AN: Happy Sunday! As promised, here is a new update :) Please be kind and favorite/follow/review if you are enjoying!
The days had been dragging slowly for Hermione. It was as though time knew she was struggling to keep up and it slowed its pace in an effort to help her. Oddly, it felt as though she was using the Time Turner again.
During the day, Hermione would work through her classes as normal - raising her hand and answering each and every question as thoroughly and properly as she always had. Draco, who was in every one of her classes, continued to mock her relentlessly. He'd make vicious jokes to his friends about every aspect of her being: her voice, her appearance, the way she behaved, and, of course, her blood status.
In the mornings and evenings she would find herself either in the Gryffindor Common Room or in the library with Harry and Ron. She cherished this time with them. They would discuss their homework, play games, and simply spend time with one another. It was wonderful.
Later at night, she would retreat to her living quarters and research how she could best get this necklace into the castle in a 'somewhat elaborate, yet somewhat inconspicuous' way. She hadn't really been sure what that meant, but she tried her best to get something in order.
It was a Tuesday night, October 8th, and Hermione found herself in the Common Room with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Ginny and Ron were playing an intense round of Wizarding Chess - both left with three pieces - Rook, Queen, and King. It was likely to end in a stalemate, if Hermione knew how the two of them played.
Harry had been particularly quiet that evening as he stared into the fire, only responding to comments with "hmph"s and "yea"s. Neither Ron nor Ginny took notice of this, but Hermione certainly had. With a delicate hand, Hermione tapped the dark haired boy on the shoulder. He shook his head and turned to look at her.
"Something wrong, Hermione?" He asked her, his face tightening with concern.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," she said crisply.
His hard green eyes softened for a moment before he looked away. His body tensed up as he shook his head. "I used to talk to him here," he told her morosely. "Sirius, that is."
Hermione nodded and looked into the fire. "Yes, I recall you saying something about that."
Harry turned to her with heat in his green eyes. "Do you remember when we were in Borgin and Burkes last summer?" He asked her. Of course she remembered - it had only been a few months back. She nodded and signalled for him to continue. "I'm certain that whatever Malfoy was asking about had something to do with Voldemort," he told her in a whispered tone.
Hermione froze and tried to keep her composure - she couldn't let anything slip. "What makes you think that?"
Harry shook his head and bit his lip before turning back to the fire, the reflection of the flames roaring in his glasses. "It was just very suspicious. His father is in Azkaban, he's been snooping around lately. Every time I see him he looks… shifty," he said with a shrug.
"Well, Harry, Malfoy's always been 'shifty'," Hermione reasoned as she tucked her feet beneath her on the large red armchair. "That's no reason to suspect he's up to something more than the usual tormenting."
"Up to something," he repeated back to her. "I know the ferret is up to something. And I can't say for sure but," Harry paused to look around the Common Room for any unwanted ears, "but I think he's taken the Mark."
A hand flew up to Hermione's mouth before she could stop herself. After three quick blinks and a shake of her head, she responded with, "That's an awful accusation, Harry. One that you shouldn't be going around making."
"What are you two on about over there?" Ron asked as he grabbed Ginny's queen and effectively won the round. Hermione had been wrong.
"I can't prove it, but I think Malfoy's taken the Mark," Harry said confidently, his face harboring a cold expression. "He's been especially shifty, and I think he needs to be watched very, very closely."
Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. "Harry," she warned, "Malfoy may be a terrible, awful human being, but he's still just a student at Hogwarts. I sincerely doubt he's taken the," Hermione looked around swiftly, her curls bouncing across her face, "Mark," she said in a hissing whisper.
"Yea, mate. I agree with Hermione here," Ron said with a shrug. "I don't doubt he's heading in that direction after school, but I don't think he's Marked. I mean, his dad went off to Azkaban - what would Voldemort want to add another Malfoy to the mix so soon after such a failure?"
Hermione shivered as she thought this conversation over. Draco wasn't Marked - he was just being used as a pawn in this game. If Harry had an interest in stalking Malfoy, he might see something concerning her that she didn't want him to see.
"You don't know Voldemort like I do," Harry murmured as he rubbed the scar on his forehead. "And I don't put something like this past him."
There was silence as Ginny looked between the three of them. "I can see it, Harry," she said, and his eyes softened as he looked at her. "The Malfoy's are on a different level. I wouldn't put it past Lucius Malfoy to set his son up for this. I mean, he did give me Tom Riddle's diary when I was a first year, after all," she said as she ran a hand through her thick red hair.
