Chapter 91: Threat of Dismissal
"Okay, okay, you're safe." He patted her back gently with his hands and whispered to comfort her.
Hermione trembled slightly, still unable to believe this was real.
Is it an illusion?
Perhaps she had already died at the hands of the werewolf... All this was just the imagination of her soul...
But the fresh scent emanating from his neck was so real, as real as waking from a dream.
She hugged him tightly, longing to be in his arms, away from the cold night; and he no longer dodged, no longer hesitated, no longer remained distant.
He hugged her back fully, enveloping her completely with a firmness he had never felt before.
She could feel his heartbeat.
Violent. Powerful. Loud.
He smelled wonderful. As she sniffed him, her fear gradually faded and her heart returned to peace.
He was warm. She nuzzled him, lifting her face from his shoulder and nuzzling it against his.
That is a warmth that is more real than fantasy.
That's right, he was real and not just her delusion.
As consciousness gradually returned, some truths blew through her heart like the night wind, so loud that it could not be ignored.
Draco, he stood in front of her, protecting her from the terrifying werewolf.
Hermione was shocked - was she so important to him? Important enough to protect him with his life?
Why was he willing to risk his life to protect her? Why was he so desperate?
Why was he able to arrive in time every time, find her helpless, and save her again and again?
Why didn't he pull back and keep a certain distance from her as he usually did, but instead hugged her back abnormally?
In a panic, she hesitated and turned away from his face. She tried to look up at him, her heart mixed with surprise and helplessness.
At this moment, Draco also turned his head and looked into her eyes steadily.
Those brown eyes no longer held warmth, but instead were filled with sadness, heartbreak, and helplessness, which almost frostbitten his eyes.
"Draco—" Her cheeks were still wet, and her choked, broken voice was buried in her nose. "Why?"
"What?" His gray eyes released a soft color, trying to comfort her desolate soul.
Hermione cringed.
She had countless questions she wanted to ask him. But when he looked her in the eye, it seemed none of them mattered. There was a glint of cherishment in his eyes, his hands gently caressed her, his hot breath brushing against her face.
"Nothing..." She sobbed twice, lowered her eyes sadly, and looked as aggrieved as a stray cat that couldn't find its home.
Draco sighed softly, his disguise broken by her expression. He stroked her soft, curly hair and pulled her closer to him. She immediately let out a small, animal-like sob and buried her face in his shoulder.
He caressed her back lovingly, soothing her with gentle words, repeatedly telling her, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one can hurt you."
Hermione clutched at his clothes, buried in his warmth, unable to let go of him.
At one point, she no longer wanted to let him go. Between life and death, nothing else mattered.
She couldn't care less about anything. She couldn't care less about whether they had been arguing just a moment ago.
Regardless of whether he liked her or treated her as a sister, at least now, she wanted to be held tightly by him. She wanted him to caress her and never stop.
It was a terrible thought, but she couldn't help herself.
"Hermione, I think we should hurry back to the castle. Werewolves are still wandering in the Forbidden Forest. It's not safe here." Draco whispered amid her small sobs, his eyes flashing with deep worry.
"You're right. And Harry and the others, we have to find them." She sniffed and rubbed his neck reluctantly.
Draco couldn't bear to let her go. Her hair smelled so good. She snuggled in his arms, almost melting into his heart.
He had nearly lost her. She had nearly been hurt.
That was a close call.
She must not be harmed. He made up his mind, secretly kissed her hair, and said with a hard heart, "Let's go quickly before the werewolves come."
"Yeah." Hermione agreed with him a little aggrievedly.
She sadly released her hand, allowing him to climb to his feet and search for his wand in the nearby grass.
He returned shortly with his hawthorn wand.
He held out his hand to her, "Can you stand up? We should go."
Using his strength, Hermione stumbled to her feet.
Her legs were still a little weak, and she could hardly walk. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was still a little afraid of the dark corners on all sides.
The bushes swaying slightly in the wind looked like a werewolf could jump out at any moment.
"Still scared?" Draco asked.
Hermione bit her lip as she looked at him, her arms shaking, not wanting to admit it.
She didn't want to appear weak in front of him.
Hermione Granger, so proud. Even with tears still wet, it was hard to admit that she had ever been afraid. Draco sighed softly in his heart.
"Hold me, okay? The ground is bumpy and I'm afraid I'd fall." He put his arms around her, put his arm around her shoulders, and helped her walk.
