The missing day
Chapter 14
The green flames roared into life in Grimmauld place. Hermione stepped out of them and dusted off the soot. Her eyes darted to the kitchen, from where she heard a boisterous laughter.
Her steps were quick as she reached the kitchen and she found the reason for that laughter. Harry and Ron were sitting at the table and it was Ron who was laughing about some joke and Harry just sat there nursing a glass but his eyes fixed on the door.
"Ron," she said in a low voice, surprised to see him there.
Both pairs of eyes turned to her and Harry was the one who jumped to his feet immediately, pulling her into a hug. "Where were you? I've been so worried."
"I'm ok," Hermione said, giving a nervous smile at her green-eyed friend.
"Hermione," Ron was on Harry's heels as he asked concernedly. "How are you?"
But Hermione gently pushed Harry out of the way and narrowed her eyes at Ron. As a look of surprise passed on Ron's face, she gave him a well-aimed punch.
"What the bloody hell, Hermione?" Ron barked clutching his nose.
"That's for interfering with my life. I'm telling you seriously Ron, just keep your long freckled nose out of my life," Hermione glared at him.
"I'm your friend, Hermione. I was just trying to look out for you," Ron said moving forward.
"You remember that. You are just a friend," Hermione said pointing a finger at Ron's face. "Harry's my friend too. But I don't see him barging in and hitting people, for my sake."
"Harry's got a soft corner for that pointy git. If not for you and Harry, they all would have been rotting in Azkaban," Ron said now glaring at Harry.
"Ron, not again?" Harry said narrowing his eyes. "We've discussed that so many times."
"Ron, don't you try turning this onto us. What you did that day was inexcusable," said Hermione her expression turning a bit softer. "You're one of my best friends, Ron. I'm already going through a tough spot in my life. I don't need extra trouble."
"I know Hermione. I was trying to help. When that afternoon, Susan called me to say, that you were working with that ferret, I just lost it. I just wanted you to be safe." He then turned to Harry and said, "Didn't you tell her, how Malfoy was petitioning for Goyle?"
"I think Hermione has all kinds of answers to that," Harry said nudging Hermione's elbow.
"You do? How?" Ron asked with an incredulous look. "Did you meet Malfoy again? How could you trust that git?"
Hermione growled and tried to catch something in the air beside her for support. "It's my life, Ron. I'd say I managed it well, didn't I? Not only mine, I've saved your lives too, quite a number of times?" Hermione said in a composed voice. When Ron tried to say something, she lost it completely. "Ron, I swear. If you don't cut your attitude out, I'm going to hex you so bad with Ginny's Bat-Bogey hex, that you'll be cleaning your nose for months."
That did it. Ron took a step back and shot a scathing look at both Harry and Hermione and moved to the fireplace. But Hermione's hand shot up to stop him. "You said, Susan, told you?"
"What of it?" Ron said shrugging his shoulders. "She's my girlfriend. We share stuff," he said in an angry voice.
"Nothing," Hermione said in a thought. "Look, Ron, I didn't mean to offend you. But face it, you're quite hot headed and that's not helping me at all. Please," she said with a pleading look.
Ron sighed and looked at her. He ruffled her hair with a smile, "I trust you, ok. But don't go traipsing around with those Slytherins. There is already a lot of negative emotions going on around with your bill."
"I'll be careful," Hermione said hugging his torso. She didn't know why it had come to this between them. She sighed at the lost closeness and released him.
"Take care then," Ron looked past her to Harry and told him. "I'll meet you tomorrow." When Harry bid his goodbye Ron disappeared into the fireplace.
Hermione came and settled down into one of the chairs. Harry got her a butterbeer and put it in front of her. "Ron's not wrong you know."
Hermione looked around making sure that Ron had left and turned to Harry. "Are you expecting somebody?"
"No, why?" Harry asked in confusion.
"So, we won't be disturbed?"
"Yes," Harry said still in the confused expression.
"Harry, I can trust you right?" Hermione said taking his hand into hers.
"What kind of question is that? Of course, you can trust me. Did you find anything?" Harry asked giving her assuring squeeze.
