Reflection
You can't resist her.
She's in your bones.
She is your marrow
And your ride home.
You can't avoid her.
She's in the air... in the air
In between molecules of
Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide.
(Only In Dreams-Weezer)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Harry! Harry wake up!"
It felt like he had just closed his eyes to sleep when someone was shaking him vigorously. It didn't help his queasy stomach. He groaned and opened his bleary eyes, his vision blurred because his glasses were…somewhere. But he could still see that Fred, or was it George, was standing over him, shaking him awake. He couldn't tell them apart at this moment.
"Harry!"
"What?" Harry replied irritably. Waking up brought him conscious to the fact that he felt really, really crappy. Like he had been trampled by a herd of hippogriffs and something still wanted to creep out of his stomach the way it came in.
"Mum's going to murder us if she finds you guys like this," Fred said as he held up a vial in front of him. "Here drink this quickly. She'll be up any moment."
"Oh God!" Harry took a sniff of the stuff as he uncorked the vial and gagged.
"Drink it!" Fred hissed.
Harry complied, drinking the foul liquid and stifling his gag reflex as it went down. But almost instantaneously his nausea was tampered, his headache began to recede and the aches and pains began to subside. A sense of euphoria came with him as he became more awake and Harry briefly wondered if they put a Pepper Up potion in this. Feeling better he drank the rest of the stuff down.
"Where's Hermione?" Fred asked.
From the recesses of Harry's mind came a flash of a hand running up a leg, her head turned to the side to reveal her neck as he moved above her, her hand squeezing his arm, a surprised gasp as his fingers…
Oh fuck!
"Er…I think I saw her go to Ron's room," he answered. Fred nodded, got up and left Harry sitting in the tub. What the hell was he thinking?!! It was the alcohol, it lowered his inhibitions and hers evidently. She was so wasted she probably didn't know what she was doing. Hell, she probably thought he was Ron. The possibility that that was the reason for their little tryst last night made him uneasy.
The bathroom door slammed open and Ginny ran into the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet in front of him.
"Oh, this is soo embarrassing," Ginny groaned into the toilet. Harry wasn't offended or grossed out at seeing his ex-girlfriend in such a state. He had no right to considering he did the same thing last night and had passed out in the tub.
"George gave me the potion but I couldn't get past the smell," Ginny gasped in between heaves.
"Neither could I," Harry said consolingly. He felt so bad for her so he leaned forward to rub her back. "But you will feel better once you take it. Trust me."
*
It wasn't everyday that Hermione woke up feeling absolutely lousy in her ex-boyfriend's bed, her dress very disheveled and her underwear on inside out. After taking Fred's potion and being left to her own devices, Hermione groaned and flopped back down on the bed. The memory of Harry's hands on her body, rough yet gentle, as he explored areas no other had, ran fuzzy in her mind. She remembered the feel of …him in her hand, hot yet velvety soft. A soft blush crept over her face at the memory of her boldness but after that, her mind drew a blank. How far had she gone with Harry? Did she pass out? A quick mental assessment noted that she didn't feel sore down there, nor was there any blood. She was probably still a virgin but she would have to ask Harry.
Oh God.
What a conversation that would be. Hi Harry! Nice day isn't it? By the way, did we do anything that would inhibit any unicorn handling? She remembered that Harry was extremely drunk but he had known who she was, he called her by name. But did he really know what he was doing?
It would be totally embarrassing if Ron stumbled upstairs and found her like this. She would never live it down. She quickly got up and adjusted her dress back on her, fixing all her clothing so she wouldn't look so rumpled. An object nearby caught her eye and she noticed that Harry's glasses were on Ron's nightstand.
With trembling fingers, she picked up the hard evidence that Harry was indeed with her last night on this bed. Fred poked his head in the door to see if she was alright. She closed her hand around them and headed downstairs with him to face everyone.
As they made their way down, Hermione heard voices coming from the bathroom to the right. Fred walked past but Hermione paused just outside the doorway, hidden from sight.
"But you will feel better once you take it," she heard a familiar voice say. "Trust me."
Hermione peered into the bathroom to see Harry kneeling in the tub and Ginny near the toilet. He was rubbing her back. A gesture that made something heavy fall to the bottom of Hermione's stomach. The concern on his face and the comforting way his hands were rubbing Ginny's back. Those same hands that were on her body last night.
