Hurt | Remus Lupin

~11~ The Quidditch Cup

"Why do we have the Dementors floating around if Sirius Black will just keep getting into the castle?" I whispered angrily. 

Everyone was still in the Common Room, while the castle was being searched. We were told to go back to bed, but no one could sleep. After a couple of hours, McGonagall returned to tell us that Black had escaped.

The next day, security had been tightened greatly. I was truly glad that Sir Cadogan was gone, and the Fat Lady was back. However, now she was security too which meant that there were two trolls standing in front of her portrait. Apparently Ron was now becoming popular, with people from Ravenlcaw and Hufflepuff asking him to repeat his story. 

Poor Neville had everything bad going on for him. He was detention, was banned from going to Hogsmeade, and wasn't allowed to know the password. He had to wait for someone to let him in. I made him tell me his entire schedule so that I could know when he would be returning to the Common Room so that I could let him in. Unfortunately, a few days later, he got a howler from his grandmother at breakfast.

"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised.

Neville didn't need telling twice. He seized the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. They heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall -- Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its Usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family.

Everyone was laughing and I stood up angrily. 

"ALL OF YOU SHUT YOUR TRAPS BEFORE I MAKE YOU SHUT UP!"

The entire hall stopped laughing as I glared around before sitting back down.  

IN DADA, Lupin called me back after class. 

"Are you alright Miss. Finnigan? You still seem a bit shaky." 

I shrugged. "M'alright, just a lot of stress. I wasn't expecting my last year at Hogwarts to be so chaotic."

"I understand, just..... let me know if you need to talk alright?"

I smiled and thanked him, before heading up to the Common Room.

The next day, after Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid was walking everyone back to the castle.
I had just learned that he lost the case for Buckbeak, and that the hippogriff will now be executed. 

He was blubbering and crying the whole time, while Ron tried to make him feel better. When we all got the castle, Hagrid blew into his handkerchief and turned back around.

"Poor Hagrid." I said sadly. 

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Harry, Ron and I made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first -- SMACK!

She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. "Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul -- you evil --"

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.

"Get off, Ron!" 

"Yeah Ron! Get off!" I said gleefully as I watched. 

Hermione pulled out her wand, and Malfoy stepped away. 

"Come on." he muttered to his friends and they all hurried away.

"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"