It took Harry Potter three days before he broke Malfoy's confidence. Those that knew him well would have been surprised he lasted that long.
For three days, Potter's eyes had burned like green emeralds, the suspicion in them shining out like a malevolent force. Most of the Gryffindors had mistaken it for shrewdness, or cunning - they were unused to unvoiced suspicion. Zambini breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw Potter's face change into that resolved, determined face he was used to. He hadn't known what had upset Potter - whether it had been the battle, or something afters. But, of all things, Zambini hadn't expected Potter to hole up in the library with Hermione Granger. Was he planning? Zambini thought querulously - or, as hard as it was to believe, was he actually furious with Granger, of all people?
Looking up from the neverending pile of books, Hermione had known on sight trouble was coming - Harry's face was like a battering ram, a physical force of anger as he strode into the library. Mentally, she breathed a sigh of relief as he started the sequence of spells for privacy - watching him carefully, not because she figured he'd miscast, but merely because the strength of the spells would give her some indication as to what he wanted to discuss. Spells for howls, for roars, for whispers and for magic itself... Angry Harry, then, Hermione thought.
It was a furious Harry Potter that paced the room like a caged beast - Hermione knew better than to say a word. "Why didn't you TELL me?" Potter burst out at last.
"Tell me what?" Hermione advanced cautiously - it wasn't like she was keeping buckets of things from him, but there were myriad items of little consequence that were rarely discussed.
"You know what!" Harry's green eyes glared at her balefully, the fires of rage stoked nearly to the point of boiling. "Tell me that Snape was there - what he had to say!"
"What?" Hermione looked visibly startled, "But - how?"
"Malfoy told me-" Harry growled, "since you didn't think it important."
Gulping, Hermione Granger took a moment to steady her nerves. "It would have been distracting. And I know there's no love lost between you two."
"What's been distracting is that you've been hiding it from me! That you didn't trust me to do what was necessary!" Harry Potter's stewing and sulking had burst forth in a frothy mess of anger and frustration.
"You don't even know what was necessary, Mister Harry James Potter!" Hermione Granger snapped back.
"Then why don't you tell me!?" Harry Potter was back to exasperation again. Joy.
"We needed another set of eyes." Hermione said.
"So you trust him? Severus Snape? Are you quite mad?" Harry Potter laughed, a cold and bitter laugh that got hollower as it went.
[Well, as you might have guessed it, I am going to be doing the epilogue in a few short chapters.
Read and Review while I tie up loose ends.]