Chapter Two: Hermione's Logic
'Well, are you gonna tell us or what?' Ron pelted Hermione with questions.
'What's to tell?' Hermione looked so smug that it was pissing Ron off.
'What's to tell?! Was it Malfoy or not?!' Ron was clearly getting more irritated.
'Oh, it was Malfoy all right, the tough part is gonna be proving it. The type of evidence I wanted to find was physical evidence, you know, like hair etc. That way, when we go to Dumbledore to present our case, we can make the Ernest Needle potion, use the physical evidence as a...' Hermione was so excited Harry was sure her head was going to pop off. Even though she hadn't found what she wanted.
'HERMIONE! Just tell us what you found before Ron goes redder than that fire! Save us the Scientific Mumbo Jumbo and cut to the chase!' Harry had his wand ready under the table just in case he need to restrain Ron with the Total Body Bind.
'Oh, All right, it's a good thing one of us pays attention in potions. Christ, if you two had to prove this case yourselves, you'd be more lost than Malfoy on a quidditch pitch!' Hermione had lost her temper for the third time that week. 'Anyway, remember when we were walking past Myrtle's toilet, and Malfoy was there?'
'Ya, what about it?' Harry had no idea what Hermione was getting at.
'Well, I was picking up my books because Peeves pulled the rug from under my feet. That little...' Hermione lips twisted into an evil curl.
'Uh, Hermione....you were saying...' Harry interrupted Hermione before she could get onto some evil deed like she had in their 2nd year.
'Yes, sorry, anyway, so Malfoy apparently pushed Harry, I didn't see.' Hermione was only just warming up in her scientific analysis of the situation.
'Hermione! He did push harry, I saw! He did, tell her Harry!' Ron went ballistic.
'RON! Calm down or I'll use the Pertrificus Totalis hex on you.' Hermione was losing her patience with Ron's subsequent interruptions.
'Jesus Christ, is it team up on Ron day or something? God, that's the second time I've been threatened with that hex!' Ron didn't believe that Hermione would actually do it.
'Ron...SHUT IT!' Hermione squealed. He was rudely interrupting her intelligent genius.
'Yaya...you evil ice queen...' Ron murmured.
'I heard that,' Hermione mumbled as she turned back toward Harry. Throughout Hermione and Ron's frequent magic battles, Harry had always sat back, relaxed, and stayed the hell away from the situation. This had kept him safe in the past...and he wasn't about to stop now.
'Anyway Harry, as I was saying. My guess is that Malfoy stole your wand when he pushed you.' Hermione was starting to warm up again. Soon she would reach supersonic speeds.
'Ya, me and Ron figured that much out. I knew I wouldn't be that stupid to forget my wand on my bed!' Harry instantly regretted interrupting Hermione with a useless comment, after seeing the mind piercing look she gave him.
'Don't make me bind you too. Ok, so my guess is that after he stole your wand, and you guys left, he slipped into Myrtle's bathroom to take the potion. But he must have done just after you left, and before I finished picking up all my books, or else we would have seen him.' Hermione still had her wand firmly in her hand.
'Are you mad, how on earth could you assume that?!' Ron instantly realized he had crossed the line.
'That's it! PETRIFICUS TOTALIS!' Ron's body clenched up, his arms snapped to his side, while his knees were jammed together. As he stood there, perfectly balanced, the only things moving were his eyes. 'Now, what would you do if I was to poke you? Would you fall? I think you would.' Hermione walked around Ron with the threat of making him fall over onto the hard cold common room brick floor.' What was the word you used to describe me? Was it...EVIL IS QUEEN?' And she jabbed him in the stomach with her wand.
'That'll teach you to insult a witch!' Ron fell with a hard crash to the floor. 'Pertrificus Mortalis!' Ron returned to normal. 'I hope that hurt!'
'That really hurt! You evil little...' But Ron stopped immediately at the sight of Hermione's wand still raised.
'Back to what I was saying Harry, after I finished getting my books together, you guys had already left. But as I was walking past Myrtle's bathroom, you came out. Judging by the look on your face, I'd say that you were quite surprised to see me. I asked you if you were all right, and you nodded and took off in the other direction. But when I got to class, Ron, you said Harry had gone to get his wand. I assumed that you had just got up out of the washroom after Malfoy pushed you, Harry. So, I said to Ron that something was up, so we went to catch up with you...but by the time we all got back to the common room, Hedwig was gone. Does all this sound correct?' Hermione took a deep breath.
