Harry and Ron continued to be angry with Hermione for the rest of the holidays. Leaving Hope and Hermione to take refuge spending their time in the library.
"Hope", Hermione poped her head around the corner of the bookshelf, "do you remember that essay on werewolves that Professor Snape had us do?"
"How could I forget, why do you ask?"
"Well", Hermione emerged holding a scroll and laid it out on the desk in front of her, "for Divination I've been looking at moon and planetary cycles."
"And?"
"Well", Hermione pursed her lips, "I know this is going to sound rather absurd - but - well the dates of lupins illness seems to be repetitive, and they seem to be around the full moon each cycle."
"Hermione", Hope stared at her, "your not really suggesting that Professor Lupin is a werewolf? Are you?"
"I'm not sure", Hermione said, "but think about it."
She retreated back around the corner again leaving Hope with the chart. She stared at it, thinking of all the other things that could lead to Lupin being a Werewolf. Perhaps the idea wasn't so crazy...
Hope tried to concentrate for several more minutes on her homework, before finally giving up. She had to do more research to either confirm or deny Hermione's theory. Walking through the sections of the library eventually she found a section on magical creatures and pulled out a book about wizard Werewolves.
"Hermione!", I ran back towards her around the corner, holding the book open in my hands.
"In 1987 the most effective cure against Werewolves was created by Damocles Belby, the Wolfsbane potion. The potion allows the Werewolf to remain consious and in right state of mind during their transformation - the potion that Snapes been brewing for Professor Lupin!"
"It all adds up", Hope agreed, "Hermione... Lupin really could be a Werewolf..."
Hermione bit her lower lip.
"Well", she said thoughtfully, "I suppose as long as he takes the potion every month he's not really a danger to anyone is he?"
"He's a Werewolf Hermione", Hope replied, "what if he forgets to take it, or maybe has a disagreement with someone and attacks them when he's transformed."
"That doesn't seem like Professor Lupin at all", she said, "no, I'm sure if Dumbledore allowed him in he must be certain that Lupin doesn't pose a threat to the students or the staff."
*
Eventually Harry and Ron seemed to soften towards Hermione and the four of them went back to classes. After one awful potions lesson, during which Malfoy had come very close to calling Hermione a Mudblood before Hope had thrown her text book at him, Snape had asked her to stay behind regarding the incident. The look on Malfoys face as he'd walked out made her wish she'd thrown the book harder.
Once everyone had left the room she took a few steps closer to Professor Snapes desk. She could see, once she got closer, a large cauldron bubbling away in Snapes private store cupboard. Immediately she tried to remember when the next full moon was taking place.
"Now that term has resumed Miss Dumbledore", Snape said, "I think it wise for us to begin your tutoring sooner rather than later."
"Yes sir", Hope said.
"Come here tonight", he continued, "bring Weasley with you. Six o'clock. If anyone asks you shall be serving detention tonight with me due to your unruly behavior's in my class."
"Thank you sir", she said. She quickly grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room. The thought of her lessons tonight was making her stomach feel queasy. She had never properly tried to use her powers (excluding, of course, when she accidentally used them on George).
Her next class was Muggle studies, and thankfully Hermione had decided to wait for her just around the corner from the Potions room.
"What did he want?", She asked.
"I've got detention tonight", Hope told her. She was sure eventually she would tell Hermione about her lessons with Snape, perhaps once (or if) she started making progress.
"That seems rather unfair", Hermione huffed.
"That doesn't matter now", Hope said, "right now you've got to keep me from throwing my much larger text book at Malfoy during Muggle studies."
"I do think it's odd he would even take the class", Hermione pondered, "what's his mother like? Is she much like him?"
"In some ways", she told her, "but she's much nicer than Malfoy and his father. She doesn't work, like Mr. Malfoy, so I think she's much closer with Draco than his father is, maybe that's why he said yes to taking the class."
"Is she interested in Muggles?"
"I don't know", Hope shrugged, "I tried to avoid topics like that when I was staying with them, seemed like an uncomfortable argument."
As it turned out, Malfoy barely glanced at Hope or Hermione the entire lesson. He barely even smiled when Hope had accidentally hit herself in the thumb trying to use a hammer. Their practical carpentry lessons were definitely not some of Hopes favorite's.
She spent the rest of the lesson nursing her thumb while Hermione finished off their project. Eventually the class finished and Malfoy was the first one to pack up all of his belongings and rush out the door.
"Wonder what's wrong with him?", Hope asked.
"No idea", Hermione shrugged.
They met up with Ron and Harry and dinner, both of whom were in a foul mood from their Divination class.
"She's just awful isn't she Hermione", Ron huffed. "Can you believe all that stuff she was saying?"
Hermione didn't reply however, having busied herself with searching for something in her bag.
"Snape gave me detention", Hope said.
"He's a right Git, isn't he", said Ron, "you should've thrown a book at him instead of Malfoy."
"Ronald."
"What?"