"Yes many things actually, but first," she said and turned around and groped for something in the air beside her. She smiled when her fingers came in contact with the silver cloak. She winked at Harry and pulled the cloak revealing Draco Malfoy.
"About time," he grumbled fixing his hair. "Potter," he greeted a shocked Harry and turned to Hermione, "I started to think, you forgot about me. You don't know how difficult it was for me to just stand there hearing Weaselbee's words."
"Hermione, you need to do a lot of explaining," Harry said shooting a glare at Draco Malfoy.
"Of course. Hermione has to do the explaining. I didn't see you asking your pet weasel for an explanation. I thought you trusted her, Potter," Draco glowered at Harry.
Harry gave an incredulous look and turned to Hermione. "Why did you bring him here? That too in this way, totally hidden from sight."
Hermione took a deep breath and pushed the folded invisibility cloak into Harry's hands. "He was not the one responsible for my kidnapping Harry. I heard him talk to Goyle. But, we need to talk, that's why I had to ask him to accompany me. But I wasn't sure if you were alone. So, I had to use the cloak. Now I'm glad I did. Imagine the drama, if Ron saw him here." She said moving to the living room and gestured both of them to follow.
Harry and Draco looked at each other. Harry's eyes narrowed but Draco smirked while sauntering after her. By the time they reached the living room, Hermione had already started to work on something.
In front of her, there was a large white board, some sticky notes, and markers in different shades. She looked around and said, "I needed some clarity. I transfigured some of your things."
Harry waved it off.
"What are those things?" Draco asked pointing to the things Hermione had in her hands.
Hermione didn't answer as she started writing on the board. Harry took the responsibility of educating Draco about the muggle contraptions. "They are just some stuff muggles use to draw details."
Hermione started scribbling random names and incidents all over the board. And all of them were connected to the date that was hovering in the center of the board.
Harry and Draco were waiting patiently for her to finish. She heard their tapping feet amidst her scribbling but her concentration was fixed on the board in front of her.
For what seemed like fifteen minutes have been passed and she stepped back to peruse her work. She waited for a minute and wrote one last name, Susan Bones and drew a connecting line to the date.
"Why are you writing Susan's name?" Harry spoke for the first time after she had started drawing the connections.
Hermione turned around to face her waiting friend and nervously smiled at him. "I don't know. Just in case. Besides you've heard Ron. Why would she tell him that I was meeting with Draco, that too in the middle of her work?"
"Bones?" Draco scratched his chin. "Definitely, she'd been off kilter lately," Draco said pondering his own words. But his eyes suddenly lifted to something on the board. He strode to the board and pointed to something on the board. "What the hell is this?"
Harry sniggered and congratulated Hermione. "Great work, Hermione. I think you have covered everything."
Hermione groaned and turned to the glaring blond. "I had to put your name, Draco." She approached him and spoke, "It doesn't mean you're a suspect. It means you were also a part of it. I don't want to leave anything, out."
"I don't like that," Draco grumbled settling into the chair, while Hermione added the names of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy to Draco's bubble on the board.
"Why exactly Malfoy isn't a suspect anymore?" Harry asked raising his eyebrows questioningly.
"Because Draco and his family also seem to be the victims," Hermione said her eyes narrowing towards one single name on the board.
Harry followed her line of sight and looked at Draco confusingly, "I thought he was your friend?"
"He is, but clearly Granger thinks otherwise or maybe Theo was there just like me. Placed just because he was present with Hermione during that day," Draco said shrugging his shoulders. But Hermione noticed the tenseness in his shoulders at that gesture. Hermione's doubts about Theo's involvement weren't baseless. She had with a very heavy heart placed his name on the board.
"Draco, Theo was the one who told you about Goyle. That information was very guarded. Apart from the people who were involved, nobody knew about Goyle."
Harry knotted his eyebrows and appeared to be in thought. "Yes, Malfoy. That is very sensitive information." He turned to Hermione and asked her. "How did you know that Nott was the one who informed Draco about Goyle?"
