“beyond wandpoint” 100b by gingerbred
Mar. 24th, 2019 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beyondwandpoint“11 12m Wednesday - Lunch at the Castle 3” Part 2
Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Staff: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Poppy Pomfrey, Sybill Trelawney, Professor Sarah Sapworthy, Bathsheda Babbling, Argus Filch, Nurse Wanda Wainscott, Slytherins: Draco Malfoy, Theo Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, Harper Hutchinson, Ella Wilkins, Hestia Carrow, Róisín Rosier, Hunter Hutchinson, Gryffindors: Ron Weasley, Dennis Creevey, Ravenclaws: Padma Patil, Mandy Brocklehurst, Darius Inglebee, Hufflepuffs: Wayne Hopkins, Oliver Rivers, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Newton Kurz, Others: the Bloody Baron, Sunny, Portrait Phineas Nigellus Black
Mentioned briefly: Slytherins: Blaise Zabini, Aaron Avery, Sheldon Shafiq, Valerie Vaisey, Gryffindors: Harry Potter, Ravenclaws: Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Morag MacDougal, Luna Lovegood, Hufflepuffs: Megan Jones, Others: Slinky, Portrait Temperance Mathew, Boadicea Waterhouse, Swaine Swoopstikes
Originally Published: 2018-12-20 on AO3
Chapter: 100 part 2
The original version of this chapter exceeded livejournal’s maximum post length. It’s been split in two parts.
Sarah leans closer to Sybill and whispers into her ear, "You have the seventh years after lunch, don't you?"
The puff of breath on her skin has the fine hairs at the nape of her neck rising, and it takes Sybill a moment to parse the question. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Yes I do." She sounds distracted as she says it. More so than usual even.
"I'd like to repay the favour from yesterday. What do you say we put our heads together and come up with something?" For a moment the Divination Instructor can't imagine what she means, and then she recalls how she'd told Sarah about the Slytherins' mail snakes. Hmm.
Interesting. Yes, she's intrigued. "Will the faculty lounge suit?"
"With a Privacy Charm, I don't see why not."
The two witches leave the table and make themselves comfortable in the small room adjacent to the Hall where only yesterday Sybill had brought Sarah lunch and tried to make amends for her appalling behaviour. The thought of it embarrasses her now.
If she were to go by Sarah's demeanour, those events never even cross her mind.
"There must be something we can do with the information about Miss Jones. It took me unawares, and I wasn't able to do much more than say the move would be difficult. 'Fraught with difficulties.'" She amends.
Sybill gives her a considering look. It's still very new to speak openly of this. It's rather... nice.
"That seems a safe assertion," she readily agrees.
"Especially as from the sound of it, she's incommunicado and it couldn't be verified. Not even her best friend seems to know how to reach her. Miss Moon was the one to ask me to cast the twigs, you understand."
Sybill nods appreciatively. Sarah is quite smart. There are reasons she was a Ravenclaw. Much like herself.
"But I thought if we combined our efforts, we might be able to expand on that." There's something hopeful about it that slowly has Sybill relaxing. She's never had someone to share her... work with. The... behind the scenes work. And it's nice that there's no judgment. Very nice. Sarah seems quite... likeminded.
Sarah fills Sybill in on all the facts she'd been able to glean from the children, and they debate how much further this can safely be taken. There's a danger, naturally, that Miss Jones would get in touch with her friends at a later point. It hardly seems worthwhile to risk much in the face of that. And of course there had already been some sceptics as Sarah had 'read the twigs'. It's a unfortunate fact of life that not everyone who takes their classes is a true believer, hoping, perhaps, for an easy N.E.W.T. or certificate for their troubles. (Sarah doesn't honestly feel she's in any position to blame them; that had been much her logic for pursuing the subjects at the time when she was a student.) Still, it doesn't pay to venture too far out onto a limb (a limb!) and encourage the disbelievers to give voice to their doubts.
They decide snow seems a likely prospect. Sarah consults an old almanac lying about the room, only to determine that it's from the turn of the century. It might be best to avoid any statements about Toronto off the back of that. The witches are agreed, it's unlikely the population has remained at two hundred and ten thousand, for example, or that horses - or brooms - are much of a fixture on their streets today. They Banish the book back to its corner, now with a little less dust.
