"I told you! I told you not to annoy that Skeeter woman," Ron said hastily, "she's made you out to be some-some-Scarlet Woman!"
Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter "Scarlet Woman?" She tried hard to with laughter, "Scarlet Woman?"
She tried hard to suppress her giggles, but she was having a hard time with it.
"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.
Hermione noticed Lucifer was being quiet.
She looked at him and her heart stopped for a second as she saw the murderous look on his face.
She remembered what he told Rita Skeeter at the Three Broomsticks, but before she could say anything, he grabbed the Magazine and marched off, "Lucifer?" She called after him.
"I have to see Dumbledore!" He called back, not turning around.
He hurried all the way to his office and stopped at the Gargoyle, "Sherbert Lemon," he said and was glad the Gargoyle moved aside, he didn't want to break stuff.
He went up the stairs and knocked on the doors.
"Enter," he hears Dumbledore's voice. He entered and closed the door behind him, "Ah, Lucifer, to what do I owe the honor?"
Lucifer set the magazine in front of Dumbledore, where it was opened still to Skeeter's article, "You've got to do something about Rita Skeeter."
Dumbledore grabbed the magazine and read through it. Afterwards he sighed, "Unfortunately, there isn't much else I can do."
"If you don't, then I will. I warned her that if she wasn't nice to Hermione, she'd pay dearly. So I suggest, Headmaster, you do more to keep your students safe, or I'll do it for you. I'm not sure if I'll be able to control my actions if I see Rita Skeeter again," Lucifer promised him.
He turned and walked out, leaving the magazine behind.
He could feel Dumbledore's gaze on him the entire time he was leaving, but he didn't turn around at all, trying his best to ignore the weird feeling he always got near Headmaster.
He walked down the Staircase, past the Gargoyle, and back down to the Entrance Hall, where he walked outside into the cold, but not quite as cold as it was, afternoon air.
He vented his frustration on a nearby pile of rocks by crushing them into dust, then proceeded to level some trees at the edge of the forest.
He owed Pansy a bit of a reminder on how foolish she acted, and the next time he saw her, she was going to be sorry she insulted Hermione.
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The next day, Lucifer met Hermione down in the Common Room and he sat down on the couch beside her, "Morning," she said, looking at him with concern.
No response.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"I 've had worse..."
Hermione had tears in her eyes.
"I-I said it last year... but you've done so much... and suffered so much over ages... I worry about you," Hermione expressed her concern.
"I appreciate your concern, more than you know, but I'm fine....."
The look she gave him said she didn't believe him, but she didn't press the issue, "After lunch we are going to Hogsmeade to meet him," Hermione reminded.
"I figured we were."
When it was finally lunchtime, Lucifer didn't eat much, and he felt Eve looking at him every now and then, but when he glanced up at her, she always quickly averted her eyes.
He could not await the conversation he was set to have with her sooner or later.
She was upset, possibly angry with him, and he didn't blame her especially after what nearly happened between them last night.
Hermione subconsciously stabbed her pumpkin pie with her spoon.
When lunch was just about over, the four of them snuck at least a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table.
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While in Hogsmeade, awaiting the time they would meet Sirius, they walked around to look through the shops.
Harry and Ron going to the Joke shop, Hermione and Lucifer went to look at some books and spell books, but not buying anything.
Then, at half past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village.
Lucifer hadn't been in this direction before, not that he ever had a reason to before now.
The winding lane was leading them out into the wild countryside around Hogsmeade.
The cottages were fewer, and their gardens larger; they were walking toward the foot of the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay.
Then they turned a corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane.
Waiting for them, his front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth.
"Hello, Sirius," Harry said when they got up to him.
Sirius, in dog form, sniffed the bag Harry was carrying eagerly, wagged his tail a couple of times, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to reach the rocky foot of the mountain.
They climbed over the stile after him and followed.
Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks.
It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Lucifer saw Harry, Ron and Hermione were soon out of breath.
"How… are you… fine?" Hermione asked indignantly between shallow breaths, looking at Lucifer.
"Come on, get on," They'd reached a small ledge and Lucifer lowered himself to offer Hermione a piggyback.
She happily clambered on, and he continued the climb.
For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep, winding, and stony path, following Sirius, and by the end even Lucifer could feel his breath catching.
The climb had been considerably tougher with Hermione on his back, but he was glad he'd managed it.
Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock.
Lucifer knelt down to allow Hermione to slide off his back, she did so, placing a kiss on the side of his neck as she did.
They squeezed into the fissure and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave.
Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the hippogriff.
"Hello, Buckbeak," Lucifer said, but he didn't give him a bow.
Moments later, Hermione had just slipped in herself and saw Buckbeak, she bowed.
Once he bowed back, she rushed over to brush his feathers with her hand.
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