"Well I, for one, think this is a ridiculous conversation to be having about someone," Hermione said curtly as she stood from her seat. She reached for her books and slipped them into her bag as she hastily tossed her robe on. "I think it would do you some good to just avoid Malfoy altogether. I sense trouble otherwise."
"You heading to bed, Hermione?" Ron asked as he stood from his spot on the floor, groaning as he cracked his knees and twisted to stretch his back.
"Yes," she replied. "It's getting late and I have a long day tomorrow." Hermione looked over to Harry and Ginny. "Don't forget we have an ice cream social tomorrow with Slughorn," she reminded them, and Ron rolled his eyes.
"Right," Harry said quickly. His infliction was short and she could tell he was annoyed with her.
"Right," she parroted back.
"Can I walk you back to your room?" Ron asked her as he reached for his robes, but Hermione shook her head.
"No, but thank you. I think I'd like to clear my head a bit," she said as she shot a heated look at Harry. "But I will see you tomorrow for Charms."
As Hermione left she had one question on her mind. How was she going to keep Harry from getting in the way?
Hermione had been packing up her books after Ancient Runes when a note dropped onto the corner of her desk. Her eyes shot up and she caught the sight of blond hair leaving the room. Malfoy had left a note for her. She quickly scanned the room to make sure no one was around before she picked up the piece of torn parchment and opened it.
Tonight. 10 o'clock.
That's all it said, and that is all it needed to say for Hermione to get the idea. She let out a breath as she rolled her shoulders back. The Slug Club ice cream social was at 7:30pm, after dinner - that shouldn't last more than an hour and a half. That would leave her time to get to her rooms, shower, and prepare for the "presentation" of her plan to Draco.
She was in for yet another long day.
The energy in the room was… well… awkward, to put it lightly. The members of the Slug Club had little in common, save for Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. The other members consisted of Blaise Zabini and Melinda Bobbin, two Slytherins, and Cormac McLaggen, an absolute boor.
Slughorn sat at the table with a large smile and initiated much of the conversation topics, such as:
What are your future goals?
What was your greatest accomplishment?
What brings you here tonight, aside from me, of course?
Ginny leaned into Hermione's ear and whispered, "He will not stop looking at you," in reference to Cormac.
Hermione was well aware and tried to avoid his gaze. His eyes ate her up and spat her out - she felt objectified and disgusted. When she felt his foot reach for hers under the table, she nearly jumped out of her seat. Could this churl not take a hint?
"I know," she whispered back, "I was hoping that ignoring him would do the trick, but it doesn't seem to be working."
"You just say the word and I'll hex him," Ginny said with a small smirk. "I've got a killer Bat-Bogey I've been dying to whip out." She and Hermione shared a chuckle as Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Slughorn had been pressing Harry the most out of everyone there. Hermione was just glad it wasn't her.
After an hour of uncomfortable conversation, Slughorn offered to dismiss everyone if people were ready to leave. At the same moment, everyone stood to leave.
"It was lovely to get to speak with all of you wonderful witches and wizards," Slughorn had called with a wide smile, his hands folding over in front of his chest. "Truly looking forward to our next meeting!" Hermione couldn't say the same.
As Harry, Ginny, and Hermione reached the stairs that led up to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione gave the two a hug. "I'm just glad I'm not in there alone," she said with a small laugh.
"You can say that again," Ginny said as she gave Hermione a squeeze.
"You can say that again, again," Harry joked as he pulled back. "You sure you don't want one of us to walk you back to your room?"
"Oh, no. It's late. Go get ready for bed. I'll see you both tomorrow," she said with a smile. She watched as Harry and Ginny headed up the stairs. She watched as the ascended the steps with a smile on her face. That's when she saw it. It happened so quickly that Hermione wasn't sure if she'd even seen it at all, but she was certain she saw the pair brush hands and exchange a more than friendly smile. She shook her head with a small grin. If she was right, and she did see that, she was happy for them. She wasn't sure she'd be able to say the same about Ron.
The quarters she shared with Malfoy were three levels lower than the stairs that led to Gryffindor Tower, and hidden away in an area of the castle that had virtually no foot traffic. As these were Professors' quarters, the only people who walked near there were Professors - not students.
As Hermione descended the stairs, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something didn't feel right. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, Hermione turned around to find herself face to chest with a young man.
"That was pretty odd tonight, wasn't it?" Hermione took a step back. Cormac McLaggen.