They finally decide that they really can't sensibly say much about what will happen, beyond what Sarah had already done spontaneously. The Xylomancy Professor initially finds that terribly disappointing until Sybill points out that means she'd made the most of it off the cuff. Her sense of pride soon proves adequate consolation.
Good intentions aside, for reasons Sybill can't begin to fathom, when Miss Parkinson gives her an opening and hopefully asks if she can't say any more than Professor Sapworthy had about Jones' chances, the Divination Professor doesn't keep her mouth shut. Instead she tells them Megan Jones will face great peril before reaching the safety of her new home.
Later she'll curse herself (figuratively) for her recklessness.
And wonder why she didn't just stick with visions of snow.
Hermione meanwhile has had no luck with the back issues of the Prophet she's reviewed, and has the beginnings of a suspicion that isn't by chance. It feels a lot like someone has deliberately removed any mention of the Professor or his family from the library. Seeking to confirm that, she revisits her decision to avoid the reports from after the first war. Beyond any doubt, there must have been something written about the Professor then.
With the way Skeeter and her ilk behave, Hermione can't believe they wouldn't have initially screamed to the high heavens when he was given a position at the school. Not necessarily from personal conviction, obviously, but to sell their bleeding rag.
She still doesn't want to know what the Prophet had to say about him, but then it's not as though she has to actually read the articles. And she has a strong feeling she won't be finding anything anyway.
Acting on her hunch, she now dares to scan the more recent papers, the ones from the end of the last war. This proves much simpler. She only needs to search for mentions of 'Snape', as opposed to 'Prince', and there is only one, and just the one, to be found. It dates from shortly after the time he joined the staff. It's a short article buried rather far back in the paper from an interview with Madam Lyssandra, the proprietress of Dogweed & Deathcap in Hogsmeade about how she has Severus Snape, Hogwarts' new Potions Master to thank for a sudden uptick in sales. She'd long wondered how on earth the students were making the Elixir to Induce Euphoria when everyone with any sense knows that a sprig of Preeminent Peppermint was a far better choice than the standard method for the Potion, countering the occasional singing and nose-tweaking side effects as it does.
And that's it.
That's all there is to be found.
Hermione considers it settled. She is now reasonably certain someone had removed the relevant papers from the collection. Flipping through what's there, she makes a note of some of the missing newspapers, and decides she can probably guess roughly when his mother was born. Or the Professor for that matter, assuming the birth announcements had been made in a timely fashion.
With that avenue of enquiry closed, she leans back and considers what she can do next. A little uncomfortably, it occurs to her that she should probably see what she can find about panic attacks. At least that's not something likely to be in the Restricted Section.
Honestly, she fears it's not likely to be in the library at all.
It doesn't take her long to determine there's nothing whatsoever along those lines in the Hogwarts facility, which says so much, really.
She may need to see if she can come up with a list of related topics and find something there instead. That will take a little time, to be sure.
After classes, then.
She packs her things together to leave for Ancient Runes.
Daphne and Ella discuss what they might hope to achieve with a study of bonds as they walk to the library. First and foremost, there's the practical information. If they had a better understanding of what a Protection Vow is, perhaps they'd be better placed to assist the Professor. It sounds good, at least. And then it would be nice to know what bonds are and entail, and not just rely on rumours. Everyone in their House seems to have heard of the things and have some vague notion of what they might be, but no one seems to know the facts for sure.
In light of the books Severus and Albus have already taken from the library, their first goal will prove virtually impossible, and they'll have to satisfy themselves with the second.
Hermione has just exited the library as the Slytherins reach the doors.
"Hermione!" Daph cries with an enthusiasm seldom matched. Hermione can't help thinking that'll take a period of adjustment.
"Oh, hi, Daphne. Ella."
"Hermione," the sixth year greets her, trying hard not to think of how she'd appeared at the Head's door this morning, out of uniform and for all appearances perfectly at home in his quarters. Which, to be fair, she was, really. It's an odd thought that takes some getting used to, and Ella has no intention of letting her effort show.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Daph asks.
"No, but it doesn't seem to be here, which I guess is an answer in and of itself."
Daph nods knowingly, "Frustrating, isn't it? But if you know what you're looking for, maybe you can order the book from Flourish and Blotts?"
Hermione stares at her for a moment, blinking. Perhaps she could order back issues from the Prophet... It's worth a think. It probably depends how expensive they are. "I just might at that. Thanks for the suggestion."
