Revelation

REVELATION

CHAPTER SEVEN-FRAMED?

"Go get Professor Dumbledore!" someone cried.

Amy took the offer up and jogged down the corridor. I crouched down in front of Professor Solaris.

"Professor? Are you okay?" I asked gently.

Professor Solaris still looked dazed and confused.

I looked up at Harry. Alex was standing behind Lavender with the strangest look on his face.

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape came hurrying down the corridor.

"Oh dear," Professor McGonagall said putting a hand over her mouth.

Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall helped Professor Solaris get to her feet.

"Into the classroom," Professor Dumbledore said.

No one argued with him as they all entered the classroom. Harry and I took our seats again and began whispering.

"What on earth...?" I whispered shocked.

"I don't know...but I'm getting a feeling that Professor Solaris was framed," Harry said.

"Framed? How? Harry, she has the evidence all over her!" I said stunned.

"That doesn't matter...the 'person' could've planted it on her," Harry continued reasonably.

I frowned. "I don't know...it just seems strange. I think she did it herself,"

Harry looked at me.

"And why would she do something like that herself? What would be her motive?"

"I don't know alright? But that was plain as day!" I argued.

Harry shook his head. "I know you mistrust people easily, Hermione. But to mistrust a teacher? I seriously doubt Professor Solaris would kill a student,"

I glared at him.

"I see where your loyalties lie," I snarled.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "My loyalties are with someone who in their right mind would never ever hurt a student!"

"Fine," I snapped.

I abruptly turned away from him.

I didn't speak to him for the rest of the day.

Ron wasn't speaking to me and neither was Harry. I basically was on my own.

I felt a little lonely, but I realized that Professor Solaris just had too much evidence on her to think she was framed and she seemed confused as to how she got there.

Professor Solaris was taken to the hospital ward. I decided to go and talk to her.

When I arrived Professor Dumbledore was talking to her himself with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger. What can I do for you?" Professor Dumbledore asked gently as he looked up.

"She should not be here," Professor Snape barked.

"Relax, Severus," Professor McGonagall said eyeing him. "I seriously doubt Miss Granger plans on snuffing Professor Solaris."

I forced myself not to grin as I entered.

Professor Snape muttered something then fell silent.

"How is she?" I asked approached the bed.

"Miss Granger! Hello," Professor Solaris said brightly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked tentatively.

Professor Solaris sighed. "Okay physically, but I have no idea how I got where I was or what happened. Miss Parkinson is dead?"

She raised her eyes to Professor Dumbledore, who nodded gravely.

Professor Solaris had tears glistening in her eyes.

"What was the last thing you remember?" I asked curiously.

"Miss Granger has no authority to be interrogating Professor Solaris," Professor Snape said frowning.

"Will you please RELAX? She's just curious and confused as we all are," Professor McGonagall said rolling her eyes.

"I agree," Professor Dumbledore said winking at me. "She has a right to know what happened. They all do."

Once again, Professor Snape muttered something and fell silent.

Professor Solaris frowned. "I remember drinking some tea and then looking out the window as there was a beautiful full moon. The rest is black,"

"I think with some rest she'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey said. "Shoo!"

She ushered us out of the hospital wing and we walked down the corridor.

"Any luck with you-know-what?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly.

It took me a second to realize what he meant.

"Yeah although when Harry and I were out on the grounds before dinner we saw a group of soldiers on horseback from the medieval times and I heard that a group of knights before Hogwarts was built sent out to search for a person guilty of treason and never returned," I said.

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Ah yes. I know what one that was. That was the Ragilstin Kingdom in 1309. It's true. They oddly never returned. Did they speak to you at all?"

I shook my head.

"They might. Keep your ears open," he said winking.

Suddenly, I remembered Alex.

"Oh! Is Alex alright?" I demanded. "I didn't see him in the hospital wing when one of Hagrid's Ocylix's scratched him."

"Hagrid has a tendency to like 'dangerous' creatures," Professor Snape said.

I glared at him. "It wasn't Hagrid's fault. For some reason the Ocylix sensed something in Alex it didn't like,"

"Alex is fine. Madam Pomfrey patched him up," Professor McGonagall said softly.

I nodded relieved.

"Why don't you head back to the common room? I'm sure your friends are worried," Professor Dumbledore said gently.

I nodded and began walking back to the common room.

