That year, Halloween was on a Friday. The morning dawned misty and cold. Hermione had Care Of Magical Creatures first, and pulled on a scarf as she ran down to Hagrid's hut. Their task was to get fingerless gloves onto the school's Nifflers. Unfortunately, as they had very sharp claws, this was a very difficult feat. They had to work in fives to pin down the Niffler's paws and tug on the gloves.
"Why are we doing this, Hagrid?" Ginny complained bitterly as she wiped mud out of a cut on her hand.
"They get awful chilblains if we don't keep 'em warm," he said, throwing more pairs of gloves to a group who had run out, "An' they're very handy creatures, yeh know." Ginny mumbled something under her breath before launching herself back at an escaping Niffler. By the end of the lesson Hermione was incredibly dishevelled and worn out. Hagrid wanted to talk to her briefly before she left, so she reluctantly stayed behind.
"I jus' wanted to say thanks," he said solemnly, "Fer yer research, I mean. I saw to Grawp, and he seems a little better now. 'E's strugglin', yeh know? It's hard on 'im. So thanks for 'elping me to understand."
"No problem," Hermione smiled.
"'Ave you seen Ron and 'Arry recently?" he asked, "I 'aven't seen 'em in ages." Hermione told him they had visited Hogsmede together a little while ago, and he chuckled.
"Glad they're doin' all right. They're bright kids, and you are too, 'ermione. 'Ave a good weekend, an' I'll see yeh at the feast later!"
***
Hermione was starting to worry about the Support Group. She had a very loose idea in her head about what would happen, but there was no real structure yet for what would happen that weekend. It was at the back of her head all through the final lessons that day, which were to be cut short for the feast and Weird Sisters performance.
Lunchtime arrived, and Hermione went to the library with her psychology books. There was no real desire in her to follow any advice they might give her on coping with stress but she thought she would try something different. Opening all three of them across a desk she flicked through the pages, jotting down notes of pages for reference, and copying short passages onto some parchment. If she was dealing with other students suffering as a result of the same things she was, then she could at least try to share her coping methods. On and on she wrote, pages about PTSD and trauma, imprinting and association, neurological pathways and reconnections... Surely some of this could apply to her Support Group?
The bell went, and almost instantly Madam Pince was on her.
"Come on, clear up, the bell's gone. I need to clean these desks, and yours in particular has some nasty ink spots. I'll need Mrs Skower's help for this one, her Magical Mess Remover gets rid of those stains like nobody's business... Come on!" She flapped at Hermione, who quickly corked her ink bottle and pushed her sources into her bag.
There was an undeniable air of excitement in the air as the students wandered down the corridors to the Great Hall. Some of the younger students had wild guesses as to the Halloween entertainment, but other than those theories it was to be a complete surprise.
"Maybe it's an aerial display of dragons, like the fireworks from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"
"Don't be daft, Clark will have sorted out some dancing. Maybe she's got the ghosts to do it!"
"They got Nearly Headless Nick to do something a few years ago, that would be boring. Hey, look, there's Head Girl! Hermione! Do you know what's happening?" One boy called out to her.
She smiled at the boy, and said, "You'll find out, but it should be great fun!" The group of third years fell back and started chattering excitedly, looking up at her with reverence. It was odd that they held her in such high regard. She was still the same person who had thrown toast to the squid with Ron and Harry, made potions in the girl's bathrooms... That she was Head Girl made such a difference meant some people's reactions had entirely changed. Then Hermione overheard the end of a conversation.
"Did you see the poster in the Common Room? Apparently she's running a Support Group. Wonder what that's about..."
"Didn't you read it? It says it's for people who've been struggling. You know, since the War? I think I'm going to go."
"Why? What's wrong with you?"
"You know my cousin died? I can't concentrate because I just feel sad all the time. Not all the time, but I just can't seem to think of anything good. And there are no Dementors around, so I have no idea why I can't shake off the bad thoughts..."
Hermione almost turned around to say something, but decided against it. They didn't need her to influence their confidence in the Support Group.
As the doors of the Hall opened, there was a spectacular sight. Large banners of ivy and black moss were looped between the candles on the ceiling, while a cluster of bats were flying in a magically controlled arrangement between the pillars. Skeletons were dancing in the alcoves around the Hall, and a stage had been temporarily erected between the staff table and the House tables. On the stage stood the Weird Sisters, their hair knotted and tangled and the bassist was just tuning up. As the students sat down a loud screech of feedback broke the air.
"OK, students!" Professor Clark called out, holding up her arms. As she began to speak the microphone squealed again, and she had to stop while they fiddled with the dials. "OK then, everyone. Welcome to your Halloween feast! We have got some excellent treats prepared for you; a live performance from the Weird Sisters, wonderful decorations conjured up by Professor Feathersworth, and a spectacular feast for you all! The music will start after the feast, but the Weird Sisters may well come down and have a talk to you as they were all once students here. Let the feast begin!"