Guilt ran through her.
Although they were broken up, they really weren't. Harry and Ginny were just on hold until the end of this hideous war then they would be reunited. Ginny was loyally waiting for him. And here she came along, taking Harry into bed so they could fool around and go who knows how far. Oh, what was she doing to her best friend?
She quickly and quietly passed the bathroom and continued on her way. Gabrielle was sitting on the couch looking as if she didn't at all have a rough night. Fred and George kept her company but where was Ron?
"He's outside hiding in the bushes," Fred explained.
"We gave him a more diluted potion than we gave you," George added. "Our little brother has to earn his stripes."
"You two are horrible," Hermione scolded lightly then went outside to find Ron.
It didn't take her long, she only had to follow the sound of vomiting to the side of the burrow.
"Those gits!" Ron heaved. "Those lousy gits. I'm their brother for crying out loud!"
Hermione rubbed his back patiently. "I guess we all had a little too much fun last night," she said quietly.
"They could've given me the potion full strength," Ron countered.
They stayed outside for awhile until Ron was completely sure that he wasn't going to vomit anymore but the queasiness was still there. As they walked back into the burrow, the smell of eggs and bacon filled the air. Molly was up and Ron had a look of panic on his face.
"I'm going to throw up," he said as he smelled the food.
"No you won't," Hermione assured him as they quietly made their way up the stairs. "I only drank half the potion. Maybe there is still some left over."
She led him into his room where Ron sat down on the bed, not trusting his shaky legs. Hermione handed him the rest of the potion that she had and he gulped it down.
"Stuff smells horrible," Ron whined.
"Every little bit helps," Hermione insisted.
"I do feel a little better," Ron said weakly a few moments later.
"Do you think you'll be able to make it downstairs for breakfast?" she asked.
Ron whimpered. "Please don't mention food." He lay down and rested his head on Hermione's lap.
"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighed. "I'm going to have a word or two with your brothers."
"It's always nice to have someone else be on the other side of your wrath," Ron said and Hermione smirked.
"Well, you have a little of your humor back. I'll say you are feeling considerably better."
"Yeah, I am." He sat up and got to his feet. "Come on, let's go downstairs before anyone finds you in here."
He opened the door and exclaimed softly when he met face to face with his other best friend on the other side. His first instinct was that it could've been his mother so he quickly closed the door enough to only show him.
"Oh, it's you Harry," Ron sighed with relief. "I thought you were my mum." He opened the door once again to reveal Hermione in the room.
Hermione saw that it was indeed Harry on the other side of the door, with Ginny.
"Oh, you two are soooo busted!" Ginny whispered as she grinned from her brother to Hermione. Harry did not look amused. Ron pushed his way past his sister.
"It's not what you think," he whispered irritably.
"Sure it wasn't," Ginny replied. Harry and Hermione just stood there in their awkwardness until she spoke up.
She held out her hand, revealing Harry's glasses. "I found these…downstairs," she said with a moment's pause.
Did she remember last night? Harry wondered. But he plucked the glasses from her hand avoiding any contact with her skin. "Thanks," he mumbled. Just avoid her or something. This was Harry's new credo. He had to be a good friend to Ron and to Hermione. Hermione was his friend. The problem came when he was in close proximity to her, like he was now. He desperately fought against the urge to look over her shoulder to the bed where he had her writhing underneath him and making wonderful sounds.
NO!!
He mentally slammed a door to that thought. Merlin, he had to get away from her.
Hermione wondered if he was embarrassed by last night's…activities. She could see the conflict on his face. She wanted to say something to put him at ease. But they were not alone, she would have to talk to him when they were.
"You are so annoying," Ron said and Hermione and Harry turned their attentions back to the bickering siblings.
The four of them made their way downstairs to the table where the twins and Gabrielle were already seated. Ron sat next to her and Hermione took the seat across from him. Harry quickly took the seat by George, the farthest one from Hermione. It bothered her that Harry seemed to be avoiding her at all costs. Above all else, they were still friends.
"Did you guys get any sleep at all?" Molly asked as she walked into the room carrying a large tray of pancakes, a plate of scrambled eggs and another of bacon were floating behind her. "Ron, are you alright?" Molly asked with concern, holding a hand to his forehead. "You look a little peaky."
