A Muggle at Hogwarts

It was hard to believe that it was already June. The last few weeks felt like an entire lifetime. The havoc and the destruction of the wizardry world had continued. Only a short while ago did news of a small group of witches and wizards forming to stand up against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Within an hour of that rumor coming out, it was confirmed that Death Eaters had tracked these people down and had eliminated them. This made communication between people in the wizardry world difficult because of the fear that Death Eaters are listening and watching. Due to fear and paranoia, many witches and wizards—along with their families—have left the United Kingdom in hope of escaping this terror.

Thankfully, this is something that isn’t happening at Hogwarts. I believe that it is safe to say that Hogwarts is probably the safest place in all of Europe at the moment. The security around Hogwarts and the grounds around it had strengthened tremendously. Dumbledore and the other teachers have recently boosted the schools defenses by putting a protective spell around the school. Around the same time that the barrier was put up, a search was gone throughout the school to make sure that nothing dark could get in. Any belongs of students that was considered dark was confiscated by the school. Filch—the lovely caretaker who found pleaser in catching students who are breaking the school rules—did the liberty of confiscating anything that was brought from Fred and George’s shop. Of course, this did not stop students from smuggling these items in.

But despite all these precautions to protect the students at Hogwarts, classes have slowly gotten shorter in order to make more time for the Defense Against the Dark Arts sessions. Some teachers are even putting their class time aside in order to give students more lessons in protecting themselves against the Dark Arts.

The students’ attitudes towards the lessons have changed as well. At first, many of the students—mostly Slytherins—believed the sessions to be a waste of time. Maybe it’s because they didn’t believe that anything would actually happen. Though I can’t say that they were the only ones who thought that this sudden attack from the Death Eaters would blow over. No one knew that this act of terror would last this long. But I guess it is because it lasted this long that reality has finally set in for students at Hogwarts, as well as magical beings everywhere. Voldemort was back, and now the second Wizarding War was upon us.

When I woke up that morning—June 4th—I thought that it was just going to be another day at Hogwarts. I never imagined that our sanctuary—Hogwarts—would be destroyed.

As I got up, I noticed Hermione sitting by her desk by the window. Instead of being dressed in her robe, she was wearing her casual clothing.

“Morning,” I croaked as I sat up in bed.

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she turned her head and looked at me. A small smile faded onto her face as she greeted me.

“Why aren’t you in your robes?” I asked. “Aren’t you getting ready for class?”

Hermione shook her head. “A note was dropped off to all the students today. All classes for today have been canceled. We’re to meet with our assigned groups for the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson this noon. Until then, we can do whatever we want,” Hermione explained.

“Oh, I see,” I said as I stretched.

“Hey, Violet,” Hermione said from where she was. She looked down at the blank piece of paper in front of her for a moment before saying, “I know I shouldn’t be asking you this, but I just have to know. Please—my parents, will they be all right? I haven’t received any letters from them in the last few weeks, you see. I’m terribly worried about them.”

I looked at her with a sad but reassuring smile. “That’s understandable. But I’m sure they will be all right.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hermione asked—her voice shaking at my uncertainty. “You—you don’t know?”

“I’m not sure of anything anymore to tell you the truth,” I admitted with a weak, nervous laugh. “Everything’s just—just so messed up, right now. But if everything plays out like it’s supposed to, you’re parents will be all right.”

Hermione nodded. She then looked at me sympathetically and said, “I’m sorry I can’t do anything to help you, Violet. With all of this going on—the attacks and everything—you must be under great stress. And Harry—he’s not—”

“No,” I quickly replied before she could finish her sentence. I smiled warmly at her as I continued. “No. He hasn’t asked me anything since that day.”

Hermione nodded. But then she scrunched her eyebrows together as she looked away in deep thought.

“What is it?” I asked.

She frowned. “Now that I think of it, Harry has been gone more since that day. He hasn’t been at the after school lesson either. You would think that since you and Harry are the ones who are most in danger, Harry would be here. Strange, isn’t it?”

I paused for a moment and took in her words before nodding my head.

“You’re right,” I whispered.

“And with the Death Eaters being so active lately, you would think Harry would want to be here so that he can improve his skills,” Hermione added.

As Hermione and I sat in silence, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had occurred. In the Harry Potter book, these events—the attacks and kidnappings—took place over the course of the school year. In this case, though, all of these events are occurring in only a few short months. But the thing that frightened me the most is that the Death Eaters are doing exactly what happened in the book—give or take a few details that strayed from it. However, I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was never meant to be in this world, yet here I am. It isn’t surprising that everything isn’t going according to the book.

