A/N : You may have noticed the title change.. for those confused I have in fact decided to change the title of this story from Small Crimes to Know Thy Enemy. I started this story way back in July and the direction I want to take it has changed slightly, and I feel this is a lot more fitting to where I forsee the plot going. Apologies for any confusion, but enjoy the chapter!
Knowledge is Power
Two weeks had passed and Hermione's attempts to remove her conversation with Malfoy from her mind had been unsuccessful to say the least. She'd spent her nights pouring over any books she could find that may provide some hint as to how the hell Malfoy, of all people, had managed to invent a spell. And a useful one at that. The unfairness of it burrowed beneath her skin, and she buzzed with the energy of knowing he had knowledge of magic which she didn't.
She huffed as she slammed another tome closed, thrusting it atop of the rest of her reject pile, and kicking her feet up onto the coffee table in frustration. A few of the Gryffindors in the common room raised a curious brow in her direction, but it was only Harry who dared to comment.
"Everything all right there Hermione?" he asked as he set aside his own essay and quill, coming to sit next to her on the couch. She cringed as she heard him crinkling some of the pages containing her notes that he was currently sitting on. She quickly shooed him off and placed them to the side before returning to her previous position.
"Fine Harry, just doing some extra research," she gave him a knowing look.
Harry took a cursory glance around their surroundings before lowering his voice, "Is it for the Order?"
She paused while considering the question. Technically yes, knowledge of spell creation would have immeasurable benefits in their fight against Voldemort. And she knew that, of course she did. What she didn't need to disclose was that her primary motivating factor was more than that. It was a need to satisfy her own curiosity, along with a smaller, but equally as impassioning desire to prove Malfoy wrong.
What did he know about her chances of making it in the real world? He was acting as if she hadn't been in the Ministry just months ago, fighting against people just like his father.
His father.
"Eh, Hermione, are you alive?"
She sat up and rubbed a palm along her forehead, "Sorry Harry, yes, I'm fine and it is for the Order – I hope."
He frowned, "Mione, what's going on?"
She shook her head, "Gah it's just something Malfoy said, did, and I can't get it out of my head."
She regret the words the moment she said them. Turning to look at Harry, Hermione could see that his eyes were ablaze, focused, and his palm clenched. "Malfoy, what's this got to do with Malfoy." He lowered his voice even more, "Did he do something to you Hermione? That day in potions?"
She shook her head, "No it's not that. He just mentioned something, a spell, and I want to get to the bottom of it."
Harry frowned, "What kind of spell? The kind of spell only a Death Eater would know?"
She slapped his arm and whispered, "Hush Harry. You don't know he's a Death Eater!"
"And you don't know that he's not."
She sighed before finally jumping in and explaining everything that had transpired since the last two weeks.
Harry narrowed his eyes in concentration, staring into the fire place, "So Malfoy knows how to invent spells."
Hermione nodded, "Or at least says he knows how. For all we know someone else could have come up with it and Malfoy was just trying to take the credit. Wouldn't be the first time."
Harry paused for a moment before placing a hand on her knee, "Wait here."
While he was gone Hermione returned to her previous thought. His father. If Malfoy did know how to invent spells there were a limited number of individuals he could have learnt it from. Lucius Malfoy, or some other family friend or Death Eater, were the most likely candidates. Hermione's blood ran cold and she gulped. Spell creation was no frivolous art. Yes, it could be used for good, but as she closed her eyes she saw a skull light up the night. Morsmorde. It could also be used for the dark.
Harry came down and placed an all too familiar battered book in her hand.
"Harry Potter," she admonished, "You said you got rid of this weeks ago!"
"I'm not getting rid of it Mione, not when it could help us – look." She frowned, wanting to lecture again, but stopped herself and looked at the page Harry was pointing to.
"Sectumsempra – for enemies," she breathed, "What is that?"
Harry shrugged, "Dunno. But I checked, it isn't in any of the defense books we've had over the years so I'm assuming he –,"
"They," she corrected.
"They, came up with it themselves."
She knit her brows in concentration. That certainly would make the most sense, but the words for enemies reverberated through her mind giving her an idea – albeit a dangerous one. Hermione hadn't found any information in the books she'd been searching through, but maybe she'd just been looking in the wrong place. There was one place in Hogwarts that may have the information she needed.
