The Light

Chapter 27- The Beginning

Chapter 27- The Beginning

The next day, they were sat in the Great Hall, laughing and helping themselves to the food laid out before them. Remus had been let out of the infirmary earlier that morning, and his arm was supported by a sling. His face was still bruised and scratched, and at the sight of him, there was a hush of speculation that washed over the hall. Hermione didn't understand why he didn't just ask Madam Pomfrey for a Skelegrow potion. She noticed him wince as he moved for an apple, but kept her lips sealed.

After last night, each of them had gone to sleep feeling heavier than usual, and the morning had brought about a sense of silence to the whole matter. No one talked about it, and no one seemed willing to bring it up. So they didn't. They acted as though nothing was wrong, and everything was dandy, and their entire world still had the chance to be saved.

And that belief lasted a total of seventeen minutes, when a tormented scream burst through the chatter.

Hermione's head twisted in the direction of the sound. A Hufflepuff girl, with fair hair and pale skin, was wailing, sobbing at her table. There was an owl shuffling on the plate in front of her, largely unconcerned with the whole ordeal. The students all stared. None of them seemed to move.

A teacher (Hermione missed which one) swept down towards the screaming girl, ushering her out of the hall. The doors slammed shut behind them. There was silence.

"Janet Brown," James said. He licked his lips, and his eyes were wide behind his glasses. The other four looked at him. "Her mum's an Unspeakable. She worked with my dad once."

"I wonder what happened to her," Remus said, and they all returned to staring at the brown owl on the Hufflepuff table. It seemed the students around it were reluctant to shoo it away, and so the bird pecked at some of the uneaten food on Janet Brown's plate.

Peter swallowed, and he looked ill as he said, "I'm not sure I want to know."

Hermione turned back to her breakfast. She hadn't eaten much, but the food was suddenly unappetising, and she felt bile crawl up her throat at the sight of it. Sirius, who was sat opposite her, leaned forward.

"Are you going to eat that?" He asked. When she shook her head, he grinned, helping himself to her bacon.

And even as the din of conversation slowly but surely grew and encompassed her, and the day resumed as normal, Hermione couldn't get the little girl's face out of her mind, nor that scream that seemed to reverberate through her bones.

oOoOoOo

Hermione couldn't deny the fact that she was extremely thankful for her free period after lunch. Her homework had started to surge, and she retreated to the Room of Requirement to get some peace and quiet.

The room, as always, took on the shape of the library and living space that she always wished for, with high shelves, filled to the brim with books of all widths and topics, and a couple of settees with plush cushions and blankets. Hermione fell back onto one of these, a loud sigh flowing from her lips. She had forgotten how stressful school was, but she had also forgotten how much she thrived off of the thrill of learning.

The door opened suddenly, and Hermione turned around to see Sirius strolling in. He looked happy, and life practically thrummed from the straight set of his shoulders and lazy grin that transformed his handsome face.

"Well hello there, Sunshine," he said, grinning widely at her. Hermione let herself smile back.

"Free period?" She asked, as he slumped down on the armchair to the right of her.