While Hermione was trying to help Harry practice his charms and jinxes, she herself was getting rather good at them. The best part was now she could follow up on threats... if she chose to make them. Still, Harry was the main focus, especially when it was the Shield Charm he was practicing. The Shield Charm was particularly useful. The third task loomed over their heads like a storm, until with a crack of thunder, it arrived.
The day of the third and final task, Hermione was scanning the Daily Prophet, waiting to see if Skeeter had finally decided to focus on Fluer or Diggory or even Moody.
Instead, she ended spitting out her pumpkin juice as she saw the front page.
"What?" Ron and Harry said. Hermione tried desperately to hide the paper, but Ron's arm was too long, and he snatched it away. Ron continued, "No way. Not today. That old cow!"
"What?" Harry asked, dropping his fork, "Rita Skeeter again?"
"No," Ron said. Hermione sighed, he was the worst actor she'd ever met. Perhaps George or Fred could have pulled off such a blatant lie, but Ron most certainly could not.
"It's about me, isn't it?" Harry said, and Hermione cursed her pumpkin juice spitting mouth.
"No," Ron said. Not even a child would have believed him.
"Hey, Potter!" Malfoy jeered. Hermione would've given anything to hex him at that moment. Let's see how Malfoy would feel when he was a damned canary. Hermione almost yelled for Fred when she remembered that she was already staring in a brilliant love triangle, and that Mrs. Weasley would only hate her more if she dragged one of her sons into it. Though she probably counted Harry anyways, "Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"
Harry's face twisted hatefully, "Let me see it. Give it here!"
Hermione watched as Ron handed Harry the newspaper and he read it. She glared at Malfoy the entire time. How had he gotten to Skeeter?
Then something clicked in her mind, but she hadn't realized it yet. He'd been talking to his hand just the other day, hadn't he, or was she going mad? What if they're been something in his hand?
"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" Harry asked, clearly trying not to let it get to him.
"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?" Ron was saying. Divination was...
"You were at the top of the North Tower!" Hermione said, starting to excited. She wasn't in the class, she didn't have a Invisibility Cloak, "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds-"
"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging!" Harry said, "You tell me how she did it!"
"I've been trying!" Hermione said, "But I... but..."
Bugging. Bugging.
The water beetle, Hermione touched her hair softly.
"Are you all right?" Ron asked.
"Yes!" Hermione said. Bugs! The beetle, Animagus, "I've had an idea!"
Hermione didn't realize she was muttering to herself as she packed up her things, took one last swig of pumpkin juice, grabbed her school bag and ran to the library.
.o0O0o.
This is only so short because I liked the titles to my chapters. I'm posting two tonight and will address reviews in the next chapter!
