The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning

Chapter 8

Bugging the Slytherins

As the Gryffindor boys were sitting down to supper, Hermione slid into the seat across from them and put a terrarium on the table in front of her.

"Ugh," said Parvati. "Don't put that bug on the table."

"Well, it's not exactly a bug," said Hermione.

Parvati and Lavender were moving away. "Looks like a bug to me," Lavender said as they took seats closer to Dean and Seamus, leaving Harry, Joe, Ron, Beatrice and Hermione sitting across from Edward, Samara and Ginny. Several empty seats separated them.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Ron.

"You have to let her go, Hermione," said Beatrice as she filled her plate with salad.

"Yes," Hermione told Ron, "it's Rita Skeeter."

"The reporter from the Daily Prophet that disappeared this summer?" asked Edward.

"Oh dear, I didn't think of her being missed," said Herman worriedly.

Edward tapped on the terrarium and the bug scuttled under some foliage. "My granny said someone was going to get that woman," said Edward.

"Yes, well, she didn't write very nice things about me and my friends," said Hermione.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," commented Samara as she started to cut her meat.

"You haven't kept her like this all summer, have you?" asked Harry. "I thought you would have owled Dumbledore."

"Well, I meant to," said Hermione, "but then I left for Bulgaria. I thought that would be a good place to turn her loose. She was in the bottom of my trunk when I got there. I told Viktor--Viktor thought it was hilarious."

Harry thought about that, trying to picture the dark, brooding, Viktor Krum laughing--

"Oh course, he and a few of his Durmstrang friends thought that I had transfigured her," continued Hermione.

"You didn't?" asked Edward.

"No, of course not. We haven't learned human transfiguration yet! Anyway, I wouldn't do that. She's an animagus. That's how she got all those awful stories." Hermione continued her story after a moment.

"And then," Hermione shrugged miserably, "well--I guess I just forgot. When I got back home, she was still in the bottom of my trunk."

"The Ministry's been looking for her," said Ron. "Percy said they thought she went the way of Bertha Jorkins."

"Oh no! Do you think I'm going to be in trouble? I mean, real trouble. This isn't just a childish joke," said Hermione. "Should I take her to Dumbledore, or just let her go?"

"You can't just let her go," said Harry. "She'd write more of those lies."

"Well, she can't keep a person in a terrarium!" interrupted Beatrice.

"I guess Rita has to go to Dumbledore then," said Hermoine miserably. "I'm going to be in so much trouble. Do you think I'll get expelled?"

"Not with your grade point average," said Ron while shoveling mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Anyway, I don't remember any mention of her being an animagus, so she's probably not registered. You have that in your favor."

"She's not registered. I checked last year," said Hermione. "I told you that--don't you remember? There's only seven registered animagi this century."

"But keeping her all that time..." said Harry.

"Well, I didn't think the Ministry would be looking for her. It just never crossed my mind. I cancelled the Daily Prophet while I was in Bulgaria. It didn't seem worth the extra owl cost this summer," said Hermione.

"But you are going to do what is right now?" said Beatrice, as if asking for assurance.

"Of course I am," said Hermione. "Didn't I tell you that I would, Beatrice?"

"Why does Dumbledore have to know it was you who caught her?" said Edward. "You could slip her under the door to Dumbledore's office when he's reprimanding someone else or even just put the terrarium his office."

"We could blame it on the Slytherins," said Ron.

Ron and Edward exchanged a glance that could only be construed as evil.

"Let me think about it," said Edward. "I know I can come up with a good plan. She's been in that terrarium this long. Another day or so won't matter."

"Yes, it will," protested Beatrice. "She's a human being, not a bug."

"Just today," said Hermione. "If no one comes up with a plan by tomorrow, I'll just take her to Dumbledore."

"No," said Beatrice. "You told me how terrible you think it is that house elves are enslaved and yet you want to keep this woman in a bug container. It's awful!" Beatrice was almost in tears. "Hermione, how could you?"

"Oh, ok," said Edward, opening the terrarium and sticking is wand into it. "I can't stand to see a girl cry. We'll do it right now."

"Are you sure?" whispered Hermione worriedly.

"Stupefy," Edward said and the beetle was still.

"Edward--" Hermione began in a tight whisper.

"You get rid of the terrarium," he told Hermione. "Wait, on second thought, just put it by the entrance to the dungeons." He paused and glanced at Parvati and Lavender. "They won't tell on us, will they?"

"Why would they?" said Ron. "They're Gryffindors."

Edward nodded. "Good."

"You shouldn't have stunned her," said Hermione worriedly. "Professor McGonagall said--"

"She'll be fine," Edward interrupted as he pocketed his wand and put the beetle in his left hand. He shot a quick conspiratorial smile at Ron before he stalked across the room to the Slytherin table.

"You Slimeball!" he shouted at Malfoy. "What did you just put in my brother's food?" Edward's left hand whipped his brother's plate off of the table. It shattered on the floor and food spilled across several people's dishes at the Slytherin table.

