Chapter 6

"Of course I know what a doppelganger is. A doppelganger is someone's ghostly counterpart. They are invisible to human eyes and when they reveal themselves, it is considered to be bad luck," Hermione answered levelly.

"Yes," Harry said. "That is what we think is harming Draco."

"That's preposterous Harry, and you know it," Hermione snapped, plopping down in a chair. "Why would Draco's own doppelganger harm him?"

"Why would Draco's own father harm him?" Ron asked cryptically.

"We don't know that he does," Hermione pointed out. "But then again, we don't know anything about Draco's home life."

"I believe that is doppelganger might be under a spell or something, or has been instructed to watch after Draco and make sure he doesn't get into trouble," Harry suggested.

Hermione buried her head in her hands. "This is so complicated. What are we going to do?"

"First off, you can ask Draco about it," Ron said determinedly. "And we will go from there."

"Draco and I had another fight," Hermione confessed. "I don't think I can talk to him right now."

"Don't tell me you want me to talk to him?" Harry laughed. "He'd curse me dead before I said a word."

"I'm not doing it!" Ron shuddered. "God, I don't want to be the person he's mad at."

Hermione groaned. "Fine, but why is it always me?"

Hermione dragged her feet back into the infirmary, dreading Draco's reaction at the sight of her.

"Hello, Malfoy," she said civilly, sitting down. He was writing a paper for Professor McGonagall, which he put aside when she greeted him.

"Hello, Granger," he replied. "Can I help you?"

"This may sound a bit odd, but…" She bit her lip. "Malfoy, I know your father didn't give you that cut on your cheek. Who did?"

"I don't know," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, Granger."

"No, you aren't."

"Are you accusing me of lying?"

"Yes."

He sighed, fell back onto the pillows, and then glared at her. "How did you know?"

"When you are lying, or extending the truth, you fidget with your fingers."

"I won't tell you," he said with a scowl.

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of your business."

"Look, Malfoy; Harry, Ron, and I think that it is your doppelganger."

"How did you know?"

Hermione nearly fell out of her seat. "We're right?"

"Yes, Granger. You're always right, remember?"

Hermione frowned at him. "Stop being so self-deprecating."

"Answer my question."

"I refuse to dignify your demands," she replied haughtily. "Unless you tell me something as well."

"Fine, what do you want to know?"

"Why the hell is your own damn doppelganger attacking you?" she asked loudly.

Madame Pomfrey shot them a warning look. Hermione quieted down.

"My doppelganger never attacked me before last year," Draco replied smoothly, looking around to make sure there was no one near. "It all started when my father asked me to join the Death Eaters."

Hermione leaned forward. "Go on."

"At first, I was very excited, but as they outlined what they did, I became less and less interested. I may be cruel at times, but never sadistic."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I think you are being too kind." Draco shrugged.

"Anyhow, but the more I struggled to get free, the harder they tightened their grasps. Suddenly, strange things started happening. I would look in the mirror, and there would be two of me. I would walk to the bathroom at night, and I would hear footsteps behind me. Finally, I told my mother." He twisted his face, and stared at his pale hands, now unblemished and beautiful again.

"What did she say?"

"She told me about my doppelganger. She said that the Dark Lord knew how to take over your other side, and it was the Dark Lord's eyes and hands. She said that it would make sure I did what He wanted."

Hermione gasped. "So, it's like Voldemort's tool! I understand now. So, when Voldemort tells it to hurt you, it will?"

"Of course," Draco said with a tired shrug. "It has done worse than cut me."

"I'll find a way to get rid of it," Hermione vowed abruptly, leaping to her feet. "There has got to be a way of breaking it free from Voldemort."

"Hermione, that's the problem. It went willingly, if you broke the bond, the doppelganger would just renew it. I can never escape."

"No, I meant, we have to get rid of the doppelganger itself. Destroy it completely."

Draco shook his head. "Wouldn't that destroy me?"

"It shouldn't," Hermione replied calmly. "I'll find out."

Once again, Hermione found herself pouring through an old medicinal potions book late at night. Why was she doing this?

That's right, for Draco Malfoy. Who thought her stupid and… She paused. No, he had admitted that she was smart. He had admitted that he cared. Yes, she conceded, he did care. Maybe not as much as she did, but maybe one day he would value her company.

'Oh, if only there was a legal friendship potion,' she thought grumpily, opening another heavy text book. 'That would make things a hell of a lot easier.'

Hermione nearly fell asleep in her porridge the next morning, the spell clenched tightly in her white fist.

"Hermione," Ron had said fiercely, shaking her awake. "Wake up you stupid…" He continued to mutter as she wearily shook her head.

"What time is it?" she muttered, groping for her watch only to find that she'd left it in her dorm. "I feel like I've been run over by a steam roller."

"What's a steam roller?" Ron asked interestedly.

"It's a muggle saying," Harry explained. "It means that her head hurts."

"Wouldn't it be simpler to say her head hurts?" Ron questioned in a disgusted tone. "Bloody Christ, muggles are strange."

"I've got to go to the infirmary," Hermione said with a yawn, shoving her schedule into her bag. "I have to go talk to Madame Pomfrey."

"Your head hurts that bad?" Ron asked as Hermione got up. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Remember, Draco is being haunted by a Voldemort possessed doppelganger?"

"Oh yeah," Ron said vaguely, not remembering in the slightest. "How did that go?"

Draco was paler than he'd ever been before, and Hermione could see the blue pulsing veins on his ashy grey temple.

"You look awful," she said worriedly, feeling his forehead.

"You too," he coughed. "You look like you haven't gotten any sleep at all."

"I haven't," she said with a faint smile. "I found a spell that might work. It supposed to exorcise the demon…"