The only thing that bothered me was that Death Eaters are going what they’re supposed to be doing, but Harry hasn’t really done anything that occurred in the book. This was supposed to be the year he discovers the Half-Blood Prince—AKA Snape—as well as discover things about Voldemort’s past. Yet none of this has happened yet. With the end of the year right around the corner, I wondered if Harry would ever find these things out before the death of Dumbledore that is supposed to happen at the end of the month.

“And by the way,” Hermione suddenly said snapping me out of my thoughts, “have you noticed that Draco’s Malfoy’s gang has been a person short?”

“Who?” I asked.

Hermione cocked and eyebrow and a disbelief expression appeared on her face. “Are you serious? Have you really not noticed?”

I shook my head.

“Draco! Draco hasn’t been here since February!” Hermione exclaimed. “You can’t honestly tell me that you haven’t noticed, Violet.”

I simply stared at Hermione in disbelief. The room felt as if it were spinning around me, and I felt as if I was sinking into this endless abyss as her words sunk her. The fact was she was correct. Now that I thought about it, I haven’t seen Draco around since Valentine’s day. But with everything that has been going on, looking for Draco has not been my first priority.

“You really haven’t noticed,” Hermione gasped.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind, and with the Death Eaters attacking everywhere, I—I guess I really haven’t noticed,” I whispered. I then added before Hermione could say anything, “B—but I’m sure he’s around here, somewhere.”

“Don’t you have class with him? Wouldn’t you have seen him?” she questioned.

“With the second term and all, he hasn’t been in any of my classes. He probably has a different period than me. But, like—like I said, he’s probably around here. I’m—I’m sure of it,” I said more to myself than Hermione.

Seeing how the subject of Draco was distressing me, Hermione simply agreed to my theory. “O—of course, I’m sure you’re right.”

The morning soon passed and I spend the time with Ron and Hermione. By the time lunch came around, Harry had yet to return to school either.

“Dumbledore’s not here,” Hermione observed as she scanned the staff table.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence?” Ron wondered. “I mean—that Harry and Dumbledore are both missing?”

“No,” I quickly replied. “I don’t think so.”

“Is Harry back yet?” Ginny’s voice came from behind me.

I turned to face her as Hermione replied that he wasn’t.

“Where in the world can he be?” Ginny wondered as she took a seat beside me. As she moved out of the way, I took this chance to look over at the Slytherin table hoping to see Draco sitting beside Pansy, Crabbe or Goyal. However, to my disappointment, he wasn’t there. There were only Crabbe and Goyal, who were both stuffing food into their mouths, and a depressed Pansy Parkinson, who was twirling her fork.

McGonagall’s voice turned my attention back to the front. As the food before us disappeared, she ordered everyone to hurry and get to their D.A.D.A classes. With this dismissal, I jumped out of my seat.

Ginny laughed as I hurried out of my seat. “So eager to spend time with Snape in the dungeons, are you?”

“Um,” I said. “Snape is—well, Snape. He expects me to not be late. So, I’m going to get going.”

“Have fun,” Ron laughed.

I smiled back weakly before hurrying out of the Great Hall. As I paced down the hallways and stairs, I keep thinking to myself that Snape would know what was going on. He would know where Harry and Dumbledore are. More importantly, he would know where Draco was.

“Professor Snape!” I called as I threw opened the doors to his classroom. As usual, the room was horribly lit, but I could tell that there was no one in the room. Yet all of the desks have been removed so that Snape and I could have our lesson as usual.
I once again called out his name while walking deeper into the classroom. Like before, no one replied.

“Snape!” I called out once again.

“Professor Snape,” someone corrected from behind me.

As I turned around and saw Snape behind me, I would have to say that I had never been happier to see him.

“Professor,” I said with a relived smile. “We have to talk—“

“Not now,” Snape said in his usual calm and lazed tone. As he walked passed me, he said, “Pull out your wand.”

“But I have to—“ I began as I turned to him. But he immediately cut me off.

“The last time you said you were in need to speak to me, you invaded my memories,” Snape snapped as he stared coldly at me. He then pulled out his wand and once again told me to pull out my wand.

Knowing that it was pointless to press on, I pulled out my wand and asked, “What are we working on today?”

“Nonverbal spells,” Snape replied.

For the next few hours, I struggled with casting the nonverbal spells at Snape. The times in which I was able to cast a spell at Snape, he simply flung it aside with a flick on his wand.

