Starts With a Spin

Chapter 16

Hermione was confused. She couldn't quite focus on the paper in front of her, and instead blinked slowly as her brow furrowed. It really didn't make sense... Why would he...?

Wondering if anyone else had noticed today's headline yet, Hermione lifted her head and looked around the Great Hall in a somewhat dazed manner. The Gryffindor table was still fairly empty, and no one at Hufflepuff seemed to care one way or another, as they were all chatting amiably. Some of the Ravenclaws were whispering rapidly to each other and shooting glances out of the corner of their eyes at the Slytherin table.

The Slytherins...

Hermione swung around in her seat. None of the Slytherins seemed to have noticed anything. But then none of the particular Slytherins she was looking for were there yet.

Still moving lackadaisically, as if in a dream, Hermione stood up and headed for the doors. She didn't realize she had picked up her copy of the Daily Prophet again.

It just wasn't sinking in. She couldn't understand what had happened. And where were the professors? Shouldn't they be doing something about this?

Blinking again, Hermione realized she was standing, frozen, in the middle of the Entrance Hall, and students walking past were giving her odd looks. Feeling helpless, at a loss for what to do, she turned toward the Slytherin dungeons and took half a step in that direction. Then she paused. What good could she do, going down there?

Harry. She could go tell Harry. He would know what to do.

Steeling herself and giving her head a brief shake as if to clear it, Hermione spun around and walked up three steps toward the Gryffindor tower. Then she stopped again. Harry would have no idea what to do. He could barely deal with his own losses, let alone someone else's. His brief time with Cho had proved that...

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned to acknowledge whomever had spoke, and once she saw who it was, her fist clenched around the paper and she had to lean against the wall to steady herself. "Pansy," she choked out, and it was only then that she realized her eyes were burning with what would probably turn into tears, and she had no idea why. It wasn't as if she had personally known who had...had... "Pansy," Hermione said again, "I'm...I'm so sorry." Then her legs abruptly gave out on her, and she slid down the wall to sit on one of the steps.

Pansy's eyes widened, darting to the paper enclosed tightly in Hermione's hand. She swallowed heavily, taking slow steps toward the other girl. "Who was it?" she asked softly, eyes still focused on the paper. Hermione held it out to her, and Pansy hesitated before taking it. Closing her eyes, Pansy smoothed it out against the wall beside her. With her hand still covering the middle of the paper, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and then slowly moved her hand.

"No," she moaned, hand jerking back as if burnt. The paper fell to the floor. "No- But...but I just saw her!" Pansy insisted, staring unblinkingly at the wall. "Just...at Christmas. And-and we're supposed to be going home for Easter break soon. He was going to tell her. In person. He was going to tell her about-about..." She was drawing in rapid breaths now, chest heaving.

Hermione screwed her eyes shut and rubbed a hand across her forehead. "Pansy, where is he?" she asked quietly. "You can't let him see this." Pansy whirled around, searching the Entrance Hall wildly. She walked quickly towards the doors to the Great Hall and stuck her head inside. "He wasn't in there," Hermione said, standing shakily and walking towards Pansy.

"Professor Snape's not there either," Pansy said, voice choked and on the verge of tears, it sounded like. Hermione looked in also.

"Nor Professor McGonagall. And I don't see Professor Dumbledore," she murmured.