Chapter 6: Eavesdropping

10 minutes later Hermione and Ron were climbing into a carriage of their own. Both of them could now see the Thestrals. As they journeyed to Hogsmeade their conversation was forced and uncomfortable at first but soon they were chatting away happily. Before they knew it they were climbing out at Hogsmeade and looking around.

"Where do you want to go?" Ron asked her.

"Well I need to buy some more quills and that - but I'll do that later. How about 'The Three Broomsticks'?"

"Ok," Ron agreed. "Come on." They walked down the road, the midday sun beaming down on them so that they had to squint to look at the buildings.

When they arrived Ron ordered two Butterbeers, and with a sideways look at Hermione to check she wasn't looking, he dug into his pockets and pulled out all his knuts. Hermione and Ron sat down together on a table near the wall. The table had a black tablecloth and orange glitter was falling from the ceiling. Upon looking up, Ron realised the glitter was in fact coming from numerous pumpkins which had been charmed to float around sprinkling customers.

Hermione pushed the tiny speckles of gold and orange around on the tablecloth with her finger nails. Ron ran his hand through his hair nervously.

Just as things were starting to get very uncomfortable Madame Rosmerta bustled over and plonked two mugs of Butterbeer on the table. Ron took a long sip to avoid having to start a conversation.

"So, er – " Hermione tried, "Um, are you looking forward to the feast tomorrow evening?" Hermione asked.

"Yea! It'll probably be great. I can't wait," Ron answered, annoyed that he hadn't managed to think of something that simple to say. "Yea, er are you?"

Hermione swallowed a gulp of Butterbeer. "Yea, Halloween is my favourite celebration besides Christmas."

"Why's that?" Ron asked her.

"Well 5 years ago tomorrow was the exact day you, me and Harry all became friends."

Ron smiled, "Oh yea, it was too. All because of that troll! And because you'd been hiding in the bathroom all day."

Hermione laughed, "That's only because you'd made fun of me!"

Ron looked horrified, "Oh yea! Oh I'm so sorry Hermione I was so stupid! I can't believe I said that about you!" he looked sincerely sorry.

Hermione just giggled, "Ron, it was 5 years ago. And besides, if you hadn't ... well us 3 wouldn't be friends now would we?"

Ron thought for a second and then smiled, "Yea when you think of it that way I'm a bit of hero eh?"

Hermione laughed and drank some more of her Butterbeer.

Next, the two decided to simply walk around the town a bit. They'd been to Hogsmeade together before, in 3rd year when Harry didn't have permission to visit with them. This time, however, the situation seemed quite different. They trod the roads they'd walked over so many times all the years before and Hermione slipped her hand into Ron's. The shops were decorated with bats and pumpkins and other Halloween-y things. The sun was shining uncomfortably in their eyes so Ron led Hermione round the back of a few buildings into a nice shady corner. He leant against the wall and pushed his fringe out of his face, "Her-" he started but Hermione covered his mouth with her hand.

Ron's brow furrowed and he pulled away. Hermione put a finger to her lips and widened her eyes. Ron got the hint. They stood in silence for a second, Ron still looking very confused. Then they heard muffled voices coming from behind the next building. They didn't sound like student's voices either. There was something dark about them.

Hermione strained her ears to listen and managed to pick up parts of the conversation: "No not yet…"

"...know the plans?"

"Yes... ... here, Bella said these are for you..." their voices dropped and Hermione struggled to hear what was said next.

"...when are we going to..."

Hermione tilted forwards slowly, eager to hear what they were talking about.

"... don't loose the ... ... know what she said."

Their voices were getting less and less audible now, "... secret ..."

Hermione looked at Ron. His mouth was hanging slightly open. 'What?' he mouthed.

Hermione shrugged and put a finger to her lips again.

"Go now, I'll go the other way. You know about t... ...Good."
Then there was the unmistakable sound of someone walking towards them. Hermione cast a terrified look at Ron and he pulled her into the extremely thin gap between two buildings.  Hermione shoved herself in, scraping her ankle painfully as she did so. A cobweb brushed past her cheek but she ignore it. Holding her breath she looked out the gap at the man walking past them. She froze.

She knew that long blonde hair and the way that tall figure strutted as he walked, all to well.

Ron poked her and raised his eyebrows in question. Hermione waited a while to make sure the coast was clear and pulled herself out. Ron followed.

He opened his mouth to speak but Hermione shook her head, grabbed his hand and walked back out onto the street.

Only when they were back on the busy road did Hermione say something. "You realise what we just heard?"

"Er – I think so," Ron answered.

Hermione looked around her and leant her head towards Ron, "Two Death Eaters talking."

Ron nodded.

"And I think the 'Bella' they talked about was Bellatrix," she continued.

Ron snapped his head round to face Hermione, "You mean the one who killed S-"

"Yes."

Ron's jaw fell open once again.

"What's more," Hermione said taking a deep breath. "Is that I know who the person who walked past us was."

"Who?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

*

That evening Hermione and Ron climbed out of the Thestral-drawn carriages and stepped onto the cold dewy Hogwarts lawns. Hermione shivered as a cold breeze blew gently past and Ron draped his arm around her. She smiled and snuggled into him as they walked.

