8. Chapter 8: Open This Gate

            Harry, Ron and Blaise stood gloomily in Professor Dumbledore's office. Their trunks had already been sent off to Hogsmeade. It was the last day of their lives as Hogwarts students, and they had never imagined it would be as sorrowful as this.

            Dumbledore was speaking to Blaise.

            "…have tried to delay that line of action for as long as possible but as there is no sign of Mr Malfoy's expedient return, I see no choice but to inform your parents, Miss Zabini. It is only fair to you and your family that you prepare yourselves for a delayed wedding. I still have faith that Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger will return to us. As I told you all before, a Reverse Thyme Eliminus is not beyond their abilities to concoct independently or together. It's just a little uncertain when they will appear. It could be today, it could be next week, it could be next year."

            Blaise didn't look too upset, thought Harry. The dark haired girl nodded in agreement and gave a small smile. "I will give my parents the letter" she said, taking it from the headmaster and putting into her cloak pocket.

            Dumbledore turned to Ron and Harry.

            "As for you two, I know what a dear friend Miss Granger is to you. Do not worry, she is one of the smartest witches around and is perfectly capable of looking after herself. I have no doubt she will return to us eventually. Worse things have happened. I must ask you not to put your lives on hold waiting for her. You have to live your lives fully and meaningfully."

            Harry and Ron nodded. Both missed their friend greatly.

            "I have a suggestion that may help all three of you." Dumbledore said kindly. "In these type of situations, it helps if everyone affected gives each other their full support and encouragement. I suggest that you three write to each other often and perhaps even meet up to cheer each other up. I understand that you, Harry, and Miss Zabini are going to be working for the Ministry… Mr Weasley, you have been offered a sports scholarship with the English Quidditch League here in England…so there is no reason why keeping in touch should be a problem for you three."

            Harry, Ron and Blaise looked at each other and smiled. In the past week, the two boys had already grown closer to Blaise than they ever had in all seven years of Hogwarts. Though not as clever and interesting as Hermione, Blaise was still good company. She was kind and modest, and a good listener.

            "Professor, I think we already agreed to do that." said Harry.

            "Yeah," said Ron, "We're definitely keeping in touch with each other."

            Dumbledore nodded in approval.

            "I will keep in touch with you three as well, giving you any news I have of their return. They are likely to reappear in the exact place they would have been in this life if they had not disappeared. So it is likely Miss Granger will appear in St Mungo's where I know she has been accepted for a Mediwizard course, and Mr Malfoy will appear in Malfoy Manor."

            "Let us know immediately, Professor" said Ron.

            "Yes," added Blaise, "My parents will be very concerned. The wedding has been planned in great detail already."

            Dumbledore smiled at them and showed them out of his office. "Of course, of course. And don't forget the lessons you have learned in Hogwarts- and I don't mean just for the examinations either!"

            After they left his office, the three students exchanged addresses and promised to write.

            "Thanks, you guys" said Blaise, smiling shyly. "Everyone in Slytherin always said how awful you were, but you're both really, really nice. I mean, last week when I was so worried about Draco and my wedding and my parents and everything, I was really glad that you were always there for me."

            "Hey, no problem. You were great too." said Harry, grinning.

            Blaise hugged both of them and went off to join her Slytherin friends.

            "Come on, let's go look for Ginny. I bought her the chocolate frogs she wanted for the train journey." Harry beamed as he thought of a certain red-haired witch he knew. She always managed to put a thrill in his heart. Ron had been ecstatic to learn of the relationship and was glad to think that one day, his best friend might be his brother-in-law.

            "Ok, I also bought some cream buns. They're Seamus' favourites."

            Harry and Ron walked off to look for a carriage to take them to Hogsmeade. The sight of Thestrals no longer unnerved Harry, he had been able to see them for years.

            "Bye Hogwarts." Harry whispered. He and Ron had already made their rounds of the castle yesterday, saying goodbye to all their favourite places in the huge castle they had thought of as home for the last seven years. From tomorrow onwards, they would no longer be students. What would life be like in the future when he started Auror training at the ministry? As the carriage rolled out of the main gate, Harry felt himself shed the cage of the years of the past, the terrors of Voldemort, the battles with Malfoy, the trials with Snape…as he looked with hopeful eyes to the future.

            Beside him, Ron was already talking about the English Quidditch League.

            "…and they've got a great exchange programme. I'm going to Blugaria in August and next year I'm going to Switzerland. I've got all this great new gear…wait'll you see it, Harry. Mum wouldn't let me take it to Hogwarts so it's still in the Burrow. Wish Hermione was here to see it."

            At the mention of her name, both boys exchanged looks.

            "I miss Hermione," said Harry, simply. He had said it every day for the last week and the feeling never changed.

            "Me too." Ron agreed, sighing.

            "Pity she had to go back with Malfoy, and not one of us" Harry said.

            "Yeah, makes it worse really. He probably won't want to co-operate with her, what with his stupid pureblood obsession."

            Harry agreed. "Do you believe what Snape said, that they went back in time together? Or are they are separate points in time?"

            "Dunno." Ron shrugged. "I bet Hermione would have preferred to be alone though. What could be worse than being stuck somewhere withthat jumped-up little ferret!"

            "Snape analyzed the potion and said that he didn't know what she had done to it but that unlike other Thyme Eliminuses, this one was time-specific. It would have brought them back to the same point in time, whatever amount splashed on them. Dunno what she did…must be that headache she had earlier. She's never mucked up a potion before."

            "Well," Ron said darkly, "I hope those historical people do us all a favour and knock some sense into Malfoy before he returns to our time."