"Harry, I don't like this." She said warily, "I don't like this at all."
Her fingers traced the writing on the page, and she was suddenly struck with the sense that she'd seen it somewhere before. She leaned in to get a closer look only to have Harry place the book underneath his cloak. She looked up in confusion only to notice they were garnering the attention of some wandering eyes around the common room.
She collected her own stack of books and threw on her cloak, shoving her wand in her pocket.
"Where are you going?"
"The library. Your Prince has given me an idea."
He frowned looking at the clock, "You're not going to the match?" He was referencing the Ravenclaw – Hufflepuff match. She hadn't been planning on attending in the first place, preferring the comfort of the common room to a match she didn't care about. But now this only strengthened her resolve.
"No," she said – her plan already forming in her mind, "And Harry."
He cocked a brow in her direction.
"I'll be needing your cloak."
He cast the disillusionment charm before entering the library. It would do no good to wait until he had already been seen entering by Pince. The old bird would probably come looking for him after a few minutes. Surprise, surprise, another Hogwarts Professor who seemed to have a fundamental distrust of Slytherins, and for his plan today that simply wouldn't do.
Draco waited until a group of three Ravenclaw girls, clad in spirited gear, passed him down the hallway before casting the charm. He'd nearly forgotten about the anticipated first match of the season today, but it would serve him well that most of the castle would be empty save for those who couldn't care less about the sport.
He waited until a younger Gryffindor girl entered the library, passing behind her before the door could shut. Even in Hogwarts, doors opening and closing of their own accord was grounds for suspicion.
Avoiding as much movement as possible, he carefully navigated his way through the stacks of the library. Luckily for him, Pince seemed to have her nose stuck in a book and was oblivious to anything around her – for now. He made his way to the back of the library before pausing in front of the door to the Restricted Section. He cast a quick spell revealing charm to see whether or not someone had finally been smart enough to cast a detection spell at its entrance. Luckily for him they had not and he was able to slip through the doors without a soul noticing.
In the darkened stacks of the Restricted Section, Draco removed his wand to cast a faint Lumos, just enough to make out the dusty spines as he perused the shelves. He also cast the sense enhancing charm that had so entranced and infuriated Granger a few weeks ago. He figured he could use the extra awareness in these precarious surroundings.
In all honesty he probably should have done this sooner. Borgin had told him to find the tome in question at Hogwarts before even starting to work on that blasted cabinet. But Draco had always believed more in the learn by experience approach to such things. Unfortunately, to his chagrin, that approach had done shit all for him thus far.
He had to stifle a cough as he brushed away some of the dust covering one of the books on the shelves. Petrified that he'd revealed his presence, he paused for a moment, but after a minute of silence he finally felt he could breathe again. He returned his attention to the book and saw that it was in fact the title he'd been looking for "Replacement and Repair of Cursed Objects". Brilliant. But just as he reached to open the text, the squeak of the Restricted Section gate reached his finely tuned ear.
He was no longer alone.
Hermione had been pleased to find the library practically empty upon entering it a few moments ago. She waited until Madam Pince returned to her desk and picked up a novel before making her way to the back most section. Even though she was under the protection of Harry's invisibility cloak, Hermione couldn't help but feel her nerves heighten. Any wrong move or sound could alert someone to her presence.
Nevertheless, she made her way into the Restricted Section without incident and made a right to start perusing the first stack of dark texts surrounding her. Her stomach churned as her eyes skimmed over the titles. She didn't dare to cast a Lumos, but relying on the dim light of the lanterns was straining her normally near perfect eyesight.
In the stacks she couldn't tell whether an hour or ten minutes had passed, but as she searched and searched to no avail, Hermione felt her frustration grow. She turned a corner and began searching through a new shelf, trying not to let herself feel discouraged, when she paused. It was almost imperceptible, but something in the air changed causing a shiver to run up her spine.
She whipped around in a circle to assess her surroundings, only to have her eyes land on a shimmer beneath the torch light. Her eyes strained to see what, if anything, was there – her vision obstructed by the darkness and cloak. As she took a step closer she reached out a hand beneath her cloak only to be met with something hard. A body.
Her eyes widened, but before she could move, the figured had already whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, leaving her utterly exposed. She whipped her head around to meet her assailant, as upon contact with her hand the figure had taken their true shape. She knew who it was the moment she glimpsed the platinum blonde hair.