Fred and George sniggered and Ron threw them a dirty look. "I just think I ate too much last night," Ron answered his mother.
Molly clucked her tongue then headed back into the kitchen as her husband made his way downstairs.
"You two are complete jerks!" Ron hissed to his brothers when his mom was out of earshot.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"They gave me a dilute version of the potion they gave you all," Ron said as he motioned to everyone sitting around the table.
"Guys, give him the potion," Harry asked the twins.
"No way," Fred replied. "Besides, I think he deserves it, the stupid git."
"Huh? What did I do?" Ron asked bewildered.
"We found you passed out downstairs while all along you had a beautiful woman upstairs in your bed," George waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he nodded to Hermione.
Hermione suddenly wanted to sink right through the floor as all eyes turned to her. Harry choked on his pumpkin juice.
"You were in Ron's room last night?" Gabrielle asked with a suggestive smile.
"Yeah, you were in my room last night?" Ron asked, turning to her.
"I think we should drop it," Harry interrupted.
"Any guy is a complete idiot to pass that opportunity up," Fred tousled his brother's hair.
"Fred!" Harry said sharply.
"Hermione," Ron said softly with concern in his voice. "Why were you in my room?" Hermione instantly knew what he was thinking. That she was having a hard time with their break up.
"Why do you think, you idiot?" George snapped.
Hermione couldn't take anymore. She backed away from the table and ran from the room. Harry instinctively moved to follow her but thought better of it. His cowardice overpowered him and he didn't know if he could trust himself alone with her.
"You guys are a bunch of assholes," Ginny said angrily as she got up from the table and followed Hermione.
"Very inconsiderate," Gabrielle sniffed at them, throwing all the guys angry looks before she, too, left the room.
"Nice," Harry said sharply to the twins. "Real nice you two."
"Oh come on, Harry. We have to teach our little brother a lesson on dating the fairer sex," George said.
"We have more faith in you, Harry," Fred grinned. "We know you wouldn't pass up the opportunity that our dear little brother did."
You have no idea.
"Although we did have some dilute potion in stock just in case you did pull anything like that with our dear little sister," George added quickly.
Ron became sulky and began to poke around the food on his plate. He muttered something under his breath that Harry couldn't understand but both of them were in bad moods anyway to talk.
*
"Hermione?" Ginny and Gabrielle walked into the room. Hermione was lying on the spare bed in her room, hugging a pillow to her chest and sobbing. The two girls closed the door behind them and joined her on the bed.
"Don't listen to my brothers," Ginny said.
"Zey are just a bunch of jerks," Gabrielle added.
Hermione sniffed and looked up at them. "You don't understand," she said. "Ron and I, we broke up yesterday."
Ginny's eyes widened. "My brother broke up with you during the wedding?" she asked incredulously. Gabrielle huffed angrily.
"No, you guys, it was mutual. Really it was. But now Ron probably thinks that I'm taking this whole thing badly."
"Oh `ermione," Gabrielle said sadly.
"What were you doing in Ron's room?" Ginny asked softly.
Hermione looked up into her friend's concerned eyes. She felt horrible. Here Ginny was comforting her while last night her ex-boyfriend was snogging the hell out of her friend. Oh, she felt like a jerk.
"I was so tipsy last night," Hermione sniffled. "I guess I thought I was in your room."
"We were all a little drunk last night," Ginny sighed.
It was decided that the girls would stay holed up in the room, bringing some food upstairs with them and changing into their pajamas as they talked about various things girls do talk about. Little by little the guilt that Hermione felt was tampered down and brushed to the side as the day went on in the company of her friends.
It was late afternoon when Ginny appeared outside to see what the boys were up to. They were in the back playing a game of quidditch when Harry spotted her on his broom. He immediately set down to talk to her.
"Hey," he said as he trotted up to her. She was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, her hair pulled into a ponytail. Harry could smell the faint flowery scent of her perfume. "How is Hermione?" he asked.
Ginny was carrying a basket and began to pick through the food her mother had left for everyone, a table full of sandwiches, desserts and chips. "How do you think she is?" Her tone was sharp and it took Harry aback.
"What are you mad at me for?" he shot back. "I didn't do anything!"