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            After that evening, she hadn't seen Malfoy for five days. During that time, she found her thoughts constantly wandering back to their conversations in the barn. She could remember everything in great detail- the dance of the lamp light on the walls, his low voice, the way Malfoy walked with such self-assurance…She frequently escaped into these memories while Lord Camvile was at her side, which was nearly all the time.

She knew Lord Camvile had asked her father for her hand in marriage but her father told her that she could make up her mind for herself. His only wish was that she consider Lord Camvile seriously, and treat him with respect.

            Lord Camvile was always chatting incessantly about one thing or another…he fancied himself rather the orator. If he wasn't speaking at length on politics and religion, he was yammering on about how wealthy he was. He loved talking about his wealth. He could go for a full hour describing how he had doubled his land size in the last five years through various cunning methods. It bored Hermione to tears but she had the self control to smile sweetly at him and agree with everything. She had learned that she was not allowed to disagree with anything he said, the first and only time she had tried it, he had complained to her father about her unlady-like behaviour.

            The only times she managed to escape from Lord Camvile's company was when he went out with her father. It was during one of these occasions when she was alone that Hermione next encountered Draco Malfoy. On Wednesday afternoon, Lord Camvile and her father had gone hunting (a sport she detested) and she was walking with her mother back from chapel when she heard shouts from the outer compound.

            The two ladies, along with their maidservants, hurried over to the iron gate.

            "Mother, what is going on?" asked Hermione. Her mother usually knew everything that went on around the manor. But today, her mother shook her head and replied that she didn't know.

            Both ladies peered through the gate and Hermione could make out, by the side of one of the wells, a large group of gathered men. Somebody was shouting and another person was yelling something else. She saw her father's horses being held by page boys over to the left of the scene. That meant that the men had returned from the hunt, but what was the problem?

            "Fanhope! Fanhope!" she shouted, seeing a familiar face in the crowd.

            The maidservants murmured and her mother chided her, "Hermione, you forget yourself. Ladies do not raise their voices."

            Hermione lowered her eyes. Yet another "ladies do not" she had to remember.

            But she had accomplished what she wanted to do because Fanhope came hurrying over. He wore a worried expression on his face.

            "What is going on out there?" asked Hermione impatiently.

            Hermione heard the unmistakeable crack of a whip.

            Fanhope bowed to the ladies behind the gate, saying "'Tis a flogging, M'ladies. Nothing of concern to you."

            "A flogging?" asked Hermione, her eyes growing wide. She had never been this close to medieval punishments before. Images of thick whips slashing down onto split flesh filled her mind.

            "Come along, Hermione. Let us return to our sewing" said her mother, looking nervously at Hermione. "You know you should leave your father to manage the servants his way."

            But Hermione was disgusted by any form of corporal punishment and could not let the matter rest there. "Who is being flogged?"

            "A gardener's boy, M'lady."

            Hermione had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She knew there were about ten different gardener's boys employed on the estate, but somehow, she felt she knew exactly who was being flogged.

            "Is it Malfoy?" she asked, regretting immediately the words as they came out because her mother looked disapproving.

            "Hermione!" exclaimed her mother. "How do you know their names?

            Fanhope looked surprised. "Why yes, M'Lady. Is he known to you?"

She couldn't let something that brutal happen to Malfoy, whatever differences they had had in the past, he didn't deserve such pain.

            "Open this gate for me!" she said to Fanhope.

            "M'Lady?" Fanhope looked uncertainly at Hermione's mother who looked aghast at her daughter's request.

            "Hermione, this is very … unnecessary." her mother said

            "Open this gate!" shouted Hermione, grabbing the bars of the gate and rattling it as hard as she could.

            Several of the gathered crowd heard her and turned around.

            The maidservants gasped and covered their mouths.

            The whip cracked again and she thought she could hear a moan.

            "Open this gate! OPEN IT NOW!"

            "Hermione…"

            Fanhope stared desperately at his mistress apparently going crazy behind the gate.

            "HOY! YOU THERE! STOP THE FLOGGING. STOP IT!" Hermione was yelling now.

            "Fanhope, open the gate!" said Hermione's mother weakly.

            The crowd gathered around the flogging had all turned round at the lady's screams. Fanhope quickly took out a key and unlocked the gate. Hermione gathered her skirts around her and ran forward into the outer compound. She recognized faces among the group of men. Her father was there, looking shocked. Lord Camvile was there, looking very smug. Hibbings was there, holding a thick leather whip. And on the ground, in front of all of them…

            "STOP THIS NOW!" Hermione shouted.

            "Hermione, I have told you before that you are not to interfere with my management of the servants" said her father, sternly.

            "THIS IS BARBARIC!" Hermione tried not to look at the mass of bloody welts on Draco's back.

            "The lady has strong views" murmured Lord Camvile.

            Her mother put her arm around Hermione's shoulders and tried to soothe her, "Daughter, you must let your father manage his servants. We have had this argument about flogging before."

            Hermione was livid. She could never abide violence. "What has he done to deserve this…this… brutality?"

            "This boy is a thief!" said Hibbings, flexing the hand that held the whip.

            "What did he steal? Where is your proof?"

            "He stole my ring" said Lord Camvile righteously, holding up a hand to her. "I dropped it in the compound yesterday and today, I saw it hanging out of this boy's shirt."

            "It…is…mine…you…liar…" said Draco weakly.

            Hermione looked at the ring Lord Camvile was holding up before her. On his middle finger was a large gold ring, set with emeralds. It had the letter "M" on it entwined with a snake and a dragon. Hermione gave a sharp cry.

            "That is my ring!" she said loudly. "I gave it to this peasant boy last week to sell. I took pity on his filthy condition."