Hermione had no reason to refuse. He was walking perfectly fine, and she was the one who was scared, the one who would fall.
But he was very cunning. He did not even mention helping her, but he sought her help in words.
He let her feel at ease being protected by him, in the name of "helping him".
He even said sympathetically, "That's much better now, thank you."
How could she refuse this? Walking in his arms, Hermione was extremely confused.
"What on earth happened, Hermione?" Draco began to ask questions, trying to distract the confused little girl from her worries and from paying attention to the bushes.
"We...we found Peter Pettigrew transformed into a rat in Hagrid's hut, and Harry chased after him...Later, a big black dog - that was Sirius Black - rushed in through the hole in the Whomping Willow, grabbed the rat, and took him to the Shrieking Shack...He said that Peter Pettigrew must have some ulterior motive, and he wanted to force him to tell it...But today is a full moon, and Professor Lupin must have forgotten to take his potion! He turned into a werewolf, and Peter Pettigrew took advantage of the chaos to escape...Sirius Black turned into a big black dog to fight the werewolf, but was knocked down by the werewolf...Then Professor Snape came and was defeated soon after...Harry and Ron ran down the grassy slope over there, and I was left alone...Just as you saw, I was caught by the werewolf." Hermione spoke intermittently, telling him everything that happened tonight.
"Merlin's beard..." Draco was a little shocked when he heard what she said about what happened tonight.
He patted her shoulder, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Has Peter Pettigrew been hiding in the Shrieking Shack all this time?"
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione, looking out at the dreary lake before her.
Harry, Ron, Sirius Black, and Professor Snape were unconscious by the lake. At Hermione's exclamation, Draco went up to check their breathing.
"Are they—still alive?" Hermione asked nervously.
"They're still alive." Draco straightened up and said with a frown, "But they're badly injured. They must be rushed to the school hospital."
At this time, something huge was moving among the bushes and grass slopes, making a loud crackling sound of branches breaking.
"Draco, listen—" Hermione's expression suddenly became terrified.
"Who?" Draco asked sharply, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her towards him. Her slender fingers were cold.
In the moonlight, a figure flashed among the trees.
"Hagrid?" said Hermione in surprise.
"Hermione! I can't find Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid whimpered. He rushed towards them, and even his beard couldn't hide his anxiety and collapse. "I met Professor Snape on the way and told him what happened. I also went to the Owlery to give Professor Dumbledore a message... Oh, running Gorgon, what's wrong with Harry?"
"We've encountered a werewolf." Hermione couldn't hold her nerve any longer. She leaned over to Draco and said exhaustedly, "Hagrid, we have to send them to the hospital ward immediately, especially Sirius Black. He looks seriously injured..."
"Where's Harry?" Hagrid looked in Harry's direction worriedly.
"He just fainted," Draco said calmly. "Not as badly injured as Sirius Black."
"You! Draco Malfoy! Why are you here?" Hagrid finally noticed Draco and said warily, "Hermione, you silly girl, come here! What are you doing next to him? And holding his hand? Have you forgotten how he-"
"Don't waste time!" Draco interrupted him rudely, "If you still want Sirius Black to live!"
"Okay, I'll take him to the school hospital right away! Don't run around, just look after Harry, I'll be back soon! That boy from the Malfoy family, behave yourself! You dare to bully her! Hermione, hold on to your wand, if that brat is rude to you, teach him a lesson!" Hagrid said loudly, and easily picked up the unconscious, blood-stained black-haired man - he looked like a dying black swan - and said with a sullen face.
Hermione frowned and nodded at Hagrid, but didn't let go of Draco's hand.
"We can't wait here. It's not safe here, we have to leave quickly." Draco said irritably. He looked at Hagrid's back as he hurried towards the castle, then looked away and looked at the people lying on the ground around him.
"Levitation?" Hermione asked wearily. "Can you use a Levitation Charm?"
"Good idea. However, the Levitation Charm is limited to objects," Draco said. "We can cast a similar spell - Mobilicorpus."
"Mobilicorpus, Mobilicorpus..." She repeated it softly and mechanically, as if learning this spell could ease the panic in her heart at the moment.
"Can you—can you still walk?" Draco asked her, feeling the girl stagger beside him.
Hermione gave him a stubborn look, remained silent, and turned pale.
She was indeed a little trembling and her legs were weak. When Hagrid ran over just now, she thought the werewolf had come again and was scared.
