Hp: Hermione and Darkness

Hermione chose to ignore his sarcasm and, instead, just focused on the potential impact. Cleaning alongside Ron and Harry had given her a renewed sense of purpose. If they could understand even a fraction of what house elves endured daily, maybe they'd take S.P.E.W. more seriously. She couldn't help but think that being a Muggle-born in a prejudiced world made her particularly sensitive to the plight of house-elves. If she could help them, even a little, it would be worth all the effort.

As the last few days of summer ticked by, Hermione shifted her focus from Harry's trial to the upcoming year. They still hadn't received their book list, nor had she been notified of whether or not she had been selected as Prefect. She was pretty sure Harry would be the boy Gryffindor Prefect since he was Dumbledore's favourite (regardless of whatever was causing him to ignore Harry). Still, the competition for Female Gryffindor Prefect was a bit less predictable. Of course, she thought she was clearly the best candidate, though she knew her roommate, Parvati Patil, had also decided to try for the position. Would Dumbledore defer to Parvati to mix things up? Having Harry and Hermione both as prefects would change the dynamics of their little trio. Was that a deciding factor?

Then there were the O.W.L.s coming up this year. Ideally, Hermione would have had all of her textbooks read at least once this summer, but the lack of a book list really ruined her plans. She reread all of her past books when she had time between cleaning and whatnot, but there was going to be a lot of advanced material to cover in their fifth year that she had yet to learn. For a brief moment, Hermione thought about asking for the Time-Turner back but then realised how daft of an idea that was.

Hermione also took some time to focus on S.P.E.W. She needed a new strategy. She would keep up S.P.E.W. as an organisation and recruit new members, but she knew she would have to do much of the hard work herself. Just as it was hard to convince House Elves they didn't need to be slaves anymore, it was equally challenging to convince Wizards they should care. She was beginning to think Ron's sarcastic asides were, in fact, his real feelings instead of just his usual teasing. If that was the case, Hermione had even more work to do.

Since rational arguments weren't working (on either the House Elves or the Wizards), perhaps Hermione would just have to show them rather than tell them. If the House Elves got a taste of freedom, they'd finally understand. Likewise, if Wizards like Ron saw how happy the newly freed elf was, they would also appreciate it. Maybe she could arrange for Dobby to speak to the other elves at Hogwarts, sharing his experiences of freedom and fair wages.

It was definitely something to think about.

Hermione also tried to focus on writing her parents a letter. Every time she'd sit down to write, however, nothing came to mind. She had nearly gone through an entire pack of parchment already and had nothing to show. Hermione just couldn't figure out how to put what she was thinking into words that wouldn't hurt her parents' feelings more than they already were.

The only semi-positive thing to emerge from Hermione's anxiety about the upcoming school year, O.W.L.s, being Prefect, S.P.E.W., and her parents was that her nightmares focused on one of those topics instead of the Graveyard. Waking up in the middle of the night with a panic attack about schoolwork was something Hermione was an expert at after nearly sixteen years. Thank goodness she didn't need Ron's help with any of that.

Hermione decided to get a head start on packing her things (so she would have an excuse not to try to write to her parents) one morning when Mrs Weasley didn't have any chores scheduled. Ginny joined her, and the two started discussing the upcoming school year.

"Who d'you think Dumbledore found for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?" Ginny asked as she folded her robes.

"Not sure," Hermione said. "Maybe the real Mad Eye Moody will come and teach?"

"If I were him, I'd stay well away from the castle," Ginny said. "Plus, the bloke's already got some mental issues going on… Merlin knows how crazy he'll be after spending a year in a trunk."

Hermione giggled. "That's very true. 'Constant vigilance!'"

Just then, two grey owls glided into the dusty room and landed gracefully upon the footboard of Ginny's bed. Hermione recognised the envelopes with their emerald green writing and red wax seals at once - they were letters from Hogwarts.

Hermione took a deep breath and slipped the letter from the grey owl's beak. Ginny did the same with her letter but kept glancing over at Hermione. She knew how important that letter could potentially be for Hermione.

Hermione looked at the letter in her hands. She couldn't tell if it felt heavier than usual or if her intense hope and desperation were just imagining it. "Let me see your letter," Hermione said in a strangled voice.

"What? Why?" Ginny asked.

"I want to see if mine is heavier," Hermione explained. "If it is, that may mean there's a Prefect badge in there."

"Or you could just open the envelope," Ginny said.

"If I open it, then I will know for sure," Hermione said, staring at the envelope in fear.

"Hermione?" Ginny said, breaking Hermione out of her trance. "Repeat what you just said to yourself and think about it."

Hermione repeated the phrase in her head and immediately blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, it made much more sense in my head."

"I figured," Ginny said. "Now, open it! Just rip it open!"

....

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