"Sure. See you in Herbology," Daphne calls after her as Hermione heads to Ancient Runes.
Once she rounds the next corner and is safely out of sight, she takes her afternoon dose of the Draught of Peace. She's pleased to note she hadn't even needed it once it wore off in the Library. Although she realises that might depend - a lot - on the people she encounters...
The Baron is also pleased to note she apparently didn't need it in the library. She doesn't seem to have any particularly bad associations with the locale, something he wouldn't have wagered upon after Friday's attack. He continues following her invisibly as she heads for her next class.
Ella and Daphne don't need long at all to divide the chores between them. From anyone else, Daphne might have taken it as an insult when Ella suggests Daph stick to the cultural and historical aspects of bonds, and she'll take the Vows. From Ella, she knows it isn't an attempt to belittle her. On the contrary, the subject matter the sixth year assigned to her is broader.
"I wonder why they have those books in the Restricted Section anyway," Ella muses as they walk between the shelves, mentally marking off which sections to work their ways through later.
"I imagine so as not to give the younger, more impressionable students any ideas," Daphne answers. "So that they don't go romanticising bonds or ascribing them any meaning until they're better able to understand the ramifications.
"There was a rumour making the rounds that some of the Gryffindors had tried to get a five year old sibling to take an Unbreakable Vow. Exposure to concepts without the maturity to grasp their consequences... It can be a dangerous thing."
That sounds perfectly sensible. So much so, that Ella can't help thinking it can't possibly be the real reason the books are sectioned off. 'Whim' seems more probable at Hogwarts.
"I'd heard something like that, too, but the sibling was only three," Ella agrees.
"Well, that would be rumours for you. Hardly reliable. I mean, who would do such a thing to their brother or sister, independent of age?"
A soft chuckle comes from behind the shelves, and as they reach the end of the row a few steps later, there's Padma Patil, trying not to laugh more loudly. They are in the library after all. "Greengrass, Wilkins," she greets the girls with a wide smile she can't seem to stifle.
"Patil," they both acknowledge her in turn.
"Greengrass had the right of it," she smirks. "Ron was apparently five at the time. As to 'who would do such thing', would it make any more sense if I were to tell you it was the Weasley twins?"
"It would indeed," Ella instantly agrees. Not that it means she considers that proof, but the story suddenly seems more likely.
Something of that cautious scepticism might just be visible on her face, and Padma insists, "I heard it from them directly."
Both Slytherins are perfectly willing to believe that. They also both instantly recognise that that doesn't make it any more likely to be true. The twins were hardly reliable sources. Still, they politely nod their acceptance of that 'fact', and Padma can't quite put her finger on why it feels... off.
Slightly annoyed by that, she had just volunteered information she didn't have to, a bit waspishly she now tells them, "And you won't have much luck finding books on Vows. That's why I'm here. We thought to check them out as well, you know, but they've already been picked clean." And with that, she turns and flounces off to Divination. The classroom is close by, she hasn't far to go, but she shouldn't like to keep Professor Trelawney waiting.
Padma is the Head Girl now, after all.
Ella and Daphne are left staring after her and then, almost as one, recover and turn their attention to the shelves.
There are quite a number of gaps; Patil may be right. Ella sighs. "Fine, I need to get going, too. Tell you what, let's switch topics. You look for the material on Vows. If Patil wasn't mistaken, it shouldn't take you long to determine it. Then move on to the cultural information and leave me a note how far you got. I'll concentrate on the historical side and we'll meet in the middle, so to speak."
Daphne agrees, also inclined to believe what Patil had had to say, and Ella says goodbye and darts off to class.
Daphne shifts her attention towards the books. She enjoys spending time here. Although they could lighten the place up a little. It always seems a bit gloomy.
It really doesn't take long to realise Patil had been telling the truth. There's nothing applicable on Vows to be had. Daphne spends the better portion of the hour putting together a selection of books to read on the cultural facets. She stops a little early, she'll still need to go all the way to the greenhouses and she intends to meet Hermione and Tracey - and presumably the Slytherin boys they're avoiding - for the walk over. Even with things as they are between them, it wouldn't make sense not to go as a group.
That's just asking for trouble.
