Chapter Twenty-Six

Hermione POV

The next days dragged on and Hermione felt like she hardly got any sleep. Between watching over Ron, keeping up with her studies, trying to talk Harry down from following Malfoy, and listening to Ginny's relationship problems, she thought she was going to snap in half. When she wrote to George expressing her frustrations, he sent a Daydream Charm which she was shocked was able to sneak in through the Hogwarts mail.

Ron's first day out of the Hospital Wing, he joined them at Breakfast. Hermione looked at the boys and informed them of what they've missed which was just that Ginny and Dean had gotten into a fight the night before.

"What about?" Harry asked trying to look merely curious but Hermione knew that he was hoping that they would end things between the two of him so he could make a move.

"Dean was laughing at McLaggen hitting that Bludger at you. They seemed to work it out thought and they're still together." She added the last part for her friends benefit and noticed that Ron was oblivious by the comment.

Harry seemed to sink a little on the bench in frustration. She mouthed a word of sorry to him before returning to her breakfast. Lavender Brown stormed the table and began to yell at Ron for not informing her that he was being discharged today. The two others took this as their cue to get up and leave with Ron shooting them looks of annoyance.

"Hermione, you know I hate to ask but… could you help me with some homework while I'm at Dumbledore's?" Harry looked genuinely pained to ask for assistance from his friend.

She sighed. "I'll do your Herbology essay but don't let Ron copy it. He has to do the work himself. The difference between you and him is he's busy snogging his girlfriend and you're on a secret task. Completely different."

"You're the best, Hermione!" Harry yelled before giving her a quick hug and darting up to Dumbledore's office.

She rolled her eyes and set out to begin her work and now Harry's essay. She also made a note to keep her eye out for Horcruxes in the library but was too intimidated to ask the librarian for help in case it was too dark of magic that they didn't even entrust it within the walls of the library.

Sadly, she didn't find anything, and returned to the common room when the library had closed. Lavender was snogging Ron in front of the fireplace, so Hermione joined Ginny in a corner. Her friend looked like she was crying again since her bright blue eyes were rimmed with a pinkish red. "Dean?"

Ginny nodded her head. "I just don't understand why he feels the need to pick fights all the time. Thankfully, the twins sent me a Sleeping Draught so I think I'm going to take that tonight, so I get a good night's sleep. They also slipped me some candy." She looked at Hermione with a raised eyebrow. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Hermione asked but flushing from trying to cover her tracks.

"I'm not mad. I know you talk to George. Obviously, you do. It's nice to be cared for. I just don't like admitting I'm weak." She admitted while sinking onto the small table and placing her forehead against the dark wood. "Why can't I stop fighting?"

Hermione gently rubbed her head before Ginny decided it was time to turn in for the night. She froze before going to the girl's dorm. "I'm going to end things with him tomorrow. I don't think any of my friends or family like seeing me hurt. I need to see that I'm worth more than fighting."

Hermione smiled at the girl and gave her a fierce hug. "I'll support you no matter what you do, Ginny. But, for what it's worth. I do think you could do better."

Most of the common room was turning in for the night, including Lavender. Hermione sunk into the couch next to her friend who was now no longer occupied. "Your lips look swollen."

Ron smiled softly. "They might be. Near death experiences must be a thing to be forgiven of all wrongs."

She rolled her eyes and opened up her Potions textbook to do some studying while they wait for Harry. Ron decided that he should start his Herbology essay when Hermione refused to help him. He was using a quill from the joke shop that spell corrected your work, but Hermione decided to ignore that detail.

Harry came in and sunk onto the floor in front of them, tired from the lesson. He began telling them of what happened when Kreacher apparated in front of them with a large bow that made his nose scrape the ground. "Master said he wanted regular reports on what the Malfoy boy is doing, so Kreacher has come to give—"

With another crack, Dobby was standing next to the other house elf with a small hat on his head. "Dobby has been helping too, for his friend, Harry Potter!"

Hermione glared at her friend for using House Elves and ordering Kreacher around despite her being the head of S.P.E.W. "What on earth is this, Harry?"

"Well… they've been watching Malfoy for me." Harry turned red in the face as Hermione's glare got more intense and Ron raised his eyebrows at the two.

