Chapter Fourteen
Playing Dead
This is my darkest hour
A long road has lead me out here
But I only need turn around to face the light
And decide flight or fight
(Hercules - Sara Bareilles)May 2nd, 1998"Hermione, you seen Harry?" Ron asked as he approached her while she was
applying a generous coating of an orange paste to some deep hex burns on Lavender
Brown's arm.
Hermione smiled at Lavender, who looked genuinely surprised by her gentle touch.
"He went up to the headmaster's office a while ago with Sirius."
Ron nodded at Hermione before smiling at his ex-girlfriend. "Hey, Lav." He winced
at the sight of her burnt arm. "How'd you get that?"
She shrugged. "Death Eater set my robes on fire," she answered casually as though
fighting fire-wielding Death Eaters was as common as curling her hair.
Hermione had to stifle a laugh at the look of strange admiration on Ron's face.
"Ron, go find Harry. We need to start planning what to do next." After shooing him away
toward the doors of the Great Hall, she cast her amused gaze back to Lavender. "I think
you should be okay unless the pain is too much. We're running low on Pain Potions, but I
might have some Murtlap Essence around here somewhere."
"Why are you being so nice to me, Hermione?" Lavender asked.
"What?" Hermione raised a surprised brow. "Lavender, I'm doing my job. I'm
treating everyone who needs to be healed."
"Yes, that, but you could have been mean to me considering everything that
happened with Ronald last year," Lavender said. "I'm surprised you even let him speak to
me just now."
"Ron's free to converse with whomever he pleases." Hermione rolled her eyes and
then smiled as she finally caught sight of the Murtlap Essence, snatching it out of Neville's