Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

94

Hermione sat in the midst of the common, reading her textbook, after she was talked to by almost every Professor in Hogwarts. They wanted to know about what happened to her, which Hermione lied and said she was chased into the forest by dementors and got lost. She felt a few of them knew something she didn't but she didn't want to risk it. 

She was greeted by most people, yet she couldn't find Harry or Ron. Nor did she went looking for them. She figured they probably were still mad at her to notice she had vanished. Suddenly she watched as the portrait hole opened and Ron and Harry came running inside. They came to a halt a few feet away from, panting as they stared at her. Harry opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Ron came running towards her with tears in his eyes. 

"You weren't eaten by the werewolf!" Ron shouted as he wrapped his arms around her neck. Hermione struggled to get out of Ron's gripped as she asked what happened. Harry began explaining, how they found her note about Rose Nylund and Fenrir Greyback to going to inform the professor about Elka being involved, to Snape catching them and how Harry found out about a prank his father and his friends did on Snape and lost the map (which had some colorful things to say about Snape) to Lupin, who revealed her Grandma Elka had socked him in his face. 

"It was a bloody brilliant punch. I'll have to send her a letter to praise her for it." Ron stated to Hermione, "But now you tell us how you got away from Fenrir Greyback?" 

Hermione proceed to tell her side. How Fenrir and Scabior (which she concluded to Harry that he was the man he saw) wouldn't let her go before asking if they could compromise somehow. Of course since there was no way any of the Professors was going to allow either one to come in and look after her, they had given her a dog whistle she could use on emergencies to call them. She even held the whistle in front of them. 

"So that's it? That's how they'll know you're in trouble?" 

"Honestly, Ron, werewolves are wolves, wolves are like oversized dogs. This has the same effect on them." Hermione told him. 

"Well, we're glad your back, Hermione. We thought you weren't ever coming back." Harry told her with a sad grin on his face. The cheering of Hermione's return was over as fast as it began when an owl came swooping in through the window and dropped a letter on Harry's lap. It was from Hagrid. Upon opening, Harry read: 

Dear Harry and Ron, 

We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Buckbeak has enjoyed London. I won't forget all that Hermione gave us.... hopefully she's back soon. 

Hagrid. 

"They can't do this!" Harry shouted, "they can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous!" 

"It's that stupid committee's fault! They're all in Lucius's pocket! They're too scared to stand up to him!" Hermione pointed out. 

"Hermione why don't you ask those dementors to go down and frighten them? We can threaten them with the dementors if they don't appeal the execution." Ron stated with a nod of his head. 

"Ron! That wouldn't exactly help our case," Hermione stated. 

"Sure it could! They're probably more scared of the dementors than they are of Lucius. Besides if they think about locking you up in Azkaban, it's no use. Your Great-Great-Great... Grandmother... Aunt or whatever built that place! And the dementors themselves. They can't exactly punish you." 

When they went down to comfort Hagrid during Care of Magical Creatures lessons, Hagrid first gave Hermione a hug and was thankful that she was alright and nothing bad happened to her. Hagrid sobbed, blaming himself for getting all tongue-tied and forgetting parts of his speech. Upon walking back wasn't exactly happy either. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle kept looking back with the rest of the class, laughing at the sight of poor Hagrid in distress. 

As soon as they arrived to the entrance hall, Hagrid hurried down to his cabin with his face buried in his handkerchief. 

"Look at him blubber!" Hermione's head shot up to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle standing inside the castle listening, "Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic? And he's supposed to be our teacher!" 

Hermione couldn't control herself as she rushed over to Malfoy and punched him right in the face. 

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul, loathsome evil little cockroach!" Hermione shouted at him, "I hate you! Your Barty Crouch Jr. boggart was right! Your mother should have drowned you like the runt you are! Now get out of here before I send the dementors on you!" 

"Again with the dementors with you?" Malfoy stated. Without thinking, Hermione stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Slowly floating from above without even so much as a sound, three dementors soared down just a few feet from Malfoy's, Crabbe's and Goyle's faces. They were in so much shock they screamed and rushed out of the way as quickly as possible to avoid being attacked. 

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron shouted at her. The dementors turned and started to move towards Harry and Ron. Just as Harry held out his wand, Hermione held her hand out in front of him. 

"Don't even think about it! We have a deal!" Hermione growled at the dementors. They grunted before vanishing up into the clouds. 

"Blimey! What deal did you make with them to agree to be your body guards?" Ron asked her. 

"Simple,  they protect me, and I don't use the Patronus charm on them." Hermione stated as they hurried into the castle. 

Harry had a horrible night of sleeping. He had so much stress with the quidditch final coming up he was having a hard time falling asleep. After a reckless amount of nightmares, Harry woke up in cold sweat. He forced himself towards the window to try and cool him off, but what he didn't suspect was what he saw. It was Crookshanks walking across the yard with its tail up high. Harry figured it was probably going to inform Scabior or whoever about Hermione until Harry spotted it. A large black dog emerged from the trees. The Grim.... but Harry watched in shock as Crookshanks trotted up to its side and gently petted itself against the dog. 

What did this mean? Harry thought while watching the two scurrying across the lawn together, was Crookshanks working with someone else? Or was he finally going mad?