Draco sighed and took off his new robes and draped them around her.
"Come on, I'll carry you." He squatted down and turned his back to her.
"I - I can probably walk on my own." She emphasized in a low voice, hugged his neck tightly, and rested her cold face on his neck.
"That's right. When I have no strength left, you can come down and walk by yourself." He said perfunctorily, tightening his hands and holding the fragile girl firmly in his palms.
Hold it in his palm. Don't go anywhere. He couldn't help but think, a faint smile drifting across his lips.
"I'm not actually that weak," she said unconvincedly, still trembling slightly despite being wrapped in his robe.
"That's right. You're not weak. Have you learned that spell? Use it to control the wounded and take them to the hospital ward, okay?" Draco said seriously. "I remember you were always quick to learn levitation spells and were very good at controlling the levitated objects. Give it a try, it will be of great help to me."
Hermione was convinced. She picked up her wand and whispered the new spell on his back. Soon, the unconscious people were wandering in the air like ghosts.
If anyone had the misfortune to look at the Hogwarts hunting grounds in the middle of the night, they would definitely be frightened by this strange scene.
"That's it. Good girl, you did great." Draco held her firmly and praised her.
She seemed a little happy because of these words. She lay obediently behind him and controlled the direction of the wounded, and stopped moving around.
They walked for about ten minutes before they caught up with Hagrid, who was pounding on the hospital door with his bowl-sized fist.
Poppy Pomfrey, wearing plaid pajamas, was yawning. She opened the door impatiently and saw a group of scarred people floating in the air. She was so frightened that she almost fainted.
"For Merlin's sake! What on earth were you doing? A wizard's duel can't get you any more seriously injured!" She glared angrily at Hagrid, who was rushing into the ward with Sirius Black in his arms, and then looked at Draco who was standing in front of her, the girl on his back was controlling the unconscious wounded in the air with a tired look on her face.
She seemed to be trying to decide who was to blame.
What's that look? Draco thought inexplicably, it wasn't him who made these wounded people like this!
"I don't know what happened. I was just passing by and wanted to lend a hand." Draco tried his best to look at Madam Pomfrey with a confused look, and there was a hint of tact in his tone.
"In that case, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger, why are you wandering outside in the middle of the night instead of going back to the common room?" She glanced sharply at the listless girl in a robe on his back and asked suspiciously.
Merlin, did this young couple sneak out for a date? Poppy Pomfrey's inner groundhog screamed, and she wanted to rush to Irma Pince's bed, wake her up, and tell her the important news.
Draco was speechless and could only smile at her awkwardly.
No matter how excited we are, the wounded are still the first priority.
"Come in and put them down." Madam Pomfrey tried her best to keep a straight face. She watched the wounded floating to the beds one by one under Hermione's control, and hurried forward to begin the examination. "Also, Hagrid, you go out and wait. Don't touch my wounded!"
Hagrid awkwardly lowered his hand that was about to pull the floating Harry down, bent down, and went out of the door.
Finally safe. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. When the wounded were put down one by one, he heard the little girl behind him also breathe a sigh of relief, and then gently put her head on his shoulder.
She must be exhausted, maintaining the levitation spell for so long.
He placed her safely on a chair and looked at her carefully in the light of the candle in the sconce.
"Thank you." Hermione was putting away her wand listlessly, with her eyes lowered, feeling a little lost for leaving his warm back.
It was then that Draco noticed that she had scrapes and scratches on her face and arms, which made his heart tighten.
"You're hurt," he told her.
Hermione looked up at him in confusion and found that he had opened the medical box that Madam Pomfrey had placed aside with familiarity, took out some simple tools for cleaning wounds, and walked up to her.
She looked at her arm and whispered, "It's nothing. Just a minor injury."
"You need treatment." He cleaned his hands, lifted her face without question, and gently adjusted the angle for her, letting her look up towards the candlelight and study her wound.
His warm fingers touched her chin, and the warmth made her feel like she was in a dream.
Then, he concentrated on picking up the wet cotton swab and gently wiped away the tiny sand from the wound on her cheek.
She was dazed by the dim candlelight and let him fiddle with her face. She had nothing to say but stare at him blankly, and found his eyes very beautiful.
Gray, gentle, soothing eyes. Not cold, not indifferent, not alienated.
