A Dangerous Project – Part Five – Too Much Firewhiskey
"So it wasn't a student," Ron said for the seventh time, pacing in agitation.
Hermione rubbed her temples, feeling her headache increase. "We've definitely established that, at least, in the past hour. I'm pretty sure no one else would be interested in taking a midnight trip to the Forbidden Forest just to help me out. Besides, they would have no way of knowing what we were there for."
"No other adults, either," Harry added, still sitting cross-legged on Hermione's floor. There haven't been any visitors on the grounds for at least a week, and it was too fresh for that. No one can apparate to Hogwarts, so no one could have snuck in." He scowled. "I don't like this. You're sure the bloody plant hasn't been tampered with?"
Hermione nodded confidently. "It was placed at my door within a few hours of picking, and there isn't any residual magic. I tried a few spells I know, but there's not a trace of anyone on it, so he or she must have used gloves."
"So we're saying it was a teacher," Harry concluded. "But the real question is, why do it secretly? If they wanted to help us, they could have said something!"
"Not really," Ron objected. "We're breaking school rules, they can't support that."
Hermione frowned and clenched her hands in frustration. "I hate this! We're not getting anywhere!"
The three of them sat in glum silence, hoping that not thinking would help them, well, think of something.
It didn't.
A few moments later, Hermione sighed. "We'll just have to keep going. I mean, this is a good thing. We can finish the potion, which means we can start doing more dangerous and useful things in, um, Headquarters."
At another mention of the word 'dangerous' Ron groaned and buried his head in a pillow.
--------------------
In a few days, they had completed the Alertus Emotis. Hermione had procured some small blown-glass baubles that looked as though they were simply jewelry. While Ron and Harry watched expectantly, she poured the simmering, muddy brown potion into the small glass balls. Into one she dropped a small piece of her hair, another Harry's, and the last Ron's. She melted the glass shut as the hair dissolved, and the three of them watched the potions, fascinated. Hermione's turned a foamy sea green, Ron's a bubbling gold, and Harry's...
"Pink?!" Harry asked in dismay.
"In touch with that feminine side lately, Harry?" Ron sniggered. Hermione shot him a disapproving look, trying to hide a grin at the look on Harry's face.
"Really, though," she said, attempting to console him, "you can wear it under your robes! It won't be a problem."
"Oy!" Ron exclaimed, excited. "Let's see if they work!" Harry, still distracted, glanced over at Ron.
"How?" he asked confusedly. Hermione and Ron grinned at each other.
"Malfoy!" they chorused.
--------------------
"But what if he sees it?" Ron asked nervously. Hermione grinned.
"He'll just think you two are even stranger than you are!" she said cheerfully. "Go on!"
With Ron and Harry leading the way, they made their trek down the hall, coming closer to Malfoy. When they were a few feet from him, Ron glanced surreptitiously at his necklace.
"It worked!" he said delightedly. Indeed, his potion had turned a pale blue. Harry and Hermione looked at theirs, too, and committed the shade to memory. It wasn't very dark. Could it be that perhaps Malfoy didn't hate them as much as they thought?
No, Hermione decided, perhaps it was just that compared to some hatred, like that of Voldemort, Malfoy was relatively insignificant. It put a different spin on things to think of it like that.
--------------------
A storm came up that night, so everyone stayed in the Gryffindor common room in front of the fire – talking, playing games, and having fun. After Fred and George left, Ron had taken over the procuring of foodstuff from the kitchens, so they were well supplied with cakes, tortes, and other none-too-healthy snacks. And even...
"Firewhiskey?" Hermione said disapprovingly. "Ronald Weasley, if your mum knew about this..."
"Then she won't!" he said cheerfully. "It's only a bit!"
"Ron! Stop! Put it down!" the note of panic in Hermione's voice surprised Ron.
"Look, Hermione, it's only a bit, it's not dangerous at all."
"Ron, look at your necklace." Hermione almost shrieked. Ron glanced down in surprise. His potion was such a dark blue to be almost black, and when he touched it, it was warm. He pulled his hand back in shock and threw the firewhiskey to the floor. By this time Harry had joined, and the three of them watched in horror as the liquid ate through the floor, frothing and smoking. A hush had settled in the room as everyone watched the potion.
Harry forced a laugh. "Gosh, Hermione, you almost got Ron this time! That stuff would have made him say his thoughts out loud for a week! Close call, Ron!" he said, punching Hermione in the shoulder gently. The two others caught on quickly and both laughed loudly as Hermione cleaned up the potion and repaired the floor. The room rose slowly back to its normal dull roar, and Harry sighed in relief.
"Come on," he hissed. "Let's go somewhere private."
They met back in Hermione's room, seeing as how it was the most secluded place. For a moment there was silence, and then all three of them started talking at once.
"Do you think that – "
"Maybe it was – "
"Should we – "
They all stopped, and grinned weakly at each other. Harry tried again.
"Do you think that this had anything to do with what we've been working on? And was it even linked to us? Whoever did it probably had no idea who would drink the firewhiskey." He paused thoughtfully. "Ron, who knew you were getting the firewhiskey?" Ron frowned.
"Well, the house elves," he said slowly. "You, and Hermione. Seamus. Neville. Maybe Ginny, maybe Lavender, I think. Other than that, no one."
Hermione groaned in frustration. "Why do we have so many unanswered questions lately? Nothing makes sense any more! Why did I ever ask for something interesting to do?" This made Harry and Ron laugh, easing the tension that had saturated the air since the earlier incident.
"I don't think we should worry too much," Harry said. "We should be on guard, but these potions are a big help, and we can't do anything until we keep working. So just be careful."
Both Hermione and Ron heard the unspoken 'or else' in his words, remembering what they were really up against. Hermione shivered. How could they possibly think they could do something? In their previous battles with Voldemort, were they competent, or lucky?