'Uh huh.' Harry and Ron said in unison.
'Good, Ok , now we have an outline of what has happened.'
'I guess so, but how did you figure all this out Hermione. I mean, its like a criminal masterpiece...its just unbelievable.' Harry looked at her with astonishment.
'Logic Harry, Logic. The only thing that most wizards don't possess.'
'Right.' Now that Harry knew who had taken Hedwig, he didn't want to rest until she was home.
'Look Harry, you look bagged. Why don't you leave me and Ron here to talk about it further, while you go to bed.' Hermione always acted like his mother.
'Ya Harry, you need your energy to beat Ravenclaw in the quidditch tournament tomorrow. Remember that the seeker who catches the snitch in the fastest time gets a cash prize of 100 galleons...not that you need it.' Ron's face turned a tint of red.
'Ya, you guys are right, I should go sleep, Hermione, I'll leave you to deal with Ron.' Harry winked at Hermione. 'Have fun.'
'Harry! Don't leave me here with that crazy bookworm! On second thought, you don't look that tired!' Ron was squirming in his seat. 'You know, I think I'll go to bed too, night Hermione.'
"Oh no you don't, you're gonna help me think of a plan...and now.' Hermione was angry that Ron had dared to insult her again.
"I wanna go to sleep, I'm tired!' Ron offered hopefully.
'All right, I guess we can work it out tomorrow, I do need my sleep, I have a crazy bookworm club meeting tomorrow.' Hermione headed up the stairs to the girls dormitories.
'Oh, about that comment, I was just kidding.' Ron was backing slowly away form Hermione.
'Sure it was...Sleep well. PERTRIFICUS TOTALIS!' Ron clenched up and feel to the floor for the second time of the evening. 'Here, I'll be nice.' Hermione place a pillow under his head, and a blanket over his body. 'Not that you deserve it.' Ron's were looking madly around the room in hopes that someone was still awake and would help him...but it was hopeless. 'I hope You Know Who doesn't come down the Chimney like Father Christmas and eat you...Sweet Dreams!' And she climbed the stairs, two at a time to the dormitories with a smug grin on her face.
'Well, are you gonna tell us or what?' Ron pelted Hermione with questions.
'What's to tell?' Hermione looked so smug that it was pissing Ron off.
'What's to tell?! Was it Malfoy or not?!' Ron was clearly getting more irritated.
'Oh, it was Malfoy all right, the tough part is gonna be proving it. The type of evidence I wanted to find was physical evidence, you know, like hair etc. That way, when we go to Dumbledore to present our case, we can make the Ernest Needle potion, use the physical evidence as a...' Hermione was so excited Harry was sure her head was going to pop off. Even though she hadn't found what she wanted.
'HERMIONE! Just tell us what you found before Ron goes redder than that fire! Save us the Scientific Mumbo Jumbo and cut to the chase!' Harry had his wand ready under the table just in case he need to restrain Ron with the Total Body Bind.
'Oh, All right, it's a good thing one of us pays attention in potions. Christ, if you two had to prove this case yourselves, you'd be more lost than Malfoy on a quidditch pitch!' Hermione had lost her temper for the third time that week. 'Anyway, remember when we were walking past Myrtle's toilet, and Malfoy was there?'
'Ya, what about it?' Harry had no idea what Hermione was getting at.
'Well, I was picking up my books because Peeves pulled the rug from under my feet. That little...' Hermione lips twisted into an evil curl.
'Uh, Hermione....you were saying...' Harry interrupted Hermione before she could get onto some evil deed like she had in their 2nd year.
'Yes, sorry, anyway, so Malfoy apparently pushed Harry, I didn't see.' Hermione was only just warming up in her scientific analysis of the situation.
'Hermione! He did push harry, I saw! He did, tell her Harry!' Ron went ballistic.
'RON! Calm down or I'll use the Pertrificus Totalis hex on you.' Hermione was losing her patience with Ron's subsequent interruptions.
'Jesus Christ, is it team up on Ron day or something? God, that's the second time I've been threatened with that hex!' Ron didn't believe that Hermione would actually do it.
'Ron...SHUT IT!' Hermione squealed. He was rudely interrupting her intelligent genius.
'Yaya...you evil ice queen...' Ron murmured.
