Hermione had walked the length of the library more than three times. The first time, Hermione had decided to go outside. She'd had the unlucky realization that some of the Malfoys pets were still roaming free – dangerous pets. After nearly getting pecked to death by some magic peacocks, she returned back to the Manor to call back the aurors for extraction.
Afterward, she searched the library. She knew the day was getting closer and closer to becoming tomorrow, but she couldn't think of anything. Her heart ached for Draco, for whatever torture he must be going through.
Ginny and Daphne had both come in to help and keep her company, but she eventually made excuses to be alone. Luna and Pansy had come out too, but they caught the tail end of Hermione's excuses and decided to head back to the kitchens. Hermione was grateful. She really needed to clear her head and think.
The Malfoys had a huge lake in the back. Hermione ended up walking around there, picking through the well-manicured lawn and sitting on some decorative boulders. She brought some books on dark magic with her, but she couldn't find anything useful.
She sat there for a long time. Her mind bounced from worry about Draco, to thinking of a plan, to worry about Draco, to fear of what Lucius's plan could be, to worry about Draco, to worry about Harry and Ron, and the others, to worry about Draco…
"Hermione!"
Hermione glanced backward in irritation. She had hoped that Ginny would have stopped anyone else from coming out to see her.
Neville was waving at her from the gardens. Some of the annoyance dissipated – it was Neville, after all.
Hermione went down to meet him. "Hello, Neville. What can I do for you?"
"I've brought some food." He brought forth some sandwiches. "Could I interest you in a quick meal?"
"I'm not that hungry." Hermione said softly. "Thank you, though."
Neville nodded. "I understand. I searched for you in the Malfoy library, but I couldn't find you, so I thought perhaps you'd left. Pansy Parkinson pointed me this way, though."
"I couldn't find anything useful." Hermione said sadly.
Neville put his hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, if there's anything you've proved over the years, it's your bravery and intelligence. I could not think of anyone more suited to the job."
On impulse, Hermione hugged Neville tightly.
When she let go, Neville handed her a sandwich. "Hermione, if you don't mind my asking…what research are you doing?"
"Dark magic." Hermione said miserably. "I wrote notes on everything that's happened so far, and the only key aspects are Constantine, Malfoy, Draco, and dark magic."
"The thing we found you in." Neville remembered.
"Yes, the Reviver." Hermione winced at the memory. "It was awful."
"Constantine is a terrible person!" Neville exclaimed. "I wish I could just wave my wand and throw her in Azkaban!"
Hermione agreed.
"How did she know to do that anyway? What kind of dark magic could that possibly be?" Neville mused.
Hermione shook her head. "It's dark magic, but I don't think it was intended to be that way. Draco and I…we figured out that Constantine somehow found a journal that belonged to Merlin. It's filled with all kinds of spells, like the Reviver, and other types of magic. Once I dreamt that I was in Constantine's Potions' room, until I realized that I actually was there. She can brew a potion that lets you speak to people in their dreams, but she can control your dreams too. After she found me, she shoved me into a nightmare with all of my worst memories."
"That sounds horrible." Neville whispered.
Hermione didn't trust herself to speak. Back before she had fully believed Draco, she still remembered the first time she set eyes on Constantine.
Neville went to go sit on the rocks by the lake, and Hermione joined him. He paged through the books that she had brought out, but Hermione stared into the distance. There was something that was bothering her, like she was missing something important.
She puzzled over her thoughts, of Constantine, of Lucius – planning to use Merlin's book to cause chaos, no doubt – of the dark magic, of the Reviver.
When it hit her, Hermione felt like she'd been hit by a lightning bolt.
She scrambled for a quill. Neville turned to see what she was doing, but he didn't say anything to distract her.
"What was it?"Hermione hissed to herself.
Back when Constantine had found her in that dream, Hermione had gotten a look at Merlin's journal. She had seen the Divining Dreams spell that Merlin had written.
The more she wrote down, the more her memory divulged. "Three leeches…one Occamy eggshell…knotgrass…oh, that's right! The hair of the person you want to visit…and pearl dust!"
Hermione sat back triumphantly.
"What is it?" Neville asked uncertainly.
Hermione leapt up. "I know how to find Draco. Let's go!"
Since it's been a long time – if you don't remember what this chapter refers to, you can check out Chapter 50 for a quick refresher.