At once the meals bloomed into the plates, the smells quickly permeating the room and making everyone's mouths water. Cauldrons of pumpkin soup, platters of Chocolate Frogs, and bowlfuls of rice puddings were quickly passed around. Donaghan Tremlett hopped down from the stage and winked as he cut himself a slice of treacle tart from beside some fifth year boys. They all glanced at each other with barely disguised delight, and let the bassist sit beside them.
Hermione and Ginny sat together with Dean and Seamus, and they all tucked into the wonderful food. Dean and Seamus started debating enthusiastically over their favourite Weird Sister's album, while Ginny chipped in occasionally. Hermione found herself joining in, even though she barely knew them as a band. She very rarely listened to wizard music, preferring Muggle singers to them. Very rapidly their plates were cleared, and they carried on eating until they were full to bursting.
"I think everyone's eaten enough now, have they?" Clark announced, waiting for the plates to empty themselves. When they did, she clapped her hands together and told them that the band would be performing shortly. "But first," she said, "I think we need a little more space." She took out her wand and waved the tables to the sides of the room and, once everyone had stood up, the benches followed suite.
"OK Hogwarts!" chanted lead singer Myron Wagtail, "ARE YOU READY?" The Hall echoed with the cheers that followed, and the band started to play. It wasn't tasteful music - or particularly good music, in Hermione's opinion - but it was a great show, and it was fun to "dance" with her friends. No-one was actually dancing; in fact the majority of people were doing little more than shuffling. But it was fun to move around and talk to people. The teachers soon got into the spirit, and some of them paired off to dance. Hagrid was leading Professor McGonagall into a two-step, and she was smiling at him with unmasked amusement. Professor Gladheart and Professor Sinistra were laughing and talking in the corner, and even Madam Pince had strayed from her beloved library.
Hermione stayed with Ginny, Luna, Seamus and Dean for a bit as they continued to talk and sing parts of their favourite songs. After a while, though, Hermione's feet were sore in her school shoes and she wanted a break from the deafening music. She migrated to a corner in the Hall, and sat down behind one of the alcoves in which a skeleton was dancing. Her head throbbed with the noise, so she cast a tricky little charm that granted her a small bubble of quiet in which she could sit. She took the books and the parchment from her bag, continuing to make notes for her Support Group. Clearly there were people who needed it. She tried to stay hidden, but didn't want to cast a Cloaking Spell as it was easily traced and would make her more easily spotted and forced to join in again. It was very antisocial, but Hermione needed a break.
"Mind if I join you?" came a voice. Hermione jerked her head upwards and saw Malfoy sliding in beside her. "Why is it so quiet down here?" he asked, moving his head around and testing how far the barrier stretched.
"Silent Bubble Charm," Hermione explained, turning her head back to her notes.
"I was getting sick of making small talk with some Ravenclaws, and I had constant whispers behind me," he explained. "They all seem to have some gossip about what the infamous heir to Lucius Malfoy could be doing at Hogwarts..." He rested his hands on his knees and leaned against the stone wall. "What are you up to, Granger?"
"Notes for the Support Group," she said, looking up and sighing. "What do I do with a bunch of children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder?" She curled the edges of the page around her finger, looking around at everyone else. They were laughing and shuffling, singing and talking. Was there really a need for such a group in a school of people who seemed to be coping so well? None of them looked psychologically damaged, so why was she bothering with this?
"I know what you're thinking," Malfoy stated, not unkindly, "And they look fine, don't they? But you know full well that those children will have nightmares, cut themselves, hide away, avoid questions. You know they need help." He looked at her almost beseechingly, and turned the paper towards himself so he could read her notes.
"But what do I do with them? How do I make them feel like it's going to be OK?" Hermione asked, looking anywhere but at Malfoy.
"You show them. Tell them what you know, what you've tried. Tell them what works to make you feel better, and convince them that there's more to their lives than just this misery." Malfoy said, shifting in his seat and rubbing his thumb along his arm. There was a pause until Hermione registered the gesture.
"How long now?" Hermione asked him, looking at his arm. He lifted his sleeve and showed that he still had the bandage on.
"I think about two months? Round about then, anyway." he said, pink staining his cheeks. "I try not to think about it. I'm not getting the urge to so much, but I still have the thought in the back of my head, about what I've done - all the time..." He rolled the sleeve back down again and turned away, looking bitter. Hermione sighed a little, and put her things back into her bag.
"I'm going to go back out for a bit: I need to see how Ginny is. I'll leave the charm for you." Hermione said, standing up and hearing the blasting music back in her ears. She winced, and found her friends again. They stood around and chatted a while longer, until the last song played and Clark sent everyone off to their dormitories for the night.
Hermione was worried. She was worried about what she would do on Sunday, and how she could help. She was terrified that no-one still needed help, really. And there was still her own problems at the back of her head.
But she had faith in what she was doing, and she knew that if you put faith in the right things, you couldn't go wrong.