'I heard that,' Hermione mumbled as she turned back toward Harry. Throughout Hermione and Ron's frequent magic battles, Harry had always sat back, relaxed, and stayed the hell away from the situation. This had kept him safe in the past...and he wasn't about to stop now.
'Anyway Harry, as I was saying. My guess is that Malfoy stole your wand when he pushed you.' Hermione was starting to warm up again. Soon she would reach supersonic speeds.
'Ya, me and Ron figured that much out. I knew I wouldn't be that stupid to forget my wand on my bed!' Harry instantly regretted interrupting Hermione with a useless comment, after seeing the mind piercing look she gave him.
'Don't make me bind you too. Ok, so my guess is that after he stole your wand, and you guys left, he slipped into Myrtle's bathroom to take the potion. But he must have done just after you left, and before I finished picking up all my books, or else we would have seen him.' Hermione still had her wand firmly in her hand.
'Are you mad, how on earth could you assume that?!' Ron instantly realized he had crossed the line.
'That's it! PETRIFICUS TOTALIS!' Ron's body clenched up, his arms snapped to his side, while his knees were jammed together. As he stood there, perfectly balanced, the only things moving were his eyes. 'Now, what would you do if I was to poke you? Would you fall? I think you would.' Hermione walked around Ron with the threat of making him fall over onto the hard cold common room brick floor.' What was the word you used to describe me? Was it...EVIL IS QUEEN?' And she jabbed him in the stomach with her wand.
'That'll teach you to insult a witch!' Ron fell with a hard crash to the floor. 'Pertrificus Mortalis!' Ron returned to normal. 'I hope that hurt!'
'That really hurt! You evil little...' But Ron stopped immediately at the sight of Hermione's wand still raised.
'Back to what I was saying Harry, after I finished getting my books together, you guys had already left. But as I was walking past Myrtle's bathroom, you came out. Judging by the look on your face, I'd say that you were quite surprised to see me. I asked you if you were all right, and you nodded and took off in the other direction. But when I got to class, Ron, you said Harry had gone to get his wand. I assumed that you had just got up out of the washroom after Malfoy pushed you, Harry. So, I said to Ron that something was up, so we went to catch up with you...but by the time we all got back to the common room, Hedwig was gone. Does all this sound correct?' Hermione took a deep breath.
'Uh huh.' Harry and Ron said in unison.
'Good, Ok , now we have an outline of what has happened.'
'I guess so, but how did you figure all this out Hermione. I mean, its like a criminal masterpiece...its just unbelievable.' Harry looked at her with astonishment.
'Logic Harry, Logic. The only thing that most wizards don't possess.'
'Right.' Now that Harry knew who had taken Hedwig, he didn't want to rest until she was home.
'Look Harry, you look bagged. Why don't you leave me and Ron here to talk about it further, while you go to bed.' Hermione always acted like his mother.
'Ya Harry, you need your energy to beat Ravenclaw in the quidditch tournament tomorrow. Remember that the seeker who catches the snitch in the fastest time gets a cash prize of 100 galleons...not that you need it.' Ron's face turned a tint of red.
'Ya, you guys are right, I should go sleep, Hermione, I'll leave you to deal with Ron.' Harry winked at Hermione. 'Have fun.'
'Harry! Don't leave me here with that crazy bookworm! On second thought, you don't look that tired!' Ron was squirming in his seat. 'You know, I think I'll go to bed too, night Hermione.'
"Oh no you don't, you're gonna help me think of a plan...and now.' Hermione was angry that Ron had dared to insult her again.
"I wanna go to sleep, I'm tired!' Ron offered hopefully.
'All right, I guess we can work it out tomorrow, I do need my sleep, I have a crazy bookworm club meeting tomorrow.' Hermione headed up the stairs to the girls dormitories.
'Oh, about that comment, I was just kidding.' Ron was backing slowly away form Hermione.
'Sure it was...Sleep well. PERTRIFICUS TOTALIS!' Ron clenched up and feel to the floor for the second time of the evening. 'Here, I'll be nice.' Hermione place a pillow under his head, and a blanket over his body. 'Not that you deserve it.' Ron's were looking madly around the room in hopes that someone was still awake and would help him...but it was hopeless. 'I hope You Know Who doesn't come down the Chimney like Father Christmas and eat you...Sweet Dreams!' And she climbed the stairs, two at a time to the dormitories with a smug grin on her face.