"We haven't slept in a week." Dobby said cheerfully, swaying as he spoke from the exhaustion.

Hermione's mouth dropped. Her heart sank at the poor treatment that these house elves were dealing with for her own friend. "I can't believe you, Harry!" She shrieked before lowering her voice, remembering they were in the common room, despite it being empty besides the three of them and the house elves.

"I didn't tell them to do that!" Harry said as he looked sadly at the elves as well. "Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But have either of you found any information?"

Kreacher spoke up at once in his scratchy voice. "Master Malfoy eats in the Great Hall, he sleeps in a dormitory in the dungeons, he attends his classes in a variety of—"

Harry turned away from the House of Black's house elve and turned to Dobby. "Have you found anything?"

Dobby squeaked. "The Malfoy boy is breaking no rules that Dobby can discover, but he is still keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students, who keep watch for him while he enters—"

"The Room of Requirement!" Harry and Hermione realized at the same time.

Hermione's chest began to fill with dread. She had doubted Harry this entire time of Malfoy's involvement with anything. Harry sent the house elves away and Hermione began reeling in her mind of all different messes this new information was giving her. "Harry… who do you think the other students are? You don't think they know exactly what Malfoy is doing, do you?"

Harry began to list of his ideas of how to get into the Room of Requirement and Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, Harry. I still don't think you'll be able to get into there without knowing what's there first. It's part of the magic. Plus, you're supposed to be focusing on Slughorn, remember?"

They continued with this debate throughout the next week on Malfoy and Slughorn. Hermione was annoyed with his hypothesis on top of dealing with her real-life issues. They were bickering over talking to Slughorn again over breakfast when Ron brightened. "Luck… Harry use the liquid Luck!"

Hermione dropped her book with a plop in surprise. "That's brilliant, Ron! Why didn't I think of that? You can do it while we are at the apparition test! The other 6th years will be distracted so you know he won't be bothered by other students that are his favorites."

Harry nodded. "Alright, I will! Goodluck on your test!"

"Good luck to you too!" She gave him a quick hug before he downed the drink with the potion and jumped up to run out of the Great Hall on his own.

The next morning, Harry looked like he could fall over from sleep deprivation, but he smiled at Ron and Hermione. "I did it. I got the memory and got it to Dumbledore."

"That's great, Harry!" Ron cheered his friend on.

"So… what did you learn?" Hermione pressed as they dropped their voices.

Harry filled them in on horcruxes nature and Hermione cast a Muffliato spell so that the people closest to them couldn't hear what they were saying. Hermione shuttered at the thought of Voldemort making Horcruxes and Dumbledore taking Harry along to destroy them.

"Wow!" Ron said when his friend was finished.

Harry ran off as he noticed Katie Bell entering the Great Hall. "I have to keep gathering as much information as I can! Don't wait up for me! I have to ask Katie if she knew who did that to her."

Hermione and Ron were left at the breakfast table to awe after their friend. Ginny slid next to Hermione. "I'm officially single."

Ron looked at her. "I thought you and Dean already broke up a couple different times? What makes this one official?" He shrunk back as both Ginny and Hermione hit him from across the table.

"I told him. I'm done. I deserve to be treated better. I know my worth." Ginny repeated the statements to herself as if she was trying to believe the words herself. Hermione put a hand on her arm.

"I'm proud of you, Ginny. That must've been really hard." She gave her friend a loving hug while Ron muttered about how crazy girls were.

At the end of the day, they were shocked they haven't seen or heard from either Harry or Malfoy. Hermione was beginning to worry that Draco had caught on to Harry following him around and attacked him. She nearly ran into his arms when he walked into the common room with a red face. "Harry! What happened today?"

"Er—well… I sort of got detention for attacking Malfoy with a spell from my Potions book. It didn't turn out very well. It was the one labeled for enemies." Harry looked guilty down at his beat-up sneakers.

"I told you that book was no good! You can't blindly trust this Half-Blood Prince!" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"It doesn't matter now, Hermione. I have to go tell the Gryffindor team that I can't play on Saturday because I'll be serving detention. I might be dead." Hermione followed him over to the couches that the quidditch team was lounging on as they laughed.

