Slow Grenade

Chapter Thirty-Two

Whilst it was a rare occurrence, Hermione Granger did not like being wrong. And yet, here she was, forced to stand corrected. Harry's punishment from Umbridge could probably not have been worse.

Suspicious, she had grabbed his forearm over dinner one evening and pulled back his sleeve. Carved into the skin, as though traced there by a scalpel, were five inflamed red words.

Hermione stared and, feeling sick, released him. "I thought you said she was just giving you lines?"

Harry hesitated but told her the truth about the hours he had been spending in Umbridge's office.

"That old toad," she cried. "This is completely wrong, you have to go and say something to Professor McGonagall, Harry."

"No," he said at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."

"Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!"

Harry shook his head. "We don't know how much power McGonagall's actually got over her, do we?"

"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!"

"No," he replied emphatically.

Hermione was surprised at his flat refusal. She wasn't sure what could have happened to cause Harry not to want to seek support from the headmaster. "Why not?" she asked.

"He's got enough on his mind," he said. "I have to go, I'll see you both later."

She watched him go before turning to look worriedly at Ron. He shrugged, not knowing what to do either.

Things continued to go from bad to worse after Umbridge was made High Inquisitor and given the power to inspect other teachers. Hermione had just stormed out of the DADA classroom, rage clouding her vision. She didn't realise, therefore, that someone was walking very closely behind her.

"Granger," Draco muttered. "Second classroom on the left, go in there."

He didn't witness her impressive scowl as he glanced briefly around the corridor before slipping in behind her.

She was breathing fast and her eyes were very bright. "I can't believe this. It's outrageous!"

"You have to stop goading Umbridge, Hermione," Draco implored. "Based on what I've heard, she is not someone you want to mess with."

"What? I had read the whole book, and I did disagree with the author. I was perfectly within my rights to seek a discussion with her."

Not for the first time, Draco wondered what it might be like to have an easy life. He tried a different tact. "Not that I am disagreeable to Potter receiving numerous detentions, I'm surprised that you would wish that upon him?"

"It's not my fault!"

"Well, you didn't help matters."

"And what about you, Draco, why were you criticising Hagrid to her earlier?" she glowered. "I thought we'd gotten past the Buckbeak issue?"

"I was doing it for you! I could see your expression and knew you were moments away from provoking her again."

Hermione sighed and said in a small voice, "She's just such an awful woman. We have to do something about her."

"Poison?" Draco replied, hopefully.

"If only. No, I mean something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any Defence from her at all."

"There's nothing we can do."

"Well... you're not going to like this, but..." she said, pretending to ignore Draco as he grit his teeth. "I was thinking maybe the time has come when we should just – just do it ourselves. I was thinking of asking Harry to start teaching a group of us."