player...?
Hermione didn't want to answer, but at the same she did and Malfoy noticed her conflict. "Wow, Granger. I wouldn't expect that at all, but when I think again, I don't remember seeing you riding one." He laughed. His laughter didn't sound pleasant to her ears and he wouldn't stop for a second. She wasn't going to have any more of this and stood up to leave.
"Have you changed your mind?" he asked and pointed to the field.
"No, Malfoy. I decided not to waste any of my time here.”
"Alright, Granger." He smirked continuing to watch the players.
—
"The Dark Arts, are many, varied and ever-changing. What that means is that you can't go by the book, sometimes you will have to improvise. Fighting a dark art is like fighting against a hydra, I believe you know what that is already. What happens if you chop one of hydra's heads?"
Hermione raised her hand and Snape waited for someone else to answer, but when no one did, he gave her permission to speak. "If you cut one of its heads, another two heads grow instead."
"Yes, and if you don't fully defeat your opponent, their magic might change and strike you twofold. Do not forget that magic evolves and mutates. Your defence should also be as flexible as the dark art itself.”
He walked around the tables. "You have had five professors on this subject before me. They all had different approaches and do not be surprised if mine is unfamiliar. I won't be keeping things theoretical like before, but rather ask you to use your wand at all times. You will keep them away only when you're doing wandless spells," he walked back to his desk, taking out a black bag from his drawer. "I'm not sure how any of you managed to pass your O.W.Ls but... I will be expecting full focus and performance in my class. This is Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts and you are expected to be perfect. To do that, you will be working and practising in pairs during my class. The pairs can choose the spells they want to work on, but I'm expecting a duel from each pair every week understood?"
The whole class nodded in silence and he grumbled holding out the bag to the first student, Seamus Finnigan. "Pick your partner.”
"What?" Ron exclaimed.
"Is there a problem Mr. Weasley?" Snape narrowed his eyes at him. "You weren't expecting me to let you all be with your best friends, did you? Now pick, Mr. Finnigan.”
Seamus snatched a piece of paper out and read, "Parvati Patil.”
The girl didn't seem too happy as she quietly started ranting to her friend. It wasn't good for them to be sharing this class with Slytherins, but she still had the chance of picking a Gryffindor. Many of them chose their own house. Snape kept walking and reached Harry and Ron's desk. Harry picked Blaise Zabini while Ron picked one of his good friends, Dean Thomas. Harry looked at Blaise and nodded awkwardly. Snape stood in front of her and grimaced as he waited. She placed her hand in and picked out a card. When she opened the paper, her blood ran cold. Snape looked at it and smugly smirked.
"Mr. Malfoy!"
"What?" Malfoy called out. "I refuse!"
"Excuse me?! Did I say anything about having a chance to change your partners? Did I?!" Snape's deep threatening voice right next to her made her flinch. Malfoy looked away and Snape proceeded to walk. "That's what I thought."
He turned around and glared at the class. "I don't care if any of you love or hate your partners. It will be better if you don't like them, in my opinion. It might feel like an actual duel."
As the class ended, Hermione held the piece of paper in her hands. She could've chosen anyone! Yes, they would occasionally talk and be around each other, but none of it was because they wanted to!
Snape left the classroom and she saw everyone leaving their desks to meet with their partners. She and her partner were the only ones sitting. She didn't know if he was waiting or just simply refusing, but this was something they had to do as soon as possible. She stood up and walked towards him, but when he noticed her he grabbed his bag and made a move to leave.
She called out after him when he passed her by. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
He stopped and turned to point his finger at her. "I'm not doing this!"
“Yes, you are. I won't let you ruin my class, Malfoy!"
He rubbed his temples. "We already know everything, this is a waste of time."
"The last time you said this, I agreed with your plan. Now it's your turn," she crossed her arms in front of her. He had said the same thing about patrolling and she agreed with his plan to shorten their time, now he owed her the same.
Malfoy stared at her for a second and groaned. "Ah... I really hate this, and you being my partner... It's like a joke!"
"Don't worry, seeing your face more is not something I would want as well, but here we are. Let's do this without any trouble.”
Malfoy laughed. "Yeah, like that's possible.”
"We will see what's possible and what is not. Now, let's set the time and place.”
"I'm busy.”
"Really? You're not even playing this year," she spoke harshly.
Malfoy clenched his jaw and sighed deeply. "I won't give my mornings or nights. Sometime in the evening is okay.”
"Okay, let's do it today after the classes,“.”
Malfoy groaned once again. "I can't believe you, we were just partnered with."
Hermione shrugged, "Why should we waste time?"
"I see what you're doing," he scoffed. "Alright, today at seven at the..."
"The room of requirement?" she suggested.
"What? No."
"Why not? That's the perfect place, I'm sure many will practice in the duelling rooms and empty classrooms and if we can be quick, we might save ourselves a spot.”
He looked away, tapping his foot. It was the perfect place, she didn't understand why he wouldn't want it. "Okay, but only one hour," he closed his eyes in defeat.
"I agree, it's more than enough,"
He scratched his neck and sighed deeply, "Do I need to bring anything?"
"No, I will have my notes if needed. You just need to be there on time and bring your wand."
He nodded and left before giving her another displeased look. She watched him go, not quite sure what just happened, or how it would affect the rest of her plans for the year. It was clear that this year was going to be a complete change for both of them. But how would she continue to partner with someone her best friend accused of being a Death Eater?