The Painting

"Hermione, what are you talking about?"

"Harry."

"You're talking about Harry?"

"No, I need to speak to Harry."

"Well he's in the infirmary... Which is probably where you need to go," he added under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

Hermione walked on ahead leaving Ron standing there. He watched her walk for a moment then followed her.

"Hermione wait."

He caught her up. She slowed her pace slightly to allow Ron to walk with her, but she didn't speak a word. The silence was only interrupted when Peeves, who they had to pass along the way, decided to impart a few words of wisdom. "Bill is ill, Bill is ill, he needs more than a pill." Ron looked up at him, but Hermione didn't seem to hear.

Hermione walked into to the infirmary before Ron and her attention was immediately drawn to a bed in the corner of the room with a few people huddled around it.

"Harry," she said, as she walked over to the group.

Harry stood up. 'Hi, where have you been?"

"You've noticed," said Hermione, her voice getting higher. "You've noticed I've been gone?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "You and Ron. You've been gone almost an hour."

Her hopes fell. "An hour? Not you too. Don't you realise I've been gone longer than that?"

"What eez this silly girl talking about?" said a beautiful blonde woman. "Will you keep ze noise down?"

Hermione looked at the speaker. "Fleur?"

"That eez my name."

"What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think? My 'uzband to be eez here."

Hermione looked at the figure in the bed. She was startled by the injuries and it took her a moment to work out who the occupant of the bed was. "Bill?"

"Of course it's Bill, Hermione," said Harry. "You've been here, you've already seen him. And Fleur."

Hermione turned to Ron, looking for help. She jumped when she saw the expression on his face. He was looking at her as if he didn't know her.

"Ron?"

He didn't reply and instead kept staring at her. She felt Harry take her arm and she allowed herself to be led out of the infirmary by him.

"Hermione what's going on? How can you pretend not to know Bill has been injured when you spent all night sitting at his bedside with Ron? You know how upset Ron is." Harry studied her face hoping for some clue to her behaviour. She looked at him blankly. "Are you OK?" he asked, a little more kindly.

"No," she said softly.

Harry looked concerned. "Has something happened to you?"

"Yes."

"What?" asked Harry, his concern increasing with every one word answer Hermione gave.

"I was trapped." Hermione paused to gage Harry's reaction. "In a painting,' she continued.

"You were trapped in a painting?"

"That's what I said."

"Just now?"

"No. I was there for a long time."

"But Hermione you've been here."

"What is the point of trying to explain what happened if you don't believe me? I've already been through this with Ron. I was trapped in a painting, then I went to Dumbledore's office for help and I wasn't trapped anymore, but McGonagall told me Dumbledore was dead and then ..."

"Don't Hermione. Don't you dare say you didn't know about Dumbledore."

"I didn't, Harry, I really didn't."

"I can't do this right now, Hermione," said Harry as he turned away from her and went back into the infirmary. Hermione felt the tears trickling down her face. She turned and ran in the opposite direction. She didn't look where she was going and soon ran into someone.

"Hermione?"

She looked up into a kind, but tired-looking face. "Lupin?"

"What's wrong; is everyone all right?"

"Everybody's fine, well, apart from Bill, but you probably already know that. And Dumbledore. He's dead, so I suppose he isn't fine, either."

Lupin looked at her. Hermione was shocked at how thin he looked. He pushed open a door to an empty classroom and beckoned her to follow him. He sat down and indicated for Hermione to do the same.

"What's upset you?" he asked.

She told him and he listened intently. "This is the bit where you tell me that I'm wrong," said Hermione.

"Why do you think I don't believe you?"

"Because my two closest friends in the world don't."

"Hermione, they're going through a very difficult time now and they've got a lot on their mind. This is added confusion for them and they don't know how to react. They're still your friends."

"So you believe me?"

"I've never known anyone to get trapped in a painting," said Lupin. Hermione looked at the ground. "But," he continued. "Even the most powerful witches and wizards do not know every single possibility in the world of magic. Anything can happen."

Hermione looked up, slightly relived.

"You wait here, Hermione. I think you need to talk over everything with Harry and Ron. I'll bring them here."

Hermione nodded her agreement and watched as Lupin left the room. She let her mind re-run all the events surrounding the painting that she could remember. She recalled how Snape made her display the unfinished painting in a public place. Hermione sat up in her chair. "In a public place," she said aloud. "The girl's bathroom. Of course! Why didn't I think to look there?" She got up from her seat and raced to the second floor. She pushed open the door to the girl's bathroom and ran over to the cubicle where she had displayed the painting. It was still there. A vase with seven flowers. Hang on; she thought to herself, I don't remember painting seven flowers. Then she remembered the Fat Lady telling her that she was probably trapped because she displayed an unfinished painting in a public place. "Somebody has finished the painting, that's why I'm free. But who?" said Hermione to herself. "Nobody knew about it expect..."

"I'm here all alone and then you come running into the bathroom and don't even acknowledge me."

"Myrtle." Hermione walked out of the cubicle and looked up to the ceiling.

"I'm surprised you even know my name!"

"Of course I know your name. Now listen to me Myrtle, I need your help."

"Hmm, you're talking to me now you want something."

"I'm sorry I didn't speak to you when I came in. I wasn't ignoring you I just didn't see you, OK?"

Myrtle sobbed.

"OK, Myrtle?"

"Fine."

"You know that painting in the last cubicle?"

"Yes, it's very ugly."

"That's beside the point. I need to know who came in here and finished it."

"I don't know. I haven't seen anybody. Nobody ever comes to visit me." Myrtle began to cry again.

"For goodness sake stop crying, Myrtle! This is very important."

"I haven't seen anyone for a long time. With all the trouble we've had a lot of people have gone home and just left me here alone." She burst out crying again.

"Are you sure, Myrtle?"

"Nobody has been here."

"Then there's only one thing left to do," said Hermione.

"What?" asked Myrtle, who ceased to cry for a moment.

"I'm going to paint a new picture and I'm going to display it here when the paint is still wet. Then I'm going to have a few words with the Fat Lady. We've got some talking to do."