Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, excpet for
Charlotte Snow. All other characters, places and events
belong to J.K. Rowling, and Warner Brothers. No money is
being made through the making of this story.
Part Two: The invisible informer;
Over the next few days, it was all Hermione could do to stop herself killing Charlotte with her bare hands. A round of sarcastic remarks were exchanged in the halls every day, and when the Gryffindors had classes with the Slytherins, there seemed to be two sides to the feuding... Even Malfoy was getting in on it.
"Ha! That Charlotte... She makes torturing the mudblood so much easier, I barely have to say a word!" Malfoy was overheard saying to Crabbe and Goyle one afternoon during Care of Magical Creatures. The rivalry between Charlotte and Hermione was more popular than the one between Harry and Malfoy.
"Oh come on Hermione, you know you're loads smarter than she is," said Ron soothingly.
"I know that Ron, but it isn't that which bothers me, its her... I'm telling you, there is something awry about her. Does anyone even know her background, or her school before she came here, ar anything about her family?"asked Hermione.
"Hermione, there is nothing unusual about Charlotte, shes just another mean girl, she's just got a brain larger than the average Slytherin," added Harry.
After Care of Magical Creatures, Harry, Ron and Hermione had a free period, so they decided to visit Hagrid before lunch. They knocked on the door, and as usual, Fang the boarhound started barking madly from the other side. Harry knocked again and Hagrid openend the door.
"Hello, Hagrid," said Hermione.
"Hello you three, haven' seen yeh in a while," said Hagrid cheerily.
They walked into the hut and sat themselves down at Hagrid's large wooden scrubbed table while he bustled around making tea.
"Hagrid, have you noticed anything strange about that Slytherin girl, Charlotte Snow?" asked Hermione innocently.
"Oh come on, not this *again*!" said Ron irritably.
"Not what?" asked Hagrid.
"It's just that Hermione is convinced there's something evil about her," answered Ron.
"Well other than the fact that she knows more about snodwallers than me, naw, nuthins evil about 'er," said Hagrid, setting out tea cups.
"Fine, if no one believes me, I'll just have to figure it out on my own!" said Hermione huffily.
Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the rest of their visit talking about upcoming quidditch, and things.
**************
Over the next week, the feud continued, getting even nastier, if at all possible. During a homework session in the library with Harry and Ron, Hermione finished her History of Magic essay (The impact the four founders of Hogwarts had on the goblin rebellion of 1157) early and decided to venture to the back of the library to pick up some books for a little light reading. She was thumbing through one of the shelves when Hermione heard a voice coming from the other side of the section,
"No, no I haven't found much else out sir," said the voice, "But I intend to as soon as possible."
Hermione leaned closer to the shelf, and peeked through a gap in the books, but saw no one.
"Yes.... Yes I understand... No, I never thought of that... Sure, I'll visit Gryffindor tonight and stand guard at his dorm..."
Hermione recognized the voice as Charlottes!
"Alright then sir, I'll report back to you tomorrow, same time, same place... Good then, over and out..."
Hermione had to stifle a squeal of delight. There was something strange about her after all! But who could she stand guard for tonight? Hermione contemplated these thoughts as she crept back to the table where Ron and Harry were sitting. She had to tell them about it! 'But no', she thought,' They'd never believe me, I'll just have to hide in the common room and see if which Gryffindor she's guarding'.
"No interesting books eh?" inquired Ron when Hermione came back into view. Just then Hermione realized she had forgotten what she went to the back of the library for-- a book!
"Um no, I realized I had already read all the books in that section..." answered Hermione quickly.
"Alright then," said Harry yawning, "It's getting late, we'd better head back up."
"Okay," said Hermione smiling. 'This time tomorrow, I can expose Charlotte for what she really is!' She thought while gathering her books.
"What're you smiling about?" Ron asked playfully.
"Oh nothing..." Hermione answered smiling more broadly.
*************
That night, the fifth year Gryffindor boys were getting into bed when,
"Oh bloody hell, I've forgotten my Divination chart in the common room!" cried Ron.
Harry opened up the hangings from his four poster," Don't worry 'bout it mate, we'll get it in the morning on our way to breakfast," said Harry sleepily.
"No, I'll go down and get it now, it'll only take a sec," said Ron going out the door.
In the common room, Hermione was already waiting for Charlotte. Being a prefect, she could always claim she heard noises or something if anyone caught her. A noise startled her and she immediately jumped behind one of the overstuffed couches. But it wasn't Charlotte she heard, it was Ron coming down the stairs froom his dorm. Damn! thought Hermione. But another sound startled Hermione out of her thoughts, 'That must be Charlotte coming through the portrait hole! Ron is going to ruin everything'! she thought. Stealthily, she came out of her hiding place and pulled Ron back with her hand over his mouth. He immediately tried to scream, but Hermione's hand muffled the sound.
"Shhhh! Ron, it's me Hermione, we've got to hide!" she whispered, pulling him backward behind the couch.
Just then, Charlotte came through the portrait hole. Hermione took her hand off of Ron's mouth.