The Slytherins erupted into complaints directed at Edward, but Edward ignored them. He withdrew his wand from his pocket and trained it on Malfoy. The only other Slytherin that was looking at Draco was Ethan.

"This is over the Canary Creams, isn't it?" growled Ethan in a murderous tone, and he also took out his wand.

"I didn't do anything!" shouted Draco.

By now, Snape had risen. With a simple wave of his hand, he repaired the broken dinner plate. "Sit," he snapped at his house, and they sat like well-trained dogs, except for Ethan. "I'm not used to repeating my orders," Snape said softly, and something in Snape's voice or mannerism convinced Ethan to put his wand away and sit down. While Snape examined the food, he spoke. "Return to your table, Edward," he said.

Edward pocketed his wand. "Yes, sir," he said and walked back to Gryffindor table without looking back.

Once seated, he allowed himself a quick glance at Ron and Harry, but he did not even smile.

Snape, meanwhile, had taken something from the food, presumably the beetle. "This would be no more than childish prank, Mr. Malfoy," he said, "if this beetle weren't rather rare. I presume that it was stolen from the potions stores."

"I didn't steal anything," Draco shouted. "I never saw that beetle..." Suddenly his face drained of every bit of color as he looked at the beetle.

"You should have learned by now not to lie to me, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said coldly.

"I didn't--"

The tension in the room was palpable. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath wondering which would happen first: would Malfoy crumble or would Snape have to resort to more drastic measures?

"Lying to me gets you--nothing pleasant," Snape threatened.

"It's Rita Skeeter," Malfoy whispered, his voice shaking. Harry couldn't remember Malfoy ever looking so terrified. Even during his visit to the Forbidden Forest in detention in their first year, he didn't look so panicked.

"This--is--a--person?" Snape said slowly, obviously keeping his temper under tight wraps.

"Sir--I--" Draco looked from Snape to the head table and back to Snape as if weighing the possibility of running. "Uh--I don't know sir."

"That's two lies," Snape pronounced.

Harry could almost hear Malfoy grinding his teeth. "Uh--Yes--Sir. I think it's a person."

Snape turned away from Malfoy and walked back to the head table

"Headmaster," Snape said formally, "if you will be kind enough to take care of Miss Skeeter, I will tend to Mr. Malfoy, unless you would prefer to simply expel him now."

Beatrice sucked in her breath.

"He's bluffing," said Ron. "Malfoy won't get expelled."

Dumbledore said something softly to Snape, and he laid the beetle on the head table. Now starting to recover from the Stupefy spell, it crawled slowly and laboriously toward the fern centerpiece. Snape turned back to Malfoy, who had picked up a piece of bread and was slowly pulling it to pieces.

"Mr. Malfoy--you won't want to eat anything else."

If possible, Malfoy got even paler. "Yes, sir," he said as he put the bread down in a neat little pile, and Snape herded him out of the Great Hall.

After they left, the whole Hall seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The Hufflepuff table burst into chatter, but the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were a little more subdued.

Beatrice took several puffs of her puffer and then started to cry.

"It's ok Beatrice," said Hermione.

"Yeah, it's just Malfoy," shot Ron. "Can you believe that git knew the bug was Rita Skeeter? He probably was setting her on us all year last year. He deserves whatever Snape can dish out."

"Do you think so?" said Beatrice between sobs.

"What do you think Snape will do to him?" whispered Neville.

"It can't be that bad," said Lou. "He's a teacher."

"He's Snape," said Harry, as if that was enough.

They sat for a few minutes, trying not to imagine what punishment Snape had in mind for Malfoy.

"I'm not very hungry, now," said Hermione.

"Oh, come on Hermione," said Harry. "He's not going to get expelled. Dumbledore wouldn't do that. The worst that will happen is detention and points off of Slytherin."

"Yeah, Malfoy is Snape's golden boy," said Ron. "He'll probably slap his fingers and they'll both have a good laugh over Rita, the bug."

"Golden boy," snorted Edward, "Malfoy?" He shook his head as if in disbelief. "Well, let's go to the library and get some of our work done."

"I should thank you," Hermione said to Edward.

Rita chose that moment to re-animate into her human form. She became human and was sitting on the floor sobbing. Her clothes looked like she wore them for the whole summer, which, Samara surmised, she had. Her hair was sticking up wildly. Her beautifully painted nails were ragged and broken. Dumbledore moved forward to address her. "Miss Skeeter, it is times like these when it becomes apparent why the Ministry insists upon registration of animagi."

"Yes," she sobbed, clutching at Dumbledore's robes as if she wanted to crawl up them like a bug.

"Do you realize there is a fine or jail term or both for withholding the information that you are an animagus?" Dumbledore continued.

"I know. Oh, thank you. Thank you." She dissolved into incoherent sobs again.

McGonagall stood up. "I'll take her to Madam Pomfrey," she said.

Slowly the Gryffindor table cleared out to go to the library or the common room.

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