dursley [h. g.]

••dursley•• || searching for the truth

The next day, which was very luckily Saturday, Kendra sat with Hermione at breakfast too, during which all of Kendra's friends made kissy faces and suggestive faces while she ate, which told Kendra that she was going to have to give them the details later that day. Harry looked rather meek and guilty now, though he still hadn't apologized to Kendra for his temper tantrum the night before.

"High Inquisitor?!" Harry barely contained himself as he read the Daily Prophet over his bowl of cereal.

"What?" Hermione asked. She snatched the newspaper from Harry's hands.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, eyes narrowed. Harry shrugged.

"This morning, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and Senior Undersecretary to the Minister Dolores Umbridge was announced to be the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor," Hermione read out loud. "Though term is only a few months along, parents have already sung her praise. 'My son has learned more in these short few months than his entire career at Hogwarts,' says Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy.'"

"Ugh," Ron said, shaking his head. "Of course Malfoy is suckling at the teet of the Ministry."

"He also said that, 'Dumbledore should take notes from Professor Umbridge's delightful demeanor and way of dealing with misbehaving.' God, what a narc," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Did you, Hermione Granger, just call Lucius Malfoy a narc?" Kendra asked, with raised eyebrows. Hermione flushed and avoided Kendra's gaze. "Tell me what is says about the position. What's her power?"

"Erm... she has the power to instate Educational Decrees with permission from the Minister and she inspects all the teachers to make sure that their curriculums are 'up to Ministry standard'. What a desperate grab for power from the Ministry, I mean honestly!" Hermione huffed and shook her head. Kendra smiled slightly. She was cute when she was passionate.

"Personally, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," Kendra said, her smile growing. "Umbridge won't know what hit her. Coming?" She stood and turned to Hermione.

"Where?" Hermione asked, already standing as well.

"Library. There's something I need to find out," Kendra elaborated, her eyes scanning the table. Lavender and Parvati hadn't minded at all that Kendra spent the night, as Hermione had predicted, but Kendra wasn't one to push her luck. She didn't want the whole school to know about her odd dreams- that was Harry's thing.

Hermione graciously followed Kendra and one they were put of sight from the Great Hall, Hermione took Kendra's hand in her own. "What d'you need to know?" Hermione asked as they walked to the library.

"I've been having these dreams and there's a woman in them, and she says I know who she is. I don't know her face, but they're not normal dreams. I know that, they don't feel right. I wondered if there was someone who had powers to control dreams, like magically," Kendra flushed. "That sounds silly but, well, you know the library back to front."

"It's not silly," Hermione shook her head. "Just because I think Trelawny's a fraud doesn't mean that I don't think people can't dream the future. And look at Harry- he's got weird dreams all the time!"

"You're right," Kendra said. "I mean, can you think of anyone? Who controls people's dreams or shows up in them?"

"Well..." Hermione paused as she thought. "There was Englebert the Enlightened who was said to send messages to his lover in his sleep, but he's been dead thousands of years and also not a woman."

"Definitely not then," Kendra confirmed. Her voice dropped to a whisper as they entered the library and made their way into the shadowed back corner where the two of them always worked. "She called me... mortal, as if she was something more than a human."