"What's she-" attempted Ron, but Hermione clapped her hand over his mouth again. Hermione put a finger to her lips and pulled her hand off Ron's mouth. He got the idea and shut his mouth and looked over to where Charlotte was. She had her wand out and backed up against the wall before the stairs to the fifth year boys dorm.
"Whats she doing here?" whispered Ron to Hermione. Hermione whispered back to him explaining the events in the library.
"Hmmm, thats interesting..." He said mockingly rubbing his chin.
"Stop that!" Hermione giggled, "She'll hear us!"
But it was too late, Charlotte jumped and dive-rolled over the back of the couch landing on top of Ron.
Ron tried to yell but Charlotte was already sitting on his chest left hand over his throat, knees on his elbows, and wand pointed at his face.
"Holy friggin--!" said Charlotte, making an exasperated noise, "What the flippin hell are you two doing down here at this time of night?" she smirked, "Or am I interrupting a secret rendezvous perhaps?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Oh come off it!" said Hermione, "We're not the ones trespassing in another house's common room at a ridiculous hour of the night!"Hermione glared at Charlotte, "And wipe that smirk off your face, we're down here for the same reason you are! I overheard you in the library talking to your accomplice!"
This immediately made Charlotte's face split into a grin, "Well Granger, I wondered how long it would take you to blow my cover," she said.
There converstion was interrupted by Ron making a noise.
"Oh right," she said, "sorry, forgot about you." Charlotte got off of Ron and pocketed her wand.
"What cover exactly is it I'm blowing?" asked Hermione.
"Well, thats for me to know, and you to find out..." she answered in a singsong voice, "But anyway, all I can tell you is that I'm here to stop someone from coming in here, I cannot tell you whom I am working for, or who I am protecting. I don't know how this person will get in here, but I suspect floo powder, or for them to just barge in like I did."
"And why are you telling us all this?" asked Ron.
Charlotte gave him an exasperated look,"Because you're both going to help me, and you will NOT tell anyone about this... Dumbledore doesn't even know, so I don't want you spreading rumours, where you're concerned, I'm still mean nasty Slytherin Charlotte who is ever so much smarter than Hermione."
"Hey!" cried Hermione, "You are not smarter than me! Atleast I have the sense not to go around with that sliny git, Malfoy!"
Charlotte laughed,"You think I do that on purpose? The only reason I hang around with him is because--" Charlotte stopped, "I'm afraid that's classified information."
"Alright, alright," said Ron,"So what exactly is it you want us to help you with?"
"As I told you, someones going to try to get in here and get something from someone, I need you two to hide in a corner, and petrify them when they come in," Charlotte said while gettin up, "And go quickly, now!"
Charlotte walked back to where she was before, backed against the wall next to the fifth year boys dormitory.
"On second thought," Charlotte said, "I want you two in different corners, I can't risk you getting distracted."
Ron came out of the corner where he was with Hermione and went into another one. They waited silently for about 5 minutes before a brown barn owl came fluttering through an open window and landed on the coffee table, the owl then immediately transfigured into a man wearing a black cloak with an embroidered golden feather with a red "P" on it.
"Now!" whispered Charlotte to Ron and Hermione.
They all stepped out of their corners and pointed their wands at the stranger, "Petrificus Totalus!" they yelled together.
The man was instantly petrified, and fell over onto the ground.
"That was excellent!" said Ron. Charlotte walked over to the man to examine him. Ron and Hermione followed.
"Who is that?" Hermione asked.
"No idea," said Charlotte
"Look at his cloak!" said Ron, "He must be from the 'Order Of the Phoenix'!"
"I don't think so," said Charlotte poking the embroidery on the mans cloak, "Their cloaks are a lot nicer than this, and it isn't likely he'd go around wearing it like he wanted people to know about it. No, I think he was going to say he was from there to lure Ha-" Charlotte stopped abruptly,"To lure the person I am protecting out of his or her bed," she finished quickly.
"Wait a minute!" said Hermione, "You were protecting Harry weren't you!"
"Umm, I am not at liberty to disclose that information," said Charlotte crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh come on, it's obvious isn't it?" said Hermione, "Who else would be worth protecting from someones seemingly evil plans?"
"Uh, guys, you might want to have a look at who this is," said Ron pulling the mans hood off.
Hermione looked puzzled, "Who is that?" she asked.
"It looks like Crabbe's dad, I recognize him from platform 9 3/4," said Ron.
"But isn't he a Death Eater?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he is..." said Charlotte.
"Well, that settles it then," said Ron,"It looks like we need to go to Dumbledore."
"No! We can't!" cried Charlotte, "This is a top secret mission! I'll talk to my boss and get some people to take him out of here."
Charlotte pulled out a vial filled with mysterious blue liquid, and drank it. She turned invisible immediately.
"Charlotte, where'd you go?" asked Ron looking around.
"I'm over to your right, but I need to be invisible to talk to my boss," she answered, "So quiet down, he doesn't know that you know about me."
"Ok," said Hermione.
