It's been so wonderful getting some of the feedback that I've received for this story so I really am glad to see that there are people out there reading and enjoying what I've got going here. You guys will also be happy to know that I have finished planning the story and it will have 19 official chapters with four bonus chapters, so there will be 23 chapters overall. Here comes the chapter that I'm sure you've all been looking forward to, Hermione finding out the identity of Anonymous.


Upon deciding that she was going to find out who Anonymous was, Hermione had to decide how she was going to handle this situation. Hermione knew that she couldn't just outrightly ask them who they were, since there was no way that she would get anywhere by doing that. Hermione was just going to have to handle this like she had handled their conversations so far, with stealth and sneakiness. But first, Hermione had to write down the facts about Anonymous that she had established so far in the hopes that she would be able to figure out their identity that way.

So while Hermione found herself holed up in Gryffindor Tower, she was jotting down notes on everything that she had learned about Anonymous. It wasn't until Hermione was making these notes that she realised just how much she actually knew about them, since beforehand Hermione didn't think that she knew enough about Anonymous to figure out their identity based on clues.

Facts About Anonymous

They speak French.
They like dragons, kneazles and Thestrals – possible fan of Crookshanks?
Enjoy Quidditch, though I can't imagine why
Seem to be egotistical
Surrounded by negative influences
Did not know what football, basketball or Nazi's were – possible pureblood or halfblood?
Worried about surviving
Only child, their father does not seem to be in the picture
Come across as miserable in communication, perhaps that is how they look in person?
Feels abandoned

Although Hermione might have known a lot about Anonymous, any details that she had were obscure. The main clues that Hermione had might have narrowed down the possibilities, but there was still more than a few options to leave room for speculation. It was just frustrating that Hermione didn't have their letters to look through, since that would've made this much more easier.

What Hermione did first was write down a list of everyone that she knew who was an only child and then cancelled out the possibilities based on the facts that she knew. That only left Hermione with a few options, and when her gaze landed on one name, she just about threw up in her mouth.

Draco Malfoy.

As much as Hermione hated to admit it, the facts were beginning to make sense now. Of course Draco Malfoy would speak French, since that is where his family originally came from. Then there was the fact that Draco literally meant dragon in Latin, and he was also one of the most popular Quidditch fanatics that Hermione knew of. Draco Malfoy was also probably the most egotistical person that Hermione had ever come across in her life, though he did seem a lot more reserved this year.

It would make sense for Anonymous to be ignorant on muggle topics if they were Draco Malfoy, someone who would have next to no knowledge on muggles and how they work. Draco was also an only child, and Hermione knew that because of his fathers recent stint in Azkaban that his mother would be all he had. The facts were aligning, and Hermione didn't like it. She did not want to believe it at all.

"It can't be him. It just… can't," Hermione whispered to herself.

Surely there could be any other explanation. There just had to be. Hermione refused to believe that Draco Malfoy could be Anonymous. Although they had only corresponded through magical books, Hermione had actually grown to care for Anonymous. She did not think that she could care for Draco. But she cared for Anonymous, and if that's who Draco was, then Hermione would just have to help them in any other way.

Hermione suddenly remembered how Anonymous had mentioned talking to ghosts, and she recalled how Harry had mentioned that Draco had started confiding in Myrtle. That was another similarity between Anonymous and Draco, but Hermione's first thought was to figure out what Draco had told Myrtle. So it was just her luck that Harry chose that moment to enter the Gryffindor Common Room, which gave her the perfect chance to get that information from him.

"Hey, Harry!" Hermione called out to him.

"Oh, hi, Hermione," Harry greeted her.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"Well, when you said that Malfoy was talking to Myrtle, did she tell you what he was talking to her about?" Hermione wondered.

"She didn't say much, since apparently Malfoy put some kind of silencing spell on her so she can't repeat whatever he's said. But Myrtle did say that apparently he's just so sensitive and that he's not afraid to cry and talk about his feelings," Harry answered in a mocking tone.

"Maybe he is," Hermione murmured.

"Why are you suddenly wondering about this?" Harry asked.

"I was just thinking about it, that's all," Hermione replied as she began gathering her stuff to leave.

"Where are you going?" Harry called out to her.

"Somewhere," was Hermione's reply.

Truth be told, Hermione didn't know where she was going. All Hermione did was find a place outside Gryffindor Tower where she could write in her book. Hermione had quickly thought of a plan that would help her confirm if Draco was in fact Anonymous. If Anonymous didn't turn out to be Draco, hopefully her plan would lead her to who they were.

Hello.

Whatever.

Someone's in a mood.

And you expect me to be in a good one?

I guess I don't know. Maybe if you told me why you were in such a sour mood, I could help you?

Nice try.

Hey, we already made some progress the other day with what you told me. Surely you haven't forgotten that?

