The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

Ignorance Isn't Bliss

Hermione didn't see Malfoy at all the next day until she and Neville met up with him in the Entrance Hall that evening; where Snape was waiting to escort them to the Ministry.

A friendly auror, Frella Muntra, collected their memories for the records and then went through the memories with them, letting them explain their thought process at pivotal moments.

The three of them were finished and safely back at Hogwarts before curfew and Malfoy hadn't spoken a word to either of them the entire trip. He had asked Snape when Parkinson would be back, but that had yielded no true answer. Apparently she would be back when she was back.

The week passed as most weeks do, and Hermione had a pleasant walk around the lake with Viktor on Saturday. And if her lips were a little swollen that evening, her friends were nice enough to not say anything, though Ron and Ginny sent her knowing smirks. She made sure to remember to return the favor later.

It was partway through the next week that Parkinson returned. And that evening she followed Neville into the empty classroom, sitting beside him to work on an essay. No one said anything about it, and she didn't speak to anyone. Just quietly did her work and left when Neville did. This became a rather normal thing, which puzzled most people to no end. At first Hermione thought it was odd, since it had been Malfoy that had caught Skeeter, but then she remembered that Malfoy had only been there because Parkinson had betrayed him.

She likely wasn't feeling very comfortable or safe around him, and from what Hermione had read about regaining obliviated memories, feeling safe and comfortable was paramount. There was only so much magic could do with the mind.

The weeks passed and Parkinson continued to join them whenever Neville was there. Malfoy even tagged along once, but left in a huff after some ridiculous argument he got into with Ron. She hadn't bothered paying attention to it since no wands were drawn.

By the time the second task occurred Hermione no longer found it odd to see Parkinson sitting next to Neville, studying but not speaking a word to anyone if she possibly could.

Hermione didn't really enjoy being stuck asleep under an icy lake for over an hour, but she quite enjoyed being what Viktor would miss most. She rarely saw him during the school week, but quite enjoyed spending part of the weekend with him.

Even if it did cut into study time.

Another thing that cut into study time was the twins demanding her assistance during the Easter holiday. It took four days to help them fix the snags in a potion they'd come up with. She still couldn't believe they'd thought powdered doxie wings were the right ingredient.

It was around this time that the results of Skeeter's trial were shared. That nasty woman got five years in Azkaban and then another five years of probations afterwards. There was also mention made of an unbreakable bracelet that prevented her from changing into her animagus form.

Hermione wasn't quite sure if being locked up for five years was proper punishment for erasing part of someone's mind. But she was fairly certain that Skeeter would never be taken seriously again. So the chances of someone trying to force Hermione to lock her magic were practically nonexistent.

Potions classes also changed after "The Great Bug Catch" as Luna dubbed it. Snape would still sneer at Harry and her, but rarely said anything to them. She thought it might be because she had helped Parkinson and Malfoy, but she was rapidly deciding there was a lot more to Snape than met the eye. So it could be something she didn't have enough information to even consider. Neville now sat with Parkinson, leaving Greengrass to partner with Hermione as Neville had always been her partner.