"Umm... Hello, boss.... Yes, yes its me, Charlotte... Yeah I've got him here now, he's been petrified... So, send some people over here ASAP... Oh, he was an animagus... He came through the window, alright, I'll report back again tomorrow... Over and out ." Charlotte finished her transmission and popped back in to visibility.
"You two need to hide again, or you can just go back to bed, your choice if you want to see him leave or not," said Charlotte, "It might be interesting to watch, I can never predict what they'll do next."
Hermione and Ron shot each other uncertain looks, "Can't hurt to see it..." said Hermione.
"Yeah, why not..." said Ron.
"Alright, you two go settle yourselves in a corner, they'll be here in a second or two," said Charlotte walking over to the window.
Hermione and Ron backed into a corner, and a few seconds later there was a rustling at the window, and it appeared to admit a yellow sparkling tornado that shifted in, and tore through the room, picking up the petrified body of Crabbe, and swirling it back out again, dissapearing into the night sky. Hermione and Ron looked thunderstruck at the mess that was left in the common room. Chairs were overturrned, the sofa was standing on it's end, and the coffee table was precariously ballanced on the mantle of the fireplace.
"Blimey," said Ron heatedly, "How the hell are we supposed to clean this up?"
"I'm surprised no one's come down already to inspect what all the noise was about," said Hermione, righting a chair.
"Hmmm, I know, Oh well... I'll be off," said Charlotte moving toward the portrait hole.
"Oh no you won't," said Ron angrily," You have to help clean this mess up!"
Charlotte laughed," Ha, right Weasley, I'm going to stay and help you clean up when my bed is waiting for me in my dorm, all nice and fluffy," said Charlotte airily, "But before I leave, You. Cannot. Tell. Harry. About. This," she scolded.
"And why is that?" asked Hermione.
"Because if he finds out, he'll go looking for trouble... You know he will, and while I'm here, no one can hurt him." said Charlotte gravely, "See you in the morning."
With that, she swept through the portrait hole letting it slam shut behind her.
"Well that was a surprise," said Ron to Hermione as they continued to clean up the room.
"Hmm... You don't seem to remember my preoccupation over the last weeks, in looking to see what Charlotte was really all about," Hermione added.
"Herm, this isn't really an appropriate time for I-told- you-so's," said Ron irately.
"It is not an I-told-you-so, if you are so inclined to know... It's a trust-me-next-time, and don't question everything I do, because you know I'm usually right, and you just can't accept the fact that all people may not be exactly what they seem, and you cannot go around trusting everyone who comes along! And another thi--" Hermione was cut off by Ron's hand on her mouth.
"Hermione, calm. Down," said Ron slowly," We have to clean this up before people come to see what the noise was about."
"Fine," she said, "Come help me with this couch."
Help was definitely needed with the couch. It was tipped up on its side with the top side of it brushing against a leg of the coffee table that was on the mantle. Ron walked over and surveyed the damage.
"We need to get this coffe table off the fireplace first," said Ron pointing to it.
"Alright, If I magic that down can you hold the couch still, because the two things are holding eachother up, and we don't want you squashed under the thing," said Hermione taking out her wand.
"OK, on the count of three...... one...... two...... three!"
Hermione uttered a spell and the table eased off the mantle piece and floated down to the ground with a soft thud.
Ron however, was having more than a little trouble holding up the couch. He struggled, and gave a strangled cry before stumbling backward, letting the couch crash downwards. On his way down, he managed to grab hold of a handfull of Hermione's robes, pulling her down with him.
"Well, its good you were strong enough to hold up that couch Ron, otherwise we would have had a right disaster on our hands," said Hermione sarcastically.
"Oi, shut it you, that thing weighs a ton!" he replied loudly.
During their bickering, both of them conveniently had forgotten that they were still lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Whether it was because of the falling furniture, or the magnitude of the sounds of Ron and Hermione's argument, almost the whole house had awoken and come down to investigate the noise.
"Oh come on, atleast I have the sense not to be fooled by cheap robes into thinking an unspeakable would come into the common room for some evil plan!" said Hermione, though the effect of her statement wasn't a serious one and the both of them lay in peals of laughter on the floor, oblivious to the fact that they were surrounded by tousle-haired surprised looking people.
"Wow, I knew both of your hormones were raging for eachother, but I never thought it would grow to the point where you'd tear apart the common room," said a grinning Seamus Finnigan, shocking Hermione and Ron back to reality.
Everyone around them started sniggering as they broke apart, faces crimson, and got up hastily straightening their robes unnecissarily.
"Umm, as a prefect, I was merely, umm, oh forget it, I'm going to bed!" said Hermione sounding frustrated.
Hermione walked up the girls staircases to her dorm.
"So Ron, what were you two doing here at such a late hour?" Asked a grinning Fred.
"Well, if you absoloutely need to know, we were in fact doing homework, for uhh, ahem, a.... class...." he trailed off.
"When you think of it, tell me which class it was, 'cause I want to sign up!" said George.
Harry emerged from the crowd, evidently having just come down.