She quickly quills a note for Ella telling her what she'd done and where she stopped which she folds together in a bit of origami. With Vince's wings still very much in mind, she makes a small dragonfly. A few sweeps of her wand later, and the little thing is charmed to hide for the meantime and then fly to the sixth year Prefect when Ella arrives.
In a series of gentle loops, of course.
The direct path wouldn't be the least bit aesthetically pleasing, Daphne is sure.
Hermione arrives early for class in the corridor in front of the Ancient Runes room to find Malfoy and Nott already standing there. In contrast to when the three of them had stood about in front of Arithmancy yesterday, Nott looks like he's about to leap out of his skin at the sight of her.
Well, that's odd.
Even odder, and she can't quite explain it, but it doesn't seem to make her feel more comfortable with their presence either. She's trying to figure out why that might be as Malfoy whispers to Nott; at guess, trying to talk him round from whatever that is. He's slid down the wall he'd been leaning against and is now curled together, fairly ball-like on the floor.
With an odd start, it occurs to her that it looks an awful lot like Nott's having a panic attack.
Well.
That seems to be going around.
She may be staring, she can't seem to help it, and she's just determining that it's a concerning thing to see and maybe she should be looking into it herself with a bit more rigour when the Baron fades into view beside her.
Silently.
He really is a dear.
"Hullo, Baron," she greets him, and her tone is warm.
Fond.
The Baron has come to suspect she was dropped on her head as a babe. It would explain so much. 'Estray' simply isn't adequate to the task of accounting for the... manifold oddities. Which isn't to say he... dislikes her.
Not at all.
"Madam Snape," he bobs in reply. It's possible his whisper isn't entirely without a touch of fondness in return.
Theo may have squealed at the sight of him. (The Baron finds that not... unsatisfactory.)
Draco is busy whispering that it's their House ghost, after all. He's worked with him for years. The numbers of Moggies and Turkeys they've caught snogging in alcoves after curfew over the years thanks to his work... He's not terrifying at all.
Well, not much. (But then it wouldn't help to say so.)
Theo emits a sort of keening noise as he rocks there, or as much as he can with the wall behind him restricting his movements. Just as well, or he'd probably flop flat on the floor.
A thought strikes Hermione, and she whispers to the Baron, "What would you say is the matter with Nott?"
At the present, the Baron thinks there's rather... a lot that's wrong with the boys, and he has to wonder what the witch wishes to hear from him. He's not precisely... disinclined to say it. Guessing what it might be is another matter however.
He hesitates, hovering there next to her, and she realises she's lost him. "He's having a sort of an attack," she explains, "and I'm trying to find the words for it." He gives her a funny look, and she can admit (to herself), that seems terribly clinical. Perhaps somewhat rude. That's never really been her strength. (Naturally, that isn't his issue with it at all.) "I wanted to look for information on it in the library, to treat it you understand, but couldn't find the right terms."
And now he's silently calculating just how often she must have been dropped on her head. Still, the results were surprisingly... kind. Not blessed with much... sense, it would appear. Pity that (although it's fairly endemic in the student body). But kind nevertheless, despite what must have been some... wretched luck. At least he hopes it's that. It's entirely possible she's simply... accustomed to abuse.
The thought makes him... angry.
He fades briefly and then abruptly flickers even more crisply into sight.
He's struggling to choose his whispered words carefully. "You mean to... treat him, Madam?"
"What? Oh, no. I'm sorry, no I hadn't. It didn't even occur to me." She replies honestly, and for a moment she feels guilty and wonders if it should have. The Baron would probably have conniptions if he knew. "I... Well, I had... similar issues." If the Baron had been angry before, he's more so now. "I don't know. Maybe I was just... I wasn't in a good place last night, and maybe it was just a fluke. But in case it wasn't, I thought I might find some help for it in the library, but I need the proper terms to find the right books."
He is practically opaque at the moment, something the boys, to the extent they're capable of noticing, know to be a very bad sign. But his whisper, when it comes, is measured. Controlled. He will never again allow emotion to get the better of him or direct his anger inappropriately at an innocent party. And certainly not at an innocent witch.
Not that that had been an easy lesson, but he's learnt it.
"I think you'll find he's having a 'fit'."
Hermione considers how helpful that term is likely to prove, but it's probably a better word to search for than 'Prince', so she's not displeased.
The Baron, meanwhile, is throwing the boys some incredibly dark looks.