He looked at her intently, as if she was the only one in his eyes. She thought miserably, feeling that she was just daydreaming again.
Draco only had eyes for her. He noticed that her eyes were a little swollen, and her expression was like that of a frightened animal in the wilderness, as if she was about to cry again.
It was obvious that the werewolf had frightened her. He didn't like the sad, panicked look in her eyes, and he hated the wounds and scratches even more—they screamed softly in his heart.
Frowning, he applied the ointment on her face and began to pick up her arm and clean the small scratches on her arm.
The scratches seemed to make him even more unbearable. For a moment, Hermione thought she saw a flash of pain in his eyes, as if the scratches were not on her body, but on his.
This was utterly impossible. Perhaps it was just another of her imagination. She must have been dazzled; or perhaps it was the flickering candlelight that was causing all the confusion.
He shouldn't care about her to this extent. No one should care about her cuts and scratches to this extent.
Even parents would not show their pain for such minor injuries.
They would just help her heal her wounds and then encourage her to be strong with a smile.
Just as Hermione was daydreaming and applying the cream to her elbow, she let out a hissing sound.
"Sorry, sorry..." His face turned pale, his fingers trembled slightly, and he dropped the cotton swab to the ground.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice trembling slightly with a note of fear. "I—I'll be gentler."
He coaxed her softly, took another clean cotton swab, dipped it in the medicine, and gently touched the wound.
"Yeah." She agreed, and suddenly felt infinite grievances in her heart.
His gentle movements seemed to show how much he cherished her. His tone was incredibly soft, as if he held her in his heart.
How come this boy, who is usually cold, arrogant and calm, seems like a different person?
How could he care about her so much?
How could he be so gentle to her as never before, or even more gentle?
At this moment, she seemed to like him more...but he didn't like her...this was the worst thing in the world.
Hermione stole a glance at his inexplicably sad profile and felt her throat tighten. She felt like a lemon picked in March, her whole body sour from her youthful and hopeless crush.
Fortunately, fortunately, none of them died. He was still treating her wounds. She looked at him, thinking with what little brain she had left tonight, trying to comfort herself.
Tsk, look at that young master of the Malfoy family, look at how cautious he is! Poppy Pomfrey secretly watched their movements from the corner of his eye, thinking to himself, if someone didn't know, they would think that the person who was seriously injured tonight was that girl, not Sirius Black!
"They're just minor scratches, what's the big deal? If I don't treat them quickly, they'll almost heal!" She secretly complained, her hands still nimbly examining, treating, and bandaging the wounded.
"Okay, it's all done." After a while, Madam Pomfrey said easily, looking at Hermione, who had been carefully treated with medicine by Draco. "I think Miss Granger's wound probably doesn't need my attention, right?"
Hermione's face flushed slightly and she looked down at her arm which had been treated with medicine.
To divert Madam Pomfrey's teasing gaze, Draco coughed, hiding the mixed emotions in his heart, and asked her, "How are they?"
"The one who was most seriously injured was Sirius Black. He had multiple scratches, some of which were very deep... and several ribs were broken." Madam Pomfrey looked at the black-haired man and made a toothache sound that echoed throughout the ward. "It's only been a few days? How did he get himself into this state again?"
"Oh, by the way, Madam Pomfrey, how are Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Mr. Potter has a few scratches, but they are not serious. Did you encounter a Dementor? The mental torture he suffered may be even more severe than the physical pain." Madam Pomfrey shook her head and placed a whole huge chocolate cake on his bedside table. "Let him eat some when he wakes up."
"As for Mr. Weasley, he needs to drink bone spirit and stay in the school hospital for two days." Madam Pomfrey shook her head, took out a bottle of scalp-numbing potion, and placed it on the bedside table next to Ron's head. "This medicine is not particularly comfortable, is it, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco grinned in agreement.
He had drunk this stuff last year, so he knew the sour and refreshing feeling that "Bone Spirit" could bring. Ron, the unlucky guy, probably broke his leg because he was too anxious when running down the hill.
It looked like he was going to have a hard time tonight, Draco thought.
"Where's Professor Snape?" He asked hurriedly, his eyes sliding to the bed next to Ron's.
"He twisted his ankle and injured his leg. It's a pretty big wound. He'll need to rest for a few days." Madam Pomfrey said regretfully.
"How did Professor Snape get this wound? Was it scratched by a werewolf?" Draco frowned slightly and asked Hermione in a low voice.