She swallowed dryly as she let out a humorless laugh. "Yes, well, it is an interesting collection of people." He laughed far too hard for something that wasn't even a joke, and she cringed as she laughed awkwardly as well. "Well, I've got to get go-"
"You know, Mione - can I call you that? I'm going to call you that," he said arrogantly before she could tell him no, he certainly could not call her that. "You're quite the riot."
Hermione lifted an eyebrow and blinked slowly. "Right," she said. "It's getting late, I should go." She turned away from him and began walking. She heard his footsteps behind her, catching up to her. She stopped and turned towards him. "Do you have to go this way, too?" She asked him quizzically, knowing that he had no business following her.
"I'd go anywhere that arse took me," he said as he looked her up and down. She shivered. "Not to be too forward."
Hermione shook her head. "Actually, that was very forward and very rude. I'd like to get going now, and I think you should do the same."
She walked away from him again, but this time, she felt a tight grip on her arm. He spun her around and kept his hand wrapped around her bicep. "I'm trying to flirt with you, or did that big brain of yours not catch on?"
Hermione tried to get out of his grip. She couldn't. "Cormac McLaggen, you let go of me right now, or I will scream," she warned. She was unable to get to her wand in her bag, or else she would have shot a hex at him.
"Come on, don't be all frigid. You're only making me want you more," he said in a demure voice that indicated he was ignorant to the fact that he was starting to scare her.
Just as she was about to knee the ogre, a voice chimed out from behind her. "McLaggen. Granger."
Hermione had never been so relieved to hear the cool, haughty voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy. Cormac kept his grip on her. "Malfoy," Cormac said shortly. "Not sure if you could tell, but we're having a private moment here."
"I can see that," Draco purred coldly. "However, it's past curfew, and if you don't turn around and head back to the little tower where you belong, I'm going to have to take punitive action."
McLaggen laughed, "What? Planning on deducting some points from Gryffindor? Fine by me, take them and then move along."
"I don't think you're hearing me clearly." Draco took out his wand as he stepped next to Hermione. "If you don't get your hands off the girl and leave right now, you're going to have bigger problems than a few points. You are right-handed, correct? Would be a shame if something happened to it," he said as though he were bored. "Though, you don't really need it now that you're not on the Quidditch team. Losing to a Weasley? I couldn't imagine the shame."
Hermione saw rage boil in McLaggen's eyes. His hand released her arm and she leapt back, rubbing the spot he had grabbed. She imagined she would develop a bruise in that area. Cormac reached for his wand, but before he could do so, Draco flicked his wrist with purpose. "Locomotor Wibbly," he shot a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the older wizard.
Cormac fell to the ground, and Draco crouched down before him. "Go back to Gryffindor Tower, and do try to keep your hands to yourself," Draco tapped his wand disrespectfully on Cormac's head, "Or I promise there will be much worse than a Jelly-Legs Jinx in your future," he warned.
Malfoy rose to his feet and sighed. "Oh, and ten points from Gryffindor for being out past curfew." His eyes slid over to Hermione, who was still rubbing her arm. "Each."
The two of them walked wordlessly to their quarters. Hermione wondered why he bothered to get involved - he'd hated her with every fiber of his being. He should have taken pleasure in watching Cormac make her squirm. They entered their quarters from the shared entrance - this being the first time Hermione had ever done so.
Both Hermione and Draco removed their robes as they stepped through the doorway. Her arm was throbbing. "Um, thank you," she said as she rubbed the sore spot, "for stepping in back there."
Malfoy didn't even glance at her as he spoke. "I was just doing my job - it was nothing personal to you," he assured her. "Besides, I need your head fresh. We have to get the necklace back into the castle on Saturday."
"Right," she said, and that made sense. He was responsible for student safety as he completed his rounds. "I know it's earlier than your note said, but since we're both here, we can just go over what I came up with now."
Draco shrugged as he removed his boots and tossed them by the fire. He rounded the stained glass table and took a seat in his armchair. Their armchair, Hermione reminded herself. Everything in this room was shared between the two of them. Draco flipped his palm upwards, pointing at the sofa with his wand. "I'm interested to hear your proposal."
"Proposal? What, you have other offers on the table?" She questioned as she let her book bag slid off her shoulder. She sat on the far side of the sofa and looked at him, inviting him to speak more.
"No need for the dramatics again, Granger," he drawled. "That was a poor choice of words. Let's hear your plan."
