Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Sixteen

A large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board when Harry and Ron returned to the common room after visiting Hagrid. I'd already read the new notice that had been posted; there was going to be another Hogsmeade visit.

"What d'you reckon?" Ron asked Harry quietly as they sat down near us. I glanced at Hermione where we sat, hidden behind her wall of books. She'd heard them, I could tell by her worried frown.

"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes..." Harry said, even more quietly.

"Harry!" said Hermione suddenly. 

Harry started and looked around at her.

"Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again... I'll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!" said Hermione. I tensed, waiting for Ron to react, which he did.

"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" growled Ron, not looking at Hermione. I frowned, opening my mouth to defend Hermione, but she beat me to it.

"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I'll tell —"

"So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!" said Ron furiously. "Haven't you done enough damage this year?"

I stood up, ready to punch his lights out, but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron's face, gathered up Crookshanks, and hurried away toward the girls' dormitories.

"So how about it?" Ron said to Harry as though there had been no interruption. "Come on, last time we went you didn't see anything. You haven't even been inside Zonko's yet!"

Harry looked at me nervously.

"I'm not telling anyone," I said. "But it's stupid how I'm able to stop myself from hitting this jerk," I pointed at Ron "When he can't keep his mouth from spewing garbage whenever Hermione's in the room. Considering you're friends--"

"Alright, we get it!" Ron snapped. "We've already had this conversation with Hagrid, thanks--"

"Then you should probably listen to him!" I shot back. "You've always complained about Scabbers, how he was boring, how he never did anything, and now that Crookshanks has killed him, you're all upset over him. You've made Hermione cry multiple times, and to be completely frank with you, if I were her, I'd rather hang out with Malfoy than you."

I decided that could probably shock them into place, but I was tired of having to defend Hermione from Ron, someone who was supposed to be nice to her. I wondered if I should've told on Harry, or at least stolen the map and hidden it so he couldn't use it, but that would shatter whatever trust he had in me if he found out, and I couldn't afford that, because he was being decent to Hermione.

I turned and went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

Hermione came into the dorm on Saturday, tears streaming down her face. She was holding a piece of parchment in her hands. Without speaking or replying to any of my questions about her state, she handed the paper to me.

The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read even with my contra-dyslexic glasses on.

Dear Hermione,
We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has
enjoyed London.
I won't forget all the help you and Ash gave us.
Hagrid

"I can't believe he lost," I said.

"We should go and tell Harry and Ron," Hermione said, wiping her face. "They'll want to know."