Hermione eyed the letter that had arrived with Hedwig. She knew that Professor Adley had been accused of attacking Harry and that Harry was spending a week at Malfoy Manor, but she didn't know much more than that.
She was afraid to open the letter, she admitted to herself. She was afraid that it spelled the end of their friendship.
But as her mum would say, if Harry was the sort to give up a friendship with her over her sincerely held beliefs, he was the sort it wasn't worth having as a friend. With a heavy heart, Hermione opened the letter.
Hermione,
You should know that the man calling himself Arcturus Adley was actually Sirius Black.
Hermione gasped aloud, and then ducked her head, flushing, when other people turned to stare at her. Ron leaned over, concerned. "Are you all right?"
Hermione nodded shakily and turned to the side to keep reading the letter. She felt as though someone had punched her in the gut and doused her with cold water, but she had to keep reading.
I didn't expect you to know that or anything. But I thought you ought to know that he really did try to kidnap me, and Dumbledore and "Adley" both lied to you when they tried to get you to get him close to me.
Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ron was still watching her, but she couldn't bring herself to glance at him. An ache had taken possession of the inside of her chest.
She wanted to say that Harry was lying. She wanted to say that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't do something like that.
But the rumors were all over the school. Plenty of people who wouldn't feel like they had to get into the good graces of the Malfoys had seen Professor Adley grab for Harry's arm. And that was when Draco had launched the glass shards at him.
Hermione finally opened her eyes and committed herself to reading on.
I don't hate Black because of blood prejudice. He tried to kidnap me, again. When he first turned up at the Manor the summer before third year, he was going on about how he would involve me in some necromantic ritual that would turn me into a "real" Potter. He's not mad anymore, because Dobby cured that, but he's obsessed with me. I wasn't going to give him the chance to do something like that. And neither was Draco. That's the only reason that he cursed him like that, because he knows what Black is like when he gets going.
Hermione wondered if Harry was lying a little, or exaggerating. Because Draco couldn't possibly have known that Black was Professor Adley, or he never would have let Black get close to Harry in the first place.
But maybe it didn't matter. Hermione had bigger liars to confront.
She folded the letter, after making sure that it contained nothing else other than Harry's signature, along neat, precise lines, and stood up. Ron gave her another concerned look. Hermione ignored him. She marched towards the professors' table, where Dumbledore had just sat down.
Both Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall gave her a surprised stare as she halted in front of them. Hermione tilted her head back, and ignored the prickling heat in her cheeks. Principles were important.
"Did you lie about Professor Adley being Sirius Black, Headmaster?" she asked, with a voice that she didn't intend to be as loud as it was. But people at the nearest tables were shutting up so they could listen, and yeah, her voice carried. Hermione clenched her fingers in front of her and stared at Dumbledore.
He looked old and very tired. He shook his head a little. "What, Miss Granger?"
"Our Defense professor. Arcturus Adley." It hadn't really bothered Hermione at the time, the professor having a star name. He could have been related to the Blacks. Or other purebloods could have names that ridiculous, even if they had no connection to the Black family. But now it was another clue that Harry was telling the truth. "Harry says that he's really Sirius Black. Is that true?"
Now more than half the students were staring avidly at the professors. Dumbledore looked tired again.
"Yes," Dumbledore said at last. "He was really Sirius Black."
"Why?" Hermione asked, and her voice soared despite herself. "Sir, why? Why in the world would you bring someone who was known for kidnapping Harry when he was a baby into the same school where he was?"
She thought her voice broke near the end of the sentence, but she was honestly too upset to tell. She lowered her eyes and felt a stinging around the lids. This was—this was—
There was no reason to lie to her. Or to Harry and the Malfoys. They should have confronted them openly and explained that they thought the Malfoys were corrupting Harry.
Not sneaked around, the way Professor Dumbledore had told Hermione the Malfoys would. Not lied.
"We could have hardly brought Sirius here under his own name," Dumbledore said. His gaze was fixed on her, and he was ignoring the noises of confusion and shock starting up from the tables. "The Malfoys would have refused to let Harry and Draco come back to the school."
"Then maybe they should have!"
"We have spoken about this, Miss Granger. Please remember."
....
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