He felt uneasy, wondering whether he should remind Madam Pomfrey about this.
"He probably wasn't scratched by the werewolf's claws. He was injured when he was thrown out by the werewolf and hit a tree. I vaguely remember it." Hermione raised her head, tugged at the corner of his clothes, and whispered to him.
I see. I'm glad it wasn't a werewolf that hurt him, Draco thought nervously.
After Madam Pomfrey had cured all the wounded, Hagrid was finally allowed in. He sidled through the door like a mammoth that had strayed into the leprechaun's room. He trudged down and sat down next to Harry, who had just woken up. He took one look at him, howled like a wounded dog, and burst into tears.
"Harry, I thought it was too late! As soon as you left, I rushed to Dumbledore's office, but no one was there... I was so anxious... Fortunately, I met Professor Snape later. I pointed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest and said to him, 'Harry and the others are chasing Peter Pettigrew', and he immediately ran over to find you..."
He sobbed, big tears seeping into his beard, and he looked frightened.
Madam Pomfrey was annoyed by the noise he was making, and ten minutes later, she put her hands on her hips and shooed Hagrid out, saying that "the patient needed to rest."
At this time, except for Sirius, the unconscious people were gradually awakened by the noise made by Hagrid.
As soon as he regained consciousness, Professor Snape's face was filled with the same expression of indifference, contempt and disdain as usual.
"Well," he said, looking at the pale Harry, a terrifying smile playing on his thin lips. "Everyone, from the Minister of Magic on down, has been trying to protect the famous Harry Potter from Peter Pettigrew. But the famous Harry Potter insists on having his own way, leaving ordinary people to worry about his safety! The famous Harry Potter goes wherever he wants, without a thought for the consequences."
"Sir, we saw Peter Pettigrew! We caught him, and then he got away!" Harry argued.
"What nonsense!" Professor Snape looked at Harry's face with disgust and sneered, "Peter Pettigrew, this is a very good reason, isn't it? It's just an excuse for you to sneak into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night! Disobeying the rules and being arrogant... I've seen a lot of this kind of thing."
"But, sir, we saw him with our own eyes!" Hermione hurriedly explained.
"So, where is he?" Professor Snape glanced at her and spoke in a slightly softer tone.
Hermione hesitated. She didn't know whether to bring this up. Hogwarts students weren't supposed to be going to Hogsmeade at this hour. They'd broken at least fifty school rules along the way.
"He... he's been living in the Shrieking Shack!" At this time, Ron woke up. He struggled to sit up, but his injured leg dragged him down and he fell back onto the pillow in failure.
Professor Snape's expression changed drastically. It was as if Ron had thrown a blackhead juice in his face. His face quickly darkened, even darker than the night outside the ward.
"This is ridiculous. I can't stand any more of your shenanigans. I'm never going to the Shrieking Shack!" He had a strange look of disgust on his face, as if someone were trying to murder him.
He stared into Harry's eyes with his dark eyes and said slowly, "Professor Dumbledore is not at Hogwarts now. I will go and tell the school directors what happened. They will not believe the nonsense of three hairy children! You can just wait to be expelled! As for Professor Lupin, I'm afraid he will not be able to keep his teaching position when the school directors know that he is a werewolf!"
"Draco Malfoy—" He cast a stern glance at the boy standing quietly next to Hermione, his voice slow and low, even calling out his last name, a rare omission. He seemed to be reminding the silent boy of his last name and the meaning behind it. He snorted, his tone threatening, "As your head of house, I advise you to stay away from these troublemakers!"
Draco lowered his head respectfully, seemingly accepting the criticism from his headmaster with an open mind, but his feet did not move.
He didn't follow his headmaster and leave. He stayed firmly beside Hermione's seat.
Hermione was a little worried about him. She looked up at him and found that he was looking at her, with a complex mixture of emotions in his gray eyes.
At this moment, she only understood his worry; there were many other emotions that she could not fully understand at the moment.
What was that? What did the emotion in his eyes mean? She wondered puzzledly.
Harry Potter looked at Professor Snape's back in astonishment as he limped away, unable to tell which was more in his heart, anger or confusion.
Harry didn't understand why Professor Snape, since he hated them so much, suddenly appeared near the Forbidden Forest and stood in front of them when the terrible werewolves were about to attack them; he also didn't understand why, since Professor Snape was willing to protect them, he was unwilling to believe their explanation, and even made those indiscriminate accusations and intimidation afterwards, acting unreasonable.
