Never Let Me Go ⚡︎ [ harry potter ]

⚡︎ • ❝ t h i r t y o n e ❞ • ✴

June was quickly approaching, thus meaning that their final exams were just around the corner. This propelled their studying and soon Grace found herself at home at the table in the common room next to Hermione. She had been so stressed over studying that she had her nose in a book the previous Saturday afternoon tea she had with Remus, to which he told her she should go study.

Grace was hunched over her Transfiguration book when there was a rapping on the window close to them. She paid it no mind as she flipped the page to continue reading. "It's from Hagrid," Harry spoke up, and she tore her eyes from her book to look up at him as he ripped open the note. "Buckpeak's appeal – it's set for the sixth."

"That's the day we finish our exams," Hermione said as she looked for her Arithmancy book.

"And they're coming up here to do it," Harry continued, reading the letter. "Someone from the Ministry of Magic and – and an executioner..." Grace's heart plummeted as she stared in wide-eyed horror. It wasn't fair!

"They're bringing the executioner to the appeal!? But that sounds as though they've already decided!"

"Yeah, it does," Harry nodded grimly.

"They can't!" Ron shouted. "Gracie and I've spent ages reading up on stuff for him! They can't just ignore it all!"

"Of course they can," Grace scoffed in disgust. "When they're already paid off by Lucius Malfoy. The appeal is only for show; it's only to keep everyone 'accountable' and for face, showing that they went through the proper steps before execution. They're not really going to deliberate after the appeal," she hissed, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. "What's the point of having a proper procedure for legal matters, or having an entire committee, or a bloody department for magical creatures when all they're going to do is just do whatever someone pays them enough money to do! It's absolutely disgusting!" She huffed, then stood up. Slamming her Transfiguration book closed, she pushed her chair back and grabbed her books.

"Neville! Let's go!" Grace called out to the boy, who was sitting on the sofa with Dean and Seamus. "You two can come too, I'm going to go practice Transfiguration," with that she waltzed out of the common room, Neville hot on her heels.

Harry's face turned sour as he watched Neville follow after Grace, wondering why she didn't practice her work in the common room. "Why does she always have to leave with Neville?" Harry muttered, turning back to his book, now suddenly disinterested in Charms.

"Why do you suddenly care who she studies with?" Hermione asked slyly, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I don't," Harry glowered. "It just seems like she always studies with Neville, she hardly studies with us."

"You do realize that Neville is like her best friend," Ron muttered awkwardly. "We have been kind of keeping her a lot this year." Harry frowned, realizing that Ron was right. The previous two years, she spent most of her free time with Neville, that is when she wasn't being roped into coming with them by Ron. This year had seemed so different, she was outspoken more, she was more outgoing, more comfortable... or has she always been that way? Ron didn't notice anything different about her, except that she had been spending more time with them. Had Grace always been like this, and Harry just too thick to notice? When did he even start to notice? Maybe it was because they had gotten to know each other more over the summer, and she started opening up more...

Or maybe it was because they both had a common enemy? Someone who wanted to hurt them both? She was the only person that really understood him, and how he felt, and he was the only person who could understand how she felt... As much as he wanted to find Sirius Black and kill him, a part of him was hesitant because of her. He, more than anyone, understood the pull to want to know more about a parent, especially if said parent wasn't around. Could he really do that to Grace? Who, even though Sirius was bad, still had a part of her that loved her dad and longed for him? He knew that was why she had been avoiding him after Christmas, he had a feeling that the letter she got was from her dad, and didn't want anyone to know about it.