Hope looked at Harry who was staring down at his mashed Potato's.
"You alright Harry?", She asked.
"Yeah", Harry grinned at her, "I've just been thinking, Professor Lupins said that he's going to start giving me lessons on how to fight Dementors."
"That's excellent", Hope said.
"Should help if the Dementors come back onto the grounds again. And if I manage to do it i'm sure I could teach you as well if you want."
"Yes please."
"We need to talk", came a voice from behind her. Draco Malfoy was standing behind her. Crabbe and Goyle were both absent from their usual places behind him.
"Regarding what?"
Malfoy scoffed at her a walked off. She quickly took off after him leaving her things at the table.
"Malfoy", she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around, they were now standing outside the great hall, "what was that."
"Fathers going to have the thing executed", he said. Hopes stomach dropped.
"Buckbeak? Their going to kill Buckbeak? But the trials not for ages."
"It doesn't matter", Draco said, "the executioner is an old family friend, he'll make sure father get what he wants."
"Your such a beast!", Hope said, "why did you have to act like some wounded war victim when you know it was all your fault!"
"It doesn't matter now", he replied, "I just... Well I wanted you to hear it from me, and I wanted to say... To say I'm sorry."
"Your sorry?", Hope scoffed, "Buckbeak did nothing wrong and he's going to die because you wanted to make Hagrid look like a bad teacher."
"I know what I did", said Malfoy, "but I've apologized now and that's all I can do."
"'All you can do' the trial hasn't happened yet", she said, "tell your father the truth. Tell him that you were faking it."
"It's too late now, Hope", he said.
"Your unbelievable", she said, "you say your sorry but your not willing to do anything to fix it? - if you actually want to make up for what you did you'll tell your father to drop the whole thing."
"Hope...", he trailed off, perhaps unsure what he should say next. She turned around and walked back into the hall.
"What was that?", Harry asked, looking rather grumpy.
"Nothing", Hope lied, "he just wanted to make fun of me for getting detention."
"Bloody git."
She didn't want to tell her friends that all their hard work for Buckbeak's defense over the Christmas was worth nothing because Malfoy had rigged the trial from the start. Once they'd finished dinner Hope checked her watch.
"I'd better get going", she said, "I've got to find George before I go to detention."
"Why?", Hermione asked.
"Erm... I don't know, Snape asked me to bring him with me, I guess he's got detention too."
She quickly hurried off, feeling her face turning pink. George was sitting at the other end of the Gryffindor table with Alica Spinnet.
"Your so funny George!", She heard Alica say as she got into ear shot. She could see her grabbing his arm, gently stroking down it.
"George", she interrupted, feeling her stomach clench, "Professor Snape wants to see you."
"Why?", George asked.
She tried to give him a look but he seemed distracted, he was playing with a strand of Alicas blonde hair. It made Hope feel sick.
"I don't know", she snapped, "but you need to go see him. Now."
"Alright. Alright", he sighed, standing up, "I'll see you later okay."
Alica nodded and turned to speak to Fred instead, who was sitting on the other side of her.
"What was that?", George asked, as they left the hall.
"What was what?"
"Dragging me away? If you couldn't tell I was enjoying myself."
"Go back then", Hope snapped. Feeling irritated, and unsure why.
"Why does Snape want to see me", he asked.
"He doesn't", Hope said, "but... I'm having my first lesson today and you said you wanted to help... If you want to go back of course I understand."
"I want to help", George said. Hope took a deep breath, hoping to relieve some of the tension in her stomach.
"Thank you."
It was freezing down in the dungeon, as it usually was. Hope wished she'd brought a jumped with her, but she hadn't thought about how cold it would be after dark.
"Miss Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley, please shut the door."
Snape had moved all the desks to the side leaving a big empty space in the middle of the classroom.
"We shall begin with research", Snape said. He waved his wand and a very small book flew off his desk and into Hopes hands.
"Research?"
"This book comes from the restricted section of the library and contains the only information we have on Sirens", you shall read through this tonight and then once you have finished we shall begin with our practical lesson.
She looked at George who looked dumb founded. The two of them sat down at a desk against the wall and began to read together through the very small book.
In the 1500's Sirens were at their most prevalent. During the Goblin wars they were able to use their powers to oppose the other wizards and convince them to lay down their wands and surrender. One Siren in particular was famous for her ideals of eliminating all other witches and wizards who were not Sirens "after all, we are the most powerful race in the world."
During these wars the Siren Seraphina Gaunt was able to convince others to use the Goblin wars to their advantage. They took out huge numbers of the wizarding population with the estimated number lying somewhere around 35,000 witches and wizards. Seraphina Gaunt may have accomplished her goals of eliminating normal witches and wizards all together had it not been for the involvement the mermaid. Mermaids consider themselves natural enemys of all Sirens (as their songs work against one another) and they gave the witches and wizard their scales. Mermaids are natural predators of Sirens and when their scales are touching or being worn around a human or wizard this renders the Sirens power useless. Mermaids joined the side of the wizards during these Goblin wars and were able to defeat the Sirens and goblins and remove their hold on the humans of near by villages.