"I heard Draco," Hermione said pointing to Draco. When Harry looked still unconvinced, she huffed and said. "There is a possibility screaming in my mind that Theo may be the one who hired Goyle."
"Ok, for a minute lets think, I believe you. Why would Nott want to frame Malfoy, then?" Harry asked.
"It's not only that, I was worried about. I'm beginning to doubt his motives to get involved in my work," Hermione said sneaking a glance at Draco.
Draco's face remained stoic. Hermione didn't know if it was because of her claims against his friend or his own doubts against Theo.
"When he joined me, he was all about supporting me. I initially thought that was due to his father's incarceration," Hermione paused and looked at the other two.
"Yes, Theo had been quite lost when his mother died. He didn't have a great relationship with his father, but he definitely got closer to him after his mother's demise," Draco said slightly scratching his jaw.
Hermione nodded with understanding. She knew about Theo's mother and how that affected the Slytherin. "Lately he had been navigating the bill to prosecute people who've escaped their sentence." She looked up at Draco and spoke to him, "He's already pushed your father's name, first."
Draco's look of shock was evident on his face, which was really new for Hermione. "My father?" Draco stammered.
"Yes, Draco. I was gone just for two days and Theo had changed the entire direction the prosecution was supposed to take. Something seriously demented is going on there." Hermione looked at Draco and asked him, "Is there any reason Theo's acting against your family?"
"Why would you say, family?" Draco asked hurt clearly evident in his eyes.
"He had not only put your father's name but yours and your mother's names are included as well," Hermione said moving to Harry, draping a hand on his shoulders and resting her head on his shoulders. She looked into his concerned eyes and released the single tear, she'd been restraining. "Something very serious is going on, Harry. Somebody is trying very hard to get me off that project."
Harry Potter gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Herms. Whoever is doing this they won't stand a chance against us. I promise you."
Draco just sat there frozen, too shocked to say anything. Harry tapped Hermione and tilted his head towards Draco. She sighed and moved to Draco and sat in front of him on her heels. She took his hand into hers and said, "Any information you can tell us about Theo, would be really helpful Draco. Any small thing?"
Draco looked up at her swallowed a lump that got lodged in his throat at Hermione's revelations. "I don't know. Nothing comes to my mind, right now." He roughly ran his fingers through his hair. "After father's attack, I thought nothing would disturb me this much."
"What attack? What happened to Lucius Malfoy?" Harry asked rising from his seat.
"He was attacked," Hermione said tapping on Draco's palm. "It happened on my mysteriously disappeared day. And that's not the most disturbing part, Harry. He's said only my name after that. "
"Why weren't the ministry notified about this?" Harry asked looking at Draco. "We could've been of any assistance."
"Right, all the Aurors would be put immediately on the duty to find out who exactly had attacked an ex-deatheater," Draco scoffed. "Face it, Potter. Many of the people, would've silently thanked the person who attacked my father."
Harry bit his lip and looked at Hermione.
Hermione stood up and walked to the board. "Draco's not entirely wrong, Harry. Nobody sympathizes with them. For Merlin's sake, they're not even permitted to cast a simple stunning spell." She cast a surreptitious glance at the board and spoke. "But Harry has got a point, this whole thing needs publicity."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked raising his eyebrow.
"Whoever had attacked your father, might've been under the same impression as you. But if we bring light to the fact that Lucius Malfoy was attacked, would definitely bring us quite the distraction we are looking for. We could gain that needed factor of sympathy towards your family."
"She definitely has got a point," Harry said giving Draco a sideward glance. "If you file a complaint, I'll give it the needed push. I bet Rita Skeeter is always looking for a juicy piece of gossip."
"Ok," Draco said after a giving it enough thought. "I need to talk to my mother first. But even before that, I've something else to confess."
Both Harry and Hermione turned to him with narrowed eyes.
Draco's glance was fixed on Hermione and Harry moved uncomfortably in his place. He turned to Hermione and told her, "I'll be in the kitchen." He took two steps towards the said room but turned back. "There is one more thing, Hermione. I tried my best, but the news about Mclaggen had got out. It'll be in the papers tomorrow."