"Malfoy!"
He was scowling at her, while running the cloak through his fingertips.
"You know, you and Potter really ought to learn that just because people can't see you, doesn't mean they can't hear you."
She struggled to reach for the cloak while he held it up and behind him, out of her grasp.
"Give that back Malfoy!"
He sniggered, "What will you give me for it Granger?"
She shot him as murderous of a glare as ever and folded her hands onto her hips, "A chance to leave here without a kick in the arse!"
Malfoy smirked in amusement, "Who knew you had such a penchant for violence?"
"Only when deserved," she made a final attempt at reaching for the cloak, but his height gave him a physical advantage over her. She sighed, giving up the task for now. "How did you even know I was here Malfoy – oh wait, let me guess, more illegal spell work?"
"Only the one Granger. Besides, you breathe loud. Doesn't take a sense-enhancing charm to notice it."
"Why you little -," her barrage of insults was cut short by the familiar creak of the Restricted Section gate. Someone else was entering.
Her eyes met Malfoy's and found they mirrored her own look of fear. If they were caught they were both screwed. She muttered a Silencio over Malfoy, and without the Invisibility Cloak in her grasp she cast a disillusionment charm over the both of them. She felt Malfoy grip her upper arms and drag them into a narrow alcove between the shelf and the cold wall. She shoved herself so she was out of his grip, but remained pressed against the wall. She could feel her heart pounding, and was sure that anyone could hear it from a mile away.
They waited in silence for what felt like hours before Malfoy nudged her shoulder. Because she knew he was there she could see him pointing expectantly at his mouth and she removed the Silencio she'd cast. She stepped away from the alcove and allowed him to do the same.
"Coast is clear Granger, now why don't you run along and we can get back to minding our own business."
"Not. Quite." A familiar voice drawled out slowly.
Hermione shut her eyes and cursed internally as Snape grabbed both her and Malfoy by their lapels and forcefully removed them into the general library. She could make out Madam Pince's voice before she saw her,
"I'm telling you Severus, I have been here all day. I am always here, all day. And I haven't seen a single soul pass into the – by Heavens, Miss Granger!"
Hermione flushed and stared pointedly down at her shoes.
"And Mr. Malfoy! How the devil did you get in! Prefects, the both of you, I expect better from you – now you will tell me and Professor Snape what you were up to at once."
She fixed her gaze on Malfoy who looked more annoyed than frightened at having been caught. His insolence and disregard for authority rolled off him in waves, and Hermione rolled her eyes at his contempt.
Before she could even open her mouth to explain, Snape stepped in front of them.
"I'll deal with these two Irma."
Before giving Madam Pince the chance to object, Snape was already guiding her and Malfoy out the door. They trailed behind him in silence: Hermione silently worrying, and Malfoy silently fuming. He seemed angrier now than he had when it'd been her who'd caught him in the restricted section. She scolded herself just as equally for not being able to catch what he'd been looking for, as for not finding anything to help herself.
As they made their way to the dungeon Hermione found herself glancing over at Malfoy. He'd fixed a murderous scowl directed at the back of Snape's head. This puzzled her – as far as relationships with Professors went Hermione had always thought the Slytherins favoured Snape, and vice versa. She couldn't help but feel she was left out of some silent conversation and missing pieces of a puzzle to which she didn't even know the final product.
Before entering the DADA room, and she presumed, Snape's office – he held out an arm to stop her.
"A moment, Miss Granger."
With a curt flick of his wrist, Snape led Malfoy into the classroom, leaving her standing in the hallway alone. Before analyzing the ethical implications of her decision, Hermione pressed her body up against the door. Without a sense enhancing spell she had to rely on old fashioned tactics.
It was significantly less effective than she'd hoped, but beyond the muttering of voices she could make out Malfoy's raised voice, "I don't give a damn what you promised."
She stepped back from the door then. Promised. Promised what and to whom? It was a good thing she'd removed herself when she did, as in that moment Snape burst through the door.
"That will be 50 points for trespassing Miss Granger." He said the words without looking at her only to pause and turn around for a final blow, "And an extra 10 for eavesdropping. Mr. Malfoy has been informed of your punishment. I expect you will be done by the time I return."