Theo has recovered enough to argue, just a little. It might be that the automatic fear response the Baron elicits shifts him into a different state of awareness, a very real fear trumping a largely psychological one... Either way, he's currently very concerned with what's going on with the ghost. Gulping, he asks Draco, "And why do you think he feels the need to protect her from us?"
Draco knows precisely why the Baron thinks he needs to protect Granger from them, and isn't that... Well, he can't say as much, and it wouldn't help matters any to do so. He really isn't sure what to say to Theo at this point.
In absence of other obvious options, he settles on castigating him. It's not pleasant, but it's also not an ineffective choice. Theo is so used to being bossed about by his father, disregarding him is never an option, that he instinctively responds. (As Hermione will later come to know, terror and reproaches aren't actually good ways to treat anxiety, certainly not for the longer term, but then the general approach to mental health at Hogwarts is far from... healthy.)
"That is our Head's bondmate, and you are being unconscionably rude. This is no fitting way for a seventh year to behave, Nott. Merlin, it wouldn't be acceptable from a Firstie. Pull yourself together, or what's she supposed to think?"
There are actually tears glistening in his eyes as Theo finally meets Draco's gaze, but he knuckles them away as he allows Draco to pull him upright.
Draco silently thanks Merlin and anyone else listening that it worked as he hadn't any sort of plan 'B'. It hadn't really been much of a plan 'A' for that matter. He puts himself in front of Theo to provide cover and give him time to right himself. Theo is quietly grateful, not having missed the intent.
"Madam Snape," Draco calls out, keeping his distance and silently hoping Theo will continue to remain on his feet behind him without his assistance. "Baron."
The Baron moves slightly closer to the boys, his face a threatening grimace. Draco repeats his movements from yesterday, extending his hands out from his body, endeavouring to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Baron," he tries again, pleased when his voice doesn't embarrass him this time.
Really, the House ghost isn't a patch on the Dark Lord. This should be cinch. Draco holds his ground.
Not that the Baron wavers either.
Theo just keeps his eyes affixed to the ceiling. It's probably just as well as that means he misses the full effect of the ghost's displeasure.
They stand there, probably only for seconds, but it feels much longer, none of them exactly sure what should come next, when they're interrupted by the arrival of the Hufflepuffs in the class.
The Hufflepuffs have been on edge since news of Megan Jones had reached their ears. Finch-Fletchley sits in five courses with Hermione and the two Slytherins and is generally less fussed by seeing them here, but it's the first class they've had with Hopkins and Rivers since the announcement of the bonds on Monday, and today they seem to be itching for a fight.
"Granger," Hopkins snits in mock greeting. "Oh no. Wait. It's 'Snape' now isn't it." It's clear to all present he was well aware of that fact, and this is a nasty bit of theatre.
"Wayne! However could you forget?" Rivers replies, with a tone of voice that makes his revulsion at the prospect of such a bonding abundantly clear. That, and the fact this posturing is all for show.
Arse.
Still. Hermione is kind of over this sort of thing. The Peace in her system undoubtedly helps. She hardly gives the boys a second glance. The Baron weighs the best response, but the young Snakes beat him to it.
Or Malfoy, more specifically.
Draco has been calculating the odds, and this seems the best way to go. He's sure.
Reasonably.
Fine, mostly he's trusting to luck and hoping his has changed. At least a little.
Mindful of keeping his distance to Granger, he places himself bodily between the witch and the approaching Hufflepuffs, "That's 'Madam Snape' to you."
"Shut it, Malfoy. No one wants to hear anything from a poxy Death Eater like you," Rivers snarls. Hmm. That's been all too common a thing since Draco's father landed in Azkaban. There'd been a time when no one would have dared be so insolent to his face... (He's misremembering that completely. The Moggies, for one, have basically always openly disrespected him, the Weasleys and Potter in particular, but it's become a default pattern to blame his family's fall from grace on his father's arrest. Then again, he's not thoroughly mistaken on that score.)
Draco ignores Rivers and demands of Hopkins, "Apologise to the lady." Theo, half automatically, takes up position by Draco's back, his aversion to Muggle-born witches (not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with them, of course; no, the problem is all his...) completely forgotten at the moment. This is shaping up to be a duel. He's - unfortunately - incredibly accustomed to those these days.
Hermione is glad she remembered to take the Peace, because she's quite certain she'd have succumbed to fits of extremely dark laughter by now. Malfoy. Defending her honour? Or something like it. It's really too absurd.
