Monsoon Wings

Hermione tried and tried to corner Juno alone, but fate didn’t compromise. It always happened that Juno seemed to vanish, especially during Saturdays. Juno rushed lunch and dinner all the time, and feel asleep earliest—as if she was really tired, which was indeed the case. During morning before breakfast, Hermione found it hard to speak to Juno because Olivia was there. Besides, Hermione wondered how she would frame the words. One Saturday, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, crept down to the dungeons, peeping and sneaking in front of the door of dungeon four. All the time, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; except that they obtained the knowledge that Juno and Draco were practicing dance inside that room. At least that was what it seemed to be.

The days, weeks, dragged by, trickling infinitely through the violent wind and proud snow. January passed, to be replaced by February. The temperature had gone a bit high, though snow was still mastering the lands and sky.

Once or twice, Juno was involved in a hi-how-are-you-bye chat with Stamp, and nothing else could be extracted from their relationship. It was crushed; broken, busted. Still, it didn’t hurt both sides to become friends.

On the third of February, Hermione desperately said to Juno she needed to talk. That morning, before breakfast, all the girls had gone, and Hermione could finally talk to Juno.

‘Juno, I want to ask you something secretive,’ Hermione began confidently. ‘But please do not accuse me for interfering too much.’

‘We are friends, it’s okay,’ Juno said, walking to the door. ‘Come on Hermione, let’s go to breakfast. The rest are down already.’

‘No, wait!’ Hermione pulled Juno’s hand and pinned her to the wall.

‘Woo, what are you doing?’ Juno grinned funnily, trying to shove Hermione away.

‘Are you having sex with Draco Malfoy?’ Hermione blurted, loosening a little and lowering down her voice. ‘Cause Ron said he heard noises when he passed dungeon number four as he was walking out from Snape’s office and the noises justified your moaning and ecstasy and Draco Malfoy was egging it on and Ron was sure that he heard you but he wasn’t sure he saw you and he vowed that he did not hear it wrong because his ears are perfectly fine and fit and because he wasn’t dozing off when he heard it and he was definitely sure it was the two of you because he heard it and because—’

‘Stop!’ Juno raised a hand, staring into space to digest these words. It took almost a minute before she understood what Hermione what saying. And when she did, her eyes almost bulged out from the sockets, and she shrilly denied it. ‘What? No, he was massaging my ankle! Because we—I mean me, I—bumped into a table and injured my ankle.’

‘Oh?’ Hermione made a very round and perfect circle with her lips.

‘Yes, and he was very good at massaging,’ Juno remembered. ‘He used to perform it when he was injured during Quidditch, y’know?’ Just five minutes and the pain is gone! I should learn that technique from him.’

‘We thought—’ Hermione sighed, and her expression brightened, patting Juno’s shoulder. ‘Fine. Let’s go to breakfast.’

*

That night, the group was chatting near the fireplace and making homework as usual. Jayden’s lost wand had not been retrieved, and the substitute wand had finally accepted him as its new master, because it rebelled less each day. Still, Jayden missed his previous lost wand.

‘Next time better be careful or your underwear will go missing as well. What will you do then, borrow someone else’s? You can’t let that happen, can you?’ Harry joked, and the whole table burst into uncontrollable laughter.

‘Shut up,’ Jayden murmured, but he was laughing as well.

They changed their topic to the Triwizard tournament. Harry was still blind about the egg mystery; something Hermione was very shocked and worried with. She ranted about Harry’s safety like a mother. Harry was about to open his mouth and defense himself from Hermione’s chant before he saw Professor McGonagall entering the common room through the Fat Lady.

The expression on her face was the uttermost horror. Her lips were the whitest and her eyes were veiny. Her witch head was lopsided.

Gradually the common room fell silent. Teachers rarely come to common rooms personally like this.

Professor McGonagall cornered Juno, who was surprised and busy wondering which rule she had broken.

‘Miss Emily, Professor Dumbledore needs you in his office immediately with no delay,’ the teacher said through her white lips. Immediately the whole table went pale as well.

‘What have I done?’ Juno asked timidly, rising from her seat. Students were looking at her.

‘This is not about rule-breaking,’ McGonagall testified huskily. ‘Something terrible had happened to your Dad.’

‘What?’

‘I’m afraid I cannot say more, you are required in the Headmaster’s office right now. Come with me,’ McGonagall turned away and Juno followed her. Just after taking two steps, the pale professor turned to Jayden and said, ‘You’d better come as well, Rocky.’

There was no need of hesitation. Within less than a minute the three of them had reached the statue of the gargoyle by Dumbledore’s office. As McGonagall said the password, Jayden grabbed Juno’s hand silently, gesturing that everything would be okay.

But the expression of fear in her eyes was intolerable.

Something terrible had indeed happened.