Library Love

Part 6

The owl swooped down through the Great Hall and dropped the envelope on the Gryffindor table in front of Seamus Finnigan, splashing his milk arcoss his clean robes. A round of laughter errupted around the table. 

"What's this?" George asked from beside Seamus, pulling the letter from the spilled milk on the table. He tapped the envelope with his wand and the milk disappeared. George read the enscription scrawled on the envelope and turned to Hermione sitting across the table from Ron, who is on Seamus's left. "It's for you," he sayed, handing the thick envelope across the table to Hermione's extending arm. 

Heads turned in Hermione's direction as she quickly realised it was a Howler. She tore the envelope open and a piece of parchment slipped from her hands, hovering above her untouched plate of food. The parchment folded itself in midair into the shape of a mouth and began spitting words at her, while others watched on and laughed.

"HERMIONE GRANGER, YOU ARE TO REPORT TO PROFESSOR SNAPE'S OFFICE, IMMEDIATELY!"

The letter then proceeded to combust into flames and fall to the table, burning, the parchment turning to a small, neat pile of dark ash on the table. Everyone at the table was staring at Hermione. She felt so small and embarrassed, she couldn’t even pick up her fork to eat her waffles and pudding. She stood up slowly and, noticing everyone at the table and a few people the next few tables over, she hastened out of the Great Hall. Everyone watched her stalk out of the hall and after a moment people began talking in hushed whispers and laughing over the event that’d just occurred.

Ron was staring at Hermione’s barely touched plate of breakfast. He flicked a glance at Harry before turning back to the food. “She gonna eat that?” Harry shrugged, which Ron took as a ‘no' and dug in.

~~~

Hermione ran through the ancient castle of Hogwarts, slowing down when she neared the dungeons where Snape’s office lay. She stopped outside an old wooden door. The rest of the dungeon hall was made of stone. Breathing heavily from running and from fear, she hesitates before slowly reaching her hand up to head height to knock on the door. However, the door swings open just before her knuckles come into contack with the timber.

"Miss Granger. Do come in." Professor Snape's deep velvet voice commands from inside the room. 

Hermione obeys Snape's voice and finds her feet pushing through the doorway. Her eyes find the silvery blonde hair that covers the back of Draco's head. He sits in a chair at the desk, the opposite side to where Snape sits. For a split second her eyes meet Snapes; the eye contact sends shivers down her spine. Professor Snape notices Hermione standing stock still just inside the doorway and motions for her to take a seat. She obliges and takes the only remaining seat next to Draco. 

"Someone saw you two in Hogsmede yesterday... Look at me!" Snape slams his fist down on the ancient wooden desk with such force that some of the glass bottles on the shelves in the room clink together. Hermione and Draco snap their heads up in fright, exchanging a quick horrified glance.

"Don't you children understand? It wasn't just anybody who saw you!" He turns directly to face Draco now. "It was your father, Draco. He saw you two. Holding hands. And let me tell you, he was not very happy about it." Snape hands Draco an envelope which Draco hesitantly takes in his hands. 

"What is this?" Draco asks professor Snape. 

Snape nods toward the envelope. "Read it."

Draco opens the envelope and removes a folded piece of parchment. He throws Snape one more hesitant glance before unfolding the letter. His eyes scoot over the words as he takes in the words. His face contorts slightly, eyebrows pushing together, as if in pain. He drops the letter to his lap, his hand crunching the edge of the paper. Finally Draco raises his head to stare Snape directly in the eyes. 

"No." He says simply. He starts shaking his head, lowering it again. "No no no no no no no no no," he whispers into his lap. A tear drops onto the paper, sinking in and staining a dark mark where it falls. He sniffs a bit and wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his robes. 

He stands suddenly to face his head of house. "No." He says. "You can tell my father that I will not be going." And with that Draco storms out of the office.