The Baron pulls back a little, electing to allow the wizards to sort this. There are... issues with overplaying his hand. If they can take this matter off of his, all the better. And it smacks a little of reparations, which satisfies something in his sense of justice.
"Make me," it's Hopkins' turn to snarl like an oversized Firstie. Draco isn't sure what's gotten into the sett today - well, aside from the thing with Jones - but the badgers are clearly riled.
"Apologise." Draco's demand is firm, his wand in hand. Hermione's not even sure when he drew it. He's apparently extremely fast with it, she notes. She wonders why that's such a surprise. She turns to look and sees Nott has palmed his as well.
Her thoughts still rather dark, she wonders if 'they' practise the way the D.A. had.
(They do, as Severus will eventually tell her, but it's something they learn primarily by suffering the results of failure. Few of them are prone to repeating mistakes. Experience hexes that out of them. They are also provided with myriad occasions to prove that, and while it's unfortunately far from being practice - the stakes are far too real for that - ultimately it serves much the same purpose.)
The Hufflepuffs draw their wands now, too, and suddenly Finch-Fletchley looks alert. This has escalated quickly, and he's not sure why. Neither are the other boys, frankly, but as participants, it's a question none of the other four are asking.
"Hermione?" Justin tries; it's sort of an appeal to reason.
She's just not sure quite how reasonable she feels.
She's really rather had it with the stupid remarks. Considering, she realises she has no problem whatsoever watching Malfoy get hexed something silly - no, that would be fine - or with seeing people inclined to heap abuse on her getting hexed either. Whyever should she? It's sort of a win-win prospect, really. And she's utterly confident that her Protego will hold if these idiots start fighting.
Why on earth would she intervene?
Ah. Right.
She's a Prefect.
Hmm.
Well, she'll wait them out, and then take points from the lot when they're finished, deducting as she strolls through the carnage. That plan has the advantage of being able to take the maximum points for things actually done.
It just keeps getting better and better really.
Justin sees the resolve on her face, and she hasn't said anything to talk the others out of this. He has a bad feeling about how this will end. (He's far from wrong, but he's not entirely right either.)
It unfolds as if in slow motion.
Draco very deliberately slashes his wand downwards, performing the charm silently, because he's a terribly sneaky snake. Hopkins and Rivers panic and cast the first hexes that come to mind. This coincides with Justin's attempt to get between them, as he cries out, "No, wait! It's just a Protego!" Had the other two also joined the D.A., they might have known.
Sadly, Justin's too late.
Theo casts another Protego from behind Draco, and between the two Shield Charms, the hexes ricochet back down the narrow hallway in the direction of the casters. Hermione's Protego, following only an instant after the other two, unnecessarily includes the Baron in it, and while it will make no physical difference, few things do, he feels... appreciated.
Strange little witch, but yes, kind.
And Hermione doesn't even need to take points as Professor Babbling (chatting with Ravenclaw Mandy Brocklehurst about how she likes the new Ancient Studies Professor) arrives on scene just as it all happens.
Wayne gets hit by Oliver's Horn tongue hex, and is soon unable to speak at all, not that it's much of a loss today. Wayne's Mutatio Skullus (he's been reading archeological texts - Egyptology, don't you know) unfortunately catches Justin in the crossfire, and within moments, he's sporting a second head.
"Mr. Hopkins! Mr. Rivers! Stop this very instant! What were you thinking?" Wayne clearly can't answer, and Oliver just stands there gawping at the sight of a two-headed Justin. He didn't even know there was a Spell for that.
Both of Justin's heads proceed to answer. "S-Sorry, P-Professor B-Babbling. I-I g-guess o-our n-nerves a-are a-all st-still r-rather r-raw, wh-what w-with th-the n-news a-about M-Megan..." The slight echo arising from their marginally asynchronous responses is most distracting, but the approach was solid. It appeals for sympathy and happens to be true. That it in no way excuses their actions is another matter, and unfortunately for the Hufflepuffs, Bathsheda Babbling isn't the sort who's likely to overlook that.
On the contrary, she walks into their midst and draws her wand. A moment later, she's casting Prior Incantato - the Reverse Spell - on them all, one after another. A slight bias can still be seen in the fact she tests the Slytherins first, but everyone is so used to that, they hardly notice anymore.
"Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Rivers, I can't begin to say how disappointed I am in the both of you." Up until this year, she'd taught them both Ancient Studies as well, and they have a pretty good relationship with the woman. Her back ramrod straight, she radiates dignity, not even flustered by stepping into the midst of a duel. (Although it helps, more than marginally, that it had effectively ended when she did so.) She hasn't even tested the Hufflepuffs' wands yet, addressing the Slytherins - and Madam Snape, just to be sure - first, and Oliver misjudges the situation terribly. The fact she hadn't gotten to them yet, and still seems so disappointed really gives it away.
"But Malfoy hexed first!" He objects, not entirely unreasonably. Truthfully, he's absolutely correct that Draco had cast first, and if the Slytherin had honestly meant to de-escalate the situation, he wouldn't have cast the thing silently. But then he isn't in his House solely for the sake of family tradition.
"Malfoy may or may not have cast first, but he only cast a Shield Charm. And you can hardly blame him with the sort of things you two were hexing about. You should be ashamed of yourselves." Her disapproval is clear, although as their one time Professor of Ancient Studies, she's secretly also somewhat impressed by the reading Mr. Hopkins must have done. Still. That's no excuse to use the Mutatio Skullus on a fellow student. (Nevertheless, this satisfies her academic curiosity on the matter rather nicely. She's always wondered how it looked. The answer is: fairly grisly.)
Feeling just a wee bit guilty for that thought, she's all the more strict when facing the boys now. "Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Rivers. Thirty points from each of you for hexing fellow students in the halls like that."
"But Professor! That's not fair! It was a duel!" Oliver tries to explain and claw back a few points while he's at it. Sixty points! The others are going to have their hides.
"A duel, Mr. Rivers, involves at least two sides. By definition, it cannot involve just the one. That is nothing less than a perfidious attack on innocent parties."
And now Hermione knows with a certainty, without the Peace she'd be rolling on the floor with laughter. Innocent parties. Malfoy? Holy Cricket.
"B-But P-Professor B-Babbling," Justin's heads try to help, it really is terribly distracting listening to both, "th-they h-had n-no w-way of-of kn-knowing. It-It w-was c-cast w-wordlessly."
Frankly, it's distracting enough that she rather misses the point of his argument. (But if she hadn't, Draco would have argued casting a Protego silently can increase it's efficacy as it's far more difficult to counter. It was a very well considered ploy on his part.) She shakes her head. "Either way, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, they could have cast Shield Charms as well, and then things would look quite different at the moment. But they didn't. They resorted to hexes, and that's not acceptable." That's definitely true enough.
"Mr. Finch-Fletchley, Mr. Hopkins get yourselves to the Infirmary. Madam Pomfrey will see to you." She silently hopes so anyway. The double heads are rather disturbing. "Mr. Rivers, seeing as I am quite evidently failing to reach you, you may see Mr. Filch for detention after dinner."
He sputters and then groans but wisely holds his tongue as his Housemates leave for the Infirmary and the Professor lets the rest of them into the classroom.
Mandy whispers in passing, "Merlin, Rivers, what were you thinking?" Her question seems decidedly less rhetorical than Professor Babbling's had been.
"That Malfoy was about to hex me senseless..." he replies quietly enough that the Professor shouldn't hear him. He's certainly in enough trouble already.
"No, you fool. Muppeting about like that. The proper response is 'I'm sorry, Professor' and then you keep. Your mouth. Shut."
Hermione couldn't agree more. But then there are reasons Brocklehurst is a Ravenclaw and Rivers is not.
The Baron, long since faded from sight, has to acknowledge Malfoy's solution hadn't been... lacking. He's regained a little ground with that display.
Still, the exchange with the witch earlier has left the Baron feeling there is someone with whom he needs to... have a talk.
Now.
A/N:
Für Jutta.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-27 04:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-10-30 06:02 am (UTC)Granted, Theo did his best for her, but I can only imagine how complicated her feelings about him might be. Sure, he tried helping her, but didn't change the outcome by himself. Like you said several in-story days ago, success/failure can change the level of gratitude. He's also best friends with the group that attacked her. (Ugh.) It's sometimes too easy to judge someone for the friends they have.
I do hope that within the process of healing, Hermione someday finds more compassion for Theo. She'll care if he's in distress or pain. I
That's my hope.🤞