"Mum's going to kill me if I get expelled," Ron said sullenly from the bed next to him, his voice struggling like a squashed rubber duck.
Hermione was also a little anxious.
"We're not going to be expelled, are we?" she whispered wistfully to Draco.
"This matter can be big or small, it all depends on Professor Snape's decision. Also, the school board must make any decision based on evidence. The best way is for you to find more evidence to prove that Peter Pettigrew did appear in Hogwarts today." Draco's expression seemed a little serious.
"What evidence can there be? He's already run away." Hermione said sadly, tugging at the corner of his clothes, thinking about his words in her mind, trying to find some other solution.
Draco looked at her pale face and didn't answer her question. He took out a chocolate from his pocket, slowly peeled it, and then, through the candy wrapper, he focused on feeding it to her mouth. "Come on, open your mouth."
Hermione looked at his soft eyes in a trance, and took his hand to slowly bite the chocolate bit by bit, temporarily regaining some energy.
She hadn't realized how close they were right now.
Harry noticed it, but he wasn't in the mood to tease them. He also had no appetite for chocolate cake; he was still worried.
Pursing his lips, he looked at his godfather with a pale face - he was still very weak.
"I really hate myself," Harry said suddenly, his tone a little confused. "Should I have let Sirius kill him? Peter Pettigrew -"
"That's not like you. It's more like something a Slytherin would say." Draco looked at Hermione's suddenly stiff face and patted her head soothingly. He crumpled the candy wrapper into a ball and threw it into the trash can next door. He said lazily, "I remember you were always kind-hearted."
"This time is different. I feel so sorry for Sirius." Harry said sadly. He looked at the black-haired man covered in bandages on the hospital bed. His unconscious face was condensed with traces of suffering. "I ruined his only chance of revenge."
"It's my fault," said Ron sternly. "I shouldn't have thrown him to the ground... I should have held on to him until I could hand him over to the Dementors."
"It's nobody's fault. No one expected it," said Hermione uneasily. "None of us expected it."
The air in the ward was silent.
"I bet Peter Pettigrew has some conspiracy. He's almost said it." As if the atmosphere was not heavy enough, Ron added.
This caught Draco's attention.
Ron's words woke him up.
Draco had a bad feeling about this - Sirius Black was pushing Peter Pettigrew so hard, but Peter Pettigrew would actually refuse to obey even at death.
It must be because this conspiracy is of great importance.
"Actually, there is a way, but it's quite risky," Draco said calmly.
His grey eyes stared unabashedly into the depths of Hermione's neck, where a fine gold chain was faintly visible around her collarbone.
"We need a moment," he said, his gaze fixed for a long time on her collar, which had one button open.
Hermione blushed slightly under his gaze. She covered her neck, which was burning from his gaze, and felt the chain, suddenly understanding what he meant.
"You know it?" She twisted the thin chain and looked at him in surprise and suspicion, always feeling that his gaze was a little hot.
"That's about right." Draco raised his lip slightly. "I know such things exist."
"But..." She forced herself to regain her sanity, a hint of hesitation on her face, "The use you mentioned is not allowed. I was told that it can only be used for learning."
"That's up to you." Draco remained silent, looking at her cheeks and neck, which had suddenly turned pink, with an unfathomable expression.
Ron was lying on the hospital bed, looking a little sick because of the severe pain in his injured leg. He asked impatiently, "Hey, what are you two talking about again?"
But Hermione didn't have time to explain to him. She looked at Harry, who looked depressed, and then at Sirius Black, who was still unconscious.
Finally, before making up her mind, she blushed and asked Draco, "Will you - come with me?"
"If you need me." Draco looked at her steadily and smiled slightly.
Hermione made up her mind. She said to Ron in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Ron, you can't come with me."
"Harry, come here." Draco raised his chin at Harry.
"What do you mean?" Ron grinned and held his injured leg, watching in shock as Hermione pulled a long, thin gold chain out of the collar of her robe and hung it around her neck, Draco's, and Harry's necks.
The chain was magical, it seemed to be able to stretch and shrink freely.
"What's that for?" Ron asked, watching as Hermione's hand twisted three times on the small, gleaming hourglass at the end of the chain.
Hermione didn't answer him. Then Ron's eyes widened in surprise—the three of them disappeared right where they were.