Chapter 3

A few days later I sat in the common room by the fire thinking to myself. I needed to find someone to convince and fast. Christmas was coming up and that would be our only shot at getting those crystal wands. I needed someone I could trust, someone who had a thing for danger, and curiosity as strong as mine. Immediately Ginny came to mind, but I promised her I wouldn't do anything from that book, and I didn't know if she would tell anybody. I was in a tight spot.

On one hand we could always find another Slytherin, like Zabini, but I wouldn't trust him at all. But if I asked Ginny, and she didn't want to, then Malfoy and I would be in huge trouble. Like expulsion worthy trouble. Azkaban worthy trouble. I shuddered as I thought about what would happen if anyone found out. Ggrrrrr, I thought to myself, this is more trouble than it's worth.

Standing on my feet I started to pace in front of the fire deep in thought. I heard the portrait swing open but I ignored it. Malfoy plunked his bag onto an end table and sat on the sofa behind me. I felt his eyes on me but I ignored him as I thought. "Who the bloody hell to choose?" My head screamed in frustration.

"You could always ask the Weaselette." Draco said cutting into my frantic and tired thoughts. It was as if he read my mind. I stopped pacing long enough to glare at him then continued walking back and forth in front of the fire.

"It's not that simple," I growled at him. "I don't know if she'll go for it. I promised her that I wouldn't do anything from that book. She might say something to someone." I continued to pace in front of the fire lost in my own thoughts. "Maybe, just maybe if I let her read the book. Maybe she'll agree to it." I mutter under my breath. Nodding my head I went to my room and slammed the door shut. I shuffled through the parchment on my desk until I found the black worn book. I would let her borrow the book and then I was going to ask her. I had to be willing to take risks with this experiment. And this was a risk worth taking in my mind. At the time anyway.

The next day I ate breakfast with Ginny. It was Saturday and there weren't many students up as early as we were. As we ate I slipped the black book onto the table and pushed it towards her plate. I was careful that no one was paying attention to us.

"I'm finished with it. Take it," I whispered between bites. Stealthily her hand grasped the book and pulled it under the table. Then, masterfully she dropped it into her open bag. Smiling to myself, I finished my breakfast and went into the library to study for my transfiguration exam. After she read the book it would be all too easy to convince her to help me and Malfoy. This plan would work out perfectly, I thought happily. And so we waited. Another week passed and I often saw Ginny sneaking off during meals for some privacy with a discreet little black book in her hand. It wasn't until a week before the Holiday Break that Ginny came to me with questions about the book, about the last spell.

"What does it do?" Ginny asked gingerly as we sat on my bed watching the snowflakes flutter passed the steamy glass window. She didn't have to explain what she was talking about. She read the entire book and wanted to know about the spell that Malfoy was never allowed to perform. It was perfect, too perfect. She wanted to know just as much as I did and I was going to lure her in like a pretty Venus fly trap. She needed to know just as much as I did.

"We aren't sure. I asked Malfoy, but he has no clue. He was never allowed to do the spell. So it's kind of lost," I explained casually as if every piece of my hope didn't dangle from her thread of curiosity. She sat and thought for a few moments as I watched her intently. It was running through her mind, just as it had through my mind. She wanted to try it! I could see it in her eyes. Oh, brilliant! I smiled at her and tried not to make it look wolfish and hungry, though I was jumping up and down in my brilliance.

"And he never tried it?" she wondered aloud.

"Nope. You need three people for it and he never had anyone else that would try it with him."

"Only three people? I thought it required four." Ginny replied with her brow furrowed. I stared at her dumbfounded. Four wizards to complete the spell? Ginny flipped to a page of the black book and handed it to me.

"See here?" Ginny pointed at a line, "It says we need three people to actually wield the magic with the crystal wands but a fourth to be our Stone, someone to keep us connected to this world so that the magic doesn't destroy us."

"I had always assumed that that was part of the three…" Ginny grinned and her blue eyes sparkled dangerously. This was it, my chance to really yank her in.

"Wait…" I started cautiously, "You're not thinking of try it are you?" I raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Well aren't you curious? I really want to know what this spell does. And provided that Malfoy will help us with the spell all we have to do is find one more person to be our Stone. It's simple enough really. We have the instructions right here in our hands. What's the worst that it could do?" Ginny tried to convince me. What she didn't know was that I had already convinced myself and now that she was on board, things were set to go. Then the only problem was finding a fourth person. How could I have missed that? How could I have misunderstood? Ginny had seen it right away. Why hadn't I? I reread the page that Ginny had pointed out and wanted to smack myself in the head. I must have been really tired when I read the chapter, or so concentrated on my excitement that I overlooked the small detail. Either way, we now needed a fourth person and three crystals wands.