Ginny turned to look at him. "No you didn't, did you? You just sat there while Fred and George embarrassed her. You and Ron are both her friends! You haven't even come by to ask how she is and you normally do that!"
Harry was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. How could he explain to Ginny that the reason Hermione was in this situation in the first place was because of him. And that, yes, he was a coward, he couldn't face Hermione right now because having her alone with him would zap him of any control he had. How could he tell Ginny these things, especially when Harry wasn't sure that he was completely over the red head in the first place.
Ginny huffed disgustedly at his silence and turned to march back into the house. "Ginny…wait," Harry reached for her wrist and stopped her. She turned and looked up at him. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what, but he was saved by the other Weasleys.
"Hey, Gin. We're really sorry about this morning," George said apologetically.
"It's not me you have to apologize to," Ginny replied.
"But she hasn't come out of the room," Fred complained. "We really are sorry for embarrassing her."
"Is she okay?" Ron asked.
Ginny looked at each one of them then sighed and set the basket of food down. "Fine. The truth is that Hermione was so drunk that she thought she was sleeping in my room. That's all. You didn't need to carry on the way you did with your assumptions."
"Well, it's not as if they weren't based on nothing," Fred defended. "She looked a little roughed up when I found her."
"We don't need to know the details," Harry cut in at the same time Ginny replied, "Well, how well did you look this morning?" Fred looked at Harry.
"Look can we just apologize to her?" George asked.
"I'll tell her that you're sorry. It's up to her if she wants to come down and see you or not. She can just apparate to Grimmauld if she wants to."
And with that Ginny turned and headed back into the house. Harry watched her go, building up the nerve to follow her to Hermione.
"Come on, mate," Ron said to him. "We'll catch her at Headquarters."
Reluctantly, he followed his best friend to continue their game of Quidditch.
"You coming?" George asked his twin who had his eyes peering at Harry with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Yeah," he said as he got on his broom.
~*~
"Please take care," Ginny said quietly as she gave Harry a hug. He could see that she was fighting off tears, doing her best to be brave. He accepted the warm and comforting embrace and the familiar fleeting thought of remorse at having broken things off with her quickly passed through him. There were bigger battles to fight now, he thought darkly at what was waiting for him at Grimmauld Place.
Ron had already apparate and soon Harry followed, appearing in the familiar dark and littered alley. As he opened the door to number thirteen, he could hear the soft voices of chatter from Tonks and Lupin. He poked his head in the kitchen to announce his arrival. Next, he made his way upstairs, he had to see Hermione and see if she was okay. But when he arrived at her bedroom door, it was closed and he could hear the murmur of voices on the other side. Ron had beat him to her. For a moment, he turned to walk away to leave them to their privacy but then that stupid devil popped onto his shoulder and Harry knocked loudly on the door.
"You really are alright then?" Ron asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. Hermione was sitting cross-legged on it, her back resting against the headboard.
"Really Ron, I'm fine. I just feel really, really stupid and embarrassed," she replied.
"Look we were all pretty wasted last night and I'm sure we all made fools of ourselves. I'm just sorry that my stupid brothers had to go and make a big deal about it," Ron frowned.
"They really are a set of prats, aren't they?" she smiled faintly.
Ron sighed. "I wouldn't argue with you there. And I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to them ever again."
There was a loud knock at the door and Harry walked into the room. The two of them looked over at him and greeted him by name.
"Listen," Harry began awkwardly and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "Could I have a word with you?" he asked Hermione.
"Of course," Hermione answered and Ron got off the bed.
"They're here! They're here!" Tonks voice rang out loud and clear as two sets of footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor. She and Lupin moved into Hermione's room waving thick envelopes in their hands.
"Your Hogwart's letters have arrived," Lupin announced as he handed the envelopes to their respective recipients. Their smiles both faded at the lack of enthusiasm from the three teens.
"Well…aren't you at all happy that Hogwarts isn't closed," Tonks said, trying to salvage something of happiness from them. "They've been debating it all summer but McGonagall, she's headmistress, insisted that the school stay open and receive the students."
Lupin and Tonks looked from teen to teen, the solemn mood finally getting the best of them as Lupin led her out of the room. "We'll just…be downstairs. If you need us," he added at the end then closed the door.
