Through A Looking Glass

Chapter 5 - The Unexpected Rendezvous

In the Gryffindor common room, two weeks after classes, Harry arrived with his Firebolt on his shoulders. He had been through an early Quidditch practice and had stayed up later than the rest of the team, who all went back to their common rooms ages ago. He had never wanted to win the Quidditch Cup once more in his whole life. Perhaps because it was his final year at Hogwarts and it would be particularly difficult for him, especially him (as he is now the team captain of the Gryffindor team) to have the cup slip off their hands. But what was even more difficult to stomach was the thought of the Slytherins getting hold of it instead of them. He could just imagine the smear Malfoy would be wearing.

"You're extremely late, Harry" suddenly came Hermione's voice from his side.

Harry noticed that the whole Gryffindor common room was deserted except for the one whole table where Hermione was doing some late work. Glancing at his watch, Harry realized that it was dead late. It was ten minutes after twelve in the morning. "How could he have stayed that long?" he mused as he approached the very tired-looking Hermione.

"I'm not the only one staying up late here, Hermione. Look at you. What is this, homework 'till the crack of dawn?" he said slumping at the chair beside her. Now that his Quidditch thoughts were away, he started feeling numb with tire and sleepy. Hermione was saying something but his eyelids were already flattering close.

"Harry, listen. I'm having a very difficult time. Ron's still not talking to me, although I admit that I'd be pretty surprised if he did talk to me this soon y'know. Hey are you still up?"

"Yep."

"Good. Anyway, I was thinking if you would like to join me in studying for the N.E.W.T.s because I'm starting to feel really stupid sitting in the library alone with er...around. And Ron, he's acting really peculiar...Harry? Still up Harry?" Hermione prodded but he did not stir. She looked at him desperately and groaned.

Actually, what she just told him, if he had only been listening, was the mild truth. She was not having a difficult time. She was having a terrible time. Ron had been acting weirdly nowadays. Not in a usual weird kind of way, but in an annoyingly weird way. As Hermione saw it, he had been strutting around all week, laughing loud with lots of people she didn't even know. Of course she knew that this was perfectly normal for Ron since Mr. Weasley just had had what the Gryffindors called the 'coolest job on Earth' and it was alright for him to be proud of that fact. But the way he was acting was not proud but way too proud and way too loud. She was starting to doubt whether he was really joking when he told Malfoy about his Priority Friends List because just the other day she saw him pulling out what seemed to be a small bit of parchment. Then glancing up to see a group of Slytherin kids, he hastily placed it in his robes before he went out to greet them like a dog. She even heard him say,

"Hey Albertine, right? Of the Slytherin team? 'Course you know me, eh? Ronald Weasley of the League Against the Dark Arts..."

Hermione smirked. The way he had said it was as if he was actually the one in the league and not Mr. Weasley. And Ronald Weasley? Since when did he ever become Ronald?! Even the mere memory of Ron's twisted grin annoyed the hell out of her. And Priority Friends List? Come on. That's not just stupid but so not Ron. He had stayed friends with her even if she was a Muggle-born, not entirely a very popular line to belong to.

'But you're not talking right now. Sure, he's still your friend, but is it the same there? What if you're not in his Priority-Stupid-List after all?' Hermione thought weakly. Then glancing at Harry, she sighed,

"If you could just listen to me, Harry. I think that's just fair since I haven't done work all night, just been waiting here for you to finish with that Quidditch practice...And I got loads to do--Loads and loads of work!" she told the Harry, who was still sleeping soundly). Without her noticing it, hot tears traced her cheeks. Now that both her best friends are out in space, she just didn't know what to do. She had never been this helpless before and if she continued at this pace, she would have nothing done and she could just kiss her N.E.W.T.s goodbye.

"If only someone would listen..." she glanced at Harry at her side and saw his head bob sideways. Finally, she stood up and got her wand. Then after puling out a blanket from thin air and tucking it just below Harry's chin, she whispered,

"Night Harry, 'night Ron."

With that, she shrugged her thoughts away and walked towards the girl's dormitories. If she continued talking to a sleeping Harry, she'd go crazy. But midway through, she changed her mind and thought that she was too anxious to sleep. So she walked past Harry (still sleeping soundly) towards the portrait of the Fat Lady ("Where are you going, young lady? Strolling by the lake? What, at this time? Blah!"). Hermione wasn't really planning to go strolling by the lake but as she found out, she didn't have anywhere else to go anyway. So she continued walking, cautious to look for any sign of a professor, but there was none. It wasn't very long until she found herself already facing the silvery glint of the lake that was illuminated by the blue moon. Before she could let the peaceful lake take her thoughts away, she recognized the reflection of a very familiar tree in it. It was moving softly with the wind and looking quite innocent this time, but Hermione knew better than be fooled. It was the Whomping Willow. The violent tree that she had seen Ron disappear into with a crack of his leg during their fourth year--Ron who wasn't even talking to her. That was painful to remember so she turned to the gray brick wall of the castle at her back instead. Then in a mighty rush of wings that changed color every minute, Hermione's exploits with Harry and Buckbeak in order to save Sirius Black came flooding back to her. She could clearly remember them flying towards Professor Flitwick's office in the seventh floor.

"It should be that window..." whispered Hermione tracing the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. Harry--who was too busy to even listen. But before she had time to weep over her situation again, her eyes darted upwards to the dark Owlery window. She didn't know what triggered her to do it but her instincts told her something was watching her from that window. She almost screamed when a great Eagle owl fluttered majestically out of the window.

"Who would want to send his messages at the dead of the night?" she thought, feeling a little jumpy. Then, realizing how suspicious it would also look if someone spotted her strolling by the lake--alone, Hermione decided to return to the Gryffindor Tower. She checked the corridors for anyone, then walked as fast as she could towards the Tower. Panic started to fill her as she understood that this would not be her first time to be caught out late by a professor. She was already imagining the reproving look Professor McGonagall would give her when she jammed her foot in a nearby bin.

"Ouch!" Hermione shrieked in surprise. But quickly realizing what she had done, she gasped, terror written all over her face. In the dark hallway of the castle, she could almost make out the distant scrambling of feet, surely bound to find out who the transgressor was.

"C'mon! Get off my feet now!" Hermione kept saying, pulling at what looked to her as a

silver bucket-shaped thing with the word 'intruders' scratched on its side. Probably one of Filch's toys to get back to students who sneaked out at night like her.

"Get off now, please..." she whimpered, pulling as hard as she could. She was scared to death. What if she was caught and they didn't let her take the N.E.W.Ts? That's an even better way to fail the exams. Now she won't even be able to take it!

'Great, just great!' Hermione thought frustrated when the thing finally let her foot go. She whirred around looking frantically for a place to hide but she knew it was too late. She could hear the footsteps more distinctly this time as if the person was bound to turn up on her soon. Whimpering with pain, she hopped one-legged towards a narrow corridor at her right. She leaned on the dark wall for support and after only moving a few steps away from the scene of the crime, she was already panting with exhaustion and pain.

"Here sir, I heard the student shout and I'm absolutely sure it knocked my silverware apart. There, I can see a definite crack. This is damage to my property sir! I do hope the headmaster hears about this..." Filch said as Hermione held her breath.

"Stop blabbing about that thing Filch and help me find that student. I'm sure whoever it is, they haven't gone very far," came the drawling voice of none other than Snape. Hermione heard him shuffling to her direction but before she could curse herself for strolling out late, a cold hand covered her mouth and she felt the wall behind her tip to the right.

Hermione gasped.

She was standing face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. The green lights behind him were casting eerie shadows on his face.