"Whass goin on?" he asked sleepily.
"Harry! You missed the show! Ron, can we expect a repeat performance tomorrow night?" asked Dean Thomas.
"Oh sod off! I'm going to bed," said Ron, as he walked through the parting crowd.
"Hey wait! What about the mess?" asked a fifth year from the crowd.
Ron stomped back, turned the last chair right side up again, then walked back up the staircase without a word.
"Alright everyone, back to bed!" clapped another prefect.
The crowd parted, and tredded quietly back to their respective staircases.
***************
The next morning at breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry refrained from asking Ron and Hermione about their 'incident' the evening before, having seen it coming a long way away. As he approached the table, Ron and Hermione were talking in hushed voices, apparently debating over something.
"But you heard what she said! It's official ministry business! We can't go around blowing her cover!" whispered Hermione fervently.
"But she didn't say she was from the ministry! For all we know she could be in You-Know-Who's inner circle, and Crabbe was used as a decoy to fool us!" Ron replied.
"But she didn't know we'd be down there spying on her did she? She only discovered us in the common room, and at the library, she said she had to protect someone! And we know its obviously Harry!"
"Who's protecting me from Voldemort?" asked Harry casually, sitting down beside Ron, and taking a piece of toast from a pile on the table.
"Bloody hell Harry! Don't do that, I nearly fell off my chair!" said Ron shakily.
"I suggest we go for a walk before class. We can't keep this from you any longer," said Hermione sighing.
They agreed, and got up from the table. On their way out, they were spotted by Charlotte sitting at the Slytherin table, feigning interest at something Malfoy said.
"......... So anyway, I was looking down at the bloke in my dungeon, and I says to him, I says, ' What the bloody hell did you think you were doing tresspassing on Malfoy property, now you've gone and gotten your legs blown off! And no! I don't want to buy any of your damn cookies!' So then he looks at me and says,--" Draco looked at Charlotte and saw her staring at Potter across the hall, walking out with Weasel and the mudblood. He decided to test her attention,
"So, He says to me, 'Wow Draco, I love your pink frock, it looks better on you than it did on that alligator that was dancing in it a minute earlier.' Charlotte, luv, are you even listening to me?" he asked
"Yeah, that's nice, Draco, I gotta go, I'll see you in class," said Charlotte, and she got up and followed them out without so much as a backward glance.
Charlotte followed them out of the castle, a few paces behind, then took some invisibility potion, so she could follow them more closely.
"....... So what you're saying, is that Charlotte really isn't going to this school to learn magic, she's here to protect me from some plan?" asked a bewildered Harry.
'Damnit!' thought Charlotte, 'I knew they'd go running to Potter and tell him! I have got to put a stop to this!' Charlotte decided. She popped back into visibility, and sprang in front of the three.
"So, what are you three out on a walk for? Scoping new locations for a hole for your family to live in Weasley? Or are you and the mudblood out looking for more room to roll around, whats wrong? Common room not big enough?" said Charlotte smirking.
"Go jump in the lake, Snow!" said Ron, his face screwed up with anger.
Charlotte took an imaginary notebook out of her pocket, pretended to open it up and frowned, "Sorry, I have killing myself scheduled in for next week... I guess you'll have to wait..." she said.
"So whats all this rubbish I heard you talking about, something about me... in the Gryffindor common room?" she asked, looking innocent.
"You know very well what we're talking about! Don't pretend you don't know!" accused Hermione.
"Do you mean the same kind of pretending it takes for you to pretend not to know how to shut up?" asked Charlotte, "Or the same kind of pretending you don't know how to act properly in a public common room? Oh wait" she said slapping her forehead, " I believe you really don't know how to shut up, no amount of pretending could compensate for the fact that you deem it necessary to spread hillariously untrue rumours about me."
Harry spoke up," I believe Ron and Hermione, I do not need your protection, I can take care of myself!"
"Right, ickle Harry, Harry's a big boy now!" Charlotte said in a high voice, "Whatever," and she walked away.
"You do believe us though, right Harry?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, but we've got to prove it," Harry said, "We'll work something out later... We'd better go or we'll be late for History Of Magic."
'What am I going to do now?' Charlotte thought to herself, 'My whole cover is blown! It'll take ages to repair the damage... I'll just have to be more careful, I have to execute this quickly, I'll need as much information I can squeeze out of Malfoy as I can get. Hmm, I should contact the boss soon, but in a more secluded place than the library.' Charlotte reasoned to herself on the way back to the castle. But she was jolted out of her thoughts when she bumped into something solid,
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Charlotte shouted, but then she saw it was Malfoy.
"I heard you talking to them Charlotte," he said ingoring her outburst, "Those insults were classic."
"Thank you," Charlotte replied thinking, 'I need to get on his good side'... "I just wish I could wipe that smile permenantly off Potter's face!" she said, feigning anger.
"No need to worry about that, my father's plan will come into action soon, I'll tell you all about it after class," he said, smirking again.