They reached the great oak front doors and merged with the throng of students also returning to the castle. By the time the students had all gone their separate ways, Hermione and Ron were walking up a set of stairs with 5 other Gryffindors.

Back up in the common room, which was far warmer than the vast corridors outside, they spotted Harry sitting by the fire.

"Hey," they said sitting either side of him.

"Oh hi. How was your day?" he asked them.

"It was good but listen, Harry, we have something really important to talk to about," Hermione said seriously.

"What?"

"Me and Ron overheard some people talking right? We couldn't hear exactly what they were saying because they were whispering but we did pick up some things."

Harry looked at her blankly, obviously waiting for more.

"It was two Death Eaters, one was Lucius I know because I saw him. They were saying something about a plan and secrets …and it seems like someone they called 'Bella' was behind it all," she said. "We think they mean Bellatrix Lestrange," she finished.

Harry looked from her to Ron on his other side.

Not knowing entirely what to say he decided to confirm what she had just told him, "So we think Lucius and Bellatrix and some other people are plotting something?"

Hermione nodded.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked.

"Tell Dumbledore," Hermione said, clearly shocked he'd asked such a blatantly obvious question.

For once Harry didn't argue. "Yea," he agreed looking into the dancing reds and oranges of the fire. He was spared having to think of anything else to add when Ginny climbed into the portrait hole, her hair carefully obscuring her face and started walking towards the stairs.

Ron seemed to recognise something about her behaviour and called out, "Ginny? Ginny are you ok?"

She turned to face him, revealing wet cheeks and glistening eyes. Concern filled Ron's face and he stood up. "What's the matter?" he asked worriedly.

Ginny shrugged, "Nothin'" she muttered and she turned to walk up the stairs again.

Ron strode towards her and put his hands either side of her arms, "Ginny you've been crying," he said anxiously.

She shook her head so that her red hair concealed her face again and tried to wriggle out of his grip.

"Tell me what happened," he persisted.

Ginny sighed. "I – I just visited the hospital wing." She paused for a moment and look down at her feet. "Dean was there. He was awake."

Ron waited for her to continue.

"He um – He told me what happened to him."

Ron looked behind him at Harry and Hermione. "Come and sit down," he told her, leading her gently to the soft couch. Hermione stood up and sat next to Ginny. No-one in the school knew what had happened to Dean. Not even the Professors. All they knew was that he had been in something similar to a coma all week. Many different rumours were buzzing around the school, some of them positively outrageous and Madam Pomfrey was tearing her hair out trying tot figure out what had happened to him.

"What did he tell you?" she asked.

Ginny sniffed. "He's been unconscious all this time. It was the first time he's woken up.." She rubbed her eyes, "He told me Professor Koley had asked him to go to the Forbidden Forest with her. To um, see something about next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. But when he got there she led him deeper and deeper and then … Dean said she asked him lots of weird questions. He couldn't remember much about it. Something about secret passageways in and out of Hogwarts and about you, Harry."

Harry looked up, suddenly alert.

Ginny sniffed and continued, "He asked her why she wanted to know and she got mad. She told him he had better answer what she wanted otherwise she'd make him... and she got out her wand. Dean said he – er – knew something fishy was going on and then he saw her eyes were weird-"

"Weird?" Ron asked. "Like what?"

"I don't know. He didn't say. And then Koley asked him to spy on you and he said he wouldn't. And then she got really mad and … and told him he was ruining all her careful plans and that she wouldn't let a 16 year get in the way of her duties."

Hermione's eyes flickered over to Harry and Ron's who were looking at each other uneasily.

"Dean was getting pretty worried now but he didn't know the way out of the Forest. And Koley had her wand pointed at his heart and she told him to tell her Dumbledore's plans. He didn't know what she meant. And then … then she said he had to obey her. She was yelling he said he knew something was wrong with her. And when he wouldn't do what she said. Koley … Koley hexed him."

Ginny leant forwards into Hermione and started crying again. Hermione hugged her. Harry looked away. He should've known Ginny still had feelings for Dean.

When Ginny had been comforted, Hermione took her up to the girl's dorm. Harry and Ron looked at each other speechlessly. "Well that was weird," Ron said finally.

"Yea. I always though Professor Koley was really nice."

Ron shrugged, "You never know about people. Remember we thought it was Snape all that time after the Philosopher's Stone. But it was Quirrell."

"Yea..." Harry agreed thoughtfully, "Gee, I can't believe she hexed Dean!"

"I know. It's scary," Ron shuddered. "One of our own Professors."

"Makes you wonder who you can trust," Harry said just as Hermione reappeared at the bottom of the staircase and walked straight towards them, a very serious look upon her face.

She sat down in front of them, her bushy hair falling around her shoulders and said, "Did you two understand that?"

They both nodded.

"Ok well either Professor Koley is a Death Eater or she's under the Imperius curse," Hermione said, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yea," Harry muttered.

"We definitely have to tell Dumbledore this."

Ron nodded.