Right. I bet either Harry or Ron even noticed I was gone. I thought sighing wistfully.

I mean I was angry at Harry. He didn't see what was in front of him and tonight seemed to confirm my suspicions that Professor Solaris did it. But the question is how she did it? And what on earth was she?

No human being could do that much damage to a body. I shook my head and reached the portrait entrance.

"Artorkin," I muttered.

The portrait swung open just as someone came barreling at me and knocked me over backward and landed on top of me.

"Hermione! Oh thank God!" Amy cried as she quickly let me up.

I got to my feet.

"What's wrong?" I demanded anxiously.

"Harry and Ron are fighting!" Amy said as her eyes filled with tears.

I snorted. "That's nothing new,"

"No! I mean fighting! Fists and everything!"

Alarms went off in my head as Amy and I rushed into the common room.

Ron and Harry were standing face to face; each had the look of utmost hate on their faces. Dean was standing in between them, hands out to keep them apart.

"What started it?" I whispered to Amy.

"Ron was saying that you've cracked and that you really should ask Dumbledore to go home to get psychiatric treatment and that he didn't understand why Harry was still believing you and helping your situation along," Amy said in a small voice. "Harry turned around and called Ron a bad name and asked him how he could not believe you when he knew you well enough to know you'd never pull stunts like this and that he saw himself ghosts."

I nodded and waited for Amy to continue. "That entailed Ron saying that Harry himself was just as crazy. Even in the fourth year he could see those Threstrals and no one else could,"

"But Luna could!" I said shocked.

Amy just sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen,"

I marched right over to Ron and Harry.

"LUNA COULD SEE THE THRESTRALS TOO! DOES THAT MEAN SHE'S NUTS TOO? ANYONE THAT SAW DEATH COULD SEE THEM!" Harry was yelling.

As I approached, I saw that Harry had a cut lip which was bleeding and Ron had a black and blue eye. Their robes were tousled and askew.

"LUNA WAS WEIRD TO BEGIN WITH!" Ron yelled back. "HERMIONE NEEDS HELP!"

Finally, my temper got the better of me.

"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO NEEDS HELP HERE!" I shouted startling both Harry and Ron as they jumped from being spooked. "I CAN'T BELIEVE EITHER OF YOU! ARGUING OVER WHETHER OR NOT I'M SANE? I KNOW DAMM WELL I'M SANE AND NO ONE IS GOING TO TELL ME OTHERWISE BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I SAW AND WHAT I'M SEEING! OKAY? IF IT WAS YOU RON, I WOULD CERTAINLY BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE WE'RE BEST FRIENDS! BEST FRIENDS DON'T TURN THEIR BACKS ON EACH OTHER! THEY STICK TOGETHER. HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ME?" I roared.

"Six years," Ron said in a small and squeaky voice.

"HAVE I EVER, IN THOSE SIX YEARS, LIED, PULL JOKES OR ANYTHING?"

Ron shook his head. "But seeing ghosts, Hermione, that's a little hard to swallow. Ghosts don't exist,"

"THEY DON'T? THEN WHAT THE HELL IS NEARLY HEADLESS NICK, PEEVES, THE BLOODY BARON AND THE OTHERS? HALUCINATIONS THAT EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL IS SHARING?"

"That's different..." Ron began.

"NO IT ISN'T. IT'S THE SAME THING! AND HARRY! WHY DID YOU TELL THIS MOOK THAT YOU SAW THEM TOO WHEN YOU KNEW HE WOULD NEVER BELIEVE YOU?"

Harry was silent and backed away from Dean.

"RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO BE ALONE!" I screamed.

Everyone didn't argue and scattered to their dorm rooms before their next classes. Ron didn't say anymore and silently crept to the boys' dorm. Amy put a hand on my shoulder.

"This means you too," I said rather snappishly, not meaning to hurt her.

She looked like she had stepped on a few of the poisonous Tectalus Mushrooms and she headed to the girls' dorm. Harry remained for a moment.

"Leave," I growled.

"Hermione! Wait! Don't I at least get something for sticking up for you?" Harry asked shocked.

"Sticking up for me?" I snorted. "You didn't believe me about Solaris, which I have interesting news to tell you, but not now."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry okay?"

"You're not getting off that easy," I snapped. "It's going to take some time. Now, please leave me alone."

Harry headed to the boys' dorm and I was finally alone.