Hermione stared down at the familiar enveloped that she had so loved receiving. She could feel the lumpy shape of a badge inside. Part of her felt guilty at the desire to return to school but she was here for Harry. Harry needed her to defeat this vicious wizard and she would stick by his side.
"Hey, I made prefect," Ron said softly as he stared down at the pin in the palm of his hand.
Hermione cautiously opened her envelope and tipped its contents into her hand. The shiny gold badge of the Head Girl stood proudly in her hand.
"You made Head Girl, didn't you?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione looked up at him and saw the guilt in his face. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?" she said then scooted off the bed to toss her letter into her small rubbish bin. The pin made a resounding clang as it hit the metal.
"Never did like taking points from my own house but I will miss taking them from the Slytherins," Ron said as he, too, pitched his letter and his badge. "You know that we're with you all the way, mate," he said turning to his raven-haired friend.
Harry gave them both a small and reluctant smile before he moved over to Hermione's small fireplace in her room and with his wand, set a fire inside. He tossed the letter into the flames, using the poker to push the Head Boy badge deep into the fire.
"Harry," Hermione said softly. "I think now would be a good time to show Ron what we've found."
Harry turned around to face her. "Yeah, I guess I should."
He summoned the box with his wand and it landed nicely in Harry's waiting hands. Hermione felt a brief moment of pride, recalling their fourth year when she had stayed up all night teaching him that spell.
"So," Ron eyed the box with unease, "that's…his?"
"Unfortunately," Harry sighed.
They all were silent for a moment to take in the fact that their quest had officially begun. The box seemed harmless, the size of a shoe box but made of cherry wood. It was very plain with no markings or writing on it. "Well, I guess we should open it," Harry said. He slid his fingers over the top of the box and tugged.
It didn't budge.
Harry tugged harder but still it didn't budge.
"We should've known it wasn't going to be so easy," Ron grumbled.
"This is good," Hermione said.
"How is this good, Hermione?" Harry said with a hint of irritation. "I can't even open the damned thing."
"That means that it really is a horcrux," she replied pointedly with an eyebrow raised. Harry let go of the box as if it had burned him and it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Hermione bent over to pick it up but Harry stopped her.
"Don't," he said as he placed a hand on her arm.
"Harry, you've been holding it for awhile and nothing has happened," she said.
"That was before I knew it could be a horcrux," Harry countered.
Hermione sighed and picked up the box. She found that it was surprisingly light as if made of paper.
"Alohomora!" she proclaimed with a wave of her wand. The spell hit the box but it bounced of it and zoomed across the room, landing harmlessly against the wall. The three of them had ducked to the floor as soon as the spell rebounded and they slowly got to their feet.
"Okay, no more spells," Harry said authoritatively. "They'll just bounce right off this thing."
"Unless we know that right incantation," Hermione insisted.
"Do you want to be ducking spells all day?" Harry turned to her. "A spell isn't going to open this thing."
"Well how did you and Dumbledore get the locket?" Ron asked.
Harry looked over at him, the dark look on his face made Ron shut up immediately. Harry picked up the box and turned it over and over in his hands.
"A spell won't open this," he said with a far off voice. He walked over to the fireplace and tossed the box inside. It rested for a moment before the flames spit it out onto the floor.
"Yeah, I didn't think that would work either," Harry mumbled.
Hermione touched the box tentatively. "It's cool already," she said with wonder.
*
When in doubt, go to the library was Hermione's motto, so the trio spent the rest of the evening in the library of the house taking advantage of some of the dark arts books, looking for some clue on how to open the stupid thing.
Eventually, Ron and Harry gave up and began to play football with it, kicking it around the room. Hermione tutted and shook her head. Go figure that she was the only one left looking through books. She took a drink of pumpkin juice and set the glass back on the table before she resumed her research.
"Heads up, Hermione!" Ron called.
Hermione looked up in time to see the box flying in her direction. It missed her and hit the jug of pumpkin juice, spilling it over the floor and on top of the box.
It quivered violently.
"Did you see that?" Harry said eagerly as the trio gathered around the box. Hermione picked up her cup and poured the contents on the box. Once again it shook violently.
"So we have to drown it in…pumpkin juice?" Ron said tentatively.
"What about water?" Hermione offered eagerly.
The three of them looked up at each other then out of the window where the large fountain stood in the middle of the garden.
"Just throw it in," Hermione said as the three of them walked outside in the warm night air.
