Trapped

When Tabby woke the next morning she felt disorientated. It took her a while to remember exactly why she wasn't in her bedroom. She lay still for a long time, trying to work out how she could get Harry to let her out. As Harry was stirring there was a knock on the door. Harry got up and opened it, Hermione came in. Harry quickly closed the door before she could realise who else it was in the room.

"What's she doing in here?" Hermione spat, "wait don't tell me you two slept together? Why would you bring me here to show me that Harry?"

"She is here so we can all sort this out Hermione. We only slept in the same room, not together."

Hermione snorted, and turned to the door.

"That won't work Hermione, he's locked us in," said Tabby quietly. Hermione tried her own unlocking spells before she gave in, marched over to the spare chair and flopped down in it. Harry conjured a new chair for himself.

"Now you two, I want you to stop fighting with each other and sort out your differences, you cannot leave this room until you do."

"Oi Weasel, I mean, Weasley, where's Potter?"

"Why do you care Malfoy?"

"I err, need to talk to him."

"Sure. Pick a fight with him you mean. Just what is your problem?"

"You won't believe me if I tell you."

Ron had been on his way to join Harry in the Room of Requirement. Harry had thought it would be a good idea if they were both there. While Ron was reluctant to actually get there, he didn't want a fight with Malfoy to slow him down.

"You're right, I won't believe you," he said and began to walk away.

"Look, I need to talk to Harry." Ron was shocked, that was the first time Malfoy had actually used Harry's first name. This must be serious.

"Well he's busy at the moment, I'll get him to come and find you when he's done, OK?"

"I'd really prefer to come and wait." What else could Ron do? He continued on his way to the Room of Requirement with Malfoy in tow.

The argument between the two girls was getting worse. Harry hoped Ron got here soon, in case they had to physically pull them apart.

"I don't know why you are pretending, it's obvious you want Harry, you got your claws into him the first week you got here!"

"I don't want Harry! I only ever wanted to be friends with you. With all of you. You're just too wrapped up in your own life to give a damn about anyone else."

"I'm too wrapped up? What about you? You spend all your time trying to be better than me!"

"No I don't! You took away my chance to have a social life, so what else is there to do in this stupid school. Nothing. Only work. I don't do it by choice you know, only coz I haven't got anything better to do."

"You're such a liar!"

A banging on the door interrupted them. Harry opened it, relieved that Ron had finally decided to show up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" said Harry as not Ron but Draco entered the room.

"I need to." his voice faded away as he realised he had interrupted something, "what's going on in here."

"None of your business Malfoy.No Ron, don't close the.door." But it was too late; the door had already banged shut. "Great!" snapped Harry, "now, we are stuck here with Malfoy."

"What?" said Hermione, her head jerking towards the boys.

"This is my Room of Requirement," explained Harry, "when I created it I made it so no one can leave until we all sort out our differences."

"Oh what a clever idea, Harry," snapped Hermione.

"Well I'm sick of you two fighting, this was the only way to sort things out. I didn't mean for Malfoy to come in. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"Sorry Harry I didn't realise you were gonna lock the room, else I wouldn't have let Malfoy come," said Ron, appreciating that it looked like his fault.

"So now I'm stuck here am I? For how long?"

"Well until those two sort things out," said Harry gesturing towards Hermione and Tabby. Draco had been so involved that he hadn't even noticed Tabby was in the room too. He grinned, pleased that Tabby was going to get her opportunity to make peace with Hermione.

"What are you smirking at Malfoy?" said Hermione, "think it's funny that Harry has to lock us together to get us to talk?"

"Well now you mention it, it is kinda funny."

"Why you, you." Hermione tried to find the right words to insult him with, but they wouldn't come. She turned back to Tabby, "this is all your fault you know! You're not happy in upsetting us, you have to go and get us locked in a room with our enemy."

"That's not fair, I didn't ask to be locked in here either you know. This is all Harry's doing."

"Don't you go blaming this on Harry!"

"But it's his fault! He made the Room."

"But it's not his fault that we don't get on!"

"I didn't say it was Hermione. I seem to recall it is your fault we don't get on."

"What? Your such a liar!"

"Who's the one that picked on me for no reason? Who's the one who warded me off her friends?"

"Well I don't want you stealing them! They are my friends I had them first!"

"I know they're your friends! I never tried to take them away, I just wanted to be friends too."

"So how come you and Harry went sneaking off together?"

"When?"

"That day before Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Hermione what are you talking about?"

"That day we did the Unforgivable Curses in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and you and Harry were late, you missed breakfast as well."

"Did you ever bother to ask Harry where we were?"

"I don't think that's the point."

"Yes it is! Did you ever ask him?"

"No, we were too busy wondering what you had done to Lupin after the lesson."

"Well then why don't you find out before you start accusing me of things I didn't do." Tabby walked away. The room Harry had conjured was actually quite big, and she sat in the furthest corner away from Hermione. She knew the truth was about to come out, or at least some of it. She just hoped these people could handle it. She looked around Draco was sitting apart from the others in a chair that he had conjured. He was watching her, and when their eyes met he smiled. Harry was sitting in the chair opposite Hermione and Ron was leaning against the fireplace looking really uncomfortable.

"Well Harry, where did you go that morning?"

"Tabby asked me if she could borrow Hedwig so she could send a letter, so I took her up to the Owlery," said Harry, his voice was only a little above a whisper, "is that really all this is about Hermione, we were late for a lesson and you thought we were up to something?"

Hermione looked away, when Harry put it like that it sounded so stupid. "What did she want Hedwig for anyway?" said Hermione, trying to save face. Harry glanced over at Tabby.

"You have to tell her Harry, else she won't understand."

"Well, I wanted to know the exact same thing, I didn't just want to let Hedwig out without knowing why or where she was going," he paused as if trying to find the best way to go on, "Tabby was direct with me, she didn't spin me a line, she just told me the truth straight away, she said I had a right to know, but she swore me to secrecy. I swear I would have told you guys if I could, but I had promised, and I could see how important it was to keep quiet about this."

"Well get on with it," snapped Hermione.

"Tabby was writing a letter to the Ministry, and she has been every week since using Hedwig."

"But why?" this time it was Ron who asked the question.

"I have to send a report to the Ministry every week, telling them how everything is getting on."

"A report? You're reporting on us?"

"I'm reporting anything strange that happens. Just letting them know that everything is going OK."

"You mean you have been spying on us?"

"No, not spying."

"Well what then?"

Here goes nothing thought Tabby, "protecting."