'Good job Char! Just don't screw it up now'! she thought to herself. She plastered her most mischevious smile on her face, and marched back up to the castle with Malfoy.
Part Two: The invisible informer;
Over the next few days, it was all Hermione could do to stop herself killing Charlotte with her bare hands. A round of sarcastic remarks were exchanged in the halls every day, and when the Gryffindors had classes with the Slytherins, there seemed to be two sides to the feuding... Even Malfoy was getting in on it.
"Ha! That Charlotte... She makes torturing the mudblood so much easier, I barely have to say a word!" Malfoy was overheard saying to Crabbe and Goyle one afternoon during Care of Magical Creatures. The rivalry between Charlotte and Hermione was more popular than the one between Harry and Malfoy.
"Oh come on Hermione, you know you're loads smarter than she is," said Ron soothingly.
"I know that Ron, but it isn't that which bothers me, its her... I'm telling you, there is something awry about her. Does anyone even know her background, or her school before she came here, ar anything about her family?"asked Hermione.
"Hermione, there is nothing unusual about Charlotte, shes just another mean girl, she's just got a brain larger than the average Slytherin," added Harry.
After Care of Magical Creatures, Harry, Ron and Hermione had a free period, so they decided to visit Hagrid before lunch. They knocked on the door, and as usual, Fang the boarhound started barking madly from the other side. Harry knocked again and Hagrid openend the door.
"Hello, Hagrid," said Hermione.
"Hello you three, haven' seen yeh in a while," said Hagrid cheerily.
They walked into the hut and sat themselves down at Hagrid's large wooden scrubbed table while he bustled around making tea.
"Hagrid, have you noticed anything strange about that Slytherin girl, Charlotte Snow?" asked Hermione innocently.
"Oh come on, not this *again*!" said Ron irritably.
"Not what?" asked Hagrid.
"It's just that Hermione is convinced there's something evil about her," answered Ron.
"Well other than the fact that she knows more about snodwallers than me, naw, nuthins evil about 'er," said Hagrid, setting out tea cups.
"Fine, if no one believes me, I'll just have to figure it out on my own!" said Hermione huffily.
Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the rest of their visit talking about upcoming quidditch, and things.
**************
Over the next week, the feud continued, getting even nastier, if at all possible. During a homework session in the library with Harry and Ron, Hermione finished her History of Magic essay (The impact the four founders of Hogwarts had on the goblin rebellion of 1157) early and decided to venture to the back of the library to pick up some books for a little light reading. She was thumbing through one of the shelves when Hermione heard a voice coming from the other side of the section,
"No, no I haven't found much else out sir," said the voice, "But I intend to as soon as possible."
Hermione leaned closer to the shelf, and peeked through a gap in the books, but saw no one.
"Yes.... Yes I understand... No, I never thought of that... Sure, I'll visit Gryffindor tonight and stand guard at his dorm..."
Hermione recognized the voice as Charlottes!
"Alright then sir, I'll report back to you tomorrow, same time, same place... Good then, over and out..."
Hermione had to stifle a squeal of delight. There was something strange about her after all! But who could she stand guard for tonight? Hermione contemplated these thoughts as she crept back to the table where Ron and Harry were sitting. She had to tell them about it! 'But no', she thought,' They'd never believe me, I'll just have to hide in the common room and see if which Gryffindor she's guarding'.
"No interesting books eh?" inquired Ron when Hermione came back into view. Just then Hermione realized she had forgotten what she went to the back of the library for-- a book!
"Um no, I realized I had already read all the books in that section..." answered Hermione quickly.
"Alright then," said Harry yawning, "It's getting late, we'd better head back up."
"Okay," said Hermione smiling. 'This time tomorrow, I can expose Charlotte for what she really is!' She thought while gathering her books.
"What're you smiling about?" Ron asked playfully.
"Oh nothing..." Hermione answered smiling more broadly.
*************
That night, the fifth year Gryffindor boys were getting into bed when,
"Oh bloody hell, I've forgotten my Divination chart in the common room!" cried Ron.
Harry opened up the hangings from his four poster," Don't worry 'bout it mate, we'll get it in the morning on our way to breakfast," said Harry sleepily.
"No, I'll go down and get it now, it'll only take a sec," said Ron going out the door.
In the common room, Hermione was already waiting for Charlotte. Being a prefect, she could always claim she heard noises or something if anyone caught her. A noise startled her and she immediately jumped behind one of the overstuffed couches. But it wasn't Charlotte she heard, it was Ron coming down the stairs froom his dorm. Damn! thought Hermione. But another sound startled Hermione out of her thoughts, 'That must be Charlotte coming through the portrait hole! Ron is going to ruin everything'! she thought. Stealthily, she came out of her hiding place and pulled Ron back with her hand over his mouth. He immediately tried to scream, but Hermione's hand muffled the sound.
"Shhhh! Ron, it's me Hermione, we've got to hide!" she whispered, pulling him backward behind the couch.
Just then, Charlotte came through the portrait hole. Hermione took her hand off of Ron's mouth.
