B.Q. Book Two: Black Princess Ascendant

Chapter 32: Detentions and Distractions

Disclaimer: Did Dumbledore leave the Mirror of Erised, an artifact he told Harry had driven the people who were caught up in its depths mad, in an unlocked room only a short distance from the library?

If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whomever else she sold the rights to.

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The words of Professor Vector's lecture washed over Hermione, and though her quill kept scratching at the roll of parchment in front of her, her attention was not on the notes she was taking. No, her eyes and her mind instead kept flicking up toward someone else in the classroom, someone she felt should be kept far away from everyone in Hogwarts.

Preferably in prison.

Yet there Black sat, bold as brass and continuing her act of innocence. Now that Hermione knew the truth about the other witch, that she was a heartless murderer, so many of the little things Hermione had idly noticed over the past year and a half made so much more sense. The girl's casual disdain wasn't just her thinking herself above everyone around her but actually viewing herself as being the only one whose life held value. The fake smile was a mask to hide her sins from the world. The way she flaunted her adopted family's money and power might not just be a slap to the face to the Potters but also a warning of the resources she had available should anyone try to trace her crimes back to her.

Well, we'll see just how much protection those things really give you, won't we?

She had debated with herself about whether she should expose that darkest part of Black's history to the world ever since Mrs. Potter had revealed it to her; on the one hand, it was murder, but on the other, if the accusations the elder witch had leveled at her own sister were anywhere near accurate, there was a very good chance that a jury would find her actions justified. Hermione personally did not think they were, but after four years in the Wizarding World she had finally had to accept that her opinions about this society's barbarism were unwelcome. Muggles might be considered 'lesser' and 'backward' by wizards, but at least they had not executed anyone since the sixties. Compare that to the Ministry of Magic's reliance on the Dementor's Kiss, the most horrifying implementation of capital punishment ever conceived, and which culture was truly more civilized became clear!

For all her agonizing, however, it was Monday's Defense Against the Dark Arts class that was the tipping point. The entire school was abuzz about how Black humiliated Ron and her, but somehow Black had again avoided any of the consequences of her actions! The Ravenclaws had been quick to spread the word that Ron had laughed at Lovegood after her duel with Neville - which, yes, was rude of him - as well as rumors that Black was merely avenging her girlfriend's honor, and suddenly everything she had done was perfectly acceptable. Then came the tale of what Black did to Chang when the Asian girl had bullied Lovegood and how Professor Flitwick had praised her for it and...

Hermione cut off her mental rant before she could work herself up any further. The previous year, she had compared Black to Malfoy in that both relied on their family's money and influence in 'polite society' to get away with whatever they wanted, but now she knew the truth: Black was worse. At least Malfoy only talked about killing off the 'Mudbloods and filthy Muggles'.

True, abusing Ron on the dueling stage was something that could and likely would be ignored, but killing three people was a different thing entirely. She had sent a letter to Rita Skeeter after classes that Monday, and the four days since should have been more than enough time for the muckraking journalist to investigate her claims. It was unlikely that Aurors would burst into the Great Hall during lunch to arrest Black, but as long as she was carted off and could no longer pose a threat to everyone else-