I left the Gryffindor girls' dormitory in light spirits and rushed up to the Heads' common room. Malfoy sat in front or the hearths doing Potions homework and I felt almost bad for disrupting the blonde haired boy. But only almost.

"She agreed to it Malfoy. We have a third person!" I yelled startling Malfoy so badly that he fell off the sofa. Grumbling and rubbing his side, Malfoy stood as I laughed at his expense. Malfoy glared at me but I ignored him.

"It wasn't that funny," he muttered. I shook my head and doubled over in laughter. The look on his face and the way he just went plop right on his bum, it was just too amusing, not to mention his hurt pride and his ridiculous indignation that I was laughing at him. Suddenly my throat was constricted and I could see Malfoy through my tears of laughter, which soon became tears of pain. He squeezed tighter and I made an odd mousy sound that let my fear show. As suddenly as he had grabbed my throat he let it go and I fell to the floor coughing and feeling lightheaded.

I wish I could say that I got up and let my anger run its course. I wish I could say that I got up and cursed Malfoy into oblivion right then and there, but I didn't. Had I fought with him right there things might have turned out differently, things might have turned out better. But I sat there in lightheaded disbelief. I had never been choked before and while I was very angry at Malfoy for laying his hand on me I was more stunned than anything.

Malfoy sat back on the sofa, I briefly registered, and then continued to glare at me like it was my fault that I was gasping for air. Gathering my wits about me I stood and fixed my robes which were disheveled. I scowled at Malfoy to let him know he was going to get away with choking me and then sat next to him in front of the fireplace.

"Now, what were you saying?" He acted as if he hadn't just had his hand around my throat and it pissed me off to no end. Still, I needed him to try out the spell…

"Ginny wants to do the spell. But we need a fourth person." I explained.

"I thought we only needed three."

"So did I. Ginny found a passage though, one that says while we need three people to actually perform the magic, we need a fourth to be our Stone, our foundation so that the magic doesn't kill us." Doubt flitted across Malfoy's grey eyes and then he smirked condescendingly at me.

"So, the impeccable, all-knowing, brilliant Hermione Granger missed possibly one of the most important details of the spell? Oh well, this is just great." He gave a short humorless laugh while I crossed my arms and glared.

"If you're done, we still have a problem. Who will be the fourth person?"

"I'm sure my friend Zabini can help us out there. He'll be our Stone, I'm sure of it. He's been wanting to try that spell for years now. All we have to do is get the wands. We'd be all set by Christmas to do the spell at the Manor."

"Malfoy Manor?"

"Well of course. We'd have to go to Knockturn alley to get the wands. Then we'd need someplace private where we can perform the spell undisturbed. We can all stay at the Manor and it's the best place for what we need." My mouth made a small unintelligent oh and I shifted uncomfortably on the sofa.

"So it's settled then. We're going to Malfoy Manor for break. My parent's will hardly be home anyway and they'll leave us alone when they are. I'll pay for the crystal wands for you, Weasley, and I. Then, we'll be set to figure out what exactly that spell does." Malfoy smirked again like a child getting a new toy and I smirked too, knowing that I wore the same evilly gleeful expression that he did. I let the satisfaction sink in as I sat and couldn't help but giggle in delight. Not only would I be sating my curiosity, I'd be doing something exciting, something unlike anything I had ever done before, something that would give Harry and Ron a reason to hate me.

Harry and Ron. I abruptly stood up, startling Malfoy again, but I didn't care. I didn't know what was going on between me and my former best friends and I didn't really want to know, but I had some serious reconsideration to do. I ran full pelt into my room and sank onto the queen sized bed. Was I really doing the spell to sate my curiosity? Was my need for knowledge the only reason I was doing this? Or was it something more? I certainly wasn't a spiteful person, but did I want to do something in spite of Harry and Ron? Would I be doing this with Malfoy if Harry and Ron weren't treating me so despicably?

The questions poured from my mind like water from a pitcher. For hours on end I thought and analyzed every aspect of my anticipated action. But in the end, I decided it didn't matter. Whether or not curiosity was my only reason for performing the spell was irrelevant as long as I had some educational purposes. I was going to go through with this during the holiday and there was nothing that could stop me. I needed to know what happened or else it would haunt me to the end of my days and I would never possess the knowledge that I so craved. And Hermione Granger was willing to do anything to gain some type of knowledge. I would do anything to figure out what the spell did.