"What's she-" attempted Ron, but Hermione clapped her hand over his mouth again. Hermione put a finger to her lips and pulled her hand off Ron's mouth. He got the idea and shut his mouth and looked over to where Charlotte was. She had her wand out and backed up against the wall before the stairs to the fifth year boys dorm.
"Whats she doing here?" whispered Ron to Hermione. Hermione whispered back to him explaining the events in the library.
"Hmmm, thats interesting..." He said mockingly rubbing his chin.
"Stop that!" Hermione giggled, "She'll hear us!"
But it was too late, Charlotte jumped and dive-rolled over the back of the couch landing on top of Ron.
Ron tried to yell but Charlotte was already sitting on his chest left hand over his throat, knees on his elbows, and wand pointed at his face.
"Holy friggin--!" said Charlotte, making an exasperated noise, "What the flippin hell are you two doing down here at this time of night?" she smirked, "Or am I interrupting a secret rendezvous perhaps?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Oh come off it!" said Hermione, "We're not the ones trespassing in another house's common room at a ridiculous hour of the night!"Hermione glared at Charlotte, "And wipe that smirk off your face, we're down here for the same reason you are! I overheard you in the library talking to your accomplice!"
This immediately made Charlotte's face split into a grin, "Well Granger, I wondered how long it would take you to blow my cover," she said.
There converstion was interrupted by Ron making a noise.
"Oh right," she said, "sorry, forgot about you." Charlotte got off of Ron and pocketed her wand.
"What cover exactly is it I'm blowing?" asked Hermione.
"Well, thats for me to know, and you to find out..." she answered in a singsong voice, "But anyway, all I can tell you is that I'm here to stop someone from coming in here, I cannot tell you whom I am working for, or who I am protecting. I don't know how this person will get in here, but I suspect floo powder, or for them to just barge in like I did."
"And why are you telling us all this?" asked Ron.
Charlotte gave him an exasperated look,"Because you're both going to help me, and you will NOT tell anyone about this... Dumbledore doesn't even know, so I don't want you spreading rumours, where you're concerned, I'm still mean nasty Slytherin Charlotte who is ever so much smarter than Hermione."
"Hey!" cried Hermione, "You are not smarter than me! Atleast I have the sense not to go around with that sliny git, Malfoy!"
Charlotte laughed,"You think I do that on purpose? The only reason I hang around with him is because--" Charlotte stopped, "I'm afraid that's classified information."
"Alright, alright," said Ron,"So what exactly is it you want us to help you with?"
"As I told you, someones going to try to get in here and get something from someone, I need you two to hide in a corner, and petrify them when they come in," Charlotte said while gettin up, "And go quickly, now!"
Charlotte walked back to where she was before, backed against the wall next to the fifth year boys dormitory.
"On second thought," Charlotte said, "I want you two in different corners, I can't risk you getting distracted."
Ron came out of the corner where he was with Hermione and went into another one. They waited silently for about 5 minutes before a brown barn owl came fluttering through an open window and landed on the coffee table, the owl then immediately transfigured into a man wearing a black cloak with an embroidered golden feather with a red "P" on it.
"Now!" whispered Charlotte to Ron and Hermione.
They all stepped out of their corners and pointed their wands at the stranger, "Petrificus Totalus!" they yelled together.
The man was instantly petrified, and fell over onto the ground.
"That was excellent!" said Ron. Charlotte walked over to the man to examine him. Ron and Hermione followed.
"Who is that?" Hermione asked.
"No idea," said Charlotte
"Look at his cloak!" said Ron, "He must be from the 'Order Of the Phoenix'!"
"I don't think so," said Charlotte poking the embroidery on the mans cloak, "Their cloaks are a lot nicer than this, and it isn't likely he'd go around wearing it like he wanted people to know about it. No, I think he was going to say he was from there to lure Ha-" Charlotte stopped abruptly,"To lure the person I am protecting out of his or her bed," she finished quickly.
"Wait a minute!" said Hermione, "You were protecting Harry weren't you!"
"Umm, I am not at liberty to disclose that information," said Charlotte crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh come on, it's obvious isn't it?" said Hermione, "Who else would be worth protecting from someones seemingly evil plans?"
"Uh, guys, you might want to have a look at who this is," said Ron pulling the mans hood off.
Hermione looked puzzled, "Who is that?" she asked.
"It looks like Crabbe's dad, I recognize him from platform 9 3/4," said Ron.
"But isn't he a Death Eater?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he is..." said Charlotte.
"Well, that settles it then," said Ron,"It looks like we need to go to Dumbledore."
"No! We can't!" cried Charlotte, "This is a top secret mission! I'll talk to my boss and get some people to take him out of here."
Charlotte pulled out a vial filled with mysterious blue liquid, and drank it. She turned invisible immediately.
"Charlotte, where'd you go?" asked Ron looking around.
"I'm over to your right, but I need to be invisible to talk to my boss," she answered, "So quiet down, he doesn't know that you know about me."
"Ok," said Hermione.