She bit her lip against an objection and begrudgingly made her way into the room. She found Malfoy with his back to her, hunched over a desk at the front of the classroom, fist clenched. She made her way to him warily and coughed when her presence wasn't enough to pique his attention.
"We're to wait here for an hour," he said coolly without meeting her gaze.
"Right."
She didn't say anything more for a moment, simply staring at the bulge in his pocket she assumed belong to the Invisibility Cloak. She let out a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to explain it's loss to Harry or go hunting through the Restricted Section trying to find it.
"Uh Malfoy?"
"What?" He snapped.
"What exactly are we supposed to be doing?"
He met her gaze with a raised brow, "How should I know Granger?"
"Well Professor Snape said you'd been informed of our punishment, so forgive me for asking that the same courtesy be extended to me."
He considered her statement for a moment before smirking, "Clever Snape."
She frowned, "What?"
"This is our punishment Granger, nothing but a lovely hour to spend in each other's company."
"Well that's stupid," she observed. Malfoy looked at her curiously.
"First of all that seems like a complete waste of time, and second we can just leave."
He cocked his head and stared at her disinterestedly, "So leave."
She looked at the door considerately and chewed on her bottom lip. She could leave, assuming that Snape had no way of knowing whether she'd stayed or not. More likely than not he didn't care what they did, having already rid them of more than their fair share of house points. There wasn't anything stopping her, except for the fact that Malfoy was making no move to leave. In fact, he was doing the opposite. He'd since pulled out a chair, leaning it to the tipping point, and lounging his head on the desk behind him. She watched as the chair legs teetered on their edge, one push back and the ground falling out from below him. This may be an opportunity, Hermione thought, to get some answers.
She picked a different desk, putting enough distance between them, but not too much. Malfoy's eyes were closed, and without a scowl on his face he almost looked relaxed. Or at least, as relaxed as she'd seen him all year.
"Malfoy."
He sighed and opened his eyes, "Granger."
"Why were you in the restricted section?"
He looked at her skeptically, "You can't actually believe I'm going to tell you."
She didn't. But that wasn't what she needed. All she needed was to get him talking. If there was one thing she'd noticed about her previous two encounters with Malfoy, and about the last 6 years, was that Draco Malfoy tended to divulge too much. If you knew the right buttons to press. She just had to make sure he didn't realize he was revealing too much. Catching him in the Restricted Section had convinced her now more than ever that he was up to something. Whether Harry's suspicions were correct remained to be seen, but she could finally admit that Draco Malfoy was hiding something. Harry's tactics of following him down dark alleys of Knockturn Alley, and studying the Marauder's Map like a bible would only get him so far. Perhaps it was time Hermione took matters into her own hands.
"Fine," she huffed, feigning frustration, "Forget I asked."
She knew he was watching her as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the rough folded Arithmacy assignment she had been keeping in her cloak. She'd completed it days ago, but had yet to edit and ensure her calculations were correct before transferring it to a final copy.
"Do you have any parchment?" she asked. Drawing him into conversation again.
He scoffed, "No Granger, I do not have any spare parchment lying around or shoved away in my pockets."
"A no would suffice Malfoy."
She returned her attention to the calculations in front of her. Without lifting her wand, she Accio'd some parchment from a pile of Snape's desk and begun transferring her work. It was almost unnerving, to have Malfoy watching her when they were alone without the buffer of other classmates or distractions. More than once she was tempted to ask him to knock it off, but knew that wouldn't be conducive to what she was trying to accomplish.
Eventually she became so immersed in her work, as often tended to happen, that she didn't notice he'd moved and was now standing in front of her desk. He dropped the Invisibility Cloak in front of her. Hermione grabbed it before he could take it back and toy with her some more. When he didn't move after returning it to her, she looked up and found him staring at her expectantly.
"If you're waiting for a 'Thank you', you're going to be there a long time."
"Hardly," he countered. "I've no use for that little cloak of Potter's. It's history of ineffectiveness has turned me off of its use so no Granger. I do not consider this something to be thanked for. If anything, I should be thanking you for unburdening me of its weight."
She looked at him quizzically, sensing that his rambling was meant to distract her.
"Then what do you want Malfoy?"
Hermione could feel him assessing her, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction before he even spoke.
"I have a proposition for you."
"I'm sure I'm not interested," she rebutted.