“That was pathetic!” Snape commented as I shot a white bolt at him. Like all the other spells I casted, he simply knocked it aside.

“Do you know what encouragement it?” I snapped back. I have had enough of his damn bitterness. Every session we have had together was like this. I received nothing but critique from him. The least he could say was: You have improved. But no, he can’t even sat that. “All I’ve been hearing you say for the last few weeks is how dreadful I am.”

“What do you want me to do, Ms. Bell?” Snape asked—the world slowly slithering out of his mouth. “Do you expect me to compliment you despite the fact that you are doing horribly?”
“I am not doing horribly!” I bellowed as I swung my wand.

The moment I did that, a flash of light flew from my wand and flew past Snape’s right shoulder and into the wall behind him. His eyes immediately flared as before I knew it, he was waving his wand, sending spells at me. In a panic, I flicked my wand out in front of me and thankfully knocked his spells away. This didn’t stopped him, though, he continued to cast spells at me, and I continued to deflect them while backing up. In the meantime, Snape continued towards me still casting his nonverbal spells.

Just as I blocked his last spell, he was right in front of me. He then grabbed my hand in which I held my wand in and pinned it against the stone wall my back was up against. He hovered over me, his body only a few inches from my own.

“You’re pathetic,” he sneered as he looked down upon me with his black eyes. “You would never survive if the Death Eaters came after you.”

He was quiet for a moment, and the two of us simply stared at one another. Fear raced through by body as I looked into his soulless eyes. Slowly, his hand loosened around mine, before his it dropped to his side. With a blink of the eye, he turned his heel and walked away. As he walked towards the back of the room, I stood frozen and struggled to hold back my tears of frustration and fear.

Before Snape disappeared into the darkness of his office, I built up the courage and called out to him. “Where’s Draco?” I asked. “He hasn’t been around.”

“Ah, so you finally realized,” Snape said dully as he turned to face me.

“Where is he?” I repeated. “And Dumbledore and Harry. Where are they?”

Snape simply looked at me and said, “There’s no need for you to ask me that. I’m sure you know perfectly well where they are.”

I pushed myself off of the wall and said, “I wouldn’t be asking you if I knew.”

“Just leave, Ms. Bell,” Snape said as he began to retreat into his office.

“There’s something’s happening, isn’t there?” I questioned as I hurried towards Snape. “Please tell me, Professor Snape.”

“I needn’t tell you anything you already know,” Snape said as he walked into his office and took a seat behind his desk.

“No, I don’t,” I replied as I walked up and stood in the doorway. I looked at Snape with teary eyes and said, “I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Everything—it’s not going the way it’s supposed to be going—maybe for the Death Eaters and Voldemort, but not Harry.” Snape looked up at my alarmed as I said this. “Slughorn was supposed to have been here at the beginning of the year. Harry was supposed to find your Advanced Potions-Making book from your time here at Hogwarts. He’s supposed to find out about Voldemort’s past and know about the items—“

“Don’t say anymore!” Snape ordered cutting me off. He looked up at me and said, “Things are going according to plan—the way they are supposed to. But I do have to warn you, Violet—“ Snape and I locked eyes the moment he called me by my first name—“you should leave.”

“Our lesson isn’t over,” I replied.

“Not my room,” Snape quickly responded. “You must leave Hogwarts.”

I cocked and eyebrow and stared at Snape. “Where exactly am I supposed to go if I leave Hogwarts?”

“Home,” he answered as he placed a familiar bottle of violet-blue dust onto his desk. “Go home. Return to your world. You cannot stay here any longer. You don’t belong here. Go home where you will be safe.”

There was a serious look on Snape’s face as he said this to me. The sincerity of warning frightened me. This simply proved that there was definitely something going on.

“Go home, Violet,” Snape said as he pushed the bottle towards me while staring down at the ground.

“No,” I said shaking my head. “I—I can’t. I can’t leave without telling Harry and the others.”

Before I even finished my sentence, Snape began speaking. “You must leave by tonight. If you will not leave now, go to Dumbledore’s office once you have packed and said your goodbyes. You must leave by tonight.” He then raised his head to look at me, and the features of his face were softened. There was a genuine look of concern on his face as he looked up at me. “You must leave.”

I simply looked at Snape and unable to think of anything to say to him. I quickly blink away my tears before turning and running off towards the door of the classroom. Before I left, I turned back and could see Snape sitting at his desk in his office with a dark shadow casted upon his face. In his hands looked like a bottle of wine, which he probably pulled out of his desk. With little effort, he popped the cork out of the bottle and drank.