When Harry filled them in on what happened, Ginny's eyes were on him, but Harry refused to meet her glare. When the other teammates, besides Ron and Ginny, left the couches in frustration, Hermione continued her lecture. "I think you need to get rid of that book."

"Will you stop lecturing me on this book?" Harry snapped at her.

It made her step back as she felt the anger rippling off of him. "I can't believe that you're actually defending whoever this Half-Blood Prince is when the contents of this book nearly killed Malfoy today!"

"Give it a rest, Hermione!" Snapped Ginny. "By the sound of it, Malfoy was trying to use an unforgivable curse on Harry. He had to defend himself."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. Why was Ginny getting in an argument with her now? It didn't make any sense to Hermione since she was the one Ginny had been coming to crying for the past couple of months' now. "I'm not dealing with this, right now." Hermione sniffed and went up to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory to write a letter to George in peace.

George

I wish things made sense.

It seems like people are always against me sometimes. I won't get into too much detail because I don't you forced to pick sides of anything. I'm just worried about Harry is all and apparently looking out for him makes me the bad guy.

Wishing I could turn to you in person right now.

I love you.

XX

Hermione

That Saturday, the Quidditch match was rather exciting despite the row that Hermione had gotten in with Ginny the other day. The girls made up as they were walking down to the pitch. Ginny admitted that she was trying to impress Harry.

Hermione fought a smile on her lips. "Ginny! Harry?!"

"Shh! My brother will hear!" Ginny smacked her friends' arm and covered her mouth with her other hand. "You can't say a word! I mean it, Hermione!"

"You certainly don't take that long to move on…" Hermione wiggled her eyebrows in a very twin like fashion which made Ginny roll her eyes.

"You need to stop hanging out with George! You're turning into him. No lecture?"

"I think you'll get a lecture from the twins or Ron rather than me! Or maybe Harry would get the lecture. Besides, all those brothers, I would be intimidated if I were Harry even if he is so well liked in your house." Hermione laughed as she teased her best friend on the way to the match.

The quidditch match was actually rather exciting since there was so much riding on the game. Ginny was going against Cho as Seeker and knowing that Ginny liked Harry made it all the more interesting for Hermione to watch. It seemed like Ginny was personally taking their past relationship out on Cho as she was playing fiercely in the air.

It worked out for Gryffindor in the end because they won the cup! The stands that were decorated in scarlet and gold burst into cheers and rushed to the pitch to try and touch the glittering silver cup. "Party in the common room!" Ginny called to Hermione as she made it over to hug her friend in congratulations.

Later that night, when Harry was done serving detention, he slipped into the common room. "We won!" Ron yelled and showed Harry the silver cup. "Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty!"

Ginny ran towards Harry with a fierce and determined look in her face, which was probably amplified by the butterbeer she had been drinking. She threw her arms around his neck and planted her lips on his.

The other fifty Gryffindors in the room began to hoot and holler as they snogged in front of the others. Ron's mouth dropped and he turned to Hermione as she laughed. "Did you know about this?"

"I know everything, Ron." She said with a mischievous wink as Ron looked like he was going to throw up.

When the two broke apart from their kiss, Ginny giggled as the pair looked at Ron and Hermione. Ron waltzed up to his friend and narrowed his eyes looking intimidating before sighing. "I swear Harry. If you treat her like Cho… I'll hit you with a bludger bat. Do you hear me? I don't care that you're my friend."

Harry held up his hands. "I promise, Ron! I won't do anything like that."

Ginny laughed and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him outside of the portrait hole to privacy which only made Ron groan with annoyance besides Hermione until they were out of sight. "Two of my friends now."

"What?"

"You and Harry! Snogging with my siblings. No more! The Weasley family is closed to relationships, now." Ron crossed his arms but was relaxed by Lavender coming up to them.

"Does that include me?" She said with a giggle as his face softened.

Hermione laughed and left those two to some privacy while she found Neville and celebrated the victory with him. It felt perfect, besides her ache to also be with the person she loved. She would love to kiss George in front of the Gryffindor common room in a very non-Hermione like way.