Vox Corpis [Harmione]

Chapter 57

The walk to the headmaster's tower was a tensely quiet one. When they reached Dumbledore's office it was to find the past headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts staring down at them from their paintings. Doubtless they had some notion of what had happened, the headmaster portraits always seemed to know things it would seem impossible for works of art to know, and it was clear that an attack on one student by another of such severity was unprecedented.

As soon as they were at their destination and alone (save the paintings), Harry tugged Hermione over to stand in front of him and he openly looked her over for signs of wounds.

Hermione gently pried herself from him. "Harry, I'm fine." She frowned in worry and chewed on her bottom lip. "We could be in real trouble."

Harry huffed irately and began to pace the room. "I won't apologize for stopping him from laying a hand on you, Hermione. I won't."

"Oh, Harry, please, stop and think about what you're saying."

"I know what I'm saying," Harry insisted as he paced, still agitated and edgy.

Hermione sat down in one of the large armchairs in Dumbledore's office. She ran her hands over her hair then covered her mouth with her fingers as her mind raced. She was imagining all the horrid ways this meeting could go, and it seemed each was worse than the last. Her stomach felt fit to lurch up through her throat. She watched Harry walk up and down the length of Dumbledore's office, hands restless at his sides. In her mind, she saw him as the jaguar, pacing with tail twitching.

Dumbledore entered his office and Harry strode forward to stand next to Hermione, Harry marginally closer to the headmaster than she. Hermione didn't stand to face Dumbledore for the simple fact she was worried her knees would wobble if she tried.

Dumbledore looked long and hard at his two students, then he sighed deeply and said, "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that Madam Pomfrey expects there won't be any permanent damage to Mister Malfoy's extremities. She doesn't anticipate any loss of function."

Hermione nodded in relief but Harry crossed his arms defiantly, conspicuously silent as to the good prognosis for Draco Malfoy.

"Now, perhaps one of you might tell me what happened?" Dumbledore paused a beat. "Miss Granger?"

Hermione took a steadying breath. "I was on my way back from the library when Draco took me by surprise. He started heckling me. He was saying these dreadful things, about Harry's cousin and Death Eaters and…" Hermione stopped to glance up at Harry next to her. She wasn't sure how much he'd heard before he came upon them. If he didn't hear some of the awful things Draco said she wasn't sure repeating them to Dumbledore where Harry could hear would help matters any. Harry was mad enough as it was. She decided it was best left unsaid. "I tried to get past Draco to go to the common room and he took my wand and cornered me and that's when…" Hermione trailed, but it was telling in itself. Little doubt anyone in the room was lost for knowing what had happened next.

"He was going to hurt her," Harry stated curtly.

Dumbledore looked embittered a moment then nodded sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid he was."

Harry's eyes flared and his teeth clenched.

"How did you get there when you did?" Hermione asked the headmaster, still able to see him running down the corridor toward them. She'd seen not a soul besides herself, Harry, and Draco, but just the same Dumbledore had shown up when things looked to be taking an irrevocable turn.

"The suit of armor told me something was afoot and I'd best get down there, though I do wish I'd arrived even sooner than I did," Dumbledore answered, as though that answer did not pose questions of its own.