Hermione nodded solemnly but thanked her friend, "I'll be alright." After hearing those reassuring words from his friend, Harry Potter resigned himself to the kitchen leaving Draco and Hermione in the room.
Draco got up from his seat and walked to her. "I have some memory gaps too." Hermione's eyes widened at his confession. "You remember the test, right?" When Hermione mutely nodded Draco continued, "I did that with my blood too. And the same potion turned up in mine."
"This is frighteningly weird," Hermione said chewing on her lip. "Who would want to erase both of our memories."
"I wasn't even aware that I've been missing some parts of my memory until I saw that bottle in your hands. I didn't remember how or where I used it last. But then as you pointed that small vial into my face, there were sudden flashes of memory."
"Of what?"
"Of you in your home. It's not all clear. All I saw was you holding the bottle in your home."
"It's disturbing Draco," Hermione whimpered.
Draco awkwardly patted her shoulder as she brushed her tears away. "Somebody gave me the potion at my own place. Anything else?"
Draco shook his head and said with a heavy voice, "I don't remember."
Hermione nodded and suddenly whipped her head at him as a sudden thought snapped in her mind. "It's your potion right? You can cook up the antidote," her eyes were gleaming hopefully at last.
Draco took a step back and smirked, "Already on it."
Hermione threw herself at him and gave Draco a bone-crushing hug. "That's the most wonderful news I've got recently. Oh! Draco, You are wonderful." She said smacking her lips on his cheek."That potion holds so many answers. Who had attacked your father, what happened to you, and what exactly happened on that blasted day."
"Calm down, Granger. There is still a small drawback. It needs almost a month to brew," Draco said with a grimace.
"Oh!" Hermione sagged. "But I guess I can wait. At least we have an option now."
"That we do," Draco said pulling her into a hug finally a hope blooming somewhere in their hearts.
A/N: I know this seems like a filler chapter. But they needed a clarity. I'm sorry if I've disappointed you with this update. The last week had been not so good. But I promise the next chapters are going to be interesting, or I hope so. Please read and review. Your feedback means a lot.
AllyBabyPebbles: Thank you so much. I'm really not that good. I'm really nervous before posting each chapter. But the reviews really give me a lot of encouragement.
LightofEvolution: Hermione's really a beautiful character. She has the characteristics of all the houses in her. I'm really glad you liked the chapter. I really liked all your guesses and I won't say you're wrong. We are slowly moving to the revealing chapters and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks again for a lovely review.
sarenia: Thanks for the review. Hope you liked the new chapter.
White Bishop: Thanks for another beautiful review. They are always very good and whatever you may say, I find them very helpful. I'm really sorry for the shorter chapters, but I'm just following the plot outline I've drawn up in the beginning. Probably the subsequent chapters may have a spike in the chapter length. I can understand what you said about not being able to read the whole story in one go. Mysteries are always like that, I suppose. I was really happy that appreciated the small elements, highlighting the visual experience. Thanks once again for an amazing review. They really mean a great deal to me and I feel so blessed that you've taken interest in this little effort of mine.
Myrddin Emrys The Third: Thank you so much. There is a lot more to come that Andromeda has to get used to.
Guest: We just have to wait and see. Thanks for the review.
Snowflake Dazzle: Some more of his reasoning in this chapter. I hope you'll like it.
Chester99: We'll know soon about Andromeda. I loved your theories. Do you think she handled Ron good in this chapter? Let me know. Coming to the connection between those two events, I'm sorry to say we have got to wait for a few more chapters. Thanks for the lovely review.
LuckyMascot: All your theories are very well received. But I'm sorry to say we need to traverse a few more chapters to get there. I'm sure it'll get more interested when they both try to solve it together. Thanks for a great review.
Nastytashy: I'm really glad you liked Luna. I was quite apprehensive writing about her. I know this chapter didn't give much insight into what had happened, but I promise the next ones are going to be more action packed. Thanks for a great review.
Danielle804: Oh! Thank you so much for your interest and review. Very soon, answers are going to be revealed. Please bear with me till then.