The fountain bubbled and splashed merrily and Harry couldn't help but remember that it was a night like this that he had taken Hermione for a ride on his broom. But he brushed that thought aside as he tossed the box into the bottom tier of the fountain.
It sank to the bottom with a thud, its lid opened slowly to reveal something shiny inside.
"It's a mirror!" Ron exclaimed as he kneeled in front of the fountain.
What happened next, happened so fast that Harry didn't have time to process it properly.
"No Ron! Don't touch it!" he shouted as he lunged forward for his best friend.
But it was too late, Ron had reached into the fountain and wrapped his fingers around the handle of it. It immediately pulled him into the water. He tried to back out of it but the mirror wouldn't let him go. It kept him underwater.
"RON!!" Hermione screamed as she and Harry tried to grab on to their friends flailing limbs.
Harry tugged and pulled but he couldn't get Ron out of the water.
Ron was quickly losing oxygen and he still couldn't pry his fingers from the mirror. Suddenly the mirror clouded over and Ron screamed in panic when he saw the reflection in the mirror.
"Pull Hermione!" Harry shouted.
"I AM!" Hermione shot back.
Suddenly their friend was released and the three of them flung themselves backwards onto the stone tiles beneath them. Hermione immediately scrambled over to her friend.
"Ron! Ron are you okay?" she cried.
Ron's body was pale and lifeless and very, very cold.
"Ron!" Harry scrambled to the other side of him. Hermione was gently shaking him. Harry grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little harder. Then Ron opened his eyes and he blinked rapidly as he came to.
"Ron," Hermione sighed with relief. But a feeling of unease settled upon Harry. Ron turned his gaze to his friend and Harry was horrified to see a familiar pair of red eyes staring back at him.
"Hermione get away!" he pushed Hermione away from Ron as his hand suddenly shot up and wrapped around Harry's throat.
"Harry Potter," a cold high-pitched voice said. "We meet at last."
Harry was pinned to the floor by his friend's strength, Ron's fingers closing around his neck. Hermione stood there terrified for a moment, disbelieving that this was actually happening before she pounced on Ron, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and neck and pulling him away from him.
"Let him go!!" she screamed.
Ron let go of Harry to throw Hermione off of him. He then rounded on her as she scrambled backward on the tile. Harry rolled over and gasped for breath, his neck sore and aching.
"You stupid, filthy little mudblood!!" Ron spat at Hermione. "You can't stop a powerful wizard like me."
Hermione fumbled for her wand in her back pocket and drew it out. He reached back with his hand and struck her hard across the face. Hermione tumbled to the floor and Ron stepped on her wrist that held the wand. Hermione cried out in pain. Harry slowly stumbled to his feet and saw Ron take Hermione's wand from her hand and point it to her.
"Avada-"
Harry tackled Ron to the ground, landing hard with Ron beneath him. Ron grimaced but Harry kept him pinned as he punched him across the face. Ron caught his fist on the third blow and threw Harry off of him. Once again, Ron pounced on Harry, grabbing the front of his shirt in his fists as he shoved him into the fountain.
Hermione rolled over and felt along the ground for her wand, Ron's wand, Harry's wand, anyone's wand. Harry reached out and tried to scratch at his friend, lifting himself out of the fountain only to be shoved back underwater.
A glint in the flower bed caught her eye and Hermione recognized the mirror. She scrambled to it and reached out for it but thinking better of it she quickly withdrew her hand. She tucked her hands deep into the sleeves of her shirt and used the material to pick up the horcrux. She slammed it down onto the stone but it bounced back as if made of rubber. She repeated the action again but got the same result.
Harry continued to struggle with Ron in the fountain as Hermione abandoned the mirror to help him. She once again threw herself against Ron, using the force of her momentum to pull him off of Harry and they tumbled to the ground. Ron, irritated at the distraction, focused on Hermione.
"You are a thoroughly irritating mudblood," he spat at her as he pinned her underneath him.
"STUPEFY!!"
The spell landed directly on Ron's chest and he collapsed on Hermione in a lifeless thud. Harry looked up to see a bewildered Tonks and Lupin standing in the garden, wand in his old professor's hand. Hermione began to cry as she scooted out from under Ron.
"What in the world is going on here?" Lupin asked angrily.
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