"And I'm sure you are. With reference to your previous inquiry, I've decided to change my answer," He swerved around to take the seat next to her, turning her chair so that it was facing him.
"Ok," he said, an evil glint to his eye.
She frowned, "Ok what Malfoy?"
"Tsk tsk, keep up please Granger. Ok I will teach you how to come up with spells. Or is that not what you were in the Restricted Section looking for?"
Damn it.
She decided against acknowledging his astute observation.
"Under what condition. I know you wouldn't do this out of the goodness of your heart, so come on. Don't leave me hanging."
He smirked, "Clever girl. Well turns out Granger, my earlier suspicions about your… abilities have been confirmed. Never thought the day what come, but you have something that I want."
She tried to keep the surprise she felt off her face and out of her voice, "And what's that?"
Malfoy leered at her, "Looks like little miss know it all has something more to her than brains and books. You Granger, can do wandless magic. And I want to know how."
Hermione quickly thought back to that event two weeks ago. She already knew he saw her cast the Confundus, but she hadn't even realized she'd done it wandlessly. She'd been practicing wandless magic since fifth year when planning DA meetings. It came to her so naturally now, she didn't even notice when she did it. Just today she must have cast half her spells wandlessly, but she didn't think anyone would even notice. Only he had noticed.
Here he was, Draco Malfoy, admitting there was something he couldn't do. She was stunned. Yes, wandless magic wasn't taught in school, but if someone was teaching him how to illegally cast self-made spells surely they must have been adept at wandless magic.
"I don't know," she responded, hoping to give herself some time to mull his proposition over.
"You don't know?" Malfoy looked genuinely taken aback, "What's there to think about Granger?"
Lots actually, she thought to herself. She'd be lying to herself if his proposition wasn't intriguing. In helping her enemy, could she in fact be helping herself? Not just herself, but the Order as well? After their failed stunt today it was unlikely she'd get another chance at making it into the Restricted Section unnoticed, and even then, there was no guarantee a book could help her find what she was looking for. Not this time. But this was Malfoy. There wasn't a single atom in her body that trusted him, and for all she knew this was a trap. But there would be no way to beat him at his own game if she didn't play.
"I don't trust you," she said plainly.
He frowned, growing frustrated. "I'm not asking you to trust me. You don't need to trust me to get what you want from me." That was true as well. And she wanted more from him than just this ability. She wanted to know what he was up to, what he'd been looking for in the Restricted Section, why he'd been at Borgin and Burkes that day. This was bigger than just her.
"And I suppose the same goes for you?"
"Your words not mine Granger."
Hermione frowned and he sighed, clearly growing weary with her reluctance.
"Think of this as a business arrangement. A mutualistic relationship of sorts."
She paused and asked him something else she needed to know the answer to. "Why is this so important to you Malfoy? Why do you need me?"
There was something in his eyes she didn't quite understand. They beseeched her to look at him, to understand something she could not. A quiet desperation, but what he was desperate for she didn't know.
"The same reason you need me. Scientia potentia est," the Latin rolled off his tongue like a Siren's song, "Knowledge is power Granger. You know that better than anyone."
She pulled her eyes away from his, and stared out the window. The sun was still high, but beginning to set, the light casting menacing shadows across the room. The match would no doubt be over soon, and she needed some time to think. Alone.
Almost as if reading her thoughts Malfoy stood up, straightening his shirt and pants as he did so.
"This offer expires tomorrow Granger. I don't care how you get me your answer, just do it before Midnight."
With that he picked up his cloak, and not for the first time, left her sitting along in an empty room. Her heart was beating rapidly with a mix of apprehension and a sort of twisted excitement. She'd spent her entire summer doing research for the Order, pouring over books. They taught her so many things, all she knew, and those who didn't see the value of books were fools in her mind. But she was smart enough to acknowledge that this was something no book could teach her, not right now.
The thought of entering into some sort of agreement with Malfoy made Hermione's stomach churn. She knew better than to trust snakes, but he was right. She didn't have to trust him to use him. But, that didn't mean she couldn't make it so he trusted her. This was a unique opportunity, one that she couldn't let go to waste, and one that she had to deal with by herself until the time was right to involve the others. As far as he was concerned, Malfoy might think he has the upper hand, and she was going to keep things that way for now.
He didn't have to wait until tomorrow.
She was ready to say yes.