"Did you hear that Potter is in the med wing?" Ginny asked, sitting down at the Gryffindor table the next morning.
"Really?" Neville asked with a frown, poking at his sausages.
"Yeah, apparently he had a mental breakdown in the hallway," Ginny said reaching for orange juice "Padma said he basically went insane and tried hexing a first year,"
"That's not true," Hermione said angrily.
"How would you know?" Neville asked.
"You weren't there," Ron said before biting his lip with worry "were you?"
"Well," Hermione swallowed "no, but if he hexed someone he wouldn't still be in the school he'd be expelled."
"That's what you'd think," Ginny said with a shrug "but think of all the stuff he's gotten away with already."
"That's true," Hermione said softly, taking a bite of her toast. Guilt filled her stomach and the dry bread felt like cement going down.
"Besides everyone knows he's a bad guy," Ginny shrugged.
"I heard he killed his owl," a Gryffindor boy who was eavesdropping chimed in.
"No!" Ginny gasped.
"Yeah, he left with one didn't he? Now he doesn't have one anymore," the kid said with a frown "Can't imagine hurting an innocent owl, meself. Mine is the sweetest thing, I'd rather die."
Hermione frowned and focused on cutting up her breakfast into tiny pieces.
"And the whole fire thing," Ron added quietly "that's definitely not normal."
"What thing?" the kid asked.
Ron ignored him and went back to eating his breakfast. The group sat in silence all in their own thoughts. Hermione sighed after a moment.
"I'm not hungry," she said. "Ginny I think I found your book"
Ginny sat up and her eyes widened. Hermione took the small black book from her pocket and handed it to the small girl.
"Potter had it," Hermione said with a frown.
"I knew he stole it," Ginny said with a frown.
Ron frowned as well.
"I'll teach that git to take your things," he said clenching his fist around his fork.
"Yeah, well I'm heading to the library," Hermione said with a shrug.
"I'll come with you," Neville said standing up as well.