This had surprised Hermione - that was almost an apology. "Alright. Do you have the necklace?" She asked, her eyes flicking between him and his bedroom door. Draco nodded and looked at her. "Can you bring it out here? I think for the purpose of this discussion, it would be prudent to-"
"No," he cut her off. "Really, Granger, you're dense if you think I don't know it has a bit of a hold on you."
He was right. She knew he was right. She would not admit that though. She feigned being offended. "It does not - I just think that we can better visualize if-"
"We both know that we can visualize just fine without it. Get on with it."
Her shoulders slumped and she exhaled disappointingly.
Hermione outlined her entire plan to Draco. While she didn't approve of it, she knew that Dark Magic had to be involved if they were going to make this look like a convincing attempt. Draco would bring the necklace to Hogsmeade this Saturday. Somehow, he would have to sneak into The Three Broomsticks unseen - this is where the Dark Magic came in. Draco would have to cast the Imperius Curse on Madam Rosmerta, who would give the necklace to a Hogwarts student - sixth year or older - and have her cast an Imperius on them. This would require strong magic and will from Draco. The Imperiused student would then carefully deliver the box to Dumbledore. If all went well, no one would wind up hurt, and the attempt will appear to have been successful beyond Dumbledore not opening the box.
After explaining all of this to Malfoy, he sat in the chair with his fingers steepled in front of his lips. She waited for him to speak, but he did not. "Well?"
"Well," he began, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He turned his head to the fire and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "I've got to admit, I didn't think you'd come up with something so solid. Credit given where credit is due."
Hermione felt pride bubbling up inside her, but she stifled it. This wasn't some accolade or appraisal from a Professor in class - this was Draco Malfoy almost applauding her plan to assassinate Dumbledore. Even if it was all for show, she felt guilt simmer in her belly.
"Do you think you could manage to hold the curse between two people?" She asked him as she, too, looked into the orange flickering light of the fire.
"I've spent the entire summer being trained in Dark Magic," he informed her. "This won't be a difficult task at all."
For some reason, Hermione felt saddened to hear this. Dark Magic took such a toll on a wizard - someone who was still in their schooling years should not be perfecting the 'art'. She swallowed her pity and nodded her head. "There is one issue," she warned. Malfoy turned his head to her and prompted her to continue. "Harry is on to you."
He furrowed his brows and tilted his head. "What?" His curiosity turned to annoyance. "What have you been saying to him, then?"
"Nothing," she said with a shrug. "When we saw you in Borgin and Burkes last summer he felt something was off. He thinks you've been particularly 'shifty' this year. And so do your friends," she said as she recalled Theo Nott and Milicent Bulstrode in the dungeons. "It might do you well to try to act more normal."
Draco stood from his chair and scoffed. "Well apologies," he clipped, "for having a hard time acting like everything is perfectly peachy when I'm dealing with a life or death situation here."
"Don't get angry with me, Malfoy," Hermione warned. "I'm just here to let you know that there are eyes on you. If next Saturday is to work, you will need to be especially careful and evasive," she kept her eyes trained on him. "Wasn't it you who told me about the importance of learning to wear a facade?"
There was a beat of silence. "I will do my best to remain unseen," he said.
"Good," Hermione crossed one leg over the other and began tapping her heel on the stone floor. "You know, Harry thinks-," she stopped herself. "Never mind."
He sucked in his cheek and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "No, go on. If it's important, tell me."
"I wouldn't say it's important. It's rather silly actually," she said with a short laugh. "Harry thinks you got the Mark over the summer. Ron and I told him that was ridiculous, of course."
The colour fled from Draco's face as his entire body stiffened. Hermione's smile dropped and her foot stopped tapping. She had never heard a silence this loud. "Malfoy?" she questioned, looking up at him.
His face twisted in mild rage, as though he were trying to hold back. "Right. It's ridiculous," he shook his head angrily as he spoke. "Absolute piece of half-bred rubbish," he muttered. His eyes found hers and he pointed at her. "Make sure that doesn't spread around," he commanded her.
"Of course, it's a horrible thing to say about someone," she said as she nodded. "I'll do my best to keep it at bay."
Draco nodded quickly. Without another word, he turned away from her and marched into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Hermione heard him set up a Muffliato Charm as his room went silent.
She sat on the couch and was left with her thoughts. That was an odd reaction from Draco. Could it be…. No. It couldn't be. He was simply jarred by the fact that Harry was saying such asinine things. That must be it. Shaking her head, Hermione rose from the sofa and headed to the bathroom. If there is one thing she needed after a day like the one she'd just had, it was a long, hot shower.