No, I haven't. And I would appreciate it if you would just forget it because I'm beginning to think that even letting anything slip to you was a mistake.

Alright, I suppose you're entitled to your own secrets. But I know a way that could cheer you up!

And what would that be?

Have you ever heard of the game 'I Spy?'

I don't know.

The game where you say 'I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…'

Oh, that juvenile game. Yes, I've heard of it. How could that cheer me up?

Well, it would take your mind off of whatever it is that's bothering you by focusing it on something entirely different.

I suppose that makes sense.

Then I guess that I'll start us off. Alright, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C.

What followed was a lengthy game of I Spy between Hermione and Anonymous. It was almost amusing to Hermione with some of the words that they were able to come up with. Their words were the most obscure words Hermione could think of, and it didn't give her that much help in figuring out where they were. There were a lot of times when Anonymous got off on technicalities that would be classed a cheating, which was a classic Slytherin tactic in anything, even in something as simple as a game of I Spy.

The whole time, Hermione couldn't help but think about every conversation that they had prior to this moment. Hermione had to admit that perhaps in hindsight, communicating with stranger through a diary probably wasn't the wisest idea. She really had no idea who she was dealing with, and this could result in her getting involved in something even more dangerous than what she was already a part of.

In the beginning, her intentions had been purely selfish since Hermione was just looking for any sort of comfort and a place to vent, even if it was in a mysterious diary that she didn't quite understand. But then she had kept it going because she was intrigued. The more that Hermione wrote to them, the more she began to care for them. Only now did Hermione realise how silly she had been, to care for someone who she didn't know and probably didn't even care for her. But Hermione hadn't been able to help herself. She'd willingly walked into a dangerous game without know just how serious it was.

It was hard to deny that Hermione had grown to care for Anonymous, but could she bring herself to care for Draco Malfoy? Of course Hermione had noticed how different he had been acting this year, with the way that he had become more withdrawn and less like his usual obnoxious self. Hermione had just thought that it was because of his fathers recent imprisonment in Azkaban. She had never suspected that perhaps Harry was right and that Draco had gotten involved with the Death Eaters, but after him becoming a possibility, Hermione had to admit that perhaps Harry hadn't been that far off in his initial theory.

All of this speculation was just doing Hermione's head in. She needed to find out who the identity of Anonymous was once and for all. And luckily for her, she was getting closer with every clue that Anonymous had her decipher.

Give me something beginning with S.

Stone?

Close, but no.

Sun?

Yes, but not what I'm referring to.

I guess it would be silly of me to suggest the sky then. What about students?

Nope, just me.

Since you just love going for the technicalities, how about Scotland?

Not it.

All that Hermione had managed to get from this game was that Anonymous was clearly outside the castle and that they were alone. It did narrow down a few potential locations, but it didn't help that it was almost dinner time anyways so that would mean that there would be plenty of people roaming around the castle. Hermione then started thinking of possible locations of where they could be when the possibility suddenly hit her.

What about a sundial?

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

Unless there was some other sundial in Hogwarts, Hermione figured that they could only be referring to the Sundial Garden, which just so happened to be the same place where Hermione punched Draco in their third year. He had certainly deserved the punch then, though Hermione wasn't so sure if that was how she'd react if she found him there now. Hermione didn't even know who she wanted to see there, or if she was even okay with it being Draco. If their conversations in the books were anything to go by, the chances were that Draco wouldn't want her help just like Anonymous didn't.

In that moment, Hermione stood there in silence, unsure of what to do. Did she really want to know who Anonymous was? Was it that important that she found out their identity? Would Draco even want anything to do with her if he knew that she was the one that he had been communicating with? But despite her worries, Hermione felt like she owed it to Anonymous, regardless of who they were.

"Why do I have to have such a bleeding heart?" Hermione muttered to herself.

Against her better judgement, Hermione decided to go ahead with her initial plan and find out who Anonymous was. Her curiosity hadn't stopped her so far, so how could it stop her now?

The walk to the Sundial Garden was probably the longest walk in Hermione's life. With each step that she took, Hermione fond her nerves growing more intense by the minute. The thought of discovering who Anonymous was just made her stomach turn. Hermione had already prepared herself for the possibility that Anonymous would be Draco, but Hermione just didn't know how she would actually react to Draco being Anonymous.

Taking one final pause, Hermione hesitated for one more moment before bracing herself for what… or who she was about to see. Sure enough, sitting right in the middle of the Sundial Garden with a book in his hands was none other than Draco Malfoy, which certainly complicated things a fair bit.


And there you have it, Hermione now knows the identity of Anonymous. Hopefully the reveal wasn't too anticlimactic for anyone. I'd always intended for Hermione to discover their identity based on their surroundings, but it wasn't until recently that I thought of putting in I Spy. Now things are certainly going to get interesting now, and you'll get to have your first proper Dramione interaction soon enough.