Only You

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Rumors danced wildly from mouth to mouth. Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts! A feast had been prepared to celebrate Halloween, and there was a chance the The Weird Sisters would make an appearance. Excitement for the evening filled the halls of Hogwart with a constant buzz. Promises of delicious food and magical music did not surpass the thrill of the return of Potter, the war hero, the one who defeated Voldemort for good.

Draco found himself more and more irritated with every passing hour. In one of their study sessions, he had made Hermione confirm the boy wonder's return. She had begrudgingly answered after almost an hour of pestering.

"Fine! Yes, if you must know, he and Ronald will be coming later tonight to join the celebrations." Malfoy's mood sank further at the mention of Weasley, but Hermione, oblivious to her blow, continued on. "Actually, all of the students who decided not to repeat this year have been invited back. It really is not that big of a deal. I'm certain some of your friends will be returning as well."

Unknowingly, she had dealt a second blow. None of the people who Draco had once called friend would be returning. Not many Slytherins had chosen to help fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. Silas, in fact, had been one of only a handful. Those who had left would not likely come back to the place of their cowardice. Draco's closer friends had fought in the war, but they would be in no position to join the celebration. They, to his limited knowledge, sat rotting in Azkaban.

This time, Hermione noticed the icy stare that Draco had forced towards the table. She bit her lip in embarrassment, knowing now the mistake she had made. Still, she had no clue what to say, how to remedy the hurt her words had caused. She decided to try to slide gracefully past them.

"The Weird Sisters will be playing as well. If you're interested."

"I'm not." Draco spat, still staring at the table. Shaking his head slightly, trying to force away his dark mood, he continued. "I mean, I probably won't be coming. Not really in the mood for a feast."

Hermione nodded in understanding. She tried to finish the session, but Draco was so distracted and snappy that she decided to quit early. Making excuses, she hurried out of the library towards Hagrid's hut. She wasn't supposed to meet Harry there until later, but she needed to walk. Leaving the castle, she began a very exaggerated, winding path to Hagrid's.

Passing one of the greenhouses, she noticed a girl haphazardly sprawled on the roof, seemingly studying a nearby tree. Hermione cried out in shock as the girl's foot slipped slightly, almost throwing her from the roof. The girl recovered, but searched for the source of the scream. Seeing Hermione, she smiled widely and waved.

"Leanne?" Hermione called out, "Merlin's Beard! What are you doing on the roof? That is incredibly dangerous!"

Leanne only laughed once before disappearing from sight. Hermione thought she had actually fallen until Leanne came through the nearby greenhouse door. She was covered in dust and dirt, but a wide smile put Hermione at ease.

"Hiya Hermione! How are you today? I'm sorry for causing a stir! I was just studying the top most branches of that Wiggentree. See, I'm trying to create an oil from the bark of the Wiggentree. I'm sure you already know the use of Wiggentree to protect from dark forces. During the war, my dad actually hollowed out this massive one on our property to create a sort of shelter. That project is what gave me the idea about carrying that protection around with you! I've actually succeeded in creating a perfume-like oil that works, though I'm hoping to find a way to prolong its effects. That's what I was doing up on the roof! See, I had this idea that the top branches may be more potent than the trunk because, of course, they would be in less contact with evil forces if there were any. I tried to climb the tree at first, but the branches were so close together that I wasn't able to get very far without damaging the tree."