I slumped onto the couch in front of the fire and just curled up into a tight ball sobbing.

I ended up crying myself to sleep.

I woke up hearing wailing. I jumped awake and looked at my watch. I had missed the last three classes of the day. Everyone was down in the Great Hall eating dinner now.

I listened intently.

The wailing continued and the room took on that familiar chill again.

I sat, wide eyed and watching for any movement.

Suddenly, I felt someone or something grab the front of my robes and then pick me several inches off the floor and fling me into the wall but I couldn't see anything.

I screamed as I crashed into the mantle piece above the fireplace and fell to my stomach on the floor. I quickly scooted on my rear end against the wall and wildly looked around.

I then felt someone scratch my on my cheeks. I raised a hand to my left cheek and felt scratches. When I lowered my hand there was blood on my index and middle finger.

Then, the thing grabbed me by my hair and flung me over the furniture. I crashed onto the couch then rolled off.

I was terrified now. I couldn't fight something I couldn't see. It was impossible.

I felt weak and terrified. Then I heard the cackling from somewhere in the room.

Then, I remembered a spell that would show if anyone was under and invisibility cloak.

"Arimotus!" I said pulling out my wand.

A quick flash of white erupted from the tip of my wand and went across the whole room like a wall closing in on someone. Then, I saw the ghost standing by the portrait entrance.

It was a girl dressed in shabby robes and she had long black hair and blue eyes. She had long fingernails. Her robes looked like Hufflepuff.

I screamed again.

HARRY.

I was eating dinner when suddenly Peeves floated over to me.

"You know, your girl is being attacked," Peeves said giggling.

Alarms went off in my head.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"The other one of you...the Granger girl," Peeves replied still giggling as he turned upside down.

I dropped my fork and it clattered onto my plate. Amy caught my eye.

"I think Hermione's in trouble," I said to her.

Ron looked up but didn't say anything. That only made me angrier.

Amy nodded and we fled from the Great Hall and hurried up to the Gryffindor tower.

I told the Fat Lady the password and the portrait hole swung open just as someone was flung at me. I landed on my back in the corridor and it was Hermione lying across my lap.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" I demanded helping her up but she was too weak and seemed badly banged up.

"Yeah. It was a ghost in Hufflepuff robes I think," Hermione said weakly as I swung one of her arms around my shoulders.

She had long scratches on her cheek and her robe looked torn in several places.

"We've got to find a way to stop these ghosts," she said wearily.

"Come on. Let's go to Madam Pomfrey to fix those scratches," I said as Amy and I helped Hermione to Madam Pomfrey.

HERMIONE.

Madam Pomfrey fixed the scratches on my face. Professor Solaris had been released from the hospital wing.

Professor Dumbledore had told everyone that Professor Solaris had been sleepwalking and stumbled over the body of Pansy Parkinson. A lot of people believed it, while others thought otherwise.

I was still one of those people that thought she did it.

Harry told me that Peeves was actually the one who told him and Amy that I was being attacked and that Ron made no movement to help.

"I'm really starting to loathe him," I growled.

"I'm just more furious with him," Harry admitted.

"I don't understand him myself," Amy added quietly.

"I hate to say this, but I hope one of those ghosts bite him in the butt and then he'll realize we're telling the truth," I snapped.

Harry and Amy looked at each other.

"But we do have to find a way to stop these ghosts," Harry said slowly. "We can have them hurting you like this."

"Don't I know it," I snorted.

I had forgiven Harry about telling Ron what happened before.

"Why don't the three of us go for a walk to clear our heads?" Amy suggested eagerly. "Maybe we can think of something while we walk."

I nodded, remembering the last time Harry and I walked on the grounds.

So, we headed out of the castle, but stayed close to it as we walked. A full moon hung in an almost pitch black sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky but a few stars.

We had turned the corner to walk against the east side of the castle when we heard a shout and glass breaking. We stopped short and that's when something landed in front of us like a sandbag. Then a second object landed in front of us right next to the first object.

We got closer. I saw Slytherin robes.

"Oh my God..." I said raising a hand to my mouth.

It was Crabbe and Goyle. Their faces were badly messed up to the point no one could hardly recognize them because of all the long scratch marks and their throats were torn.

Amy screamed and leaned over one of the bushes and began vomiting. I looked up. I saw glowing red eyes in one of the window's on the fifth floor.