"Umm... Hello, boss.... Yes, yes its me, Charlotte... Yeah I've got him here now, he's been petrified... So, send some people over here ASAP... Oh, he was an animagus... He came through the window, alright, I'll report back again tomorrow... Over and out ." Charlotte finished her transmission and popped back in to visibility.
"You two need to hide again, or you can just go back to bed, your choice if you want to see him leave or not," said Charlotte, "It might be interesting to watch, I can never predict what they'll do next."
Hermione and Ron shot each other uncertain looks, "Can't hurt to see it..." said Hermione.
"Yeah, why not..." said Ron.
"Alright, you two go settle yourselves in a corner, they'll be here in a second or two," said Charlotte walking over to the window.
Hermione and Ron backed into a corner, and a few seconds later there was a rustling at the window, and it appeared to admit a yellow sparkling tornado that shifted in, and tore through the room, picking up the petrified body of Crabbe, and swirling it back out again, dissapearing into the night sky. Hermione and Ron looked thunderstruck at the mess that was left in the common room. Chairs were overturrned, the sofa was standing on it's end, and the coffee table was precariously ballanced on the mantle of the fireplace.
"Blimey," said Ron heatedly, "How the hell are we supposed to clean this up?"
"I'm surprised no one's come down already to inspect what all the noise was about," said Hermione, righting a chair.
"Hmmm, I know, Oh well... I'll be off," said Charlotte moving toward the portrait hole.
"Oh no you won't," said Ron angrily," You have to help clean this mess up!"
Charlotte laughed," Ha, right Weasley, I'm going to stay and help you clean up when my bed is waiting for me in my dorm, all nice and fluffy," said Charlotte airily, "But before I leave, You. Cannot. Tell. Harry. About. This," she scolded.
"And why is that?" asked Hermione.
"Because if he finds out, he'll go looking for trouble... You know he will, and while I'm here, no one can hurt him." said Charlotte gravely, "See you in the morning."
With that, she swept through the portrait hole letting it slam shut behind her.
"Well that was a surprise," said Ron to Hermione as they continued to clean up the room.
"Hmm... You don't seem to remember my preoccupation over the last weeks, in looking to see what Charlotte was really all about," Hermione added.
"Herm, this isn't really an appropriate time for I-told- you-so's," said Ron irately.
"It is not an I-told-you-so, if you are so inclined to know... It's a trust-me-next-time, and don't question everything I do, because you know I'm usually right, and you just can't accept the fact that all people may not be exactly what they seem, and you cannot go around trusting everyone who comes along! And another thi--" Hermione was cut off by Ron's hand on her mouth.
"Hermione, calm. Down," said Ron slowly," We have to clean this up before people come to see what the noise was about."
"Fine," she said, "Come help me with this couch."
Help was definitely needed with the couch. It was tipped up on its side with the top side of it brushing against a leg of the coffee table that was on the mantle. Ron walked over and surveyed the damage.
"We need to get this coffe table off the fireplace first," said Ron pointing to it.
"Alright, If I magic that down can you hold the couch still, because the two things are holding eachother up, and we don't want you squashed under the thing," said Hermione taking out her wand.
"OK, on the count of three...... one...... two...... three!"
Hermione uttered a spell and the table eased off the mantle piece and floated down to the ground with a soft thud.
Ron however, was having more than a little trouble holding up the couch. He struggled, and gave a strangled cry before stumbling backward, letting the couch crash downwards. On his way down, he managed to grab hold of a handfull of Hermione's robes, pulling her down with him.
"Well, its good you were strong enough to hold up that couch Ron, otherwise we would have had a right disaster on our hands," said Hermione sarcastically.
"Oi, shut it you, that thing weighs a ton!" he replied loudly.
During their bickering, both of them conveniently had forgotten that they were still lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Whether it was because of the falling furniture, or the magnitude of the sounds of Ron and Hermione's argument, almost the whole house had awoken and come down to investigate the noise.
"Oh come on, atleast I have the sense not to be fooled by cheap robes into thinking an unspeakable would come into the common room for some evil plan!" said Hermione, though the effect of her statement wasn't a serious one and the both of them lay in peals of laughter on the floor, oblivious to the fact that they were surrounded by tousle-haired surprised looking people.
"Wow, I knew both of your hormones were raging for eachother, but I never thought it would grow to the point where you'd tear apart the common room," said a grinning Seamus Finnigan, shocking Hermione and Ron back to reality.
Everyone around them started sniggering as they broke apart, faces crimson, and got up hastily straightening their robes unnecissarily.
"Umm, as a prefect, I was merely, umm, oh forget it, I'm going to bed!" said Hermione sounding frustrated.
Hermione walked up the girls staircases to her dorm.
"So Ron, what were you two doing here at such a late hour?" Asked a grinning Fred.
"Well, if you absoloutely need to know, we were in fact doing homework, for uhh, ahem, a.... class...." he trailed off.
"When you think of it, tell me which class it was, 'cause I want to sign up!" said George.
Harry emerged from the crowd, evidently having just come down.
"Whass goin on?" he asked sleepily.