While the origin on the Siren disease is unknown their were many tests done on those kidnapped by the victors of the war, to see if the disease could be removed.
Being a Siren is considered a disease? How is being a more powerful witch a disease?
However, as we learned from Doctor Hershman's notes. Their trials were all unsuccessful and they were forced to conclude that the only way to rid Sirens of the wizarding world was to eliminate them from existence. Seraphina Gaunt, as the leader of this group of dangerous witches, was executed publicly, burned alive and her ashes buried in the bottom of the darkest tomb.
After the execution of the group of Sirens caught during the war the power was banned from the wizarding world and anyone caught using this power would receive the death penalty. In the early 1900's we can now conclude that this power hasn't been seen anywhere in nearly one hundred years and perhaps has died out all together.
"But this doesn't teach me anything", Hope said.
"Did you not read it properly?", Snape was sitting behind is desk now, occupied with a piece of parchment, "did you not learn that the way to counter the effects of this is with mermaid scales?"
"Yes but where am I going to find a mermaid?", Hope said, "they don't exist."
"Don't exist?", Snape looked at her, "You are far more dim witted than I thought Miss Dumbledore. For someone who spends all her free time in the holidays down by the Black lake I would have thought you, of all people, would know that a very very large group of Mermaids reside in its depths."
"There are...", George spoke for the first time, "there are bloody mermaids in the black lake that no one knows about?"
"But how does any of this help me to control my power?", She asked.
"It doesn't", Snape returned to looking at his parchment, "but if one can understand where their power comes from then they gain a deeper understanding into how it could work."
"So what am I supposed to do now?", She asked.
"Practice, of course", said Snape.
Hope huffed. If he wasn't going to help she would much rather practice without him present. She stood up, and faced George.
"What should we try?", She asked him.
"Here", George placed the book in front of him on the floor and stood up, "make me pick it up. I promise I won't do it willingly."
Hope took a deep breath.
"Pick up the book."
Nothing.
"George", she tried again, "pick up the book."
Still nothing. George looked at her uncomfortably.
"Maybe we should try different approaches", he said, "and see which one works."
They spent the next few hours trying everything they could think of to make the sentence different. She annunciated the words differently, she tried to feel different emotions when saying it. All throughout Snape stayed seated at his desk grading various pieces of homework.
Eventually Hope and George decided to give up and sat down on the floor in the middle of the room talking. They discussed their quidditch practices and Oliver's manic habits. Eventually they returned to the topic of Hopes power. She told him how she'd discovered the power down in the chamber with quirrel and how she wasn't really sure if whenever someone agreed with her it was because they wanted too or because she'd accidentally forced them too.
"That does sound tricky", George said, "being worried that your just convincing people your wants are their wants."
"Your wants are their wants...", Hope thought back to what her father had first said.
"George", She said, "I really want you to pick up the book."
They weren't really sitting near the book anymore, Hope having thrown it across the room in anger. But once she'd said that Georges expression dropped and he stood up, in an almost zombie like fashion. Snape looked up to watch as George crossed the room, and picked up the book from the ground. As soon as he was upright again his dull expression broke and he looked down at the book in his hands.
"You did it", he grinned. He shook his head a little, as if trying to get water out of his ears.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah I'm fine", he said, "It's just... Bloody hell that feels weird."
He shook his head again, and Snape stood up from his desk.
"There we have it, Miss Dumbledore", he said, walking out from behind the desk, "you've worked out the key to your power. The two of you may return back to your common room for the night."
"Thank you, Sir", Hope said.
Hope and George walked back to the common room, trying to be as quiet as they could. It was far after hours and they didn't want to explain to Filch why they were out. Thankfully they made it back without interruptions and walked into the common room. All of the lights were out except for the small light made by the fire in the corner. Lying in an armchair next to the fire was none other than Fred.
George signaled for Hope to be quiet and whipped out his wand.
"Levicorpus!" Fred shot upwards with a yelp as if someone had tied a rope around his feet and was holding him up from that.
"Bloody hell!", Fred shouted. Hope and George collapsed into fits of laughter as Fred stared at them with a straight face.
"When you two are bloody done I'm starting to see hippogriffs dancing in front of my eyes."
George set him down and Fred stood up, dusting himself off.
"Where the hell have you been?", He asked, "you've been gone for hours. Alica said you had to talk to Snape and I just assumed he'd killed you."
"I was helping Hope with her... Private lessons", George answered.
"Well Alicas mad", Fred said, "sat here all night waiting with me. You'd better talk to her tomorrow, she seemed to think you two had run off to snog or something."
Hope felt herself turning pink.
"I'm going to bed", she said, quickly, "thanks for your help George."
She rushed up the stairs without waiting for a response from the boys. As she climbed into bed she couldn't shake the pit that seemed to be sinking in her stomach.