Always Together

31. Aragog

Chapter 31 | aragog

Summer had began showing at Hogwarts. The sky was bluer, the lake was warmer, and the flowers were more colourful. However, Hagrid wasn't there anymore, which was very strange to Caitlyn.

Harry, Caitlyn and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing.

"We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off..."

Caitlyn had been told all of the news by Harry and Ron. With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.

Only one person seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Harry didn't realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Draco, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle.

"I always thought father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..."

Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron.

"Sir," said Draco loudly. "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"

"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thinlipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah, right," said Draco, smirking. "I expect you'd have father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir -"

Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.

"I'm quite surprised the mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Draco went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger -"

The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Draco's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Draco went unnoticed.

"Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands -"

"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Ron, Caitlyn and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. Caitlyn disppeared from Snape's sight with another professor and the Slytherins, since they didn't have the same class.

—

Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Ginny sat watching them, very subdued in Hermione's usual chair. Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed.

Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole. They still had to pick up Caitlyn, who wanted to tag along. She had sneaked out of the Slytherin common room somehow and was waiting outside it.