"Harry! You missed the show! Ron, can we expect a repeat performance tomorrow night?" asked Dean Thomas.
"Oh sod off! I'm going to bed," said Ron, as he walked through the parting crowd.
"Hey wait! What about the mess?" asked a fifth year from the crowd.
Ron stomped back, turned the last chair right side up again, then walked back up the staircase without a word.
"Alright everyone, back to bed!" clapped another prefect.
The crowd parted, and tredded quietly back to their respective staircases.
***************
The next morning at breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry refrained from asking Ron and Hermione about their 'incident' the evening before, having seen it coming a long way away. As he approached the table, Ron and Hermione were talking in hushed voices, apparently debating over something.
"But you heard what she said! It's official ministry business! We can't go around blowing her cover!" whispered Hermione fervently.
"But she didn't say she was from the ministry! For all we know she could be in You-Know-Who's inner circle, and Crabbe was used as a decoy to fool us!" Ron replied.
"But she didn't know we'd be down there spying on her did she? She only discovered us in the common room, and at the library, she said she had to protect someone! And we know its obviously Harry!"
"Who's protecting me from Voldemort?" asked Harry casually, sitting down beside Ron, and taking a piece of toast from a pile on the table.
"Bloody hell Harry! Don't do that, I nearly fell off my chair!" said Ron shakily.
"I suggest we go for a walk before class. We can't keep this from you any longer," said Hermione sighing.
They agreed, and got up from the table. On their way out, they were spotted by Charlotte sitting at the Slytherin table, feigning interest at something Malfoy said.
"......... So anyway, I was looking down at the bloke in my dungeon, and I says to him, I says, ' What the bloody hell did you think you were doing tresspassing on Malfoy property, now you've gone and gotten your legs blown off! And no! I don't want to buy any of your damn cookies!' So then he looks at me and says,--" Draco looked at Charlotte and saw her staring at Potter across the hall, walking out with Weasel and the mudblood. He decided to test her attention,
"So, He says to me, 'Wow Draco, I love your pink frock, it looks better on you than it did on that alligator that was dancing in it a minute earlier.' Charlotte, luv, are you even listening to me?" he asked
"Yeah, that's nice, Draco, I gotta go, I'll see you in class," said Charlotte, and she got up and followed them out without so much as a backward glance.
Charlotte followed them out of the castle, a few paces behind, then took some invisibility potion, so she could follow them more closely.
"....... So what you're saying, is that Charlotte really isn't going to this school to learn magic, she's here to protect me from some plan?" asked a bewildered Harry.
'Damnit!' thought Charlotte, 'I knew they'd go running to Potter and tell him! I have got to put a stop to this!' Charlotte decided. She popped back into visibility, and sprang in front of the three.
"So, what are you three out on a walk for? Scoping new locations for a hole for your family to live in Weasley? Or are you and the mudblood out looking for more room to roll around, whats wrong? Common room not big enough?" said Charlotte smirking.
"Go jump in the lake, Snow!" said Ron, his face screwed up with anger.
Charlotte took an imaginary notebook out of her pocket, pretended to open it up and frowned, "Sorry, I have killing myself scheduled in for next week... I guess you'll have to wait..." she said.
"So whats all this rubbish I heard you talking about, something about me... in the Gryffindor common room?" she asked, looking innocent.
"You know very well what we're talking about! Don't pretend you don't know!" accused Hermione.
"Do you mean the same kind of pretending it takes for you to pretend not to know how to shut up?" asked Charlotte, "Or the same kind of pretending you don't know how to act properly in a public common room? Oh wait" she said slapping her forehead, " I believe you really don't know how to shut up, no amount of pretending could compensate for the fact that you deem it necessary to spread hillariously untrue rumours about me."
Harry spoke up," I believe Ron and Hermione, I do not need your protection, I can take care of myself!"
"Right, ickle Harry, Harry's a big boy now!" Charlotte said in a high voice, "Whatever," and she walked away.
"You do believe us though, right Harry?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, but we've got to prove it," Harry said, "We'll work something out later... We'd better go or we'll be late for History Of Magic."
'What am I going to do now?' Charlotte thought to herself, 'My whole cover is blown! It'll take ages to repair the damage... I'll just have to be more careful, I have to execute this quickly, I'll need as much information I can squeeze out of Malfoy as I can get. Hmm, I should contact the boss soon, but in a more secluded place than the library.' Charlotte reasoned to herself on the way back to the castle. But she was jolted out of her thoughts when she bumped into something solid,
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Charlotte shouted, but then she saw it was Malfoy.
"I heard you talking to them Charlotte," he said ingoring her outburst, "Those insults were classic."
"Thank you," Charlotte replied thinking, 'I need to get on his good side'... "I just wish I could wipe that smile permenantly off Potter's face!" she said, feigning anger.
"No need to worry about that, my father's plan will come into action soon, I'll tell you all about it after class," he said, smirking again.
'Good job Char! Just don't screw it up now'! she thought to herself. She plastered her most mischevious smile on her face, and marched back up to the castle with Malfoy.